Thankful for Church

Weekly Update – November 27th, 2020

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, I wanted to take the opening part of this update to tell you why I am thankful for our church. It has been a long year where many of us have been separated from each other. At the same time, it seems as though there has not been near as much going on at church, due to the threat of Covid-19. Even so, there is a lot to be thankful for. Let me share with you a few reasons why I am thankful for our church:

First, I am thankful for our church because of our commitment to God’s word. Since coming to FBC in the beginning of 2015, I have set out to preach expositionally, or verse by verse through books of the Bible. The reason why this is important for our church is so that our foundation is set in God’s word and not in my words. Thankfully this was not foreign to anyone as this seemed to be the pattern already established. Either way, through texts that have been preached, conversations had, changes in society, and decisions that have been made, there has never been a question as to whether or not we would follow God’s word.

Second, I am thankful for our church because of our acceptance of everyone. On a fairly regular basis we have people from our community come through our doors. Whether it is a person looking for some help or a visitor, I don’t ever worry about whether or not they will be treated with kindness and love. In fact, I know without a doubt that when someone needs help and they walk through our doors, that they won’t be looked down upon and that someone will take the time to talk with them, help them and share the love of Christ with them.

Third, I am thankful for our church because of our leaders. For this point I want to take just a second and brag on my fellow pastors and on our deacons. These men love the Lord and continually push me to seek him too. I don’t ever fear that I am going to hear about something questionable that they have said or done, for I know that they are all above reproach. They are men of wisdom and grace and they fully support the work of the Lord through our church.

Last, I am thankful for our church because you all truly care for one another. I probably said this before, but never have we felt so much love from you all as we have in the past month. We have received cards, calls, food, gifts and texts from so many of you all that at times it has been overwhelming (in a good way!). I know that we are not the only ones you all treat like this though. On numerous occasions I have heard from others who have gone through difficult times about how somebody has visited them or how they have gotten so many cards and calls. Every time I hear these stories, I grow in thankfulness for you all.

These are just four of many reasons for why I am thankful for our church. I know that this list is subjective, for I am sure that some of you would have other reasons for why you are thankful for our church, nonetheless, I hope that you would share these reasons of thankfulness with me. Either way, I am truly thankful to be your pastor.

This week we have our focus shift to Advent as we anticipate our celebration of Christ coming into the world. We will look at Romans 8:18-25 as we consider “Hope: Longing for Redemption.” I hope that you will join us in person or via livestream.

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson