by Dr. Jeff Mathis
On Sunday evening, many of us saw something we'd never seen before.
While preparing to eat our church-wide potluck supper under the pavilion at Deep Creek during an impressive downpour, a rainbow—actually, a double rainbow—appeared right there in the yard before us. Both ends of the rainbow were present, and we marveled at the prism's proximity to us. It felt like we could have reached out and touched it.
Our church-wide picnic was such a joy—and the rainbow that appeared was confirmation of the (double!) blessing we were experiencing. The food was plentiful, the desserts were outstanding (congratulations to Harold Hall and his award-winning cake!), and the fellowship was sweet. The rain that fell didn't dampen the mood. Instead, the thunderstorm drew us closer together and made our time feel festive and jolly.
As we transition from summer into fall, we will seek to replicate the sweet spirit that was evident at our church picnic. We want you and your families to be a part of our church rhythms because our time together enables us to be transformed by God's presence.
Beginning next Wednesday, September 7, we will resume our Sylva First Wednesday Gatherings. These monthly events allow us to have table fellowship and look at Jesus's life and ministry differently. Bring a food offering from home, the store, or a local restaurant to the Mission and Fellowship Center as early as 5:15 PM. We'll ask for God's blessing at 5:30 PM and dive into the potluck of goodness we've brought. At 6:00 PM, we'll continue to watch The Chosen series, which showcases Jesus' interactions with his disciples as he teaches, preaches, and heals. Older children and youth will enjoy it also. If you would like childcare for your younger kids, please contact Cheryl Beck or the church office, and we'll gladly make arrangements so your family can be blessed by our time together.
Sylva First Wednesdays will then continue the first Wednesdays in October, November, and December.
In between, we'll offer topical seminar opportunities for adults to gather and learn together. As we found last year with our book study one month and our continued exploration of the Enneagram another, we will have varying interests in what's offered. And that's okay. In September, we'll watch a film that will inspire us to serve one another. Our program offerings this fall are designed to bring us together so we can grow in our relationship with God and one another.
We discovered on Sunday at our picnic that gathering and sharing our lives is a blessing. The rainbow signifies God's covenant to love, protect, and provide for His people. We were reminded of this truth when God gave us our very own private rainbow.
No, we didn't find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We didn't need to. Our fellowship together was all the riches that we needed.