Church Blog (Page 11)
Christmas Letter
First Church Family, Do you anticipate a wonderful Christmas this year? I do, because I am not basing my expectations on things I might receive, but things I might partner with Jesus on. You see, everything changes when you begin to anticipate and eagerly await something that actually has the ability to fulfill and satisfy your expectations. The season we are in, Advent, is about preparing for something of great magnitude by having high anticipation of appropriate expectations,…
December News
First Church Family, It’s a beautiful time of the year. I remember thinking, back in July: “Wow, half of the year has gone by… in another five months, we will be celebrating America’s most beloved holiday, Thanksgiving, and then preparing for Christmas.” And that time has come. But no matter what we do during Advent, the truth is that the days will tick by, faster and faster, until December 25. And then, in almost anticlimactic fashion, it will…
Happy Thanksgiving
First Church Family, Happy Thanksgiving! If you participated with us on our “Bless This Meal” Thanksgiving project, either by contributing financially or working on Thursday or Saturday, you blessed others and were blessed yourself! This past weekend, our volunteers: unpacked trailers of food; packed boxes with meals and carried them out to people’s cars; delivered boxes to persons who didn’t have transportation; visited with, prayed for and provided breakfast for our guests;gave a stuffed animal or toy for every child who came; and shared…
Faithful Financially
First Church Family, I’ve been enjoying the crisp fall weather this week. It makes me feel like it is really Thanksgiving. And that holiday is only a week away. This coming weekend is really big for us. We will partner with Christ as we serve 120 local families who are in need on Saturday. I learned yesterday that we have completely underwritten that effort with extra contributions from you totaling more than $3500. That is amazing! Thank you for…
Bless This Meal
First Church Family, I haven’t lived here forever as some of you have, but I am amazed every day at the beauty of our surroundings. I truly believe our area is one of God’s beautiful paradises on earth. And this time of year, it is at its prettiest. Please stop every single day, admire God’s handiwork, and offer prayers of praise and gratitude. On Saturday, November 20, we will take a big step in getting back to who we were before…
All Saints’ Sunday
First Church Family, Over the past weeks, our worship focus has been on promises God makes to us, all across the Scriptures. Perhaps, the most significant promise is that of spending eternity with God in heaven because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross and God’s redemptive act through Jesus’ Resurrection. This Sunday, November 7, is All Saints’ Day; a time we will recall the lives of those members of our congregation who have gone before us into God’s heavenly presence during the…
November News
First Church Family, I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and spirits. The year 2021 has been another challenging year, but God has used those challenges to bring us back to Him. Our faith has been strengthened, and our ministries have continued to enhance the lives of those both in our fold and also those outside of our family. As we move into November, commonly recognized as the month of thanksgiving, let us offer our hearts…
Fall Ministries
First Church Family, Fall ministries are underway and early winter plans are being made. Please read the following updates. Robbins Pre-SchoolWe have sixteen students in the program, and our Kendra Steube and Erika Murphy are doing a wonderful job with their care and instruction. Next Thursday at 11:00AM, we are doing a “Trunk or Treat” program with them, in which our staff will have Trick or Treat items for the children in the trunks of our cars. We would love to have 5 or 6 additional…
Lift Up Your Eyes
First Church Family, I pray that you are well, and are enjoying God’s gift of fall weather. The Psalmist writes: I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?My help comes from the LORD,who made heaven and earth.Psalm 121:1-2 NRSV Though I love these verses all year, they are especially meaningful to me during the fall, when God’s creation is ablaze with color. What a privilege it is to live right where we…
God’s Earthly Paradise
First Church Family, I’ve shared several times that I love this time of year. September and October are glorious here in God’s earthly paradise. Let’s be sure not to forget to offer God our gratitude. Thank you for your partnership in ministry. We delivered 482 pounds of food to Yokefellow yesterday! And we have a load of snacks for our college food ministry at CCC&TI ready to deliver, as well. Soon, we will restock our West Caldwell High School. And, we served…
First Day of Autumn
First Church Family, Blessings to you on this first day of Autumn! The temperature is supposed to dip into the 40s tomorrow night. I can’t wait for that! I pray that you are living life to its fullest as we move into the final quarter of 2021. We are healthy as a congregation overall, and are striving to not let fear paralyze us over virus concerns. We continue to invite persons to join us for in-person worship. The vast majority of…
Slowing Down
First Church Family, It’s good to have settled back in after some days away. I’m using this brief message to share several important updates with you: Ivey is away with family this week, so many phone calls will be going to our staff voicemails. We will respond to your messages while she is away. The office will be back up and running this coming Monday. The wave of the Delta variant of COVID has forced us to slow down returning…