IN A SHEPHERD'S WORD

"THE JOURNEY: I Wonder Where We Will Go?"

The old Chinese proverb inevitably is always true: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one

step." And so, on September 13, 2009 we will begin The Journey at Community Chapel. The Journey,

however, will not be a 1,000 mile trip, but rather it is an invitation. Remember this:

We invite you to a journey toward becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Everything we do will be about this!

To get all the details check out www.community-chapel.org and click on The Journey link in the right

hand corner. But it causes me to ask, "Where will we go in The Journey?"

Jesus says, "Come, follow me!" What do those words imply for you and me? In the traditional rabbinic

fashion, Jesus is not asking us to simply take a geographical walk around the corner. Nor is He

suggesting that we just do religious things that are convenient for us. Rather, Jesus is inviting us all to

"do life" with Him as the One who "is life" for us! The Journey is about embracing the call from Jesus

with all that we have, as fully devoted followers!

In Matthew 28, Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations…." When Jesus speaks of a

disciple, He speaks of one whose primary characteristic is "devotion to the Master". It is precisely

what our mission statement implies:

"Out of love for God and enabled by God the Community Chapel Church of the Nazarene is to make

fully devoted followers of Jesus in the 21st century."

So this is a call to embrace The Journey toward becoming a "devoted follower" of Jesus Christ our

Lord. It means…

A recommitment to community. True growth always happens in community.

A renewed investment of time. How do you spell love? T-I-M-E! It is true in our

relationship with God as well!

A rediscovery of people! Yes, people. You. Me. One another. Making time and space for

other travelers in the journey!

A re-deployment into our world! Let us be the reason people believe that "God is good"

by our acts of service.

So we will take the first step together on September 13th! That day The Journey will have a slightly

altered schedule.

The Journey of Praise at 8:30 and 11:00 AM will be intergenerational in nature complete with a

Family Fusion emphasis.

On that Sunday, During Journey Group Hour there will be tables and refreshments set

up for fellowship and sign up for Journey Groups.

But, we will take the first step, and as we open ourselves to God together, The Journey may

change our lives, and the lives of those we intersect with each day. So, let us take the first step. I

wonder where we will go?

In the journey of HIS Adventure,

Pastor Geoff