Tonight is VISION NIGHT, and I can’t wait to share with you some of the ways we want to help people in 2024. As it turns out, a lot of the new ideas are about growing “in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We have a 20-page booklet that will cover MUCH more than we will cover in tonight’s service: 1) 2023 recap, 2) 2024 calendar, and 3) new ideas for 2024. Most of our time tonight will be on that third area, and we’ll let the booklet speak to the other two areas.
I am so thankful for this church. I want so badly for people to connect their lives to God, and I believe this year we will be able to connect to Him through TRUTH like never before. Vision is seldom anything earth-shattering, but it is a call to clean out the ol’ cobwebs and get going on a few things that will help you grow.
Let’s grow to know JESUS better this year. -Pastor Ryan
THANK YOU. I was so grateful to receive your gift from the deacons for Christmas. The love offerings that you gave to the staff were so incredibly generous, and it’s our HONOR to serve you. I told someone last week that serving at the church is rewarding in itself, and you are such a wonderful and huge part of our lives.
It is always awkward to be recognized and thanked and applauded and all that goes along with a gift-giving portion of a service. We do what we do for the Lord, and NOTHING in us wants to give the impression that we’re in it for the paycheck. Nothing.
However, when you give someone a gift, you like to see them open it, don’t you? You look forward to their reaction, and you enjoy the giving of it. That was something I had not truly considered—that when you give us a Christmas love offering, it’s as much about the congregation showing love as it is about us receiving it.
So, I’m sorry we did not present the gifts publicly this year. For your sakes, we will make it a point to see your gift received. Thank you so much. I love you so much, church, and appreciate not only your kind gifts, but your faithfulness to the Lord. That’s what matters the most. Truly.
God bless you in 2024. –Pastor and the staff