Dear Friends,
Happy New Year to everyone! There are many opportunities for parties this week, so please, friends — drive carefully and use a designated driver. Marian and I are actually looking forward to staying home and enjoying some time together. Staying up to midnight is my usual modus operandi, so there’s not much of a thrill in doing it just to see a ball drop!
However, as we get this New Year of 2012 underway this Sunday, there are a couple of items need to be mentioned first:
Thank you all for the Christmas gift Marian and I received on Christmas Day! As Marian will be out of work for more than a month after her back surgery, that gift will be a huge help in keeping us afloat until she is able to return to her jobs. We deeply appreciate your generosity and love!
Second, many — indeed, MOST — of the members of our church are deeply involved in one ministry or another, true to our commitment to be a ministry-focused fellowship of believers. Thanks to all of you for your faithfulness and your perseverance during 2011. A lot of American churches are happy to have 80% of the ministry performed by 20% of the people — not so in our church. I am so proud of you!
Last year, as a result of our church’s involvement in the Center for Excellence in Church Leadership (CECL), we initiated a Church Membership Covenant, discarding all of the old definitions on membership (e.g., “My parents belonged to this church and so I’m a member, too.”). Now, if we want to belong to this church, we require each of us to make a conscious choice to be a member. Belonging means agreeing to support the purposes of our church, the leadership of the church, and becoming personally committed and involved in the ministry of the Gospel. While we are by no means a big church, we are by any definition a church that is engaged in ministry and in reaching our community.
Having a baptism this week is an excellent opportunity for us to examine the reasons why we are here, to whom we belong, and to what we are called. While that might be a frequent topic for us, it is really important that we be very clear about our purpose as a church. A great place for us to begin is to examine the last words of Jesus as He left His disciples in Matthew 28:16-20, in a message titled, “Re-Membering.”
We will renew our covenant with the Lord and with each other at the end of January. If you will be away on January 29, or unable to attend worship on that day, please let me know and we will supply you with a covenant for 2012 that you can sign.
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This Week @ Pocasset Baptist Church
Tuesday, January 3
- 7:30 P.M. Men’s Ministry meets in the Alpha Room, providing fellowship, Bible study and prayer for the men of our fellowship. This week we will study Psalm 102.
Thursday, January 5
- 7:30 P.M. Our ministry to the families of the Primary Purpose AA group. This week, Judy Plante, Michael and Dana Pruett are signed up to minister. Thank you!
Upcoming
- Our next worship service at Cape Cod Senior Residences will be Sunday, January 15 at 7 PM.
- The next Cape Cod regional prayer meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 25 at 6:30 at Gateway Christian Center on Route 28 in Cotuit.
- Our Covenant Member Sunday is January 29.
- A Cape Vision Sunday for our church is set for February 5.
