I truly appreciate all of you who have read these posts and I apologize for the inconsistency lately; however, please do stay connected. I’m going to keep up with Facebook in order to stay connected with everyone and to give updates on life, so if you’re on Facebook, find me and keep in touch. If you’re not on Facebook, then get on Facebook and keep in touch.

If you’re on Twitter, you can follow me by clicking here.  If you’re not sure what the heck Twitter is, click here and get started.

Please keep Rebecca, Kaia, and I in your prayers. I’ll be moving our stuff to NYC next week and we’ll be there for good on Dec. 26, so Merry Christmas to everyone, keep working hard for God, and please stay connected.

“AP-The US can expect a terrorist attack using nuclear or more likely biological weapons before 2013, reports a bipartisan commission in a study being briefed tomorrow to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. It suggests the Obama administration bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists. “Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing,” states the report, obtained by the AP.” (Click here to view the entire article)

I know God is control, and I strongly believe that, but I was I also kind of nervous when I thought about the posbilities of attacks of this magnitude. I know that God’s plan for the future will never be shaken and His plans cannot be changed; however, we all have families and it’s unsettling to think about what it would be like if an attack like this happened in our country, state, or city. I believe that we are seeing parts of the Bible unfolding before our eyes, but it still requires faith to believe that God has His hand on everything.

Faith is the opposite of fear/doubt, and I was listening to Hillsong this morning and these lyrics reminded me of God’s strength:

When You stand, the tall tress and mountains bow
When You speak, the fiercest of oceans is still

Any thoughts?

Hello everyone – I just wanted to let you all know about some Guest Survey responses that we have received over the past week.  These survey responses, from people who came to AFMC for the first time, show how important your roles in serving as Greeters truly are.  Here are some responses to 3 questions:

 What did you notice first?

• Friendly people greeted me and my daughters at the door.
• That everyone was welcoming and greeted me, even if they have never seen me before.
• The friendliness of everyone
• The warm welcoming

 What did you like best?

• Hard to choose one thing since the service was great, the people friendly and the donuts wonderful
• The message is relevant to my life.
• The way that the message was presented was informative and entertaining. The congregation really seemed to be involved and they enjoyed it as well.
• No hard sell on religion

 What is your overall impression?

• I enjoyed the church service and friendliness of the people there & will return with my wife so that she can experience it as well.
• I enjoyed the atmosphere and will be returning.
• If I lived here this would be my Church
• On a scale of 1-10, you folks rate a 9.

 The best part about these first-time guest responses is that they all returned for a second time, thanks so much for serving and truly making positive first impressions on all guests!

 Mark Rouse :: Connect Pastor

1)  What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?

2)  What’s your least favorite Thanksgiving food?

In case you’re wondering, my favorite is stuffing and my least favorite is pumpkin pie, yuck:)

• Overall, the services went well, the Work Matters series definitely seemed to answer some relevant questions.
• Attendance was 285, which I believe is the highest non-holiday attendance at AFMC.
• Attendance has been increasing since I announced that I’m leaving, I’m not sure what that means:)
• There was a bunch of new faces as well as some returning guests, that’s always exciting.
• We went through 16 dozen donuts and we need to start ordering more because people love Tim Hortons donuts.
• Lack of parking space is becoming an issue after the 9 am service, it’s a good problem to have but a problem nonetheless. 
• There’s definitely some momentum building right now and I believe God has big things in store for AFMC this holiday season and into the spring.
• I’m confident that we’ll be filling up countless bins with donations for The Little Portion Friary and I’m hoping we’ll need to rent a Budget truck to deliver it all.