Greetings friend,
We are in the middle of our new series called, “The Heart of Christmas”. We began with the heart of Hope and last week we looked at the heart of Peace. This Sunday we’ll continue by examining the heart of Joy where we’ll look at joy through the lens’ of Psalm 126, as well as a few of Paul’s experiences. Joy is not a result of our circumstances, but rather a heart set on God and His presence in whatever is going on in our lives. I hope you can be in church for this joy-filled message!
I can’t believe how close we are to celebrating Christmas! My chocolate-filled advent calendar tells me it’s only 2 days away! Seriously though, I am so excited to celebrate the reason for season – Jesus Christ! His presence is the best present we could ever hope for and this calls for some amazing worship over the next few weeks!
This Sunday we’ll be blessed by The Best Church Choir in Idaho – The RCC Choir – led by our premier choir director Pamela Marich! I hope you can come and celebrate Christmas together!
Of course, the following Sunday, December 22, we’ll take a look at the motivation of God’s greatest gift – His Son – which is Love. For God so loved He gave… That Sunday morning, we will be led in carols by our own RCC Worship, and joined by our friend, Uriel Vega, along with his amazing saxophone. You’ll want to be in the house of worship for sure! Invite your family and friends to this special time of Christmas worship.
Then, just two days later, we celebrate our 8th annual RCC Candlelight service, December 24th at 4pm! If you haven’t been to this night before, you’re in for a very special afternoon of festivities which include lots of Christmas music from RCC Worship – featuring Uriel Vega – and the complete reading of the Christmas Story from the Gospels. THE KING IS BORN! Invite everyone you know to shout the Good News that Jesus, the Savior, is born!
Now, at this point in my In-Touch Newsletter, you might be thinking “Wow, what a wonderful December this is turning out to be!” And you’d by right. But wait, there’s more. The final Sunday in December – the 29th – we’ll be joined by music artist Leanna Crawford! You may know her new single “Psalm 24 – Still Waters” which she will sing in the morning services just before my sermon on the same passage. Then, that evening at 7pm, Leanna returns for a free concert in our new Restored Life Center. We’ll kick off the evening with RCC Worship led by our lead worshipper - Nicole, followed by Leanna and her band. There will not be Kids’ Church for this event.
God has been so very good to us, and His church here at Restored. I hope you’ll take some time out of all the Christmas celebrations to remember His goodness and faithfulness to you, personally, and to His church here at RCC. I believe our best days as His church lay just ahead of us in 2025. God’s vision for our ministry next year is awesome!
Lastly, mark your calendars for our annual Vision 2025 dessert on Sunday afternoon, January 12 at 4pm. This is our first celebration of this annual event, and my first opportunity to share the vision I believe God has given to us as a church in our new Restored Life Center sanctuary! We’ll provide Kids’ Church for birth through 5th grade. I hope you’ll be here!
May we always be thankful for God’s gift to us – Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, through His Son, Jesus! Merry Christmas!
Thanks for staying In-Touch,
Pastor Ben