From the Shepherds

December 2023 | Dexter Freeman

Good morning Northside,

I’m Dexter Freeman, one of the shepherds here at Northside Church of Christ. This morning, I’d like to talk to you about some of the special things that we have going on during this holiday season. At Northside, the leadership team is committed to keeping our worship focused on God. We believe that everything we do in our time of corporate worship should be worshipful and that God should be our focus. In short, our goal is to bring honor and praise to our Lord every time we come together.

This is also true when we come together for non-traditional worship events like Senior Sunday, Remembrance Sunday, or Global and Local Mission Sundays. We believe encouraging and praying for our graduates, remembering those who have served a significant role in our lives, and supporting those around the world who often feel forgotten is pleasing and brings joy to the Lord when we do such things. Moreover, the ministers and shepherds at Northside are committed, and will continue to celebrate the Lord’s Supper each Sunday as a great gift from Christ, we will prioritize baptism, promote prayer, confession, and the rich study of God’s story in scripture. Northside will always have its worship service focused on God.

We also want to remember those who are un-churched who may be frightened, confused, and discouraged by the formality of traditional high-church worship service environments. Therefore, we want to ensure that our worship service is approachable, welcoming, and hospitable to those who are not in the habit of coming to church. There is rarely a better testimony of God’s unconditional love than a diverse body of believers and non-believers turning their affection and attention to one loving God.

In the coming weeks and months, Northside’s ministers and leaders will be conducting worship events that are designed to welcome our neighbors. The most immediate event will be our Christmas Eve evening service on December 24. We know that people who do not normally go to church will often attend Christmas Eve services, and we want use this time to invite our friends and neighbors to worship with our loving church family.

On Sunday, December 24, we will have our regular Sunday morning service at 9 o’clock that day, and we are making plans for a special service at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve that will be un-apologetically God focused. We will host a candlelight service that evening that will include scripture, prayer, an inspirational message, Christmas favorites with instrumental music, we’ll also be singing our beloved a cappella carols, and we’ll have a special communion service.

You are welcomed to attend our regular Sunday morning service at 9 o’clock, and we hope you will also consider bringing your family and friends to this special evening service as we invite our community to celebrate the coming of Emmanuel, “God with us.”

So on behalf of the Northside leadership, I would like to wish you all a safe and joyful holiday season. God bless you!

Dexter Freeman
From the Shepherds