God has really opened our hearts and eyes to understand what this great writer is saying about Jesus. Jesus is God in Human form and He is on earth so that everyone will know and see what God is like. We remember from the opening that Luke is writing this “orderly account” to Theophilus so that he “may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

That is making good sense to us now that we have been reading, hearing, and processing what the Jesus’ life was all about.

This Sunday as I preach from Luke 9:51-56 we will see a big shift in Luke’s Gospel. Verse 51 states “he (Jesus) set his face to go to Jerusalem.” That marks a shift in Luke’s Gospel as the next large portion of the book is spent describing Jesus on a concentrated mission to get to the cross. This is Huge!

As we continue to study this great book in God’s Word, I ask you to be here on Sunday to see and hear how “determined” Jesus was to go and die. For it is through his death that people can have life!

Be intentional and deliberate about being in church Sunday morning to hear the Word proclaimed!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to see what God will do with our church in 2012!

There is a lot that goes into a church that is thriving and growing. And over the first 2 years of my pastorate here, we were learning in many areas. But as we begin this new year, there is a lot that we can build upon. Consider these areas:

• VBS = Last year we created our own VBS theme & curriculum. Highlighted by the Puppet show! And we thought it was a big success. April Kirk did a great job pulling it all together. VBS 2012 will only be stronger as we pick up where we left off.

• Ecuador = The past 2 summers we have taken a total of 19 different people on mission trips to Ecuador. It has greatly impacted our church. Now as we prepare for this third straight trip we see many who are planning to go. I have set the goal of 25 FBCFers who will go! As more and more of us follow God’s leading in this area, this year’s trip is going to radically change our church!

• New Members Class = In 2011 we began a New Members Class that saw 19 people in attendance for a 5-session class who are enquiring about joining our church family. Many of them went through it, as we have seen some good growth this past year. As we continue to teach all new members what is expected of a member, we undoubtedly will see a more committed and more healthy church! Praise God!

• Music = Our music ministry has truly found a solid piece of leadership. Cody & Sasha Libolt came to our church in July 2011, and God is using them in a significant way to lead all of us in worship. Cody’s skills with the praise team and choir are such a blessing. I am excited to see where Cody leads us in 2012! 

These 4 areas are just some of the bright spots from 2011. With these valuable ministry pieces in place, FBCF is ready to take big steps forward. God has called us to proclaim Jesus while loving and serving both Him and people. I am confident and prayerful that we, FBC Fairdale, are more prepared and ready to do this than we were in 2011. 2012 is going to be a good year for us. Lets go!

Sincerely, Your Pastor, Josh

Dear Church,

Christmas is upon us! And even for unbelieving people that means a lot of good things like parties and presents and family and food. Who doesn’t get excited about Christmas?

But for us who are believers in Jesus, Christmas is even more. A lot more! And while all of us know that, I am wondering if we really know that. I want to motivate you to think about why being a believer in Jesus should make Christmas more meaningful to you.

When the angel appeared to the shepherds, he declared “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Lk 2:10) This statement by the angel is affirming to us that the birth of Jesus is special, and therefore that means Christmas is special. But why? What is the good news that produces great joy? Let me assure you that it is not just that Jesus is born. For many in the world know and believe that, and it is not good news or great joy for them. What is so special about this birth is who it is that is born— “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk 2:11)

When the angel speaks that the Savior has been born, a load of truth is implied and meant to be understood. The baby lying in the manger is the Savior. The God-figure that so many in the world recognize is the Savior. Jesus Christ the Lord is the Savior! That truth being understood, trusted in, depended on, and treasured by faith is what takes this Christmas holiday to the next level and makes it so special. I recently asked our church “What do saviors do?” They answered correctly, “They save!” Jesus the savior saves! What does he save from? “Christ Jesus came into the world to sinners.” (1 Tim 1:15) Do you believe that? Has he saved you?

If so, then Christmas can be and should be more meaningful to you than it is for someone who does not believe. While parties and presents and food and family are a very rich blessing, they are small and insignificant in comparison to the gift and joy that forgiveness, love and new life bring from God.

Church, as you get going with all that this busy holiday season brings, I pray that you get the full joy and that your Christmas is special because your sins are forgiven and Jesus is your Savior!

Sincerely, Your Pastor, Josh

PLEASE PRIORITIZE Sunday, Dec. 18 our Candlelight Service & Choir Special! You will be so blessed by this service!

What a really nice month October was for us! I thank God for His blessings. Mid-month we had our Homecoming service that was a celebration of God’s faithfulness here for the past 95 years. It is humbling to think that this body of believers has been meeting here since 1916.

This month we have also seen several people come to join our church. Five straight Sundays now someone, or some family, has walked the aisle during the invitation. This is a good thing, and it obvious that God is really working in and around us.

The Fall Fun hayride and bonfire were a great success. Thank you to all of you who came out to be a part of this nice event. It was a cold night, but God was strengthening our church community. Also this month, Valeria and I hosted a Costume party for the college kids in our church. We had a blast seeing the various interesting costumes.

October was a good month for us, but as history has proven the next two months will not slow down. The November and December calendars are already nearly full. We thank God for a lot that is going on, but we also need to remember to stay focused and keep our priorities in perspective.

This leads me to my closing thought: Our first priority as a church is that we all worship together! What makes us a church is that we all gather together on Sunday mornings at 10:45 to worship Jesus as a united body of believers.  We have to understand this truth. Only coming to Sunday School does not make you a part of the church. Only coming to meals and get-togethers does not make you a part of the church. Only giving money does not make you a part of the church. Only wanting to be here once or twice a month does not make you a part of the church. Belonging to each other and prioritizing worshipping with each other CAN and DOES make you a part of this church. And the thought that you “worship by yourself at home” is good. But that makes you a Christian, Not a part of this church.

We are a church. God has united us together. We are covenanted together. We all matter to each other. We take this seriously. My heart and prayer is that you will see this, believe this, and act on this. In our new Church Covenant, point #4 states “We will seek to gather regularly to worship God, listen to the preaching of the Word, and encourage one another.” And so I ask– Do you? Is this you? Are you committed to this? I hope so. I am committed to you. See you Sunday! Lets Worship!

Sincerely Your Pastor, Josh

One of the special things about our small town of Fairdale is that there is an annual Community worship service.

Every year around Thanksgiving all of the churches in the community gather together for a joint service. It is a very nice time together. The location and the preachers and leaders rotate each year.

This year’s service will be held on Tuesday, November 22nd at 7:00pm. The service will be at the catholic church on Fairdale road. And the guest preacher will be Cecil Comstock from Fairdale Christian Church.

There will be a dessert fellowship to follow.

All of the churches that support the Fairdale Area Community Ministries (FACM) will be participating in this community event.