July At The Table!
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Nearly three years ago, The Table Church opened with a vision cast by the book of the Acts of the Apostles in Scripture. And, this July, our reading plan brought us back to that same book. Our July sermons, discussions, and personal readings served as a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how we’re living out what it means to be Church, and in what ways we need to grow. It makes us appreciate what we have, and gives us excitement for the future. It has helped us rethink what “successful” ministry truly means, and what is our job vs. what is the Holy Spirit’s job.
“Succeeding” at being the Church can be hard to measure. Because, sometimes successful ministry happens on those weeks where we’re worried our cars might get towed because we’re parked three deep in a homeowner’s association neighborhood for our gathering. And sometimes success looks like those weeks when “no one” shows up. The true measure of successfully fulfilling our purpose is this:
Are we devoting ourselves to the apostles teaching and growing in Christlikeness as a result? Are we unified in what matters most? Are we breaking bread together and sharing in the eucharist? Are we single-mindedly devoted wholly to prayer? Are we sharing our faith with those outside our circle? While there is always room for growth, we have seen evidence of these essentials throughout July.
Camp Meeting
A handful of our group was able to attend the AZ Nazarene District Camp Meeting July 9th-14th. Memories were created that spanned generations, the Word was preached, and unity was felt between the many congregations gathered. Our group played a special role, as Robyn, Christy, Kody, Daniel, and Moses helped lead the infant-preschool classes held during the worship services. What a privilege to serve the kingdom and teach our littles about God’s big story.
On the last Sunday of the month, we had the privilege of hearing from our guest speaker, Estevan Zamora. Estavan attends Renovation Church, where he is currently working through the Ministry Preparation program, just like Pastor Trevor, and Pastor Christy recently completed. This was a wonderful opportunity for him to gain experience preaching, and for us to sit under someone else’s teachings. Sharing the pulpit has helped us establish that this isn’t our church, it’s God’s, and it is so much bigger than any of us as an individual. It was a privilege to share fellowship with Estevan and those he brought along with him.
Last but not least,
throughout the summer we collected much needed items for a local Title 1 Elementary School, who we have partnered with several times. Together with our generous community, we were able to purchase 270 headphone sets, boxes of crayons, markers, pens, and so many other school year essentials for the students and staff! We are so thankful for the ways God helps us celebrate what is good!
Will you join us in praying for the kids, parents and guardians, and teachers of our East Mesa neighborhoods as we head into the 2024-2025 school year? We are so excited to see what the future holds.
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Miss any of our sermons this month? You can check them out on our podcast!
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-table-naz
