A Time to Watch—and a Time to Serve
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
—Ecclesiastes 3:1
For more than a month, much of the world has been watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We have witnessed excitement and disappointment, victory and defeat—“a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). This Sunday, Spain and Argentina will meet in New Jersey for the final match. One team will lift the trophy, millions will celebrate, and then the stadium will gradually grow quiet. The players and spectators will return home, and another season will begin.
There is a time to watch, cheer, rest, and enjoy God’s gifts. But there is also a time to step onto the field—not necessarily a soccer field, but the field of Christian service.
Next week, members of our youth ministry are preparing to travel to Lewiston, Maine, to serve with The Root Cellar Ministry. This Christian community ministry seeks to cultivate social, economic, and spiritual wholeness as part of God’s kingdom. It serves a diverse neighborhood through youth mentoring, summer activities, food-sharing programs, English-language learning, employment preparation, and assistance for refugees and newly arrived families.
Our youth are not simply traveling there to complete a collection of projects. They will have opportunities to serve alongside others, build relationships, listen to unfamiliar stories, and experience ministry in a multicultural community. As they offer their time and energy, God may also use the people of Lewiston to teach and transform them. Mission is not merely about what we bring to others; it is also about what God does within us when we humbly enter another person’s world.
Our team will arrive during a significant season of transition for The Root Cellar. After 14 years of ministry and leadership, Executive Director Joel Furrow will step down at the end of July to pursue another ministry opportunity in Maine. As the organization searches for its next leader, Furrow reminds its supporters that The Root Cellar does not belong to any one person—it belongs to Christ. Leaders come and go, responsibilities change, and new chapters begin, but God’s work continues.
Although not everyone can travel to Lewiston, all of us can participate. The team is collecting needed supplies for The Root Cellar’s ministries. Please bring the requested items to church before this Saturday so they can be delivered to Maine. We can also pray for safe travel, good health, unity, humility, meaningful relationships, and hearts that are ready to learn.
Every season eventually passes. The important question is not only, “What time is it?” but also, “Lord, what are You asking me to do in this time?” For some, it is a time to go. For others, it is a time to give, encourage, or pray. May we recognize the opportunities God places before us—and faithfully step into them.
Announcement:
Here is our weekly spolight. Other church wide announcements can be found in our weekly bulletin.
Prayer Request:
We’d be glad to pray for you. If you need prayer, you can submit your prayer request via the following link: https://www.cbcgl.org/pray/