JANUARY 20, 2021
Dear First Church Family,
My prayers remain with you during this time, and I covet yours as well.
Though our world still reels from the COVID onslaught and seems divided to a magnitude I haven’t experienced before; every day I am reminded of the powerful presence of Almighty God and the hope brought to us through the gift of our Savior.
Last week, I was honored to be a part of a number of people gathered in-front of our hospital to encourage our health care workers as they came and went during a shift change.
In the midst of that experience, several of us were invited to walk up the hill to the entrance of the Mobile Hospital Unit built and staffed by Samaritan’s Purse.
We held up encouraging signs of gratitude and cheered Samaritan’s Purse staff for their sacrificial commitment to the health and recovery of people from our county and those counties that surround us during this most difficult time. And then, an amazing thing happened: they thanked and applauded us for remembering them.
Often in my life, I have found that I was drawn closer to God during times of challenge and difficulty. And that somehow, I was able to be used by Him in powerful ways.
Over the last months, our church has served the community in numerous ways: from supporting our local partner, Yokefellow, with thousands of pounds of foods: rice, pasta, and dried beans; to reigniting our commitment to our elementary schools’ Backpack ministry that feeds children on weekends when they are not able to be fed at school; to serving food through our Room at the Table ministry; to delivering meals and provisions to individuals and families in our church and community; and other instances of Christ-inspired outreach.
I’m writing to let you know that have just learned of another opportunity to share the love of Christ in our community. Samaritan’s Purse staff is living at our Hampton Inn on Wilkesboro Boulevard. And they need meals provided in the evenings.
Our staff decided just today to help lead our church to provide and deliver meals for those staffers on Tuesdays: February 2, February 9, and February 16. Meals will be prepared in our church’s kitchen, under the direction of our church hostess, Kay Lanier, and with the assistance of members of our staff; and delivered at 5:00pm to the Hampton Inn.
But that is a large undertaking. Volunteers will be needed to assist us in preparing and delivering those meals. Would you be able to be a part of that? If so, please call our church office to check on need for volunteers.
Though there is much strife and turmoil, God’s light continues to shine in and through us.
Blessings on you,
Pastor Dave