Happy New Year

As we take the first few steps into the new year, I want to thank this congregation for the year past.  It was a year reflecting the lives in our homes and community.  It placed before us challenges unlike we have faced in a long time.  In the midst of those challenges, we discovered the miracles of God making a path of blessing for so many.  It was a time of discovering victory and successes brought about by a mixture of hard dedicated work and unmerited yet certain grace of the living Lord.

Each of us can reflect on a variety of ministry blessings that honored Christ and touched our lives and the lives of others.  Everywhere I turn, every room I enter, every face I see reminds me life and the ministry we share is a far more mystical and holy experience than we often realize.  As I talk with minister colleagues, I can share we met our budget for the year. We missed paying all of our apportionments by less than 10%, half of what many thought was possible when the year began.  I can also talk about the plans underway to define and act on a dynamic plan for ministry moving forward as a congregation.  But words fail me to describe fully the spiritual inner growth of individuals and this congregation in the past year.  I can point to fruits of that inner work, but to fully understand it you need to feel it. 

We enter 2010 not in need of new resolutions, but ongoing committed resolve to follow Christ, share Christ and trust in Christ.   That is what brought us through 2009 as a stronger, healthier ministry than we were a year ago.  It is what will look back and celebrate the most a year from now.  I am so blessed, humbled and grateful to be yoked in ministry with you.  To God be the Glory!!