Dear Church Family,
“Who are you to judge me?!
Has anyone ever said that to you? … Have you yourself ever gotten defensive and said something similar?
Calling sin “sin” in today’s world can be a dangerous venture. It can illicit harsh comments and accusations of being “Old-fashioned,” “Judgmental, or “Hypocritical.”
It could also cause someone to throw Matthew 7 in your face, where an authority no less than Jesus Christ says, “Do not judge.” That can make this kind of tricky to think through.
Fortunately, Jesus had plenty more to say on the matter. In other words, “Do not judge” isn’t a phrase that stands alone—not by a longshot. That’s why “Do not judge” has become one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented statements in the Bible. In many ways it’s become a Dumb Thing Smart Christians Believe.
That’s why I want to invite you to join me as we dig deeper into Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 7. We’ll look at them in context, learn how Jesus judged, and see how he wants us to lovingly do the same.
Worship in English is at 9:30 AM. Spanish is at 11:30 AM. All are invited!
Student Teacher Housing – We have MLC student teachers coming from October 15 until December 21. Please contact Ryan Loberger if you would be willing to host one (or more) of the student teachers during this time.
Church Presence at School Orientation – It was a looooong, full day last Sunday, but I was blessed to be able to talk about our church. I got to share a little bit about the joy we have because of Jesus with all the parents and kids who attended orientation in the high school gym. I got to introduce the idea of All Pro Dad’s Days. And as a church, we had a table prominently set up just outside in the Commons with all kinds of information ready to handout about our church and fresh coffee to share. Special thanks to all you volunteers who helped represent our church and interact with so many school families who stopped by to find out more. Great job helping make connections!
Confirmation Class DSA– New this year is that Pastor Steve and I have begun teaching confirmation class within the 7th and 8th grade classrooms of DSA Academy for all students, not just church family students. For me that means every Thursday morning I’m jumping into Dr. Landwehr’s 8th Grade classroom to teach 3 different sections of 8th graders back to back to back. It’s a pretty big commitment for us pastors to make. But we’re excited to use this time as an opportunity to connect students and their families into the life of our church. I’m grateful for the encouragement and help DSA faculty members have given me too.
Public School Confirmation Class – Even though Pastor Steve and I are teaching in the classrooms of DSA this year, we still want to offer Confirmation Class to anyone from our church ages 7th-9th grade who doesn’t attend DSA. Our class is now a two-year curriculum. That means a student can start at any time whether in 7th grade, 8th grade, or 9th grade. Whenever they start they would go through two years of Confirmation Class before being confirmed. Please let me know if you or your child is interested in participating this year. We haven’t yet chosen a day or time for the class to begin. We will wait to see who is participating so we can get your feedback.
DS Youth is a ministry of Divine Savior Church that focuses on young people in middle school or high school (grades 6-12). We partner with families and our church to build up young people with God’s Word and Christian relationships. We want the youth to grow as Christian servant leaders in their homes, schools, and communities. Any young people in grade 6-12 are welcome to attend. Our next meeting will be on Friday, 17 August from 6-8:30 PM. If you have any questions please contact Erik Landwehr (786-877-2355;) or Karen Olave.
Livestreaming – If you’re out of town or have family or friends who might want to worship with us, here is a direct link to our YouTube livestreaming webpage.
Building His House – is the name of our plan to build a Worship Arts Center to the glory of God that would give our church a more visible presence in the community, more dedicated space for expanding ministry programs, and ample room to grow as we anticipate the Gospel to continue changing lives.
Update: We hope to go back to the bank at the end of September now with a potential loan request. We know that the bank is looking for weekly offerings to be $9,200 / wk. We’re not there yet. The first two weeks of August we received about $8,000 / wk. in offerings. We are thankful for these gifts. Prayerfully we are hoping that with school starting again and people getting back into a school year rhythm after the summer that we will see a giving uptick over the next couple weeks that shows the bank our congregational commitment to the W/AC project.
At the same time, as a church ministry team, we are going to renew weekly meetings with Josephina, our architect, to continue honing the plans.
Thank You! – For your generosity in helping our member Cherri Price with the costs related to moving to South Carolina to be closer to family. We were able to give her $154.
Coming Up…
Blood Drive – Next week after church you are invited to help save lives by donating blood. Once again the OneBlood truck will be set up in the parking lot ready for you any time after worship.
Pastor Carl’s Retirement Celebration – September 9th. Find out more info by visiting our event page on our website. To RSVP for the reception and dinner at 4:30 PM please use this link. This is your last chance to register before we open up registration to all the school families. So if you wish to attend, please sign up by Sunday at the latest. Also, please consider this a friendly reminder that we are gathering funds for a special gift for Pastor Carl and Connie. See our event page to donate online or use an envelope on the info table at church. Thanks!
Get to Know Us Sunday – September 16th. Special potluck welcome reception for ALL NEW Divine Savior Doral campus employees (hired or called) in the high school commons. Stay tuned for more info.
New This Year School Year…All Pro Dad’s Days! Team up with other dads and kids at our school for a free breakfast once a month before school starts from 7-8 AM in our High School Commons. All Pro Dad’s Day is a fun, free, interactive breakfast event that provides an opportunity for dads to spend quality time with their children that will strengthen their relationship. Who is it for? Any dads and their kids ages K-6th grade (your child doesn’t have to be a student at DSA). Reserve your spot today for our first monthly breakfast on September 20th! Seating is limited so don’t wait. RSVP on our All Pro Dad chapter website for Divine Savior Doral. Email me with any questions.
This Sunday’s Playlist – Check out the YouTube videos, sing along ahead of time, and help fill God’s house with praise on Sunday. Gathering Song: Come Alive (Dry Bones). Forgiveness Song: His Mercy Is More. Hymn of the Day: Delay Not, Delay Not. Sending Song: Jesus Paid It All.
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
