This winter, seventy people from our congregation met together to develop a long-range plan for our church. As many of you know, during this process Pastor Winterhoff announced that he will be retiring this fall. Both events have produced mixed feelings in our hearts. Feelings of anticipation, anxiousness, happiness and nervousness are intermingled.

Imagining the future can sometimes be a scary thing. “What are our world, our community, and our church going to be like? Things are already so different than they were. What does the future hold for us?”

Sometimes looking forward can be indeed intimidating. But God desires us to look forward with faith and confidence.

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

God has blessed us abundantly in the past. As someone in the planning group said, “The Holy Spirit is certainly alive and active in this place.” You really can experience God here as He works in us and through us. If the Lord has so graciously brought us this far, He will certainly bless us in the future and make us a blessing to others. God has a wonderful plan and an exciting future for us. We seek to make decisions and plans that are faithful to who God would have us be, knowing that our hope and prosperity are found in God alone. His love is always constant, His blessings will never cease!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1