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First Assembly of God Newsletter February 2009 |
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As I was thinking about what to write in this month's newsletter, a thought came to me, "What does it mean to love God with your whole heart?" People have spent a lifetime searching for understanding the real reason for their existence. Out of this quest comes the desire to know and experience God. Inside the human heart is an undeniable spiritual instinct to commune with its Creator. We can deny, ignore, or bury that instinct under an avalanche of material things, but the fact that we were created to enjoy God and to worship Him forever is etched upon our souls. But as interesting as man's quest for God is, it merely points to a far more significant search. That search was revealed long ago when God sent a prophet to deliver a message to King Asa in Jerusalem. Although the Lord was correcting Asa for his lack of faith and devotion, the prophetic word contained a declaration that God himself was involved in a unique search. In describing God' love and desire to bless His people, the prophet declared a truth that is staggering in its implications: "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" ( 2 Chronicles 16:9). God is on a search. Although we rarely think about this, the Creator of all things is looking throughout the whole earth for a certain kind of heart. He is searching for a human heart that will allow Him to show how marvelously He can strengthen, help, and bless someone's life. What made David special was his heart, and that principle has never changed. All the great men and women of Scripture had great hearts that permitted God's grace to flow through them and bring blessings to others. Christianity is by necessity a religion of the heart because only out of the heart comes "the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). God calls people to turn to Him with their "whole hearts". Salvation is received when we believe in our "hearts" that God raised Jesus from the dead. Modern day preaching puts an overwhelming emphasis on works and external forms of worship, but a real spiritual revival must always begin in the heart. A heart out of sync with God's heart will produce a life of spiritual barrenness and missed opportunities. But as we ask the Lord to bring our hearts into harmony with and submission to His, we will find the secret of His blessings that has remained the same throughout all generations. In this new year, I would challenge you as a member of First Assembly to ask yourself, "What does it mean to love God with your whole heart"? Then be prepared to embark on the greatest adventure of your life as you begin to explore the potential of who you can be when you are "a person after God's own heart." — Pastor Jeff |
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATOR NOTES
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Weather permitting, we should have held our annual business meeting on February 11th. We want to thank all of you who came out and participated in conducting the important business of the church. For those of you unable to attend the meeting I will provide a brief overview of the financial highlights for 2008. Perhaps we could summarize 2008 by saying that “all is well that ends well.” For the first 11 months of the year our income and expenses were pretty much even with some months having a positive balance and some negative. This all turned around in December with the receipt of some larger than normal financial gifts that allowed us to finish the year with approximately a $26,000 surplus. We thank God for His faithful provision. Even though we ended 2008 with a surplus, our income for the year was significantly reduced from 2007. In 2007 we had a record income of about $727,000. Our $584,000 income for 2008 is a decrease of $143,000, or approximately a 20% reduction in total income. This decrease can probably be attributed to two factors. First we received some major financial gifts in 2007 that were far above the normal tithes and offerings. Secondly we, and many other churches, are experiencing the effects of the overall downturn in the nation’s economy. Our tithes and offerings declined 12% in 2008. In spite of the downturn, there is still much to be thankful for. We have maintained a sound fiscal basis and have consistently paid all of our bills in a timely manner. In 2008 we supported approximately 85 mission’s projects around the world with 21% ($98,000) of our tithes and offerings. We were also able to provide assistance to approximately 95 needy families and individuals through our benevolence program. We hold firm to the belief that as we bless others, God will bless us in return. Obviously when you experience a 20% reduction in funds some adjustments need to be made. One big adjustment in 2008 was that we did not make any advance payments on our bond fund (mortgage) like we did in 2007. We also reduced our benevolence assistance to those outside our church during the later part of the year. In addition we deferred replacement of some of our aging computers. Pray that God will keep them running until we are able to replace them. All indications are that the economic challenges for our country will continue at least through the first half of 2009. We can be thankful that God is not limited by worldly circumstances – He will provide the means to accomplish His purpose here at First Assembly. Pastor Jeff has been encouraging us in his recent messages to draw closer to God and dare to dream for the seemingly impossible. I know that many of you share a sense of excitement and anticipation about the things happening at our church, and those that are going to happen as we earnestly seek God and submit to His will in the upcoming year. Lets all work together through the leading and guiding of God’s Holy Spirit to attain heights we only dreamed about before – Ephesians 3:20-21. I want to personally thank you for your support and encouragement throughout 2008. It is greatly appreciated. May God richly bless all of you in the year to come. — Steve Parsons |
