Bruce's Christmas Letter
To the body of Christ at Forest Grove Community Church:
Christmas is the fulfillment of a promise, but a promise that never ends - a gift that will change all of humanity forever - a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace - the gift of Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer is that as you celebrate Christmas this year, that you and your family will sense God's love and his peace.
A Mosaic...
In my office are two large tile mosaics that were made by many of you who serve at Forest Grove and who were able to come out on September 2 at our meeting to talk about and pray for the upcoming year. These mosaics include tile of different colors, shapes, sizes and textures - some were even put on end and upside down (obviously reflecting something of the people who placed them). But most important of all, is that this beautiful mosaic is made with all broken pieces. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says "But this precious treasure - this light and power that now shine within us - is held in perishable containers, that is, our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and not our own." It is only in our recognition of our weakness and our willingness to be broken, that we can really serve and glorify God, because then it is the evidence of God at work. Thank you for being perishable containers, cracked that we are, but useable for God's glory.
As a church, we describe the mission that God has given us as striving to be a covenant community that loves God, disciples one another, and reaches out from the river to the ends of the earth. While there will always remain much work to do in these areas, this statement is a centering thread which guides us as we serve God together. We have accomplished much in these areas as God continues to use the people of Forest Grove for his kingdom purposes. But this mission is part of a much bigger vision that is as intricate, complex, diverse, and beautiful as the hundreds and hundreds of people that make up Forest Grove Community Church. Each of us sees and contributes to a unique component of that mosaic that makes us the unique church that Forest Grove truly is.
Transitions...
It seems like much longer, but the leadership transition that saw me assume the role of lead pastor, only happened 11 months ago. It has been both extremely humbling and challenging to serve in this way. Being involved in this ministry has allowed me to see so many examples of God at work in the lives of people. Yes, there have been times of discouragement and exhaustion (which come with any role) as Lisa and I have walked through the transitions, but overall we are doing well and feeling very blessed. Thank you for your ministry of prayer and your support that we have experienced in so many tangible ways. It is truly a privilege to walk together in this ministry that God has given us.
Family...
Our girls continue to grow in physical stature and their faith - what a gift from God they are. I often ask them if they still like it that Dad's a pastor - their answer continues to be "yes". In fact, one of my girls wrote in her elementary school assignment that when she grows up she wants to be a pastor. I praise God for that and never take these things for granted. We used to have all the answers for child rearing... and then we had kids. Now, we struggle at times, like all parents, on how to raise Godly children. Kidstuf and the other Children's Ministry opportunities in our church have provided helpful tools and many great spiritual conversations with our children as we watch them grow in the Lord.
Council and Staff...
It is a privilege to work with a diverse and gifted staff team. God has provided tremendous people to serve together with in kingdom work here at Forest Grove. Our council consists of Godly men and women who love the Lord and have a big vision for our church and beyond. Together, staff and council, are providing passionate leadership and direction for the continually emerging vision that God is calling us to as a church. God continues to challenge us as a leadership group both individually and corporately as we seek his leading for our church.
Finishing Well...
This has been a tremendous year. It has been a year of many changes in our programming and format, but also many transformations in people's hearts. God is interested in our hearts - it says in scripture that where our treasure is our heart and our thoughts are also. I am continually encouraged by the generous hearts of this church. People whose treasure is the kingdom of God. At the time of this writing, our giving as a church is at $880,446.16 - thank you for your generous giving. There still remains $131,987.09 until the end of 2004 to meet our full budget and I would invite each one of us to consider how God would call us to respond to that. I pray that we would "finish well" in this regard.
Back to the Future...
This year marked our 40th anniversary as a church. Our primary celebration of that happened on September 12 with our annual Celebration Sunday event under the theme of "Back to the Future". In Matthew 16, Jesus said that he would build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Jesus Christ remains the cornerstone upon which Forest Grove Community Church is built, and He is the one who continues to change lives from the river to the ends of the earth. I pray that as we head into 2005 and beyond, that God would continue to transform each and every one of us as we move into what God would have for us individually and collectively in the next 40 years of ministry.
Sincerely,
Pastor Bruce Enns