A Word from Our Pastor…
Here are three things for the third week of Advent…
1. The 12 Days of Christmas is catching on! My family will start our 12-day celebration tomorrow! I’ve noticed that several businesses have borrowed my idea and are starting to push out their “12 Days of Christmas” sales. Chick-fil-a is giving away free food every day through their app. If you don’t use their mobile app, download it and take advantage this week. (BTW: I am not a paid spokesperson for Chick-fil-a, BUT I will gladly accept free food if they want to give it to me. Haha.)
2. Sounds of the Season music program is this Sunday in the Sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. Last year we had 225 people attend this service. This was second only to Easter! This is a great opportunity to invite friends and family to share in the spirit of Christmas through music. Let’s see if we can surpass 250 this year for this service. We also have worship in the Worship Center at 11:00 a.m. Jacob will be preaching!
3. Christmas Eve Offering Challenge. This year we will receive a special offering during our Christmas Eve Come and Go Communion Service and the Candlelight Service. I want to challenge our congregation to raise $5,000 through this offering to launch a mission initiative in 2025 to provide beds for kids in our community. We need approximately $3,500 for start-up expenses and $1,500 to build our first 10 beds. This outreach ministry has the potential to put our church in direct contact with at-risk children in Clinton so we can share the compassion and love of Jesus with them.
Remember, when Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem and it came time for her to give birth to her son, Jesus, there was no room for them in the inn. The inn keeper provided the only bed he had available – a manger in the barn – where Christ was laid. In the spirit of that inn keeper, we can provide beds for kids that don’t have a bed of their own. A good night’s sleep is so vital to one’s health and to getting a good education. Having one’s own bed gives a child a sense of dignity and self-esteem. Join me and our mission team in bringing this ministry to life by prayerfully considering giving your best offering this Christmas to this mission initiative. 100% of this offering will go to support this mission.
Hope to see you in worship this Sunday!
Jimmy