Dear Church Family,  

With our first Members' Meeting of 2020 just around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to explain why Members' Meetings are so important.  

First, it really is a fun time of fellowship. By God's grace we've managed to shed the stigma of a stuffy church business meeting, resulting in a vibrant gathering of God's people that truly is a lot of fun.  

Second, it's probably the best way to stay informed about what's going on behind the scenes in PBC life. If your only consistent involvement at PBC is Sunday morning worship services, you've only experienced the tip of the iceberg. Seriously. PBC is a church that is busy about the work of the Kingdom. Come to Members' Meeting and learn what God is doing with your giving, what ministry opportunities are available to you, and much, much more.  

Third, it's the time when we officially welcome new brothers and sister into PBC life. Yes, many of them have been with us for months and you probably know some of them by now. But during Members' Meeting we officially welcome them into the family. Think of it like the court date when a mom and dad officially adopt a child into the family. This is a big day! It's a day for celebration! And did we mention that the elders will be asking you to welcome 14 new people into membership this Sunday night? Now that's a reason to celebrate! 

Fourth, it's the time when the church rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. Sometimes this is joyful work, like voting to receive new members. Sometimes it's tearful work, like saying goodbye to members who are leaving us. Sometimes it's painful work, like making hard decisions regarding budgets, supported ministries, or even matters of church discipline. But whether it's joyful, tearful, or painful, it's all the work of the church. Regularly missing out on important work like this reminds me of the story of the Little Red Hen. The dog, the cat, and the duck didn't want to help her with the hard work of planting seeds, cutting wheat, grinding the wheat into flour, and baking the bread. And yet we cringe when those same animals insisted on partaking of bread they didn’t help prepare. In the same way, dear saint, don't demand to enjoy the benefits of a vibrant and healthy church if you're never willing to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Yes, we realize there are circumstances that sometimes make it difficult to be involved in meetings like this, so instead of checking your calendar start by checking your heart. Do you desire to be with us but find yourself unable due to difficult circumstances? What you need is encouragement, support, and an extra measure of grace. But if you're completely honest with yourself and the truth is you really don't want to attend, I pray you'll see the beauty of devoting yourself to the work of the local church.   

Fifth, speaking of bread, there's food! Enough said.  

Hope to worship alongside you this Sunday night at our Members' Meeting.   

Pastor Hopson