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Dear Church Family, During my “State of the Church” address on January 27th, I told you about the children who regularly attend on Wednesday nights but are not connected with our church. There are 43 children in that category. They represent 14 different addresses. Here is the breakdown of those addresses: There is one home…

Dear Church Family, I want to make you aware of two important meetings in the life of our church. The first is next Sunday night (1/27). During this service, I will be giving a “State of the Church” address. As is the case in the annual “State of the Union” address, the contents of this…

Dear Church Family, With the start of a new year rapidly approaching, I would like to ask every member of this church to make two commitments for 2019. Here they are: 1) Read through the entire Bible using the Bible reading plan on the table in the foyer. 2) Pray through our entire membership every…

Dear Church Family, Yesterday (11/27) was Giving Tuesday. If you’re like me, you probably received several forms of communication asking you to give in support of different organizations. The last month of the year is full of opportunities to give. The tradition of giving gifts during the Christmas season reminds us of the greatest gift…

Dear Church Family, This past Sunday night (11/4) during family time, Cal Ray spoke on behalf of the Stewardship Committee to call our church to action. As he and the other members of that committee have begun preparing the 2019 budget it has become clear there need to be changes starting in 2018. Our current…

Dear Church Family, Today, October 24th, marks the 134th anniversary of the covenanting of our church back in 1884. Sadly, comparatively speaking we know very little about those first members that assembled together. However, we do know there weren’t many of them and they met in a shared log cabin. But most importantly, we know…

Dear Church Family, Last week we thought about church membership using the metaphor of a team. This week we’ll look at church membership using the metaphor of a company. I am not suggesting the church is a business any more than I am suggesting it is a football team. However, as an organization, I hope…

Dear Church Family, Are we spectators or starters? We’re about a month into the college football season and depending on your team, you may be looking forward to the beginning of January or the end of next August. If you’re in need of a new team, I just checked the current rankings as I am…

Dear Church Family, Are you lonely even though you’re not alone? In a newsletter a few weeks ago we talked about loneliness brought on from isolating ourselves, but here I want to qualify that isolation. Maybe the most common way we think about isolation is deciding to be alone. But it is also possible to…

Dear Church Family, Are you lonely? Study after study suggests a growing number of Americans are. The clear consensus is that humans weren’t made to live in isolation. M.I.T. neuroscientists even found mice were impacted by being separated from other mice for only 24 hours. This finding was cited in the same New York Times…

Dear Church Family, What does it mean to be humble? For most of my life, my default definition pretty well agreed with a common dictionary’s definition: “having a low estimate of one’s own importance.” Maybe that’s the way you think of what it means to be humble—not thinking you’re very important. Well, it is true…

Dear Church Family, Over the past four months, our body has made over 250 visits in the neighborhoods surrounding where we meet. At least twenty-five members have participated by going to different homes or by writing letters to those we’ve visited. Many more of you have participated in our efforts by praying for the ones…

Dear Church Family, Last week’s newsletter focused on 2 Corinthians 12 and Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Almost at the end of his article, Nathan wrote about our weaknesses and areas of helplessness encouraging us, “God has put these in your life for his own purposes, and that is our joy in life, to be…

Dear Church Family, Are you ever overcome with nostalgia? As you get older, does it happen more or less frequently? Nostalgia is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.” Does that definition pretty well match up with your life’s disposition? Apparently, the word “nostalgia” was formed in…

Dear Church Family, Have you ever heard someone say, “Find out where God is working and then join Him there”? Several people, including Henry Blackaby in his study Experiencing God, have made statements like this one along the way. My intention for this newsletter is not to comment on the usefulness of this directive, but…

Dear Church Family, In the life of our church, the past two Sunday nights have been particularly meaningful. This has certainly been true for me personally, but in conversations I’ve had with other members, I think this has been true for all of us. I’d like to take this newsletter to talk about why. As…

Dear Church Family, The thirteenth and final section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.” As we’ve worked our way through the previous twelve sections of our church covenant over…

Dear Church Family, The twelfth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final word on all matters of life and doctrine.” To this point our church covenant has hit on the major requirements for every Christian in the context of meaningful membership in…

Dear Church Family, The eleventh section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will, if the Spirit leads us to move from this place, unite with some other church as soon as possible, keeping ourselves under the oversight and discipline of the church. At such a time we will continue to carry out the…

Dear Church Family, The tenth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will serve one another, using the gifts God has granted us. And in doing so, we will strive always to rely on the power of His Holy Spirit that all glory may be given to Him.” All Christians are called to…

Dear Church Family, The ninth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the relief of the poor and those in need, and the spread of the Gospel throughout all the nations.” All Christians are called by God to be generous givers. Why?…

Dear Church Family, The eighth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will uphold and defend the doctrines of the faith against all who would come against them and, consequently, against the Word of God.” Before we can really unpack this statement we need to define a few terms. In this context, to…

Dear Church Family, We believe every person is created in the image of God. We believe personhood begins with life. We believe life begins at conception. Therefore, we believe because of the image of God inherit in all human life, each life has worth and dignity and should be treated accordingly. In other words, it…

Dear Church Family, The seventh section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will submit ourselves to the discipline of this church as a testimony of our desire to always walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. And for our brothers and sisters, we will seek their spiritual advancement as dearly as our…

Dear Church Family, The sixth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will seek, by His grace, to live in a manner striving for holiness in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. We will constantly renew our minds to the truth, leading a new and holy life glorifying our Father in heaven.”…

Dear Church Family, Lord willing, this weekend we will host a revival weekend focusing around the appearing of God’s grace in the God-man, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly…