Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!  Once again we are at that time of year that we begin a whole new Church year.  As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, we have this little time of about  four weeks which is known as Advent.  Advent is to be a time of preparation.  We are to prepare ourselves and our lives to not only celebrate the coming of the Christ child into our world, but to prepare ourselves for Christ’s second coming.  St. Peter wrote in his second letter that we are to be ready for this second coming and to live our lives in holiness and godliness (2 Peter 3:11).  Why?  Because the day of the Lord will come like a thief (2 Peter 3:10) in the night.  It will be sudden and unexpected.   But the Lord is waiting for just the right moment to come, so that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). 

With this in mind, I encourage you to keep Christ in your preparations by taking time to worship on Sundays, and I also invite you to make this season special by coming to worship on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.  We take time to do so many things, let us take time to keep our lives on track so that we are confident in our faith when the great day of the Lord comes. 

Our Advent Thursday evening services are on December 4^th, 11^th, and 18^th.  Our overall theme this year is “Away in a Manger”.  The emphasis is on Christ coming to us not once, or twice, but three special times.  To discover these three times the themes are as follows:

            December 4^th:  Christ’s First Coming:  Who Lies In The Manger?               Isaiah 11:1-10

            December 11^th:  Christ’s Second Coming:  For What Has He Come?          Isaiah 2:1-5

            December 18^th:  Christ’s Third Coming:  How Has He Saved Us?               Isaiah 35:1-10

We will also take time this year to take requests for hymns you would like to sing before the service on Thursday evenings.  So come and enjoy this festive time as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus birth and for His second coming. 

Pastor Wayne