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January 1, 2024 - Happy New Year

 

Dear Church Family:

Happy New Year!  Today is the start of new possibilities. It can be a time for change. As an avid reader, I often feel a touch of sadness when I finish a good book that has kept me captivated. But that sadness is quickly replaced by the joy of starting a fresh new book, full of possibility and promise.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1 we read that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." This scripture gently reminds us that each moment, each day, and each year is a part of God's divine timing.  As we flip the calendar to 2024, let’s think of it as beginning a new book. We have just finished writing the story of 2023, and now we embark on a blank slate. The open pages of 2024 lie before us, waiting to be filled.

God has given us this precious gift of a new year. Let us receive it with open and grateful hearts, seeking positive ways to write our next chapter. There will undoubtedly be challenges in the year ahead. But with God's help and the support of our loving church family, I believe there are also pages waiting to be filled with blessings, growth, love, and joy.

On this first day of a new year, let's make a commitment together - to approach each new day in 2024 with eyes open wide to possibility. Let's look for opportunities to spread kindness, uplift one another, care for God's creation, proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, and share our gifts. If we strive together in this spirit, just imagine the inspiring story we will write in 2024! Let's embrace this new season with open hearts and minds, eager to discover the plans God has for us.

May God bless you tremendously in the year ahead. Here’s to new beginnings!

Blessings,

Paul

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