We are Free, Free indeed!

Transcription

1 C ro ss Po in t Ne wsle tter Copy righ t 2014 C ro sspoin t Emmau s XXVII, Number 7 Crosspoint Emmaus Newsletter July 2014 Page 1 Inside this Issue: Festival of.. -pg 2 Gathering pg 2 Board Report pg 3 Q & A pg 4 Highlights pg 5 Have you ever done a word study of the word free? I found that our English word free is actually 10 different words in the Old testament and 2 different words in the new testament. All total, Free is found in 58 verses and used 59 times in those 58 verses. The verse that uses the word free twice is John 8:36, and not only that, they are not the same word. If the Son therefore shall make you free, (G1659) ye shall be free (G1658) indeed. Free according to Strongs G1659 (eleutheroo) pronounced: el-yoo-ther-o'-o : to liberate, that is, figuratively) to exempt (from moral, ceremonial or mortal liability): - deliver, make free. We are Free, Free indeed! Free according to Strongs G1658 (eleutheros) pronounced: el-yoo'-ther-os: Probably from the alternate of G2064; unrestrained (to go at pleasure), that is, (as a citizen) not a slave (whether freeborn or manumitted), or (generally) exempt (from obligation or liability): - free (man, woman), at liberty. I m sure you can see where I m going with this but here it is: After thinking about this for awhile, I think I might understand that the first time Jesus used free, He was saying that the Son of Man shall liberate, make free, to exempt, deliver those that are slaves to sin. (see the 2 prior verses). But he doesn t leave those delivered slaves where they are. He goes on to say what they become! Free Indeed Citizens that are free to move about unrestrained, exempt from obligation and liability. I don t know about you, but I think I like living in that kind of country! Could you imagine an America with everyone being debt-free? As 4th of July fireworks blast and the feasting with friends and fun takes place, we can be thankful for the wonderful gift of freedom we received from our forefathers giving their lives to set us free. Could that be like free G1659? And then we can thank God for Jesus who not only made us free (G1659) but free indeed! I hope your 4th of July was Great! See you at the Gathering!

2 XXVII, Number 7 Crosspoint Emmaus Newsletter July Page 2 Ardmore District Superintendent of the Oklahoma United Methodist Conference Ardmore District Festival of Prayer Saturday, August 16th - 9:30-3:00pm Sulphur UMC My dear sisters and brothers, What an honor it will be for Sheryl and I to join you in ministry in the Ardmore District! We are praying for you every day! I m thrilled to announce that the Rev. Dr. Terry Teykl will be coming to the Ardmore District on the weekend of August 16 & 17th. He will be at our Sulfur UMC to do a seminar, Encounter: A Blueprint for the House of Prayer, on Saturday, August 16. the seminar will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 3pm. Lunch will be served. Saturday July 12 at 6:00 pm Sulphur United Methodist church th St. Sulphur, OK Sunday, August 17th Dr. Teykl will preach at Ardmore First and then repeat his seminar that afternoon from 3-6 pm. I m challenging all our churches to send at least a full tithe of their Sunday morning average attendance to be blessed and trained in prayer by Dr. Teykl. This seminar is also open to our brothers and sisters in Christ in other churches in the District. If you have a solid relationship with in any other pastors in the community you serve, then please invite them and their people to attend. I will be inviting people in our neighboring Districts as well. I encourage you to consider preaching a few messages on prayer this summer and to form teams to be praying for those events. Thank you for your service to the Lord, His people and those we are reaching out to in His Name! Grace, peace & joy! Pastor Larry Bauman Davis Feeling like you might need to gain a little weight? How about a little laughter? Well, if you don t need either of those, what about a blessing? Need a blessing? What about being a blessing? Monthly Gathering are all that and more! Bring a dish to share and perhaps a 4th day testimony to share as well! Also, anyone that would like to be involved in leading the praise through music portion please find Brad Houchin so all of you can practice for a little bit!

3 XXVII, Number 7 Crosspoint Emmaus Newsletter July 2014 Page 3 The Fall walks are being prayed for daily. and if God has laid a pilgrim or the walks on your heart, it might be because of the prayer. Please pray and consider what God is asking of you. It is good to act on the will of the Holy Spirit. When we witness the result of prayer, we experience God! THE WALKS DEPEND ON PRAYER! The Board generally meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 4:00 in the afternoon, before the Gathering of that evening. However this past month, June, the board did not meet. The reason being due to so many of the members being unable to attend, therefore a quarum could not be met. Donna Young, our assistant Lay Director, stood in for Sharri Hiller during the June Gathering, and Donna did a great job. Sherri was busy at Youth Camp along with Clinta Taylor who went with her. Karin Nuner was on a ocean cruise, and Brad Houchin was performing a Wedding, PJ Stewart was out of state with family as were many others. Other board members at the gathering were David Teeman, Steve Russell and Joy Douhit. The board actively stays in touch by , addressing any issues that might arise between monthly board meetings FALL 2014 WALKS PRAY Men s Walk #95 Sept Scott Ahern Men s Lay Director Women s Walk #96 - Sept Karin Nuner Women s Lay Director The spring 2015 and Fall 2015 Walks are posted on the Crosspoint Emmaus Website CUT THESE BUSINESS CARD SIZED REMINDERS OUT AND PUT THEM IN YOUR WALLET ON THE REFRIGERATOR, ON YOUR DESK etc. SPRING 2015 WALK DATES Men's #97 : Apr. 9 - Apr. 12 Women's #98 : Apr Apr. 19 PRAY FALL 2015 WALK DATES Men's #99 Sept Sep. 20 Women's #100 : Sep Sep. 27 PRAY

4 XXVII, Number 7 Crosspoint Emmaus Newsletter July 2014 Page 4 How can I serve on the music team on the walk? You should become active in the music ministry during the monthly gatherings to familiarize yourself with the traditional music and gain a deeper understanding of the expectation for serving on the music team. To serve on the music team you must have first served in an outside team role on at least one previous walk. (Kitchen crew, cabin steward/ angel, TA, prayer room, set up/tear down ) You should have some semblance of an ability to sing on key or play in tune. What is expected of someone serving on the music team during the weekend? Music team members are expected to attend all the scheduled team training dates, lead Sing Hallelujah prior to each training talk and practice songs you will lead on the weekend. Music team members are required to attend the entire walk weekend from Thursday night until Sunday evening and are tasked to perform at the candlelight service for the opposing walk (men s music team does candlelight service for the women s walk, women s music team does candlelight service for the men s walk). It is important to note that if you play an instrument you will need to arrive early on Thursday to set your equipment up and should plan on staying late on Sunday to pack your equipment for the trip home. Microphones and speakers are provided by the camp but instruments, amps, drums, keyboards are not. There over a dozen opportunities for meditative solos throughout the walk. These are coordinated with the Lay Director and can be performed with live instruments, a cappella, or with background tracks but the expectation is that the songs are well rehearsed and carefully planned out between the Music Director and the Lay Director. How do I become a Music Director for a walk? Once you have served on the outside team and are qualified to serve on the music team you will most likely be asked to serve as a music team..

5 XXVII, Number 7 Crosspoint Emmaus Newsletter July 2014 Page 4 member. After serving on the music team and getting a better understanding of the expectation you will be qualified for and may have an opportunity to serve as an Assistant Music Director. While serving in this role you will work alongside the Music Director and use this opportunity to gain confidence and a deeper understanding of the process and expectation of a Music Director. After having served as a music team member and an Assistant Music Director you will be qualified for and may be given an opportunity to serve as a Music Director. Can the praise band from my church be the music team for a walk? Initially music teams were limited to two members, the Music Director and the Assistant Music Director. It was later determined that in order to properly train and prepare future Music Directors the team could include a third participant with the expectation that the Music Director train the other two participants for a future Music Director role. While it is possible that all three positions could be filled by members of a specific praise team it is important to understand that the role of a music team is uniquely different that the role of praise team and each participant should be intentional in understanding and embracing those differences and the expectation for the weekend. Continued.. At CrossPoint Emmaus we are Blessed to have walk teams that are made up of many denominations and come from geographical locations that span from North of Ada to Thackerville, Ringling to Durant, and everywhere in between. While each may have a unique style of worship, or present lessons in their home church in a way that differs from the others, each of these individual styles and preferences are formed together during team training and become one cohesive unit for the purpose of the walk. Essentially, all those unique colors come together to form a single rainbow. The expectation for the music team is no different. While each member may have a specific style or preference, if each of the three members commit themselves to prayer and practice and participate in the team training events they can bond their unique, individual talents together and become one strong, effective music ministry for the walk. So, while all three members can be a part of a single praise team, it is not expected or necessary. Some of the most beautiful music I have experienced on a walk has come from groups that often times never met prior to the first team training and were all three from different cities, different churches and had different music styles but because their heart was to serve and to submit to the Holy Spirit their music service was a tremendous Blessing to the pilgrims they served that weekend...

6 XXVII, Number 7 Crosspoint Emmaus Newsletter Thank you Calvary Christian For your hospitalitiy in June! July 2014 Page 5

7 CROSS POINT NEWSLETT ER COPYRIGHT 2014 CROS SP OINT EMMAUS Address: Phone: Newsletter th Ave NW Ardmore, OK Cross Point Emmaus We re on the web crosspointemmaus.org On the Road to Emmaus 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles [a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? Luke 24: 13-16, 28-32