Thanksgiving

is the response of a grateful
soul to a gracious Savior.

Dear Church Family Members:

How faithful are you? When we hear that question, we often think about promises we’ve made to a spouse or other loved one, a community organization or church, or even Jesus Christ. Several years ago a committee of church leaders was created to formulate a purpose statement for our congregation. Using the word “faithful” as an acronym, the following sentence was developed and approved by the congregation:

“We as a FAITHFUL body of Christ will:
Follow Jesus…Aid Others…Invite all…Teach the Gospel…Hail the Power…
Feel the Spirit…Unite in Study and Prayer…Love the Lord”.

How are you as an individual, and we as a congregation doing? Some parts of being faithful – as defined by our purpose statement – may be easier to carry out than others. But one of the wonderful tenets of Christianity is that our God is always faithful! For example, we read in the Bible:

For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5 NRSV)

God, who has called you into fellowship with
His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 NRSV)

We need to be reminded of this in our challenging times when communities are devastated by storms and fires, and lives are lost every day to violence and drug use. In all this negative turmoil, there is something to be thankful for – the love of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. I am reminded of the lyrics by Henry Smith that call and challenge us to “Give Thanks”:

Give thanks with a grateful heart; Give thanks to the Holy One;
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son.
And now let the weak say, “I am strong;” Let the poor say, “I am rich;”
because of what the Lord has done for us. …Give thanks!

No matter how faithful we feel this Thanksgiving, let us all offer prayers of gratitude and give thanks to our forever faithful God. If you would like to give a tangible “thank you” to the Lord through our church, a special offering envelope is provided in the mail and in church.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Martha Dominy

Thanksgiving 2016

Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Colossians 3:16

Dear Church Family and Friends:

Have you ever forgotten something? Whether it was a task to be done, where an item was last seen, or the name of someone – most of us have experienced a lapse of memory at some time in our lives. And as we age, I’m learning, this is a more common occurrence! A song the children’s choir sang many years ago was entitled, “Never Forget to be Thankful.”

Throughout scripture we are reminded to give thanks to God. For example:

“Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.” (1 Chr. 16:8; Ps. 105:1 NLT)

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” (1 Chr. 16:34; Ps. 107:1; 118:1,29; 136:1 NLT)

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.” (Ps 100:4 NLT)

“Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” (Ps 106:1 NLT)

The fourth Thursday of November is a national day for Thanksgiving in our country. But we should not limit our words of thanks to just one twenty-four hour period. God is limitless in his bestowal of blessings; we should be no less generous in our expressions of gratitude.

However you plan to spend Thanksgiving Day – with family and friends, or perhaps alone – enjoying delicious dinner or watching a little football – please set aside time and remember to “Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Martha Dominy