Building Up The Broken Down - by Bryan Long

I recently read an article about the emotional effect this quarantine is starting to reveal. The economic fallout has been evident, but as the weeks go by, the inner toll has become very real as well. People are getting worn down with bad news. 

In the Bible, there's this letter Paul writes to a young church in Thessalonica. They have been persecuted, they have seen members of their community die, and living in a massive city at the time, they have daily encounters with all sorts of ways of dealing with it all. Here's what Paul says...

"[Christ] died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." Thessalonians 5:11

Being united together in the gospel - the death & resurrection life of Christ - we encourage and build each other up in times of hardship, stress and even death. I have been so encouraged by the way Randall Church has responded in these times. Here are just a few of the many ways I have been built up by my church family...

• In our two virtual Groups this week, we shared very uplifting times getting better acquainted with our two Elder candidates, Kevin Lamb & Bill Hynd. We have a great group of Jesus-loving men leading us and these two would fit right in. If you missed it, you can watch it back on our Facebook Page.
• Randall Youth is awesome. If you haven't seen Pastor Mario & Denise Delgado on their tuesdays @ two broadcast, you're missing out! Click on the link to see it. They are also hosting live Zoom meetings with our Middle & High School students and leading Bible studies.
• If you don't have children, you aren't seeing the amazing videos our Randall Kid's Director Stephanie Bochynski & Sarah Russo are putting together each week. They are filled with laughs, songs and lessons to engage the kids on Sundays. Watch this 9 minute snippet.
• After a few weeks to get our bearings online, giving at the church has been strong. Thank you for continuing to say yes to Jesus by supporting His Church & Partners. If you're still transitioning over to recurring online giving, it is a simple and straightforward process. Just go to: Give.RandallChurch.org 

- Bryan Long

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