'In-person Worship' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Faithful Financially
First Church Family, I’ve been enjoying the crisp fall weather this week. It makes me feel like it is really Thanksgiving. And that holiday is only a week away. This coming weekend is really big for us. We will partner with Christ as we serve 120 local families who are in need on Saturday. I learned yesterday that we have completely underwritten that effort with extra contributions from you totaling more than $3500. That is amazing! Thank you for…
All Saints’ Sunday
First Church Family, Over the past weeks, our worship focus has been on promises God makes to us, all across the Scriptures. Perhaps, the most significant promise is that of spending eternity with God in heaven because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross and God’s redemptive act through Jesus’ Resurrection. This Sunday, November 7, is All Saints’ Day; a time we will recall the lives of those members of our congregation who have gone before us into God’s heavenly presence during the…
November News
First Church Family, I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and spirits. The year 2021 has been another challenging year, but God has used those challenges to bring us back to Him. Our faith has been strengthened, and our ministries have continued to enhance the lives of those both in our fold and also those outside of our family. As we move into November, commonly recognized as the month of thanksgiving, let us offer our hearts…
Lift Up Your Eyes
First Church Family, I pray that you are well, and are enjoying God’s gift of fall weather. The Psalmist writes: I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?My help comes from the LORD,who made heaven and earth.Psalm 121:1-2 NRSV Though I love these verses all year, they are especially meaningful to me during the fall, when God’s creation is ablaze with color. What a privilege it is to live right where we…
God’s Earthly Paradise
First Church Family, I’ve shared several times that I love this time of year. September and October are glorious here in God’s earthly paradise. Let’s be sure not to forget to offer God our gratitude. Thank you for your partnership in ministry. We delivered 482 pounds of food to Yokefellow yesterday! And we have a load of snacks for our college food ministry at CCC&TI ready to deliver, as well. Soon, we will restock our West Caldwell High School. And, we served…
First Day of Autumn
First Church Family, Blessings to you on this first day of Autumn! The temperature is supposed to dip into the 40s tomorrow night. I can’t wait for that! I pray that you are living life to its fullest as we move into the final quarter of 2021. We are healthy as a congregation overall, and are striving to not let fear paralyze us over virus concerns. We continue to invite persons to join us for in-person worship. The vast majority of…
Slowing Down
First Church Family, It’s good to have settled back in after some days away. I’m using this brief message to share several important updates with you: Ivey is away with family this week, so many phone calls will be going to our staff voicemails. We will respond to your messages while she is away. The office will be back up and running this coming Monday. The wave of the Delta variant of COVID has forced us to slow down returning…
Living Water
Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water,so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”John 4:13-15 NRSV Water…
VBS Report
First Church Family, This week our Christian Life Center has been abuzz with children participating in our first Vacation Bible School in two years. The experience has been wonderful. Titled: “Rocky Mountain Railway,” together we have learned about the power of God, which is available in all areas of our lives. Many thanks to our Tara Hatton and Jamie Jones for their wonderful leadership; to our Danny Clark, who has gotten our facility ready to receive our volunteers and children…
Promises, Promises
First Church Family, I pray that you had a blessed Memorial Day Weekend. That holiday marks the unofficial beginning of summer. And last Sunday, we began our summer worship series on the “Promises of God.” In ensuing weeks, we will take a close look at some of the important things God promises us in the Scriptures. Topics will include promises made about: eternal life, heaven, the Holy Spirit, God’s presence, rest for the weary, peace in our lives, and God’s guidance, among others. I…
May Message
First Church Family, The sunny weather has been wonderful! After a cold, dark, wet winter, spring has actually sprung. But what about the saying: “April showers bring May flowers?” One of the things our congregation is known for in our region is our commitment to food ministry for the poor. Though the COVID pandemic has been a challenge for us, and prevented us from reaching out to the community through our Thanksgiving Day provision of “ready to cook” meals for…
Spring Worship
April 28, 2021 First Church Family, I pray you are enjoying the wonderful Spring weather with which we’ve been blessed the last days. A couple of weeks ago I spent several days at the beach, and while it was fun and restful, the water temperature was still in the mid-fifties! Evidently, winter was cold, dark and wet there too… But now things are changing. I actually set out annual vegetables on my Sabbath yesterday. And so far, there is not a predicted frost/freeze in…