Jesus said that we are to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15) It is urgent that we get the word out to everyone who will listen by all means possible! In one way, we are attempting to do that by increasing our online presence. Our Sunday and Wednesday worship services are now being live-streamed and archived on YouTube as well as Facebook! (This is in addition to in-person worship services.) So, if you or someone you know does not use Facebook, the services can still be watched! Our Youtube videos will be posted at Open Door Church Lee MA. (You will also notice some older videos which are already there.) Please go to Youtube and subscribe to our channel. You will then be notified when new content appears. This also helps our YouTube placement. Our website, www.opendoor4you.com is also available even while it is currently being rebuilt.
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Please continue to pray for us. Attendance at our worship services has averaged in the 40's over the last few months. In comparison, we averaged 82 in January of 2020 and 74 in February of 2020 before the shutdowns due to COVID. Some faithful attenders have relocated to other areas and many are choosing to watch from home. I understand the reasons people are not attending in person but am increasingly concerned. Praying for wisdom!
During the Pandemic great strides have been made in our online presence as mentioned above but also in the area of finances. We now have a Finance Team in place with increasingly better financial procedures. Our Treasurer worked with a local bank concerning a new loan which would lower our interest payments from 5% to 3.5%. The church has authorized the securing of that loan.
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We also voted last Sunday to seek to raise $50,000 to pay off a secondary loan that was secured from the Hudson Association Foundation. It is a no interest loan with payments to begin in November of this year. Payments on that loan, however, would significantly impact the availability of funds for outreach over the next 5 years as $10,000 would be due each year. We are trusting God to provide the entire $50,000 before the first payment is due so those funds can be returned to the Foundation and made available to other churches. We are asking our church members to sacrificially give an amount over and above normal tithes and offerings so this goal can be reached. God has been so very faithful since our beginning to answer your prayers in amazing, miraculous ways. He has provided funding for special needs and projects through the sacrificial giving of our members and several of you who pray for us. I will never forget that our church began 2020 with $100 in the bank. We ended with over $16,000 after having met the ministry needs, paving our driveway at a cost of $62,000 and replacing our sewer lines at a cost of about $25,000! Together we are building a foundation for Open Door Church to reach people with the good news of Christ both here in Lee and around the world.
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You may have noticed that I have a new email address which I am using for church related correspondence. It is pastorjim@odcberkshires.com. I am available if you wish to reach out to me via email, text, or phone. Our church phone is (413) 394-4007. At present, those phone calls are forwarded to my personal cell phone. Please be sure to leave a message if I am not able to answer your call.
To God Be The Glory!
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Pastor Jim Guenther
Open Door Church
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 31, Lee, MA 01238
Meeting Location: 87 Summer Street, Lee, MA
Online Giving is available through our website, opendoor4you.com