This is a season of celebrations and transitions. We have celebrated the birth of our Savior. We celebrated the love of friends and family. We celebrated the wonderful blessings God has given us and we prepare for the end of one year and the beginning of another.
The New Year brings a blank slate, a fresh start and a wealth of new opportunities. 2023 is over and a brand new 2024 stretches before us. The turning of the calendar usually causes us to re-examine our personal lives – and make commitments to do some things differently. I hope you will take some time to work on your goals for 2024. Set goals for your spiritual growth. Don’t just make “New Years’ Resolutions” that you know you won’t keep. Set real goals – realistic goals that you can measure. Don’t waste this New Year that God has given you. Accept the challenge to find new ways to serve God and others through Fee Fee Baptist Church.
A new year also gives us the opportunity to re-examine our church life. Is Fee Fee Baptist Church a better church now than it was in January of 2023? If not, why not? I know many of you will say it is because of the lack of a full-time pastor, but that is just one person. What have you done in the past 12 months to move the church forward? How active have you been in ministry, prayer, worship, discipleship and evangelism? When you look at Fee Fee Baptist Church do you see the opportunities that God is giving us, the ministries that are touching the lives of many hurting people and the warm fellowship of loving people? Or do you just see negative things?
I believe God wants us to focus on the positives of the church and work as a congregation to meet the challenges that face us. Let me challenge you to look at what you are doing in ministry and at what needs to be done. How can you personally get more involved in building our church? When you see things that need to be done, ask yourself if you might be the one to accomplish that task. When you see problems, ask yourself if you might be the solution. When you talk to people about our church, talk about the positive things God is doing and not the negatives that Satan keeps pointing out.
I hope you are excited about the possibilities for more joyous worship and greater church fellowship that our new Sunday morning schedule gives us. I believe many will be surprised what a difference this will make for our church. If you are a bit hesitant about the new schedule – that is normal. Let me encourage you to give it a chance.
Look for the good that it will bring. Don’t just focus on the few things you might not like about the schedule or the worship style or the fact that someone from the “other” service is setting in YOUR seat! If you believe God will bless Fee Fee Baptist Church through these changes, you will be amazed by the blessings you see.
God wants to greatly bless the ministries of Fee Fee Baptist Church in 2024. He is calling each of us to be a part of what He is doing here.
Blessings,
Pastor Derald