Dear Northside
Welcome to the first Prayer Bulletin of the year. Prayer is a vital part of building God’s church here at Northside, but it does not rank very high on members list of priorities. We talk about it, but we do not do it – especially when it comes to our prayer breakfast. It is my hope and prayer that we will pray together more this year.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for the elders and our wives as we met together last weekend. We looked at the things God has been teaching each of us this past year. Lessons we have learned and areas we have grown in. We looked back at 2025 and listed our highlights and areas where Northside has grown. We also listed our concerns. We asked ourselves why does Northside exist? Why are we here at this time and in this place? And then we spent time asking God what we should be focussing on this coming year, what our theme will be. There was a wonderful sense of unity and we are excited about our theme for 2026. We will be sharing all this with the Church Council this weekend and looking at how we can implement it in and through all our ministries. Keep praying for us. We will then start communicating it to the rest of the congregation.
Another issue that I feel is important as we look forward into 2026 is unity. What does unity mean to you? In a chaotic and divided world, sometimes the word “unity” can sound like something irrelevant, something that just can’t work in the broken world we live in. Division is nothing new. In fact, it was a challenge very early in church history and something the apostle Paul addressed head-on. In 1 Corinthians 1, we see that Paul had received reports that believers in Corinth were segmenting themselves based on who shared the Gospel with them. They said things like, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or, “I am of Christ.” Rather than being united as one body of Christ, they were dividing themselves into smaller groups and factions. Paul was very moved by this. In 1 Corinthians 1:13 he asks them these simple questions: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Paul didn’t want the believers of Corinth to get lost in comparisons and separations. He wanted them united under Christ: one King, one Gospel. Paul brought them back to the only thing that matters: salvation is from Christ alone. Without Christ, there is no unity. But under Christ, we can be united in a way that the world has never seen or understood. In a world of fighting and division, the body of Christ gets to show the power of the Gospel. We are united, focused on Christ and only Christ.
God, you know how much division there is in this world. I pray your church will be an example of the unity. Only your love can bring. Help me to foster unity in every environment are step into, seeking to understand and keeping my focus on Christ. Jesus name, Amen.