Below please find my Newsletter Article for the January 2020 Church Newsletter. It's hard to believe it's nearly the year 2020. I remember as a child thinking there was no way I'd live to see the year 2000... after all, I'd be forty in 2000... and who could live to be that old?
But, here we are closing quickly on a new year and a new decade. May these new things bring you all only the best. And may first and foremost among those wonderful things, may it bring you a closer and more fulfilling relationship with your Lord.
God bless and as always...
Be a blessing to someone today!
In Christ,
Roy
Pastor's Ponderings
As I write this we are drawing ever closer to Christmas... perhaps, by the time you're reading this the Christmas Eve Program has already passed. I want to thank in advance Jodi and all of her helpers, the kids always love putting the program on and the families always enjoy this annual event. Hopefully, being involved in this annual celebration of Christ's birth will help to instill in these young minds a love for Christ that will remain with them for a lifetime. We can only pray that our efforts will be a success and continue working for our Lord. Thank you again, Jodi and all the rest of you who work so hard to teach the children.
December was an amazing month for us at Woodlawn, we need to thank all of the new and returning members of the Church's two Councils. Thank you to all of you for all that you do and for stepping forward to lead the Church into a new decade. But even beyond celebrating the new leaders, we need to celebrate the new members! We baptized three adults into our fold last Sunday. During our morning service, we were so very pleased to baptize Stephanie Blunt. Stephanie is the daughter of Steve Wine and the granddaughter of Shirley Wine. Shirley and Steve were both there to witness her baptism and we all were proud to witness this long-awaited blessing for the Wine family. During the evening gathering, we then baptized both Tiffany and Paul McCoy. Tiffany's parents came to witness their daughter and son-in-law take the 'plunge' and embrace a life of service and following Christ. What an amazing day! Praise God! Please make sure to congratulate and welcome to Woodlawn, Stephanie, Tiffany, and Paul.
Soon it will be a new year and a new decade, and we can only imagine what lies ahead of us... let's do our very best to stay focused upon our calling and accomplishing all that God leads us to do on His behalf here in His Creation. Shortly after you read this, Gail and I will be heading off on the trip of a lifetime. Thanks to the very gracious blessing of a group that I believe prefers to remain anonymous, Gail and I along with three other ministers and their spouses will be taking a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We will be spending nearly a week and a half touring the Holy sites and walking roads and viewing scenery that the Lord Himself walked upon and gazed upon. There is no way to fully appreciate in advance what impact this trip will have upon Gail and I but we look forward to it with great anticipation and no small amount of joy. Thank you to those who have so kindly and lovingly made this experience possible... God's love and blessings upon you.
I also want to thank in advance Ryan Daisy for agreeing to preach on the two Sundays that we'll be away. Ryan jumped at the chance to fill the pulpit on both dates offered and I can't thank him enough for doing so! It's very much appreciated! Gail and I also thank Clyde and Donna for watching our 'girls' (the dogs) while we're gone and Kathryn for agreeing to keep an eye on our cats. Knowing that our babies are being so well watched over means the world to both Gail and I.
Our prayer is that everyone has a wonderful and meaningful Christmas and that each of you is blessed and is a blessing to others. Let us not only strive to remember the true meaning of Christmas but to be certain to share it with others...
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Be a blessing to someone today!
Pastor Roy
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