As I write this article, I am sitting in my office in a very quiet church building. There are almost no sounds, as the heating system is shut down and there is no one else here. I am sure if these walls could talk, they would say Sunday, March 22 was a strange day. It was not snowing, the weather was cloudy and gray, but no reason to call off church, where was everyone? Well, we were all at home, some of us around a tv so we could watch a service, some around the computer so we could see a service streaming online and some were around the computer listening to a sermon I recorded and sent out by email.

Yes, on Saturday, I recorded the message I intended to preach and then sent a link to it by email to everyone whose email I have. If you did not receive the email and would like to get the next sermon, please email me at hgermany@cabcva.org and I will add you to the list. In fact, on Sunday, March 29 I am going to try some new technology and that link will be in your email box.

I must give a shout out to Adam Granger at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Atlanta. He made this technology available and I only had to call a number he gave me and then speak into my phone and it recorded the message and then he did the work to make it where it was easy to put the link in an email for those who received it to click and listen. CBF is trying to help churches, especially small ones like ours to be able to connect with our people. Adam is the Assistant to the Executive Coordinator of CBF. His father is the Minister of Education at FBC Athens, GA and I have known him for many years. Adam and I met at Passport in 2011 when our youth went. We reconnected when Paul Baxley, Executive Coordinator for CBF was in Virginia last year for our annual meeting. He offered his help because of our relationship, but he is also offering that help to other CBF Churches. So if you ever wonder, why do we give all of this money to missions, not only does it take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, it also provides a network of help to local churches.

Howard

The month of March promises warmer weather, although we are probably not longing for that as we have in other years since this winter has not been harsh at all. The time will change on March 8th so we will have longer afternoons to be out and enjoy the outdoors. With the outdoors, we will enjoy the beauty of spring and all that comes with the blooms, blossoms, flowers, leaves and yes, even pollen. I encourage you to get outside and enjoy the Spring.

This month also brings two important meetings in the life of our church. The first is our Spring Semi-Annual Business Meeting on Sunday, March 8th. We will meet at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall. The second is our Semi-Annual Celebration of Ministry. This will take place on Sunday, March 22nd during the morning worship service. This will also take place in the Fellowship Hall so that we can show pictures of the different ministries that our church is involved in. Please make every effort to be at both of those important times as we meet and celebrate what God is doing among us.

We are also in the season of Lent as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter. I will be preaching from Matthew the first Sunday and then the rest of the month I will be focusing on passages from the Gospel of John. I hope that you will make plans to worship with us as often as you can during the Season of Lent.

Howard

Sunday, January 26 our church met in a town hall setting. The subject was whether we would be willing to give/donate the church building and grounds to CHAT with the understanding that CABC would be allowed to continue to meet in this space for a period of time as outlined in a renewable lease that is yet to be written. There was quality discussion and very few questions. Most came knowing how they felt. Everyone who want- ed to speak was afforded the opportunity. When the hour was over, there was no one waiting for the micro- phone. A ballot vote was taken with the question being, “Are you in favor of donating the church building and property to Church Hill Activities and Tutoring ena- bling CHAT’s ministry to grow and CABC to continue worshipping in the building. *CABC would retain rights to designated space as documented in a renewable lease.” There were 67individuals present for the meeting. 64 voted in favor and 2 voted no.

This is just the first step in the process. CHAT wants to have an assessment done to determine what issues there are in the building and then if those issues are beyond their reach. If they find that there are no surprises that they don’t feel they can handle, then leadership from both groups will meet and hammer out the details.

There is work to be done by CABC as we move for- ward. We will work toward putting in writing our desires for what needs to be in the lease, including what would happen should CHAT decide they no longer want to use the building for their purposes. We will also decide what if any money CABC would need to give CHAT for supplies etc. that both groups would use. We also need to make some decisions about what space in the building CABC wants to use as shared space and designated space. Then there is the task of cleaning out large amounts of storage space.

We will continue to work together as we move forward. Our church leadership is committed to transparency and providing all of the information that we can. There is the need for the church family to make the effort to attend important meetings. There was good representation at the town hall and it will be important to have that kind of representation moving forward.

Howard

A new year is upon us. As we finish up one year and begin a new one, I need to bring you up to date on our heating situation. The cause of our heating issue in the Sanctuary, office space and part of the Children’s wing was a kink in the oil line between the oil tank and the boiler. That issue was resolved by straightening the line. We are indebted to Matt Taylor from Chamberlain Mechanical for working to find the problem and getting it resolved. He also took two personal vacation days to come and work for free! What a gift. A member of our church has also pledged to give up to $5,000 to cover the cost of this expense. On a good note, we learned several things. One, the oil tank is newer than we thought. The lines to the building are also newer than we thought and in good shape. We also learned that there has been natural gas in the building in the past and that there is a gas line that runs with- in 6 feet or less of the boiler. We are going to check into the possibility of converting to a natural gas burner for the Sanctuary Boiler. I am sure there will be more news to come.

Second, the first two Sundays of the year I will be speaking on the State of the Church. Where we are and where we may be headed. I hope that you will make every effort to be present. On the last Sunday of January, we will have a church discussion for all who are interested about our future. This will take place during the Bible Study Hour (9:30 AM) in the Fellowship Hall. Please circle those dates on your calendar and make every effort to be present. Most of the discussion will be around our current attendance, current workers, finances and our ability to maintain this building. We will also be discussing our future relationship with CHAT and Church Hill Academy and what that might look like. The Church Council will be leading this discussion.

Howard

This is our 15th Advent and Christmas together. This season of the year is always very special. I want to thank all of those who work so hard to make it meaningful. There are numbers of people who have been working on special music for the month. Lee and Allen are heading that effort up, but many have said yes when contacted to sing with a group or alone. We are all grateful for the folk who decorate the sanctuary and other spaces. The individuals and families who lead in worship are important as well. The Christmas dinner is always a special evening and we look forward to that taking place on Wednesday, Dec. 18th. There is always a good crowd that goes into the neighborhood to Carol and that will take place on Friday, Dec. 20th. The Christmas Musical, “Bethlehem Morning” will be sung by our Christmas Choir on Sunday, Dec. 22nd. For most people, the service that is so very special is the Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service. That service will begin at 7 PM on Christmas Eve.

It takes all of us to make these services possible, so I hope you will take advantage of each one. Most years I also remind you to carve out some “Family Time” just for your family to have some time together where you do not have scheduled events to go to. The schedule can get so full that you don’t have the time to enjoy the season with those who are most special.

Merry Christmas,

Howard