The Feast of Epiphany (Jan. 6) is a celebration of the fact that the Messiah came for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. The Apostle Paul calls this the “mystery of Christ,” which was not revealed previously. Paul calls himself a “steward” of God’s grace. He states that the Gentiles are “partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:1-6). Those two words, “steward” and “partakers” are helpful on our Vision Sunday. 

How is our church doing as “stewards” of God’s grace?  How can we be “partakers” of the promise this coming year?

Our vision is “Extending Grace Discipling Generations.” Last year, we put emphasis on Extending Grace. We increased missions giving. We improved our outreach with Alpha. We invested heavily in our church plants and the Good Samaritan Church revitalization project.

This year we will emphasize Discipling Generations. Discipling means that we must learn and help others learn how to live in the new kingdom that Jesus brought. It’s a completely different world view and set of behaviors and habits.  As Romans 12:1-2 teaches, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. 

Our church is intergenerational. All ages are intermingling in the worship services. We will be more intentional in developing this in 2024. 

In the coming semester, the staff will be building a more intentional Christian Education plan for kids, students, and for adults. We’ll be looking for more ways to get people growing in their relationship with Christ and other members. We’ll be opening up the Alpha Weekend to be more of a “spiritual renewal” weekend for the whole church, not just the Alpha participants (April 19-21).

Taking It Home: Take the initiative to be a “partaker” in the life of your church.  Text one of these words to the church (904-541-1234) to sign up:  GROUPS, SERVE, EVENTS, ALPHA, and MISSIONS.