Happy New Year from the Loop! I hope 2009 is off to a great start for you. I thoroughly enjoyed some vacation time over the Christmas season and am excited to be back into the full swing of things.

We continue our "Into the Fray" series on Ephesians and you will find out that you are Jewish (sort of).

The results are in from the November and December Compassionate Ministry projects. In November we donated 60 Operation Christmas Child boxes destined for kids in underdeveloped areas around the world. And, in December, we together donated $2,500 through the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Catalog. The donations included livestock, seed kits and medical support for mothers and children amongst many other great items. A big thank you to all who donated!

On Saturday, January 17 at 9am Deep Water will be partnering with FEED NOVA SCOTIA to do a food sorting project at their warehouse on Bedford Highway (213 Bedford Highway - park on a side street). To sign up, please email Tricia Parker. This is a great chance to invite a friend to be part of a Deep Water activity. Be there. Bring a friend!

Several of you have asked about envelopes for giving. Giving envelopes that are assigned to you allow you to receive a tax receipt for your donations without having to write in your full name and address each time you give. They also make life simpler for the people counting the money. If you would like to have a box of envelopes just let me know.

And now you're in the loop.