M AY 2026
With Christ at the Center
VO LU M E S S N O. 5
CONNECTIONS The estate of Dorothy Kidd left Providence a generous gift to be used for capital improvements and reserves. We’re grateful for our campus landscaping project as one beautiful example of Dorothy’s legacy at work for God’s glory.
From the Senior Pastor With the unofficial start of summer only a few weeks away, I’m wondering: Do you have your summer reading list picked out yet? ell, here are four books that I plan W to read this summer: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I’m hoping that you’ll join me so that, by Labor Day, we will have—together as a church—read through the Gospels for ourselves. For some of us, this might be the first time we’ve read all four Gospels for ourselves. For some of us, this might be the umpteenth time we’ve read them. I am confident, though, that each of us will come away from this exercise knowing Jesus better than we did before. And that’s the point. One of our Vision of Ministry goals for 2026 at Providence is to develop greater love for, knowledge about, and application of Scripture. In other words, we want to become more familiar with the Bible—and then become more intentional about letting God’s Word guide our lives. I can’t overstress how crucial it is for us to be familiar with the Bible. It’s foundational for our lives as followers of Jesus. The Message translation of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 puts it well: “All Scripture is inspired by God,” we’re told, “showing us truth,
exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, and training us to live God's way,” so that everyone who belongs to God might be equipped for every good work that God has for us to do. When we don't read God’s Word, then we’re not only missing out on these positive, formative effects, but we’re also making ourselves vulnerable to distortions, misrepresentations, and flat-out lies about who God is, what God is like, and what God wants—both for us and from us. Misguided interpretations of Scripture are a lot less dangerous to us when we’re actually reading the Bible ourselves, rather than relying exclusively on others to tell us what it means. So, it stands to reason: If we want to know Jesus better so that we can follow Jesus better, then let’s read together the Gospel accounts of his life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Let’s allow Scripture to tell us about the ways of Jesus: What he said, what he did, what he taught, and how he asked his followers to practice what he preached. Let’s take Jesus seriously this summer by giving the Gospels our focused attention. You’re free, of course, to do this exercise however you want—or to not do it at all. But, if you do choose
to read the Gospels with me this summer, then I suggest that we do it slowly—one chapter a day—in order to give the word a chance to sink in. We’ll begin with the earliest gospel, Mark, then go on to Matthew, followed by Luke, and finish up with John, the last gospel to be written. If we start Mark on June 1, then we’ll finish on June 16. We’ll start Matthew on June 17 and end on July 14. We’ll start Luke on July 15 and end on August 7. Finally, we’ll start John on August 8 and be done on August 28. Let me know if you’re going to be reading the Gospels this summer— and, as you read, what you’re learning about Jesus along the way. May the peace of Christ be with you!
Lee Canipe Senior Pastor SERMON TEXTS THIS MONTH May 3 John 14:1-14 May 10 Acts 17:22-31, Blake Kendrick May 17 Acts 1:6-15 May 24 Numbers 11:24-30 May 31 Baccalaureate Sunday