The Friends of God

Hi COTC Family,

It was great to worship all together this past Sunday at our first combined summer service at 10am. Having the kids in from the Garden made it that much more rich! It was also crowded, a reminder of the growth and life of this community. We’ll have a few extra chairs available this Sunday, just in case.

This Sunday is special as a fifth Sunday of the month. As has been our custom we will set aside an extended time, following the sermon, to receive prayer. There will be an extended time of worship, led by Jon Guerra, and more prayer partners available to pray with you about any need whatsoever. In connection to the sermon text this week, John 15:12-17, I want to invite you to be reflecting on potential prayer requests related to our status as friends of God in Jesus. Is there some way the Spirit might move in your life to confirm and deepen your experience of this reality? Is there some way your status as one chosen by Christ might be more fully revealed? Are there ways you long to see your life bear “fruit that will last”? In this passage Jesus assures his disciples that their prayers asked in his name will be granted. Let us come boldly and with confidence.

We Coelhos are eager to spend time with you! Thank you for all the encouraging and kind words you have shared with us. Thank you for praying for us as we are praying for you all. Be sure to sign up for one of the dinners over the coming weeks, there are a few spots left, and be sure to save the date for Saturday, August 3rd. Even if you come to one of the other gatherings please do plan to come to this if you can, we’re really looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate with you.

The Parish Council has formed a Rector Search Team, please pray for them! I am excited for who the Parish Council has prayerfully and thoughtfully invited to be a part of the discernment process and calling of a rector for this next season of COTC’s life. The Parish Council deeply considered and deliberated in the makeup of this important team. There were an abundance of variables and many possibilities! The team that has been formed is composed of spiritual mature members of COTC, who are fully committed in word and deed to the vision, values, and convictions that undergird our life together. Please be praying for this team and the members individually in the weeks and months ahead. They will be meeting for the first time this coming week. The team members are:

The PC and search team will be communicating in the coming month about the process and with specific invitations for communication and prayer. In the meantime if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to the Parish Council here.

For me, these weeks are both exciting and heavy. The signs of life and of God’s favor at COTC are so obvious to me. I deeply love this community and am so grateful for all I have received. I am sad to be saying goodbye. I am also profoundly gratified by COTC’s current reality and exceedingly hopeful for its future. God has moved powerfully in our midst, is moving powerfully now, and will, we trust, continue to bless and deepen His work at COTC. I am eager for the ways we will see that even this Sunday, come ready to draw near to and worship the Lord.

In Christ,

Peter+

Ps. A huge thank you is due to Briana Hayes and the team of volunteers who pulled off Creation Care Camp this week! Please pray for them this morning, it is the final day, and congratulate them this Sunday if you can. The team did fantastic, helping to cultivate a recognition of God as creator and a vision of flourishing creation in these precious fifty-something kids. We had a lot of fun searching for butterflies, building crafts, snacking and playing together!

Guest UserJune 28, 2024Comment