Sunday in the Park

The first Sunday in July brings a tradition here at Colona Community Church. In recent years, every first Sunday of July our little church has joined with Ridgway Community Church to have Sunday in the Park in lovely Hartwell Park just up the road in Ridgway, CO. We gather for a few hours of praise, worship, and reflection on the freedoms we have been blessed with through the sacrifice of others, plus a wonderful lunch and time of fellowship.

This year, nearly four hundred people came out on a gorgeous western Colorado day to hear the music of JustOne Ministries out of Durango, CO, and an inspirational message from Randy Gradishar, former Denver Bronco. Mr. Gradishar reminded us that we don’t want to gain the whole world at the cost of our souls (Matthew 16:26). One of my favorite moments was when he said that someone told him he should be in the Hall of Fame. His response was that he’s already in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Fame! That’s the only one I can see that would ever matter 🙂

Here are a few poor cell phone shots from my vantage point on the far side:

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The Montrose High School NJROTC Color Guard presented the colors while we sang the Star-Spangled Banner (beautifully led by Rachel B., Daniel E., Kenneth E., and Kristen M.)
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JustOne Ministries started off worship with “I’m Proud to Be an American”
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Randy Gradishar both inspired and entertained.
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This is a portion of the crowd (I tried to get as many Colona Church folks in the picture as I could!)

 

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Pastor Steve led us all in a heartfelt closing prayer before lunch.

Should the Lord tarry, we plan to do this again on the first Sunday of next July. Hope to see you in the park! Have a blessed day 🙂