Weekly News | 9.25.26

Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Parish Meeting last Sunday! Weren't able to make it? Watch a recording! We approved our 3 parish council nominees, as well as updated the community on the year's past financials and the year ahead's budget. Have questions? Feel free to reach out to myself (Sarah+), the Parish Council, or Jason Rottinger, our Treasurer.We'd be happy to answer any questions.

As we’ve walked through the book of Ephesians over the last couple of months, you may have noticed that it’s hard to miss the theme of mission. In the second half of his letter, Paul more specifically names the church's role in glorifying God in the world and what this looks like lived out. Mission(s) can be a bit of a complicated term. It’s defined and lived out in a variety of ways. Many of us have likely participated in some type of missions project or trip. Some have had great experiences with missions, and some have not. British Missiologist Lesslie Newbigin, who helped shift Christian mission away from a view of Western cultural expansion, described it not merely as a “program or a duty, but as central participation in the very life and sending of the triune God.” Mission is not just something the church does– it is the very heart and action of God.

Around this time last year, I shared some updates on our vision for mission. Missions at COTC will always be a work in progress– something that we aim to engage with humility and in partnership with God. That said, I’m excited to share our first-ever Church of the Cross Missions Report. It provides a snapshot of how God has enabled COTC to be present in both proclamation and demonstration over the last year. A one-page document can’t capture everything. Behind the numbers and other information are stories, people, and families who have experienced the goodness of God and his kingdom both through being served and serving. It’s my hope and prayer that these updates help us notice what God has enabled us to do and that they stoke our imaginations for what God is inviting us into.

The peace of Christ,

Kimberly+

PS– We invite you to pray about two things: 1) The hopes shared at the bottom of the update and 2) How God might be inviting you to join us in mission over the next year.