This is what I was talking about two weeks ago. A number of us are set to begin a journey that cannot tak place within the walls of the church.  Yet I feel this is one of the best ways to be the church.

15 people from NPC are currently training to run the ING Atlanta Full or 1/2 Marathon on March 21st, 2010.  What's their motivation?  Is it just to get out of going to worship?  That might be part of it for some, but the real reason is much better:

To be the church.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible comes from Galatians, "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way, you fulfill the law of Christ," (6.2).  I am convinced there are countless ways to live out that passage.

We have a young man in our congregation with Cystic Fibrosis.  So fifteen of us are running in honor of him, raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Reaching Out Foundation.  We are doing this through the 65 ROSES organization.

Over the next five months we will train, pray, challenge, and celebrate with one another on this journey.  We will need your encouragement and prayers as well.  Remind us of what Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (4:13).

Who are these knuckleheads, you ask?  Don Bowler, Ralph Cimperman, Tim Cundy, Katie Day, Patrick Day, Chris Girard, Nancy Girard, Sarah Hackler, Amy Hinkel, Doug Hollowell, Allyson King, Larry King, Andrew Page, Tim Thomas, and Carla Ussery.  (More names to be added as registrations come in.)

This is an exciting way for us to take the church into the world.

To check out the fundraising web site, click here.

Check back here for updates on our training and progress.

To learn more about the work of 65 Roses and the foundations they support, click here.