Identity - Leadership
Teachers
Lesson Summary
On the first Sunday of 2021, Pastor Richard Sutton opened the service by welcoming the congregation to a new year and reviewing the past year’s hurdles and blessings. He highlighted how the pandemic forced the church to lean on technology—live streaming, Zoom meetings, and the Soul2Soul podcast—to keep worship, classes, and community events alive. He praised the congregation’s adaptability, noting specific outreach efforts like the teens’ car‑wash fundraiser for families in Guatemala and support for the Ukrainian Bible Institute. The pastor then turned to spiritual encouragement, asking the congregation to assess their personal walk with Christ: time spent in Scripture, prayer consistency, generosity, and the priority given to worship both in the sanctuary and at home. He announced upcoming Bible classes on Galatians and Deuteronomy and urged members to stay engaged, whether in‑person or online. Concluding with a call to avoid complacency, he reminded everyone that true worship focuses on God, not on crowds or spectacle, and invited the church to pursue a renewed identity and leadership in the coming year.