The Lighthouse. Wild Game Dinner Recap

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1 The Lighthouse MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2019 VOLUME 11 Wild Game Dinner Recap Pastor Nate Parsekian, Lead Pastor We had our first Sportsmen's dinner and God blessed it!!! We had 300 people attend, which is a great starting point for this event. I hope to increase as the popularity grows. What's the ceiling for attendance? We're thinking 400. Does this mean we want to do a dinner next year? Yes!!! There are many more hunters/ fishermen who need to hear the gospel. This leads to other exciting news. We had 12 salvations at this event. The speaker gave a clear and compelling gospel message and afterward asked men and women to pray with him. 12 people checked on their response card that they received Christ as their savior. That is incredible, amazing, fabulous, or any other superlative you want to finish that sentence with. God blessed the event and we saw fruit the first year. How can we prepare for next year? Pray and give. Pray that God will bring the right speaker in. Pray that men and women will plan and invite their unsaved friends and family. This event works because of donations. See if God would want you to give to this next year. MANY area stores, shops, and restaurants gave and maybe you have a way to give too. Talk to Pastor Nate or Doug Moorhead. We are always looking for new ways to partner with people to make this event better. Thank you, SCC, for inviting and I am already excited about next year!

2 The Perfect Spot David Jaeger, Youth Director The other day I was on YouTube watching all different kinds of videos and one I saw was about black holes. Why am I bringing this up? Because it was so interesting I want you all to hear about it as well. If the earth was to become a black hole, all the matter that is in the earth and on the earth would have to be condensed to the size of a U.S. penny. Yeah, that s right, the entire would become the size of a penny. What s terrifying to me is that this isn t just possible, in some cases it s a reality. I ll explain: At the center of the Milky Way lies a black hole known as Sagittarius A, it stretches about 25 million kilometers across and contains the mass of 4.3 million suns. Let that sink in. One reason black holes can seem scary to people is that when their gravitational pull catches something, it s nearly impossible to get out and whatever is caught is destroyed completely. So if black holes form the center of our galaxy, why aren t we being sucked into it? Scientists have observed that the universe is expanding, not shrinking. This means we are in the *perfect* spot in accordance within our galaxy, and we re the perfect distance away from our sun, so we neither burn nor freeze. It s not possible if we re looking at this from the big bang perspective; unless it wasn t a random explosion. The common argument now is that there are other universes; dimensions we cannot sense, and that these other dimensions contain beings that created our universe. What does that sound like? It sounds an awful lot like we were created and placed perfectly. Whatever life throws at you, remember that the God who created us is also our shepherd who cares unimaginably deeply for each one of us. Shores Kids Lesa Jaeger, Children s Director Youth Proverbs Events 22:17 A merry heart does good like medicine Mar. 1 Marvel Mar. 4 High School House Party 6:30 PM Mar. 8 Marvel Mar Overnight Event 7 PM-9 AM Mar. 18 High School House Party 6:30 PM Mar. 22 Marvel Mar. 31 Spring Break Party 6 PM This last month has been rough. The kids have been cooped up inside because of the freezing temperatures. There are sicknesses, health issues, problems of this world that have a negative impact on the family. But this makes me think of the song Anchor by Hillsong. Some lyrics are as follows: I have this hope As an anchor for my soul Through every storm I will hold to You With endless love All my fear is swept away In everything I will trust in You Continued on next page... March 17 will be Dippin Dots Day! Join us after church for this tasty frozen treat. Maybe they will all be different shades of green for Saint Patrick s Day, but you won t know unless your there, right? So invite a friend to join us Sunday the 17th! Who knows, maybe through this ice cream they will know and understand how much they are loved. ;)

3 There is hope in the promise of the cross You gave everything to save the world You love And this hope is an anchor for my soul Our God will stand unshakable We have a God who is unshakable. Whatever situation we are in mentally, physically, emotionally, we know that if we rest in God, He will provide. As a follower of Christ we have HOPE! How does this apply to Shores Kids? The children here at SCC have their fair share of issues. Some of them come from broken homes where they may see unimaginable things. Some children come from safe loving homes where, even if they are sheltered, they also have their share of problems. Just because one child may come from a better home does not mean they should be treated differently. My vision for Shores Kids is that all rooms would offer a welcoming, safe, fun, spirit-filled ministry so that all can have an opportunity to develop and create a relationship with Jesus as their personal savior. How can you, as a volunteer, do this? How can you make a difference in a child s life? Simply by being there. If you are here developing relationships with the children, praying for them, getting to know who their friends are, why they had a bad week, etc., they will understand that you care. Lately, I have been noticing something about the human race; that people are constantly in search of something better. Something to fill them. Something to love them. Something to make them feel important. It is the same for these kids and we can give them the answer. We can share the love of God! We can love the people around us and share that God loves them just as much as he loves us. There is no other name that is greater. No other name that is higher. No other name that is deserving of praise. Let us share why and how others can receive the same kind of love through our actions, words, and presence. Let us love God, love ALL people, and represent Christ well. So, What Are You Doing That Evening Kathy Porter, Deacon of Ministries Do you have something you ve already committed to on Wednesday evening, March 20th? Well, if not, you can come join us at Prayer and Praise at 7 PM. Sarah Hunt will be leading us in worship to prepare our hearts to enter into precious communication with the Father. Directing us further, Pastor Nate will have prepared a short list of requests centering around the major needs of our church. We start out praying as a group, whereby those who feel led to offer up petitions may do so. The rest of us can agree with an amen or silently pray from the heart. Next, we break up into small groups, often with those who know one another, to pray through a few topics. This time could be focused on families in our church, for newcomers, for a particular on-going program or even some event or program planned for the future. These smaller groups allow for those who feel more comfortable praying with just a few people to share their thoughts in prayer. Even here anyone can remain silent; just listen and agree with those who do pray. Concluding the hour, Sarah leads us in a praise song or two, giving us the opportunity to give thanks to God for all He will do. Young people are encouraged to participate if even in song. You re not required to bring anything but your faith in a faithful God who promises to hear us when we pray in faith.faithfully. We hope you ll decide to put this on/in your calendar and come to Prayer and Praise! Psalm 65:2 NIV You who answer prayer, to You all people will come.

4 Getting To Know Your Missionaries (Part 8) Bob Lenz, Deacon of Missions Dennis and Melody Nordine The Nordines have had varied experiences over the past four decades. They began as overseas missionaries with the Bible College and Seminary in the Philippines, training Filipino nationals for leadership ministry to serve in Muslim tribes in the Philippines. After twenty years, a group of them had a vision to begin the Bethlehem Star of Peace (BSOP) agency. They were organized to equip highly trained Filipinos to go to the unreached people groups. The Nordines were invited to join this newly formed organization and Dennis became the International Director of BSOP. He is also the liaison between BSOP and Converge. They coach sixteen full time field workers through social media. Although their home in retirement is in Ludington, MI, they stay in Asia part of the year to visit each of the workers annually in their field of service. They also help to recruit and train new Filipino missionaries. Part of their time overseas is also spent at the Santisuk school of English in Bangkok, Thailand. They are presently volunteers with BSOP as non-salaried missionaries; however, there are churches, such as Shores Community Church, that help with their travel and ministry expenses. The Nordines have been supported by SCC since They are presently in Bangkok and will leave for Cambodia in early March. Lynda Oatley Lynda has served in Brazil for several years at Reame, a facility for foster children. She is also a chaplain for the home. What makes her ministry so challenging is providing for the home and the children. The government gives her subsidy for the home, but as of late, there have been no funds available for this service. But God has provided miraculously for the needs of the home. Part of her ministry also is in the community to reach girls who have been used in sex trafficking. Her sphere of ministry is in a highly violent community in town. Presently, she is undergoing chemo treatments for a very aggressive ovarian cancer. We ask that you pray for her as the Lord brings her to your mind, that He would grant complete healing and allow her to continue her ministry in Brazil. Lynda has been supported by SCC for many years. Pictured Right: The Nordine's Pictured Left: Lynda Oatley

5 Birthdays & Anniversaries Happy Birthday To: 1 Paul Bristow 1 Natalie Cooper 2 Phil Dykman 2 Sharon Swainston 3 Makyla Lieb 6 Laurie Hulst 6 Pearl Redding 8 Missionary Gabe Berry 8 Linda Riker 10 John Gorenflo 10 Missionary Ian Hazard 11 Bea Scheltema 13 Missionary Parker Dawe 19 Ms. Linda Doctor 20 Lucy Commire 22 Chuck Michelin 23 Eve Pollock 25 Missionary Amy Hill 26 Bruce Burr 27 Diane Rodriguez 28 Dagan Cooper 29 Garrett Near 30 Tracey Howell 30 Jack Redding 30 Missionary Joanne Schwarcz 31 Daniel Moorhead 14 Wanda O Toole 15 Stan Carlson Happy Anniversary To: 4 Paul Bristow & Linda Corinti Bristow 22 Devon & Brittany Carrico 25 Mike & Kathy Gilleece Church Events Mar. 10 Town Hall Meeting 9:30 AM Mar. 17 Dippin Dots Day Following the Service Mar. 20 Prayer & Praise Night 6:30 PM Mar. 31 Special Business Meeting 9 AM