Announcements
SYMPATHY: to Gary & Rita Livingston and Richard & Selima Crum at the loss of their great-grandson/son, Max Crum, on December 16. Arrangements were private.
CONGRATULATIONS: to John Whitfield and Marilyn Riecke, who were married on Friday, December 16th.
REMINDERS FOR THIS WEEK: There will be no Master Clubs or Children’s activity on Wednesday, December 28th, and there will be no organized soul-winner’s visitation or dinner on Thursday, December 29th.
OFFERING ENVELOPES: for 2023 are available for pick-up in the main Church hallway. They are displayed in numerical order along with an alphabetical list to reference. If you have not already been assigned a number and would like to request envelopes, please call the Church Office at (410) 876-3838, ext. 303. If you have chosen to give your tithes and offerings online and no longer need the envelopes, please draw a line through your name on the list or notify the Church Office. Thanks!
SOUL-WINNER’S CLUB: Our next session begins on Wednesday, January 11, downstairs in the Music Room at 7:00pm. If you would like to learn how to win souls to the Lord Jesus Christ and teach others to do the same, you can sign up online through the Church Website or at the Welcome Desk.
GRIEF SHARE: The new session will begin on Tuesday, January 3, at 6:30pm in Room 417/418. For more information, see Kathy Reed or call the Church Office.
From My Heart
Merry Christmas! This is the day set aside to honor the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world. In Luke 2, where the first Christmas is shared with the world those shepherds were so moved by the appearance of the angels and of the praises being sung, they looked at one another and said, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass.” Luke then tells us they came “with haste” and found Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus lying in a manger.
The shepherds did not doubt the message given to them by the Angel of the Lord. I think it is quite telling that these shepherds came running to Bethlehem to find the Lord Jesus. There was no lack of faith on their part! They knew what their eyes had seen and their ears had heard! So, they came running to find the Lord.
The last thing said about these shepherds is how they went everywhere telling everybody who would listen that the Messiah had been born. Pastor Larry Staner used to say, “The greatest thing you can do for another person is to show them how to get to Heaven.” Oh, that our faith in the Lord would move us to want to share the Lord Jesus with everyone we meet!
Karen and I want to thank you for the very generous love offering you gave us this Christmas. Our hearts are just filled to overflowing at your continued kindness to us. Thank you for all the cards, candies, cookies, gifts, and expressions of love you have poured out upon us. We are so thankful for our wonderful church family! Again, thank you!
Next Sunday will be New Year’s Day, and we will be back to a normal service schedule. Let’s get the New Year started off on the right foot by being in church on the first Sunday of 2023. I remember how glad we all were when 2020 was over, and I think a lot of folks are happy to see 2022 end! This has been a rough year for a lot of people! But we always have the hope and prospect of a new start for a new year. I wonder how much better the new year would be if we started off the year in church, in His Word, and in fellowship with the Lord.
A preacher friend of mine called recently and said, “I am so tired of fighting the Devil, I just wish the Lord would come back and take us home to Heaven.” I reminded him that the Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not!” It is easy to get weary with the way our world is seemingly getting worse by the day! But we need to keep close to God, stay in His Word, and not faint as we serve our Lord.
Have a great day, and again, “Merry Christmas to you and your family!”
Pastor Norris