Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Christians need fellowship. The theme verse for our Called to Community sermon series says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:9). In a sense, fellowship with Jesus and with his people is something we already have as believers. However, fellowship is also something we must actively pursue. Listen to Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Biblical fellowship includes helping one another grow in “love and good works.” Who is it that made this kind of Christian fellowship possible? We are given the answer a few verses earlier: “[W]e have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (v.20). Through the blood of Jesus we have been given access to the throne of God and have been brought together to pursue a life of “love and good works” as his redeemed people. This Sunday our sermon text is Hebrews 10:19-25, a passage that speaks of the common life we share as a Christian community.
To access the 9:45am livestream service CLICK HERE.
Adjustments to Sunday Morning Worship
This week our region of the state transitioned to Tier 2, easing COVID restrictions in our area. The elders continue to stay abreast of COVID-19 guidelines and positivity rates for our region to help ensure our congregation is safe as we worship together. In response to the consistently lower positivity rates in our region at this time and the transition to Tier 2 this week, we’ll be making two adjustments to our morning worship services: First, we will not have a temperature screening prior to the service. Second, though we’ll continue wearing face masks and practicing social distancing, we will return to singing aloud during our congregational songs. Praise God that we are seeing lower positivity rates in our region at this time. As a reminder, we ask that if you are not feeling well or have a fever that you worship with us via our livestream service.
This Sunday: Adult Sunday School (4 pm, Worship Center)
This week our adult Sunday school will meet at 4:00pm in the Worship Center to discuss the chapter on Faithfulness in the book Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit.
Mission Trip Informational Meeting: Sunday, January 31 at 4pm
Our church has the exciting opportunity to send a team on a mission trip to Cavaillon, Haiti this summer (July 23-31). For anyone interested in being a part of this trip, there will be an informational meeting led by Ted Powers on Sunday, January 31 at 4:00pm in the Worship Center. At the meeting Ted will share more details about the summer trip, discuss the practicalities of support raising, and answer any questions you might have.
Women’s Bible Study
The Tuesday night women’s bible study will begin meeting on February 2 (7:00pm-8:30pm) in the Worship Center. The study will follow Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon’s book on the Gospel of Luke. If you are interested in participating, please contact Amy Paglia via text or email.
Wedding Gift for Joanna Wierenga and Meng Koh
Many of you have heard the joyful news that on February 15, Joanna Wierenga and Meng Koh will be married in Denver, CO. Joanna and Meng are registered at Target, Amazon and Crate & Barrel. If you would like to participate in a group gift for the couple, donations may be directed to Diane Walker or Susie Wetherington. The deadline for the group gift is February 6.
Caring Network Baby Bottle Drive
As Christians, we believe that each individual, born or unborn, is made in the image of God, and we therefore fully affirm the sanctity of every human life. Each year, Caring Network, an FCC supported ministry to women considering abortion, holds a baby bottle fundraising drive. This year there are two ways to participate: (1) Filling baby bottles with change and returning them to the church office, (2) or donating through the Caring Network website. A flyer with additional information and baby bottles will be available in the narthex this Sunday.
Prayer Requests
Diane Walker: Please pray for the healing of an injury to Diane’s throat. She will be seeing an ENT this Friday.
Peter Matos: Please pray for Peter Matos, Rosa and Tony Matos’s son, who has tested positive for COVID-19. Pray that the Lord would bring healing to Peter quickly and protect his wife and family from contracting the virus.
In Christ,
Pastor Rhett