A Word from the Pastor
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8, NIV
Have you ever wondered why we try to set New Year’s Resolutions? Experts believe it is rooted in the fact that turning the page on the calendar (or if you still have a paper calendar – having to replace it) fosters the feeling of having a clean slate. An opportunity for the New Year to be better. An opportunity to resolve to make positive changes in one’s life.
Historians believe that the practice was begun in the Babylonian Empire as early as 2000 BC. When Julius Caesar adopted the Julian Calendar for the Roman Empire in 46 BC, the tradition of New Year’s Resolutions became a tradition. As the Roman Empire began its movement westward through Europe, the tradition took hold.
In Methodism, John Wesley created the Covenant Renewal Service which is most often observed on New Year’s Eve. It is also known as a Watch Night Service and includes readings from Scriptures and hymn singing. It is an opportunity to “Commit yourselves to Christ as his servants.”
With all that said, I am going to give you two goals that I have as your pastor for the coming year and one ambition that I am asking you to pray for the ministry of Yorktown Methodist Church. The first goal is to work to further develop the Small Group initiative that we started this summer. For several reasons, it did not get as structured as I had planned. I will work on this in the Spring.
The second goal is to work to get our Reaching, Teaching, Caring and Serving Teams more fully established and operating. For those of you who have submitted cards letting me know of your interest, we are using them to organize. Look for meeting announcements in the New Year.
What I am asking you to pray for in the New Year is for Yorktown Methodist Church to increase its impact for the gospel of Jesus Christ in Yorktown and surrounding communities. Maybe it is a new ministry. Maybe it is more support of a current ministry. How can we become known for Christ’s love just as much as we are known for the music played from our Carillon?
Praying for hope, peace, joy, and love in the New Year!
Pastor Matthew
