Newsletter

VIERS MILL CHURCH OF GOD

MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS

December 21, 2005.

Dear Member & Friend !

Hello, to my dear "Newsletter" friends! Thank you for allowing me to come - once again - into your home; giving me another opportunity to speak to the faithful. As always it is my prayer that you and yours are living in His will and only His will!

As I sat and prayed and thought about this last Newsletter for the year of 2005, it did not take me long to come up with a thought to give you and/or to share with you. I must admit it is hard for me to believe that we are at the end of another year. 2005 is almost history and we are about to enter 2006. Where have the years gone.

But this is not what I want to share with you.

I come to the end of another year - as your pastor - we have seen nine of them come and go; being very thankful for the Viers Mill Church of God and its people. And I would like to end this "Newsletter" year by telling all of you how much I appreciate what each of you have done over the past twelve months of 2005. I do appreciate your labor of love. I am not going to mention names - I did that some newsletters ago. To all of you who have supported this church with your finances over the past year - "Thank You!" To those of you who teach in any way or another in the church - "Thank You!" To you who have been faithful in attending the church over the past year - "Thank You!" To those of you who help in keeping the money straight and who count the money - "Thank You!" To all who help to maintain the church and to see to its up-keep - "Thank You!" To all of you who are supporting the church with prayer - "Thank You!" To the many of you who have been faithful to the "Prayer Partner Ministry" - "Thank You!" To all of you who have been faithful with the Bible Studies - "Thank You!" To you who put up with the struggles of attending a small church - "Thank You!" To those of you who bring the "Love of Christ" in your hearts every Sunday - "Thank You!" To you who have done something - even though it be little - that I did not see - "Thank You!" And most important of all; I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for His faithfulness to the Viers Mill Church of God. "Thank You", Jesus for all You do - You are indeed Worthy of all our Praise!

God Bless you in ALL you do!

Your Friend & Pastor:

November 21, 2005.

Dear Member & Friend !

I want to share some thoughts with you this CHRISTMAS season that are very dear to me; to the point of being up-set about things I am seeing and hearing this time of the year. If you do not know this - as a Christian - then you must be living on another planet. There is an onslaught in the world today against Christianity and in particular the use of the name Jesus and now the use of the word Christmas; be it a Christmas Tree and/or saying "Merry Christmas", and even the use of the word Christmas in our schools. There is an attack against anything related to the person of Jesus Christ.

It is not my attempt - in this newsletter - to report all of the things I have heard and seen as it relates to this subject, but I want to share with you a few things about this attack. If you would like to read more, there are two books that might interest you. The first was written by Franklin Graham, entitled The Name; and the other was written by John Gibson, entitled The War On Christmas. I have read the first book, and beginning to read the second. In Graham’s book he states: "Why is it when people curse using His Name, hardly anyone complains? But if you speak about Him with respect or pray in His Name, some people call ‘foul’?" There is a war going on in the world today against anything relating to Christianity. We live in a time when the word, "tolerance" seems to be the law of the day; however it also seems that this word does not relate to those who are Christians. The world is being taught to be tolerant to all other religions and to all other ideologies - just don’t be tolerant to "those" Christians and to anything relating to Christianity. For instance; one California school district required their seventh-grade students to learn the tenets of Islam. They studied important persons in the history of Islam and were required to learn verses from the Koran and were required to pray, "in the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful," and to chant "Praise to Allah, Lord of Creation." Can you imagine what would happen to a teacher who commanded his or her students to memorize Bible verses, to recite the Lord’s Prayer, or to pray in the name of Jesus? I know what would happen! That teacher would be fired and the school and school district would be sued quite quickly. For many years, Christians have had to fight for prayers in public places - for Nativity scenes erected on public property and even the very word, "Christmas" has been banned in many places. I do understand what some are being made to say, but I have struggled with the words, "Season’s Greetings" and/or "Happy Holidays". I recently went to the drive-in window at my local bank to hear the response; "Season’s Greetings" from a young lady and I, as polite as I could, said: "Merry Christmas". Her immediate response to me - with a gleam in her eyes - was, "Mr. Abbott; Merry Christmas to you too!" I don’t know about you, but I like the name of Jesus - I like the word, "Christmas" and all of the trimmings associated with the Christmas season and also Christianity. I feel like the Jews of Babylon: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Psalms 137:5-6. To the little baby born in Bethlehem, the first Christmas was not about parties, wrapping paper and "chestnuts roasting on an open fire". It was God taking on flesh! It was God coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ that we might have life through His name. He was born to die that through His ( our ) cross we might have forgiveness of sins and through His resurrection we might follow Him in Heaven one day. I never want to forget His Name! The words of Jesus are these: "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26. There are many verses in the Bible that speak to this truth!

What should we do?

First: Reflect His name in your life. Live the "Christ Life" in all that you do. And do not bring a reproach to His name. If you call yourself a Christian, than do nothing to call that statement into question. Second: Somewhere in your celebrating, see that Jesus is first and foremost in all you do. He is the Reason for the Season! Teach it to your children and let them see it in your lives. Third: Do not be ashamed on His Name! Be public about it! Certainly, be "wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove". But don’t be afraid to speak His name and there is nothing wrong with wishing people a "Merry Christmas". It is my prayer for you that this Christmas season is full of JOY and that you will remember, the "Reason For The Season".

God Bless you in ALL you do!

Your Friend & Pastor: