Elders Letter: January 2024

Dear Church Family,                January 2024

What an exciting time to be a part of FCC! Our church body is working together to impact our community for Christ. We are engaging children and equipping students with God's Word as they navigate a challenging culture. In Pillar, we have a thriving ministry of young adults who are already ministering as pillars and training future pillars in the church and their community. We provide discipleship and spiritual development opportunities through programs like re:generation and equip couples to prepare for and strengthen their marriages through our Marriage Ministry. We engage our community with outreach programs and the world by supporting missionaries and missions organizations in South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, to name a few. By Serving on the Team, you are helping the body fulfill its mission of Helping People Find and Follow Jesus in Greene County and worldwide.

This past Christmas, over 700 guests and members worshipped together at our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. Thank you to the many people who worked together to make this a warm and Christ-focused event for our church and community. Easter is just around the corner, and we are excited to worship together again on Easter Sunday, Mar 31. Please be on the lookout for upcoming information.

Get to know other FCCers and grow in your faith! Join us at Longview Ranch for the upcoming Men's Retreat (Fri-Sun, Feb 23-25) or Women's Retreat (Fri-Sun, Mar 15-17)! More info on the top of the app or at fccgreene.org/retreats.

Maybe some of you have wondered if you missed info about our annual Team Bash? (It has typically been late January.) No worries! The Team Bash will be held on Sun, Jun 2, 2024. More information will be coming soon.

Catalyst Coffee is going mobile! If you're in the mood for excellent coffee but aren't downtown, Catalyst is bringing their coffee closer to you! Find out more on “the socials” (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) or at catalystmobile.org.

If you still need to renew your membership this year, along with the Spiritual Health Survey, please take the time to sit down, appraise your spiritual health, and identify areas where you may need to focus this year. Plus, throughout the year, we’ll be sending reminders of your survey responses, along with resources for growth, as your ongoing 7 Habits Growth Plan. We encourage you to share your plans with a fellow FCCer or Christian friend for accountability.

Through your faithfulness to Pursue Generosity and conscientious spending by our church staff, we met our obligations for 2023. However, it was not without sacrifice from our teams. Our 2024 budget has been reduced by almost $50,000 to correspond with 2023 giving. We can make these sacrifices temporarily, but doing so continually will affect our teams and long-term planning for equipment and facilities purchases. As you consider your giving for 2024, please prayerfully and intentionally support our local body that consistently impacts our community for Christ. If you gave to FCC during 2023, your statement has already been emailed, but a hardcopy is also enclosed.

As every January is a time to reflect on your engagement at FCC and to fill out a Spiritual Health Survey, we recognize that giving is only one habit of your involvement within the body of Christ. Please Engage in Worship weekly, Connect in a Small Group to find your people, Serve on the Team if you haven't yet stared, and pray for each other as you Pray and Study the Bible. As the apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians, “when each part is working properly, it makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16).

Praying for you and our growth together,
The Elders of First Christian Church, Greeneville, TN  
Carl DelSorbo, John Hamilton, Mark Liebert, Mike Schubert, Scott Wakefield

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