Paul once told the church in Philippi, “The one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). It’s a word for a church just getting started, and it’s a word for us now. God has already begun something in our life together, and God isn’t finished.
In recent weeks we’ve welcomed new members to Yates. They’ve arrived not to sit on the sidelines, but with high expectations of being useful to God in this fellowship. Their presence reminds us that Yates isn’t a spectator church. We’re people gathered by prayer, care and faithful service.
This fall, the Spirit is drawing us deeper into that work. For me, Experiencing God has been the clearest sign. I’ve studied it before, but this season it’s pressing me to move from being an observer of God’s activity to an instrument of God’s will. There’s a great difference between standing back with awe and stepping forward in trust.
Participating in God’s Work
Through our Adopt a Student ministry, we’re walking with more than twenty-five young adults who are navigating college, trade school or early careers. Each one will be paired with a partner from Yates who will pray for them, encourage them and remind them they’re not alone. This isn’t surface-level outreach. It’s rooted care, name to name, life to life.
On October 5, we’ll celebrate Homecoming. Every prayer you whisper, every postcard you write, every invitation you extend, every dish you prepare, all of it becomes part of God’s good work.
Trust in Motion
Worship is where this all holds together. Behind every song and every program are quiet choices you make, choices of mercy, courage and faith. As Matthew 25 reminds us, faith is never abstract. It’s always embodied, always practiced in the ways we show up for one another.
Paul’s promise to the Philippians still speaks. God, who has begun a good work among us, won’t abandon it. The Spirit is reshaping us from observers into participants, from those who watch with awe into those who join with trust.
Where do you sense God inviting you to lean in this season?
Grace and Peace,