The First Sunday of the Year

On Sunday we began the year with a full plate of activities. George Rezendes, our newest grandfather, welcomed everyone back after the Christmas holiday. He led the opening exercises and we began the new year with singing and a puzzle on the big board. After our intergenerational time together, we broke up into classes.

The new year provides a great excuse to jump in and start Sunday School if you missed the kick off in September and we had a few newcomers join us. If you are thinking about it for you or the kids, next week won't be too late either. Rosie Main does a great job with the toddlers. Rachelle Weimer, Janet LaFlamme and Zelda Fellows work with the Elementary school kids. Doris Calkins and Laura Kreger work the upper elementary school children. I work with Kristen Deptulski to teach the middle school and high schoolers.

Curt Brockway leads an adult Bible study that meets at the same time. They are studying the book of Acts this winter.

At church I was back in he pulpit and we had a full house. The choir was back after a week off and they helped prepare us for the Lord's supper with an anthem entitled, "A Communion Invitation." The scripture was from Ephesians 1 and my message was titled, "We Are God's Prized Possessions."

We began something new this week as we read the "Memory Verse of the Week" together. Each week this year we will learn another of the foundational verse of our faith. Not only will we recite it together during worship, it will also connect to either the message, the anthem or both.

To kick things off this week we read John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It was an easy one for most of us because it is one of the first memory verses many of us learned as children. I think this will be fun and as we learn these verses we will also take our faith a step deeper.

I also had some fun with the Children's Moment as I talked about my favorite Christmas gifts. After hearing about their favorite presents I told them that each year I always had a new favorite. But then I reminded them that we are God's favorite gift and that never changes no matter how old we get.

We finished the service at the Lord's table and then formed a circle of fellowship around the sanctuary. It was a very good morning.

Cal