Pastor Letter: December 11, 2019

Dear Buck Run Family:

Christmas season, with all of its wonder and joy, is here and we are celebrating it in the most wonderful ways. This Friday evening, December 13, we will enjoy, O Come All Ye Faithful, an evening of Christ-exalting Christmas music and worship featuring our choir, Kids Choir, and praise band. The fun begins at 7 pm.

Next Wednesday evening, December 18, we will enjoy our church-wide Christmas Dinner from 5 pm-6:30 pm, followed by a brief Christmas program. Though the time for reservations is already past, I am excited about this annual time of fellowship and reflection on what God has done for us as a family of believers.

The Sunday before Christmas is always extra special at Buck Run, and December 22 promises to maintain that tradition. We will observe our annual Walk to the Manger, the physical way we give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to support our Southern Baptist Missionaries around the world. I have once again challenged every member at Buck Run to make sure that you give more to the Lord than you spend on any other person at Christmas. It’s a wonderful way to practice proportional giving and also to remind ourselves that this time of year is a celebration of Christ far more than of ourselves. Not only do we not want Jesus to get lost in all the busyness of Christmas, we earnestly desire for Him to have the preeminence!

We also will observe a special Christmas communion that Sunday morning. Jesus came to be the bread of life on which nourish our souls, and as we sit at the Lord’s table that day we will recline with Him who reclined with us in Bethlehem’s manger.

Finally, don’t forget our Christmas Eve service on Tuesday, December 24 at 5 pm. The service won’t last more than 45 minutes, so bring your family and make worship a part of your celebration.

It’s important that we are intentional and explicit in keeping Christ at the center of Christmas. It’s part of our body life, of training the next generation, of sharing Jesus with others, and with our own worship of our Savior. I am grateful to pastor a church that so actively seeks to exalt the Lord and to honor Him above all else.

Though I rarely talk about money, I am sharing one request with you. In all the years I have been pastor at Buck Run, our annual giving has never matched our annual budget. Now, this has not been a problem because our spending has never matched our budget either. This year we are closer than we have ever been to making our budget. Our giving is lagging behind budget only by about $30,000. Would you join me in praying and asking the Lord to move in hearts to give so that we make our budget this year? I am hopeful and prayerful that we will.

This month marks not only the end of the year but also of the decade. The past ten years have certainly brought many changes, challenges, and victories? What will the next ten hold? I do not know what looms in our future, but I know that, whatever comes, I want us to be found faithful in following Christ. Let’s end this year and this decade well through a singular devotion to the Lord Jesus.

Finally, this month marks the end of my sixteenth year at Buck Run. My heart is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that the Lord has allowed me to be your pastor and that He has knit our hearts together for His glory. Thank you for your unconditional love, your unwavering support, and your unyielding commitment to Christ. I love you, my precious church family.

Your grateful pastor,

Bro. Hershael