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Monday, January 27, 2025

I was On Your Mind - A Heartfelt Youth Sunday Sermon by Abigail Mullis and Amy Harris

This past Sunday was Youth Sunday at my church.  It is a time when the middle and high school students lead worship.  As part of this service, my 18-year-old daughter, Abigail, shared a heart felt message followed by a message from her youth pastor, Amy Harris.  I share their messages with you here.

Abigail's Message
This is my last Youth Sunday, which is crazy. I’m a little nervous, so stick with me. I hope you can take away even a little something from my message today.

That song I sang earlier is called "On Your Mind" by John Mark Pantana. If you’re ever looking for Christian songs that aren’t on the radio (because those aren’t my favorite, if I’m being honest), ask me for some—I’ve got some good ones. I decided to sing this song a month ago because it’s about this wonderful thing called prevenient grace. It’s the idea that God is looking out for us before we’re born, before we give our lives to Him, and even before the world began. He had you in His heart. That is incomprehensible, but I see it consistently in my life.

I’ve had the privilege of growing up in a single church, which is really remarkable because most kids of Methodist pastors don’t get that opportunity. I’ve been here since I was three years old, and that’s crazy to me. I’m very grateful for it because you’ve all helped me grow in my faith and made me who I am.

I want to start with a verse that I’ll keep coming back to—1 Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” Pleasant Grove has embodied this verse for me. After all, where would I be without the love of my church?

Sherry Dickon’s love of prayer has inspired me. David’s love of music has pushed me and nurtured my own love. Angel and Sally have a zest for life that I deeply admire. There are so many of you who cared for me during Sunday school classes and children’s programs, even when I was the only one there. That might seem small, but it meant a lot to me that you showed up, even when it might have felt pointless. I’ll never forget weekends with T.W. and Margie, who cared for me like surrogate grandparents. Emily Andrews looked after me on weekends when my parents went on date nights. Elaine McDonald gave me a book of prayers after my first Youth Sunday sermon because I talked about how anxious I was, and I still read it almost every day.

And Deborah—I can’t forget her. She’s my Sunday school teacher, even though I’m the only one in her class. She takes me on rides and is basically my grandparent. We don’t just do Sunday school anymore; we talk, and it’s the most wonderful thing.

But my biggest thank-you goes to Amy. She makes me laugh every time I see her, tells me crazy stories from her life, and writes messages that touch my soul. She shows me the love of God in a way no one else has. She’s always there to listen and talk, free of judgment, and she speaks pure love.

God put this church, and the majority of you, in my life when I was three years old. Even then, I was on God’s mind. But soon, I’ll leave. In a couple of months, you’ll have new Abigails to raise. I thought I’d give you some advice on how to love others the way you’ve loved me—not just children, but everyone who needs love. Everyone needs love. Being a loving Christian is how we shine our light into the world. True, unbounded, unexplainable love is what sets Christians apart. Yes, we’ll fall short, but when we let God into our hearts, we are changed. In my experience, that makes loving God much easier.

2 Corinthians 6:6 says: “We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.”

Love is more than an idea or virtue; it’s a way of life. It means loving everyone, even if they dislike you, disagree with you, or show you no love in return. When I have a hard day, I wear a cross necklace my parents gave me for my 15th birthday. It reminds me to reflect on how people see me and how God calls me to love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says: “If I could speak all the languages of earth and angels but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, understood all of God’s secret plans, and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I had to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”

We often approach witnessing the wrong way. It’s not about telling people what God is, what Jesus did for them, or why their thinking is wrong. It’s about showing what God did for you and how He changed you. Show how God loves you through your actions. Empathetic, sincere love touches the soul.

1 Corinthians 9:22 says: “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.”

Love is our most powerful tool. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being human. When we truly love freely and generously, we see the world through God’s eyes. 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 reminds us: “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me completely.”

God knows us completely, including our shortcomings and darkest secrets, yet He loves us. Humans are beautiful in their flaws, and we are made in God’s image. How wonderful is God’s plan to reach us in a way we can understand?

So now it’s your turn. If you ever question your impact on this world, remember 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” I love you all so much, and I’m so grateful to have experienced your love for the past 15 years of my life. Thank you.

After Abigail spoke, her youth pastor spoke.  Here is what Amy Harris said:

Amy's Message
Well, I think I didn’t really need to give a second sermon, and I definitely should have let Abigail go last this time. But I did prepare a message, so you’re going to listen to it!

Today is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. I get here, and I’m a frazzled mess. Jeremy and David are up there trying to say, “We’ve got this—you can just walk away from all things technology.” That’s for their benefit, not mine, because I don’t know what I’m doing. They’ve got it under control. I get here, I’m a mess, I’m running around, and then it all falls into place because we are honoring God this morning. These young men and women show up, and they lead, and I love it. I absolutely love it.

What an honor and a privilege it is for our young men and ladies to have the opportunity to represent Christ in such a bold and public way. Not everyone is made to be in front of crowds, and some of these guys and gals are way out of their comfort zones this morning. I’m so very proud of them.

I’ll start my message with an easy question for each of you: What is God’s ultimate will for your life? Where does He see you in 10, 15, or 20 years from now? Everybody good? Got it all laid out? Okay.

God’s will is not a topic that can be covered in a 15-minute sermon. My scripture research alone took two hours because the entire Bible lays out God’s will for our lives. I’ll start with, and put a lot of focus on, the story of Jonah this morning.

I had a lot of fun digging into Jonah this week, and, unfortunately, we can probably all relate to Jonah at some point in our lives. Jonah was a prophet, and one day God called him and told him to go preach to Nineveh because the people there were very wicked. Jonah hated this idea because Nineveh was one of Israel’s greatest enemies, and he wanted nothing to do with preaching to them.

(Side note: When I was much younger, I had a part-time job at the White Wing Christian Bookstore—do you all remember when that was around? At the time, the VeggieTales movie Jonah had come out, and we played that on repeat. That was my favorite movie! The silly fish—do you all remember them? I loved it. Anyway, back on topic.)

Instead of traveling east to Nineveh, Jonah tried to run away from God in the opposite direction and headed west by boat to Tarshish. The boat was full of pagan sailors, so God sent a great storm upon it. The men on the ship were terrified. They prayed to their gods and threw cargo overboard to try to lighten the ship and prevent it from sinking. Jonah, meanwhile, was asleep through all of this. The sailors went to wake him and shouted at him to pray to his God. Jonah had already told the men that he was running from God. Together, they decided that Jonah was to blame for the storm, and Jonah told them the only way to stop it was to throw him overboard.

These pagan men didn’t want to do that. They tried rowing harder and faster to get out of the storm, but it only grew worse. Finally, they sought forgiveness from Jonah’s God and threw Jonah overboard. As soon as Jonah hit the water, the storm stopped. Then God sent a big fish (some call it a whale) to swallow Jonah and save him from drowning.

While in the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to God for help. He thanked God for not abandoning him. While Jonah never truly repented, he did praise God for His mercy. For three days, Jonah sat in the belly of the fish. Then God had the fish spit Jonah out onto the shores of Nineveh. Where else would our God send him?

A second time, God spoke to Jonah and told him to go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message the Lord had given him. So Jonah half-heartedly preached a five-word sermon to Nineveh. (You should be so lucky this morning!) He warned them to repent before the city was destroyed in 40 days. Surprisingly, the people believed Jonah’s short and sweet message. They turned from their wickedness, and God had mercy on them, sparing the city from destruction.

Jonah, however, became angry and bitter because God didn’t destroy the Ninevites, Israel’s enemies. Jonah sat to rest and watch to see what would happen to them. God provided a vine to give him shade, but the next day, God sent a worm to eat the vine. Now Jonah was sitting in the hot sun, complaining and wishing to die. God scolded Jonah for caring more about a plant than the 120,000 people of Nineveh.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were called to issue a warning or message, but the recipients were so terrible and rebellious that you didn’t feel they deserved it? Jonah is a perfect example of how human stubbornness can’t change the will of God. Yet God can still use the most resistant hearts to build His kingdom.

The entire story is almost like satire. Everything that should be isn’t, and everything that shouldn’t be is. The man of God is angry and disobedient, while the pagan sailors and the wicked Ninevites are repentant. But when you desire to know God, you realize this makes perfect sense. We don’t serve an ordinary God. We serve a God full of surprises and miracles.

Then you have the heroes of the Bible who never second-guessed their role in God’s plan. Take, for instance, the woman at the well. Jesus broke down social barriers when He met her. She had a sorted past, yet she immediately followed Jesus when she learned who He was. She went back to her town and told others about Him—this man who knew everything about her and still offered her the opportunity for forgiveness and eternal life. Through her, hearts were changed after just one meeting at a well with Jesus.

Consider Mary, the mother of Jesus. When Mary learned she would be the mother of God’s Son, she could have been put to death. Yet, according to Luke 1:38, Mary responded to the angel Gabriel with, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” She was willing to accept the risk because she trusted God. Every Christmas, I’m reminded and inspired by Mary’s selfless faith.

The disciples also stand as examples of faith. They walked away from their livelihoods, their families, and everything they had known to follow Jesus.

We know that even when we live outside the will of God, He is faithful. He is a God of second chances. Adam and Eve were the first example of God’s faithfulness and His desire to see no one perish. They disobeyed His direct order and lied about it, yet God forgave them. David broke half the Ten Commandments in one fell swoop: coveting, abuse of power, adultery, treachery, and even murder. Still, God forgave him.

Jesus shares the parable of the prodigal son—the ultimate example of an undeserving second chance. This reminds us that unconditional forgiveness is a cornerstone of Jesus’ love for us. Peter, who followed Jesus closely, denied Him three times to save his own life. Yet, Jesus forgave him.

When we fall out of step with God’s will, we have the option to fall right back into it, as if we never left. That’s the beauty of serving a forgiving God.

We talk about God’s will like it’s difficult to understand. We sing, “Thy will be done,” and we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But then we hesitate when we’re called to carry out difficult tasks. We forget that:

  • The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.
  • The will of God will never take you where the arms of God cannot support you.
  • The will of God will never draw you where the riches of God cannot supply your needs.
  • The will of God will never take you where the power of God cannot endow you.
  • The will of God will never take you where the love of God cannot enfold you.

We tend to think of God’s will as something outward, requiring extraordinary steps to complete tasks. But in reality, God’s will for our lives is about transformation—of mind, body, and spirit. It’s saying goodbye to the old me and hello to the Holy Spirit-filled me. Without this transformation, we may never fully understand the specific calling God has for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 spells it out: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Following God’s will isn’t just about daily actions; it’s about a heart and mind transformation. When we follow Paul’s advice to always be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful in everything, our hearts are focused on being who God wants us to be. When we’re focused on God, we hear His direction more clearly. There’s less room for the world’s voices to distract us. If we are focused on Him, we’ll recognize His voice, and there will be no mistaking His instructions.

There’s a story about a young woman trying to decide where to go to college. She prayed about it and found Amos 4:4, which begins, “Go to Bethel.” Excited, she thought God was leading her to Bethel College. But if you read the rest of the verse, it says, “Go to Bethel and sin.” This is why it’s important to live a life focused on God’s voice. If we’re not focused on Him, we risk misunderstanding His direction.

Where is the will of God leading you today? Are you, like Jonah, reluctant to take that step God is calling you to take? Are you running in the opposite direction?

I recently came across a pastor named J. John. He told a story about a man who wanted to become a missionary. The man worried about how to provide for his family while pursuing his calling. J. John suggested finding ten people to donate a tenth of his annual income. But God also told J. John to give the first tenth himself. Reluctantly, he did. Today, that missionary has traveled across Europe, established multiple ministries, and has a staff of 35 people. J. John now proudly says, “I did that. God directed me, and I followed.”

God wants you to use your blessings to bless others so you can say, “I did that. I followed God’s directions.”

Where is God leading you today? Are you always joyful? Always praying? Thankful in all circumstances? Not for all circumstances—because sometimes life is hard—but in all circumstances, knowing God works through all things for good.

As we sing our last song today, I invite you to come to the altar. Lift up our young leaders, our youth ministries, and our children’s ministries. Our church has gone through enormous transitions, and I feel like we’re ready to grow. But we can’t grow if our children’s and youth ministries aren’t thriving. They are the future of Pleasant Grove.

Come to the altar, pray for these ministries, and see what God can do—just through your prayers.

Monday, January 20, 2025

The Apostle's Creed - Articles 4, 7, 9, and 11

Introduction
This past Sunday, my church held a unique service different from our typical Sunday service.  This service was based on the 12 articles of the Apostles' Creed.  The Apostles' Creed is a short statement of core Christian beliefs that has been used by the Church since ancient times. It summarizes foundational doctrines about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church, forgiveness, resurrection, and eternal life. The Creed is called the Apostles' Creed because it is traditionally believed to reflect the teachings of the apostles, though it was not directly written by them. It serves as a unifying confession of faith for Christians across denominations, guiding worship and teaching while connecting believers to the historic Church.

The service included scripture and 12 hymns associated with each article of the creed.  You can watch the full service here.  In this blog, I want to share the short sermonettes I gave for articles, 4, 7, 9, and 11.  

Article Four – “…He descended to the dead.”
I think most people in our congregation are familiar with the statements from the Apostles’ Creed that say: “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”  But the last statement may be unfamiliar.  “He descended to the dead.”

The confusion stems from the fact this statement about Christ “descending to the dead” or “descending to hell” is included in the traditional forms of the Apostles’ Creed but not the ecumenical form many congregations have used.  The ecumenical version was used in many congregations (like ours) for the last century, but the traditional Apostles’ Creed has been used for most of the Christian Church’s history for 2000 years.  Some creeds, including the oldest creeds that were used in the 2nd and 3rd century, did not include the phrase “He descended to the dead.”  But the overwhelming majority of Christians through the centuries included the phrase “He descended to the dead (or hell)” as they recited the Apostles’ Creed.   Well?  Did Christ descend to the dead or not?

1 Peter 3:18-20 in the Bible says of Jesus: "He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built."  The “imprisoned spirits” were people who died before the time of Christ.

Ephesians 4:9 says, "What does 'He ascended' mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions?"  Where else could Jesus have descended but hell (or the place of the dead)?

There is an understanding in Scripture (and among early Christians) that Jesus descended to the place of the dead (Hell or Sheol) and shared the Gospel with those who died before He came so they too would have an opportunity to repent and believe and be saved.  Think of all the heroes of the Old Testament era like Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and David.  These people never had a chance to hear Jesus’ message of salvation.  They died before He came.  But God, in His infinite mercy and ultimate justice, would not leave anyone out of His plan to save the world—even if they lived and died before Jesus’ time on earth.  So, Jesus descended to the place of the dead (AKA Sheol or Hades or Hell) and preached the Good News.  And anyone who believed and accepted God’s grace was saved.

The points we can take away are these:  First, God is just – God would never condemn someone without them having a fair chance to be saved. Second, though Christ was God, He was also human and really did experience everything it means to be a human—including death and the reality of what can happen to sinners who face judgment in hell.

Article Seven – “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” (see Acts 1:9-11)
This really is an important statement to affirm.  Christ was clear.  He said He would come again.  The angels were clear.  Christ will come again.  The Bible is clear.  Christ will come again.  It has been nearly 2,000 years since Christ ascended into Heaven.  After so long, some might think Christ will not return as promised.  But we affirm He will.

And Jesus said no one knows when the second coming will happen, but that He will return “like a thief in the night” and catch many by surprise.  So, we should always be ready and live as if His return is imminent. 

You will see Jesus face-to-face in your lifetime.  Either He will return for the whole world al at once in the second coming or He will return for you individually when you die.  And when He comes, what will He find when He evaluates your life?  Will He say of you, “Well done, good and faithful servant?”  Or will He say, “Away from me, you have lived a wicked life and never repented and turned to me as Lord.”

Remember, none of us knows how long we have—whether it is years or days, or moments.  Therefore, repent and turn to the Lord now for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Article Nine – “I believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints.” (see Colosians 1:18, Ephesians 1:22-23, & Hebrews 12:1)

I get more questions about this one statement in the Apostles Creed than any other.  I get it. 
It was the same question I raised when I first attended a Methodist Church as a boy and recited The Apostles Creed.
I thought we were Methodist.  Why do we say we believe in the “catholic Church”?

The word catholic means universal. We do not profess to believe in the “Roman Catholic Church” (which is only one denomination of the WHOLE Christian Church). No, we believe in a universal Church that transcends denominational lines and includes every person around the world who follows Jesus Christ as Lord. This universal (or Catholic) church includes Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists, people who attend non-denominational churches, and people from every other Christian denomination.  It even includes Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians if they truly follow Jesus as Lord and Savior.  This is the universal (or catholic) Church.  And I believe in the holy, catholic church.

The second part of article nine is important too and related: “I believe in… the communion of saints.”  The communion of saints is the community of all believers—both living and dead—who follow Christ.  The communion of saints includes you and me (if we are truly Christian) as well as all the Christians who lived over the last 2000 years and are now living with Jesus in heaven.  Even though we cannot see those saints in Heaven, we join with them in praising God every time we worship.  They care about us and cheer us on as we seek to live for God in this life (Hebrews 12:1).

Article Eleven – “I Believe In The Resurrection of the body."  (See Job 19:25-27 & Romans 8:11)
That seems straightforward enough, but I think we don’t fully consider what it means.  The idea of Heaven is common in popular religion in America.  Even those who do not attend church may believe the idea that when a person dies, their spirit will go up to heaven.  But Christians boldly proclaim, “I believe in the ressurection of the body.”  Of the body  The teaching of the Holy Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and therefore the belief of the Christian Church, is that our physical bodies will be resurrected.  We will not be disembodied spirits floating around in heaven.  No.  We will live forever with Jesus with a perfected, healed, physical body.  God created Adam and Eve as physical creatures with perfect bodies and we will ultimately have our broken, sinful bodies healed and restored to perfection. 

Jesus is our example.  He was born as a baby and lived on earth in a physical body.  He died after His physical body was crucified on a cross.  And then He rose from the grave on the third day.  He was not a spirit or a ghost.  He ate breakfast with His disciples.  He told Thomas to touch His physical hands and feel the actual nail scars.  If Christ rose to eternal life in a physical body, so too will we.  So, we believe in the ressurection of the body.

The Full Apostles’ Creed
Now that we have examine the meaning of these articles of the traditional Apostles’ Creed, read the whole creed as one and contemplate the meaning in these historic words. What new insight do you find in them?

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried. 

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father,

He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Closing
Today, we have examined 4 articles of the Apostles' Creed, affirming the foundational truths of the Christian faith. We have declared our belief in God the Father, the Creator of all; in Jesus Christ, the Savior who conquered sin and death; in the Holy Spirit, who empowers and guides us; and in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the ressurection of the body, and life everlasting.

As we leave, let us carry these truths in our hearts and live them out in our lives. May the faith we have affirmed today shape our actions, inspire our worship, and deepen our love for God and one another.

Remember, this Creed is not just words we recite—it is the foundation upon which we build our whole life.  It guides us to live boldly for Christ, trusting in His promises and sharing His love with a world in need.

Now, as you go, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forever.  Amen.

 

Monday, January 13, 2025

The 2025 State of the Communion Address

Introduction
At the beginning of each year, I like to review highlights and achievements of our church over the past year and also look forward to what I think should be our priorities for the coming year as we listen for God’s Word in Holy Scripture.  Let me begin with the Scripture God placed on my heart today.

Philippians 3:12-14
10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Paul’s Words of Encouragement
These are the words of the Apostle Paul, encouraging the Christians in Philippi.  Even Paul realized he was far from perfect.  He had work to do.  And he encouraged the Christians in Philippi—and us—to follow his example.  We need to leave past failures behind—and successes too.  We need to focus on pursuing the ultimate goal: the heavenly prize of eternal life with Christ. This passage encourages believers to persevere in faith, grow in holiness, and press forward with purpose and determination, trusting that God calls us to a greater future through Jesus.

Persevere in Faith
We can’t give up.  Eternal life is granted immediately when we decide to follow Christ.  But real life change takes time.  Holiness, healing, deliverance, peace, joy, the fruits of the spirit…  It usually takes time before they overflow in our lives.  We have to walk with Christ.  Often, we have to suffer Christ before we enjoy the full benefits of citizen of heaven in this life on earth.  So we have to persevere in faith.

Grow in Holiness
And we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to grow in holiness.  We are to be holy as God is holy.  It’s not enough to simply say, “I’ve been saved.  I’m going to heaven.”  Strive to become more like Jesus.  He deserves your full obedience.  He wants you to be full of love—for everything you do to be motivated by genuine love.  He has already saved you if you follow Him.  But what good is it to say you believe in Him if you will not allow Him to refine your character?  Grow in holiness.

Press Forward with Purpose and Determination
So, let us not grow weary of doing good.  Let us press forward with purpose and determination.  Christ did not give up when he faced the suffering of the cross.  He was determined to win our salvation.  He suffered the shame and endured the cross for our sake.  Let us follow His example by pressing forward to do His will on earth.  Let us commit tell people everywhere about our Lord Jesus, testifying to how He saved us and is changing lives.  And let us encourage others to follow Jesus too.  For He commanded us in Matthew 28:19-20:  “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Review of 2024
In 2024, we got a brand new start in a new denomination.  Pleasant Grove transferred into the newly formed Global Methodist Church, seeking to fulfill our desire to be part of a new, global methodist renewal movement. Seeking to be faithful to the God of Scripture in a new age.  We began with great excitement and hope of leaving the tumultuous past behind and walking boldly into an excited, yet unknown, future.

We saw new growth in our church.  We had 4 Baptisms, 2 new Professions of Faith, and 7 New members.  Our average Sunday attendance for 2024 was 126 people.  I know that may seem exaggerated, because when we look around on most Sundays, we don’t see more than 100 people in our sanctuary.  And indeed, the average in person attendance in our sanctuary was on 79 last year.  However, we live in a new age.  And not only our church, but every church in our country has experienced dramatic decline in in-person attendance for decades, and especially since the pandemic in 2020.  However, our attendance in 2024 included an average of 47 people participating in our live online steaming worship service, meaning our total average attendance—in-person & online—was 126, which is better than our attendance prior to COVID.

A New Hymnal & A New Bible
One of our goals for 2024 was to supply our church with a new church hymnal, which we proudly have in each of our pews today.  And along with this new addition, we also refreshed and upgraded our pew Bibles, with larger print so that every worshipper in our congregation has easy access to both the music of our service and the Word of God.

New Church Directory
Another goal for the year was to publish a new church pictorial directory, the first since 2018.  Thanks to your cooperation in being photographed and the hard work of Tom Dickson and Jeremy Barfield, we have a beautiful new church directory.  And I think it’s the best looking directory we’ve ever had.  It includes pictures of 56 families from our church as well as numerous examples of different groups and activities from 2024.  I encourage you to take one of our directories with you after the service—especially if you are new to our church, because it is a great way to get to know the new names and faces of our church family.

Updating Up Membership Roll
The third goal we had for 2024 was to continue work auditing our church membership roll.  Thanks to the faithful work of Donna Phillips, we have fully transferred our membership roll from the old analog books to a new digital format that is easier to edit, update, search, and organize.  We have discovered a number of corrections that are needed on our membership roll.  This year, we will be reaching out seeking your help in identifying people on our roll which we need to contact, remove, or update their status.  It is important to us—and to me—that our church membership roll is accurate and up to date.

It is impossible to name all the wonderful work we have done over the last year.  And when I try, I will inevitably take too much time and still leave something important out.  But this year I had some help from our music minister David Crawford, who wrote and recorded a great song to remember some of our highlights from the year.  And I want to share that with you now.  Click here to watch David’s music video recap of 2024.

Pleasant Grove’s Strengths
Now, I want to turn my attention to our goals for the coming year—2025.  Recently, we sought your feedback about what we do well at Pleasant and how we can improve.  According to your feedback from those surveys, Pleasant Grove is widely recognized for its vibrant music and impactful preaching, offering a blend of traditional and modern worship that resonates deeply with members. The church is celebrated for its warm, welcoming atmosphere and strong sense of family, alongside its diverse outreach efforts, including snack packs, trunk-or-treat, shoe boxes, and community meals. You highly value our work with children, youth, and Bible study, and appreciate our sermons for being biblically grounded and inspiring. Additionally, the church’s technical capabilities and streaming quality are appreciated, providing flexible ways to worship. Your feedback also indicated financial support for meaningful causes, and dedication to youth and children’s ministry are key strengths.  (Obviously, we would like to see more children and youth in our church, but we have wonderful leaders and programs dedicated to ministering to them.  We just need to encourage more families with children and youth to participate.  Will you help us invite more families to join with us this year?)

It's wonderful to celebrate our strengths and I appreciate your encouragement by sharing the things we do well at Pleasant Grove.  It is gratifying to know you notice and appreciate our efforts to lead and serve well.  We will continue to strive to do all of things well at Pleasant Grove.

Areas for Improvement
We also appreciate your suggestions for how we can improve. And based on your feedback, I have identified three main areas for improvement that we can focus this year.

Number 1 – Enhanced Communication
The was a lot of feedback related to communication.  Some called for a weekly, Sunday bulletin.  Others shared they have difficulty reading the weekly emailed newsletter we email we call The Leaf.  Some indicated they get too many emails from the church while others said they wish they received more.  All this indicates to me that we can do a better job communicating more clearly and concisely.  So that’s one of our goals.  I would like to reformate the Leaf as a weekly bulletin that we can print and email in a format that can be read clearly by all.  We are going to work on that.

Number 2 – More Volunteers
Feedback from surveys also highlighted a need for more volunteers and increased commitment from members of the church, especially younger ones.  Something I have personally noticed since the pandemic in 2020, volunteer engagement has gone down significantly in our church.  And I want to point out, it not just our church.  This is a problem in Christian churches all over our nation.  And it extends beyond the church as well.  Volunteer engagement in civic organizations is lower as well.  Fewer and less committed volunteers is a new pandemic we are experiencing in our churches and our communities. 

Sadly, this leads to burnout in our church.  Those who do volunteer find themselves being asked to serve more often—to the point it can seem they are the only ones doing anything.  This is a plague I’ve seen specially with our children’s ministry for some time now.  Our children’s ministers cannot find the help they need.  They helpers they do enlist are overworked.  And our children’s ministers quickly find themselves burned out.  And we had some great children’s leaders, but we’ve also had too much turnover.  And the root cause often comes down to not enough help. 

Bottom line, we need more volunteers.  What can we do about it?

We need leaders to manage volunteers.  We often have people willing to help, but they don’t know what to do.  And often our volunteers feel like they are the only ones serving.  So, we need help supervising volunteers.  Some people need to step forward as leaders who have a gift for organizing, recruiting and motivating volunteers, creating volunteer schedules, and keeping everyone on track. 

People want to serve and they want to feel good about serving.  Is God calling you to help organize a team of volunteers?  I can see several areas where we need help with this:

1.     Children’s volunteers – Summer, our children’s minister, is already available to organize and schedule volunteers.  But she needs more helpers with nursery, Sunday school, and children’s church.

2.     Ushers – I want to see a group of at least 4 men serving as ushers each Sunday:  greeting people and making them feel welcome and safe in our service.  Who will organize and schedule a group of ushers?  Who will serve as an usher?

3.     Youth Volunteers – Amy does a wonderful job teacing our youth.  But she needs help in the form of volunteers who come on Wednesday nights and sit in during the youth program.  She also needs chaperones who can go on youth trips with her.

4.     Handy Men – It would be wonderful to have a team to assist with small tasks for church members in need, promoting involvement in service for people in our church.  Who can volunteer?  Who hand lead and organize?

There are lot’s of ways to serve.  But we must have volunteers.  And we need leaders with a gift to organize our volunteers so they don’t get overwhelmed and burn out.

Number 3 – Enhanced Community Outreach and Engagement
Pleasant Grove is well-known for our creative and effective outreach programs, such as: 
Snack Packs, Trunk or Treat, Super Bowl Sunday, The Community Easter Egg Hunt, & VBS.
But perhaps we can find ways to better encourage people who benefit from these large outreach efforts to also participate in deeper ways with our church—through weekly worship, study, and fellowship.  In 2025, we will consider how we might enhance community outreach through follow-ups and ongoing engagement with people in our community.

Holy Communion
I can’t think of a better way to end our time together today than with Holy Communion.
Through this sacrament, we remember that Jesus is with us always, and we find nourishment and strength for the work He’s given us.  So let us seal our commitment to our goals for this new year with the sacrament of Holy Communion.