'Sunday Worship' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
Moving Forward
Dear First Church Family, After a couple of icy mornings, we’re beginning to see the sun. And what a pleasant surprise that has been! About twenty-five students, parents, and grandparents stayed after church Sunday to begin the conversation of moving forward with our youth program. It was a good meeting. We all want the program to move forward productively; and we will see to it that will happen. I have already had preliminary interviews with two youth leader candidates who could…
February News
First Church Family, When February begins, we celebrate the half-way mark of winter. And we’ve felt its fury over the past weeks with snow, ice, and bitter cold. I enjoy every season, but I must say that I’m looking forward to seeing daffodils burst through the ground in the next weeks. In worship during February, we will be talking about performing a “check-up” on our spiritual lives. So many people get caught up in what I termed the…
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Founder
Dear First Church Family, Wow have I missed you! When our leadership and I made the decision to not have worship this past weekend because of the winter storm, I prayed that God would use the time to create a hunger among us for being in worship in-person. After all, as the old adage says: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” That certainly was true for me. And I pray that it was the same for you. Though we made…
Snow Day Policy
First Church Family,While no weather report is ever perfect three days out, every report we are seeing projects a 100% chance for very cold temperatures and heavy snow on Sunday. Coupled with the fact that several staff members and families are sick, and that we don’t wish to put anyone (lay volunteers, staff, and potential attendees) in dangerous situations on Sunday, most likely we will not have services, or even an online worship presence. We will confirm this decision on Saturday, via email and on our…
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,…
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…
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…
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…