Dear Real Family,
As I sit at my desk this morning, cherishing the fact that our church blessed 1,000 families with Thanksgiving meals last weekend, I am increasingly thankful for the privilege of shepherding this great congregation that calls itself First Baptist Church Middleburg and Family Church Green Cove Springs. I am looking forward to celebrating my fourth Christmas as your Senior Pastor this year. It is such a wonderful feeling to belong to a Real Family that values Christ above all else.
God has abundantly blessed our church in 2023, and we look forward to our Advent season and the joy of celebrating Christmas. These celebrations point us to a Savior who keeps His promises, whose kingdom is unshakeable, and who walks with us through all of life’s difficulties. Those are realities that are worth celebrating!
Christmas is a time when Christians commemorate God’s gift of Jesus to us by giving gifts to our loved ones. Whether they are family members, neighbors, co-workers, or the like, we give gifts to show our love and appreciation for the recipient.
As we enter this season of worship and celebration, I want to challenge you to prayerfully consider adding one more gift to your Christmas list, a gift for King Jesus.
I would like to encourage you to give that gift through the Our Best Gift campaign which kicks off the last week of November. This year, all receipts from the campaign will go to paying down our debt as a church, which, as I write this letter, stands at just over $738,000.
Next September 2024, we will celebrate our 125th anniversary as a church. As we prepare for that celebration, one of our goals is to be debt-free on the day of our festivities. Your sacrificial generosity to Our Best Gift can help make that a reality. By eliminating our debt, we will free up significant resources for ministry in Clay County and around the world, we will position our church to invest in the long-term viability of our Family Church Green Cove campus, and we will be able to continue to complete the projects our church approved last year as part of our long-range plan.
My family is already praying about what we will invest in God’s kingdom this Christmas season. I hope you will join us in that endeavor.
I am looking forward to celebrating Advent with each of you. It is a joy to be your pastor!
You are loved,
Pastor Chris, Senior Pastor
