St Jude's In The Mountains
Anglican Church - Tehachapi CA
Anglican Church - Tehachapi CA
1
Happy Epiphany! Here we are just recovering from a busy Christmas season, just in time to hit the ground running with a LOT on our plate this month. J Our Lord has done so much through our little church in the past year, that I can't wait to see what He has in store for us in this new year. This month we restart several ministries that have taken a little break, while we pursue in earnest some new ministry endeavors. These efforts are all geared toward the goal of drawing people to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, which the season of Epiphany celebrates. Epiphany being the event where Jesus was visited by the wise men in Bethlehem, the first time Gentiles had the privilege of knowing about the Messiah and the salvation He brings.
Lately I have seen our town very much in need of the hope Jesus brings, and a lot more receptive to the Gospel than I have seen in a long time. Several families have been touched by the compassion of our church, and others have desired to share that same compassion, participating anew in ministry with us. The fruit of this is seen in the unprecedented number of young adults worshipping with us today. Who would have thought that in a town where the latest trends in worship are seen in almost every church, our little congregation, home to the most ancient liturgy around, draws young people partly from these same old traditions. While there is always interest in new music, the intimacy with Jesus offered in our Holy Eucharist remains timeless. We are also seeing our church reaching those who need a fresh start in life. Perhaps the most exciting part of ministry is to see a once broken life find renewed and undying joy in a new relationship with Jesus. This is now happening more than I have ever seen before in our ministry together. In many cases we are dealing with folks who have been shy of churches due to old wounds, but have discovered the compassion of God with us. This is precisely what Epiphany is about.
It is in that spirit that we engage anew in ministry this new year. We begin by continuing our Bible Study of Revelation, but with a slight change in the schedule. Due to the fact that half the Tuesdays through the rest of the year require me to be away at meetings, we will start having both morning and evening Bible studies on Wednesdays. We will also resume the newly started New Members Class on Thursday afternoons, starting at 4:30 in order not to interfere with the NA meeting that evening. We will also look into working on the El Camino project on occasional afternoons during the week, and not just on Saturdays, and we might do the same with the hobby club. There are also several other special projects involving young people in our church which I look forward to see. These renewed ministries set the stage for our Annual Meeting on January 22nd. At that meeting we will elect four new Vestry members, delegates to the Diocesan Convention, approve our budget for 2012, and take a look at what we would like to see for our church in the next five years. I cannot be thankful enough for all the hard work that so many in our church continue to do. We are making a difference in this town, and God is glorified as we live into the Epiphany season.
Lately I have seen our town very much in need of the hope Jesus brings, and a lot more receptive to the Gospel than I have seen in a long time. Several families have been touched by the compassion of our church, and others have desired to share that same compassion, participating anew in ministry with us. The fruit of this is seen in the unprecedented number of young adults worshipping with us today. Who would have thought that in a town where the latest trends in worship are seen in almost every church, our little congregation, home to the most ancient liturgy around, draws young people partly from these same old traditions. While there is always interest in new music, the intimacy with Jesus offered in our Holy Eucharist remains timeless. We are also seeing our church reaching those who need a fresh start in life. Perhaps the most exciting part of ministry is to see a once broken life find renewed and undying joy in a new relationship with Jesus. This is now happening more than I have ever seen before in our ministry together. In many cases we are dealing with folks who have been shy of churches due to old wounds, but have discovered the compassion of God with us. This is precisely what Epiphany is about.
It is in that spirit that we engage anew in ministry this new year. We begin by continuing our Bible Study of Revelation, but with a slight change in the schedule. Due to the fact that half the Tuesdays through the rest of the year require me to be away at meetings, we will start having both morning and evening Bible studies on Wednesdays. We will also resume the newly started New Members Class on Thursday afternoons, starting at 4:30 in order not to interfere with the NA meeting that evening. We will also look into working on the El Camino project on occasional afternoons during the week, and not just on Saturdays, and we might do the same with the hobby club. There are also several other special projects involving young people in our church which I look forward to see. These renewed ministries set the stage for our Annual Meeting on January 22nd. At that meeting we will elect four new Vestry members, delegates to the Diocesan Convention, approve our budget for 2012, and take a look at what we would like to see for our church in the next five years. I cannot be thankful enough for all the hard work that so many in our church continue to do. We are making a difference in this town, and God is glorified as we live into the Epiphany season.
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