The Weekly Epistle 11/27/19

Back in my day, we didn’t have video streaming and on-demand TV. We had three VHF stations and Saturday morning cartoons. After the cartoons went off the air I would switch to PBS out of sheer boredom and watch a goofy afro sporting artist paint portraits of picturesque landscapes. That artist was, of course, Bob Ross. 
 
Watching Bob paint was captivating. Hearing him talk was soothing. Using his brush to stretch a woody perennial against the sky, he would say things like, “I’m just going to put a happy little tree right here. Or “In your world, you can do anything that you want.”, as he built a cabin with hues of van dyke brown and dark sienna in the low point of a valley. But inevitably something would go wrong. A brushstroke would go off in an unintended direction. Or the paint he chose didn’t blend quite right with the color already on the canvas. In those moments he would say his most memorable line, “There are no such thing as mistakes, only happy accidents.” In Bob’s world, every misfortunate turn of events was an opportunity to paint something unexpectedly wonderful. 
 
The same is true in God’s world. A failed fishing expedition turns into a miraculous catch in which more than just fish are caught (Luke 5:1-11). Poor party planning produces the most palatable wine. (John 2:1-12) A late arrival turns into an opportunity to see the glory of God, a view that only the scenic route could reveal. (John 11:1-45) 
 
A few weeks ago we shared that Momentum was going on a hiatus into the new year. We shared that over the past six years, we have had a great team of volunteers who have served the youth of EBC faithfully from week-to-week, but many of those leaders had moved into new seasons of life and ministry. Simply put, we were understaffed and as a result, the program was not sustainable.
 
The paint stroke went off in a direction I did not expect.
 
With that said, I view this as an opportunity for us to take a step back. To evaluate the needs of our families and youth. To evaluate our vision and mission as a ministry. To recreate something unexpectedly wonderful. 
 
If you’re the parent of a teen, would you please help us in this endeavor by taking a few moments to complete the survey linked at the end of this paragraph? It will give us a much better sense of the actual needs of our families and the best way we can serve those needs. https://forms.gle/Npb4nEy2cWehxhRJ6
 
For everyone else, would you please consider praying for the ministry during this time of transition? Email me at dan@ebclaconia.com and I will share some specific ways you can be praying.
 
Looking forward to the picture that will emerge, 
 
Pastor Dan