I am because of I AM

At the beginning of this year, we embarked on a journey of growing in our understanding of the greatness of our Lord and Saviour and the significance of our identity because of being in Him. I trust that you have grown and matured spiritually over the past fifty-two weeks as a result of the sermons you have heard on this and other related topics, as well as your own personal worship before the throne of our Heavenly Father in the name of our Saviour, Jesus the Christ. I know that I have enjoyed our journey together, and I have enjoyed the messages God gave to me so I could share them with you in the course of this past year. God has blessed His church here at Summerville with several new additions to our family and many who have grown accustomed to being involved on a regular basis. We have seen souls saved and baptized, as well as believers strengthened in their faith. We have served the Lord in many traditional ways, as well as tried a few new efforts along the way. We have had to make a few adjustments mid-course as we worked through some challenges, but God has shown Himself faithful through His people who faithfully serve and worship in His church here in this place.  God has blessed us in many ways spiritually as well as physically. We have seen people grow in faithfulness to worship and our attendance numbers have reflected that. We have seen people grow in faith giving and our offerings have reflected that. We have seen people grow in obedience and our team of faithful servants serving in the ministry has grown to reflect that as well. We have seen some ups and some downs. We have gained some souls and sadly are missing some from their places in our body as well. As I reflect on this past year of the blessings and workings of God in our midst, I hope that you will be part of our Year End Praise service tonight and help me give praise to God for His goodness and glory that He has displayed on our behalf over these past twelve months of the year 2023. I also trust that you will grow with me as we walk with our God personally and collectively to see how He will build in our lives and in His church over the coming days of our new year of opportunities with Him who is the I AM.