Harbor Year in Review: 2017
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. (Ephesians 2:20)
Hello Harbor!
It’s hard to believe it, but here it is: 2017 is already coming to a close and 2018 is already on the horizon. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Another 365 days has gone by. At times like these, it can be good to step back and take stock.
Looking back, we did a lot together as a community: we had three worship nights, two baptism events where over twenty people gave their lives over to Jesus, a lake-side barbecue, and our now annual Christmas Eve Eve celebration. We added to our Harbor leadership, most significantly by hiring a friend- of-Harbor-now-Harbor-family-member Jake Scott as our Teaching Pastor.
If we wanted, we could probably squeeze everyone into our worship space, pop some bubbly, and spend hours listening to Harbor folks share what 2017 meant to them. There were celebrations: engagements and weddings, babies born, promotions at work, graduations, new friendships and relationships, birthday parties, new ventures and adventures. But there were tears, too. Some difficult things happened in 2017: goodbyes, losses, struggles, and disappointments.
But there’s a New Year ahead. 2018 is coming. In a few days, we’ll clink our glasses and toast to what Harbor has ahead. We have a multiply team formed, with an eye toward Harbor’s future. Our Saturday night services kick off the first weekend of January. New people are attending Harbor services every single weekend. Harbor continues to grow and Help People Find Their Way Back to God!
If you’re anything like me, you probably like the sound of a New Year, fresh with nothing in it yet. A new datebook. No mistakes, no plans, no pen marks. But if we place our lives at the feet of Jesus, this just isn’t true. We’re not building from scratch. We’re building on Jesus. He is the first point, he is where we begin, he is our foundation. At the center of our wonderful celebrations and our difficult seasons, we all have the same anchor holding all of us steady: Jesus Christ is our cornerstone, our hope, our joy, and our peace.
It’s been a wonderful year. It’s been a hard year.
It’s been a year.
But God has been with us the entire time. He loves us, and he walks beside us. He will continue to be with us, because there is nothing on earth below or above that can separate us from him. He is our constant companion, our nearest friend, our provider, and our heavenly Father.
And as we head into another wonderful, hard, blessed year, let’s lean on God. He is the author of all things, including the year 2018. Let’s toast to the wonderful plans he has in store for us all.
Happy New Year, Harbor!
Join us for our New Year’s Eve service this Sunday, December 31st @ 10AM. Isaiah Martin will be sharing a word with us, so you won’t want to miss it!