What’s Going on at the Church
Important Message from the USRC Board of Directors:
Please read these guidelines about Squier Hall and the formation of the USRC Board of Directors, who will be overseeing the groups meeting in Squier.
As part of the guidelines, please use this form if you have any concerns so that they can be addressed.
Join us in watching The Chosen after coffee hour. Check out dates and times in announcements. Also follow us on TikTok: firstpresofrahway.
Our Mother’s Day Service is always special as we celebrate the women we love and appreciate! Here are some pictures taken of that special day.
“Weighing Truth and Life”
The following is an excerpt from an Essay by Jen Hatmaker.
Dear Christians,
“We are losing influence in our culture and it isn’t even a mystery as to why. Folks are explaining plainly why they are leaving faith or are too afraid to come near it. One of the chief reasons is this: Christians. The mass exodus is multifaceted and deserves a fair analysis. A postmodern worldview, shifting religious cultures, generational hurdles, changes in the traditional family dynamic, are seismic shifts, and are happening inside and outside of Christianity, and are necessary to assess and understand.
But treating each other poorly is not a factor Christians can pass off. This is the next generation weeping for their gay friends and classmates, rejecting the church that maligns an entire community. The condescending way we speak to one another – correct publicly, nitpick and criticize, question and disapprove is just gross. It’s why so many observers pass by this family altogether. There is a clear correlation between how we treat each other, and how a watching world will feel about Jesus.
As in any family, we have matters to work out. We mustn’t abandon difficult conversations. We must teach and lead each other but it should be faithful, loving work between real life companions, who’ve earned the right to speak truthfully. It should involve private discussions, cloaked in dignity and grace, prioritizing understanding as much as instruction. I hope the world sees a community with wide open arms which comforts, and welcomes, and seems determined to build one another up. I hope they find us kind and generous, committed and loyal. May we show love in big and small ways, and may that love reach people accustomed to being shamed or ignored. Let’s search for those whose lights are dimmed, because we are not a tribe of supernovas, but of steady collective light.
The breadth of God’s family is mercifully wide. Grace has no discernment apparently. We should be holding hands and laughing that God saved us all, because surely this is the messiest family ever, and God loves us anyway. May the world see a thankful, committed family who loves their God, adores their Savior, and can’t get enough of one another. This is a story that saves, a story that heals and is the right story to tell.
Peace, Pastor Ed
Interested in Getting Involved?
We have a lot of different ways for you to get involved – short-term projects, one-time opportunities, working with our livestream technology on Sundays, plus much more. Click on the button below to see what we have on our ‘volunteer wish list’. As more opportunities become available, we will be sure to update our listings.