“GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH
PEACE TO ALL MEN ON WHOM HIS FAVOR RESTS” Luke 2:14 This is an incredible time of year not just for the fun and excitement of the holidays and the time with family and friends but because it is the time when the whole world turns its focus to the coming of Jesus into this world and what it means for each and every person.
First and foremost Jesus came to bring salvation and peace between God and man. As Simeon said in Luke 2:30-31, upon seeing the baby Jesus, “For my eyes have seen your 
salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” We all rejoice and celebrate at the impact that the coming of Jesus has had in our lives and the peace we now have with God as a result of becoming Christians.
However, there is another peace that comes with the birth of Jesus and this is prophesied in Isaiah 11:6-9, “The wolf will lie down with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and lion and yearling together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the 
bear, their young will lie down together, the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child will put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” This is the peace that Jesus will bring on earth as men and women from all different backgrounds, nationalities, races, and stations in life come together in one kingdom and are at peace with one another in God’s church. As 2009 closes and we celebrate the peace that Jesus has brought let us rejoice in the unity that God is forging all around us.
First of all, we should rejoice at the incredible growth in the unity of our fellowship of churches, The International Churches of Christ. A few years ago our fellowship went through a very 
challenging time of discipline and pruning from the Lord that tested our unity with our sister churches. Satan sought to divide and disperse our fellowship and will continue to try but it is so powerful to see that our movement though shaken has survived and is thriving again because it is not built upon human structure but rather built upon the rock of Jesus (Matt. 16:18) and our the unity of our relationships (John 13:34-35). It is encouraging to see more and more churches committing themselves to be unified by affirming the Unity Proposal (www.icocco-op.org). Attendance at leadership, campus, single, and youth and family conferences has skyrocketed as more and more churches come together to work as one in evangelizing our world. Commitment to HOPE Worldwide and Disciples Today which will serve as our fellowship’s official media site continues to grow. I am honored to serve in a church that shares in and has been in the forefront at these kingdom-wide efforts at unity.
Secondly, we should also all rejoice in the unity that is being forged in our part of the world. It is such a blessing to be part of the ACR (American Commonwealth Region) of churches. Mike and Terri Fontenot have done an incredible job of building unity and respect among the churches in th
e East Coast and parts of the Midwest. From efforts even churches in other areas are either seeking to join in this fellowship or create something similar in their area. All of the conferences and events such as the Philly teen and campus bash, the singles Beachstock or Teen Prom in Hampton Roads, joint campus or marriage retreats, and of course the ACR conference in Virginia Beach (Nov. 5-7, 2010) are just a few examples of the fruit and power that comes from unity and working together. In addition to the rich fellowship we enjoy among our churches, we work collectively to raise money to help support churches in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. None of this would have the same impact or effect if we tried to do so as individual churches.
I am especially thankful for the growing unity and bond of peace that continues to grow between our churches in the DC area. It has been encouraging to have teen, campus, single, and marriage events together. Many or our members are tied together through their days as young teens, college students and singles in what was at one time the Washington DC Church. Now we are 6 churches working side by side to share God’s word in this key area of the world. I am especially thankful for the relationships with the brothers who lead these churches. Steve Pugh who leads the Frederick Church and I go back to 1986 in Boston (yes I am that old!) and it has been great to reconnect. Randy McKean and Behzad Fathi, newcomers to this area like me, have become good friends as they have led the Northern Virginia and Potomac Valley Churches to amazing growth. And Ruben Marbury of the Montgomery County Church and Daryl Reed of the DC Regional Church are to be commended for their great work as they have served the longest in their works and have persevered and continue to lead in great w
ays (special thanks to the DC Church for sharing Carlos Scott with us for our Christmas concert). I and the Baltimore Church are committed 100% to the unity that has been built and that will continue to be built with our 5 sister churches in the DC area. Unity is not easy especially with strong leaders (look throughout the Bible) but I really appreciate the love and humility that each of these brothers exhibit in their leadership and especially the grace that they show me whenever I let myself get in the way of our unity. One thing is sure: Satan seeks to divide us as the “father of lies” John 8:44, but our common commitment to Jesus and to one-another in our churches will allow us to succesfully stand against all the attacks of Satan and even “the gates of Hades will not overcome it”. Matt. 16:18.
Finally, I am grateful for the unity that God has built in the Greater Baltimore Church of Christ. God has blessed Jennifer and me to work side by side with a great staff that includes Dave and Leslie Brown and Cash and Maria McHargue, as well as Phat Vuong and Rebekah White with the teens. And what an incredible administrator we have in Theresa Delbridge. Our Church Leadership Group of Henry and Theresa Martin, Eric and Bev Isaac, and Charles and Bonnie Zeitler is a tremendous help in shepherding the church. Tony Adson, our board chairman and the other board members do a great job keeping us on a sound financial footing and Tony Martin and the AWE ministry make our worship a powerful experience. All the family group leaders and children’s ministry coordinators and teachers pour themselves out for us. Each and everyone who makes up the GBCOC- together you have helped make this the greatest year yet with 47 baptisms and restorations in the church. Incredibly each ministry has seen fruit and growth. The campus has been fruitful with 15, the teens with 12, the marrieds with 12 and the singles with 8! Truly all men will know and do know you are disciples by the love that you have (John 13:34-35) and the fruit that you have born (John 15:1-8).
So as we celebrate this Christmas season let’s not just celebrate what Jesus means for our relationship with God, but let’s celebrate what he means for our relationships with one another within the church here, with our sister churches in the DC area and the ACR, and throughout the entire brotherhood of believers. -Doug Lambert