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Dear Church Family,

I pray that you are having a wonderfully blessed week!

I am excited to announce our upcoming Next Steps Class for membership at St. James! If you have been visiting with us for a while and want to learn more about becoming a member, this class is for you. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about our church, our beliefs, our ministries, and what it means to take your next step in the life of St. James. We would love for you to join us, and lunch is provided! If you would like to be part of our Next Steps Class, please RSVP by calling the church office or signing up below.

This past Sunday was a wonderful day in the house of the Lord as we continued our series on spiritual growth and maturity through 2 Peter 1:1–11. Peter reminds us that we share a "like precious faith" through Jesus Christ, emphasizing that our spiritual development is rooted in God's divine power and equips us for life and godliness.

The passage urged us to actively cultivate virtues such as goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Peter calls us to confirm our calling, assuring us that a vibrant relationship with Christ leads to a warm welcome into His eternal kingdom.

This coming Sunday, we will conclude our "Becoming Series" by discussing practical applications and the pathways our church offers for spiritual growth. We will also celebrate communion, a meaningful opportunity to come together in faith. We encourage you to prioritize joining us as we close this series and deepen our spiritual journeys together. We look forward to seeing you there!

I’m excited to announce that on September 13, we will welcome guest speaker Kevin Beal from the Gideons. Each year, we invite the Gideons to share their impactful work locally and globally. On this day, we will take a special offering to support their efforts in distributing Bibles and New Testaments in our community, including schools, hotels, and hospitals. I want to prepare you for this special offering, as your participation is crucial—whether through prayer, support, or volunteering. Together, we can make a significant impact in spreading the message of hope and salvation through Jesus Christ. Thank you for partnering with us!

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.   —2 Peter 1:5-8 NKJV

As we continue our journey together, may we remember that we are called not only to have faith but to grow in it, continually embodying the virtues of Christ in all that we do.

Blessings in Christ, 

Pastor Brandon