The year 2020 has arrived! A New Year is always an opportunity for us to reflect on what the Lord has done for us in the past year, but also to look at where He may be leading us in the future. As we look back on the year 2019 there is much that our church can be grateful for. I can think of at least the following highlight, and it’s not a complete list.
- Consistent Sunday attendance. Thank you to all who attend on a regular basis to make our Sunday worship times special. We even had a great first-time Easter Friday service.
- Worship team participants. It is quite amazing that, despite the transient nature of our church, there are always people to make music and lead our times of worship in song, including our first-ever Christmas music choir and band! Thank you to the worship team members.
- Leadership provided. The Church Council has again been helping, meeting, guiding and leading the church this past year. Over the past few years there has been great consistency regarding Council members. This is a good asset for a church like ours, providing much-needed stability in a changing environment. Thank you to leaders of different ministries.
- Regular times of fellowship around meals. Monthly potlucks, Bible study meals every week, and also the very special times of eating (too much!) at Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are wonderful opportunities of fellowship and binding us together, as well as reaching out to others in our city.
- Purchase of the church property. We are now a church that owns its own apartment to accommodate the pastor (current and future). This is truly a great blessing from the Lord, especially considering the fact that we had to rent apartments for many years, as well as receiving a major financial gift from the International Baptist Convention. The apartment will no doubt provide even more stability to our church as we go into the future. Once again, thank you to those who supported this decision, and especially to Pete and Vierka who spent many hours working on the legal side of things.
As we enter this New Year, may the Lord help us as we worship Him, fellowship with one another, being “family away from home” for many, and seek to reach more people for Him in our city and beyond. Let us attempt to do much more for the Lord in this year. May you have a blessed 2020!
