Well, for a time of studying the word, this morning, we are gonna be continuing our, series on moving forward in community and our agenda in this series is to, to just focus on themes that will help us as a church to To do relationships better. I know like we as a church have a long way to go. I myself have a long way to go in this area just as we learn to do community, live in community with one another more effectively than we have. And so everything we're talking about in this series is designed to help us with that.
Our agenda is also to to help ourselves to be ready for the renewal of the Care Group ministry that begins September 14th, less than a month away right now, everything's in a state of upheaval as we're reformatting the groups, and we had about 245 people that have signed up from our membership. And we're probably going to end up with a ton by the time members and nonmembers are included and we're just right now this coming week we're going to be doing a lot of work to try to get everybody situated in the groups, so pray for us. But with the groups starting up again September 14th, 1 of the things we're mindful of is the fact that we've been at this for 3.5 years and leading into the care group ministry. we spent a lot of time to prepare the congregation for that, but a lot of people have started attending our church since 3.5 years ago.
And so we just wanted to put back before our congregation, even for the benefit of those of you that were here 3.5 years ago, we want to just put back before this body some of the important things that will explain what the elders' thinking was and why we decided to go. care groups, why we've decided to format them the way that we have and also to put some ideas back in front of us from scripture so that we are mentally and spiritually ready as individuals to come into the new care group ready to make a significant contribution and ready to receive the, the benefits that God wants us to receive, from the care group that we're going to be a part of. And my contribution to that end today with the message today is, a message that is entitled Enjoying our riches in the Saints. Enjoying our riches in, the saints.
Now I want to begin this morning with a, a story that Jerry Bridges tells in his book, The Gospel for Real Life. And let me just read it to you. He says some years ago, our pastor told an unusual story about a Southern plantation owner who left a $50,000 inheritance to a former slave who had served him faithfully all his life. That was quite a sum of money in those days, perhaps equivalent to half a million dollars today....
