Help Needed!
We’re looking for volunteers to help us undecorate
the church after Christmas. Join us on Wednesday, January 8th,
at 6 PM. Many hands make light work, and your help
will be greatly appreciated!

Ladies Bible Study

Join us for the Ladies’ Bible Study: “Jesus and Women in the 1st Century and Now” by Kristi McLelland! This transformative 7-week series starts Tuesday, February 11th, at 1:30 PM in the Family Ministry Building.

Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding and faith. Please register by January 10th!

To sign up or for more information, contact:

• The church office: 567-9320
• Elizabeth See: Call or text at 567-1708

We look forward to growing together in faith and fellowship!

Flower Calendar

If you would like to place flowers in the sanctuary in memory or honor of a loved one, please contact the church office to reserve your date. Be sure to call early to secure your preferred time, and Nikki will be happy to assist you!

Giving as of December 23, 2024

Budget for 2024 . . . . . . . .  $339,423.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $319,115.97
Received to Date . . . . . . . . $258,639.06
Needed for weekly budget . . .  $6,751.71
Tithes Received this week . . .   $2,749.00

Lottie Moon $1,350.00

MID-WEEK DEVOTION

Remember to check out Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotion in the Book of Psalms. They are uploaded each Wednesday on the sermon page.

From Our Family Minister

In my junior year of high school, I was walking down the hall when the school counselor stuck her head out of her office and asked if I wanted to attend a leadership conference. After mentioning it to my parents, they encouraged me to go, so I signed up.

A few weeks before the weekend conference, as the information started coming in, I realized this might not be my thing. I was a good student when it came to being respectful to teachers and showing up to class on time, but academically, I felt like a snowman in South Georgia. The conference seemed packed with classes and projects, and I knew I would be out of my element.

Despite my reservations, my parents wouldn’t let me back out, so I went. As soon as I arrived, my doubts were confirmed. At the opening meeting, I talked to other students and discovered most of them had to compete with essays and speeches to represent their schools. What had I gotten myself into? This did not feel like a place for me. I couldn’t understand why my school counselor chose me for this event.

Do you think the shepherds might have felt the same way on the night that Christ was born? When the angel appeared and announced that the long-awaited Messiah had finally come after God had been silent for over 400 years, the shepherds could have questioned, “Why us?” Yet God chose them. Shepherds were not allowed to serve as witnesses in the courts of Israel because they were considered untrustworthy, but God chose them to be the first witnesses of the birth of Christ.

Mary and Joseph likely felt the same way. There was nothing remarkable about them. They were from an obscure town and had no qualities that made them stand out by worldly standards. Yet still, God chose them.

God often calls the least likely people to do extraordinary things for His glory. He doesn’t look at qualifications the way we do. Instead, He sees the heart. As 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us: The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

As the conference got underway, I quickly realized that my counselor knew what she was doing when she asked me to go. I soaked up everything like a sponge—whether it was listening to a man who led a team that invented equipment for the space shuttle or learning from a communications engineer who explained how the internet worked. This was my kind of learning: hands-on and engaging with topics I found fascinating.

So, if you ever feel unqualified or out of place, remember that God chooses the unlikely to accomplish His purposes. Just like my counselor chose me, God chose the shepherds, Mary, Joseph—and even a sinner like me—to share His message and teach others about Him.