Connect. Discovery. With Sunny Place Church of God January 2014

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1 Discovery Connect With Sunny Place Church of God January The truths were always there, unchanged over all these years, just waiting for us to find them. Discovery is described in Wikipedia as: finding something unknown, or learning about something unknown. It is the process of uncovering some basic fact, or truth, that was previously unaware to the person doing the search. Over the years, there have been great discoveries. Some examples are: the cures for polio and other diseases, landing on the moon, Einstein s theory of relativity, and the list goes on and on. These wonderful and sometimes lifesaving discoveries have impacted all of our lives. What is really hard to comprehend is that these discoveries always existed and were just found by searching. God has provided a wonderfully complex world, and man has used his God-given skills to make these discoveries. Somewhere out there is the cure for cancer that just needs to be discovered. Here is where I make the transition to talking about all of the discoveries that are in the Bible, just waiting for us to take the time to discover them. My favorite discovery in the Bible can be found in the book of Acts 2:1.. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. The discovery for me is that the apostles were all in one Accord. Who knew that there were Japanese cars at that time, and also, that the Accords were able to hold all 12 apostles? Who pumped the gas? Did the Geico gecko wander about the desert selling insurance? The import cars at that time must have been much larger than those that we see today! Okay, so much for that The real point is that the Bible is a great source of discovery. When we open our Bibles and seriously take the time to read and pour over the words, it is like being on a mining exploration looking for valuable little nuggets. And unlike real miners, we are never disappointed. We always find new information that is relevant to our lives. Like other discoveries, the truths were always there, unchanged over all these years, just waiting for us to find them. It is up to us to read the Bible and obey its commands. We cannot expect to give the Bible one read and expect to have received all of the benefits. The truths of the Bible are revealed to us on an incremental basis. Our level of maturity in the faith will dictate (Continued on page 2)

2 Connect Desk the level of understanding we receive from the Bible. Going back to the concept of discovery, let s make a comparison to a miner, looking for a hidden gem. If the miner simply walks about, casually looking at the ground hoping to find a beautiful gem, he is likely to be disappointed. He really needs to start digging and sifting through the sand, and search carefully, if he has hopes of getting the most out of his expedition. Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 2 Timothy 3:16, All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So, let s all become miners searching for the hidden treasures of the Bible. We will never be disappointed with the riches we will find! Bob Hettlinger Elder s It is the same in reading the Bible. Great discoveries are made by those who take the time to sift through the words, and actively search for all of the hidden treasure that the Bible has to offer. The more you study, more will be revealed to you. Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is alive Published by Sunny Place Church of God 901 E Oak St, Addison IL Church Office (630) Editor: Margaret Gigous Senior Pastor: Peter Weber Treasurer: Glenda Kasza Elders: Paul Gigous, President Nona Koivula, Vice President Chuck Bender, Secretary Ted Gehman, Director Bob Hettlinger, Director Shyam Nair, Director

3 TLC Together Loving Christ Are you sharing in the exciting and spiritual blessings of studying God s Word and discovering how it applies to your contemporary life? Join with us in our Adult Group every Thursday at Grow in the Word! Sunday Morning Worship 10:45 a.m. Kid s Rock available for children ages five to nine Nursery Services Provided Sunday, January 5, 2014 Communion New Year s Dinner, Sunday 12:30 p.m. A New Year-A New Beginning! Let s celebrate together. Please bring a side dish or desert. Invite friends and family. All are welcome! Visit us at: E. Oak Street, Addison, IL Connecting Families With The Love Of Christ

4 Minutes of the Elder s Meeting, held on December 4, 2013 Attendees: Nona Koivula, Ted Gehman, Pastor Weber, Chuck Bender, Paul Gigous, Shyam Nair, Glenda Kasza, and Bob Hettlinger. Devotion and Prayer: 1 Peter 4:7-11. In Peter s letter he is telling us that the end of all things is near and that was 2 thousand years ago. We are told to keep a clear mind, be alert and on guard against the devils tactics. A clear head is essential to prayer. Do not let yourself be confused, stay on track and Love each other deeply. Love deeply, not casually or just on the surface. Use your gifts to help others, do it intentionally. In verse 11, we are told that when we speak, we should do it as one that is speaking the very words of God. Pray and search. We must always show self-control for that is the fruit of the Spirit. Ministry Reports Treasure: Budgeted bank balance on 12/04/2013 was $ The new furnace has been paid in full. Money donated for parking lot repair is still coming in. Worship: There were no meetings this past month. Changes are in place to plan the worship services in Effie s absence. Phyllis, and Ann, are coordinating the team. Many others have been instrumental in setup and other extra duties, putting together the Sunday Worship service. Christian Education: The next meeting will be held December 18 th at New training material is being reviewed for the Kids Rock class. The kids have been memorizing Scripture verses and may do a recital this Christmas. Kim is researching the 2014 Church of God Youth Convention for our youth group to attend. Hospitality & Encouragement: Focus will be on new members to the church, planning visits and encourage life of the Church. Cards and flowers have been sent for birthdays, anniversaries and to those who are ill or unable to attend church. Eva has submitted the annual report. Poinsettias have been sent out as well as care packages to our Military church members. Missions: There is no meeting planned at the present time. The Hope Hill Youth center visit is planned for June Since the 2014 Church of God Convention is moving to Oklahoma City this year, it may affect logistics for the Hope Hill trip - we will investigate. Prayer and Devotion: There is no meeting scheduled at the present time. The Afternoon of Prayer is being held the 15 th of December following a light lunch at the Church. Stewardship & Support services: The new furnace has been installed and is working perfectly. A new door exit bar has been purchased and will be installed on the Kids Rock basement door. Continued discussion of capital improvement campaign. Plans to tile the men's bathroom are being made with the install after the 1 st of the year. Ladies Ministry: The Ladies have been meeting on Tuesdays since October and there are plans to start a Bible study in January. There will be a Ladies Christmas party the 14 th of December at Vicki's home, 2 PM. The Scripture and Devotion ministry is sending out scripture passages Monday mornings. Evangelism & Outreach: The preparations for the Gingerbread Workshop December 8 th are ongoing. Laura has 71 reservations at the present time. Fellowship: There is no meeting scheduled at the present time. Old & New Business: All annual reports were due Dec. 1. Policy and procedure manual is being updated. The worship leader position parameters were agreed upon. The 2014 budget was agreed upon. Elders nominations were approved and expanded to add another Elder. The next Elders Meeting will be held Wednesday, January 8, 2014.

5 Kid s Connection Use the Bible or the article to fill in the blanks. Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if you accept my and store up my within you, turning your to wisdom Discovering God s Word and applying your to understanding, and if you call out for insight and aloud for understanding, and if you look for as for silver and search for it as for hidden, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the of God. January 2014 Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is and. Sharper than any double- edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and, joints and marrow; it the thoughts and attitudes of the. 2 Timothy 3:16, All is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

6 Discovery

7 Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. The Outreach Team is looking forward to the upcoming year. We have several things planned and are excited to be able to meet with the people in our community and continue to build our relationships. I mentioned back in November that we discovered from talking with the people in our community, some of the things that are of need or concern to them. The 2 greatest needs are food and clothing. This year in addition to having our Family Events we would like to offer some assistance in those areas. Starting in January and continuing throughout the year, we will be collecting food items to drop off at the local food pantry. In May we will be starting our Plant a Row for the Hungry Program and in August we will hold our Back to School Clothes Shopping Day. We are in need of helpers! If anyone is interest in helping us in any of these areas or would like to join the Outreach Team, please see me. We ask you to please continue to pray for our outreach efforts: That God will show us when, where, and how to meet the needs of our neighbors and that God will show us how to bring the people into the church where we can present the gospel to them. Your Sister in Christ, Laura January Sunday School Line-Up Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. The Revelation of Christ: Adult The Mystery Bible Unlocked led by John Gryparis Children s Classes Ages 3-5 led by Tim Kasza Grades 1,2,3 led by Carla Weber Grades 4,5,6 led by Nona Koivula & Margaret Gigous Youth 7-12 led by Kim Gehman & Chuck Bender Nursery services are provided Thursday Evenings The Way, the Truth and the Life Small Group A study through the Book of John led by Pastor Pete

8 January 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Adult Bible Communion New Years Dinner 12:30 p.m. Elders Meeting Adult Bible Craft Day 11 to 4:00 p.m. Christian Education Meeting 7:15 p.m. at Sunny Place Annual Business Meeting 12:30 p.m. Afternoon of Prayer Following Stewardship Meeting 6:30 p.m. Adult Bible No Adult Bible Today Ladies Breakfast 9 to 11 a.m. Outreach Meeting Adult Bible