20 Nov Advent begins December 1

They found Gus on a beach last month in Australia. Gus (affectionately named) is a malnourished adult emperor penguin who is 2200 miles from his home in Antarctica. Aaron Fowler, a surfer, found him at the tourist beach town of Denmark in Southwest corner of the continent.

The penguin has become a local celebrity, despite the fact he is 50 pounds underweight and struggling in his new environment. Several persons came to his aid, spraying him with chilled water to help him deal with the warm climate. Fowler said, “He tried to slide on his belly, thinking it was snow, I guess. Then he just face planted in the sand and stood up and shook it off.”

It’s safe to say that Gus found himself in absolutely the wrong place and completely out of his element. He wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

There are reasons for us not to be where we’re supposed to be too. For many, the holidays are a time of great joy and celebration. There are a lot of parties, special events, and occasions for fun, fellowship, and laughter. For others, it can be a time of difficulty and sadness while grieving the loss of a loved one—perhaps for the first time. It can be hard to know where we’re supposed to be or how to feel.

The Bible says to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5.7), and one way to exercise this spiritual admonition is through involvement in your church family. Advent provides a wonderful opportunity to engage (and re-engage) through worship, fellowship, prayer, and the study of God’s Word.

Advent is a four-week season of preparation culminating on Christmas Day. Each Sunday, beginning with December 1, offers a different emphasis about the birth of our Savior. We’ll light candles on the Advent wreath, each one representing the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. The highlight of the Advent season occurs on Christmas Eve with the lighting of the Christ candle.

I’m excited to enter this season, and grateful for all those who are getting our building ready with Christmas decorations! I am thankful for their efforts in helping us prepare and rejoice at the arrival of the Christ child once again, mindful that no matter what is going on around us, that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13.8).

Not everything stays the same, however. For the last 40 years, Mike Fraker has been a fixture on the Audio-Visual team. Most of his work has been behind the scenes, primarily in the sound booth on Sundays but also for other important moments in the life of First Baptist Church (funerals, weddings). Mike has had to adjust to changes in technology, live-streaming, and different kinds of audio and visual approaches. He has been steady, reliable, and faithful.

Mike has indicated his desire to transition out of this role (he’ll stay busy with the Christian Service Center!) at the end of the year. I know you’ll join me in expressing gratitude to him for his faithfulness and dedication for four decades of service to the Lord and our church.

Our church is blessed with many faithful and dedicated members, and I wanted also to express my thanks to the Finance Committee for their formation and presentation of our 2025 operating budget. It reflects less than a 1% increase from last year’s budget, while utilizing existing designated funds for a variety of ministry areas. I appreciate their efforts and encourage support of our new budget.

On behalf of Lori, Cally, Lucy, and Matt, I want to thank you all for being in our lives this past year. It is a blessing to live in Clinton and be part of First Baptist Church. It may be a little bit early to say this, but from our family to yours, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”–DC