Dear Friends,

I am excited about our Lenten program, 40 Days of Community: Doing Life Together. You may recall that we participated in the 40 Days of Community: Better Together in 2006. That Lent we had a record seventy adults involved in one of 12 small groups. This year my goal is to have 75 adults involved in at least 12 small groups. As I write this we have ten host homes. We still have a bit further to go to arrive at twelve groups and a good ways to go to arrive at 75 adults, but I know that working together we can do it. Invite your friends to your group!

Like our Better Together campaign in 2006, we will be studying the five biblical purposes of the purpose driven life. Unlike our 2006 Lenten study, each group will focus on one of the five purposes. Each group will receive a teaching DVD with some of the best Christian communicators in America. Some of these teachers are John Ortberg, Henry Cloud, Denise Wendorff, and Chip Ingram. Each participant is encouraged to purchase a personal study guide that includes information for the six meetings, study notes, suggestions for further study, daily devotions and other helpful resources and information.

The truth is that we are better together and the Christian journey is about doing life together. As the foreword for the series says, ““Doing life together was God’’s plan from the beginning of time.”” From the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to the twelve apostles that Jesus called to Himself, God has shown us the way through relationships. The first Christian small group was the apostles gathered around Jesus. Since that time Christians have found that getting together with other Christians in small groups is a powerful way to live and grow in faith. If you haven’’t yet done so, please sign up for a small group this week.

Our parish will be supporting your small group involvement through weekly prayer vigils on the Saturdays in Lent. We’’d love for you to be a part of that support by signing up and joining in the prayer vigils! I will be supporting our Lenten focus by preaching on the five purposes during Lent. I am excited about our Lenten program, and I hope that you will be too as we launch another means of growing in Christ.

Yours in Christ,

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The Rev. Tony Seel

Rector