Merry Christmas from the Staff of GRACE Church Bethlehem.
On behalf of all the team at GRACE, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! I pray that your celebrations with your family and friends have been life-giving and have drawn you closer to the God who so loved you that He sent his Son to us at Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas, I am still re-living Christmas Eve. The services were so beautiful. From the communion service on the Locust Street Campus to the 4 services at BECA high, the energy was electric. The choir led by Tom Goeman and the worship band was so inspiring. There were donkeys and sheep and a manger scene that made the good news come to life at our family service. There was so much light from all those candles. There were so many smiling volunteers greeting and ushering. At our five services, there were over 2,000 people – 2,186 to be exact, including hundreds of guests. What a joyful celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus. To see a Christmas Eve gallery, click here.
Sunday, we will back together as a church family. Services will be at our regular time – 9 am classic and 10:30 modern. Taylor Shade, our Next Generation Director, will be preaching in the services and wrapping up our Christmas series, The Upside Down of Christmas with “Christmas Implications” – a look at two people who fulfilled a lifelong desire to meet the promised Messiah when they met the baby Jesus.
The following Sunday, January 5, we will celebrate New Year’s Communion in our services. I will launch a new sermon series – YOUR BEST LIFE. Do you ever find yourself saying, I wish I could start this day over, or this week over, or even this year over? Now’s your chance to do it. As we turn the page (or hit the forward button) on the calendar, you get a fresh start. What would it look like to live YOUR BEST LIFE in 2020?. We’ll look at some of the things that might need a fresh start — your schedule, your money, your relationships and even your motivation and mission for life.
One last reminder about end of year giving. We historically receive up to 15% of our annual giving in December. I hope you will join me in to helping us end 2019 and begin 2020 strong – ready to build on our ministries inviting people to know and show the Grace of Jesus Christ. Click here to give or for more information. I eagerly anticipate all God will do in and through us in 2020.
Joyfully,
Your pastor and your friend,
Dr. Marnie Crumpler, Senior Pastor