You are the light of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
                You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

Greetings:

As we bring in the year 2012, some of you may have a New Year’s Resolution that you will be acting upon.  You realize that you have to make a change in your life, so you set forth goals to accomplish that change.  For some of us our New Year’s Resolution will be getting more exercise, losing weight, developing a new hobby, being more conscientious to others, etc. 
As our church heads into a new year, we too will be examining ourselves to see where we are in our service to God.  We will set forth goals that we hope to achieve and then go forth hoping to accomplish those changes that will bring about that success.
A few of the changes that could take place in our church for 2012 are:

• Opportunities to grow spiritually such as Wednesday morning prayer at 7:00 a.m. in our chapel and a men’s Bible study which meets monthly at the church.
• An outreach program for children at McKinney Harrison in which they meet weekly at our church.
• Ownership of committee members to their committees and involvement of members and friends of our church on those committees.
• Involvement of the congregation in a church transformation process.  We attempted this in 2011, but unfortunately we weren’t able to get it completely off the ground.  By starting anew in 2012 I hope we can have better results.

My New Year’s resolution for Auburn Presbyterian Church is to increase our knowledge and awareness of Jesus Christ in our lives, and to grow both physically (worship attendance) and spiritually.  I want the people of Auburn and beyond to see our light shining here for Jesus Christ at 111 West Twelfth Street. 
I feel the goals listed above may help us to achieve that.  I’m curious to know what your New Year’s Resolution regarding our church might me.  Please let me know.  I’d love to talk to you whether it’s over the telephone, in your home, or at church.  I feel God has blessed us with a tremendous staff and I feel excited about the challenges God has in store for us in 2012!

In Christ’s Love,

Lyle