by Kathryn Dyksterhouse

If you know me well, you know that I am a planner and an organizer. I don’t know what I would do without my calendar. Every year in December, I look ahead to next year’s calendar and make some plans for church communications. My first order of business is to ask members and friends of Westminster if they would be willing to write a blog post in the coming year. And every year, I am overwhelmed by the number of people who tell me “yes”. Some people respond with a big, bold, all-caps “YES! I WOULD LOVE TO!,” some reply more meekly with “I will try it but this really isn’t my thing,” and most are somewhere in between. And I am humbled by all of them. To those who love to write and have enjoyed the creative outlet that our blog has provided, I am so thankful for you sharing your amazing gift. To those who do not consider yourselves to be writers but agree to write a post anyway, I am grateful for your willingness to stretch yourself and share with us in a way that is out of your comfort zone.

If you were to ask me my favorite outlet for communication for our church, I would unequivocally say that this blog is it. As Richard often tells us, “If you’ve been saved by Christ, then you’ve been sent by Christ.” If you are a child of God, then you have a story to tell. And this is one place to tell it. So many have been encouraged by the stories that have been told through this little blog. You’ve shared lighthearted stories, testimonies, burdens that have weighed heavy on your hearts, theological insights, struggles, links to great authors and websites – and some of the appeal of this site has been in this great variety of posts.

Another reason that I love the blog is that it provides a way to get to know one another. It can be so uplifting to read the story of someone you may not know very well and get a greater insight into what is going on in that person’s life. I pray that we as a church body don’t stop there. As you read the stories of members that you don’t know very well, I encourage you to spend time with them so that you can get to know them and learn more about them. You can use their blog post as a “jumping off point” in conversation.

As I’ve thought about that – the opportunity to “get to know” people through this outlet – I’ve asked some of our college students to contribute to the blog in 2017. And again, I was blown away by the response. Every student I approached agreed to write something in the coming year! I know that most of you will look forward to hearing from them as much as I do.

If you’ve never written a post for the blog but would like to contribute in the coming year, we would be delighted to hear from you! Please let me know and I will add you to the schedule. And thanks to everyone who has already agreed to write a post. I believe these posts knit us together as a closer family of believers.

“…I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you…” Philemon 1:6-7