Back in my day, we didn’t have video streaming and on-demand TV. We had three VHF stations and Saturday morning cartoons. After the cartoons went off the air I would switch to PBS out of sheer boredom and watch a goofy afro sporting artist paint portraits of picturesque landscapes. That artist was, of course, Bob Ross.
Watching Bob paint was captivating. Hearing him talk was soothing. Using his brush to stretch a woody perennial against the sky, he would say things like, “I’m just going to put a happy little tree right here. Or “In your world, you can do anything that you want.”, as he built a cabin with hues of van dyke brown and dark sienna in the low point of a valley. But inevitably something would go wrong. A brushstroke would go off in an unintended direction. Or the paint he chose didn’t blend quite right with the color already on the canvas. In those moments he would say his most memorable line, “There are no such thing as mistakes, only happy accidents.” In Bob’s world, every misfortunate turn of events was an opportunity to paint something unexpectedly wonderful.
The same is true in God’s world. A failed fishing expedition turns into a miraculous catch in which more than just fish are caught (Luke 5:1-11). Poor party planning produces the most palatable wine. (John 2:1-12) A late arrival turns into an opportunity to see the glory of God, a view that only the scenic route could reveal. (John 11:1-45)
A few weeks ago we shared that Momentum was going on a hiatus into the new year. We shared that over the past six years, we have had a great team of volunteers who have served the youth of EBC faithfully from week-to-week, but many of those leaders had moved into new seasons of life and ministry. Simply put, we were understaffed and as a result, the program was not sustainable.
The paint stroke went off in a direction I did not expect.
With that said, I view this as an opportunity for us to take a step back. To evaluate the needs of our families and youth. To evaluate our vision and mission as a ministry. To recreate something unexpectedly wonderful.
If you’re the parent of a teen, would you please help us in this endeavor by taking a few moments to complete the survey linked at the end of this paragraph? It will give us a much better sense of the actual needs of our families and the best way we can serve those needs. https://forms.gle/Npb4nEy2cWehxhRJ6
For everyone else, would you please consider praying for the ministry during this time of transition? Email me at dan@ebclaconia.com and I will share some specific ways you can be praying.
Looking forward to the picture that will emerge,
Pastor Dan
Looking Forward
Sermon Direction
Relationships! Sweet and Sour!
2 Timothy 4:9-22
Last Sunday’s Sermon
New Sermon Series
Connecting the Dots This Christmas
Begins December 8th
Advent Beginning This Sunday
Advent comes from the Latin adventus which means, “coming.” The main event is the coming, or birth, of Jesus our Savior. As the saints of old anticipated with great expectation Jesus’ first coming, we too eagerly anticipate His return. The four weeks of Advent represent the remembering of the thousands of years God’s people were longing for the coming of God’s salvation.
Christmas Eve Service
Tuesday December 24th at 6:30 pm
Prayer Builders
Prayer Builders will be meeting this Sunday from 10:20-10:40 in the room behind the stage.
OWLS
Join us on Wednesday, December 4th at 1pm in the Fellowship Hall. We will be learning about the Christmas Blessing Project that Love INC does at Christmas time. You will have an opportunity to participate in doing a small project that will be used as part of that celebration for some of the clients of Love INC. Come and be a part of the blessing this is to our community. Following the completion of the project, Mary Collins will join us and lead us in singing Christmas carols and songs and then we will enjoy refreshments. Contact Norma Phillips, Jay or Bette Moreau with any questions.
EBC’s Christmas Extravaganza
Sunday December 15th from 4pm-7pm join us for a family friendly Christmas Extravaganza. This is a church ministry wide event. This evening will be filled with a chili and cornbread dinner, Christmas caroling in our neighborhood and to our shut in’s, story time, cookies, cocoa and more!
Operation Christmas Child
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped this year with Operation Christmas Child. We couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you to Jay and Bette Moreau, who for the past 5 years have been Central Drop off Coordinators.
This year’s relay numbers:
EBC brought in 1,276 boxes up 237 from last year. Total boxes brought in 3,709
Young Families Community Group
Due to the expansion of community groups the Wednesday night group “Young Families Community Group” is in need of more paid childcare workers. Please contact Tim Whitman at 540-986-6625, tawhitman@liberty.edu, or message him if you are able.
Adult Bible Study
Sunday mornings at 9am we are offering an adult bible study meeting in room 102. This study is on the book of James, “Faith that Works”.
Cancellation Procedure for Sunday Mornings
In the event of bad weather that would potentially impact services, the following will be taken into consideration: the current weather in Laconia, timing of the weather event, and whether roads, walkways, parking areas will be cleared. A decision will be made by 7:30 am to cancel one or both of our services. Events in the afternoon or evening will be dealt with separately. EBC will notify of cancellation using the following: WMUR TV, Church website news feed www.laconiachurch.com , Email (weekly epistle list), and EBC public and private Facebook pages.