Merry Christmas dear friends!
What brings you hope during these days of isolation and limitation? We find our hope in the comforting truth that God is FOR us, and that He is FOR you, too. The Lord of Heaven loves us and yearns for us to come to Him in prayer, in quiet, in thanks, even with hearts uplifted in song. So let’s sing out all our Christmas Carols this month to rejoice and proclaim “Joy to the World, the Lord has come!” Let your heart imagine the shock of the shepherds who were greeted with Angels on High singing ‘Glory to God in the Highest.’ Let your mind imagine what the wise men felt as they were guided miraculously to locate the newborn Savior of the world, swaddled in a lowly manger. Calendars mark the year of His birth 2020 years ago.
During the first week of this December, I led two funerals, one small and peaceful with several family members coming to newfound faith in Christ. The other was a graveside burial which grew to a larger crowd than expected and THEN an unruly member initiated a fist fight, someone yelled “he could have a gun!”... after which frantic panic ensued with folks scurrying to hide behind tombstones! It was left to me to calm everyone and re-rally the mourners once the offender had been subdued and carted away! I thought I was used to the never-a-dull-moment experiences of New York City...but have to say, this was one for the record books!
Meanwhile, Sheila and I stay safely engaged with lots of people by phone and zoom and in outdoor settings. People’s needs have only increased, not decreased, during Covid. In fact, our own son and his wife and their two toddlers tested positive for Covid back in early March and thankfully pulled through safely. Since our son is a FDNY firefighter, he was among the first to have access to a Covid test, both during and post illness.
We feel called to ministry in New York City, even when it is sad to see the city go through strange times of struggle, loss, and hardship. We could not stay here without your support of our work at the New York Fellowship, and we are more grateful than ever for your care, generosity, and friendship. Please stay in touch! (
With love and prayers, B.J. and Sheila Weber