Varennes Heights Baptist Church

Dear Friends,
What a great year this has been! It is so wonderful to be a part of a church which expresses its appreciation in so many ways. The cards, the gifts, the cakes and goodies - you have shown you love to Diane and I in so many ways. All of the programs and decorations at church have been such a blessing to so many people. Everyone did such a great job.

This next year we certainly will face many challenges. We will be challenged to be faithful and prayerful. We will be challenged to get the gospel out to a lost and dying world in new and various ways. The world constantly is changing and the church is constantly challenged to reach that changing world in new ways. I really believe that the church must be constantly reinventing itself to meet the needs of the world with the gospel. The gospel does not change but the challenges certainly do. We must ever be ready and willing to adjust our methods to counter Satan and the world. Christ said "be wise as serpents but harmless as doves". Therefore, our wisdom is constantly challenged but our spirit is always of Christ.

Two things we will need this year - prayer and faithfulness. Commit yourself now to prayer and to being faithful. I believe God has ordained and committed Himself to answer the prayer of a faithful person; therefore, we must be faithful and prayerful. And we know "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord...". We trust God to work things out. Pray for the economy, for those seeking jobs, for our president that he will listen to God, for our military. Pray that we as a church will be faithful to get the gospel out to the world. Commit yourself to to sacrificial service this year. We must not become lax and lithargical in the work of the Lord.

May God bless you,

Pastor