Madison Ave. Church of The Brethren

Typically, January is a time for new beginnings, new ideas, new resolutions. For many of us who make those famous (or infamous) New Year’s resolutions, experience has shown that they usually last for an average of 17.4 days before we shrug them off and go back to former ways. It’s really unfortunate that so many good disciplines and activities and ideas are lost so easily.

There are several new things coming for us this year at MACOB. With the resignation of staff persons and new persons on the Leadership Team and in other positions of leadership around the Church, there will be obvious changes in administration, worship, study times, and activities. One thing in life is certain and that is change. Change is usually difficult, but it always provides opportunity for learning and growth. I pray we can together make this time of change and transition, a positive growing time of ministry and faith maturing for us all.

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From the Pastor’s Desk

In the latter years of King Hussein of Jordan, a terrible tragedy occurred. Two Israeli schoolgirls were playing in a park called “The Island of Peace,” located in the middle of the Jordan River, right on the border between the two countries. While the girls were playing, a Jordanian soldier shot them dead for no apparent reason. The news media flashed the news around the world with lightning speed.

For a short while it seemed the fragile peace between Israel and Jordan could be broken. But then it became clear that the soldier was suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness and he’d acted with no authorization from anyone. Apologies were made and accepted in diplomatic circles, and the world breathed easier.

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From the Pastor’s Desk

The little book of Haggai in the Old Testament doesn’t get a whole lot of exposure or teaching in the modern Church. The book records the prophet Haggai’s appeal from God to His chosen people to consider the true priorities in their life. They had returned from exile in Babylon to a scene of utter destruction in Jerusalem. After a half-hearted, aborted attempt to rebuild the temple, they abandoned that task in favor of building their own houses.  Their abandonment of the temple work also signaled an abandonment of their religious fervor.

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