Happy New Year 2007 to you and your family!  Thank you for your prayers, your friendship, and your support   for  me  and  my  family  during the past  6 months of our  ministry together with you here at St. Andrews Road.  We are so very excited about all the opportunities for the cause of Christ in 2007 -- opportunities for growth, opportunities for deeper faith and love, opportunities for new friendships  and new Christian family members as we live and share the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, opportunities to use our time, talents, and treasures to bring glory to God, opportunities to teach, love, and care for everyone around us near and far away.  Remember our lesson from last Sunday?  What do we need?  We need every member  PERSONALLY,  every member’s PRAYERS,  PRESENCE,  PURSE, PARTICIPATION, PERSERVERANCE, PERSONAL DEDICATION, and every member’s PROMISE.  We have the money.   We have the talent.  We have the tools; and we have our God who is able.  As a matter of fact, our God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us…” (Ephesians 3:20). Our “End-of-the-Year Get-together” was fantastic last Sunday evening.  What a joy it was to be together   as we closed  out the  old year  and welcomed  the New Year with  joy and happiness. Bible Bowl 2007 is now upon us. Did you know that we only have 8 weeks until March 3rd?  Our teams are studying the book of Acts, preparing their study questions, and getting mentally and physically prepared to represent us well in this year’s event.  This will be a first for the Burleson’s. We’re very excited to be a part. This past Wednesday evening we began a survey of the Book of Acts in the auditorium.  I believe you will find this class very interesting and challenging.   It could be that one of your “New Year’s Resolutions” is to have a stronger faith in God.  Now is the time to open the door to a stronger  faith by meeting with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to study God’s word.  You know what the Bible says about faith!  “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).  It was Jesus who said to the tempter;  “Man shall not  live by bread alone, but by every  word that proceeds  form the  mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Our elders have written to us just inside our newsletter concerning their hopes, dreams, and plans for this new year.   Please  take some  time to read this article and pray every day for our elders,  for our deacons, and for the entire congregation as we seek to live for Christ every day.  May God bless us, every one!