There is nothing magical about the first day of a new year. It is one day, which followed a day before, with another day coming after. As people of faith and citizens
of Christ's Kingdom of forgiveness and loving presence, we know that God is with us every day and that every day holds the possibility of fresh insights about our
lives, of letting go of the anchors of our past, and of beginning new life-giving habits.

Still, there is something about this time of year that beckons us to take stock of our lives and hopefully renew the quest for an even more abundant and faithful
life with newfound motivation.

As I take stock of Holy Covenant at the beginning of 2012, there are many, many things to celebrate. But, there is one glaring growing edge that I would like to
spotlight. Perhaps this growing edge mirrors a growing edge in your own life and will suggest something new for you in 2012.

The growing edge I see is on-going spiritual formation. Holy Covenant is a church full of doers. This is a real strength of ours, and many people within the church
and in our wider community are blessed because of it. We put together a host of high-quality programs and events, week in and week out. We sponsor a wide variety
of mission projects throughout the year. The paid and volunteer leadership behind our very full calendar of ministries is dedicated and strong. We are doers. But
even the most committed doers tend to run out steam unless they also learn how to be. I believe our growing edge as a congregation is to make it a priority to balance
our doing for the Lord with being with the Lord, so that we are centered in Christ and sustained by Christ in the years ahead.

On-going spiritual formation - being with the Lord in a disciplined and deepening way - comes I many shapes and sizes. For some, a daily practice of private prayer
and scripture reading fits the bill. For others, regular journaling about our day-to-day journey keeps us close to Christ and reveals new insights about God and ourselves.
For most, across the history of the Christian movement, it is meeting regularly with a small, trusted group of fellow disciples that really does the trick.

On-going spiritual formation through small groups was a key element of the Early Church's amazing vitality and growth. Acts 2:42 summarizes the simple agenda of
these groups, saying they 1) studied the "Old Testament" scriptures and the apostle's teaching about Jesus, 2) enjoyed fellowship with one another, 3) shared meals together,
and 4) prayed together. Certainly, we get some of each of these things by attending worship and participating in occasional events at the church. But nothing beats
the encouragement and support we receive through relationships with other trusted disciples who share the journey of life and faith with us.

We need on-going spiritual formation like this to compliment our worship celebrations and our selfless acts of service. We need to balance our doing with times of being.

This year, Holy Covenant's leadership has set a goal spiritual formation goal: increase the number of people who are participating regularly in an Acts 2:42-styled small
group by 25%. We want to reach this goal by starting new groups and by sharpening the focus and adding people to existing groups.

Take stock of your own life. Are you running on fumes? How is your balance of doing and being? Perhaps this is the year for you to discover new sources of guidance,
strength, hope and joy by being a part of a small group at Holy Covenant. If so, please reach out to Cassie Wade (cwade@hcumc.org [mailto:cwade@hcumc.org]), Jana
Jones (jjones@hcumc.org [mailto:jjones@hcumc.org]) or myself so that we may show you the great options you have here at Holy Covenant.

Grace and Peace, Pastor Andy