The Handbell Choir played beautifully yesterday! The sights and sounds of Christmas we are able to enjoy in this season are too short. But, let’s enjoy them while we can! Don’t forget our Christmas Eve music and Lord’s Supper service at 6:00pm. It is a great way to focus our celebration on Jesus. And, our Christmas service will be this Sunday, the 26th. We will have both the 8:30 and 11:00 services, with Sunday School at 9:45 - its usual time.
It was exciting to have Rusty and Traci Campbell, and Linda DeVidts join our faith family upon promise of letter yesterday. Rusty and Traci have moved here from Athens, Texas, and Linda is moving her letter from a sister church in our association. Please make them feel welcome when you see them.
Rhys Everspaugh has been filling in on Wednesday nights with our youth, and is doing an awesome job. Rhys is a student at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and was recommended to us by Austin. Actually, Austin had used Rhys as a Small Group Leader and chaperone for DNOW and last summer’s youth trip. As the Search Committee is diligently seeking a full-time permanent Minister of Youth and Education, it has become apparent that the need for our youth ministry is greater than just someone to fill in on Wednesday nights. Effective January 9th, Rhys will be moved to a full-time interim status with school privileges. He will be here on Wednesday nights, Sundays, and other days of the week he is not in school. He is already assisting our adult volunteers with DNOW preparations, and will soon begin to help them plan our youth summer trip. While he is serving as our interim Youth Minister, Rhys will be temporarily living in the staff house. When you see him on the 9th, please take a moment to introduce yourself to him!
Janice and I love our church family, and we are so appreciative of all of the Christmas cards, gifts, goodies, and heartfelt expressions of Merry Christmas you have blessed us with during this Christmas season. 2021 has been another “COVID year,” and we are entering 2022 with the uncertainty of a new variant. Yet, our celebrations of Christmas have not been dampened, and our church has remained strong. Our Lord Christ reigns over His church! We are joyful about our present, and we are excited and filled with anticipation as we prepare to enter 2022. In regards to our salvation, may our attitude be the same as the Apostle Paul’s – “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet [I’m not going to grow comfortable and complacent]; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Phil. 3:13). Our best is yet to come!
Joy to the World!
Dan
