5th Sundays are a way for us to serve our community in different ways. This may be serving our Local Partners with various needs, helping neighbors with yard work, making meals for law enforcement and firefighters, or writing cards to veterans and teachers. The Bible teaches that, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” (1 Peter 4:10) and Paul pointed to Jesus, the ultimate example of serving, when he taught, “Let each of you look not only to his interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men,” (Philippians 2:4-7). Therefore, we believe that, “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Serving others on 5th Sundays is one way we live this out.

5th Sundays allow the servants in our Kettlebrook family to have a time of Sabbath and rest in a different rhythm than a “normal” Sunday gathering. As followers of Jesus, we believe that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He taught His disciples that the Sabbath is a gift from God, a time of refreshment: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath,” (Mark 2:27-28).

5th Sundays are designed for the Kettlebrook family to spend time in fellowship with each other in whatever context that may be. As a church family, we believe Jesus’ teaching that, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” (Matthew 18:20). Paul also teaches of the importance of fellowship for encouragement in Romans 1:12 when he speaks of being together with the believers, “That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine”.