Dear Church Family, 

 

As I reflect on this Advent season and look back on the year 2022, I cannot help but be filled with gratitude to God. We’ve seen from Isaiah the last few weeks that God keeps His promises, fulfills His plans, and delivers His people.  

 

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 

 

The promise of Emanuel is that God will be with His people. The last two years have shown our body the beauty of this truth: God will be with us through every twist, turn, storm, and valley.  

 

Let’s take a quick look back at where we started 2022: 

  • We did not have access to our sanctuary because of a fire in November of 2021. 

  • We did not meet in person for the last Sunday of 2021 and the first Sunday of 2022 because the majority of the staff and a large number of other members had contracted Covid at one of our services in December 2021. 

 

If we just remember those two facts alone, we see how God has delivered us and remained faithful throughout this year. As He remained faithful, the mission did not stop. We were reminded that while our building is a beautiful blessing, it is not necessary for God’s mission. When we opened the sanctuary in August, we opened with celebration and baptism. And Christ’s Church at Fellowship has continued to thrive. 

 

One of the demonstrations of God’s faithfulness that we have seen this year is the way He has used each of you to give through your tithes and offerings. 

 

Because of these gifts: 

  • We maintained ministry in a period of limited attendance and seating capacity. 

  • We continued our support of 14 missionary units serving on 4 different continents.  

  • We gave over $32,000 in special gifts to Ukraine. 

  • We made improvements to what the insurance covered to make our Sanctuary better than ever before. 

 

These are just a few small examples of how God has used your faithful offerings this year. As 2022 comes to a close, I invite you to consider again how God would use you to give generously toward His mission of “making disciples in all nations.” 

Please consider the following details relating to yearend giving: 

  • In order for contributions to be tax deductible for the year 2022, they must: 

  • Mail: be postmarked by mail on or before December 31, 2022. 

  • Online: be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, December 31, 2022. 

  • In Person: be placed in the offering boxes at our Christmas Day service at 11 am or delivered to the office by 12:00 PM on Thursday, December 29, 2022. 

  • The last church service of the year will be Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 at 11 am. 

  • Contributions received during the Sunday service January 1, 2023 will be considered as 2023 gifts. 

In His Name,

Pastor Tim Chaney

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