With Jesus joy I write to welcome each one of you into the year 2023. Also, to all friends of our church I offer our warmest love, prayers and good tidings for the New Year. As I have done over the past years I once again give thanks to the Lord for the preservation of every life, which is the reason we can boldly repeat the very words spoken by the army commanders to Moses, the great leader of Israel, “Your servants have counted the warriors under our command, and not one man of us is missing.” (Numbers 31:49). This is God’s special grace towards us for which our gratitude must be endless.
The call this year to be completely dependent on God is inspired by the prayer of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20;12b, “neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” There is no better time to depend on the one who himself does not need to depend on anyone else than now because he is sufficient unto himself, halleluiah! When everything is failing and the center isn’t holding any longer for many; with steadily rising prices caused by the world-wide inflation; with the continued presence of war in our backyard which threatens to spread except God intervenes; with the mixed signals out there about Corona virus and epidemics resurgenc, God’s people will have to depend on him with fervent prayer and implicit trust. The Psalmist said, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7). Bottom line: this year, DEPEND, DEPEND and DEPEND!
As the year glides deeper, let me announce that all our activities have effectively resumed. we already had a very successful congregational retreat during which the power of God came down mightily, empowering all the participants for life and ministry in the coming months. In addition, we had an anointed service during which the Holy Spirit released unction on each person, readying us for the tasks ahead. With all that done, I believe that we are all ready to go. There is a place for everyone to serve. Soon, a call will go out for members to volunteer into various ministries. Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Who among you is ready to enter into the labor market of the Lord? I hope I will hear many of you, especially those who until now have not committed to any ministry, respond, “Lord, here am I send me”? May you all find the joy of serving the Lord as you do in Jesus name!
As I have already hinted earlier, our ministry this year will be with a special focus on the children and youth. This is a task will demand the participation of everyone. Generally speaking, the church in the Western world is fast losing the young population among us. This is a very dangerous trend which can be reversed through the concerted efforts of church leadership and parents together. This objective can only be achieved through the deliberate cooperation of all concerned parents. In this task, we simply cannot fail, and we will not fail in Jesus name!
Finally, two major things lie ahead of us. First, the church’s annual meeting comes up on March 18. Every member should prayerfully look forward to it. The other is the season of Lent which will lead to our annual Good Friday special program, “To Golgotha with Jesus” and then the glorious day of resurrection – Easter! Get excited as we approach both programs.
Remain rapturable!
Pastor Sam
January 2023
