Posted May 2 , 2008
Previous versions of Lloyd's On-lines can be found here.

This is a great time of the year. The weather is warming up and the flowers are blooming. Some of us were able to enjoy the outdoors last week-end with our Spring Camping Trip at Jordan Lake. There were about 60 of us who took part at least to some degree. I just came up for the day on Saturday. Madison persuaded me to go swimming! This was my first time ever swimming in April. The weather was nice, but the water was COLD! It is always a lot of fun to get away to the lake and enjoy one another’s company. It’s a great way to get to know one another better. Go ahead and mark your calendar for our summer camping trip. It will be August 15-17.

As we move in to May we have some exciting events planned:

• May 4th Youth will lead in 8:30 and 11:00 worship services
• May 11th Mother’s Day and Pentecost Sunday
• May 16th “Swing into Spring” with Big Band era music by NC
  Revelers Orchestra in our gym. Donations from event will go to our music and youth programs.
• May 18th Homecoming – Guest Speaker Jimmy “Hambone” Camp
• May 21st Steven Porter, former executive director for Touching Miami with Love, to share at Wed night service.
• May 28th Children & Youth Mission groups to share at the Wednesday Night service.
  
  Finally, as I am writing this, I am preparing for my last sermon of the “It’s Time” study. I hope you have gotten as much out of this study as I have and I hope we can agree that it’s time to move forward as a missional church. The image of Christians and particularly Baptist isn’t good. To be missional we must work to overcome that. We must focus on spiritual formations; prayer; being the presence of Christ; the Great Commission; social justice and mercy; being true to our Baptist heritage and having real hope. Let’s commit to be missionaries in our homes, in our workplace, in our communities, at church and wherever God may lead us to go. As I shared Sunday, as Baptist we believe in the priesthood of all believers. Every member is a ministers!! Let’s go forth and minister to a world in need!

Blessings,

Lloyd