Starting the new year is a great time to start new practices like joining a small group or beginning a practice of Bible reading and prayer. I have placed some Daily Bread reading booklets on the table in the lobby for you to take and start your Bible reading.
Each new year has many opportunities and challenges, some of which we anticipate. Others we can’t begin to anticipate as the year begins. What does this new year hold for us as a church family? My prayer is that we will see more grace, more blessing, more growth, more ministry, more opportunities to minister to many lives-more than ever before here at Community. Let’s work hard together this year to be the church God calls us to be, all He wants every church to be, and to be what He wants us specifically to be-right here-right now.
We sang together on Christmas Day in the lobby and wished each other a Merry Christmas. During our one hour or so service Tim Ramos and I took the letters of the word CHRISTMAS and shared a Bible verse and word that begins with each of the letters of the word. I shared the first word that begins with the letter “C” and that word was CARING. Do you "care" about the birth of Jesus any more? Have you become jaded by our culture and find you really don't care anymore? Then Tim shared a word for the letter “H” and shared the word “Holy Spirit" Luke 1:25 We can never take for granted the gift God gave us and make it any less than HOLY and call it anything less than God's Spirit. Want to know the rest of the words Tim and I made up and shared on Christmas Day? We posted them at the church Facebook page at “C.G.B.C.”
Our Missionary Partner, Kyle Cherryholmes, is planning to be with us in worship this New Year’s Day before he heads back to Ireland in the next few days. And then our missionary partners, Brenda and Bess are planning to be with us on the morning of January 8th (that’s next Sunday) for a Report to Their People.
This is a great way to start the year.
Happy New Year,
This may be the year that Jesus winds up history as we know it. And it’s a good thing to pray for,
Pastor Richard