THE VINE CONNECTION NEWSLETTER

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1 THE VINE CONNECTION NEWSLETTER The Vine Connection is all about reaching out to each other and our community JULY 2014 VOL.2 # ISSUE #7 This Month s Ministry Focus: CHOSEN STUDENT LIFE GROUP The Vine enjoyed a very special Sunday morning in April when our Student Life Group took over the whole service YOUTH SUNDAY! Our teens took the reins of the service from the worship team, the welcoming committee, the announcers, the ushers -and provided the sermon and even a skit. We had every style of music that fit all our personalities, with song selections from pop, hip/hop and rap to rock & roll. We had the congregation on their feet! The focus of the service was on what the youth are facing in their daily lives, and the message to the church was delivered by Cassidy Quinn. This was her final participation as a member of C.H.O.S.E.N, as she has since graduated from school and is now moving into young adult life. Cassidy shared with the church about her journey through the years as she partcipated in the The Vine s Student Life Group. The youth presented a skit called EVERYTHING, which portrayed some of the struggles we all face and how Jesus will save us. As the moving, emotional ending illustrated, Jesus can deliver us from anything if we just trust Him. The Student Life Group continues to meet during the summer months to keep the kids hooked into God s Word weekly. They meet on Thursday evenings at 6:30, starting at the church and eventually making their way to Veteran s Park. Many upcoming events include reaching out to the community through serving at the Tabitha s Table food bank and preparing for the Fall Youth Retreat. Esther & Debbie, the adult leaders of C.H.O.S.E.N., have invested their time and efforts into reaching the youth of Smithsburg for Christ. Continue to lift up and encourage this ministry and partner with them by supporting their fundraising efforts! (see CHOSEN section for upcoming events for 2014). She described how many leaders, both past and present, made an impact on her life as they helped to guide her through many difficult life situations. Cassidy s illustration spoke volumes about the struggle of young girls who want to be loved by the opposite sex. She talked about ways in which their compromises take something away from their purity, and, as she shared each example, she removed a petal from a beautiful rose. The Vine Church 1 S. Main Street Page 1.

2 The Vine Church Vision Statement is to connect people to Jesus Christ, who is The Vine, so that they may connect to each other and the community around them in order to have a growing relationship with The Vine. MINISTRY IN ACTION The Pastor s Ponderments Pastor Mark THE VINE ACTIVITIES Fathers day service Veteran s Park & Family Picnic Lions Club Park LOOK FOR MORE PHOTOS NEXT MONTH As Brethren in Christ we have ten Core Values to help you to better understand the values that touch our hearts, stir our emotions, and move us to action! For our newsletter readers, we will be taking a journey over the next few months to explore each core value. 1. Experiencing God s Love & Grace We value the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Doing life with Jesus means laying aside religious behavior and pretense and experiencing God s love and grace through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Eph. 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved (NIV) When we embrace God s grace and love, we begin to understand that there is nothing we could ever do to make God love us more, or even make God love us any less. God s love is unfailing regardless of our actions. We are simply called to reach out and accept the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus! Rom. 12:1-2 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that we receive at the point accepting Jesus, we begin a transformation! We are called to be counter cultural: But in order to begin the transformation process through the Holy Spirit, we must learn which pattern to follow. As Christians, we are called to a different life-style than what the world offers. You see the world offers a life-style that looks fun, and normal on the outside, but its life-styles can cause so much heartache and pain on the inside. When we offer our entire selves to God, a change will happen in our relation to the world. Thank God that we are not only told not to conform to the world but given the amazing power of the Holy Spirit within us to help us! To live life with Jesus reflecting His example! As a community, let s consider how we can live out each core value and in doing so, bring life to scripture and reflect the love of God to each other and the community we serve! God is on the move! Pastor Mark Page 2

3 More photos of Youth Sunday To join the activities for CHOSEN Tentative Activities and Date COME & GET IT C.H.O.S.E.N. July Cunningham Falls (w/other youth groups) August Pool Fraley s September Car Wash September See You At The Pole Crossroads (w/other youth groups) CHOSEN CAR WASH May 2014 GOD SIGHTINGS The following are reflections from members of The Vine Church that describe a time in their lives when God was real, and beyond a doubt, the Author of their lives! Recently I seem to be experiencing God sightings that take me back to a very simple but powerful phrase, God Has This! At work, I was reminded all school year that no matter what the circumstance, God was in control. By the time June came, many issues resolved and I am now able to look forward to starting the new school year with God by my side. At church, it was difficult to understand the why of some people s actions. Through prayer and guidance, some of my whys were answered, and God spoke to my heart and let me know that he would handle the rest. At home, I have prayed for peace for many years, but realized that peace wouldn t happen until I stopped trying to fix lives that continued to spiral out of control. With very wise guidance I had to relinquish all control to God, and peace was found. Then God s blessings began to touch the lives that I could not fix. God not only told me that He has this, but also showed me many God sightings that assured me I could lean on Him and trust that His will was being completed! Praise God! Lori PRAYER FOCUS CORNER: Christians in Iraq The U.N. refugee agency reports thousands of people from predominantly Christian communities in an Iraqi town near Mosul have been fleeing their homes this past month because of nearby violence generated by militant Islamist rebels. They are being killed for their faith and also losing everything for the name of Christ. We are genuinely blessed to be in a country where, as of now, we are not persecuted for our faith, but many in the country of Iraq are killing all who love GOD. Let us lift our brothers and sisters in this war torn area and for Peace and restoration. Page 3

4 In the parable of the lost sheep, how many sheep were NOT lost? Last months answer: DID YOU KNOW? There are many books written about and by various religions. But the Bible is the only one which claims to be the actual words of God. Those who believe the Bible also believe that God inspired various people through the years to write down His actual words for mankind. The Bible says more than 3,000 times thus saith the Lord. It claims that the words which follow are quotes from God. WORD OF THE MONTH ARMAGEDDON [ar-mah-ged-un] (mountain of Megiddo) - the site of the final battle of this age in which God intervenes to destroy the armies of Satan and to cast Satan into the bottomless pit (Rev 16:16; 20:1-3,7-10). Scholars disagree about the exact location of this place, but the most likely possibility is the valley between Mount Carmel and the city of Jezreel. This valley (known as the Valley of Jezreel) was the crossroads of two ancient trade routes and thus was a strategic military site. Armageddon is the Greek word for this area, which was the scene of many ancient battles. Because of this history, Megiddo became a symbol of the final conflict between God and the forces of evil. According to the Book of Revelation, at Armageddon "the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His [God's] wrath" (Rev 16:19) will be poured out, and the forces of evil will be overthrown and destroyed. (Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary,1986) AROUND THE BIC A glimpse into history: The earliest Brethren in Christ called themselves simply the Brethren. Outsiders often referred to them as River Brethren since they lived, for the most part, along the Susquehanna River. We know that by 1788 a group of the Brethren immigrated to Canada and became known there as the Tunkers, a reference to their practice of baptism (from the German word meaning to dip ). Discipleship for the brethren was expressed in practical ways. It involved the avoidance of worldly activities such as politics and certain amusements such as card playing. Dress was simple and unadorned by jewelry, bright colors, or frills. Women s Life Group -BIBLE STUDY - meets first Monday of the month at church from 6:30-8:00 / contact Karen Shade facilitator (717) or Lori Sewell (717) for more information. Men s Life Group - meets every other Wednesday at the church from 7:00-8:30 / contact Pastor Mark (717) for more information. Prayer HOUR OF POWER - meets the other Wednesday at church 7:00-8:30 / contact Morris Fraley (301) for more information. Student Life Group CHOSEN - meets at the church every Thursday night from 6:30-8:00 / contact Esther Fairall (443) or Debbie Kelly (717) for more information. Couple s Life Group - meets every first Tuesday of the month at the leaders home from 6:30-8:00 / contact Morris & Sheri Fraley (301) for more information. New Search Game: FIND THE FISH! Where s the fish? It is hidden somewhere in the newsletter. Enjoy the hunt. BIBLE WORD People Family School Children Christ Holy Parents Sunday Jesus Church Class MORE PLACES TO US CHECK OUT FOLLOW US: Check out the Website: 1 South Main St. Smithsburg, MD (301) Join us on Sundays at 10:00am Comments - Suggestions - Feedback thevineconnection_newsletter@yahoo.com Page 4

5 July 2014 Eph 6: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NIV Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Independence Day 5 6 Lacy Snivley B-day 7 Women s Life Group Pool Party 5:00 pm CHOSEN 6:30 PM Stacy Wingerts B- day CHOSEN CAR WASH & POOL Party CHOSEN 6:30 PM Judy Ridneour B-Day Kelly Shrewsberry B-Day Linda Fetzer B-Day CHOSEN 6:30 PM Leadership Retreat 8:00 am - 5:00 pm 27 Cameron Snively B- day 28 Trunk of Manna 29 Kevin Moyer B-day CHOSEN 6:30 PM Page 5 C