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Christmas Greetings 2007

 

Dear Friends,

This is an “electronic Christmas Card” from your pastor and church home in Bonita Springs. I trust you are receiving this as you enjoy your pre-Christmas preparations with family and friends. My prayers are for you to have a very blessed and Christ-filled Christmas. I am sending these “best wishes” to those of our congregation whom I won’t see personally on Christmas Eve. Let me assure you that we are excited to welcome you back here to southwest Florida when the holidays are over and you’re able to return to your southern home!

Here is what is happening in the Christmas season at First Church of Bonita Springs. On Sunday, December 9, the Chancel Choir and a 20-piece orchestra presented an incredible worship service using several of the well-known songs from the first part of Handel’s MESSIAH. The church’s seasonal decorations are nearly complete, and by this Sunday (December 23) we will have hundreds of poinsettias across the chancel, as well as our traditional large Nativity Set out on the front lawn.

Speaking personally, it’s taken me a couple years to get accustomed to lighted palm trees and 80 degree weather at Christmastime. But when I reflect on the fact that the Middle East never has the snow and cold we associate with the “Currier & Ives” traditional Christmas scenes in the north, I realize that Christ’s coming to earth isn’t really about a celebration of snow and “chestnuts roasting” anyway!

Again this year we will have a single Christmas Eve service at 7 PM, and we expect a packed house. This service is unique: It’s designed to be enjoyed equally by children and adults of all ages. Our teens will be doing a short drama in costume, the younger children will be invited to the front to meet with Dan for a Children’s Message, the Chancel Choir will sing, and we’ll dim the house lights and light our candles at the end for the singing of “Silent Night.” I think it will be a beautiful evening.

Here are a few upcoming events I hope you’ll put on your calendars for early in the new year here in Florida:

• Our worship schedule changes beginning the first Sunday in January. We will once again offer two identical services at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. On January 6 we will celebrate Holy Communion.
• Services on January 20 will include a special musical guest: Ken Medema, a blind composer, pianist and singer who has an incredible story of faith.
• Services on January 27 will feature the Pipes & Drums and the annual “Kirkin’ of the Tartan,” a celebration of our Scottish and Presbyterian heritage that is a “must-see” for all; you are welcome to invite your neighbors to experience this.
• On Wednesday nights beginning January 9 our adult class will be “God’s Hall of Fame,” telling the biographies of some of the greatest Christians of post-biblical times. I will launch the series on the 9th by telling the incredible true story of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Irish Catholics, who was actually neither Irish nor a Roman Catholic!
• Our series of special guest speakers for the Bonita Christian Forum will feature Rebecca Hagelin of the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, January 29. Rebecca has been a frequent guest on Fox News and is the author of a powerful book called “Home Invasion,” about protecting children from the dangers of media, the internet and other threats from society. If you have kids or grandkids, you will especially want to be here for this!
• In early February we will once again host our weekend retreats known as “The Great Banquet.” The men’s weekend is the second weekend of February, and the women’s retreat is the following weekend. This 3-day experience is a wonderful way to jump-start your faith and Christian growth. It’s comparable to retreats held at distant conference centers and camps, but it’s offered right in our church building. Call or email me if you’d like to receive more information.
• The “Barbary Coast” will be with us again this year, for worship services on February 24 as well as concerts on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (February 23-26). If you haven’t experienced this high-energy and joyful music you will greatly enjoy it.

It will be a joy to have you back with us soon. Stop by the church office on your return to say hello, or seek me out in the narthex following services (I can usually be found greeting people near the main entry doors). As always, I would be very interested in hearing from you, especially if you have any joys or concerns to share, any needs that I and our staff can be praying about. Until I see you … “God be with you till we meet again.”

Yours in Christ,
 
Pastor Doug Pratt