Summer is here! Although I felt that we had a marvelous spring this year, summer arriving in Michigan is always a time to rejoice. More than in most places, in our state, weather significantly affects life. In winter, harsh and cold weather, dangerous roads, and early dark are often reasons to stay home and hunker down. When it’s warm and sunny, everyone wants to maximize their time enjoying the outdoors. I had a good friend who lived in Indianapolis his whole life until moving to Kalamazoo to pastor a church not far from New Day. He was shocked at how much the weather determined people’s involvement in church activities. Indianapolis gets cold, but only gets a fraction of the snow we get here. He said he had never even considered weather when planning church activities while pastoring in Indy, yet in Kalamazoo it was a primary concern.
Proverbs 10:5: “He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” This proverb is about being a diligent worker. But wherever the harvest is mentioned in the Bible, it is appropriate to make a spiritual application to winning souls. Jesus made this clear in John 4:35-36: “Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life.”
This weekend, Saturday June 10 and Sunday June 11, we are having special services as part of our Revival Weekend. At 6:30 pm on both days, we will gather to worship, encourage one another, and be equipped to gather the harvest. Pastor John Cahill and his wife, along with Pastor Michael Graff and his whole family, will be here from Livingston, Tennessee. They minister at First Church Livingston, the church where we are sending a team this summer to do mission work in Appalachia. Both Pastor John and Michael have extensive experience in reaching out to those disconnected from God and His church. Their church in Tennessee is one of the few that grew numerically during the pandemic years, as their model of reaching the lost works in any circumstance. They not only are here to teach us principles; they are here to impart a spiritual gift. New Day needs this impartation. We have begun to see a significant increase in reaching our neighbors and our community. Let’s add to this momentum by coming together and receiving an impartation and training to become wise sons and daughters who gather the harvest.
The Cahills and the Graffs are sacrificing a lot to travel here and invest their entire weekend to minister to us. I hope you honor their sacrifice by prioritizing attending the special evening meetings. We only do this a few times a year in respect for the time it requires from the congregation. Let’s make the most of what God is providing and get all that He has for us!