First Assembly of God Newsletter                                                                   January & February 2012

Inside every human being is a miracle waiting to be discovered and released. I am convinced that every Christian has the innate desire to do something great for God and all the needed motivation already exists within them.

As a pastor, I believe in people, and one of my primary concerns is helping people discover the special measure of grace God has placed in them. We live in a society where children are often told they can't do anything right, that they're no good, and that they are not really wanted. However, it's important to understand that each person has a special gift and calling.

When people find their unique gift, it's like striking oil. The searching process is sometimes long, but the returns are overwhelming. One of the best ways to discern the calling of God is to discover the special measure of grace which is your gift from God. Many individuals labor to fulfill some occupation or calling that is not their true love. Their area of ministry becomes a burden as a result of trying to be what others expect of them.

However, when we operate in our area of gifting, we feel a sense of power, grace, and fulfillment. When you find yourself serving with the gifts and in the calling God has given you, the power of His grace becomes a reality. Grace is not just forgiveness and unmerited favor. Grace is God's strength and power enabling you to do more and be more than you could ever be in your strength. Remember, God wants to do something fantastic with what you already have! My prayer is that 2012 will be the beginning of the best years of your life!

I close with a reminder of some upcoming events in January and February. We are designating the week of January 8-14 as a week of prayer and fasting for our church and for our country. I invite you to set a designated time each day that week to seek God in prayer, and to fast something that is important to you (i.e. TV, cell phone, food, coffee, etc.) We will be having a time of prayer at the church Sunday, January 8th at 6:30 p.m. to launch the week of prayer as a church family.

• Pastor Chuck Balsamo will be ministering in the service Sunday, January 22nd at 6:30 p.m. Chuck is an anointed minister, and will challenge and inspire you to have a closer walk with God.
  
  
• On Wednesday, January 25th our annual church business meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. We need all active members to be in attendance as we share our vision for the year of 2012 and elect new church officers.
  
  
• On Sunday, February 12th we will be having a spaghetti dinner hosted by the youth group, "No Limitz" at 5:30 p.m. More details will be shared in the weekly bulletin.

Mat God richly bless you throughoput the new year!

—Pastor Jeff

Since you might read this before the end of the year, I want to remind you of the IRS requirements concerning year-end giving that I mentioned in the last newsletter. The general rule is:

A contribution is effective when delivered. This means that a check deposited in the church offering in January 2012 cannot be credited in 2011, even if it is backdated to 2011. One exception is a check that is dated, mailed, and postmarked in 2011, can be credited to 2011, even though the church does not receive it until 2012.

This means that all tithes and offerings that you wish to have credited to your 2011 giving must be delivered to the church no later than the close of business December 30th (December 31st is a Saturday), or they must be mailed and postmarked by December 31, 2011.

We will be preparing your 2011 contribution statements in early January 2012, and hope to have them distributed to you by the end of the month. If you made individual contributions of $250 or more during the year of 2011, I would encourage you not to file your income taxes before you receive your contribution statement. The IRS requires that you have documentation from us to substantiate any individual contribution of $250 or more. Please review your contribution statement when you receive it and let us know if you think it is in error. We will work with you to resolve any concerns.

Many of you have already picked up your tithing envelopes for 2012. I urge all of you to obtain a box of the envelopes and use them regularly. It is much easier for the counters, and the Church Treasurer, if you use the envelopes and fill them out completely. It is also the best way to ensure that you will receive proper credit for your contributions. We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

We deeply appreciate your faithful support to your church and its ministries. At this writing it appears that our 2011 income may be a little higher than the 2010 income and that we should have a small surplus of income over expenses for the year. We praise God that we have been able to maintain our ongoing ministries and pay our bills on time despite a down economy. I will give you a full report at our annual business meeting scheduled to be held January 25, 2012. Please make plans to attend this important meeting. While everyone is welcome, we particularly need our official church members to participate. This meeting is your opportunity to hear the "State of the Church", recieve the Pastor's vision for the future, elect next year's officers, and provide input to the church leadership.

May God richly bless all of you in the upcoming year.

—Steve Parsons