LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR

​LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR
The year’s end is a wonderful time to look back over past year to see what God has done for us. The Bible encourages us to take this kind of retrospective look regularly in order to give thanks for the many ways God has demonstrated His faithfulness. Not only does this give God the glory He deserves, but it also nurtures our faith. Gratitude gives birth to joy. When I look back over the church year I feel profoundly grateful. Some things that stand out for me are:

 We experienced the Pure at Heart events aimed at alerting families to the dangers of pornography and setting people free from porn addiction. Hundreds of people attended the events aimed at couples, parents, men, and women.

 We spent seven solid days and nights in prayer as a church, with Bethelites taking turns spending time in one of several prayer rooms. Relatedly, people seem to be growing in their prayer lives as evidenced by how our prayer ministries are flourishing.

 Six people joined the church through evangelism, and we believe this is the start of a pattern. We are praying and trusting God to draw people to Bethel who are now living far from Him.

 The churches of our region endorsed a plan to plant a church in partnership with us. Pastor Ryan along with nine Bethel families accepted the challenge to step out to launch Bridge Church. Bethel gave a whopping $281,000 to support the new work, secure Bethel’s future through the transition, and bless the Bannerman neighborhood.

What has God done for you this year? Look back and give thanks. It will make you happy.

​ –Pastor Tom

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