Author: Leigh Shepard

December

news

Christmas Joy

Winter is my least favorite season but contains my most favorite holiday. I don’t love the cold, and I stress out if I have to drive on icy roads. The ice storm that took out everyone’s power and many roadways a few years ago is something I don’t want to experience again.
But Christmas is a magical time of year, most of the time.
I have experienced 48 Christmases so far, and I have had nearly every emotion you can imagine. As a kid I remember Christmas plays and getting to open a gift on Christmas Eve. I also remember family arguments and the Christmas Eve my dad said he was leaving. I have had a Christmas where all the gifts were wrapped under the tree weeks before the 25th, and I remember a Christmas where I was doing all my shopping on the 24th. I’ve had Christmases where I had lists of things I wanted to be sure to experience before Christmas night, and thoroughly enjoyed most of them. Christmas day of 1999, we moved into the house we still live in.
My spirit has had ups and downs as well over the years. I can easily become tripped up by comparison and by unrealistic expectations. Social media pictures of perfect mantles with stockings hanging, matching Christmas jammies, and festivities I am not part of, all the while I haven’t managed to put the tree up. Feelings of insecurity start stacking up, and irritations are inflamed.
Odds are that this year is challenging for some people – and if that’s you, please listen close.
Regardless of what your Christmas looks like this year, your heart can choose joy.
In Scripture, the stars of the story had a variety of reactions to what they saw.
In Luke chapter 2, we see the shepherds who are doing their normal jobs, keeping the sheep safe at night. Angels came and told them to go and see. They did and told everyone about it. Lots of amazement, glorifying and praising God.
Simeon went in the temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to be circumcised, and he began to pray a hymn right there on the spot, declaring his life was complete and he was ready to die.
When the widow Anna, who spent most of her life praying, saw Jesus, she talked about him to anyone who was interested.
Mary saw it all, and treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
You can be a secret keeper, holding all the joy in your heart, or a talker who wants to share the news with everyone in earshot, but be sure to choose joy.
Take moments to read Scripture and remember what Jesus did. Take moments to pray, thanking Him. Take moments to drive by the neighbors’ decorated houses and say a prayer for them. Thank God for community. Read the Christmas story in Luke and imagine what it must have been like with the crowded town, the tired parents and the makeshift baby bed.
Let it fill your heart with joy that He was willing to come down to save us.
John 1:9-10 “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world . . .” - Jennifer Chapman

HUNTINGTON FIRST CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
321 30th ST, Huntington, WV 25702
304-525-6839 | www.hfcnaz.com | church@hfcnaz.com

Marc Price, Lead Pastor
Trevor Lanz, Pastor to Families with Children

Sunday
December 7
5-8 PM

December 2025

All Church,, HF Kids, HF Youth, HF Women’s Min, Thrive

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1	2 / THRIVE-Young Adult	3 / Wed. Night Activities @ 6 PM / Women’s Bible Study	4	5	6
7 / Jingle Jam	8	9 / THRIVE-Rick’s / Prayer Shawl / THRIVE-Young Adult	10 / Wed. Night Activities @ 6 PM / Women’s Bible Study	11 / Thrive-Married Group / Win-A-Couple Class Dinner	12	13 / 2nd Saturday Prayer
14	15	16 / THRIVE-Young Adult	17 / Wed. Night Activities @ 6 PM / Women’s Bible Study	18 / Women’s Christmas Gathering	19	20 / Widow’s Luncheon
21 / Candle Light Service	22	23 THRIVE-Rick’s / Prayer Shawl / THRIVE-Young Adult	24	25	26	27
28	29	30 / THRIVE-Young Adult	31 / Floating Communion

Church Office Closed

Church Office Closed

Connect.Thrive.Serve.

"Our vision at HF is to be a church that is CONNECTING with Christ and people, THRIVING in Christ and God's Word and SERVING Christ and others."

CONNECTING:
Ministry Center: (Gathering Room) Phase One renovations are almost complete. Furniture is in place & cabinets are installed. Décor & a few touches will be added & it’ll be complete. It’s gonna be a great new year for HF Ministries!
Rezoning: Everything went great at the zoning Commission, and it was passed-along to the City Council. It was a unanimous decision to approve us to be rezoned!
Connecting for prayer & Information:
HF has been using a Texting/Phone Calling Company for many years called Text-em- all to keep our people connected with prayer needs & announcements. Those expenses have increased by 97.14%. The church is charged for each text &/or call so we were able to remove several names who have either passed or left, which will help us considerably. If costs continue to rise, we will begin looking for other options.
First Impressions and Bridge Team: Our Stewards have been working hard on keeping us connected with new visitors we’re seeing weekly. Nathan Miller reported on the use of Church Center for communication & connecting but our people will need to download the app in order for us to get it’s full use.
In addition to this connection tool we have been working on a church logo refresh after about 15 years. We plan to transition to a new look for the new year & it’s a change the Leadership Team believes everyone will love, as it connects our generations so well.
THRIVING:
Compassionate Ministry: There was quite a bit of discussion concerning the food needs of so many people locally around the holidays. So, the Leadership Team, after much discussion, decided to use current Compassionate Ministry Thanksgiving baskets funds & purchase several $50 Kroger gift cards to be donated to families in need. We have already been able to give 6 of those away. Thank you for your giving that allows us to help our neighbors.
Sensory Room & Special Needs Ministry: We have a new Sensory Room located in the Prayer Room where families with neurodivergent members can watch the service on the TV, use sensory calming items or choose to wear noise-cancelling headphones in the service if needed. We have had some children with these needs & we are thrilled that they & their families have been able to worship with us. If you are interested in being a part of this much-needed ministry, please contact the church office.

SERVING:
There are plenty of opportunities available in each church ministry to serve. Here are a few:
Community Garden: We would welcome someone with a passion for gardening to oversee our Community Garden year-round.
Van Coordinator: One of the most rewarding and needed ministries in our church may not be the most visible, but it is tremendously important. We pick up children, teenagers and adults weekly that would not otherwise be able to be here. We need someone with a heart for reaching everybody we can with the Gospel that would be willing to schedule riders and drivers, as well as recruit new ones. Please contact Pastor Marc if you can serve here.
*Also, there are rotation options now for Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings if you are able to serve as a van rider or driver.
HF Youth: Our youth are our greatest resource for the future of ministry here at HFCN. Please consider investing in them by volunteering. You are needed and there are several opportunities available. Please contact Pastor Trevor if you're able to serve.
ADDITIONAL:
Sabbatical: Pastor Trevor has been ministering at HF for almost 7 years. The Church of the Nazarene Manual encourages churches to periodically give all of its Pastors extended breaks every 5 years of continual full-time ministry. Pastor Trevor was asked to provide & distribute a handout with general sabbatical information and a financial statement of what it might cost. The estimated expense is $3000. There was a motion that the Sabbatical expense be taken from line item 540-06 (District Training/Retreats) & Pastor Trevor be given 4 weeks (April 25-May 23) of sabbatical. 7 voted in favor of the motion with one vote against. The motion carried.
It is our hope, that as we continue to do ministry here at Huntington First as we move forward in reaching people for Jesus, that you stay well informed. We hope this helps. And as always, I’m always available if you need to chat. Until we see each other again, let’s all go and be light in a dark world!
In Jesus,
Pastor Marc