Our District Apostle (Ret.) Armin Studer has in the past few years started each New Year with a motto for the year. I would like to continue with this tradition. This prayed for yearly motto shall accompany us through special Divine Services, gatherings, events and activities as well as serve as a guideline on our path of faith.  

I would like to retain the 2008 motto “One heart and one soul” as well as supplement it with the Vision and Mission statement of our church. Therefore, the motto for the year 2009 will be as follows: 

“One heart and one soul – Vision and Mission”

 

What is the Vision statement of our church? “A Church in which people feel at home and, inspired by the Holy Spirit and their love for God, align their lives to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and thus prepare themselves for His return and eternal life.”

 

We want to occupy ourselves more intensively with this Vision statement through implementation in the congregations. When our brethren can say with conviction: “We are a congregation where people can feel at home…” and can hear our guests say “This is a Church in which people feel at home…” then the beautiful description of the early church, “All the believers were one in heart and mind becomes valid for us also (Acts 4, part of verse 32 NIV)

 

What is the Mission Statement of our church?  “Reaching out to all people in order to baptize them with water and the Holy Spirit and teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Providing soul care and cultivating a warm fellowship in which everyone shall experience the love of God and the joy of serving Him and others.”

 

In what manner and way can we convert the Mission statement into deeds? It is best accomplished through thankfulness. If we are truly thankful then this will become evident in our everyday behaviour. We then speak and recount with everybody about the good that God has done for us. Often though, it is possible to have a different attitude. One talks about the bad things, about what one or the other has done incorrectly or one complains about the difficult circumstances. Does this change the situation? I doubt it!  

Let us rather speak about our thankfulness, thereby laying the foundation stone of the Mission statement of our church.

 

Let us continually work on being „One heart and one soul“, growing and converting the Vision and Mission statement of our church into deeds and thereby continue, together, towards the return of the Son of God.

 

Various campaigns are planned throughout the year which will coalesce our theme for the year. May these impulses come to life in all congregations and districts and thereby strengthen our faith.

 

I wish all the readers of our homepage a New Year richly blessed by God and much joy in the implementation of our motto for the year.

 

Connected with you in heartfelt love I greet you heartily as

 

Yours, Markus Fehlbaum