FPC Forney

​Please join us Thursday, December 24th, 2015 for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols.

The service begins at 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary and will last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The service will include readings from scripture that tell the salvation story of sin and redemption. We will sing after each reading. The service will close with communion and the lighting of candles while singing Silent Night.

Special musical features will be "How Far Is It To Bethlehem" by our choir and "Still, Still, Still" by our youth handbells.

The service at FPC Forney usually includes many families who come to worship on this most holy night. Appropriate for all ages! The service is early enough to allow you to be home by 7:30 p.m. Please join us and bring a friend!

Advent is time spent preparing and waiting for Jesus birth. To prepare we will have a Advent Festival on Sunday, December 6th at 6:00pm. At that time we will have a service decorating the Christmas tree and the rest of the church.

Following the service you will have an opportunity to give the gift of giving also known as Alternative Gift Giving. You can donate to the Forney Food, Lone Star CASA, and/or Grace Presbyterian Village Caring Fund in the name of a friend or loved one. You will be given an acknowledgement letter to give the person/people letting them know that a donation was given in their name. The Forney Food Pantry helps local families, Lone Star CASA advocates for children, and Grace Presbyterian Village Caring Fund provides assistance for residents that have used all of their resources.

We will also be doing the Shoebox Christmas this year. Bring shoeboxes with lids (preferably wrapped). We will put items such as hand sanitizer, wet wipes, tissue, lip balm, razors, toothpaste and toothbrushes in the shoe boxes. They will then be taken to the The Bridge homeless shelter and given to those in need.

Pizza will be provided, and the wonderful cooks of the congregation can bring a dessert if you would like. Plan on spending your Sunday evening in worship, decorating, socializing, and helping others. It is a special and fun time.

This past month I was very blessed to attend the Presbyterian CREDO event for mid-career pastors. It is a huge investment that our denomination makes in us. They took very good care of us and created an environment for us to be able to assess where we are vocationally, spiritually, financially, emotionally, and physically. The end result was that we each wrote a CREDO plan for the next stage of our ministries.

One of the things that helped me the most was to assess my financial situation. I realize that I carry a lot of anxiety about finances: "When can I get these credit cards paid off?" "When will I be able to buy a house?" "What about college costs?" "Will I ever have money enough to retire?" My time at CREDO allowed me to observations. First, I am actually doing a lot of the right things with our finances. Besides a few tweaks here and there, Laura and I are on the right track. Secondly, I have created an idol out of money and not truly relied upon God, the One who has provided everything anyway.

So part of my CREDO plan was to pray more faithfully about money. It is rather simple, "Lord, I can't do this on my own. Help me. Take away this worry from my life. I've done all I can do. I trust You to take care of the rest." It's like the song we sing: "O, what peace we often forfeit. O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer."

There's more to my CREDO plan. Suffice it for now to say that I hope that you notice me trying to do things a little different going forward. Things that will make me a better pastor, husband, father, and person. Sometimes little small things can make a big difference down the road. I'm grateful for the time away.

Thank you! David