VALLEY VINE Valley Presbyterian Church
March 2016
Volume 61, Number 2
Dear friends, The Rev. Dr. Tom Parker said something telling and candid to me a few weeks ago. We were discussing discipleship, and he confessed that he’d come to realize that being a great teacher of scripture and theology was not enough. “People can grow in their understanding of God,” he said, “without this new knowledge impacting in any significant way their lives and behavior.” Informing does not necessarily mean re-forming or transforming! This insight is powerful. The mark of a Christian leader is not the ability to explain things, but the capacity to help people change and grow. Practice is the measure of preaching and teaching. Are people praying? Giving and sharing? Are they struggling to help this world take on a Kingdom
character? Do they keep promises? Do the fruits of the spirit show up in their relationships? Do they suffer with faith? Do they share the gospel with others in word and deed? Are they forgiving? Do people see them in action and think of Jesus? Rev. Kelly and Rev. Mike Nieto join us this month to help us find answers to these questions. Every church should be measured by the quality and character of its disciples. Pray for them in this large and exciting task. Bless them, and the rest of our leadership, with your ideas about how we can deepen the way we live into our faith at VPC. Yours faithfully,
Valley Presbyterian Church 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253-5342 Phone: 480-991-6424 Fax: 480-991-6427 Email: church@vpc.church Website: vpc.church