Newsletter for October 7, 2026

Join us as we explore what God’s Word teaches
 us about living faithfully, putting God first,
and making our lives count for His glory.

Supper begins at 6:00 PM, followed by our Family Night study. Come enjoy a meal, fellowship, and discover the stories behind the songs we sing!

Beef Stew, Corn Muffins and a Selection of Pies. 

Operation Christmas Child Packing Night

Join us Wednesday, November 4, as we pack our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes! We still need several items—especially toys and fillers—to help fill the boxes.

Items especially needed: Small toys (stuffed animals, toy cars, yo-yos, Slinkies, baby dolls, and Barbie dolls), underwear, socks, and flip-flops.

Please drop donations off outside Jonathan’s office, and plan to join us Wednesday night to help pack the boxes. Every item helps us fill a shoebox and share the love of Christ with a child!

Last year, our church family distributed goodie bags during the Ashburn Halloween Open House—and this year, we’re planning to reach even more families!

Each bag will include candy, information about our church, and the plan of salvation, making this an incredible opportunity to share the love of Christ with our community.

If you or your Sunday School class would like to help, you can donate candy or money for supplies. Please drop donations off outside Jonathan’s office by Sunday, October 25.

Together, let’s shine the light of Jesus on a night when so many families are out and about in our community!

The Finance Committee will begin working on the budget for the upcoming year on October 18. All committee chairs, please submit your budget requests to Allen Whitehead or Nikki no later than October 14.

Thank you for helping us prepare for the upcoming budget year!

Don’t miss Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotions.
New messages are posted every Wednesday on our media page—take a midweek moment to be encouraged and refreshed in God’s Word.

Budget for 2026 . . . . . . . .  $363,528.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $283,944.80
Received to Date . . . . . . .   $225,489.85 
Needed for weekly budget . . . $6,990.92
Tithes Received this week . . .  $8,784.67
State Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . $656.04

In John 17:3, our Lord said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” This means that salvation is not just a list of facts to accept. It is a personal relationship with the God of those facts.

As believers, our highest priority is to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Paul wrote that his greatest desire was that he “…may know Him and the power of His resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10).

This knowing and growing in the Lord is what our Lord meant when He spoke of abiding in Him in John 15. Our Lord wants us to live in Him. Just as we physically live in our homes, we are to spiritually live in Him.

What do we experience when we abide in Christ? We experience fruitfulness. As we walk with the Lord, He fills and overfills our lives (Psalm 23:5). It is overfilling that God uses to minister to others. Our Lord said, “…he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We bear real fruit only by abiding in Him.

Abiding in Him is also a key to answered prayer. This is not because we are in a better position to manipulate God, but because we are better able to know His mind and heart and experience His leading. This is why Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

We also experience our Lord’s love when we abide in Him. John 15:10 says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” We cannot fully experience our Lord’s love for us when we are far from Him. The closer we are to Him, the more we can experience His love.

Last, we experience His joy. In John 15:11, our Lord says, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” It is when we are close to our Lord that we experience His joy from within. What the world can never provide with its promises of happiness, our Lord gives us, no matter our circumstances.

Are you abiding in the Lord? Are you growing in Him? Only in Him do we experience the richness of life that He wants to give us.