September 16, 2026
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35
This past weekend we held our 21st annual Family Fun Day and Car Show. This has become one of my favorite events all year long. We have a car show, cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, a train ride for the kids, bounce houses, and much more. Everything is free for the community. We are not fundraising, we are not pressuring people to come to church, we are not promoting any other event. We have one purpose; we want to show people we love them. And every year it seems we accomplish our goal. I hear over and over again, “Pastor Shane, your people are so loving, so kind, so welcoming…” and so on.
It is easy for the world outside of the Church to see the Church as simply another organization promoting their agenda and trying to raise money for their cause. But something that sets the Church apart is that our first calling is to love. Love with no expectation of love returned. Love with no ulterior motive. Love for no reason other than the fact that Jesus first loved us (1 John 4:19). When we do this, people see Jesus and want to know him more. A desire for all the truths of Scripture and the deep theology of God’s plan for mankind is often set aflame in the life of an individual not by a class or a debate or a slick presentation, but by the fact that a follower of Jesus chose to love them. So, let’s get out there and love first!
Heavenly Father, we could never thank You enough for the perfect love that you have shown us. Your love creates in us a desire to know you more each and every day. Use us to display that love to others so that they can know the Savior who has rescued us and taught us what true love is.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon