Happy New Year to everyone! May God bless each one with health and happiness as we begin this new adventure together. There are many things on the agenda for 2009 and we will be getting right to work. Our Administrative Council will soon hold the first meeting of the year and will welcome returning and some new members. I want to express my deep appreciation to those who have led our church in the past year and who have now come to the end of their term. We will miss your leadership in an official capacity but know that you are there to help when needed. I especially want to thank Ken Parker who has led our Finance Committee for the past four years. Ken has also been a great influence on our youth and continues to lead the GAP camps each summer. I also want to say thank you to Nancy Hulsey who has served faithfully as our Financial Secretary. Nancy is the one who makes sure that giving receipts go out in a timely fashion and she has been great to send thank you notes to those who have given to special causes and to memorials. Although Nancy is leaving the Finance Committee she is simply moving over to serve on the Pastor/ Parish Relations Committee, so she will just keep working. We welcome to the Finance Committee Bob Bedeski as chairman and Roni Grizzle as secretary. Of course we will continue to be led in the area of finance by our most capable treasurer, Vivian Smith.

Several of our Trustees will be rotating off this year and we will miss them. My grateful appreciation is extended to Mike Smith who has chaired this group and to Butch Davis and Dot Kent who have served so faithfully. We welcome to the Trustees, Charles Coffee, Robby Hulsey, and Glenn Davidson. Sonya Parker has served as our Family Coordinator and has now completed her term. Evelyn will be stepping into that position. Some others who will be leading us in 2009 are; Ernie Reaume, educational director and member of the Lay Leadership Committee, Donna Corbin and James Russell are joining the PPRC, Sue Cook and Emily Hulsey will be serving on the Lay Leadership Committee, and Kathleen Villyard and Evelyn Strickland will be joining the Parsonage Committee. It is very likely that I have left someone out of this list and if that is you or your loved one please forgive my oversight. I do truly appreciate all who have served so faithfully.

The Acolyte program will resume this month on first and third Sunday nights. Soon I will be announcing opportunities for small group Bible studies. I want to offer Disciple One and Christian Believer. Some of you have participated in one or both of these studies and perhaps one or two of you might volunteer to be a facilitator for another study. For those thinking about taking one of these courses, I would suggest that you do Disciple and then Christian Believer. Evelyn and I want to continue to emphasize fellowship and will be hosting more Dinners for Eight as well as some church wide fellowship opportunities throughout 2009. I have Happy New Year and I will see ya on Sunday.

Randy