ABS newsletter

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and you have a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration wherever that may be, I think we are gonna do the 3:20 thing at the church, weather permitting. Here's the last email from Mark for the year, see you all soon.

It’s a peaceful week. Here we are, perched between Christmas and New Year. All is quiet, but there is a sense of impending opportunity. We are preparing for a NEW year with new expectations and a re-newed hope in our God. Honestly, I have no idea what is in store during 2011, but I am confident that God will reign supreme and that He will act for His glory and His good. As I pray for our fellowship as we prepare for this year, I am praying that our lives will posture to live, move, act, and become for His good and His glory. I am praying for a 2011 beyond what we could ask or imagine. May God find great glory in His church and in His people. Happy New Year!

For the sake of simplicity, here are just a few things that you should know….

- 3/20 Tomorrow Night – 9 – 12:15ish. Students bring in the New Year with Christ as the apex!

- All activities are a ‘go’ for Sunday, January 2. We do have evening worship, but no kids activities in the evening. I absolutely LOVE Joseph… enjoy studying his life and his impact this Sunday!

- WELCOME to our New Student Pastors – TJ Joy and Steven Platt.

o January 15 after the evening service, we will welcome our new student pastors officially. I would LOVE for our ABS to be involved, so here are a few more details so that you can prepare your class.

§ 9 AM ABS Groups – you will ‘pound’ the Joy family. They are in their first house and enjoying making it a home. I will be asking you guys to provide a basket that ‘pounds’ or prepares each room (kitchen/ bath/ etc)

§ 10:30 AM ABS Groups – you will welcome the Platt family. They have lived here and they are established. So, I am thinking more along the lines of a ‘theme’ basket from your group. Examples are: Movie Night or Date Night or Night on the Town…. You can have MUCH fun being creative and welcoming them.

- You can being discussing this week and I will be explicit in information next week. In fact, I will assign 9 AM classes to a room (ie – kitchen) in the home.

What a great treat to welcome staff to our team!

Have an amazing New Year. I hope that you live with great expectation today. Christ is resurrected, therefore how can we live any other way than for the sake of His greatness, wonder, and awe. We truly exist because we believe that God transforms lives…. He changes our views of death… He transforms lifestyles… He transforms hopes… He provides priority…. He is our passion and purpose. Because Christ does transform, we are believing much from Him. (Romans 12.1 – 2) I am so thankful to be a partner in the gospel with you. Enjoy a peaceful few days and let’s prepare a God-sized year.

By Grace… For Glory,

Mark