What You May Have Missed Last Sunday

It's been a busy holiday season! The church schedule is always just a bit more challenging when Christmas and New Years fall on Sunday. We sure do appreciate those precious folks who made it into the services the last two Sundays. For those who were traveling or couldn't make it in, here's a rundown of the things we discussed on New Year's Day. 

• We're starting a new Bible reading Program. This year's program will be a little different. You can see the details here. 
• The theme for last year's teaching was "Beyond the Walls." We're delighted to see the progress WBF has made to actively move into the community, spreading the gospel in new and exciting ways. We'll keep up the momentum this year and will be adding new opportunities to share the love of Christ with those living around us.
• The teaching theme for 2017 will be "God On the
  
  Throne." You'll hear this theme pop up in our sermons and writing throughout the year. When we finish the Book of Joshua, our "The Promise and the Land" series, we'll set the tone for the theme with the Book of Jonah, doing a verse by verse study of Jonah and his calling. From there, we'll go to 2 Corinthians and see how Paul dealt with the ups and downs of his ministry and his life. 
• As a church, we need to devote serious attention to completing the work on the exterior of the building this year. This has to be done to avoid additional repairs and expense due to the deteriorating nature of some of the brickwork and the roofing. The finished section looks fabulous. Now we need to do the rest. We would also like to begin work on re-configuring our classrooms. We have been blessed by Brenda Frazier-Sellars's great work with the children. As this vital ministry grows, we need to create an area devoted to children's ministry that is secure and centralized.
• I turn 65 years old this year. Some folks have asked if I'm going to retire. Kelly and I have been so blessed and honored by the great folks at WBF that we have given no serious thought or discussion to retirement. My calling
  
  has been to WBF from the start. I'll be your Senior Pastor as long as you'll have me, taking delight in every moment and serving to the very best of my abilities. God has blessed us in a mighty way and my intention is to teach and preach at WBF as long as He enables me to do so. 
• As blessed as I am to be your pastor, I need a break every now and then. I had a three month sabbatical in 2010. It was life changing in many ways. It gave me the opportunity to reassess my ministry and plot a course for the following ten years. It was restorative and therapeutic
  in every way. Kelly and I will be taking another sabbatical this year, from August through October. It will be mostly self-funded. As much as we love what we do, we're looking forward to being totally unplugged for a while, taking time to pray, plan and dream about the future of WBF and our ministry. Pastor Scott has been doing a
  
  wonderful job in the pulpit and will have the opportunity to stretch his preaching muscles while we're gone. Our current plan is to travel to France and stay with a couple that has a very special ministry to pastors on sabbatical. The home they offer is quiet and secluded. It's in the countryside of Brittany. The cost is incredibly minimal, about $150/wk for lodging and a car to drive plus airfare.


All of the items above are the beginning of a conversation we would like to continue. I'm eager to hear your comments and input as well as answer any questions. Most of all, we need your prayers and help in getting some of these kingdom-sized jobs accomplished.  2017 is going to be an exciting year!