"CALLED TO CARE"  Without question, part of our calling as children of God is to care with Christ’s love for the other children of God. So as with other aspects of the Christian life, it would be wise to give yourself a "care check-up" to see how you are doing in response to those in need around you. Similarly, I have been trying to do a "caring check-up" for the church as a whole body and thought I’d give you a status report or read-out on our care ministry at West Side. It’s always dangerous to talk about something living, organic, and dynamic like love and care, with descriptions of process or organization. Caring is not a program, but a response of each believer’s heart. Nevertheless, there are identifiable aspects of care ministry. 1. It begins with each individual believer being responsive to the needs of others by the Holy Spirit’s prompting. This is still the single most important and greatest source of care. 2. One of the key purposes of a small group or home group connection is caring for one another in a smaller circle of relationships. Members of your group, class, (like the Seniors Class) or ministry team are the front line / first responders for you when you need care and when someone else needs it. 3. The pastoral staff has a more limited but important role to play in care ministry. Each pastor tries to care or initiate care for those in their area of responsibility (youth, leaders, children, etc.). In addition, the pastors assign a different Pastor on Call each month (listed on the back of the worship folder) for after hours and emergency needs. The Pastor on Call will not necessarily always make a visit or contact, but will insure that some response is made. The Pastor on Call is also the point man for that month for funeral needs. Most pastors also make several phone calls, hospital or home visits each week. 4. The Care Ministry is a congregational ministry currently led by Paul Tompkins. They work to fill in the gaps for people who have needs outside of the regular group and contact channels. They call, make visits, arrange for resources when they can and have special ministries like providing funeral dinners, shut-in visitation, grief care and prayer. 5. The Benevolent Team, led by Pastor Steve, meets to assess financial needs when they are brought to the church. They administer the Benevolent Offering monies collected by the congregation each month. 6. The City online connection tool will soon assist everyone in making needs known and for connecting resources within groups and will be fully operational this fall. 7. From time to time various congregational ministries form to provide specialized care. For example, a Men’s Helps Team has functioned for the last few years to help with moving, house and yard repairs, and some emergencies. 8. Finally, there are all church crisis care response opportunities: a tsunami, hurricane or earthquake special offering, or an all-hands-on-deck crisis moment with a death or tragedy. While all of this is functioning even well beyond what we know (many serve anonymously without announcing it) there is still more to do. You can help. Make your needs known. Check your own care response status. We’re all called to care. Join a small group and The City. Pray about joining one of the care ministries. If you want more information contact Patsy in the church office, 965-2800. Pray for the growth of a caring heart in all of us at West Side. Several years ago, we talked about our church as a place where "no one walks away and no one walks alone." Maybe we are not completely there yet, but we are certainly still moving toward that goal!                                                      Summer Series                     "'Road Trip!' -              The Psalms of Ascents."                       (June-August)   Growing up in Kansas was great…Midwest values and all. But if you wanted to see anything, you had to travel. We had plenty of fruited plains, but the purple mountain majesties, alabaster cites, and the shining seas were a long way off! For our family that meant summer vacation was a road trip. We began our trips with a dream, idea and plan back in the winter months. We would get out the maps, pick the destinations and points on the way, and get information from the tourist bureaus and chambers of commerce. Dad would put in for the vacation and the dates were set. We would go into packing mode (we liked to camp). The build up to hitting the road was fun! Then every stop on the 2-3 week journey gave us a unique experience and we took pictures. There were good days and not so good. Long drive days and stop and rest days. For us the destination was a grand climax (the Grand Tetons, the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean). But then, so was the end of the journey when it was good to get back home. Summers are good for journeys like that. The Jews of Old Testament times took a road trip three times a year: to Jerusalem. There was all of the preparation for the feast and worship there, the anticipation and build up, and every stop along the way was a unique experience. Reflections and pictures of that yearly road trip are given to us step by step and day by day in a unique grouping of Psalms 120-134, called the "Songs of Ascents." The word ‘ascent’ was used because in the Jews’ mind Jerusalem was always "up," the high point and highest place. From everywhere you went up or ascended to Jerusalem. The songs record a great variety of prayers and memories, joys and sorrows, fears and hopes for the pilgrim. Each one is like a stop or step on the trip: distance, beginning, dealing with disappointments and enemies, fear, family, arrival, confession, worship, unity, and praise. There is even some advice for the trip home and the year to come. These are like the cheerful songs sung in the car or around the campfire, or the cries for help when you get stuck. We will follow that road through our summer sermon series. As we go, we will not only deal with all of the issues, but we will anticipate worship before our Lord, and look forward to when the summer road trip is over and we head back to fall and a new season of ministry. Pastor Rick                     Going to be gone one of these Sundays?     You can listen, watch or download the sermon later and download the notes to follow along.        Past Sermon Series:                             "Q & A & L: Questions & Answers & Life" April -June 2011                       This We Believe: Februay - March 2011              Covenant Community: January 2011                  The Beginning (Genesis) September - December 2010              Get Ready, Get Rolling, Get Right (A study in 1 & 2 Thessalonians)              June - August 2010               Who's Who in the Church (A study in Ephesians) May - June 2010                Crossings (A study in Luke) January - April 2010