Mountainview Family, 

Lately, I’ve been thinking about peace a lot. Ever since we chose Isaiah 6:9 as the source for our Christmas message series, I’ve been considering Jesus as our Prince of Peace. 

For a long time I thought that finding peace meant I needed to escape, to run away, because real peace was...somewhere else...where there was no conflict. But now I’m convinced that true peace can’t be found by running away or hiding from life. Among the dozens of things 2020 has taught me, peace is certainly not somewhere else. It seemed everywhere I have been this year, the dominant topic was COVID. And wherever I went, intense discussions about politics were there waiting for me. Peace wasn’t. 

This Christmas season, I want to remind all of us that peace is not a place. It’s not a situation or a circumstance. Peace is a person. His Name is Jesus. The only way to find peace is to focus on Him, the Prince of Peace.  

I’d like to challenge you to make room for Peace (Jesus), this Christmas season. It is easier to do when our eyes are on Jesus. When our eyes are on Him we begin to love, worship, care, and give, instead of hate, find fault, and complain. 

Jesus, our Peace, says to us, “...that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (‭‭John‬ ‭16:33)‬‬‬

Last weekend, I hope you caught a true picture of Jesus, our “Wonderful Counselor”. This Sunday we will see Jesus, our “Mighty God”. I hope you will join us at either 9:00 or 10:40am online or in person. 

Remember, in-person registration opens on Thursday and closes at midnight Saturday. Our maximum capacity is 100. You can register on our website, mvcclive.com

CHRISTMAS EVE

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite gathering times for our church each year. Our ministry team is getting creative in order to provide as many opportunities as possible for you and your family to participate in whatever format works best for you. Whichever method you choose, we will sing Christmas songs, we’ll hear about our Prince of Peace, plus share in communion and candle lighting. This can be done here, there and everywhere. 

In Person Gathering: We will be accepting registrations for up to 100 people for two in-person gatherings on Christmas Eve, December 24th at 5:30 and 7:00pm. Registration is open now. We are prepared to add additional in-person gatherings if registrations exceed our capacity for the two times. 

Online: Our Christmas Eve gathering will stream online at 2:30, 4:00, 5:30, 7:00, 8:30, 10:00 and 11:30. On our website, simply click on the Christmas Eve tab and select the time you and your family choose. Our gathering will be about one hour long. You can plan to share in communion and candle lighting. 

CHRISTMAS GENEROSITY

When it comes to our church’s generosity, I am continually awestruck. You have done it again! We ask and you respond. Your response makes such a significant impact in the lives of people around us. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Virtual Giving Tree: At this point, all of the virtual tags from our “Virtual Giving Tree” have been taken. Please bring the gifts you’ve committed to purchasing to this Sunday, the 13th. You can drop them off between 1:00-3:00pm. All gifts need to be to the church building for preparations no later than Sunday. 

Christmas Offering: For the past several years, we’ve asked you to consider giving an above-and-beyond Harvest or Christmas offering. We have used this offering to fund our local mission  and student scholarships. Would you consider participating with a gift again this year?  

During 2020, we have had enough funds available to help a number of people affected by COVID and the forest fires. We were able to help students who attend Highland Elementary with food, school supplies, and headphones for virtual learning. In addition, we were able to help a new church plant, Movement Church, continue to reach people in Portland for Jesus. Although we didn’t use as much money for student scholarships, we anticipate we will need to help several families be able to send their students to camps next summer. 

If you are able and willing to contribute an above-and-beyond gift, make sure it is marked “Christmas Offering” so it will be correctly recorded. 

Year End General Fund Giving: Please make note that year end giving to Mountainview General Fund must be to the finance office by 4:00pm on Wednesday, December 30th to be recorded for the year 2020. 

Join us this Sunday!

Grace & Peace

Pastor Tom