Greetings all !
One week until our Christmas Eve open house and celebration of the life of Jesus. I hope you will join others at the church at some point during the day on the 24th. There will be cookies and hot beverages, good fellowship, some singing, a place to meet and share with others, and a place to be quiet and focus. In particular, we will read through the entire Gospel of Luke on that day, with parts of the Gospel being read from 10:30 – 11:30, from 1:00 – 2:00, and from4:30 – 5:30. We could still use a few readers – young or old ! It will be a day of reflection and considering this One whose life we remember at Christmas time. Bring a friend who may also need a quiet place to be or who may wonder about the real meaning of Christmas.
Is it possible to slow down at Christmas and really remember what it’s about ? I’m not sure. My guess is that few of us really do it. I know for myself it seems that the pace of life has increased dramatically since the end of Thanksgiving. So, come on the 24th and be blessed in a way that, I believe, will make you a blessing to the friends and family you will interact with over the remainder of the holidays !
101 – 201 – 301 – 401 – Blast off !
I believe our Discovery adult study series on Sunday mornings has been a tremendous success so far this school year. Please allow me to remind you that the intention of Emmanuel’s Elder Board is that everyone who considers Emmanuel to be their church home be a part of this series. If you missed the 201 course – “Discovering Spiritual Maturity” – you missed a challenge and an encouragement critical to who we are as followers of Jesus and members of Emmanuel. Specifically, we discussed spiritual habits that are necessary for us to mature as Christ-followers. Our goal, we said, is Christ-likeness (Colossians4:12) ! That’s about as exciting as it gets, I think ! Our final session (two Sundays ago) included a stimulating discussion on two of those habits : fellowshipand giving. The class participation was great, … and we went on, then, to discuss a Maturity Vision for Emmanuel as a church.
Did you miss it ?
If you did, you missed a discussion of something the Elder Board feels is God’s calling for our church. And, you missed what other people who are serving beside you at Emmanuel think about it … and may do about it !
Don’t be left out !!
Here is the schedule for the start of the new year. Please join us at 9:00.
beginning January 5 :
We will repeat the 101 course, “Discovering Christ and My Church Family.” This is the starting point for belonging (and ultimately, for membership) at Emmanuel. Please join us if you missed this class the first time around in September.
In addition, if you did already attend the 101 course, a second adult class – a study in the Gospel of John – will be held during the four Sundays of January.
beginning February 2 :
We will all be together for the 301 course, “Discovering My Ministry.” This course will be about the ministries God has called you to, called us to, and how He is equipping us to minister into the future at Emmanuel. I suspect there will be some significant movement (and perhaps changes) in people’s participation in ministry at Emmanuel as a result of this course. Come join the movement of God’s Spirit for us. The 301 course will run for about six weeks.
starting in mid-March :
We will re-run the 201 course, “Discovering Spiritual Maturity,” for those who missed it in November.
The Gospel of John study will resume for those who have already had the 201 course.
Hope to see you on Sunday mornings !
A Couple More Reminders —
Don’t forget to put the following dates on your calendar :
Sunday, January 5 : We will have a congregational meeting to elect church officers for 2014. We need a larger quorum of members for this meeting than for an ordinary congregational meeting, so your attendance is important. If you absolutely cannot make it, absentee ballots will be made available.
Sunday, January 12 : We will have a “Staff Meeting” for ministry team leaders. Again, I find it hard to express how important it will be for you, if you are leading a ministry at Emmanuel, to be present for this prayer and planning session. We want to coordinate ministry for the first semester of 2014 in such a way that we are all working together and feel concerned about each other’s ministry involvement, not just our own. Thank you for putting this date on your calendar ! We will have some pizza available for those attending. Bring a sandwich or something else to eat for your children who will be staying at the church with you.
Elder Board
Steward Board
Essence
Missions
Nursery
Women’s Bible Study
Greeter Ministry
Sticky Groups
JAM
Overflow
Seedling
Ignite
Ten Steps Discipleship
others ….
Thanks for loving on each other ! I just returned home from the meeting of the Sticky Group I belong to. Our group get-togethers are like a little taste of heaven. I hope your group is that way too !
See you Sunday !
Leave a Reply