Glen Avon Presbyterian Church

“LIVE!”

--September 2008--

Rev. Lon Weaver

One of my memorable early experiences in Duluth that remains fondly in my memory involved learning how to ski. The first step was the encouragement of people at Glen Avon and others in the community. One of the significant conversations along the way was with José Goin, an Argentinean who with his family lived in our town for a time. He counseled that I simply had to go to Chester Bowl, take lessons and be tutored, and I would be comfortably skiing at Spirit Mountain within a year. He was right! Thom Storm—an almost legendary figure there—made it happen for Robyn and me through the superb program at Chester, along with a number of new friends who gave almost immediately helpful pointers in beginning to master life on skis. We may never make it to hills more challenging than Spirit Mountain, but the door was opened to us to experience winter out-of-doors in the northland. Skiing came to life for us.

That is what can happen to your faith in the Glen Avon community. We are a place that has these teachings to guide our way:

“…choose life….” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
“‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life….’” (John 14:6)
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Over the past year or so, we have begun to embody the commitment to life in Christ in a new and very literal way through the formation of short-term and long-term L.I.F.E. groups, groups with the goal of empowering people to grow in knowledge, community, service, and spirituality. Everything from mission work downtown to evening Bible Study in people’s homes and noon study groups in local restaurants, from cookie-baking for after-church fellowship hours to a weekly study group gathering at the crack of dawn, from pilates in the morning to Sunday PM worship planning in the evening, from committee work to Session and Deacons meetings have been places where we’ve sought to embody L.I.F.E. as Christ’s body.

Every member of the Glen Avon community can become a part of existing groups or initiate new ones. During the weeks of September, members of L.I.F.E. groups are going to tell the story of their experiences in these groups during worship. Then, in late September and early October, we will give a special opportunity to folks to consider being a part of this exciting new ministry in our midst, a new way to experience life in Christ, life abundantly.

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