2020 Focus - December

12/21/2020

2020 in Review

Well, it’s been interesting. We started out the year with two months of these newsletters to help us refocus what it is we do as a church and why. Alissa and I went to Pennsylvania in January to visit a family in the midst of their struggles around cancer. I got approval for my doctoral research project, which began in March with ten people from our church. On March 15 we had two baptisms, which was a great celebration.

And then things went kind of crazy. We switched to streaming services on Facebook from my dining room, the deacons made phone calls to all the people of the church, and we had a Good Friday walk at the cemetery. We resumed meeting in the sanctuary May 10 with a handful of people, and we’ve continued to stream ever since. We finished group meetings for my research project in June, and had a one-day VBS event for whole families that we called Family Bible Adventure in July. On September 13, I had the privilege of baptizing my daughter Anna.

A lot of activities, like our Hayride and Chili Supper have not happened this year, but we did have our Noodle Supper in October. Youth group has been meeting under the caring ministry of Caleb and Sydney, including a lock-in together with the Friends Church. Sunday School has resumed, utilizing in part the RightNow Media video bible studies. We’re upgrading our Internet service to make streaming smoother, but our service provider has not yet hooked up our fiber optic. Finally, just this month I got the first draft of my doctoral project report/thesis submitted, which will be revised and defended early next year.

Refocusing our Purpose

According to our constitution,

The purpose of First Christian Church shall be to exalt God in Christian fellowship, by maintaining public worship and spiritual instruction, by caring for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of its members and of the community, and by seeking to bring others to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, as revealed in the word of God.

We continue to make public worship and spiritual instruction a priority, but caring for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of our congregation and community has been challenging this year. The pastor and deacons continue to reach out, and there have been some beautiful examples of members of our church caring for one another and for those beyond the church. Please keep it up! This crisis has opened some unexpected opportunities for seeking the salvation of others, as many are anxious and weary and recognizing their need for God. It is our role as his ambassadors to let them know that real life is only found in Jesus. Last year many of us got together to look at ways to keep us focused on this mission, but we can’t let the COVID pandemic make us forget about a far more deadly pandemic, to which Jesus is the only cure.

Look Ahead

The year to come has a lot of questions around social distancing, but we know how important it is to stay connected. Part of the focus of next year will be working out ways to nurture more Jesus-centered relationships in our church and beyond. The single most important factor our research group found for growing in our love for God is to keep having spiritual conversations! Streaming services online will continue to be a part of the ministry of this church, even after the pandemic has largely passed, but we must never forget that the church is a family, not a video production. That said, we will continue to learn how to use the tools we have to reach more and more people with the message of the gospel. Even as I finish my Doctor of Ministry degree, we will continue to learn together how to enrich the ministry of this church in this community and this time that God has assigned to us.

I pray you will find joy and peace in the coming of Christ this Christmas. May God bless our new year together, in the fellowship of the Spirit,

Nathan Edwards, Pastor