Open Table! Friday! Martins!
John, Susan, & Felicia Martin landed in Austin yesterday.
We will be gathering as a community to love on, hear from, and pray for the Martins. Please come on Friday night to our second Open Table in two weeks! Here are the details:
Date: Friday, August 19
Time: Arrive @ 5:30 pm, we should be done by 8:30 pm
Program: Bridge Prayer at 5:50, dinner at 6:15, hearing from the Martins at 7, then prayer
Dinner: CTR will be providing a main dish of pulled pork / sloppy joe sandwiches. Bring sides / salads / drinks / desserts to match.
Kids: Children are welcome, we will have a special program for them while the Martins share (thanks to our wonderful new intern, Micah!)
Cost: Free, but we will be taking up an offering to bless the Martins.
Theme of the September 10 Retreat
We are tackling a really important topic for the next CTR retreat. Here are the first two paragraphs from the morning teaching:
We have several times been approached with the question – with whom are we reconciling? Is there anyone with whom we do not pursue unity? The purpose of this new teaching series starting today is to provide a first attempt as a community to answer those challenging questions. It also provides an important foundation for us to introduce the last part of the Community Commitment later this afternoon.
This is our first attempt to address a very difficult topic. One way I have heard it put is with the phrase “false unity.” Have you ever heard this phrase? Some followers of Jesus, including leaders and friends whom I greatly respect, are immediately suspicious that when the word “unity” is used, what is really being talked about is “false unity.”
And from there we dive off into the deep end!
At the end of the day, there will also be an introduction (finally!) of the entire Community Commitment - including an important piece that hasn't yet been previewed. So if you are interested in potentially making the Community Commitment, please make every effort to attend on September 10.
Report from Carolyn Hyde
We had a wonderful turnout for a *Thursday* night Open Table last week. Carolyn Hyde shared table with us, taught us a Jewish dance, spoke about her fascinating ministry in Israel, and received and offered prayer.
Thank you for all who attended, and also who gave - we had an offering of around $1,000! Many gave generously to make this happen, and Carolyn was truly blessed. If you were not able to make it and still want to learn about her ministry, contact us and we will send you the recording of her talk (it will not be posted publicly). You can also donate to her at https://heartofg-d.org/partner-with-us/ ... thanks!