Austin Carty • August 31, 2023
Dear Church,
He is risen, indeed!
As we continue to proclaim this wondrous news, we will spend the Easter season—which lasts until Pentecost on May 28th—reflecting on the various implications of Jesus’ resurrection. For, so much more than a one-off, isolated miracle, the resurrection of Jesus marks the inauguration of an all-new reality.
Thus, each Sunday during Easter we will be considering a different implication of Jesus’ resurrection—that is, a different aspect of reality that has been forever altered by what happened that long ago Easter morning.
On April 30th—right in the middle of the Easter season—we will be hosting Amanda Tyler, the Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, who will be in the Upstate for an event at in Greenville. Ms. Tyler will be preaching at Boulevard that morning during our worship service, and then at 3:00 p.m. she will be delivering a lecture in Greenville entitled, “How Christian Nationalism Threatens Democracy and Christianity.” In her sermon, which will be a wonderful complement to our sermon series on the implications of the resurrection, Ms. Tyler—whose organization has stood firmly since 1936 for the distinctive Baptist principle of separation of church and state—will draw from the biblical text to remind us how the all-new reality ushered in by Jesus’ resurrection is one in which all individuals are free to worship God—in spirit and in truth—without any fear, coercion, or encumbrance.
Finally, as Eastertide concludes on May 21st with Ascension Sunday, we will consider how “this same Jesus” (Acts 1:11) who rose from the dead and who ascended into heaven, will return from heaven in the fullness of time to consummate the Kingdom of God that his resurrection inaugurated.
Yes, what hope we have in this wondrous proclamation: He is risen, indeed!
All my love,
Austin
May has been a busy month! We began the month with a Children and Youth cookout at the Newton's home and are ending the month with our church wide retreat. We wrapped up Wednesday night activities with a beautiful vespers service led by the children's choirs, and finished mid-May with a church wide trivia night. It was a blast. We will take a break from regular Wednesday night activities until August but have many other activities planned throughout the summer for our children's families. Don't forget, VBS is June 2-6th! Our Prime Timers celebrated spring with a picnic at Gordon and Carolyn Hammond’s home on May 7th. We enjoyed our time together! Be on the lookout for our Prime Timers calendar of upcoming events and trips soon! ~ Anna Kate
Dear Church, As we prepare for Pentecost Sunday, we open our hearts and minds to what the Holy Spirit will do among us this summer as a family of faith. And as we do, I’d like to remind us once more of that which we confess together each Sunday: that we will be always on the lookout for the fruit of the Spirit. So, as Pentecost Sunday 2024 gives way to the official start of summer, and as we travel for vacations and go about our own unique summer routines, may we all keep an eye out for the same winds of Holy Spirit as those that blew through Jerusalem on that long ago Pentecost Sunday. And how will we know those winds? Because they will look like this: Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Generosity. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. This summer, may we live by—and be always on the lookout for—these ever-present Holy Spirit winds. All my love, Austin
August has been an exciting month in the life of our children's ministry! We started the month with a blessing for our kids and their backpacks as they started their school year and then we kicked off Wednesday night activities with Music and Mission Friends. I have loved so much getting to know these kids and their families and look forward to many exciting conversations ahead. We will dedicate Luke Mitchell on August 27th during worship. We hope you will join us as we celebrate the commitment being made by his parents and by us as a church family! Zeke, Ellis, and I want to thank all of you for such a warm welcome to Boulevard. We've hit the ground running and I know there are many great things to come here at Boulevard! ~Anna Kate
Dear Church, Even with temperatures currently averaging above 90 degrees, the fall is nearly upon us. Meanwhile, our church year has already kicked off in earnest, with Wednesday night programming back in full swing, deacon installation and ordination having taken place, new committee assignments having taken effect, and children’s backpacks having been prayed over and blessed. Things are off to a great start! To that end, I am excited to announce two new offerings this fall: a men’s Bible study (led by me) and a women’s Bible study (led by Lucy and Anna Kate). These studies will begin on Monday, September 18, and will take place every first and third Monday of the month. All who attend are invited to bring a lunch, as we will meet for these studies at noon—the men in the CAC fellowship hall and the women in the multipurpose room. More details about these studies will be forthcoming, but, for now, please mark your calendars and invite friends, as Lucy, Anna Kate, and I are eager to bring a renewed emphasis on Bible study to Boulevard this year. We can’t wait to get started! All my love, Austin
A new school year is officially in swing for all of our students! For some of them, this new year includes learning new hallways and schools. For all of them, they are learning new schedules and rhythms. With the youth, we have discussed how this new year is full of new opportunities. Opportunities to make new friends, to learn new things, to serve like Jesus, and so much more. As we were reflecting together, I was struck about how set into routine we all naturally become, especially as adults. Maybe we too should travel a new hallway or strive to make a new friend or find a new way to serve. After all, this new school year is full of new opportunities! I challenge us to follow in the example of our students and break out of our routines some this season. May this change also be a reminder to continue praying for our students throughout the year. ~Lucy
Dear Church, The calendar says that summer officially ends on September 23, but here in Anderson—given the early start to the 2023-2024 school year—summer is already drawing to a close. And, with school starting back in early August, so too will our fall programming at Boulevard be starting early this year, as well. To that end, our fall kickoff will take place this year on Wednesday, August 9 th . Along with the resumption of Wednesday night catering and children’s activities, we will also be launching a new Bible Study that night. This study, a 12-week journey through the Gospel of John, will provide an in-depth examination of the 4 th gospel. So, please mark your calendars for August 9 th , make reservations for that night’s supper, get your children ready for an exciting new year, and get your Bibles ready for an immersive experience in John’s Gospel. It’s going to be great fun! All my love, Austin
Rebuild Upstate is a non-profit working in Anderson to keep our neighbors in their homes. They accomplish this ministry by setting up volunteer teams to handle maintenance issues and other house repairs for those living in unsafe conditions. They handle projects like patching roofs, building ramps, replacing windows, etc. Each team is led by an expert supervisor so the volunteers just need to have willing hearts and hands. Our church will be partnering with Rebuild Upstate to work on a home Saturday, August 26. All skills are welcome! Mark your calendar and be on the lookout for more details. ~Lucy
Dear Church, I’m pleased to announce an important new ministry that Boulevard will begin offering on Tuesday, June 27 th . Our Mission Council has approved a yearlong partnership with a licensed counseling practice, Hopetown Counseling LLC, to begin providing free grief counseling on the 2 nd and 4 th Tuesdays of each month. These group support sessions will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be facilitated by two of Hopetown’s licensed counselors. Many in our church family have experienced bereavement in the past few years, and we believe this opportunity for grief counseling will provide a vital resource for processing loss and for healing from pain. While this ministry is specifically being provided for Boulevard members, it is also open to the wider community—so please pass along this information to anyone you know who has experienced loss and would be aided by this service. We see this as being an important outreach opportunity, as many are either unable to afford grief counseling from a licensed professional or are uncomfortable seeking it out on their own. It is therefore a blessing to be able to offer, free of charge, such a vital resource—just as it is a blessing to be able to invite folks into a safe space like Boulevard in order to benefit from it. If you have any questions, please contact Lucy or me for more details. All my love, Austin
Over 30 years ago, Project Ruth started educating children in Romania. Four years later, in 1997, the first group from Boulevard traveled to Bucharest starting a profound and lasting partnership. Along with teams traveling to Romania, Boulevard members have monetarily supported the Ruth school by sponsoring students. Recently, Project Ruth has stepped in to help care for their Ukrainian neighbors by hosting refugees on site and supplying food relief into Ukraine. Each food box provides a family of four with enough food for seven days. Mihai Ciopașiu, the executive director of Project Ruth, is soon coming to Boulevard. Please make plans to join us in the chapel Monday, June 26 th at 6 pm, to hear directly from Mihai about the ministry of Project Ruth and how we can continue to support this important ministry. ~Lucy
Dear Church, It feels as if it was just Easter, does it not? Somehow, though, Pentecost is already upon us. And while this means that summer draws nigh, it also means—according to the liturgical calendar—that we are about to enter the season of “Ordinary Time.” This designation—“Ordinary Time”—can be misleading, because “Ordinary Time” does not imply that Sundays during this season are “ordinary” while those that have preceded it (and those that follow it) are extra ordinary; instead, “Ordinary Time” simply refers to the “ordinal” numbers that count the 26 Sundays between Pentecost and Advent. This year, to kickoff “Ordinary Time,” we will begin a sermon series that aims to tease out various implications of Jesus’ Ascension (which we will reflect upon on Ascension Sunday, May 21) and of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost (which we will reflect upon on Pentecost Sunday, May 28). More directly put, we will begin Ordinary Time by spending four weeks considering the intercessory work of the risen Jesus, our glorified human Savior who even now pleads our case, advocates on our behalf, and works to restore the broken places of our lives and of this world. Talk about something far from ordinary! All my love, Austin
