I am so excited about what God has been doing in and through the people of Maple City Chapel in 2023. We baptized 29 new believers this year and heard powerful stories of life transformation through the power of Jesus. You continue to invite your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers and go out of your way to warmly welcome new faces on Sunday morning. Our average attendance was 928 in 2023, which was up by 21% from 2022. We had more than 100 people show up each week on Sunday mornings to volunteer in some capacity. We couldn’t do what we do without you all jumping in to make MCCh a welcoming place for people to hear the good news of Jesus!
I’ve talked with our staff a lot this past year about the importance of seeing ourselves as digital missionaries. The world is hurting, and we have the opportunity to reach people online who would never step foot inside a church. As we’ve kept that mission in mind, we’ve seen our efforts paying off! Our Facebook visits increased by 385% and our Instagram reach increased by 282% from 2022. A short video of a baptism testimony had over 190,000 views. We want to continue to be as creative as we can in sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone everywhere!
One of my yearly traditions is to spend time in prayer, asking God to reveal a specific word or phrase for the upcoming year for my own personal walk and for our church as a whole. I felt that the word God gave me for this year is “hunger.” Jesus tells us in Luke 6:21, “Blessed are you who hunger, for you will be satisfied.” I’d love for you to spend time thinking and praying about this word and what it might mean for you and for our church family in 2024.
I got an email recently from someone who visited with his wife for the first time. He said that he expected on the way home to be talking to his wife about the worship (which they really enjoyed) or the message (which really spoke to them), but instead, they found themselves talking about how much they experienced the presence of Jesus in a very real and personal way. While it is important and even essential for us to show up and do our part, I have never been more hungry for God to show up and do what only God can do. As we gather in 2024, let’s come with excitement and anticipation, expecting that God will faithfully show up and do what only God can do. I can’t wait to see what all God will do!
