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“Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.”
(Amazing Grace, verse 3)
Dear Church Hill Faith Family,
On Sunday, January 29, after worship, we will have our Annual Meeting. This is a time for us to celebrate the blessings we received from the Lord’s hand in 2022 and to look forward with hope to where the Spirit is leading us in 2023. I encourage you to join us if you are able!
There can be no doubt that Church Hill continues to confront myriad challenges. But there can also be no doubt that God showed us grace beyond our wildest imaginings last year. Here are some ways in which the Spirit has been doing a new thing among us:
· We received an unexpected, generous bequest from Marcia Lantz and her family which has put the church on solid financial footing and freed us from the burden of debt which had weighed us down for many years.
· A new small group named Humanity for All was formed by young adults and church members who have been deeply impacted by the CityReach program in Boston. This small group is envisioning how our congregation can extend care and compassion to the “least of these” in our local community.
· We have responded to the scourge of gun violence in our country by writing letters to our State Senators and Representatives in support of comprehensive gun safety reform, praying weekly for those directly affected by mass shootings, and donating over $1,000 (!) to the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, a local advocacy organization which has been on the frontlines of the gun safety movement in MA.
· God’s people at Church Hill and Harbor UMC in Scituate have begun a tradition of joining together twice a year for a time of learning and fellowship we call “Conversations at the Cross”. Additionally, we worshipped together during Holy Week 2022, and we promote and attend each other’s community events.
Do you see how far we have come by God’s grace in only a year? We can be confident that the Spirit will continue to be at work among us in 2023, empowering us to live out God’s purposes for us.
In Christ,
Pastor Nicholas
There will be no Weekly Word next week while Pastor Nicholas is on vacation
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