Remembering 75 years of God’s Faithfulness
Throughout this past year we have taken time to remember how faithful God has been to our fellowship. God’s grace has flown, lives have been changed, hope revealed, forgiveness spread, and salvation proclaimed! The marks of a faithful community of God (rejoicing, loving, forgiving, serving, and sharing the good news) have been present throughout our history and the faithful generations of Alpine members have left us a great legacy to follow.
Being a faithful community is not easy. We need patience, love, acts of servitude and kindness. We need to be shining examples of how God can bring healing and change into a life. Examples that the world around us can see and cling to. We need God most of all. God’s transforming presence and never-ending supply of grace and forgiveness. It is easy to wander off course, to get lost or confused, and to stop being the people God has asked us to be. The stories and testimonies of those who have gone before are great sources of encouragement, hope, and guidance.
I would like to thank all of the members of our 75th anniversary committee and all the volunteers that have lead us in remembering our legacy – and challenging us to realize that it is Our Turn Now. Our turn to take up our cross and use the life, opportunities, and gifts that God has given us to enable others to come to Jesus and experience the power of God’s love and forgiveness. Thank you all for guiding us and helping us to remember and refocus our mission.
Advent Worship Series: What Child Is This?
Please join us this year as we prepare for Christmas by examining how Mary, Joseph, The Shepherd, and The Wise Man first experienced the baby Jesus. At its heart Advent is about getting ready for Jesus. Each year as our culture becomes more and more overwhelmed with its own version of Christmas, the birth of Jesus and the wonder and awe of the greatest miracle ever seen is lost. It becomes harder and harder to connect to Jesus as we are bombarded with cultural chaos, December Christmas parties, the need to buy gifts, and so much more that this time of year becomes a time of disconnect instead of a time of waiting with expectation. With this in mind, we have decided that during our advent worship services this year we are going to try and recapture the wonder and awe of Christmas by focusing on some of those very first reactions people had of Jesus and how that first Christmas changed their lives. This will mean that some of the Bible texts and Christmas hymns that we usually read and experience after Dec. 25th will be encountered during advent this year. We hope this will help us to connect more with the celebration of Christmas during what is an admittedly hectic and stressful time of year.
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