Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Allow me to introduce, or shall I say re-introduce, myself, as I’ve had the opportunity to write for this column a few times before. My name is Pastor Derek Irvine and I have the privilege of now serving as the new senior pastor at the Advent Christian Church in Vernon, Vermont, after serving on staff for the past nine years as associate pastor. My family and I have settled in the beautiful town of Gill and we have loved living in Franklin County and serving in this area.

While there have been lots of changes going on here at the Advent Christian Church in Vernon, what hasn’t changed is the Gospel is still being preached from the pulpit as it has for the past 164 years. With our roots going back to 1860, beginning at the chapel on Pond Road in Vernon, through the move to our current location on Rt. 142 in 1909 and up to the present day, the word of God has been proclaimed faithfully throughout the years and for that we are grateful.

Our focus as a church this year is the Lord’s call for his people to return to him, a common refrain found throughout the minor prophets in the Old Testament. Throughout history, God’s people have strayed from his laws and intentions for them, and have wandered off unto their own paths that lead further and further away from God and closer and closer to their destruction. And God, in his mercy, has repeatedly called out to his people to return to him and to his ways.

We see this clearly in Micah 6, when the people ask God through the prophet, and I’m paraphrasing, “What would you have us do for you to relent from your judgement?” And God says in Micah 6:8, “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Our tendency is always to fix everything by doing more “religious” tasks. But God isn’t after more empty religion, he is after a changed heart.

If we seek him by doing what is right (justice), show others the same mercy God has shown to us through his son, Jesus (love kindness), and know where we stand before a Holy God (walk humbly), then we can know that we are on the right path toward returning to God.

If faith truly matters to you, then I would encourage you to either find a church (if you do not have one you regularly attend) or to remain worshiping where you are with a renewed sense of God’s presence in your life.

If you do not have a church family and are searching for one, we would love for you to come and check us out. Our Sunday morning service begins at 10:30 a.m. with a fully staffed nursery and activities for children of all ages. May God bless you in the coming year!