Family and friends,
While ministry looks different during these pandemic times, Emily and I are abundantly grateful to continue seeing God work in and through your prayers for our church and the ministry here in Boston. Read below for several prayer requests we have for this month, including one specifically for our own family.
Please excuse the lack of pictures. Due to the pandemic, we are not able to gather in-person with others as much as we would like.
Prayer requests:
Our Next Indoor In-Person Gathering This Sunday
With Boston Public Schools remaining closed to outside organizations, our usual meeting space is still unavailable to us for weekly gatherings. The Lord has been extremely good to us in providing another temporary rental location to gather in once a month (based on the location’s calendar and availability). However, we have all experienced the difficulty that comes from being unable to gather with others, and especially our church community, due to the pandemic. Our in-person gathering times, therefore, are especially sweet and necessary.
Would you please pray that nothing would prevent us from meeting this month? Unforeseen weather and higher COVID cases in Boston led to our church being unable to meet in the months of January and February, so we are eager to safely gather once again this Sunday. We have approximately 40 people coming to our service this week, allowing for all of the necessary safety protocols to be followed while also making it possible to see, worship, and encourage one another. This Sunday, we will continue our sermon series called “Letters to the Church” on the book of Revelation and will focus specifically on “The Church of Thyatira: The Wayward Church”.
Would you please pray for:
- Hearts to be gripped by the passage of Scripture we will study on Sunday and that we would be drawn to repentance for areas of sin in our own lives
- Continued resilience and spiritual health of our church
- Our congregation to remain healthy so that we can continue to gather once a month
Bylaws and Membership
CoaH Brighton is in the process of finalizing its own bylaws to become a fully autonomous congregation. The bylaws are a foundational document that will set the tone and vision for our church for years to come and will legally protect and guard our church. This document allows our church’s doctrine to remain steady and sure in an ever-changing culture.
Once these important documents are finalized and approved, we will be able to move forward with many other necessary items, such as Articles of Corporation, 501c3 status, and official membership. We are excited to take these big next steps for the health and stability of City on a Hill Church Brighton. Please pray that the bylaws would be approved by our current set of members, that hearts would be softened and affirming of the biblical doctrines clearly explained in the document, and that the bylaws would establish a healthy and holy church. We are praying for the bylaws to receive approval by the end of next week!
Then, please pray for the membership process that we will pursue as a church, including baptism classes, membership interviews, accountability for members, and more. I am continually humbled that God is entrusting me to lead and shepherd His flock here in Brighton. Please pray for the upcoming leadership steps I will take to continue serving and loving our church well.
Personal Prayer Request (from Emily):
Hi friends and family! You all have walked on this journey of foster care and adoption with us and have fervently prayed alongside of us with this call that God has given. We are so appreciative! Our next prayer request as regards to foster care and adoption is for our second daughter’s (S) case, which is being heard in court next week (March 8-10). These next court hearings are CRUCIAL as they are scheduled to determine next steps towards adoption. Would you please pray about the potential of an open adoption agreement between us and biological mother and for the court hearings next week to go smoothly and as planned? Aaron and I have very clearly experienced God’s hand in our family as evidenced by our two girls and we pray that S will be able to join our forever family one day soon.
