Summer — A Time to THRIVE
A Minister’s Message from Rev. Dr. Chris Shorow, Senior Minister cshorow@fccedmond.org | 405.341.3544
Summer is fast approaching and for many that means a change of pace. Sunshine and warmer weather invite us outside—to the pool, the lake, the trail, or the backyard. It’s a season for gathering, for fun, for restoring what feels worn down. But summer can also be an invitation to slow down in deeper ways and take inventory of your life. Are you living the life you want to live, or just surviving? Are you thriving, or just getting by?
At First Christian, we believe faith should help people thrive—not just survive. In fact one of our core values is to “help all people thrive.” Sometimes this looks like listening to the needs of the people in Edmond, and finding ways to repair broken systems and restore hurting people. Sometimes that’s through collaboration with community partners who are trying to create a better world.
This summer, we’re creating space for exactly that through worship, learning, and community. We hope you’ll say yes to one or all of these meaningful invitations:
THRIVE: Conversations for the Common Good Sundays at 10 AM · Fellowship Hall
Our Summer Sunday School series explores what it means to thrive—both personally and in community. Each week, we’ll welcome engaging guest speakers from local nonprofits and service organizations like Project 66, Restore OKC, the HALO Project, and Edmond Mobile Meals. These partners are doing powerful work to heal what’s broken and help people flourish right here in our city. We’ll also turn inward with conversations on resilience, parenting, outdoor play, gardening, mental health, and aging well. These forums are designed to be honest, hopeful, and deeply practical. All grounded in our belief that when we nurture personal well-being, we strengthen the whole community.
Our worship series throughout the summer will also explore what it means to thrive. In June, our series is Holding It Together: Four Gospels, Four Invitations in Anxious Times. We’ve all felt it, that pressure to hold it all together. To juggle responsibilities, manage the stress, and keep up appearances, even when everything around and within us feels like it’s unraveling. But what happens when the weight is too much? When anxiety creeps in, uncertainty looms, and we feel like we’re barely holding on? The four Gospel writers have invitations for us, and each shares a different look at Jesus' life, encouraging us to live guided by his actions and grace. This series is for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed or isolated in their struggle. It’s for the second guessers, the restless, the people pleasers, and all of us just barely—well—holding it together. Because the good news isn’t that we have to hold it all together. It’s that we don’t. God does. And that makes all the difference.
Then in July, we’ll explore what it looks like to truly thrive—to live with purpose, joy, resilience, and connection. Through our series This is What it Means to Thrive we’ll reflect on the kind of practices that help us grow from the inside out and cultivate a life that’s grounded, grateful, and generous.
As you ease into the days of summer, I hope you’ll find Sabbath space to rest, play, reflect, and renew. Come reconnect as we learn to thrive—in ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, and our faith. Because we weren’t made just to get by—we were made to thrive. Fully, faithfully, together.