Pastoral Reflections Rev. Dr. Mike Drake


With this issue of Tidings, we turn the corner into a new calendar year. January is well upon us.


Te name of this month is derived from the Roman deity, Janus. Janus was the god of new beginnings and transitions, whose name is grounded in the Latin word for “door.” Images depict him as having two faces, one looking back and the other forward. With that background, January can be for us a door to the New Year, a threshold we straddle with one eye to the past and another to the future. It is a time for reflection.


As we look back at 2015, we must acknowledge the experiences of a challenging year. But if we aren’t careful, we can allow those to solely define this period in our congregational life and color our perception of the future. Tere was, and is, much to celebrate in these past months as well. A few highlights:


• 183 individuals were involved in three bus trip fellowship opportunities • 50-plus participated in our 5K run in September • 26 new members joined us in the fall (see page 5)


• Te Session maintained a balanced budget based solely on current income—no reserves were touched


• 142 members and friends joined together for pre-Advent small groups • We celebrated the 21st


• 58 people made new pledges for 2016 and another 163 increased their giving


anniversary of our congregation’s Arabic Ministry


• 700 of us celebrated our unity as a body of Christ in worship on World Communion Sunday


• 1,000 knitted hats were provided for children in eight Allentown elementary schools


• 175 folks came together for a workday to clean our building


• 18 individuals or families have taken on responsibility for maintaining our grounds


• A team of volunteers has formed to oversee the property needs of our facility and is meeting regularly


• Another group of five individuals with various trade skills spends a portion of every Tursday doing maintenance projects, which eliminates the need


for many calls to outside contractors • …and I’ve only scratched the surface.


Friends, it’s patently evident to me that God has continued to be present with us, leading and encouraging us through the peaks and valleys of the year gone by. And that God will be with us as we look to the year ahead. As we do, we anticipate the possibility of welcoming a new lead pastor, mission trips to Honduras, ministry in downtown Allentown, and so much more.


In early January, we celebrated the Epiphany of Christ to the world, and the gifts he brought people of every kind. Confident of his never-ending presence now, let us commit ourselves to use the gifts he has given us to continue to present him to the world today—through what we say, what we do, and how we act.


“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”


—ISAIAH 60:1 3


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