Contest Ends!

Today ends our Children's Church contest. Everyone has worked very hard. We hope they have developed habits to last them a lifetime. On March 8th we will award the winners and have a Carnival for all those who participated.

January 2009

Hi, Welcome to the first Sunday in 2009. This is LuAnn, so I wanted to start off by saying how much I appreciate all the prayers and well-wishers. I have needed that more that you could ever know. My patella is getting better. I wanted to start this new year the way I think we should start each new day... counting blessings. I have a great family and church family who have been a tremendous help during my time of need. Special thanks to Jenny for the car rides to therapy. I have also realized that even though my job can drive me crazy without one I would be even crazier. My boss has been great as well. So I hope each of you take a little time today and every day to count your blessings. I will bet once you get started it will be hard to stop. God bless you all.

"A SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS STORY--THE GIFT"

For our Christmas service this year we were blessed by a presentation from the Church Choir and Drama Team of "A Smoky Mountain Christmas Story--The Gift". It was one of the most enjoyable services we have had. Thanks to all those who participated. I'm sure lots of time and effort was spent in preparation for this event.

Now for your musical enjoyment....

On Sunday, December 21st the church was treated to music presented by "Jason and the Jamaica Me Crazy Band". This may have been the highlight of our Christmas music.

Birthday Party for Jesus

The children have decided to have a birthday party for Jesus on December 21st. Each child is going to bring a gift they think will please God. It will be interesting to see the different presents they bring.

WE STILL GIVE THANKS

As many of you know LuAnn broke her patella shortly after posting her Thanksgiving blog. We want to thank everyone for their prayers on her behalf. She is doing fine and is determined to make a full recovery. We never made it to church to help the children lead everyone in singing "Thank you for the Blessings". Brenda rose to the occasion and lead them for us. Amanda was brave and had children's church. I heard the children were great and we appreciate everyone who helped. It's a comfort knowing that others are willing to step in when situations arise. LuAnn did make it out of the hospital and got to attend our family celebration. We still give thanks for all God has given us. She had an "inconvenient disaster" but God still took care of her. He sent her to a wonderful doctor who put her back together again. LuAnn wants to especially thank Martin. He called her and prayed for her over the phone and he was there for her surgery. Knowing someone cares means a lot.

Blessings on Me

Today in the services, our children will sing a song called "Blessings on Me". I think we all sometimes take the little things in life for granted. He gives us beautiful sunsets and glorious sunrises. I see those every morning while at work and way too often I don't relish in its' wonder. In this area,we see nature everywhere. This is God's creation. Let us recognize the miracle he made and give thanks everyday.
I have a few last words to say about thanks. I am an only child but I am from a very large family. This Thanksgiving we will get to celebrate together with our entire family which hasn't happened in 20 years. I feel very blessed for that. I give thanks to God for that. I also want to thank God for my church family who truly is my family. A lot of my memories are tied to you. That is family! God tells us to fellowship together in his name. I thank you for teaching me that. I love you all.
Please stop this week and take time to enjoy God's miracles which does include your family.
Happy Thanksgiving!

More Good News

We have four more children that have earned enough points to receive a reward. Congratulations to :

Bailey
Matthew
Marah
Tyler H.
Keep up the good work!

Picture of a Christian

The last Sunday in October, Martin's sermon was based on the picture of a Christian. The church congregation lined up on the front steps for a group photo. Here is the result.

Children's Church Update

We had four more children that earned enough points in our contest to receive a prize. They were Craig, Kylie, Joy and Casper. Congratulations and keep up the good work!