I am so grateful for your engagement with Annual Meeting Sunday this year. Both services were well attended, as was the Annual Meeting itself. Thanks to the usual hospitality of the Fellowship Committee, we were all well fed before sitting down to hear reports on God’s faithfulness for the past year, and his guidance for the future. Copies of the Annual Report will be available this upcoming Sunday for those who were unable to attend the meeting. I encourage you take the report home to learn about God’s goodness to and through the life of Immanuel.
An important part of our time together on Sunday was being reminded of our vocation, vision, and mission. We are “Immanuel: God with us…for the sake of others.’ Our life with God is experienced and expressed as we Worship together, Grow together, and Serve together. These grace-full practices form us into a people whose with-ness is our witness. Immanuel’s unique way of being a witness is now articulated in our newly official mission statement:
We cultivate a Spirit-filled family that goes into our communities and the world to offer Refuge, Reconciliation, and Renewal, inviting everyone to experience life with God the Father in Jesus Christ.
Flowing from this mission is the Spirit’s guidance for 2025. The Lord says to us:
Ø Build a house prayer.
Ø Learn from Jesus.
Ø Love your neighbors.
For the details on this guidance, listen to my sermon (select Sunday Service 01/26/2025) or take a look at the “Vision & Mission 2025” slides on our website.
Our new Vestry members—Jerry Fitzsimmons, Vickie Morse, and Jack Sova—attended their first Vestry meeting on Tuesday, and participated in making the following appointments for the 2025 Term:
Ø Senior Warden: Deb Tomchek
Ø Junior Warden: Scott Ankers
Ø Vestry Registrar: Becky Ragon
Ø Treasurer: Tyra Harpster
Ø Finance Committee Chair: Margaret Mann
The Vestry also voted to pay down the mortgage principle by 10%, which will result in considerable savings this year. Further evidence of God’s faithfulness and generosity through his faithful, generous people.
I look forward to sharing with you more ways in which the Lord is enabling us to offer Refuge, Reconciliation, and Renewal in Jesus in this coming year.
Your Pastor in Christ,
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