Happy New Year Everyone! As we move into 2024, we hope you have a chance to reflect and remember important milestones in your life, both the good and the challenging. The constant through it all is God, our rock and our foundation. God held all things together in 2023 and will do the same in 2024 even as God draws us near to guide us into peace, reconciliation, and truth.

FAITH PROMISE WEEKEND (Jan. 27-28)

January at VCN should be renamed Missions Inspiration Month. Faith Promise happens each January. It is the time when we prayerfully consider the amount, above our tithe, we promise to give to mission efforts around the world in 2024. In 2023, our VCN family gave $90,000 to Faith Promise which in turn has helped pay missionary salaries and health care benefits AND support Jesus Film outreach, Christian schools in Haiti and Jordan, church-based community gardening in Eswatini, and refugee outreach in Armenia, to name only a few.

Saturday

To kick off new 2024 Faith Promise initiatives will be our Faith Promise Weekend with special speaker Dr. Eugene Duarte, who served as the Africa Regional Director for many years and retired as General Superintendent this past June. He is now the Vice Chancellor of the African Nazarene University in Kenya. Dr. Duarte will speak on Saturday, January 27th at 10:30 am, followed by a free Chic-fil-A lunch together, then he will be our special guest speaker Sunday morning in the 10:30 am service. Get ready for God to inspire us to make a promise to 2024 mission efforts by faith (hence the term, Faith Promise…..get it?) Start praying now to get a sense of the part God would like for us to play in missions around the world in 2024 and share hope with the world.

Sunday

Sunday Evening Jan. 7th: To get us started early in thinking about FAITH PROMISE….Claude and Sandy Sisler, retired missionaries in Costa Rica (and other places), will share their stories with us. We will gather in the fellowship hall at 6 pm, and donuts and cider will be served for a time of fellowship. Mark your calendar now.

JANUARY EVENTS YOU WILL WANT TO EXPERIENCE:

January 12 - VCN Game Night, 5:30 pm

Bring your favorite game, and rumor has it that chili is on the menu. Sign up at the welcome center and get more information.

January 20 - J.O.Y. (Just Other Youth)

Come visit to the Florida Train Museum, leaving the church at 11 am sharp. Sign up at the welcome center. All Aboard!

January 24 - Allison Speer in the 10:30 Worship Service

Allison Speer will bring inspiration through her music, story-telling, and humor. Invite someone to attend with you and introduce them to your VCN family.

VCN Sunday School Classes

If you are not attending a Sunday school class, then maybe you should resolve to do that in 2024 and start next Sunday at 9:00 am! We have world-class teachers at VCN. If you regularly attend then resolve to convince a friend or two to start making Sunday school a routine Sunday-morning thing to do. The benefits are spiritual growth, making close friends, getting prayer support, knowledge, and answers to questions you don’t even know you have. Don’t let yourself say, “It’s not for me.”

Be resolute in 2024… Sunday School is for Everyone!

Did you know?

We have a LOT going on at the church every week. Here’s a list of some of the opportunities to get involved:

• Men’s Bible Study - Tuesdays at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom

• Manna Ministry Food Distribution - Sundays at 4:30 in the Fellowship Hall

• Celebrate Recovery - Mondays at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall

• Grief Share - Saturdays at 10 am

• Men’s Golf Group - Contact Jim Johnston for details

• Women’s Golf Group - Contact Cindy Crabtree for details

• Quilt’n Sew - Thursdays from 9 am-Noon - contact Jan Acton for details

• Children’s Church - Sundays at 10:30 in the Fellowship Hall

• Youth Group - Wednesdays from 6:30-8 pm in the Youth Room

• Weekly Prayer Group - Wednesdays at 5:15 pm in the Sanctuary Foyer led by Pastor Kip

For all weekly church updates including service times, classes, ministry opportunities, special events, and more or to join the church mailing list, click for the VCN Weekly Update.