On December 5^th we began using our newly refinished Sunday School wing to re-start Sunday School classes. The classes, including mixed adults, young adults, senior ladies, senior men, and children’s classes, are getting back into the rhythm of fellowship and studying God’s word. If you have not been active in a Sunday School class this is a perfect time to start! Of course, you are always welcomed to join with our classes on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

For the past several years church members have packed shoe boxes with goodies for young people all over the world. This is part of a ministry known as Operation Christmas Child organized by Samaritan’s Purse. For 2010 our church gathered 116 shoe boxes to be distributed all over the globe. This year we enjoyed a new opportunity with Operation Christmas Child. We traveled to Boone, North Carolina, to one of seven regional processing centers. A group of volunteers, including some new made friends from Gordonsville Baptist Church, spent a busy day inspecting, sorting, and packaging shoe boxes for shipment. In our day of volunteering over 10,000 shoe boxes were prepared at the processing center. For the year, over 465,000 shoe boxes have passed through the Boone, NC location. Without a doubt, this is a ministry the church will pursue in the future. Special thanks go to Marsha Clements for her commitment and passion for this ministry and taking the extra step to organize this mission trip.

While we prepared shoe boxes to go around the world, we did not forget our local needs. In partnership with GRACE we supported the collection of Christmas gifts for a local family in need. With short notice, the church rallied to collect more than 15 presents for three young children. Our appreciation goes to GRACE for their special efforts to fill this vital need during this special time of year. We ask for prayers for their ministry as they seek new facilities to house a growing commitment to meet the needs of our community.

So, how is each of these is an opportunity to exercise God’s greatest gift? It has been said any effort to define true love without considering God is but a misrepresentation or half-truth. Matter of fact, the Bible teaches love is one of the holy characteristics of God (Jeremiah 9:24, 2 Corinthians 13:11). Some may even say the very essence of God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). God’s benevolence, mercy, grace, and persistence allow us an opportunity to reflect the majestic goodness of God and His love. This is the greatest gift; that the grace filled reconciliation brought through Jesus Christ fuels a heartfelt desire to glorify God by reflecting His love. How wonderful is it that an imperfect and fallible creature can reveal something as magnificent and wondrous as the love of God?

The Extraordinary Women’s conference is one event our ladies look forward to each year. The conference maintained its reputation as an enriching and fun event. We had eight ladies attend the two day event. This year the theme was “embracing powerful peace”. As usual, there was a wonderful line up for speakers; including Chonda Pierce, Karen Kingsbury, Sheri Rose Shepherd, and John Eldredge. Of course the musical worship at a conference involving 7,000 women is tremendous. NewSong and Mercy Me left the ladies singing all the way home. If you missed out on the conference, or even if you attended and desire to keep that spiritual momentum, you can leverage the Extraordinary Women’s resources using their website at http://www.ewomen.net/. The site includes devotionals and an opportunity to sign up for and view the EW digital magazine. Here’s a tidbit for the ladies already thinking about next year’s Extraordinary Women’s Conference. The speaker list includes Candace Cameron Bure, Jennifer Rothschild, Carol Kent, and Lysa TerKeurst, More amazing than the speaker list is the musical line up with Francesca Battistelli and Casting Crowns. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement for the next opportunity to join in the fun of the Extraordinary Women’s conference.

 The men also seized upon an opportunity to enjoy a special men’s retreat. Building on the theme “Growing Disciples”, the men called on special guest speaker Dr. Bill Brown to lead a weekend gathering at a nearby mountain cabin. Dr. Brown is a former professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and present Liberty University professor, where he has taught classes addressing church planting, evangelism, and church administration. Dr. Brown brought the men a practical message with great impact. . The conference exhorted the men to seek out opportunities to deliver the message of Jesus Christ to our community, and more specifically the men of the community. “The world will never believe you love them inside the walls of the church if you do not love them outside the walls of the church”. Of course, we recognized the people best equipped to reach men are men. Each man left with a renewed desire to engage the surrounding community by leading a ministry using individual God given passions.

Finally, in October the church enjoyed the opportunity to host our annual Trunk or Treat. We had a number of church members decorate their vehicles to distribute donated candy. It is wonderful to report over one-hundred and twenty five children visited the church for the event. Along with lots of candy, each child also received literature sharing the message of the Bible. This, in combination with the wonderful decorations and costumes, made the event a fabulous success. The work of our church members allowed our surrounding community to enjoy a safe holiday celebration while witnessing the church’s desire to be a great neighbor. It is also a wonderful statement that our church and its ministries have not been hindered by the damage to our building.

 With October coming to a close you can count that the remaining months of fall, filled with holiday celebrations, will be just as busy. Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for news of upcoming ministry and fellowship opportunities.

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:17-18, NIV)

This past Sunday we enjoyed an opportunity to fellowship with Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Madison, Virginia. The word ekklesia, translated as church in the New Testament, is used in several different manners in the New Testament. In one sense it refers to the local congregation while in other appearances, it calls to the universal church of Jesus Christ. This fact was not ignored in the formation of the Nicene Creed, which affirms we believe “in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church”. The word “catholic” in this profession of faith refers not to the Catholic Church, but to the universality of the Christian church. That means the Church as the Body of Christ is not limited to a time, place, race or culture. As we worship with our friends in Madison, we are reminded of God’s authority, power, and providence to sustain “one holy, catholic, and apostolic” church.

Progress on the church building has continued in our absence. Much work has been done to improve the state of the fellowship hall for worship. The insulation and ceiling in the kitchen has been replaced. The drywall material in the hallway adjoining the lobby and men’s classroom has been removed, the doors replaced, lighting fixtures replaced, and electrical switches moved for convenience. All these details will allow the fellowship hall to be consistent in appearance (matching fixtures, doors, and trim). This will certainly do much to restore our church building to pristine state. Also, removing the drywall revealed an opportunity to update the electrical wiring to bring it into compliance with present day building ordinances; an important step for safety. Once the drywall is replaced, it will be time for some painting. Along with the fellowship hall, we are identifying contractors to paint the Sunday School wing also. This will be a large step in overcoming the odor from the smoke and bring us one-step closer to returning to the Sunday School wing for classes. Needless to say, the church continues to make forward progress.

While we are making progress towards the restoration of the building, it is important to remember our obligations as stewards of God’s resources. We have the duty to diligently move ahead prayerfully and thoughtfully considering the implications of each decision. This implies rebuilding will be a careful and deliberate process that cannot be rushed. I would consider this process much less a short sprint and more a marathon.

With that analogy presented, I want to share a key truth. The apostle Paul used the analogy of a race to encourage the Christian’s daily life, exhorting the reader to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.  He reminds us of the need to “throw off everything that hinders” and “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) As a church we must throw off all that hinders (e.g. grudges, pride, selfishness) and focus on glorifying Jesus Christ; who suffered the cross that we could run this race of faith!

Having shared the news I offer a fact for your edification. The Greek word most often translated in the scripture as “church” (ekklesia) has no reference to a building, but calls to “an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting” or “the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth”.  I pray the church, in this biblical sense, remain our focus throughout the process of rebuilding.

Perhaps I can draw a relevant illustration for you. Have you ever heard a symphony? A composer writes a piece of music which calls for a variety of instruments, notes, rhythms, and tempos.  A conductor stands on a platform above the musicians and directs their efforts, some harmony and some in dissonance, and some are loud while others are quiet, but it ultimately creates a beautiful sound which pleases the ears! God is both the composer and the conductor and He has determined to create a tune which brings glory to His name.

If you want to experience the calm assurance in the midst of trial, recognize the creator of all you see has given you “complete victory” through “Him who loved us”, and NOTHING can “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (Romans 8:37-39, NET) The physical and mental struggles of the present cannot challenge the power of God, who “demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NIV) It all begins by knowing the master of the universe through Jesus Christ and recognizing His love for YOU!

The successful Christian church must always recall their ministries are carried out in hopes of impacting a local community. Making a positive difference in our community remains our primary mission. Thanks to your outpouring and prayers our ministries will not be stunted. Continue to expect a welcoming congregation gathering for worship, generous giving to community charities, and an emboldened desire to share a life-changing message with our community. We remain confident these negative circumstances will instigate an amazingly positive outcome both for our congregation and this community.

The Christian apostle Paul offered “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1, ESV).  Be assured our congregation is offering prayers of thanksgiving for the warmth and hospitality of this community. Thank you to our neighbors, the public servants, and ministers who foster such a wonderful sense of community.