February 3, 2023
Hey Radiant!
A wise pastor friend of mine once said: “the human heart is always becoming.”
What a hopeful and haunting statement! This means there is no “neutral” for humans. We are always becoming something, we are being formed.
The question then is, of course, what are we becoming? What are we being formed into? Are we becoming more like Christ, or something else? People of love? Or people driven by the whims of our frenetic, consumer society?
And what part do we play in our formation? What part does God play?
This Sunday we are capping off our “How to Read the Bible” series, focusing on Bible Reading as a practical means of spiritual formation. I’ll share about what it means for the Holy Scriptures to be understood as an act of resistance against the formational forces of our culture and society.
I am really excited about this Sunday which will include a panel of Radiant folks sharing about how they read the Bible — what’s been working for them, what’s been a challenge.
As always, invite a friend or three, and we’ll see you at 5pm this Sunday!
CALENDAR (see below for details)
Ongoing — Home Churches
2/4 – Harkins Baby Shower (co-ed!) – 2PM at ELC
2/9 – Radiant Middle School Gathering at ELC 7-8:30PM
2/12 – Pre-game Worship Gathering – 1PM
3/5 – Casara and Glen Watson Baby shower (ladies only) – 2PM
3/12 – Second Sunday Supper
3/25 – Women’s Tea 10AM – 12PM
4/9 – Easter Brunch 10:30 AM and Worship 11:30 AM
4/21-23 – Men’s Weekend at Mission Springs (Registration now open – early bird ends 2/15).
HARKINS BABY SHOWER – 2/4
The Harkins are having a baby! Wahoo! We are hosting a co-ed baby shower for them this Saturday, February 4th at 2pm — at Emanuel Lutheran. We’re so excited to celebrate with them. They are registered at www.babylist.com/baby-rebekah-harkins
PRE-GAME WORSHIP – 2/12 – 1 PM
We are going to move our worship service on Super Bowl Sunday from 5pm to 1pm. This will be a one-off time change. Why do this? Well, we want people, disciples of Jesus, to be hanging out with friends and family during a ridiculously culturally significant event — which happens to start at 3:30pm. Our thought is this: instead of competing with the game, why don’t we use the day to have a special pre-game worship gathering where we consider the spirituality of sports in our culture? Or to consider how to party like Jesus partied? We are going to make this day fun — we’ll move worship into the fellowship hall and do a Nacho bar.
WOMEN’S TEA – 3/25 – 10 AM – 12 PM
Ladies, mark your calendars! More details to follow, but our Women’s Tea event is back — it will be on Saturday 3/25 at ELC from 10AM-12PM.
HOME CHURCHES
Our Home Church groups are smaller communities that meet during the week where we learn to practice the simple way of Jesus. No experience required, all are welcome. We usually share a meal, read scripture, and consider what God is up to in and through our lives.
This is a great time to consider plugging into a home as we just restarted in mid-January. If you are interested in learning about available groups and what group might be a good fit for you contact Zach at zach@radcov.org
YOU’RE INVITED TO PRAY
Every Sunday a group of folks pray for the Radiant community from 4-4:30 in the ELC office. You’re invited to join. It is always a good time seeking the face and voice of God together. No need special skills or experience required. Just show up.
MEN’S WEEKEND (4/21-4/23) REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
The Men’s Weekend at Mission Springs will soon be here, April 21st-23rd, 2023. Early Bird Discount of $25 – register before February 15th!!! We look forward to your joining us for a time of worship, fellowship and growing in your faith journey as we go ‘Back to Basics’. This is an event put on by our regional denominational conference. More information and registration can be found here.
Also — John Fowler has some spots at his private cabin in Mission Springs for those interested in going. This will reduce your registration costs. Contact John at (209) 345-5854.
BAND APP
One way to connect at Radiant is to join our BAND APP group. Think of this as a sort of Radiant message board — our own little social media space. People can extend invites, share about needs and resources. Please join us! https://band.us/n/adaa739aX4Rca
Grace and peace!
Zach
zach@radcov.org
209-497-3710
www.radcov.org
