Pastor’s Update

Dear friend of Pine Mountain Christian Community Church,

Are you bugged by the constant government controls? It seems the government forces us to do tasks and fill out forms at every stage of life: there is the birth certificate, the Social Security Card, the driver’s license, the car registration, the smog check, and at the age of 18, you’ve got to register for the draft. Then there is Medicare. And of course, taxes all along the way. Well, here’s some good news: God uses government controls to get us where we need to be. That was certainly the case for Joseph and Mary before the birth of Jesus. Mary & Joseph had no plans to go to Bethlehem. They didn’t want to go to Bethlehem. They had a baby coming, and the idea of traveling 90 miles was not something to look forward to. But God used the Emperor of Rome to move Mary & Joseph to the right place. That place was Bethlehem. Why Bethlehem? Because 700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah said the messiah would be born in Bethlehem. It was the decree by Caesar Augustus that moved Joseph & Mary to the family town of Bethlehem at just the right time for Jesus to be born. The Bible tells us that God’s sovereignty rules over all (Psalm 103:19): over nations, over rulers, and over common folks like Mary and Joseph – and over common folks like us. Make no mistake about it: If we are following the Lord Jesus, God will make sure we get to the right place at the right time.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THESE COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

* I want to thank Alys and Luis Montilla for decorating our church for Christmas. Wow! The inside of the sanctuary looks amazing! And a big thanks to everyone who lugged in Christmas trees and decorations. Our church is absolutely beautiful. You won’t want to miss a single service or event!

* The Daily Bread devotionals for December, January and February are now available near the front door of the church.

* IT ALL BEGINS THIS SATURDAY!:

– Saturday, December 9^th: Christmas in the Village: 10am parade along Mil Potrero (a change – not through the village), Christmas program at the gazebo: John Saltee will open the event with prayer. There will be three children choirs (our JAM kids will be singing), various music performers, and the Christmas story! (I will be sharing about the birth of Christ).

– Saturday, December 9^th: the One Stop Kids Shop at 12:30 p.m. at the Activities Center: kids can pick out gifts for their parents and siblings – every gift in the store is just 25 cents! If they don’t have 25 cents, they can pick out a gift by the grace of God!

– Friday, December 15 at 7 pm: Christmas Singalong and kid’s nativity (our Sunday morning kids and JAM kids will be all dressed up!). Come sing the great Christmas songs and carols!

– Sunday, December 24^th at 7 pm: Christmas Eve Candlelight service

* Every sermon each Sunday morning in December will be a Christmas sermon. This is a great time to invite guests so that they can hear this amazing story of God visiting us in the person of Jesus.

* THIS WEEK’S CHURCH CALENDAR:

* Friday, December 8th at 12:30 p.m.: Food distribution postponed to next week

* Saturday, December 9that 10 a.m.: Christmas in the Village begins

* Sunday, December 10th at 9:30 a.m.: All Church Prayer Time in the church sanctuary

* Sunday, December 10th at 10 a.m.: Service in the sanctuary. Sermon: “The Birth of Jesus”, Luke 2:1-7; live-streamed (Lord willing) on pmccc.org, YouTube.com, and Facebook

* Wednesday, December 13th at 10 a.m.: Women’s Bible Study in the Activities Center

* Wednesday, December 13th at 10 a.m.: Men’s Bible Study in the Church Library: Study: The book of Acts

* Wednesday, December 13th at 5 p.m.: Youth Meeting in the Activities Center

* Thursday, December 14th at 4 pm: JAM (kids age 5 to 10) in the Activities Center

* Friday, December 15th at 12:30 pm: Food Distribution at the Activities Center

* Friday, December 15^th at 7 p.m.: Christmas Singalong in the sanctuary

Allowing God to rule my life and get me where I need to be,

Pastor Rick