January 2014 MARANATHA CONNECTION IN THIS ISSUE. Genes. The Deacon s Bench CRC News Youth GENES.

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1 January 2014 MARANATHA CONNECTION IN THIS ISSUE Genes. The Deacon s Bench CRC News Youth GENES.

2 Cover Story GENES. They are in us, determining who we become, providing the building blocks for our nature. Genetically, those who are born again by the Holy Spirit to a living relationship with Jesus, we are genetically part of the family called Christians. It is who we are and determinative of every square inch of our Living For Jesus. Genetically, like Christ who emptied himself, (Philippians 2) we are predisposed to be self-emptying, seeking first the Kingdom, and leaving the rest to God. Our February 2 TO February 23 sermon series will highlight our GENetic make-up as it relates to our giving in four ways: 1. Our giving is GENuine. A true reflection of faith in our own hearts, of our personal decision to follow Christ, to let him be the Lord of our lives, right down to our wallets, our gifts, our time, everything. The holding back of anything is a step of unfaith and of ingenuineness. 2. Our giving is GENerous. God has given us everything: our lives, our breath, our salvation through the gift of giving himself. This is lavish, outrageous, and inspiringly beautiful and joyful. We demonstrate the ways that God has captured our hearts, thoughts, and lives by the extent to which our giving is generous. We increase our joy when we joyfully increase our giving of time, talent, or treasure. 3. Our giving is GENerational. Where our giving is integrated into our lives, our children and the next generation (spiritually) of the church catches it. We look for ways to demonstrate and teach attitudes about wealth to our children. They see that our joy in putting the Kingdom first is demonstrated in our giving. We don t confuse them by singing Living For Jesus on Sunday and then having our personal leisure budget outstrip our Kingdom giving. 4. Our giving is GENerative. Generative is to be capable of producing and reproducing. Our giving makes something; it builds kingdom. It is an investment. We see, because of our giving, not only church buildings, but change lives and renewed communities. As we collectively take responsibility for our own lives and this city we are given to live in, we recognize our calling to invite God, through our giving, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to build your kingdom here. As we draw nearer to February and our GEN: It s IN You to Give series, you are invited to review how God has blessed you and what he has given for you and to come ready, with your whole heart, to renew your commitment to do everything in your power, with the help of the Holy Spirit to grow in your love and commitment to Christ (Profession of Faith Question) through all that you do, including your giving. May our Maker see us living out what we are, because of Christ, born again to do. Pastor John

3 55+ ANNOUNCEMENTS JANUARY 8 BOWLING Dickson Bowl 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons The Bowling team will resume on January 8th! Come and enjoy a team of enthusiastic bowlers for an afternoon of fun. JANUARY 15 LEARNING MORE ABOUT CAMBRIDGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Open House 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Information Evening 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Evening childcare will be provided. We are offering an Early Registration Tuition discount of 20% for new families who register before Feb. 26, For more information contact Rhonda by calling or by ing info@cambridgechristianschool.com MAKING SPACE: for each other and for the New Sound/ Projection/Video Booth Being Installed: You may have noticed that we are doing some construction on the East side of the sanctuary at the back. As a result of a generous estate gift and some providential timing of when a booth can be built, we will be improving the sound quality in the sanctuary through the installation of a new booth. We plan to have this done by mid-january. To make space for the booth, four pews are being removed. Those who customarily sit in the seats displaced by the booth s new location will be searching for a new regular place to sit. Let s use this opportunity to welcome each other to new customary places to sit during worship. BUDGET ENVELOPES 2014: In 2014, our budget envelopes will reflect the plan for giving after April 1 when our new budget plan will begin. After that time, we will be using the language of Budget to reflect our local budget which includes denominational ministry shares, and the language of free-will offering to reflect all additional causes of the day. Until April 1, please continue to give as you have in 2013 as you are able. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of our deacons.

4 January 2014 DEACON S BENCH JANUARY 5 THE DEACON S BENEVOLENCE FUND Local Ministries Your deacons are charged with the responsibility to care for the needy in our community. Your donations to this fund allow us to share our resources with those who require assistance JANUARY 12 GIDEONS Educational Ministries The objective of the Gideons is to share God s message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, by personal witness and through placing Bibles and New Testaments into people s hands. Today over 250,000 members work in over 190 countries placing over 80 million copies of God s Word annually. Your gift will help to bring the Good News to those who still need to hear. JANUARY 19 YOUTH FOR CHRIST Local Outreach Ministries The staff at the Youth for Christ center, around the corner from Maranatha in the Brierdale plaza, work every day with teenagers who need to know they are loved and that they have potential. Greg and the rest of the staff walk alongside teens and share God s love with them by their actions and words. This past year the center was blessed to open an art room and there are plans for a recording studio as well. Your support of this offering will help the staff with the day to day operation of the center. JANUARY 26 CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH MINISTRY SHARES Global Ministries As members of the Christian Reformed church we have a tremendous opportunity. More than 1000 congregations representing hundreds of thousands of people-each being used by God to effect change in the world. That s the beauty of Ministry Shares. About $6 a week from each active, adult member, enables all of us to participate in life-changing ministry, at home and around the world. Ministry shares are powered by a simple commitment to be a part of something bigger.

5 IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT CRC NEWS CALVIN COLLEGE Festival of faith and writing: Registration for the Festival of Faith and Writing (April 10-12, 2014) is now open! Speakers will include Anne Lamott, James McBride, Bret Lott, G. Willow Wilson, Miroslav Volf, Rachel Held Evans, Gene Luen Yang, and many more ( calvin.edu/plan/speakers/). All registrations before February 1 will qualify for the early registration rate of $185 (after that date, the rate will be $200). We also offer group discounts, a student rate (for those enrolled in any school, at any level), and many other opportunities to join in the conversation. To register, or learn more, visit festival.calvin.edu., or questions to ffw@calvin.edu SERVICELINK Impact young lives this summer: In partnership with local churches and organizations, World Missions is working to develop healthy churches in Eastern Europe that will help transform the lives of families and society. In their efforts to do so, opportunities to lead youth camps are available this summer in Ukraine, Hungary and Romania. If you have a heart for children and would love to impact their lives through evangelistic English camps, then we would love to hear from you!! Contact volunteer@crcna.org FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM Did you know that...the age of the average member in the CRC has increased from about 45 in 1987 to about 54 in 2012, and this is expected to continue. The CRC is about 10 years behind many other denominations in terms of its aging membership, but is following the same trend. Challenges: As the membership ages, the number of families with young children declines, meaning that many congregations can expect a gradual decline in membership as their current members age and are not replaced by new, younger members. To learn more, visit WORLD RENEW Cambodia and you: In May 2014, the Finance Manager on the World Renew team in Cambodia will be going on a 3 month maternity leave and so World Renew is inviting those with finance management experience to come serve with them at that time. If you have a desire to contribute to World Renew as well as learn how their work impacts 95 rural communities, then we would love to hear from you at volunteer@crcna.org BACK TO GOD MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL Groundwork: Peace: Yes or No? Does sometimes seem that the Bible contradicts itself? For example, in the book of John, Jesus states that he came to bring peace, but in Luke he says he comes to bring division. So which is it? On this week s program we discuss two seemingly contradictory texts and how we can understand them in the greater context of scripture. Join the Groundwork conversation find a local radio station or listen online at Kids corner: On One Condition: Cole is the popular new kid in school, and Spike really wants to be his friend. But how much is Spike willing to do to be accepted in Cole s group? Find out on this week s Kids Corner. Kids Corner is a member of the HisKids.net alliance--working together to provide quality entertainment for kids that is Christ-centered and Bible-based. Visit HisKids.net to find great Christian programs and music for kids.

6 Want to know what is coming up in youth group? Join the M.Y. GROUP on Facebook and chat with youth group friends during the week. Also, make sure you pass on your to YOUTH Dina to make sure you are on the youth list. CALENDAR Jan. 7 Youth Night Jan. 14 Youth Night Jan. 21 No youth group Jan. 21 Youth Leadership Team meets Jan. 28 Youth night Retreat forms due Feb. 4 Youth Night Feb. 7-9 Youth Retreat 2014 MAY 18-21, 2012 ALL ONTARIO YOUTH CONVENTION Experience If you seek me, you will find me This year s convention will be here before we know it! The band for 2014 is Bellarive. Get to know them and start listening to their music by checking out their website bellarive.com. Early bird registration fee is $239 before March 1. Registration online will open soon. IT S JANUARY We all know that January is a tough month for high school students. Getting papers and assignments done on time, tests, in-class exams and then exam week.it s a lot of work. Take some time out for God through all the busyness of school and join in on how we are learning about how to hear God in the craziness and busyness of life. See you Tuesday January 7! LOOKING FOR HELP We are looking for help in a few areas in the next few months. Please talk to Dina if you can lend the youth a hand through the following: Praise team for the youth retreat Parent to take charge and run the kitchen for the Mission trip Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser coming up Prayer buddies for the Youth Retreat 55+ plus Coffee hosts for Saturday afternoon of the Youth Retreat weekend It s exciting to see what God has in store for our youth and leaders with the upcoming Retreat, mission trip and weekly youth nights. FEBRUARY 7-9, 2014 CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YOUTH RETREAT Save the date!! TNW Tuesday Night Worship Join us in the chapel on the first Tuesday of every month for a time of worship and prayer at 7:30 pm. The church will be open at 7:00 pm for basketball, couch talk in the youth room and ping pong. Take time to be with God. It s a blessing and those times will help you remain in your walk with Him. Worship, peace, stillness, drama, prayer, conversations, sleep, food, the great outdoors This year s retreat will hold all of those things and much more. Plans are underway for a very full weekend. Friends are welcome! The cost will be $50 per person. Registration form and more information will be available on January 7 when youth group meets.

7 FUN ZONE Game Page R A S P O L A R B E A R E M E M E M B I N G U R S V R O I L H M G M F O E W Z Z Z Y G L U F Z O I O C C E E N G N U Y R G C T P E P R F N E L L W D E O F Z F J F V O R Z F O H A M P P O U I E I U C E I G R G A T L A A P R C G C U T T T R P W N J H W P B R L T S T W J K L A Y A I Y I J G A R M U S I C H N V Q S H T D R O A O C F A N A G Q S O I E R I L A I G B T Z K N N V P U E H E K E E R O O R O C E L Y F O C C S M A Y T K P S L T H P N H L C X M V K L X C A R W B F T L Y I M H K E R O Q F I G F U I H Y E G A K U E M M L C V V J C L R D B X X C Y N H L C G B E X S V B W X P P D P N C K X H Y N Z B L O W N R N W O D T N U O C I E A L B G K M Z V F Q C C X H D D P E V K D G L W A F H R W M T Q B Z I V B N G U H U Y I H M B W E U G A U Z T Q U T O D S W S M S M H T P Q E E B W N B Y Y G F P X Y N S P A I R B Y P R O Y N R N L B A X L Z S T N C S C M N U Z A S C S W B P R X L A I C O S K H W X F X D Z M T O W R A BABYNEWYEAR MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION MUSIC CHAMPAGNE PARTY CLOCKS POLARBEAR COUNTDOWN REMEMBERING FATHERTIME RESOLUTIONS FIREWORKS SILLYHATS HORNS SMILES ICE SOCIAL JANUARY MEDITATION FUN FACTS! 1. New Year s Eve just isn t an excuse to drink; it s a great time to experience traditions like kissing your loved one at midnight or creating New Year s resolutions or eating food that symbolizes good fortune. Who doesn t want good fortune? 2. Lasagna is served on New Year s Day, because any other noodle served is said to bring bad luck. 3. In Canada some people take a plunge into the ice cold water called the Polar Bear Plunge to celebrate the day

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