January 11

Our hearts go out to those who have been touched by the fires in California. I have spoken to many members of our church family who have relatives and friends affected by the fires. Some of our own church family members have lost property. Our prayers are with you all. 

Ironically, the suggested Hebrew text from the Common Lectionary for this Sunday is Isaiah 43:1-7. As you can see from the photo to the left, Sunday's passage from Isaiah uses both water and fire as metaphors for the challenges and difficulties we face in life. My message on Sunday is titled, River, Flood, and Fire. I believe the sermon and service will offer hope and encouragement at this stressful time. Rev. Carole Warfield will be blessing us with our morning prayer. We will also be blessed by the choir's anthem, Living Water of Life, and by Danny Beam singing of a song titled, I Am Not Okay. (Some of you may be familiar with this song by recording artist, Jelly Roll.) We will also be singing the Navy hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save in honor of the life of former President Jimmy Carter. It's going to be another great worship service.

If you know someone who doesn't have a church and could use some "lifting up," please invite them to worship with us. 

Our Minister of Music, Ray Ellis, will be having Hip Replacement Surgery on Tuesday, the 14th. I know you will want to wish him well when you see him tomorrow. Please be praying for Ray and the Medical Team that will be working with him

Our study and fellowship group for adults meets at 10:00 a.m. in Holliday Hall every Sunday morning. They are currently using the video series, Living The Questions to stimulate thoughts and discussion. Here is a segment of one of the videos to give you an idea what they are like...hope you will come and be part of this great group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbjZi17jfm4

Supplying the flowers for the worship service is a wonderful way to honor a Loved One or to remember a special event in your life. It also blesses the congregation as we experience God's beauty through nature during worship. After the service, the flowers are arranged and delivered by members of our Flower Ministry to uplift the hearts of our members who are sick, grieving, or having a special event in their life. That ALL happens for $70. For details on participating, see go to our website, the newsletter, or call the church office. Please note: We will now be posting the names of those who are remembered and honored by the flowers on our slides presented in the sanctuary before each worship service. 

Members of our Round Table will be getting back to work with their first planning meeting in 2025 when it has a zoom meeting this coming Tuesday, the 14th, at 6:30 p.m. The Round Table focuses on the ministries, missions, and programs of the church. Any church member (Asbury, Wesley Oak, and Online Worshippers) can attend the Round Table meetings. It's a great way to learn about the ministries of the church and what is in store for the future. If you would like to attend, email me at bgester3@comcast.net, and I will send you the link for the Zoom meeting.

Love,
Billy