How Did We Get Here?

How did we get to the end of the year? Time seems to be picking up speed each year. As I often do at the end of the year I want to pause and reflect on all that God has done here at Concord. The first thing that comes to mind is the 23+ children that came to faith through VBS this year. Etched in my memory is watching teachers counsel and pray with kids, most of which were from the community. This enabled us to spend all summer and part of the fall Baptizing people. What a blessing! I also think about the Kentucky mission trip which has made an impact in our volunteers as we have connected with individuals and families there in Kentucky. Some of our people serve at thanksgiving and the church collects and gives backpacks full of goodies each year. I see the musical talent that God continues to send to our church. What a blessing. Mission Concord was a huge success. Six months after these events people are still talking about what has happened. This caused the youth to go serve once a month in our community and to our seniors. There have been weekend editions that have started all because of four days of serving our community. We have had numerous people join our church family this year. We had our first annual car show, which by all measures was a huge success. What is really neat is that this is only a small portion of the activity this year, WMU, Church Camp, the Choir, Faith Friends, our youth and many, many more people have been working.

As I reflect on all of this and much more, I am moved by the number of volunteers. I am so thankful for those who have the desire to serve. We must take note though, all of these things did not take place because of our human effort. These events that have been life-changing began in the heart of God. As leaders prayed and followed God’s direction, He blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. Truly, this is a sign that God is at work in our church and in our lives. What a blessing to come alongside God and serve. For those serving keep up the good work. May God richly bless you. For those not yet involved, roll up your sleeves and jump in. You will be welcomed with open arms.