new brothers and sisters, having come from so many backgrounds!
The Lord has blessed us with younger families. When Cheryl and I first came here, we were by 20 years the youngest people in the church - hard to believe, I know. In those days one of the most common concerns I heard was: "I want to hear a child cry in the worship service again." It took nearly 3 years to bring young families into the church, but now we have a growing, enthusiastic bunch of young people, and nursery and toddlers areas full of babies!
The Lord has blessed us with a great staff. Not only do we have an excellent music director in Cheryl, but she doubles up as the best office manager I've ever seen. (Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced). Then, too, we have Brent Elliott, our Associate Minister, emphasizing our wonderful sports ministry and young adults ministry. Brian Palmer became part of our staff in January 1, 2005. His emphasis is Middle School and High School youth. Michelle Hanson has a marvelous ministry with children, overseeing the nursery, preschool, and elementary ministries. Then, of course, there is Wyburn Osborn, our minister of administration. He works hard to keep the business end of the church running. And, we have Kerry Kellermeyer, our visitation minister, whose emphasis is ministering to our sick and shut-ins. What an incredible team of eager servants of Christ! I thank God for them continually.
The Lord has blessed us with great leadership. We have wonderful elders, and a pack of willing and eager deacons. They get the job done. We have a variety of ministry teams that are led by dedicated and capable people.
The Lord has blessed us with really amazing unity. Every time we get together for weekend worships or mid-week studies, the spirit around the church is one of a family reunion. I never hear visitors say that they weren't warmly received.
The Lord has blessed us with willing workers. Though no church ever has all the help they need, our congregation has so many serving in a great number of areas. Each of those involved in a ministry here does what they do because they love the Lord, and gladly minister to their brothers and sisters, and to future friends they haven't even met yet!
The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful new building. On Nov 15, 2004, we moved into our 33,000 square foot buildings, located on 15 beautiful acres, and we’re truly enjoying the facilities. To us a building is not what a church is all about – it’s about the people. But, a church building should be a tool that the church can use to serve God, and our building is just that.
The Lord has blessed us with an amazing future. And, we have no reason to anticipate anything less than continued growth both in number and in spirit through the years that lie ahead...until He comes!
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