Thankfulness is at the heart of the Christian experience. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are invited to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
So even in the middle of the challenges of our world, we, as a Conference, continue to give thanks. Maintaining an attitude of thankfulness is the way we learn to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. It allows us to remember that this world is not our home and to acknowledge that God continues to be good and merciful by creating pathways for us to minister throughout our region.
During this year, we witnessed God’s goodness as we continue to share the gospel. One of the ways we saw evidence of this is through the expansion of our pastoral staff – we added 6 full-time pastors to minister to our local churches, which have seen growth of 302 baptisms, 113 professions of faith and 18 re-baptisms this year.
We have similarly seen growth in our school system, as well as God’s blessing as we passed the half-way mark of fully funding the BASS endowment, which now has a balance of $5.7 million dollars.
We praise God for all that He’s done for us this year. We know that He will continue to be true and faithful so we continue to give thanks to Him for “His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1b).