As this First Week of Advent comes to a close there are two things to note this week: Our Coffee with our Rwandan Guest this Thursday, and our exciting day on Sunday, December 6.
First, on Thursday night (December 3) we have the honor of welcoming Eric Irivuzumugabe from Rwanda to share his story of survival and forgiveness during the genocide (and to offer his book for sale!). Our coffee time begins at 7:30 pm at the church. Invite a friend and come be inspired with hope.
Second, our Second Sunday of Advent promises to be a busy and blest time:
We will welcome liturgically several of our new Members (some cannot be with us on Sunday and will be welcomed on another day)
We gather after worship for our Annual General Meeting and Celebration:
♦ We start with our Pot Luck Lunch (please bring something to share)
♦ We will celebrate what God has done in 2015 and anticipate what he will do in 2016
♦ We will elect our new Leadership Council
♦ We will pray for and bless the Gomez’ as they embark on this next season of their lives (see below for their ‘letter’ to us).
NEWS FROM NILE AND DORIS GOMEZ:
Beloved Christ the Redeemer Family,
“As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of
your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring
hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(1 Thessalonians 1:3, NLT)
Farewells are never easy, and this one is particularly bittersweet. After nearly six years of life and ministry together and countless precious moments, the time has come for Doris and me to move forward with God’s calling on our lives.
On the one hand, that means saying “farewell for now” to the many we have come to know and love at Christ the Redeemer. This decision has not been an easy one to make and has come after many conversations, much prayer and with the blessing of Brian and our Bishop, Steve Breedlove .
On the other hand, moving forward also means that after some time of prayerful rest and renewal, we will embark on the journey we believe God has called us into: the expansion of God’s kingdom through missional church planting.
We love you dearly and are very grateful for the opportunity to have served and labored together in God’s harvest field together. You have all blessed us in so many different ways and we will never forget your lovingkindness toward us.
We covet your prayers as you think of us and will join you all to say goodbye on December 6th and to be set aside for this new work.
With all our love and blessings,
Nile+ and Doris Gomez
Please remember to bring in your Pledge Cards for 2016 and note that Sunday is also the deadline for our Toy Drive for Park Place School ($5 unwrapped toys).
