Dear Friends:

'A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.

'God sets the lonely in families, He leads forth the prisoners with singing;

'but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.'

Psalm 68: 5 – 6

Each year, it is important for the pastor to present some thoughts as to where he understands our church to be at the current time, a kind of State of the Church report, if you will. Each year, I think I may have my finger on the spiritual pulse of our congregation and an eye on what it is that God is saying to us. At the end of that year, I am always amazed and surprised by God, by all He does that in no way approximates any of my dreams or imaginings. Our God is so great and He is so good to us!

The Biblical foundation for this training method of God’s is Numbers 9: 15 – 23. There we find that Israel moved their encampment when and only when the cloud of the glory of God moved. The cloud of God’s manifest presence covered the Tent of Testimony, and at night, the cloud appeared to be like fire. From time to time, the cloud would lift from the tent, and as it lifted, Israel knew that the time had come for them to move out, leaving wherever it was they had been living.

Sometimes the cloud would remain over the Tent for a long period of time; at other times, the cloud moved daily. No one could predict what the cloud might do. Perhaps some of the more worldly people might have taken side bets on the length of their stay, but everyone lived from day-to-day, waiting on that cloud. The cloud was God’s means of communicating His will to Israel, at least in terms of the direction of their life together. Israel took the movement of the cloud to be the indicator of God’s command to them. When the Lord wanted them to remain, they stayed. When the Lord wanted them to travel, they packed their things and moved out.

What does God have in store for our church in 2006? Is the cloud of God’s glory moving? Where are we headed? How will we know when we have arrived? Or, might we end this year by reflecting on what a long, strange trip it has been?

I believe that God has been giving some direction in several areas, and therefore, we can follow Him as He leads us in at least three areas.

First, a number of years ago, God called our church to be a Safe Harbor. He gave us Psalm 68: 5 – 6 as His Word to undergird the development of a place of safety, a safe haven for people who need the salvation of God. God promised that He would bring the ones He is calling into the harbor for salvation, healing, equipping, and release into the harvest. God has been answering. He has brought an increase in the number of people who call this Harbor their spiritual home. Along with them, more children have also come to swell the ranks of our Children’s and Youth Ministry. Your part in the ministry of this church is to never allow the folks around you to be ignored. As our church grows, it is far too easy for the needs of believers to fall between the cracks. Don’t let that happen on your watch! You are on Harbor Patrol!

As a result of how God has been blessing, He seems to be pointing us to the Big Need: the discipling of new believers. People will not grow if they only attend church. Each Christian needs a living relationship with God. Lacking a growing and life-transforming relationship, people will fall away and cease to live as children of God. Therefore, the second area into which God is calling us is in the development of discipling relationships. People are drawn to our church by the Holy Spirit and they are determined to find a relationship with God. Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Children and Youth Ministries, Jesus 101, are just a few of the resources currently available. However, that is far from enough. If you are a Christian, and have been walking with the Lord for several years, God is calling you to befriend a newer believer. Take that person out for coffee, get to know that person, and begin a mentoring relationship. Take responsibility for the growth of another Christian. If Christians grow, they will prosper in their relationships and in their lives. Past hurts will heal. The future will become brighter for them and for the ones they offer ministry. And their friends will begin to find that they want a relationship with God as well. So, get involved this year and bless someone with the same love that God has poured upon you.

The third area is in the development and maturation of future leadership in our church. Our Leadership Team envisions that its role is evolving into one of spiritual and ministerial oversight. We have an excellent group of people doing the work of ministry in our fellowship. We do not want to take these wonderfully competent people away from their tasks in order to promote them into a burgeoning bureaucracy. Our church’s ministry teams are doing the work of ministry in our fellowship. God has been, and God is, raising up needed leadership in those areas. Into what area of ministry is God calling you?

We want our church government to be as flat as possible, horizontal and focused on fellowship and the work of the ministry. We do not want our church’s government to be vertical and hierarchical. We want to empower, not simply give permission. That means our church can be free to become a “lean, mean mission machine!”

God is doing a great work in our church. We need every believer to be on board with our church’s vision and working together. What God desires to do in Pocasset and in the Upper Cape cannot be accomplished without you.

With you in Jesus,

Pastor Edmund C. de la Cour, Jr.