A new president was elected. Thanksgiving came and went. Advent flew by. Christmas was but a blink of the eye. New Year’s Eve is over. And Christmas decorations are put away. What happened to 2008?

What happened to 2008? It seems like a new year makes us pause to reflect upon what happened in our lives during the previous year. What did we do? What can we feel good about? Did our lives make a difference? Only you can answer such questions for yourselves.

And we can ask the same questions about our church. What did we do? What can we feel good about? Did our church make a difference? That we can answer together. For we can look back at 2008 and know that we did the best we could both for our church family and friends, and also beyond our doors. We have been called “the little church with the big heart.” And it is so true, as I think of how we do so much for the community and the world. Our financial balance sheet may continuously tell us that we are operating with a deficit. But hopefully God notices that our spiritual balance sheet is operating at a break-even point - if not with surplus funds. I could list all of the wonderful things our church accomplished during 2008. But you know what they are. And more importantly, God knows. And that is what makes us a church. And that is what makes us an important part of the Body of Christ. For our church does not sit by with blinders on when there are so many needs in the world. We reach out as much and as often as we can. We give of our time and talents where they are needed. And by doing so, we continually breathe fresh air into our church’s lungs.

And I know that 2009 will be the same for us. We will again come to the Annual Meeting learning of another year of living in financial chaos. But we will also know, that as a church, we will again have another spiritual surplus. For that is who we are. And knowing you all as I do, I also know we cannot help but continue to act like a church should act. What we do is just a small portion of what needs to be done in our world. But it is ever so important. For what we do, plus what all our other churches do, combine to be more than the sum of our parts. And isn’t that what we are all about?

So remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12. “¹⁴For the body does not consist of one member but of many. . . ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” And so it is, as we work with the entire Body of Christ to again bear wonderful fruits in the year to come.

 Yours in Christ Jesus,