{"id":2092,"date":"2022-01-27T12:19:36","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T16:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/?p=2092"},"modified":"2022-01-27T12:26:16","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T16:26:16","slug":"annual-report-of-the-pastor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/?p=2092","title":{"rendered":"Annual Report of the Pastor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"here-are-some-highlights-of-pastor-steve-s-annual-report\">Here are some Highlights of Pastor Steve&#8217;s Annual Report<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The full report is on the literature table in the lobby at the church. And the video is <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ikeyw96YqDE\">here<\/a> or you can read it below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ikeyw96YqDE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-power-of-connectedness\">The Power of Connectedness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The day before Christmas Eve, we were troubleshooting the lights in the parking lot. We checked the timer and the breaker. We went out to the light-poles and checked. Nothing. No power. We were dumbfounded. Then one of us said, \u201cAre we flipping the wrong breaker?\u201d We were. When we found the right circuit, the connection was made and the lights worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Connection \u2013 it\u2019s essential to light, to power, to living.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has never been more evident than in the past couple of years. Believers need connectedness in two areas: <em>First, we need connection with God<\/em>. Jesus says that if we abide in Him and His word abides in us, we will bear much fruit. Connection to Him brings fruitfulness and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A second connectedness we need is with one another<\/em>. You have heard the parable of the log that became separated from the fire and eventually went cold. And you\u2019ve seen it happen to people in their walk with Christ. It\u2019s heartbreaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For some, living in 2021 has made this second connection difficult. I know few people whose lives haven\u2019t been touched in a serious way by the pandemic. And this causes them to think twice about connecting socially \u2013 in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who are spiritually perceptive feel it. They feel the spiritual drain that comes with separateness. Others seem to know something\u2019s wrong, but they don\u2019t know what it is or what to do about it. It\u2019s disconnectedness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The solution for disconnectedness is\u2026. Wait for it\u2026. Connection!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you\u2019ve been disconnected, you may find that <em>you need to be intentional \u2013 even deliberate \u2013 in reconnecting with God and with his people<\/em>. Those two necessities are as close as two sides of a coin. We need them both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The way God connects us with Himself at Curwensville Alliance is beautiful. He works through the music in both morning services to bring us near to Himself. He knits our spirits together in the prayer time \u2013 when an elder uses his own words to express our hearts to God. God is there. And as we open God\u2019s word together, His Spirit speaks to our open hearts. The connection with God is sometimes palpable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to that, we see the beauty of what Christ continues to do at Curwensville Alliance as He continues to connect us &#8211; personally. Have you seen the people gathering before the 8 am service? Have you been in a Sunday School Class and heard the people sharing their hearts together? Have you caught the conversations about family and friends unfolding in the lobby? Have you stayed around after a Sunday service \u2013 just to connect? After a committee meeting \u2013 just to catch up? After a gathering \u2013 just to talk? Have you seen people praying together in a small group \u2013 in unexpected places?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we connect that way, our hearts find peace because we are where we should be \u2013 connected with God and with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was good to have light in the parking lot for the Christmas Eve service; I am thankful that we made the proper connection. And it\u2019s good to have light \u2013 and life \u2013 in our midst as we \u201cmake the proper connections\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we move forward into 2022, it\u2019s my prayer that each will look for ways that God wants to connect, personally \u2013 and that we will look for ways to connect with His people, personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"words-of-thanks\">Words of Thanks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"elders-and-board-of-ministries\">Elders and Board of Ministries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, I want to thank the Elders and the Board of Ministries for their cooperative oversight in leading in 2021. They help us connect with God and with each other. Their leadership causes Curwensville Alliance to flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"personally\">Personally<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>More and more, my wife, Laurel, finds creative ways to help people connect with God and with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you, Laurel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-Respectfully Submitted,<br>Pastor Steve<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are some Highlights of Pastor Steve&#8217;s Annual Report January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 The full report is on the literature table in the lobby at the church. And the video is here or you can read it &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/?p=2092\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-family"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9XvLb-xK","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2092"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2095,"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2092\/revisions\/2095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curwensvillealliance.org\/pastorsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}