What a year 2025 has been for us all. Many ups, many downs, and Christ our King has been faithful through it all. Some of our beloved saints have departed to be with the Lord, others have moved away, and we have had new saints join our ranks. We have sought to aid parents in their training up of their children in the ways of the Lord through programs like VBS and Kids’ Club, Children’s Church, and Student Group, and we have sought to love our community well with events like First Fridays, the Pumpkin Roll, the community Thanksgiving lunch, and the upcoming Christmas Caroling events (Dec 6th and 12th). Perhaps the largest, physically speaking, event was the renovations of our sanctuary. How many more things I could include here! It’s been a big year!

The accomplishment I personally am most proud of though is that many of you have read your Bibles all the way through this year. Whether through the FBCW Reading Plan or another plan of your own choosing, you have spent consistent time in the Scriptures, and that is one of the most important means of grace that God has given the Christian to grow in holiness and love for Him. We are nothing but a community club if we are not people of the Word. Because our acts, events, and services as a church (which means “gathering” of saints) are all done in the name of Christ, they are worthless and will even serve to judge us if they are not done for the glory of Jesus. How then can we know what will glorify Him, how are we to be conformed to His image, and how we can carry out His will if we do not know it? And where else can we know it but in His Word? If we are to be a mighty people of God, serving and honoring Him as we are called, then we must be like St. Apollos who was “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).

This is my 2026 Resolution (I am not typically big on New Year’s resolutions): I want to be like Apollos. I want to be known as a man “mighty in the Scriptures” and I want you all to be known for the same thing.

This is not just so that we can be Bible thumpers, running around quoting verses and whatnot. In this sense, the Pharisees and Sadducees were mighty in the Scriptures as well, for they knew their Scriptures backwards and forwards (they had more of the Old Testament memorized than we ever will, I’m sure of it), but it did them no good, for they knew not and loved not the Author but rather loved themselves and used their knowledge of the Scriptures for self-glory. If we are to be mighty in the Word, it must be because we know that we are first mightily loved by Jesus and want to love Him in return. In 2026, let us therefore be people who love His Word because we know and love the Author, and because we want to love His people and expand His Kingdom. Tolle Lege!

Pastor Joshua