Merry Christmas Mill Ponders!

I'm so sorry we had to cancel services Sunday, but we WILL go forward with our Kidz Church Christmas Play next Sunday, December 27th--so tell your friends! I've also spoken to the owner of the property to ensure that plowing is done by 7:30 AM from now on so we can "go for it" the next time there's a storm that doesn't generate a State of Emergency or Power Failure, etc.

Anyway, I hope you had time to rest with family, etc., and prepare to celebrate the best Christmas ever! To help, I recorded what was to be last week's sermon and will do a couple of things for you so you can watch it between now and next week:

1. We'll turn it in to NCTV Channel 14 for airing Sunday evening and next Tuesday as well (8:00 PM and 8:30 PM respectively).
And,
2. We'll post it with a link from our website, www.millpondchurch.org by this Wednesday evening.

The sermon, "coincidentally," (wink-wink), is about the Gift of the Holy Spirit." I say this tongue-in-cheek because lately, the other leaders and I have felt God moving us more and more to recognize our need for the power and person of the Holy Spirit in our ministry and it just "worked-out" that we were reading this chapter during this season. We know however, that collective fullness and revival won't happen fully until our individual regular attendees and members are also taking full advantage of the "Gift From Afar," promised by Jesus in John 16. As you open your gifts, unwrap this gift with me via video won't you?

I'd also like to encourage as many as possible to attend the dramatic joint Christmas Eve service we're holding with New Life Church at the Oakdale Theater in Cheshire, Thursday evening starting at 6:00 PM. We expect over 1,000 people to celebrate our Lord together in prayer, song, and in God's Word. This is a great opportunity to bring unchurched friends and family--it will be "top notch," and you won't forget it. I'm opening the service and hope to have a special section for Mill Ponders to sit together and be recognized together as a church family.

Above all--take time this Christmas to thank God for the gift of His Son, Jesus. Pray for more and more appreciation of who He is, why He came, what He did, what he does in your life today, and finally--what He promises to do in the future. THAT is the REAL blessing of Christmas! Amen?

I Love you all and am eternally grateful to be your pastor!

In Jesus,
Pastor Joel