From the Pastor… (Page 9)
Christmas Is Not Your Birthday
First Church Family, I pray you are remembering whose birthday Christmas is, and making decisions accordingly. Our present worship series: “Christmas Is Not Your Birthday,” has called me to a new understanding of what things honor Christ during the Christmas season. I believe that one of the things Jesus would desire is clean drinking water for His children. Over the past two weeks, we made the decision to provide crystal clean drinking water to a village in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The project has…
“Normal” Sundays
First Church Family, During the week, as we prepare bulletins for worship, I’m often asked: “Dave, is this going to be a normal Sunday?” To those of us involved in weekly worship planning, the question really is: “Will we be celebrating holy communion or baptism or have a special emphasis in worship that would change the order of service?” If my answer is: “No this will be a “normal” Sunday, it means that we will follow our standard form of worship with prayers, music,…
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…