January 2, 2025

New Years Blessings and Other News

Happy New Year people of Grace. Together we enter 2025. For some of you this calendar change is the welcome reset after a hard year, for others this year holds new possibilities and excitement. I know in our household, we have a child graduating from high school, which makes for a memorable year.

I will be away the on a trip to Greece and Turkey following the footsteps of Paul with other pastors and their spouses from January 6th-16th. Pastor Maria will be holding down the fort along with the rest of the Grace staff. This is a trip that has been several years in the making and changed from a trip to Israel and the Holy Land after the war broke out in Gaza. I ask for your prayers for our travel. This is a trip that hopefully we can share together one day. Designed to help pastors prepare to take with their congregation members. I look forward to sharing some of my learnings with you all when I return.

In this new year, I pray that your eyes would stay open to seeing God’s presence within and around you, that you would slow down and recognize the steady rhythm of the world beating all around us every day. I pray that you might hear messages of love and belonging and share them with others. I pray you will forgive abundantly and receive with open arms. I pray you will allow your true self to shine through bringing you connection and compassion. May God’s love fill you and bless you in this new year.

Blessings,

Pastor Joanna Mitchell