From The Pastor

WOW! The support of your stewardship for 2010 was awesome. Thank you very much for your love and support of the ministry of Jesus Christ at St. John’s. The last report I had was $365,544.00 in pledges turned in on Commitment Sunday … plus $12,000 pledged to the Light Christian Life Center. And we expect this
to increase as pledge cards come in from supporters who were absent Sunday. Way to go Church!

Remember the GRACE AND GLADNESS CONCERT with Lee Ann Williamson and Lori Smith, Sunday, November 29, at 6:00 p.m. You will love these two spirit-filled ladies. What an awesome way to start off the Advent Season.

A 4-year-old boy was asked to return thanks before Thanksgiving dinner. His family bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip. Then he paused, and everyone waited—and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, “If I thank God for the broccoli, won’t he know that I’m lying?”

Another little boy found something unique to give thanks for. As his parents listened, he prayed, “And God bless Mommy and Daddy…and thank you for sending Jesus to wash away our sins…so that we can have new ones.”

This week our minds turn to Thanksgiving. We have much for which to be thankful. In a world in which many live in lands of poverty and want, we live in a land of abundance. In a world in which many live in fear, we live in peace and security. In a world where people still live on the edge of starvation, our greatest
fear is not that we will not have enough, but that we will overindulge. And I know I will.

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving.
Your Fellow Servant in Christ,
Billy Ray Stonestreet