Happy New Year!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you are looking forward to a great New Year.  I know I'm looking forward to the New Year with its opportunity, symbolic though it may be, to set new goals and begin anew.  In what areas of our lives do we need a fresh start?

           Even though it's a Happy New Year for many of us, I'm watching from a distance as a church I once served and loved is closing its doors.  I can only hope that it will be able to regroup and arise to new life in the future.  I cannot speak to the reasons for their decision to close their doors.  Too many pastors and too much time have gone by for me to be able to speak authoritatively to that situation.  I can only draw universal lessons from that situation.

           What makes one church thrive and grow while another withers and closes?  I often wonder about that.  I can come up with a few ideas.  Tell me what you think.

           —A church must keep an outward focus.  Too much inward focus is unhealthy.  Like a root-bound plant, a church can become so intertwined in its own internal processes that it loses the ability to thrive and grow.

           —A church must carefully define and emphasize its reason for being, its focus.  When it loses that sense of focus it runs the risk of developing an inward focus.  Then, it chases away those who are uncomfortable with the tension and 'fuzziness' of an inner focus.

           —A church must maintain good lines of communication.  Too many churches fall into a pattern of dysfunctional silence.  They keep secrets and don't bring problems into the light

while they are manageable.  Instead they allow them to fester until they grow too large for a simple solution.

           —A church must maintain a solid theology of who God is and what God wants the church to do.  When that understanding gets warped, the church again spins out of control.

I won't pretend that this is a comprehensive list, only that it comprises the thoughts that come to mind as I mourn the loss of a church I once served.  Then I apply those lessons to our situation and rejoice at what I see happening among us.  We have a solid sense of who God is and what God wants us to do. 

We have good communication.  Please remember that my door is always open to you and that I am as close as a seven-digit phone call.  You may safely assume that I am not a mind reader and that I would love to know if there is a need where the love of God can be applied.

We have an outward focus that reminds us to reach out to those in need.  We are continuing our involvement with the Tanner Williams Elementary School as a partner in education as well as other projects.

We will also be meeting with several committees in the immediate future to chart our path for the coming year.  I would like to encourage your comments and ideas as we plan for the year.  Don't be afraid to dream and to let your dreams for our church be known. 

I'm excited at what the New Year holds for us.

Happy New Year!

 

Pastor Ray

In Loving

Memory

 of

Carlton Shumock

 

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Welcome New

Members

 

Alyx Kellam

Dayna Kellam

Charles Koger

Kristin Koger

Pat Larsen