Dear Liberty family & friends

Join us in launching into October with coffee or tea and fellowship tomorrow in our Café Liberty gathering from 9:45-10:15 AM.

The early phase of the fall season brings fresh reminders of something we often take for granted: Change is part of God’s design for His creation and for our lives.

Changing seasons bring new ways to view the beauty of nature. Since the changes we see around us happen silently, they also serve to remind us that many of God’s blessings in life are “built-in”. They happen whether we’re aware or not. So why not be more aware? I see this as one of many reasons we can and should cherish the call to worship that we hear in passages such as Psalm 96:3: “Tell of His glory among the nations; His wonderful deeds among all people.”

That call hints at a vast spiritual arena of discovery that is part of the wonder of God’s design for worshipers.

Turning our hearts to the LORD actively, openly and with others who are gathered to glorify Him is a privilege in God’s grace. It brings benefits we may not readily recognize.

“True worship” as the Lord Jesus Himself described it in John 4:23, includes a recognition of realities that are invisible to the natural eye. Surely this is why a model prayer in Ephesians 1:16-21 includes the request: “…that the eyes of their understanding may be enlightened to know the….glorious riches of [our] inheritance in the saints].

When a batter strikes a baseball just right and it soars high in the stadium, tens of thousands of eyes are aimed at the same moving object. When we worship our risen LORD, in grateful anticipation, the Holy Spirit aims our gaze toward His glory, so we can see more clearly, along with brothers and sisters in Christ, what God is doing!

Seasonal changes all have their unique features. Each one conveys the brush stroke of incredible intelligence on the canvass of creation. With silent wonder as well as in jubilant song, we can tap into the treasury of God-ordained changes. Each day matters to God. Each person is priceless in the eyes of God. Each question in our hearts can be a doorway into discovery. Each step of faith we take is a vital expression of the gifts God has placed within us. Best of all, at the heart of all these changes – the seasonal and the spiritual, is the unchanging character of God. It’s the eternal certainty of the living God that enables us to tap into these treasures. The best and the brightest of life’s abundant blessings come alive as we cherish what He reveals in nature and in Scripture. As awesome as it all is, there is so much more to explore!

For, “eye has not seen, and ear has not heard; neither has it entered into human hearts, the things God has in store for those who love Him.” (I Corinthians 2:9)

Celebrating Caring Volunteers [Pastor’s note]: I (seriously) cannot adequately express my appreciation for each of you who have sought me out, offering to take on special projects, including repair tasks, cleaning and odd jobs. I realize, in every instance I’m thinking of, that you’re serving the Lord with no desire for recognition. I honor that, so I’ll simply say, strongly from the heart: Thank you!

Quick notes/upcoming events

1. Thanks for partaking in our “name-tag Sundays” on the 1st Sunday of each month. The warm welcome of a caring church is always close to our hearts. Name tags are in a rack in the foyer/Café Liberty area for your convenience.
2. Liberty Church sponsors a table for Alpha Pregnancy Center’s annual banquet is Saturday evening, October 7th @ Grace Bible Church in Manchester MD. We would love to fill the 8 seats at our sponsored table, as supporters gather to celebrate with Alpha staff and volunteers and to learn more about serving opportunities in the ministry. Would you attend as our guest? These annual fundraisers are a vital part of the mission to protect, honor, serve and bless moms and their babies, pre-born and in infancy. Bring a friend! He or she can be included (free of charge) in the number of guests we will give Alpha staff for their plans.
   1. See the sign-up sheet for Alpha on the Connections table. If you can’t attend on Saturday evening, please pray for Alpha Pregnancy Center as we stand with them in their life-saving work.
3. Men’s Bible Study – Meal and Bible Study group on Tuesday, October 10th @ 6:30 PM (meal) and @ 7:00 (Bible study): Welcome brothers! Reply to this email or text me @ 410.596.4096 to join us for the meal @ 6:30
4. Love-in-Action Ladies Breakfast on Saturday, October 14th @ 9:00 AM
5. Operation Christmas Child is an opportunity we share for blessing children in many parts of the world with a gift box at Christmas. We’re delighted to participate as a team with other congregations in Carroll County and so appreciate Hannah Eberly coordinating Liberty’s part in this year’s OCC outreach.
6. Mission Sunday – October 22nd ~ honoring the unique contributions of missionaries, mission leaders and vital volunteers in many mission ventures.
7. Gratitude Dinner – November 4th ~ 6:00 PM ~ Plan to join us for this special Saturday evening fellowship dinner on November 4th . Sign-up sheet on the Connections table helps our Coordinators plan for seating and the meal. Invite friends! Welcome to all.
8. Communion Sunday – November 19th ~ Our next congregational communion is on Sunday, November 19th during morning worship (10:15 AM)

What a joy it is for us to welcome friends to be with us in worship via live-stream in either of these virtual connection sources. Here are the links for You Tube, online via Facebook or in audio via Spotify:

View the service live online

• Directly from our Live page
• Facebook Live: https://tinyurl.com/355fdkmm

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility, toward one another,
for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
(I Peter 5:5 Net Bible)

In His love,
Pastor Joe

Liberty Church
P.O. Box 295
Westminster MD 21158
https://www.libertychurchlive.com
Office: 410.857.4313
Pastor’s Cell: 410.596.4096