Growing up, I was fascinated with the concept of space and the work that NASA was doing. I loved visiting the Savannah Science Museum because they had freeze-dried ice cream in the gift shop, just like you would eat in space! I loved to hear the stories of the brave astronauts who were leaving the safe confines of our atmosphere to make new discoveries in space, and I especially loved watching the space shuttle lift off from Cape Canaveral.

I think my love for NASA and space travel has impacted my understanding of what the church is and does. So often, we think of the church as a place where people gather. We think of gathering people for worship, for Sunday School and Bible Study, for Open Table, and more. But the more I grow in my relationship with God and my understanding of the church, the more I am convinced that the church is a place where people are gathered in order that they might be sent out. In other words, the church is a launch pad! We gather people in, teach them about the love of God, about Jesus, about what it means to be a disciple, and then we send them out into the world to live as God’s people, to bring transformation and new life in Jesus’ name.

Friends, our church is a launch pad!

Even now, we are gathering people in and launching people out into God’s mission and purpose here in Bulloch County, across the US, and around the world! This Sunday, we will celebrate the launching of our seniors from the safe confines of their childhood into the adventure of adulthood, from Pittman Park and Statesboro out into the world where God will meet them in new and exciting ways. I hope that you’ll take time to join us in worship as we pray and commission Zane Bryant, Brandon Castro, Luke Deal, Perry Hattaway, Gabbie Wallace, Patrick Mock, Nathan Wallace, Grace Ward, and Ryan Wolfe as they graduate from high school and step into a world of new opportunities.

May we, too, be gathered in and sent out in Jesus’ name!

T-minus 10…9…8…

God bless,
Jonathan Smith
For Jesus. For People. For Community.

Also, this Sunday is Pledge Sunday for the Our Hope Is Built Capital Campaign! Please prayerfully consider how you might be a part of this effort to make Pittman Park a place where hope is built for generations to come. You can find out more about the campaign and its goals at pittmanpark.org/ourhope.