Happy New Year 2011

 This past year has been a year of great change and growth for all of us at Riveroaks. If you look back at all that we have been through it is comforting to see that God has been with us and has kept us just as He  promised that He would. His faithful presence can be seen through the peace that passes all understanding that has been provided to Emma Neal in the loss of her beloved husband and I praise God. Our Lord was in the midst of a turbulent journey involving the Fearnow family  where despite  heartache there was the joy of a marriage, the excitement of a graduation and Down Under adventure, along with the pains of  moving. Through all of this Beth has exhibited a great dependence upon the Lord and shown us God's  faithfulness in the midst of  uncertainty and this has been nothing less than extraordinary. I praise God for this.
We heard  the voice of Isaiah as Billy taught us and it was hard to hear  how really sinful we all are but then Billy brilliantly pointed us to the beautiful connection of Chapter's 34 and 35 which speak of our great sin and greater blessing. What a comfort when we walk through the waters to remember our Redeemer lives and He is continually faithful.

  When we think of the monumental task taken on by the leadership of the church and  see the community groups starting up and the shepherding groups become more effective, and the change in heart that our church has experienced; It is amazing to see the work of the Lord here at Riveroaks and I praise God

The women of the church have been blessed this past year as well. We have seen the development of a strong nursery committee who have implemented changes to  provide a clean, safe, effective place for our children to be nurtured in the way of the Lord and for this I praise God

We have been blessed by the continuation of our Woman to Woman series were women have opened their lives and allowed us to share in the journey that God has given them and shown us His faithfulness to them and for this I praise God.

 We have loved and served each other and the church as a whole during the loss of family members, the joy of weddings and the blessings of births. We have watched women live out their faith with a servants heart. Jeanne Keeton organized an army of volunteers to help the Fearnow family close a whole chapter in their lives and helped prepare and nurture them on to what God has for them and for this I praise God.

2011 will bring more challenges and blessings (which are not mutually exclusive) and there is already much underway. We will have our first woman to woman on Friday 1/14. This is a change of the usual week night.  We are not having a women's winter retreat due to the Regional Women's Conference that we are hosting March 25th and 26th however; we need some time to bond. A Friday night of sharing and then of fellowship has been planned. This is one you will not want to miss. The topic is of a sensitive nature but one that affects us all. Then for those who can stay later we will have some fun fellowship. Wear your "comfy clothes".

As previously mentioned a Regional Conference is scheduled for March 25th and 26th. Save the date announcements have been mailed out with the hope that this conference will be a ministry for churches that are unable to provide this type of teaching and fellowship for their congregations. It will give us an opportunity to meet and grow to love other christian women in our presbytery. The speaker is Melanie Cogdill who is an editor for the Christian Research Institute. She lives in Charlotte North Carolina and is a leadership trainer for the PCA. She plans on teaching how we can lead Godly lives in the midst of all the hedonistic cultural changes that have taken place; "Girls Gone Wild". Teri Scott and myself have been working on this since last February and have asked Catherine Zampini to spear head the logistic. I know she will need help so I hope you will be willing to be a part of this ministry.

We will finish out the spring with more women to women evenings and a luncheon where next years   women's leadership will be announced. This will give  time over the summer to plan out the next years events. And don't worry, we have booked Pinecrest for January 2012.

I hope that this look at the faithfulness of God as He works in and among us will give you the desire to be a part of this ministry.  We are looking for women to step up to positions of service in the year to come and yes that is what this is SERVICE.

Please join me for a meeting next Wednesday 1/12 at 5:30 pm in the parlor( grab your dinner and bring it along) where we can look more specifically at the coming events and plan for the next years leadership. This meeting is open to all women who are now serving and for any who would like to come and be a part of this ministry. 

Blessed beyond measure,
Nancy Appling
550-4633