“Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!.. [For] I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you,... says the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:14 & 20)
Homecoming (Noun): “A return home; the return of a group of people... to a place formerly frequented or regarded as home.” (Mirriam-Webster Dictionary)
Homecoming” is a great tradition in many churches throughout America. It’s a time to invite former church members, pastors and staff back “home” for a special time of fellowship and worship and eating to celebrate a common history and heritage. Homecoming worship usually involves lots of great, rousing singing, inspiring special music, occasional special presentations, and a challenging sermon preached by a former pastor or staff minister.
It’s a time to reminisce about the past (what the church was like in the “good ole’ days!”), to celebrate the present (how the church has changed to meet current needs), and to be challenged with plans and visions for the future (how the church plans to grow to meet the needs of future generations). In fact, it’s a foretaste of the great “homecoming” celebration that Zephaniah describes in the scripture above.
Here at East Cobb U.M.C., we celebrate this great tradition once every five years on the final weekend in August. Well, the time has arrived! So, mark your calendars for Saturday, August 28 from 4:00-8:30pm, where our church will be celebrating our 138th birthday with special Homecoming events of fun, food, fellowship, and worship featuring the preaching of former pastor Rev. Jack Gillespie.
I hope you’ll make plans now to be present then. It’s a day in the life of your church that you won’t want to miss, so I hope to see you there! Remember, God loves you and I do, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment