3 Reasons Why Summer Is a Great Time to Serve at Church Even your church s leaders might feel discouraged "Stewardship means managing your

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1 3 Reasons Why Summer Is a Great Time to Serve at Church If you ve never volunteered in one of your church s ministries, here are three reasons to start this summer. What s your idea of an amazing summer? A beach vacation? Hey, I totally get that. I lived in Florida for 15 years! Spending a summer day relaxing on the beach is right up my alley. But what if I told you that you could also have an amazing summer by serving at church? Yes, friends. I m suggesting that you make volunteering in church a part of your summer plans. On the fence about signing up to serve in one of your church s ministries this summer? Here s why I want you to go for it. 1. Your church really does need you. Let s start with the practical. The truth is, every church everywhere can always use volunteers! In summer, many regular volunteers take a week off here or there for vacations, so the church is operating with an understaffed volunteer team. It s true that many ministries slow for summer, but they don t stop completely. Plenty of your church s members are still in town each week from May through August, not to August 2018 mention all your church s unsaved neighbors. All of this adds up to a great opportunity for you to start serving. So jump in! You never know who will be encouraged by your faithfulness. Even your church s leaders might feel discouraged if no one steps forward, so be a blessing and get involved! "Stewardship means managing your time and talents for God." 2. God calls you to serve. If the need isn t enough motivation for you, maybe the call is. The Bible is full of instances where God calls us to serve others. In fact, Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) tells us God has designed us for good works: For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We re also called to be like Jesus: to live like He lived (1 John 2:6), love like He loved (John 15:12), and serve like He served (Mark 10: 44 45). You might think your pastor should take the lead there, but the Bible calls all of us to serve and minister across our communities. Our pastors are called to equip us for that. That s the essence of a church. It s not a building or a structure, it s a group of people joined together, growing in the Lord and bringing Christ to those who don t know Him. By actively serving, you re joining that mission!

2 3. You ll actually enjoy it. There s a reason Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) tells us, Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. It s because helping others doesn t just benefit them. It s good for us too. When we sacrifice our own time and give of ourselves to others, we become more like Jesus. We become humble, compassionate, and tender-hearted. We ve sacrificed something to give to others, but in turn, we feel richer, like we have a purpose. It also opens doors to deeper relationships and stronger community. Summer, when people are engaged in all kinds of fun activities, is the perfect opportunity to initiate those! So, though there s nothing wrong with a nice vacation (if you can afford it), it doesn t satisfy our souls as much as when we give of ourselves. Summer is a great time to begin serving in church if you ve never served before. My guess is that you ll find you love it. And you might also find that as summer winds down, you don t want to stop. I guarantee your pastor and other ministry leaders would be more than happy to count on your volunteerism year-round! Author: Chris Brown of Ramsey Systems Nurture Join us for VBS! Rolling River Rampage Experience the ride of a lifetime with God VBS begins August 5 th and continues to the 9 th (6:00pm 8:30pm). There are classes for pre-school to adults. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2 Yvonne Kinney VBS Director August Birthdays 08/03 Jean Dudewicz 08/07 Nancy Baumgartner 08/09 Linda Kinsman 08/10 Shawna Ruple 08/13 Gabriel Rios 08/16 Shawn Collier 08/19 Heather Shoopman 08/20 Dawn Stewart 08/24 Laura Kinner 08/24 Garrett Roe 08/26 Dora Moore 08/28 David O Dell

3 Holme-Shaw, H.B. and Donna Williams, Justin and Molly Turner, Jay Burk, Baby Eleanor (Ellie) Ruple, Al and Susan Rollier, Cindy LaPlant, Mark Burch, Dawn Stewart and the families of Shirley Burgess, Raymond Dost, Becky Rumsey, Derek Chisholm, Maxine Schulz and Jeanne Taber August Anniversaries 08/05 Gerald and Yvonne Kinney 08/11 Terry and Rebecca Peters 08/18 John & Shawna Ruple Jr 08/23 Scott and Melissa Heinz 08/28 Mark & Elizabeth Roe Address Change (Correction) Yvonne Garrett 3037 Pines Village Circle - #188 Valparaiso IN Pines has an "s" Susanne s Reflections The Monarch Butterfly This amazing creature has blest our family with many precious memories. Dick was instrumental in establishing a wonderful family tradition of collecting the caterpillars, feeding them fresh milkweed leaves daily, and watching them form into the most beautiful chrysalis of lime green with gold flecks. Dora Moore, Dorothy Spess, Jill Burk, Betty Hare, Mark Huebler, Jacqueline Matlock, Zella Wallace, Esther Anderson, Steve and Judy Worden, Elias and Tapuwa Mumbiro, Yvonne Garrett, Lila Goff, Lauren Mertz, David Knights, Carol Kanarck, Sandy Hooper, Scott and Gina Seipel, Dan and Jackie Burch, Linda Smith, Mona Ault, Tosha Parker, Marcello Rios, The LaMantia family, Dr. Rose Novey, Marcile Cunningham, Kim Kaufmann, Dick and Nancy Regensberger, Bruce Gulliver, Desmond Reynolds, Jewel Chitombo, Jan We would watch the amazing transformation process: the caterpillar would hang into a J formation, form the lime green chrysalis which would become crystal clear and we would see the butterfly inside. Soon it would break free, hang until its wings filled with fluid, and then be ready to be released. One day, Dick actually saw a Monarch lay an egg on Ojibway Island and brought it home. It was the only one that we gave the name Monica. This butterfly emerged on a Sunday morning after we

4 had been to church. It was an emotional moment for all of us, including Jon and Janeen as they held Monica before releasing her to fly. Janeen had the honor of seeing the last one we raised emerged just two weeks prior to her death. We know that this butterfly was the same one that flew across our front window the next morning after her passing from earth to eternity to reassure Dick that all was well. God gave us a beautiful gift in this wonderful creature, the Monarch. you have suggestions for good familystyle movies to show, please let us know and we'll try to accommodate. Thanks to the Outreach Committee for organizing and making it happen. WHAT'S NEXT? Back-To-School Party Thursday, August 23rd, from 6:00-7:30 pm on the church yard. We will be handing out new backpacks containing school supplies. We will have food and games. We'd like to add new socks to each backpack. Please consider donating a pair of socks or money if you are able. Thank You Father, Amen. August 2018 Susanne Dillman Mary Ann Pilditch Outreach Coordinator OUTREACH ACTIVITIES Popcorn & Movie Night We had our first popcorn and movie night event on July 19th. Fresh "movie-style" popcorn was donated by Jan Holme- Shaw. Thanks Jan...it tasted great. "Finding Nemo" was the film. It was enjoyed by kids and adults who attended. We were blessed to have a neighbor, who lives nearby, join us. We'd like to have more movies in the future. If What kind of minister are you? Each and every one of you is a minister! The true, New Testament ministry of Christ is now being performed by every baptized member of the church. Think about that for a few moments.

5 My question then is not Are you a minister? Rather, I ask, What kind of a minister are you? The word minister means, frankly, a servant; one who serves others because of Christ Jesus, in God s name, and for God s sake. The ordained clergy of your parish know basically what their servant-hood means to them. They are called to be shepherds, to be pastors who care for each and every one of their people, who visit the sick, who preach the word of God, who celebrate God s sacraments, and who pronounce God s blessing. That, in a broad brush stroke, is the nature of their ministry. What is yours as a minister? You, each of you, is called to serve the world that God loves, in the ways that only you, because of your gifts, can serve. I am convinced that only through small groups, giving serious attention to prayer, Bible study, seeking God s spirit, will true renewal come. Only you, under God s guidance, can determine how your ministry is to be performed. I believe the laity has been given a precious ministry too often ignored. I call you to seek your unique, necessary task of making God in Christ known to those who need you. We have all kinds of ministers - some very effective, some indifferent and lethargic. We exist as a congregation not only to give glory to God in true and life changing worship, but we exist to draw others and to serve them, as they need to be served. We can and must do a far better job of training and equipping ourselves to become the effective ministers God intends us to be! Are you willing to consciously grow as the minister you are? Submitted by: Janice Olafson Stewardship/Communications Team Please keep your address up to date! Please list name/s of people who will be using this . Send to statestreetcomm@gmail.com with the subject line of: Update Word from the Street Articles for September 2018 Are due August 20, 2018