New Year’s Goals

Weekly Update – December 26th, 2024 

As we begin another year, it is hard not to reflect upon the year behind us and aspire to new things in the year ahead.  Typically most people will set goals to eat better (71%) or exercise (65%), as they approach a new year, but according to the New York Post, most people give up by January 12^th.  That doesn’t sound very hopeful, does it? I don’t think that means that we don’t set personal goals for ourselves though.  It is still good to acknowledge areas that need growth in our lives and strive to change.  Nevertheless, one challenge that I would like to extend to you this New Year involves your relationship with the church.  The hope that I have for success in this challenge comes through the Lord’s strength, but also through the accountability that comes in setting a collective goal together as a church. 

Therefore, I want to encourage you in anticipation of a new year, not to something new or to something big, but to something ordinary. We as a people typically like big, grand and new things, but it is the way that we handle the ordinary things in life that shape us into who we are, even as a church. With that being the case, here are three goals that I want us all to pursue this year.

First, I want to encourage you to be in the Word of God. For this, I want to pass along to you a few Bible reading plans:

The first one is called the 5 X 5 X 5 Plan. You can find it HERE.

The second one is called The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan. You can find it HERE

The third one is called Through the Bible in a Year Plan. You can find it HERE.

The final one is called The Two Year Plan. You can find it HERE.

You can also find these plans printed out for you and available on the organ this coming Sunday.  In addition to Bible Reading, every week in the update, we post a fighter verse and the order of service for Sunday.  I would encourage you to strive to memorize the verse posted and prepare yourself for worship on Sunday.

Second, I want to encourage you to be in prayer. If you struggle to know what to pray for, or want to simply bring a bit of variety to your prayer life, you can find an example of what to pray for HERE.  Additionally, you can keep up with our church prayer list HERE.  Also, if you are looking for a good resource to help aid your prayer life, there is a short book titled Praying The Bible. You can find it HERE.

Third, I want to encourage you to further connect with the church. Below are seven encouragements for how you can do this:

1. Be Present:  Make Sunday morning a priority.
2. Go Deeper:  Connect in an Equipping class, home group, or a Bible study.
3. Form Intentional Relationships: Commit to meet with another member one-on-one on a regular basis.
4. Serve:  Be aware of opportunities and seek to meet needs within the church.
5. Give Consistently
6. Pray for the church:  Pray for the elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, ministry leaders, other members, events, and so on.
7. Join:  There is no reason to link arms with the church, if you are not a member.  Encourage those who have been visiting for a while to consider joining.   

As you set your New Year’s resolutions this year, consider doing so with the ordinary in mind.  Specifically, consider how you might pursue the above ordinary goals with the church.  The aim here is not to heap requirements or additional tasks upon you, but to push you in the ordinary means of growth given to us as Christians. My hope is that in 2025, not only would you grow individually as a Christian, but that together, we as a church might grow in maturity, as we attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph. 4:13).

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson