“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

As we turned into this new year at midnight last night, we entered the final year of the first quarter of the 21st century. For those of us who once thought the year 2000 felt like a lifetime away (well, at least for me), that thought is a bit jarring. Since I began as the preaching pastor at Gulf Coast in 1999, I’ve already begun my 26th year—the second quarter-century—of preaching here. Don’t worry, I don’t expect to preach into a third quarter!

2024 was a great year for us at Gulf Coast. In 2023, we identified and articulated our missional priorities as a church. In 2024, we homed in on how to become a church that actively walks in them. We began the year clarifying the Gospel since that is what ultimately defines our message and mission. Gospel formation and Gospel mercy were front and center, while touching on our other missional priorities (Gospel culture, outreach, and unity). We ended the year with a Gospel unity field trip, gathering this past Sunday morning with Living Faith Bible Fellowship in Tampa.

I am entering 2025 with eager anticipation for what the Lord will do. Not because it is 2025, but because it is easy to see that He has begun working in a fresh way among us. While not leaving behind the themes of the last two years, this year, two themes will rise to the top: Gospel culture and Gospel outreach. The two aspects of Gospel culture we will focus on are our calling to peace as a way of life for the church and cultivating hearts filled with gratitude. You may have noticed the peace theme in our Advent series already.

In the area of Gospel outreach, it is really quite simple. Paul wrote to the Roman believers: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-14). Our desire is to incorporate examples of how we might share the hope that we have into many sermons. Since the Gospel is the true story of the whole world, how might we explain it so that it’s not an awkward intrusion into our conversations?

On a practical note, in 2025, we will continue focusing on raising up the next generation of teachers, preachers, and elders, as well as developing more ways to grow discipleship leaders among us. A key desire is to see deacons and deaconesses raised up to lead and facilitate proactive, not merely reactive, generosity to the poor.

We say all this in the spirit of Proverbs 19:21, cited above, and commit it all to the Lord. We ask you to join us in calling on the Lord to manifest His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven through us, as we learn His ways of peace in our lives, homes, relationships, and even in our disagreements. May we become a people known not for grumbling but for gratitude. And may the Lord grant us courage to speak boldly about the greatest politic the world has ever known: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, God’s good, promised King (Matt. 28:18).

On behalf of the elders,
Jerry

 

Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash