Paul once told the church in Philippi, “The one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). It’s a word for a church just getting started, and it’s a word for us now. God has already begun something in our life together, and God isn’t finished.
Paul wrote these words to believers living as a small minority in a proud Roman colony, people trying to figure out what faithfulness looked like in a culture that didn’t share their values. In every age, the church faces the same question. How do we live as God’s people when the world around us operates by different rules? Paul’s answer was simple. Trust that God finishes what God starts. The same Spirit who called that first-century church forward is calling us forward too.
You can see it in the small signs of change. The heat breaks a little earlier in the day, the sun sets sooner, the sky clears with a different kind of light. It isn’t fall yet, but the season is announcing itself. God’s work in our church feels the same way, just beginning to show what’s coming next.
In recent weeks we’ve welcomed new members to Yates. They’ve arrived not to sit on the sidelines, but with high expectations of being useful to God in this fellowship. Their presence reminds us that Yates isn’t a spectator church. We’re people gathered by prayer, care and faithful service. Do you sense how alive that is? Have you noticed how it stirs the Spirit’s energy among us?
This fall, the Spirit is drawing us deeper into that work. For me, Experiencing God has been the clearest sign. I’ve studied it before, but this season it’s pressing me to move from being an observer of God’s activity to an instrument of God’s will. There’s a great difference between standing back with awe and stepping forward in trust. It’s not too late to join. Call the church office or talk with Sean Fenton and we’ll help you connect.
Scripture gives us vivid portraits. Gideon leaned in despite his fear. Mary said yes to an impossible calling. Moses and Joshua sometimes learned to wait until God moved. Whether by bold action or steady patience, the invitation is the same. Join the work God is already doing. This fall, that invitation is before us. Will we simply notice God’s work, or will we dare to step into it?
That same spirit of participation is showing up in other ways too. Through our Adopt a Student ministry, we’re walking with more than twenty-five young adults who are navigating college, trade school or early careers. Each one will be paired with a partner from Yates who will pray for them, encourage them and remind them they’re not alone. This isn’t surface-level outreach. It’s rooted care, name to name, life to life. It’s another way of saying to the next generation that you belong here, and God isn’t finished with you yet. Felicia Cothran is coordinating these connections. Reach out to her to be matched with a student who needs your encouragement.
And then there’s the gift of gathering. On October 5, we’ll celebrate Homecoming. Hospitality is already in motion, but the heart of Homecoming isn’t logistics. It’s love. It’s our chance to remember where we’ve been and to glimpse where God is leading us next. Every prayer you whisper, every postcard you write, every invitation you extend, every dish you prepare, all of it becomes part of God’s good work.
This week, pray for our worship and the names that come to your heart. Next week, pick up postcards from church and send invites. The following week, sign up to bring food. Then reach out again to those you invited and save them a seat.
Worship is where this all holds together. The return of choir and orchestra has filled the sanctuary with praise. Children, youth and families are stepping into a new year supported by your prayers and presence. Behind every song and every program are quiet choices you make, choices of mercy, courage and faith. As Matthew 25 reminds us, faith is never abstract. It’s always embodied, always practiced in the ways we show up for one another.
Paul’s promise to the Philippians still speaks. God, who has begun a good work among us, won’t abandon it. The clear skies of September are only the beginning. The Spirit is reshaping us from observers into participants, from those who watch with awe into those who join with trust.
So let me ask where you sense God inviting you to lean in this season. What step of faith is waiting for you, whether bold or quiet, new or familiar? Together, we’ll discover that God is already at work, and together, we’ll see it through.
Grace and Peace,