The Pastor’s Piece – December 26,2021
The Pastor’s Piece
FCFI
December 26, 2021
“The Best Of 2021”
As the year of our Lord 2021 draws to a close, I thought I’d give you my list of the best of.
January – We celebrated our son’s birthday on January 10th and on January 11th our first bouncing baby grandchild made her entrance into this world. It was a difficult delivery and mom and baby spent a few extra days in the hospital but they soon came home healthy and happy. What a joy and what a wonder this new baby brought into our lives.
February – My lovely wife and I celebrated 39 years of marriage. God has been good to me and blessed me far beyond what I deserve in a loving, supportive wife who loves the Lord and loves me, too.
March – I am a March baby and the years come and go and we celebrated another blessed year, along with our son-in-law, who also has a birthday in March. Family rules.
April – I planted my pumpkin patch.
May – I watched as 100’s of pumpkin shoots emerged from the cool, dark earth into a sight of beautiful, leafy green plants that were destined to become future jack-o-lanterns. On May 7th, one of my favorite days of the year, we celebrated our daughter’s birthday with pomp and fanfare at her home in Nashville, TN.
June – Response to our Vacation Bible Program was tremendous. We had four packed mornings of Bible teaching, fun, games, and snacks. Due to increased attendance on Sundays, we had to put in another parking lot at church. God is good.
July – At our July congregational meeting, our church family voted to keep me on as their pastor for the 28th straight year. Not sure where all those years have gone, but I am sure that each and every one has been a blessing from God.
August – We were invited to attend the Freeport Pregnancy Center’s summer banquet held at the old Raleigh Mansion in Freeport, Illinois. It was called “An Enchanted Evening.” It was a wonderful experience and we are so thankful God has made it possible for our church to support both the Freeport Pregnancy Center and the Green County Care Net organization in helping to save the lives of our most innocent and helpless members of society. God is faithful.
September – Martintown Community Church purchased their very own soft serve ice cream maker just in time for our Sunday School kickoff – complete with a mechanical bull. Delicious, tasty days are ahead with that new machine.
October – An early and bountiful harvest was enjoyed by all. The farmers enjoyed warm dry weather and we harvested dozens of bright orange pumpkins.
November – Thanksgiving brought us together with family and thankfulness to God for the blessings of life.
December -We celebrated my wife’s birthday with a live, fresh lobster flown in from Maine and delivered to our door. It was fun for us (the lobster not so much). As I write this, Christmas lingers as we celebrate with family gathered around the fire where laughter and ambiance abound. My goal is to make Christmas linger as long as possible. The new year is just around the corner. On January 2 we are taking a group of about 30 volunteers from our church to Kentucky to help with disaster relief from the tornados. Looking forward to helping those devastated by the storms.
Here’s to a festive, happy, God-honoring 2022. May God bless you and Happy New Year Everyone!
(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin)