Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,
Our church’s 100th anniversary celebration is getting so close! Please be in prayer for all of the preparations for October 10-13. Pray that our church will REMEMBER God’s faithfulness over these past 100 years, RECONNECT with those who’ve been part of our church over the years, and RECOMMIT ourselves to serving Christ and those around us for as long as the Lord allows. Please pray that each activity will bring God glory and accomplish His purposes:
Thursday, October 10 – Global Partners Night
(Which will include onsite visits from some of our partners as well as exciting updates from those who can’t make it. We’ll also recommit to our adopted people group by signing a renewed adoption certificate together.)
Friday, October 11 – 11:30 a.m. Senior Adult Potluck
(Which will include a special presentation of remembrances by Sarah Friesen/Page)
Friday, October 11 – Through the Decades Variety Night
(Which will be a fun night of remembering God’s faithfulness through the past 10 decades of history. We’ve invited a broad range of special guests who will share memories and testimonials along the way. Come ready to remember what people drove, how they dressed, and how our church continued growing together as followers of Jesus over these years.)
Saturday, October 12 – Community Day
(We’re inviting our Bemidji neighbors to enjoy a free meal of shredded pork sandwiches with us, as well as fun activities like bouncy houses, a petting zoo, art sketches, balloon animals, church tour, and a few other surprises….)
Saturday, October 12 – Coffee/Dessert Night
(This is simply a night to sit and visit with old friends who share a history at E-Free Bemidji.)
Sunday, October 13 – 9:30-11:00 a.m. Combined Worship Service
(This will be a wonderful morning of worshipping God through music, prayer, testimonials, and time in His Word, including some guest speakers. It will be followed by an 11:30 a.m. catered lunch in our multi-purpose gym – please RSVP.)
Sunday, October 13 – Second Sunday Prayer/closing Recommitment Service
(We’ll meet in our sanctuary for a closing time of worship and corporate prayer, celebrating the Lord’s Table together, and recommitting ourselves and our church to God’s service.)
Again, please pray for all of the planning and preparation for each of these events and that each activity will bring God glory and accomplish His purposes.
Praise God for an encouraging congregational meeting back on August 4 including a delicious cookout and a fun cornhole tournament. Praise God for multiple recent baptisms. Praise God for so many various summer events in and through our church including the community outreach through our park ministry at Diamond Point. Please keep various individuals from our church family in prayer who’ve recently gotten married, or who are struggling with sickness or had recent surgeries, and for those who’ve recently lost loved ones.
Please pray for our Youth and Young Adults Pastor Search Team composed of: Bethany Anderson, Caleb Caster, Jerry Drebelbis, Amy Graf, Jerry Johnson, Shelly Mustful, Eric Nygren, Danny Paddock (chair), and Alexa Zylka. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we consider multiple applicants. And pray that whoever our next pastor is, he will begin feeling God’s prompting toward our church. Also please keep our youth and young adults ministries in your prayers as they approach this fall without a pastor. Pray for the godly volunteers who are stepping up to help lead in the short-term, and pray for Danny Paddock and Shelly Mustful who are taking on a co-leading role as part-time interim youth staff.
Pray for our church’s Advanced Strategic Plan which will be presented throughout September and October through a sermon series and various Q & A sessions. Pray that it will be explained well and that together as a church family we will embrace our core values, mission, vision, and discipleship pathway. May God be pleased as we aim to please Him and be in step with His particular purposes for us in Bemidji and beyond.
Please keep our Trustees and Elders in your prayers as they make decisions in the best interest of our church. Pray also for our Nominating Committee as they prayerfully invite various members of our church to consider serving in 2025 and beyond. We need 3-4 new elders, 2-3 new trustees, and a new Church Clerk. Pray for good stewardship of our funds, our buildings, and our ministries. Please pray that we will catch up on our current 2024 budget shortfall of roughly $40,000 by the end of December.
Please pray for the relaunch of so many different fall ministries, including our Sunday School, Kids Ministry, Choir, Handbells, Youth Ministry, 12 Life Groups, Grief Share, and more. Pray that each one of these ministries will point people toward Jesus, helping the spiritually lost find salvation and the spiritually found grow in greater maturity as deeply devoted followers of Jesus.
As always, let’s continue to pray sincerely that God will help our church to become more and more the church that He would have us be.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, thank you for praying!
Together for Christ, Pastor Jerry
Becoming deeply devoted followers of Jesus together