Highlands ARP Church April 2019

Transcription

1 Highlands ARP Church April 2019 Volume XV, Issue IV Highlands Highlights Inside This Issue From the Pastor... 2 Young Families... 4 MMO & Preschool... 5 VBS... 7 HARP Youth... 8 During the month of March, the McCoys hosted three Shepherding Group Dinners. They all went very well and over 100 people were able to participate. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, and there were many opportunities to build deeper relationships. The elders had the opportunity to explain what Shepherding Groups are and their desire to help carry the burdens of the members of the group. We are thankful to everyone who helped facilitate these dinners and to everyone who participated. We look forward to more dinners in the future! Here is an excerpt about Shepherding Groups for those who missed the dinners: To build and promote a strong sense of community and family at Highlands, we have a Shepherding Ministry led by Elders, Deacons, and their spouses. Having divided the congregation into several groups, this is designed to be a ministry of caring, fellowship, and communication to meet the spiritual needs of the congregation. You will find a list of the three Shepherding Groups on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall at church. One of our key goals for this ministry is to stay in frequent contact with each of you so that we can share what s going on in one another s lives. We further hope that you will keep us in the loop, especially when you have specific needs or issues for which you desire assistance. Please know that we will be praying for you and your family and look forward to an exciting year as we serve the Lord together at Highlands. Father Son Camping Trip Bonclarken Family Retreat Ladies Bible Study Women s Ministry Prayer Corner Soup Night & Hunger Run Walk.. 17 Calendar Special Points of Interest Apr Spring Break - No activities Apr. 8th - Soup Night Apr. 9th - Ladies Bible Study Apr. 10th - Youth Nerfs & Waffles Apr. 11th - Men s Prayer Breakfast Apr. 13th - Men s Bible Study Apr. 14th - Palm Sunday Apr. 14th - Christian Education Meeting Apr. 14th - Deacons Meeting Apr. 16th - Ladies Bible Study Apr. 17th - No Activities Apr. 18th - Men s Prayer Breakfast Apr. 18th - Ladies Bible Study Apr. 18th - Maundy Thursday Service Apr. 19th - Good Friday Apr. 20th - Bunny Brunch, Easter Egg Hunt & Puppet Show Apr. 21st - Easter Breakfast & Service Apr. 22nd - Soup Night Apr. 23rd - Ladies Bible Study Apr. 24th - Celebrate April Birthdays Apr. 25th - Men s Prayer Breakfast Apr. 25th - Session Meeting Apr. 27th - Grayson Day, Puppet Show & Bake Sale Apr Hunger Walk Run Apr. 30th - Ladies Bible Study Highlands Highlights 1

2 From the Pastor The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. (Psalm 110:1 ESV) We began looking at the names of God, starting with God s highest name last month, and we continue with one of the more common names, Adonai. If you notice in the Scripture above, there are two uses of the word Lord with one of them being fully capitalized. As we learned last time when this occurs it s the highest name of God, Yahweh. However, in looking at the above Scripture we also see that the word Lord appears without it being all capitals. This is the English translation of the Hebrew word for God, Adonai. In its context, David is actually speaking prophetically about the promised Messiah who would come from his line and rule over His enemies. The name Adonai is a royal title that refers to someone who is in charge of, or rules over, someone else. It can be a title given to the master of the house who is the person in charge. It is also used in Scripture when referring to Kings, Rulers, or other very important people. For example, in 1 Samuel 24:8 David refers to King Saul as my lord the king and in 2 Kings 2:19 some of Elisha s followers refer to him as their lord. In these and other such instances in Scripture where lord appears it s the English translation of Adonai. Of course, the way in which we can tell if it s referring to God is the context as well as whether it begins with a capital. The question for us, however, is what does the name Lord teach us when it s used as God s name in Scripture. For the most part it calls us to reverence and submission to God as our Master. It stresses our relationship to God as the One who rules and has authority over us as well as over all His creation. When Israel was getting ready to cross over the Jordan river and enter into the promised land, Joshua reminded the people of Israel that God would be with them while pointing to the Ark of the Covenant when he said Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan (Joshua 3:11 ESV). This was to remind them that God was in charge that He would go before them and would drive out their enemies. You see, when we speak of God as Lord it s meant to encourage us in our lives because we know that this God, who is Lord over all, is also Lord of everything we face in this life. He holds our every moment and because He is Lord of all the earth, we can find our safety in Him. Pastor Mark Highlands Highlights 2

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5 Highlands MMO & Preschool April Theme: Transportation Theme for the Month: This month we will be learning about Transportation! We will be talking about planes, trains, cars, bicycles, and more! We will also be learning about letters W, X & Y and the numbers, 1, 2, & 3. Silly Fun Day: Paper Airplane Day April 23rd The students will have fun making paper airplanes and then seeing how far the planes will fly! Important Dates: Spring Break NO School April 1 4 Highlands MMO & Preschool is reaching out to our community to provide quality Christian childcare and instruction for families with young children. Please pray for this outreach ministry of Highlands ARP Church. Highlands Highlights 5

6 NURSERY: CHILDREN S CHURCH: Apr. 7th Help Needed Apr. 7th Apr. 14th Liezl Apr. 14th Help Needed Laura Apr. 21st Help Needed Apr. 21st Lyna Apr. 28th Carole Apr. 28th Help Needed ELEMENTARY CHILDREN S CHURCH: April Deborah Akins Highlands Highlights 6

7 2019 Vacation Bible School Registration for Highlands' 2019 Vacation Bible School "Rome: Paul and the Underground Church is now open! Our VBS will be five exciting and fun-filled days, from June 17th-21st from 9:30 am to noon each day, learning about Paul, the underground church in Rome, and Paul's Letter to the Roman church. Look for the registration link at: highlandsarp.org See daily themes below! Day 1: God's love is a gift. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 Day 2: God's love changes us. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2 Day 3: God's love is always with us. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38 Day 4: God's love saves us. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 Day 5: God's love is worth sharing. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." - Romans 1:16 VBS Volunteers Needed! With the 2019 Vacation Bible School quickly approaching, we need the family of Highlands to come together to help make this VBS happen from, June 17th - 21st, from 9:30 am to noon each day! We need volunteers of all sorts: craft helpers to prep crafts and help the littler attendees, group leaders to walk our groups around from station to station, snack makers and helpers, Bible teachers, and scripture memory helpers. Are you available to help the week of June 17th-21st? We need you!! If so, contact Corie Kuykendall at corieandrob@gmail.com or at (678) and we will find a position for you. Or you can talk with Bonnie Hornby at bouncinb29@yahoo.com or (678) Highlands Highlights 7

8 In the month of March, our high school students were able to attend the High School Retreat at Bonclarken. It was a great time of fun, fellowship, and worship. The students shared that they learned that it is important to guard what you let into your heart and mind. It was a good opportunity for conversations with the students that helped to build stronger relationships. We enjoyed our time with youth from other ARP churches and worshiping with the larger body of Christ. Also in March was our shepherding group dinner for the youth and young families, and it was a wonderful time of fun and fellowship! Sunday School at 9am Youth: Wednesdays at 6:30pm No Youth Group April 3 Nerfs & Waffles April 10 Easter Egg Hunt April 20 Easter Breakfast April 21 Grayson Day April 27 Highlands Highlights 8

9 The Father Son camping trip was a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, and relaxation. We enjoyed being outdoors and seeing the river, and the kids loved playing in the woods. Thank you to all who were able to participate and thank you especially to Paul Akins and Jon Jones for the delicious meals! We look forward to many more fun adventures in the future! Highlands Highlights 9

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11 Soup Nite ministry is sponsoring a Bake Sale fundraiser at Grayson Days on April 27th from 10am - 4pm. We will sell individually packaged homemade desserts for customers to enjoy as they walk around the park. We would welcome any help baking, packaging or selling desserts such as cookies, cupcakes, cookie bars, cake pops, etc. Please contact Jane Statham at or Faith Wallace at Highlands Highlights 11

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13 RESERVE YOUR PLACE TODAY! Come get and away, just two hours away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta and the surrounding areas, where you ll enjoy the peace and fellowship of Bonclarken Conference Center. Yes, it is a lovely and wonderful place to be with a lake, pleasant sitting and relaxing areas, and a time for good food, fellowship, assorted activities, even playing some card and table games. As you want and As you wish are the themes for our Highlands family retreat days. There are limited spaces available, so book ASAP and don t be disappointed. Available accommodations include: 3 Faith Apartments - $111/night; 2 nights = $222 Separate town-house style apartments, each with a living room, eat-in kitchen, 1½ baths, 2 bedrooms and a screen-in back porch. Bedrooms and full bath are upstairs. One bedroom has 1 queen-size bed, the other 2 single beds. Sofa in living room pulls out to a queen-size bed. Apartments are very economical, spacious and best suited for families of 5-6 people. 9 Founders Hall rooms - $94/night; 2 nights = $188 Guest rooms with 2 queen-size beds & private bathrooms in each. Elevator access. Sleeps 4. There are a few unreserved Lodge rooms that we can also get, so reserve early. (Contact conference center for rates and availability.) Breakfast for Saturday and Sunday will be from about 7:30-8:30 AM, and is paid in advance with your reservation. Please add your breakfasts, if desired, at time of room reservation. Breakfast prices are per person, per day: Age 11 +, $8.50; ages 4-10, $5; under age 4, Free. We will have a picnic by the lake Saturday evening, with lots of good food, treats, fun and fellowship. Or, if you prefer, enjoy some simple quiet time. Questions? Call or text Don at , or at docmicrobe@ comcast net. (Retreat reservations may be refunded in case of emergency or problem.) Name: Room Selection: (choose one) Faith Apartment - # of nts x $111/ nt = $ Founders Hall - # of nts x $94/ nt = $ Lodge Room - (Contact conference center to reserve) Breakfast Reservations (list # of people for each age group): Age 11+: # x $8.50/person/day = $ Ages 4-10: # x $5.00/person/day = $ Under Age 4: # - FREE Room Total: $ Breakfast Total: $ CHECK TOTAL: $ Checks payable to: Highlands ARP Notation on check: Church Retreat at Bonclarken Highlands Highlights 13

14 Ladies Bible Study Daughters of the King Guard their thoughts, hearts, and words! What a delightful time the Ladies had as they studied chapter 10 of Treasures of Encouragement at Ladies Bible Study in March. Since what comes out of our mouths starts in our minds, we were encouraged to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. We saw the comparison of Daughters of the King who use discretion and choose wise words with As a ring of gold in a swine s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. We read many verses about what the Bible has to say about our words. We concluded with Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Please consider joining us in April as we continue our study of Treasures of Encouragement! April 9 & 16 at 7 pm chapter 11 April 23 & 30 at 7 pm chapter 12 April 18 at 10:30 am chapter 11 Highlands Highlights 14

15 Summer Reading Suggestions Women s Ministry Spring is here; summer is on its way! Our women's Bible studies will conclude soon, but that doesn't mean your time in the Word and spiritual growth and nourishment need to take the summer off. Here is a short list of recommended, session-approved books for you to consider for your summer reading/study. They are available to order online (check Amazon.com or pcabookstore.com). Cindy Bennett has a copy of many of these if you'd like to look through them; table of contents is usually available online. Daily Devotionals: God s Daily Promises, edited by Tyndale publishers One Year Book of Hope, by Nancy Guthrie (Tyndale) One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament, by Nancy Guthrie (Tyndale) For Moms: Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh (Moody) World-proof Your Kids: Raising Children Unstained by the World, by Tim Sisemore (Christian Focus) 5 Things to Pray for Your Kids: Prayers that Change the Next Generation, by Melissa Kruger (The Good Book Company) Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, by Melissa Kruger (Waterbrook) Topical: The Red Sea Rules: The Same God Who Led You in Will Lead You Out, by Robert J. Morgan (Nelson) Adorned: Living Out the Beauty of the Gospel Together, by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (Moody) - This goes along with our study discussion of spiritual mothering. Flourish: How the Love of Christ Frees Us from Self-Focus, by Lydia Brownback (Crossway) Highlands Highlights 15

16 In Loving Memory Francis Mary Mobley September 14, 1929 March 19, 2019 Mary was born in New West Minister, British Columbia, Canada. She moved to England when she was 7 years old and came across the pond in She was a nurse and went to work at Scottish Rite Hospital in Decatur, GA. She was happily married for 58 years, and had a beautiful son, and a spunky little girl. Mary was a positive influence in many lives. Even after the loss of her husband and son, Mary did not sit and mope, but said, "if you want to be happy you will be happy"'. She was a doer and loved to participate in having fun. Mary was a member of Highlands ARP Church for many years. If you have a prayer request for the congregation, please send to: highlandarp@gmail.com Prayer Corner Update Thank you Lord for: Inno Bennett - graduated from Army Signal Corps Training Please continue to pray for: Eric Hunt - deployed to Afghanistan Caridad Blandshaw - job & insurance situation Our Christian Sympathy is expressed to the families in the passing of: Tim Wyatt - Joyce Jones nephew Mary Mobly - Highlands Member Highlands Highlights 16

17 Soup Nite It was brought to my attention that maybe there are people who read this blurb in the newsletter and do not know about Soup Nite or what it does as a ministry. Very briefly, Soup Nite started in 2012 with an idea to make soup for people in need of a hot meal. A small team at Highlands got together with the SE Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry and reached out to their clients to come over on the 2nd and 4th Mondays every month for a hot meal. The ministry has grown quite a bit, as we started out serving maybe 25 meals and now average 120 meals each evening. Faith Church has joined us in our fight to end hunger... taking baby steps in the community. We have a reputation for serving good, nutritious meals with friendly smiles and warm hearts. We have prayed for our guests, and we care deeply for their families and life situations. It would be great to have new people join us in preparing meals and/or seeing what happens as we come together to serve. You can also follow Highlands Soup Nite on Facebook to see the latest happenings and the meals being served on upcoming Mondays. Pass the word on or have any interested people contact Jane Statham or Carrie Macaluso. On our 1st serving in March, we served breaded fish (Pollock) with a pasta and corn mix and baked beans. This meal was entirely given to us from the Food Bank, therefore we had to cook it all in the church kitchen. Jane and I had fun working together and it was a beautiful day to serve. The time change means that we are more easily seen from the street because of our signage and longer daylight. We were a small team of workers this day but we got 'er done. There were some breaks in the flow of guests, but all in all, we served over 120 meals. A couple of our guests complimented our past meals, so we were very encouraged and those kind words mean a great deal to us. Mr. Winfrey came by with Xavier and prayed over us before they left. All are well in their household. A special highlight was that a mother and daughter from Grayson stopped by with an offer to share some flowers that they needed to pass on to a caring home. The mother works at Home Depot and her name is Erin Crandall. These flowers and succulents will go to our Seasoned With Love seniors that we deliver meals too. She is also interested in coming to church as "she lives just across the street". Erin works some Sundays, so let's pray that the Lord works it out so she can worship with us. On our 2nd serving in March, we served chicken tortilla soup with chips, peach slices, bags of salad and Mexican cannolis. They were not really Mexican, but we had a Mexican meal and our dessert wasn't, so we changed the name. LOL. As it turned out, it was a very good meal because at 5:10, only a little over an hour into serving, we were running out of food. Jane quickly made up another batch of soup and when that ran out, we made up some nachos with beef, black beans and cheese. This was very clearly God stretching out our crock pots and doing the "fishes and loaves" meal for us. We served 184 meals and did not sit down for one minute! It was wonderful!! We saw some new faces and we always delight in seeing our regular guests. Jane and Bob did a Food Bank run in the morning so there were a lot of "giveaways" too. Nothing was left when we finished for the evening. Continue to pray for Dewey, as he was not with us again this Monday. Charles and Andrea brought him some soup and hopefully he enjoyed the nourishment. Hi Dewey! Feel Better. Our next Soup Nite will be on the 8th and 22nd. We are still planning out a menu, but are sure that on the day after Easter, the 22nd, no one will feel like cooking, so we are serving sandwiches! Thank you for your willingness to serve others and your joyful hearts when surrounded by Christ's love. In His Service, Carrie Support Highlands Soup Nite & Atlanta Community Food Bank On Sunday, April 28, 2019, I will be participating in the Hunger Walk Run. This event is one of the most important hunger relief efforts of the year. The money I raise will feed hope for the 1 in 7 people who face hunger in our community. Please join me in supporting this important mission! You can help me reach my personal fundraising goal by making a donation on my behalf, or take the next step against hunger by walking/running with me on April 28th. Together, we can make sure that a child in our community doesn t go to bed hungry tonight. We can offer a glimmer of hope to struggling parents desperately trying to make ends meet for their family. We can ensure another senior citizen isn t forced to choose between paying for medicine or food. To make a donation or to join our team, click on the link below: Thank you so much, and we hope to see you at the Hunger Walk Run! ~ Carrie Macaluso Highlands Highlights 17

18 If you would like to order an Easter lily in memory or in honor of someone, please contact the church office for information. Cost is $10. Please include the name of the person you are honoring or memorializing to be listed in the Sunday bulletin. Order forms will be available in the March 31st and April 7th bulletins. The deadline is April 7th. Supporting Highlands Be sure to sign up with your financial institution s online BillPay service. You can make one-time, or recurring payments, which will go to support the church s missions and ministries. Additionally, using AmazonSmile, Kroger Community Rewards and igive.com while you shop provides additional donations for Highlands. Just select us when signing up. Thank you for supporting our church! Highlands Highlights 18

19 APRIL 2019 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Happy Birthday George O Farrell No Activities Happy Birthday Keri Ashe Betty Reinhardt 10 MMO 11 MMO 12 NO MMO THIS WEEK SPRING BREAK 7 9am SS 10am Worship 8 MMO 9 MMO Soup Night Happy Birthday John Avitabile 15 MMO 16 MMO Deadline for Lilies donations 14 Palm Sunday 9am SS 10am Worship Happy Birthday Betty West 11am Christian Education Meeting 11:15am Deacons Meeting 7pm Ladies Bible Study Happy Birthday Easter Sunday 9am Easter Breakfast Charles Roberts 10am Worship Soup Night MMO Happy Birthday Theodore Edmondson Tyler Edmondson Gail O Farrell 9:00am Men s Bible Study 6:00 Choir Practice 8:30am Men s 6:30 Youth - Nerfs Prayer Breakfast 7pm Ladies Bible & Waffles Study 7:00 Dinner 7:30 Bible Study 23 MMO 17 MMO No Activities 24 MMO 7pm Ladies Bible 6:00 Choir Practice Study 6:30 Youth 7:00 Dinner & April Birthdays 7:30 Bible Study 18 MMO 8:30am Men s Prayer Breakfast 10:30am Ladies Bible Study 7pm Maundy Thursday Service 25 MMO 8:30am Men s Prayer Breakfast 7:30pm Session Mtg Good Friday Happy Birthday Andrea Eklund Lee Hunt 10:30am Bunny Brunch, Easter Egg Hunt & Puppet Show Happy Birthday Barbara Fordham Grayson Day, Puppet Show & Bake Sale 30 MMO 7pm Ladies Bible Study 9am SS 10am Worship Hunger Walk The Home Depot Highlands Highlights 19

20 Highlands ARP Church Phone Fax Worship Times and Activities Sunday: Tuesday: 9:00 10:00 11:00 7:00 am Sunday School for all am Worship am Deacons Meeting - 2nd Sunday of the month pm Ladies Weekly Bible Study Pastor: Associate Pastor: Music Director: Secretary: Mark Hornby Chris McCoy Bonnie Hornby Betsy Whitson Wednesday: 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 pm Choir Practice pm Youth & Children Fun & Games pm Dinner pm Bible Study Thursday: 8:30 10:30 7:30 am Men s Prayer Breakfast am Ladies Bible Study - 3rd Thurs. of the month pm Session Meeting- 3rd Thurs. of the month Saturday: 9:00 am Fellowship Breakfast (periodically) Men & WOC meetings (periodically) Candle Lighters: April 7 April 14 April 21 April 28 Sama Chifen Jacob Blandshaw John Mark Avitabile Nate Edmondson Warmly Welcoming our Members & Visitors each week: April 7 Jim Whitson, Stan Whitaker, Sal Macaluso, Jon Jones April 14 Phillip Wallace, John Avitabile, Earl Thomas, Rob Kuykendall April 21 Robert Whittle, Edward Spiller, George O'Farrell, Justin Jacques April 28 Paul McInnish, Glenn Martin, Charles Roberts, John West Highlands ARP Church April 2019 Newsletter 830 Grayson Parkway Grayson, GA CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Highlands Highlights 20