Last Sunday morning, we began looking at the wheel illustration of the Basics of the Christian Life.  The center is Christ.  The Rim is Obedience.  We will look at the first of the spokes tomorrow morning.  Please pray that God will use these messages to help newer Christians grow and older Christians to become more established and to know how to disciple younger believers.

On Sunday evening we have the opportunity to have Dan Wolf preaching for us.  He always does a great job and is interesting and challenging.  Also Rob Hannover will give us a missions update so we can pray more effectively for our missionaries.

Tomorrow I am going to begin a brief series on the basics of the Christian life.  These truths are exciting to me because they will transform anyone's life that takes them seriously.  They are valuable tools for those discipling others.  Thanks for being faithful.

Last Sunday evening we looked at how to use the 7 sayings of Jesus Christ to witness to unbelievers.  This Sunday evening I want to show you another very effective, powerful and simple method for sharing the gospel.  Both last week and this week involve telling or reading a story which makes it interesting for the one considering.  See you Sunday evening!

I trust you had a great New Year celebration.  Tomorrow we are going to look again at the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Mt 22 but this time to focus on the servants.  The servants in that parable are tremendous examples to us of how to serve God in our everyday lives.  We see a clear picture of what God expects of His servants.  

Sunday evening I want to do a practical lesson on how to share the gospel.  I have had many opportunities this past year of witnessing to people either during door to door visiting or people who have already heard but were not yet saved.  I want to share some ideas of how to be more effective as a witness.  In weeks to come, if you have some ideas of how to catch and hold the attention of people to hear the gospel, we would like to learn from you also.  Soulwinning is the most exciting thing we can do.  Please come.

As we come to the end of the year, it is good to do some review of our life.  What have we learned?  What are some areas that we should work on?  A few years ago we looked at the parable of the wedding feast that the King arranged for His Son.  As I was reviewing that passage, I saw several important topics that would help us to evaluate our lives and our direction.  Please pray God will work in all of our lives.

 We will not have Sunday evening service since we are going to have a New Year's Eve fellowship at 6:30pm, Tuesday evening.  After eating we plan to have a brief meditation about 7:15 from the Word with possibly a few testimonies about something God showed you this past year.  After that there will be plenty of time for the cut throat board games or fun in the gym or a movie to watch.  It should be a good time of fun, food and fellowship.

Tomorrow we will look at a Christmas message which will consider God's Ways as revealed in the Christmas story.  Sunday evening we will have the blessing of a musical program entitled "The Weary World Rejoices".  A number of our musicians and singers will remind us of the blessing of Christ's birth.

The cold weather reminds us that Christmas is coming.  Sunday evening we have the Sunday School Christmas program.  This is a great opportunity for young people to express their faith and give our church an opportunity to see the good job our Children's program is doing.  We will hopefully have a number of relatives come to encourage their grandchildren, nieces, nephews and children.  Please pray for them.

Sunday morning, I would like to do a quick review of Colossians 1 & 2 and then finish the last 3 verses of Colossians 2.  I hope this series is helping you like it is me.  I trust we are not only learning truth, but believing it, and putting it into practice.  Next week we will look at the Christmas story.

Tomorrow morning we will be observing the Lord's Supper.  In God's sovereignty, we will be focusing on the cry and prayer in Ps 22 which was quoted twice in the drama -- My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.  Why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning?  This cry has probably been uttered by many people through centuries of time since David penned the words 1,000 years before Christ.  We will see tomorrow that Jesus cried them from the cross.

At 6 pm, we have the privilege of having James Liang preach for us.  He is a young man who attends our church and works with college students at UCONN.  We have had a number of UCONN students coming to church over the last semester.  Pray for him that God will use him in a special way.  

I trust you had a great Thanksgiving.  In what has become a Thanksgiving tradition for our church for the last 13 years, Missionary Dan Olson will be preaching for us tomorrow.  He is always able to challenge us with truth from the Bible presented in a way that is both deep, yet simple, convicting and practical.   This month the Lord has given us special speakers that have been creative, refreshing and convicting.  Thank you for being faithful.

Sunday evening we have a talented family who are friends of Eli Rodriguez (the McMahon family) who will present several special numbers for us.  Eli will close with a challenge from the Word of God.  Sunday evening is a good time to strengthen and encourage each other in the Lord.

Nearly twenty years ago Chad Prigge was our Assistant Pastor.  He left so he could become a head pastor of a good church in Wisconsin.  Tomorrow morning we have the opportunity to have his son -- Caleb Prigge -- preaching for us.  It will be a blessing to have Caleb's wife Abby and his 18 month old son Judson here also.  

Be sure to plan to come back for the Men's and Women's meetings on Sunday evening followed by a pizza fellowship which will cost $1 per person.  Please note, the cost is simply a donation to help defray the cost of the pizza.  It is a donation and no one is turned away if they do not have the money.  

We are looking forward to a great Harvest Banquet this evening and a special day tomorrow.  Rand Hummel is a great speaker that has helped many people in his life.  He has been the director of the Wild's Christian Camp of New England that many of our young people go to each summer.

Rand will be speaking not only for the Harvest Banquet, but also three times on Sunday.  During ABF all of the ABF classes will be meeting in the Auditorium at 9:15am with Rand.  Then Rand will preach the morning service and the evening service at 6pm.

Tomorrow morning we will have Ben and Ashley Fairchild, missionaries.  Ben is a good preacher and will stir your heart to with a message from 2Co 2:14-17.

On Sunday evening they will show slides of their work in their mission country.  It is good for us to learn about the people in other lands and their need for Jesus Christ.  

If you come at 9 am you can join a small group that memorizes scripture each weak and quote the verses to each other from about 9 to 9:13.  Also we have a good group that prays on Sunday evening each week across from the copier room in the auditorium building at 5pm.  Come and join us if you can.  

Tomorrow we are going to look at a divine mathematical equation -- one that only makes sense when you know the true and living God.

Sunday evening we will have a Family meeting in which the deacons will present some options for the church moving forward.  Please pray that God will give a genuine spirit of wisdom, love and unity as we think about the future.

We have so much for which to be thankful.  However it does not take much for us to realize how weak and vulnerable we are to discouragement.  Tomorrow we will look at one verse in Colossians that has to do with Satan and demonic forces.  It is true that Christ has defeated them in the cross.  But it is also true that Satan is the master deceiver and liar.  God has give us truth that will help us stay strong and pure and victorious in the fight.  Please pray that God will help us all to "resist the devil" so he will flee from us.

Sunday evening we have our Men's and Women's ministries.  This is a great opportunity to connect with others and be encouraged.  Plus we have a church fellowship dinner afterward.  Don't miss!

Our Sunday morning study in Colossians has shown us that through Christ we are "complete in Him".  Colossians 2:13-14 shows that "Complete Salvation" includes Total Forgiveness and Total Assurance.  We will find that the most victorious Christian life is a result of grace not law and rules.  Please pray that God will use this message in all our lives.

As believers we are expected to be salt and light in this ever more dark and confusing world.   Surely God would expect us to be wise about our influence at the voting booth.  I will quote some of the founding fathers as their view of government was very Biblical.   Please pray for our country that God will send a revival to our land. 

Tomorrow we will pick up back in Jesus Sermon on the Mount/Matthew 6 where we left off this past summer. Jesus challenged the people of His day, and by extension us, to trust the provision of the Father and be wholly committed to Him in the all the material things we need to live. I trust we will all be encouraged to recognize our loving Father as our provider and to look to be generous as He has thus called us to be.

In the evening, Pastor Eli will be bringing a message, so please plan to come back if you are able.

Tomorrow we will look at probably three of the least known verses in Colossians... Colossians 2:11-13.  They teach a vital truth about how we can live victorious lives in the face of the world, the flesh and the devil.  If you counsel others or if you are simply a friend, these verse with help you know how to help those with sin or addiction or issues of self control.

Sunday evening, I want to illustrate the same truth we will see on Sunday morning using the nation of Israel as an example.  We will also talk about a "motivation list" that was shared with me by one of our evangelists years ago.

Sunday morning we continue in Colossians.  After a brief review about the errors the false prophets were introducing at Colossae in 2:8, we will look at probably the most significant verse in the Bible regarding the deity of Christ in 2:9.   Then we will see the practical application in vs 10 when I believe Paul asserts that we should be living our best life now.  What does that mean?  Come ready to change and bring a friend.

Sunday evening we will have the regular monthly Men's and Women's Meetings with a church fellowship afterwards.  These are a great time to get to know and interact with other believers.

Sunday morning we see Paul beginning to expose wrong thinking about life and God in Colossians 2:6-10.  I believe you will be challenged to avoid errors the world, the flesh and the devil throw at us everyday.  The solution is truly learning to know Jesus Christ and letting Him live through us.

Sunday evening we have a missionary Don Stertz who founded "Couriers for Christ" ministries.  Originally his purpose was to get Bibles and Christian materials to Communist countries behind the Iron Curtain.  He took many risks and made sacrifices to get the gospel to people who would never hear.  He is still getting Bibles and Christian materials to those who may never hear without such a ministry.  Please come and be challenged to pray and give to others.

Sunday morning we will look at some marks of a great church that focuses on a great Savior -- Colossians 2:1-5. Keep praying for God to work in bringing visitors and speaking to all our hearts.

Sunday evening I would like to pull out a paper I wrote many years ago on "Biblical Church Government".  I have had several people asking me about this subject.  I will present what I believe the Bible teaches on this subject.  Please come with your thinking caps on!

If you enjoy a mystery, we will learn about one that God kept hidden for "ages and generations" but has now revealed to us.  Some loose ends will come together during Sunday morning message on Colossians 1:24-29.  I believe you will find this message both enlightening and practical.