08/21/2026
An Outgoing Church: Sent by the Holy Spirit
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
—Acts 13:2
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Four Essential Foundations
Over the past few weeks, we have been learning from Acts 2:42–47 about four essential foundations that contributed to the spiritual health, success, and growth of the early church:
Prayer • Teaching • Fellowship • Mission
These foundations were essential for the early church, and they remain equally important for us today. A healthy church:
Prays deeply
Grows biblically
Loves authentically
Serves missionally
This Sunday, we will focus on the fourth foundation: Mission . Our message is titled “An Outgoing Church,” based on Acts 13:1–3.
A Worshiping, Listening, and Sending Church
The church in Antioch was a worshiping, praying, fasting, listening, and sending church. As its members worshiped and sought God together, the Holy Spirit called them to set apart Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. After praying and fasting, the church placed its hands on them and sent them out.
That courageous and faithful decision made a tremendous difference in the history of Christianity. Through the missionary work of Paul and Barnabas, the gospel crossed cultural, geographical, and religious boundaries. Lives were changed, new churches were established, and the message of Jesus Christ began to shape communities throughout the world.
The church is the one organization that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet part of it. Therefore, we must continually ask whether we are looking only inward or also looking outward.
It is easy for a congregation to become occupied with its own programs, preferences, problems, and survival. However, Jesus calls us to lift our eyes, notice the people around us, and carry God’s love beyond the walls of the church.
Questions for Prayerful Reflection
As you prepare for Sunday, please reflect on these questions:
Am I truly listening for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or am I allowing busyness and personal preferences to direct my life?
Who are the people outside our congregation whom God may be calling us to welcome, serve, and reach?
What gifts, time, resources, or relationships could God use through me to share the love of Jesus with others?
My prayer is that St. Paul will increasingly become an outgoing church—a congregation that worships faithfully, listens carefully, prays earnestly, gives generously, and goes courageously wherever the Holy Spirit leads.
A Meaningful Time with Our Preschool
On Wednesday, I had the wonderful privilege of spending quality time with our Preschool staff, our director, and several church leaders. We shared a meaningful and encouraging conversation.
Our time together opened new possibilities for cooperation between the church and Preschool and gave us several fresh ideas for strengthening this important ministry.
Our Preschool is not simply a program that uses our building. It is a precious ministry through which we can:
Welcome children
Support families
Serve our community
Demonstrate the love of Christ
Please continue to pray for our Preschool as we work to revitalize the program and welcome more students during the upcoming academic year. Pray that God will guide our planning, open doors within the community, and help families discover the loving and nurturing environment our Preschool provides.
Please also pray especially for our Preschool director, who will undergo surgery next week. Let us surround her with our love and prayers, asking God to guide the medical team, allow everything to proceed smoothly, grant her peace, and provide a complete and comfortable recovery.
Preparing Prayerfully for 2027
I strongly encourage everyone to complete and submit your written prayer requests. These requests can be included in our ongoing Sunday worship services so that we may pray faithfully for one another.
Your input will also help us as we look ahead and begin planning for 2027. Planning is not a substitute for prayer or the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Instead, faithful planning helps prepare us to recognize and participate in what God desires to do among us.
It is important for us to:
Look ahead prayerfully.�Listen carefully.�Prepare wisely.
When we bring our prayers, hopes, ideas, and plans before God, the Holy Spirit can guide us toward a shared vision for the future.
A Heart Full of Gratitude
Once again, I am deeply grateful to God for the wonderful opportunity to minister among you. These past several weeks have been filled with meaningful conversations, new relationships, faithful worship, prayer, learning, laughter, fellowship, and encouraging signs of God’s presence among us.
Thank you for welcoming me and my family so warmly. Thank you for your kindness, patience, prayers, generosity, and willingness to serve. Thank you for sharing your stories, hopes, concerns, and ideas with me. Your faithfulness and love for St. Paul are a beautiful testimony.
I am eternally and unconditionally grateful for the privilege of walking alongside you. I look forward with hope and excitement to all that God will accomplish through us as we pray together, learn together, love one another, and reach beyond ourselves.
Let Us Pray Together
Gracious and loving God,
We thank You for the example of the early church and for the four foundations of prayer, teaching, fellowship, and mission. Build these foundations deeply within our congregation.
Make St. Paul an outgoing church. Free us from becoming inward-looking or concerned only about ourselves. Open our eyes to the people around us who need hope, friendship, compassion, and the good news of Jesus Christ.
As You spoke to the church in Antioch, speak to us. Teach us to worship faithfully, listen carefully, pray earnestly, and respond courageously. Show us whom to welcome, where to serve, what to give, and when to go.
We pray for our Preschool, its director, teachers, staff, students, and families. Bless our efforts to revitalize this ministry and bring more students into its loving community. Give us fresh ideas, renewed energy, and opportunities to build meaningful relationships with families in our neighborhood.
We especially pray for our Preschool director as she prepares for surgery. Calm every fear, guide every doctor and medical professional, allow the procedure to go smoothly, and grant her healing, strength, and a complete recovery.
Receive the prayer requests of our congregation. Help us carry one another’s joys and burdens with compassion and faithfulness. Guide us as we prepare for 2027. Give us wisdom, unity, clarity, and a shared vision rooted in Your will.
Thank You for bringing us together as the family of St. Paul. Deepen our love for You, strengthen our love for one another, and send us into the world as faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ.
We place our church, our Preschool, our leaders, our ministries, our future, and ourselves into Your loving hands.
In the powerful and precious name of Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Rajiv Pathik
