This Sunday night at 6pm is our annual church business meeting. There will be no preaching service inasmuch as the entire evening will be devoted to electing the church officers, reading of the Pastoral and Treasurer reports, and presenting the ministry vision for 2010.  All members are urged to be present and visitors are welcomed to sit in and observe how we conduct our church business and to hear of our goals and plans for 2010 and beyond.

The last two Sunday nights Blair Cassidy and David Kapauan have preached powerful messages,  speaking to our hearts and wills.  On Sunday night, February 7th, Pastor Hird will be our preacher.

Baptisms are planned again for Sunday night,  February 14th.

Then, on Saturday, February 20th, we have scheduled another Marriage Enrichment Fellowship.  We are inviting all of our own church family couples to join us in a time of marital refreshment and reinvigoration.  We have planned skits, games, and are having a special meal delivered.  Couples should sign up on the hallway bulletin board with their meal money, and read about the babysitting, and wedding/dating days pictures to bring.

One of the outreach ministries of our church is the Famine Relief Fund.  This is based on Acts 11:27-30, where monies were sacrificially given by the church at Antioch to help relieve the financial needs of the brethren in Judaea during a famine.  For years our congregation has sent monies every six months to famine-stricken areas of the world.  Like in Acts 11, these monies are sent to a church of like precious faith to help with the needs of their own church people in their crisis.  The last two weeks, we have taken up free-will offerings to help with the crisis in Haiti.  $2120 was raised and will be sent to a veteran BIMI missionary there who, in coordination with national pastors, will distribute these funds to their brethren in greatest need.  We trust the Lord that through this horrific crisis, many will come to know Him and that the brethren there will again experience the sustaining grace of God in trials of their faith!

It’s my hope and prayer that, unlike any other year, this year you and I will strive to know Him better and allow Him the freedom and access in our lives to stretch our faith to greater limits.  With God’s grace and through His enablement, may we strive to make spiritual advancements in those difficult and challenging personal sinful strongholds that exist in each of our lives and ministries.  May we begin this year with good and godly goals that are high and holy.  May these resolutions keep us disciplined, focused and on-track for a God-honouring year.

We’ve had a wonderful start to 2010 with visitors out for every service so far.  With our annual church business meeting coming up on Sunday evening, January 31st (no preaching that evening), I am busy finalizing my presentation for that evening that will include our yearly goals, activities, and events.

My preaching series through 1 Peter continued this past Sunday from 1 Peter 1:6-9 with the sermon title: “Figuring Out The Trials Of My Faith.”  I will preach Part 2 of this sermon on Sunday morning.

This Sunday night, Missionary Pastor Alex Boamah from Ghana, West Africa, is back with us and preaching again.  We are collecting any and all clothing for him to take back for the orphanage which he oversees under his church’s ministry.

On consecutive Sunday nights in January and early February, the men of our church are preaching: Blair Cassidy, David Kapauan, and Pastor James Hird.  These men can really preach and this annual preaching series is a favourite of our people.

Plans are being made to have another of our Marriage Enrichment Fellowships on Saturday, February 20th.  These are always well attended by our couples and serves as a refresher course for a couple, no matter how long they’ve been married.