Turning 100!

That's right! May 8, 2017 is our 100th birthday! But we don't want to limit our celebration to one day. We're going to be having events throughout the year to make the most of this milestone. Our theme is "Go with God," because we know that our 100 year story as a church is really a part of a much bigger Story. It's a Story of God saying "Go" and people of faith taking up that invitation to join God in blessing the world. With that in mind, we want our 100th Anniversary to be about 3 things:

1. Celebration! Duh. One hundred years means generations of children, women, and men who have gathered to worship, grow, and serve together out of a love for God and a love for others. We will honor those who have come before us--and many who are still with us--for the ways they have responded to God's call to "Go."

2. Jubilee! What? Ok, so last year, a lot of us were inspired by learning about the Old Testament idea of Jubilee (that informs a great deal of Jesus' ministry, incidentally). Every 50th year was supposed to be a Jubilee year, and that year was to be all about leveling the playing field, giving people second chances, and lifting up those who are in need. 100 years would mark our 2nd Jubilee, and we want to make this anniversary not just about us, but by following God's call to "GO" to our neighbors with the blessings we have received.

3. Dream! 100 years is a great time to dream about where God is calling us to "GO" now. God has brought us this far, and we trust God has more for this community of people who are glorifying, growing, and glowing right here and now and in years to come.

Quick story: This past year, Pastor Jon and his wife, Lauren got to travel to Hawaii. In the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, nearly a whole city block is shaded by an enormous banyan tree. This block is a place to cool down in the shade, hold events like art shows, and meet people. It turns out that the tree was planted in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first Protestant mission on Maui. Think about that. That anniversary celebration not only honored the past, but still provides shade and beauty for the community almost 150 years later! That's what we want our anniversary year to be like.

We have all kinds of plans and ideas for making this anniversary year a great one that propels us into the next century. But like all things church, it starts with God's people responding to God's call to "Go." This anniversary year will be as meaningful as the whole church makes it. So we hope you don't just stay tuned for what's coming up, but that you help make it happen as well.
God's Grace and Peace to you all!