Happy New Year! While we in the church know that our new year begins with Advent and its memory of Christ’s first coming and looking forward to its second, we can join our neighbors in welcoming 2012, with its Olympics and its leap day and its (groan) election. The church long called January 1 the “Feast of the Holy Name,” and on that day celebrated the name of the Son incarnate: Yeshua, Jesus, which means “God saves.” That’s quite a name to hang on a newborn child, but then again, he is quite a child.

Join us as we recommit to missions in the new year. We have a good deal of momentum around the desire to bless our neighbors, to reach out to them in friendship and not just benevolence, and we want to do more. Some Sunday School classes are finding creative ways to engaging in missions on Sunday morning. Luke Edwards, through his leadership in Boone Area Missions, is helping lead this effort. Please pray that we will follow God’s leading in this (and in all things!).