January 2014 Rock Pile
Happy New Year!! As I sit here typing out this edition of “The Rock Pile” I can’t help
but think that it is amazing we are now living in the year 2014. As I look back on 2013 there
was a lot of great things that took place here at Macedonia UMC, “The Church on the Lake.”
Certainly we closed out the year in a wonderful way with our Advent journey. I hope and pray
that we all experienced the true meaning of our Spiritual journey and received the precious gift
of God’s love all over again. That certainly is what Christmas is all about and the reason we
celebrate the birth of Christ. We shared that beautiful story with our Live Nativity lakeside again
this year. We had so many who were willing to not only help set up this year but also came out
those two nights and assist in telling the story in character. A big thank you goes out to Valeria
and all who brought the story of the birth of the Lord to life. It was a great two nights and I
know that those 200 plus visitors to our church were blessed because of the hard work and the
dedication of those who made it happen. While I was unable to attend the caroling this year I
understand that for those who went as well as those who were sung to that the outing was a huge
success. Thanks to those who were willing to go out and take the love of Christ in song. As
always one of the highlights of the Advent season is our Christmas Eve service. It is a wonderful
time to take that collective deep breath and step away from all that we are doing for the holiday
season. For those who could be here I believe that this service is that moment when we truly
take in all that God has for us and not only receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion but also
that moment when it all makes sense. That moment when we receive that understanding that we
are indeed loved by God and that is why we have the celebration of Christmas. Before I move
on to my thoughts about the New Year I must also acknowledge the success of our Easter
Sunrise service. Gathering lakeside with not only our church family but about 175 other
believers at dawn to celebration the Resurrection of our Lord is a very moving experience. This
has been a ministry that Macedonia has been doing for years and for me it just keeps getting
better and better. We are truly blessed with a beautiful spot for the celebration of the
Resurrection of our Lord. This same spot continues to be utilized for WoW, our Worship on the
water early service. Being outside overlooking Lake Tuscaloosa from April through October is
an awesome setting that continues to be an outlet for growth for us. Each year we continue to
grow in attendance in this service with people who come to worship with us during those
months. Certainly the WoW service is a ministry that helps us reach those who otherwise might
not attend this church or any other church. An early service is something that many people
continue to be drawn to as well as our beautiful setting overlooking the lake. And while this
service is for some our more traditional 11:00 service is and will always be our anchor. And we
continue to see visitors to that service as well. Our overall goal is to have these visitors at both
services stay with us and become a part of our church family. That is why I believe that our
ABIDE team is so important for our spiritual growth as well as growth in number. While I know
that many still have questions about ABIDE and just what it is that your ABIDE team is all
about, soon you shall find out. Within the next few weeks the team will begin to share all that
we have been doing and learning. This information when shared I believe will bring not only a
spark of life to our church but will indeed be a catalyst that will enable us to become a church
with a new vision for growth as well as a ministry to a hurting world. Our goal is to become a
church where not only we are fed but more importantly a church where those who feel unloved
and unwanted are drawn through the Love of Christ. Our goal for Macedonia UMC, “The
Church on the Lake” is to become a beacon to those who are walking in the darkness who feel
helpless and hopeless. Our challenge is to be more and do more than we were or did in 2013.
While 2013 brought us a few new members and allowed us to do ministry we cannot be satisfied
with what we did and who we reached. Each new year brings to us new opportunities for
ministry. Each new year is indeed a gift from God not only in our personal lives but more
importantly to the life of His church. What shall we do in this new year? I would suggest that
we all take a hard look at what we did for Christ and His Church in 2013 and resolve to do more
in 2014. I would suggest that we who love this church and love our Lord resolve to put that love
into greater action than ever before. If we are indeed drawing closer to His return then we
should resolve to be ready. If 2014 were to be the year of our Lord’s return will we be alive and
fully involved in ministry or merely sleepwalking? I look forward to all that 2014 has in store
for us. I pray that this year is a watermark year for us. Let’s put on the full armor of God and be
about the Father’s business. Until next time; continue to Believe, be Blessed and become a
Blessing. Shalom