Dear Yates Family, I write to you today, on the last day of June 2020, and marvel that we are halfway through this very strange year together. I continue to pray for you, and hope that you are finding ways to grow and flourish in spite of...
Read moreResumption Roundtable Q&A
The following are representative questions from the congregation and the reflections of the members of the Resumption Roundtable workgroup as the group has discussed COVID-19 and the ongoing response of Yates Baptist Church. Why are we being so...
Read moreAn Invitation to Dialogue
And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) Recent events surrounding the tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor have once again caused our...
Read moreInterim ‘reopening’ report: June 8
Dear Yates Baptist Church: Several weeks ago, the Yates Deacons approved an advisory group, called the “Resumption Roundtable,” to consider how Yates might return to more in-person church activities and identify the criteria that will help us...
Read morePastoral Note – May 26
Dear Yates Family, I hope that you were doing well this week, and are being refreshed by the rain and sunshine that has come to us here of late. I also hope that your Memorial Day weekend was a time of connection with those that matter and...
Read morePastoral Note – May 19
Dear Yates Family, These weeks at the end of May are significant in so many ways, aren’t they? At this time, we celebrate the accomplishments of our high school and college graduates. As they take their next steps, I grieve for them that...
Read moreMay We Live in Interesting Times: Blessing or Curse?
There is an oft-quoted Chinese proverb that says: “May you live in interesting times.” As it turns out, there is little to no evidence of such a proverb, which was, supposedly, both a curse and a blessing. There is evidence from the mid-1930’s...
Read morePastoral Note – May 5
Dear Yates Family – I miss you and am praying for you often! Today, for the fifty-second straight day, I had to say three little words I hate to say. Knowing how much I like to talk, you might be surprised that there are times I don’t like to...
Read morePastoral Note – April 28
Dear Yates Family, “How Long, O Lord?” It is a powerful question. We read it in the Psalms, the Prophets and even the Book of Revelation. It’s a question that comes when our patience with the way things are has reached its limit. Behind the...
Read morePastoral Note – April 21
Dear Yates Family – I miss you. I really do. Do you know what I miss now? I miss the energy that comes from time together under one roof, sharing smiles, laughter and encouragement face-to-face. The longer our time in isolation lasts, the more I...
Read morePastoral Note – April 14
Dear Yates Family, I hope that this week’s letter finds you all safe and healthy. I miss the chance to see you and interact with you in all the small ways that make church relationships so satisfying and enduring. Thank you for embracing the...
Read moreHoly Week Devotion – Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 12 John 20:15 “Woman, why are you crying?” This morning, we meet Mary Magdalene all alone near Jesus’ tomb after the departure of Peter and John, who have come to investigate her report that the tomb is empty. It is still dark, and...
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