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Pastor's Point - January 2023

Church Family,

A few weeks ago, I mentioned in one of my sermons the reality of change during the Christmas season. Now, of course, I am not referring to the true meaning of Christmas; that never changes! But as we get older, Christmas changes in the ways in which we celebrate it, the people that we get to be with, the places in which we go, and even the foods in which we eat.

I loved celebrating Christmas as a child with my family that I grew up in. It wasn’t because of the amount of presents I received, but it was because of the amount of love
that my parents expressed to their children. They loved us enough to always remind us of the true meaning of Christmas; they loved us enough to help us see the value of giving to others, not just receiving for ourselves; and they loved us enough to demonstrate before our eyes kindness and thoughtfulness to others. As a child, I celebrated Christmas with my mom and dad and my siblings, but that has changed.

I am not able to be with my parents any longer at Christmas. They are with the Lord. Yes, I miss them, but I do not wish they were still with me. They have completed their race and they are resting in the presence of Jesus. But God is so good to me that He has given me new people to be with to celebrate Christmas. When I was a child, I always hoped that I would find a girl to marry one day and spend the rest of my life with. I hoped there would be a day that I would have kids. And as God gave me a wife and children, I prayed that one day my children would find spouses to marry and have children of their own. God has done all of that for me!!! I now get to celebrate Christmas with all these people in my family.

I am thankful for God’s kindness to me, but I do know that there are still times of loneliness and missing those that you cannot be with. My oldest son, daughter-in-law, and one of my grandchildren are not able to be with us for Christmas. I miss them, but this is part of the changes that take place in life that are heightened in our lives during the Christmas season. So, whether there are some of your loved ones who are no longer with you or are maybe on the other side of the world, just know that Christmas does change, but the real meaning of Christmas never does. Our Savior came to earth, took on flesh, saved us from our sin, and in that gives us a future and a hope. Let’s remember that this Christmas season! Let’s not focus on the change, or our loss. Let’s thank God for our future and hope that we have for all of eternity and for the new year to come in 2023!!!

I love you and I love being your pastor

Pastor's Point - December 2022

Church Family,

It is hard to believe that it is already Christmas time again! This year has flown by, and we find ourselves getting ready to enter into a very busy but fulfilling Christmas season. We have many familiar activities planned for our church family. Please see the schedule below and make plans to be a part. 

Sunday December 11th – Christmas Night of Worship. At 6:00 pm please come and enjoy this special night of worship and invite people to come with you. Pastor Evan has gathered our choir together and we are expecting a wonderful, powerful night of Christmas worship on this evening.

December 18th – Church Wide Christmas Caroling. We will gather at church at 5:00 pm and then go out in groups and carol to some of those in our church that are not able to get out and worship with us on Sunday mornings. This is always a very enjoyable and fun evening so get a group from your family, Life Group, or a friend group to go out and brighten others’ Christmas season.

December 24th – Christmas Eve Service. At 7:00 pm we will have our Candles, Carols, and Communion service. This is one of my favorite services of the year. We sing, read scripture, and take the Lord’s Supper in family/friend groups around the Lord’s table. If you are in town, please join us for this special time together.

December 25th – Christmas Worship Services. We will have two identical services at special times on Christmas morning. We will have one at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. If you are in town, make plans to be at one of these services. There is no better place to be on Christmas than in church celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Let’s ask God to help us remain focused on the true meaning of this wonderful time of the year. I would ask you to prioritize these opportunities because I believe they will encourage us to keep Jesus at the center of our lives during the Christmas season.

One last thing I would like to speak to is the recent resignation of our student pastor, Brian Van Doren. Brian has served faithfully at our church for the last six years. During that time our personal and professional relationship has grown into a true and deep friendship. Some years back, I spoke with Brian about his gift mix and about the possibility of God using him in different ways in future years. I shared with him that I saw in him a gift mix that God could use one day as a Senior Pastor of a church. So, this transition in Brian’s ministry in no way took me by surprise. I always thought that this day may come someday. And it has come. I know that there will be some who are surprised by this change. Others will deal with sadness or a sense of loss. I understand all those reactions. I will miss working with Brian on a day-to-day basis at church and the friendship we have had for the past six years. But I would ask you to be a prayer warrior for Brian, Kayla, and the kids as they go to serve their church in Texas. He will need your prayers. He has prayed for many of you faithfully through the years and this is your opportunity to invest back in his life as he follows God’s will for his life and ministry.

So, let’s come together as church family during this time of the year and participate together in all our Christmas activities and worship our Savior, and let us all unite our hearts together as well and pray for the Van Doren’s as they follow God to their next assignment!

I love you and I love being your pastor!

This year, Christmas falls on Sunday which I am very excited about! There is not a better place to be on Christmas than in the house of the Lord, worshipping our Savior.