The church is doing great. Attendance is up, bible studies are up, and we are seeing growth in the staff and volunteer department. Sadly, however, we ended the month of November in the “red.” Not the end of the world, because we knew will still had December and the help of the holiday season’s incentive to be generous. It looked like we were on track to finish the year in the black, and then we got our first snow!We had a rocking snowstorm the third Sunday in December giving us 12” of snow. I preached in snow boots and had to dig five families out before even arriving at church. Needless to say, the attendance was not the greatest, nor was the giving. It seemed like we were destined to finish the year $2k in the hole. And while this may seem a small sum to many, it is still a kick for our congregation. But, don’t you know that God is good!
In the past 24 hours money has been coming in from everywhere! Checks from WI, cash offerings from other parts of Queens, people dropping by the office giving large sums of moneys, and then little notes of encouragement from out of the blue via email. (Turns out a lot of people are listening to our podcasts apparently!) We have not only come out of the red, but are now firmly in the black. GOD IS SO FAITHFUL
I am so excited for 2010. Yes, it will be overwhelming to say the least with a new baby, I start grad school, the church’s continued growth, and struggling to find a way for our oldest to go to school (seems likes private is our only option ($$$)), but God is in control! I’m believing for more salvations and more water baptisms then ever before (37 baptisms in ’09). I would also love to see a greater Jewish presence and emphasis in our ministry, and that is a very tough seed to foster. But, again, God is good.
