Dear Prayer Partners!
Thank you for praying for this Concordia mission launch throughout much of 2010……yes, it hardly seems possible that we are 10 months into the launch.
Thank you for praying for our Living nativity program as we took the opportunity to tell the story of Jesus in the “public square”.
Our Christmas weekend was beautiful … and still a blur. We weren’t quite sure how we would be decorating the new worship center which didn’t get any attention until after the Living Nativity program was over. We were delighted with the donation of poinsettias which were placed behind and around the new altar and an absolutely gorgeous fresh tree on one of the stages was the final touch. We used only the Crismons that had been made by Concordia ladies decades ago (maybe 3 decades?). I was worried we would not be able to find them or that they would be damaged by the move/storage. They were remarkably in good shape and were absolutely beautiful on the tree. The mini stories that the Crismons tell about the Savior are truly significant.
We had four services over the Christmas weekend. We added a 5pm Christmas Eve service and it was our most popular time with nearly 100 people attending that service. It was our candlelight service and many new people got to participate in this beautiful Christmas tradition. At the 7pm hour we celebrated the baptism of a child of one of our new preschool families. That was wonderful. Christmas morning service and of course Sunday morning service rounded out the weekend.
Last Sunday we celebrated another one of our “Church Outside of Church” Sundays where we do not come to the building to be church but we are the Church in our community serving one another. Many people in groups or with their own families found diverse ways to serve others and worship God with acts of love and mercy. We have collected feedback and photos on our www.hereforgood.net site.
Please pray as we launch our HOME groups and a new message series this Sunday: “Hit Your Target on the Things that Really Matter.”
We have focused on promoting this message series throughout Christmas and in our local MyHometown magazine where the editors chose us for a full page highlight of our ministry.
You can see that HERE.
Thank you for praying…..one minute every day. Thank you for asking God to make us useful for Him here in this new place where He has planted us. Thank you for asking God to give us His vision to serve others and to make Him known. Thank you for asking Him to give us more love….to help us show love….because that is how others will know we belong to Him. Thank you for asking for our protection from the enemy and what he might like to do to confuse us, to take us off the mark and mission, to pierce our unity. Thank you for asking God to work in the hearts of those near to respond to the call and opportunity to know God better and love Him more at Concordia Church and School….especially those who have never considered a relationship with God before. Thank you for lifting up our leaders and ask that they first continually humble themselves before God, that they clearly see God’s vision for Concordia and live it zealously and that energy and health is granted to do the sweet work of ministry with enthusiasm and joy. Thank you for asking God to raise up more and more servant leaders and that those who are just beginning to know Him may also see the blessings early of serving as we foster a culture of service. Thank you ….. thank you … thank you…..for the many more things that you ask God on our behalf. We … are … grateful … more … than … you … can …. know.
–Melissa Salomon, Community Life Coordinator
