A NOTE FROM PASTOR BOB
One of the things we can’t keep in our refrigerator is fresh fruit. Our grandkids love fruit and when they come over and see we are stocked, it doesn’t take much time for them to rifle through it. Our oldest grandson is usually messing with his phone and when he finally lifts his eyes long enough to see his siblings eating, he rushes in, whisks open the refrigerator door and shouts out, “Where’s the fruit?”
That’s a great phrase to use in describing a healthy church, “Fruit,” and a great question every church family should ask is, “Where’s the Fruit”? Fruit is how God works in a church. A church bears fruit when hungry people are fed, children get loved on and people can hear messages of hope. This past week I sent out a letter along with our 2023 Ministry Action Report. Throughout the pages you will see great examples of the fruit we have been bearing over the last year. From feeding the hungry through our Street Ministry, Pack a Snack, and Meals on Wheels to baptizing new Christians into the faith, it is such a joy to see the fruit.
One of the main ways to see fruit in a church is number of baptisms and how new members are received. In 2023 we doubled the number of baptisms and remembrances. Our number of new members received is up 53%, and 91% of our new members came either as first time Christians or ones reconnected through Reaffirmation of Faith. Attendance is up 19% as well! God is doing great and exciting things at your church and I want to invite you to become part of it. You can do this by completing a 2024 Commitment Card to let us know through your generosity how much you will give to support our ministry plan (Budget). You can also check off the ways you will serve in ministry. Friends, God is good and He’s demonstrating that through the life of your church. Let us give thanks for this year and all that is yet to come as we express our Gratitude in God.
— Pastor Bob
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