2012

What's in a year? There are few years for which if you name it, I can recap the year right away. Some years are benchmark years, which for one reason or another, I can recall an event or two. I have a feeling that this will be one of those years for our church. This has been a huge year for Orlando Grace. I'm not sure all the things that you remember about this year, but I will name a few landmarks for me this year.

This was the year where I was officially welcomed into membership. As the first act at a church, I now believe membership is more important than I believed as a new Christian. January continued with changes to our leadership team. This was especially important to me, as my assigned elder, Will Powell, was recognized as someone through whom God was working as an elder.

2012 is a 53 Sunday year! While those who make the budget and get to do scheduling may like or dislike the extra week, it is always nice to think that we got a little extra time together. This year we learned that we were able to see Greg stay with us for another year! At the same time, we learned that Evan and Katie would not be staying with us. We produced our three-year "rotation" for our adult education.

Of course the event that will largely be remembered is the opening of the new facility. There were numerous things that accompany that like a first wedding, a first funeral, our first time helping park cars for an event at the catholic church across the street, first party, first picnic, first Sunday School, er, Equipping Hour, class, and the list could go on. But in this year of firsts, I love the fact that we are continuing with the things that defined us before the new building.

We took nominations for new church officers. We've had some 40-50 people join our church. We are continuing to assist other churches who are finding themselves in crisis. We are keeping solid theology as a pillar of the church. We are basically staying committed to everything and are not using the "new building" as an excuse to become stagnant.

Many of us came into the year with huge expectations and many of us had wonderful years, while some had horrendous years, but more than anything, we all recognize that 2012 is just a year. Most of our lives will not be defined by what we do in a single year, but rather defined by the accumulation of years that create patterns in our lives. And, with that, I cannot wait to see what God has in store in 2013!