Friends in Christ,

As we approach the end of another year, I am thankful for all of you and for the ministry that we get to share together in this community. This has truly been a wonderful year, and I hope that you have found your life enriched by your participation and presence in our community at St. Paul. I know that everywhere I look, I can tell that we’ve been able to grow together as a congregation in ways that I could not have imagined when we began the year back in January!

From handing out free coffee at the curb to forming a new church choir, I think that we have accomplished a lot this year. We’ve tackled an expensive roof replacement, celebrated numerous weddings and baptisms, and we even played some trivia over at the Dandy. There’s still more to do, for sure. Our work doesn’t stop there, but I do think that we all deserve a moment to rest. As we enter this season of Advent, we deserve some time to reflect, to step back, and to bask in the blessings that God has showered over us. We deserve some time to reset and to remind ourselves of the “what” and the “why” that lies behind all that we do.

The season of Advent is certainly about the experience of waiting and expectation. However, it’s much more than that. It’s also about a person. It’s about the arrival of the Christ child, the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In a way, this season of Advent offers us a special “break” from the normal programming of our lives, and it calls us to reset our minds and to place our focus back on the one in whom all our work and all our efforts find their true meaning and purpose. Christ has come to us, and it is precisely because of Christ’s presence among us that we get to share in the ministry of this church together.

You see, all the work that we do is not just to fill our church pews or to make sure we pay our bills. Those are necessary and good things, but the true reason we all show up here each week is because a little baby was born in Bethlehem. We come here each week because when that baby arrived on the stage, it transformed the course of history. Advent isn’t just a season of waiting, but it’s also a season that calls us to refocus our eyes on Jesus Christ and to remind ourselves of why the work of the church is so important, especially right now.

As I think back on this year, I grow more and more excited for what’s up ahead in 2025. I hope that you all share that same sentiment with me. As we prepare to end this year and as we look ahead to another, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I look forward to partnering with you and your family in the months ahead.

God’s peace be with you
Pastor Heath Queen