Friends,

On Saturday you will receive an email from Lisa which is the pastoral renewal survey. Click on the link that says congregation. You will be asked to fill in the church name and if you are a member or regular attender. There are 5 questions. Click the answer you feel best answers the question. After the questions is a comment box. Write all you want as the box will expand. This is optional, as is your contact information. Then click submit and you are finished! I will complete a separate survey as will our elders and staff. We have from Sunday March 1^st through Sunday March 8^th to complete the surveys. A written survey is available for non-computer users. You can also come in to the church during business hours and Lisa will help you fill it out.

We had a baptismal service Sunday after church at Compass Christian Church just down the street. Three children were baptized: William Meadors and Ivy and Kai Trusty. Congratulate these children on their commitment to follow Christ.

Pastor Ed

Friends,

My 3-year call to be the pastor at Hanover Evangelical Friends Church ends June 30, 2020. I feel led to continue as pastor. Cathy and I love you all and feel the desire to be with you doing the Lord’s work. So, my call needs to be renewed.

In the past, unless the pastor had tenure, the congregation would meet in March and vote whether to extend the call or not. There is a new process, and you will be one of the earliest congregations to do it.

From March 1^st through March 8^th you will be able to click on a link from an email you will be sent by our Church Secretary, Lisa Workman, on February 29th. The survey is super easy to complete, just 5 questions. You need to be a member or regular attender to fill it out and you will be prompted to respond to that question. Questions ask you to respond on a scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. There is a box for comments which is optional. It is also optional if you want to include personal information.

I have a survey to complete, as does the staff and elders. Each of those surveys are slightly different but very similar. After March 8^th, the time to complete the survey will end. The Church Health Team Director, Ed Walsh, will tabulate the results and give a written report to me and the elders. We will inform you from there. The call is now 4 years.

If you don’t have a computer, you can stop by the church Monday – Thursday 9-3 or Friday 9-2, and Lisa will help you fill it out. You also can do it while you are at church on either Sunday the 1^st or 8^th. Someone will be at the church computer to help you. Another option is to fill out a copy of the survey by pen and Lisa will put it online for you.

I will be explaining the process Sunday night, the 23^rd at 5 PM at the Town Hall/Congregational business meeting. I hope you all will come as we will also be discussing possibly selling some unused land to pay off church debt.

Pastor Ed

Friends,

In my sermon I mentioned a quote by William Barclay on Roman adoption. I think Paul had this in mind in describing God the Father’s adopting of us. Let me quote Barclay here for you to consider.

There were 4 parts of the adoption process.

1. The adopted person lost all rights in his old family and gained all rights of a legitimate son in his new family. In the most binding legal way, he got a new father.
2. It followed that he became heir to his new father’s estate. Even if other sons were afterwards born, it did not affect his rights. He was inalienably co-heir with them.
3. In law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out; for instance, all debts were cancelled. He was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which the past had nothing to do.
4. In the eyes of the law he was absolutely the son of his new father.

The adoption ceremony was carried out in the presence of seven witnesses. If someone in the future disputed the inheritance, and the father had died, one of the witnesses would confirm the adoption. It is the Holy Spirit who confirms God is our new Father!

Barclay says, “Once we were in the absolute control of our own sinful nature; but God, in his mercy, has brought us into his absolute possession. The old life has no more rights over us; God has an absolute right. The past is cancelled and it’s debts wiped out; we begin a new life with God and become heirs of all his riches.”

Pastor Ed