Dear First Pres,

   Maybe you've had the privilege of being the recipient of a great gift. Receiving it felt like an incredible blessing of love from another person. You were incredibly grateful. But then, you realized there was more. There was another gift, and you could hardly believe that there was more. That's what the generosity of God is like.

   In Christ we have the greatest gift of all, our salvation. As Paul writes of Jesus in Philippians 2, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a a cross." All of that so that we could be forgiven of our sin and made eternally alive in Christ by simply putting our faith in Him. Hallelujah!

   But wait, there's more. God is so good! The Gospel is all about redeeming transformation here as it is in heaven. So, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, as we continue to put our faith in Jesus, God calls us into more than just being saved. God calls us into new life. God calls us into wholeness. God calls us into healing. God calls us into "the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). What incredible generosity from God!

   I don't know about you, but I want to experience all the "more" I can in Christ. I don't just want to wait until heaven. I want to pursue His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. And I believe that's what you ultimately want (and need) as well.

   That's why we're having the All Church Symposium on Saturday, February 23 from 4-6pm called "A Church that Heals." The Lord has given FPC strength to survive many hurts and traumas over the years, all glory to God for that. But we don't just want to survive, we want to live into the redeeming transformation that is available to us in Christ. We want to be a church that knows how to truly lean in together with grace and truth in the midst of those most difficult seasons. We want to be a church that is ready to walk with folks in the midst of hurt and trauma in a way that leads us all to Jesus.

  So, whether you've been part of FPC all your life or you've only been here for the last few months, if you're interested in our church living into the "more" of Christ's redeeming transformation, please join me for "A Church that Heals," the all church Symposium 4-6pm Saturday, February 23.

Blessings,
Jeremy