Live The Great

Do you recognize that phrase? It’s from the Book of Esther (4:14) as Mordecai challenges his cousin Esther to go before the king to intercede for her people. And, it’s a phrase that you will be hearing a lot in the weeks to come. Here’s why.

Our future focus – for such a time as this

Earlier this year, our Student Mission Council prayerfully submitted this phrase from Esther as the theme for The Summit, our mission conference that will spread from Sunday to Sunday, March 1-8. We had tasked them with the mission of planning The Summit with a razor-sharp focus on engaging today’s younger generations in God’s mission while bringing together the entire church, young and old alike, together around our common commission.

Pastor Jay Grimwood, our mission pastor, and I are very excited about The Summit! The freshness and creativity that our students have brought to the task is inspiring. The main worship services during the conference will be from Sunday evening, March 1 through Friday evening, March 6. Sunday morning services on March 1 and 8 will introduce and conclude this very important time in our church life. What will be the same about this conference from those in the past – a time to inform about what God is doing in the world and a call to get involved and be part of making a difference now. What will be different about this conference – just about everything else!

On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of The Summit I will be teaching an overview of making disciples in today’s world and use of the Directions study. Anyone can register to attend these morning sessions. On Thursday morning that week we are going to make a special presentation to all pastors and leaders present (any of you are welcome to come) to form an alliance of churches in the United States and Latin America to specifically take the good news of Jesus Christ to the Kurdish people wherever they may be found in the world. By the way, if you are curious as to who the Kurds are, not only are they found principally in five countries today (they are the largest group of people in the world without a homeland of their own), they are also found in the Bible! You might be surprised, but it is all for such a time as this.

On Saturday morning there will be a workshop on “The New Missionary.” Several special speakers will share with us.

Here is what I am asking you to do:

• Pray with us that God would prepare our hearts and speak to all of us during The Summit. If you are available on Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm, you can join us for our prayer ministry as a great place to join together in prayer for this important conference.
• Make plans to be with us as much as possible each evening from March 1 – 6. This week is critical to our vision for the future and each of us finding God’s place for us in his mission. I promise you that it will be worth whatever inconvenience, effort or sacrifice to be there.
• Consider taking advantage of the other special activities during the day, Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday.
• Join up and help us with some of the many tasks that will be necessary to make The Summit possible – parking, child care, food service, lodging for out-of-town guests, and many other needs.

Our present focus – for such a time as this

The end of the year and beginning of the new year is always a time for reflection. Personally, this is an important time for me as I review lessons learned over the past year and reflect on what God wants to do in and through my life in the year ahead. Just maybe this is the year for which I was born – for such a time as this. This phrase from Esther is a great thought stimulator as we carefully and prayerfully consider our spiritual growth and development in the year ahead.

With these thoughts in mind, and in preparation for The Summit, beginning the first Sunday of January, I will be preaching through the Book of Esther – For Such a Time As This. Esther is a fascinating book, surrounded by controversy and filled with relevant life lessons For Such a Time as This!

Meditate on this famous phrase. We have many things happening in our church right now For Such a Time as This:

• Being a parent to your children is not something that can be put off – it’s For Such a Time as This. Take advantage of our annual Father/Daughter Banquet as an opportunity to build memories for life with your daughter.
• Working with kids in sports is an amazingly effective way to mold their lives – For Such a Time as This. The final Sunday of January has been set aside to confirm our commitment to our athletic ministries and challenge as many of you as possible to get involved – For Such a Time as This.
• Finally, it’s not too early to be thinking and praying for a day that will mark a milestone in our church history as we break ground for our campus expansion on March 15. For years we have been in planning and preparation – For Such a Time as This.

Jeff Adams is the Senior Pastor at KCBT
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