January 29, 2022

First things first...an update on our Live Streaming!

Our Live Stream gurus feel like they have solved the issues we have been having with streaming our worship services. They tell me that we had a malfunctioning piece of equipment - something called an ATEM. We will be borrowing an ATEM this Sunday while our ATEM is either fixed or replaced. Hope this does the trick. Keep your fingers crossed!

As Claudette DeLong and Randy Canady close the church's financial books on 2021, I want to say thank you for your amazing generosity. During this unprecedented time in our lives, churches have been greatly impacted financially since we are not able to have our regular numbers of people attending the services. However, many of you have continued your faithful giving. Thank you!

I also want to thank the members of our Finance and Stewardship Committees for the work they did this past year. We especially thank Cynthia Herold for chairing the Finance Committee and Michael Dayoub for chairing Stewardship. Both of them rotated out of these positions at the end of 2021 after giving so much of their time, energy, and service. Thank you, Cynthia and Michael. Tinker Bell would be proud of you! 

Do you ever wonder if you are on the path God wants you to be on? 

This Sunday's sermon title is: Your Purpose (and God's). 

The theme was inspired by Sunday's lectionary texts and by an interview I recently saw of Savannah's former mayor, Otis Johnson. I first became familiar with Mayor Johnson when he created Youth Futures, an organization that met at St. Pious near the church. Otis created Youth Futures in 1993—the year I started at Asbury—and before he was mayor. This Thursday, Mayor Johnson will be 80 years old, yet he is still trying to find ways he can help make this a better world. He said that he wants to "wear out, not rust out." (Words made famous by Theodore Roosevelt.)

But what to do? How do we know we're doing what God wants us to do?

Seldom do we know definitively that we're the right person at the right place at the right time. Those experiences are magical. For instance, I will never forget the night Susan Boyle surprised the world on the show Britain's Got Talent. Susan had to feel she was doing what God had called her to do. It was an exhilarating experience. Most likely you've seen it. But if you'd like to experience it again, here's the link to it: 

So, join us in person or online this Sunday as we seek to discover our purpose—to discover what God is calling each of us to do. No matter how old we are—no matter where we live—no matter what you think your limitations are, God needs you and has a mission for you.

I'm looking forward to being with you. If you attend the service in person, be sure to wear your mask. During this time of so many positive cases of Covid, we will again not have our Coffee Hour after the service. And remember, if you are not vaccinated and/or you have a weakened immune system, it is best to stay home, hope that our ATEM is working properly, and worship with us online!

With love & peace,
Billy