November. newsletter PARK FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH. Round Table Discussion. with our missionaries about how their lives were transformed by the Gospel:

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1 November newsletter Reaching the World at Home Come hear the powerful personal stories of how our missionaries lives were changed by the gospel at our Saturday night dinner event and join us Sunday morning as we wrestle deeper with our theme for the weekend, Reaching the World at Home, as Dr. Glen Osborn, former president of China Outreach Ministries (COM), gives a special message. Sat, Nov 3, 5-7 PM Dinner & Night Out Comedy by Tim Hawkins PARK FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH Mission Emphasis Weekend Round Table Discussion with our missionaries about how their lives were transformed by the Gospel: Corrine Sharkey Kirk & Julie Zuercher Ben & Cathy Bidelspach Sun, Nov 4, 9:30 AM Grow Deep Hour: Missions Videos & Group Discussion 10:45 AM Keynote Speaker Dr. Glen Osborn Former President of China Outreach Ministries (COM) Children s program available both days. Registration: parkforestbaptist.org. PASSION for GOD = FUEL for MISSIONS Church Events Nov 2 nd - 4 th - Guys Retreat Nov 3 rd Men s Breakfast Nov 3 rd - 4 th Mission Emphasis Weekend Nov 6 th - General Election Nov 7 th - One Prayer Nov 10 th - PSU Football Concession Fundraiser Nov 11 th - New Attender Lunch Nov 11 th - 2 nd Sundays Lunch Nov 17 th Women s Breakfast & Video Date Nite RIOT Escape Room Nov 18 th Church Dinner OCC Packing Party Turkey Bowl Nov 24 th - PSU Football Concession Fundraiser Nov 30 th - Annual Congregational Meeting

2 THOUGHTS FROM PASTOR JEREMY What s been on my heart? I am so glad you asked. Prayer. I came to Christ as a 12 year-old boy. The Holy Spirit convicted my heart that Jesus really is the Son of God, that I was a sinner, and that Christ died for my sin and rose again so that I could receive God s forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. God wanted a relationship with me! I was so excited! I asked Christ to forgive me, come into my life, save me and make me his child. I know that my life changed that day, because I can see the changes in my life that the Holy Spirit has brought. Holy Discontent But if you re like me, maybe you ve been saved now longer than when you weren t. As Christians, we ve been going to church, for many years. You could probably share some stories of amazing things you ve seen God do in your life or in the life of others. At the same time, you could probably share areas of hurt, or struggle or things you yet would love to see God do. I heard someone once say there is this thing called, Holy Discontent. It s a longing for more of God s presence and to see Him do more for His glory. Do you have a holy discontent? Are you longing for more of Him in your life? I am. Christ saved me 30 years ago, and I can tell you that I still long to know Him even more. And I long to see him do more; more of his kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven, as Jesus taught us to pray. Asking James 5:16 says, The prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James also says, You do not have because you do not ask God (4:3). Jesus said, Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (Jn 16:24). We do not ask because we just want stuff. We ask because we know that the glory of God is what the world needs. Knowing and being fully satisfied in Christ is the purpose of every human being. (continued on next page)

3 Jesus brings life where there is barren emptiness. He is a God who sees. Who loves his creation. Jesus also said that the fields are white unto the harvest. All of this means that there is more that God wants to do in your world and around you. The question is: Do we desire it? Out of Style? Do we desire to see our own lives, our neighbors, our community transformed by a relationship with the living God of the universe, Jesus? Over the last number of years it has been a deep conviction of mine that cannot happen unless we get on our knees as God s people and begin to earnestly seek His face again. Prayer has fallen out of style with the church in our day. Let s be honest. E.M. Bounds, a man mighty in prayer, once said, Every mighty move of God has had it s source in the prayer chamber. I believe that it is only when God s people are hungry for Him, by living in obedience to God s Word, and when His Church is truly hungry, seeking Him in prayer, will God move again in a mighty way, bringing revival among us. Could we desire anything greater? For ourselves or anyone else? Is there anything greater than joy of knowing Christ? The apostle Paul didn t think so What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things (Phil 3:8). My Challenge So here is my challenge. Let s become a hungry, praying church. Praying together. Once a month. We are all busy, I know. Me too. Even as your pastor, I am still human and I can think of ten other things I could do with 1 ½ hours of my time. But my heart tells me that there is too much at stake. We live in a time when the church cannot be powerless or sitting on the sidelines. In every area of life, we need more of Jesus and his kingdom to come on earth as it is heaven. Can you feel it? What are we going to do about it? They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). I am in. Will you join me? Pastor Jeremy NOV 7 7 PM DEC 11 7 PFBC

4 Women s Ministry PRC S BLESSING WEEK Grow Deep Hour: Fear & PFBC Sundays, 9:30 AM Week of December 3 WOMEN S Hebron April 5-7 Reminders FOOTBALL FUNDRAISER for Women s Ministry events (and other ministries). WOMEN S BREAKFAST & PFBC November 17, 9:30 AM WOMEN S DESSERT & Hilary Field s January 4, 7 PM Interested in planning? WOMEN S RETREAT PLANNING starts in December. Men s Ministry Next Men s Breakfast Saturday, November 3, PFBC Consider inviting a friend outside the church. CHRISTMAS s Victorian Bellefonte Home December 1, 11 AM - 1 PM Dennis Devlin Men s Ministry

5 Children s Ministry Indoor Park Indoor Park has started and it is a busy, busy place with lots of preschoolers and their families; we have 45 families registered already. They are really enjoying the new toys and the T-shirts. If you know of anyone who would enjoy coming to Indoor Park, we have invitation cards in the lobby that you can pass out. They can also check it out on Facebook. Indoor Park is Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-11 AM. Candy Cane Carnival Candy Cane Carnival is Saturday, November 17 at the Nittany Mall from 10 AM - 2 PM. Santa arrives this day and we would like to set up a table to pass out our church information and also interact with our neighbors. I am looking for individuals who would like to spend some time at the mall sharing about our church. We will also have activities for the kids to do at the table. Please contact Babette Manning (babette@parkforestbaptist.org) if you want to help out. OCC Packing Party An Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Packing Party will be held on Sunday, November 18, around 1 PM, after Church Dinner. Please plan to stay and pack the shoeboxes with the items we have been collecting since January. We still have some items that are needed and we will have the list ready soon. (continued on next page)

6 YOUTH PASTOR SEARCH WORSHIP DIRECTOR POSITION Children s Ministry (continued) Children s Christmas Program The Children's Christmas program "Crazy, Busy, Peaceful, Holy Night" will be presented on Sunday, December 9, during the morning Worship Service. The kids are working hard to prepare for the program, if your child would like to get involved, we would love to have them join us. Our next practice will be on Sunday, November 4, following the Worship Service until 2 PM. Lunch will be provided. Serving Are you serving the church anywhere? Are you looking to get involved? There are many opportunities to serve here at PFBC and we would love to help you get connected. Please contact Babette Manning to see where you can serve (babette@parkforestbaptist.org). PFBC has begun its Youth Pastor Candidate search to fill a part time youth pastor position starting in Phil Cetnar is heading up the committee. The elders have agreed to interview an internal candidate first before looking outward. Over the next two months after the committee is formed, they will interview Jon Atkinson. Any questions or comments can be directed to Phil Cetnar. We would ask that you please keep this process in prayer for the Lord s wisdom and guidance as we seek to fill this important ministry position. PFBC is reopening its Director/Pastor of Worship Ministries search. Requirements and application will be posted on the church website soon. Again, please keep this search in prayer as we seek to find the right person to lead this ministry. Questions and comments can be directed to Pastor Jeremy.

7 RIOT Report Get out your stretchy pants, and get your nap on It's turkey month! Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God for the abundant blessings He has given us. I am thankful for the opportunity He has given me to minister to the teens of this area and this church. Youth Retreats The girls had an amazing retreat in October. They spent the weekend bonding and talking about Deborah. The guys will spend the first weekend in November away doing the same thing (except we will talk about David). These are always a highlight of the year. Worship Night Reflection We recently had a worship night, and I was hit by the lyrics of a song that I had heard many times on the radio. I Will Trust by Lauren Daigle has a chorus that says that even when God isn't doing the things that I want or need Him to do, I should still trust in Him. It hit me because this is how I have lived my life since middle school. It was then that I first wanted to be a youth pastor, and I had my plan of what was going to happen. God said no. In high school, my goal was the same, just the people were different. God said no. Ten years later, my goal was still the same. God said not yet. Three years after that, same goal, same answer. Now, my goal is still the same: serve God by serving the teens, but God's answer has changed. Throughout the whole time, I trusted that God's plan was better than mine, and His timing was better than mine. I can look back, and see that His ways are always better. Please Pray For our Youth Worship Team. For our teens to be bold in their schools (we've been challenging them). For our Juniors and Seniors that have been shifting their focus to leadership. For us as we continue to seek new ways to help guide our teens to draw nearer to God. For the people that God will lead to the ministry to join (continued on next page)

8 RIOT Report (continued) Please Pray (continued) For the teens that they can continue to seek God and the ways that He would use them for His kingdom. For the teens to want to seek out their lost friends. For me (Jon) as I continue to juggle the demands of my time. That I can continue to find the right balance between work, school, family, and ministry time. Praises The teens are being bold for Christ at their schools. The girls retreat was a huge success. Teens are comfortable enough to invite their friends. We are seeing an increase in maturity and in numbers. We have teens seeking out friends that they can bring with them. A RE YOU CREATIVE ARTISTIC OR HAVE A FLAIR FOR INTERIOR DECORATING? D O YOU HAVE PAINTING OR CONSTRUCTION SKILLS? If so, here are a few ways in which you could serve at PFBC: Join the Renovations Team to help create a timeless, attractive, and cohesive decorating scheme for the Church. Coordinate or participate in decorating the Church for Christmas. Help patch, paint, or do minor remodeling in the Church. If you are interested in finding out more details about any of these areas, please contact Sharon Devlin ( or skdevlin23@comcast.net).