EXCITING NEWS UNFOLDS

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1 February 11, Pastor Cliff continues his series on Becoming The Spiritual Person You Want to Be. EXCITING NEWS UNFOLDS Have you ever wished your prayer life was more effective? Ever felt your prayers went unanswered? Prayer, does it really make any difference? Spirit of Faith Church has always had a strong prayer ministry, - Let s get better let s be all that we can be. Lenten six week studies will soon begin. One hour a week for six weeks to enhance and improve your prayer life! Thanks to Sandy Howard she found a wonderful study on prayer by Jim Cymbala the pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle. Pastor Cymbala will share with us the keys that unlock the power that turns prayer from a mere activity into a vital link with God and all of his resources. See page two for more information and study schedules. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 May God bless you as we together as a church commit this verse to memory.

2 Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God (author unknown). It is that time of the year when we begin to look at preparing for Easter and the celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we prepare our hearts and minds let us not just talk about prayer but to do prayer and commit to study prayer. We say at Spirit of Faith that we are Living in the Joy of the Lord. What did Jesus have to say about that? In one of Jesus last conversation with his disciples He tells them to Abide with Me. In fact He repeats it not once but nine times. Think abiding was important to Christ? John 15:5 He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. It appears that Abiding in Christ and Joy in Christ go hand and hand. E.M.Bounds was a pastor in the Methodist Church during the civil war. He spent the majority of his life studying prayer and wrote seven books that are still referenced repeatedly. After he retired he spent the last nineteen years of his life engaged in intercessory prayer and writing. He typically arose at four o clock every morning to be alone with God in prayer until seven. E.M. Bounds points out that in the original Greek the verb meno (abide) means intensive and consistent. To abide means we are loyal even onto death; to continue doing what we are doing even when it is hard and the urge to quit is strong. To cling to something and have faith even when it seems to have failed. To stay in constant communication with God. Enter the importance of prayer. Six Week Lenten Prayer Study Schedules Study Date Begjns Place Adult Sunday Night 6:00 March 13 Roger Howard s Monday, 12:00 noon March 14 Church Office Young Couples Wednesday 7:00 March 9 Zach Warner s Youth Sunday Night 5:30 March 13 Church Office A breakfast study 6:30 a.m. or Sunday Study after worship is possible if desired. Child care will be provided if needed. Contact Lois or lois@spirit-offaith.org with questions or to sign up. Sign up sheets will also be at Worship Service on Sunday.

3 ASK THE PASTOR Do you ever wish you could sit down with your Pastor and ask him questions about the Bible? During your Bible Study do you ever come up with some unanswered questions? Has Pastor Cliff ever left you confused on some points after the worship message or do you disagree with him on one point or another? Here is your chance to put Pastor Cliff on the hot seat. Plan to attend the second Ask The Pastor workshop. Get answers to your questions, or challenge Pastor Cliff. No question is too stupid. The Bible is full of confusing conflicting statements and now you have a chance to get your questions answered. Sunday March 6 (time and place to be posted in next weeks newsletter). We will all sit down and have an informal question and answer session. Don t miss this one you will really enjoy the informal atmosphere and the sack lunch that will also be present. This is not going to be a sermon. It is a perfect time for you to invite a friend or neighbor to join us. No matter what church you attend or do not attend everyone has questions concerning the Bible. Jot down the questions you have and send them to Lois by March 1 so Pastor Cliff will have some idea of the areas of concern or questions you have. Additional questions will still be answered during the meeting as they surface or arise. For Example: Some questions already received are: In the OT the saying the angel of the LORD appears more than once.. One example is in Exodus 23: This angel has divine qualities can give life, forgive sins, performed miracles. Who is this Angel? Exodus 4:24-26 Why was the Lord about to kill Moses after he had called him to free the Israelites?

4 2011 SPRING BANQUET Save the Date and Plan now to attend The banquets are complimentary. An offering will be received for the ministry. Come hear stories of inmates whose lives have been changed and reports from the GNJ&PM Chaplains. Pottawattamie County Banquet - Monday, April 11 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. 6:30 p.m. Douglas County Banquet - Tuesday, April 12 at the Qwest Center Hilton in downtown Omaha. 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Free Validated Parking. We have a table at each banquet. Please contact Lois at or lois@spirit-of-faith.org to reserve your ticket for one of the banquets. Reservations must be made by April 6.

5 Take the time to send an , card or just give a hug BIRTHDAYS: Mary Hines Feb 3 Chinaka Asugha Feb 5 Jason Irwin Feb 6 Bob Reel Feb 21 Gina Selman Feb 21 Oh the weather outside may get frightful and the snow may not be so delightful, so the big question is When will church be cancelled because of bad weather? Here is your solution. In the case of bad weather, a decision will be made by 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning if church will be cancelled. You can find out the status by turning in to: Channel 3 KMTV Channel 6 WOW TV Channel 7 KRTV Radio Station KGBI If you still have questions you can always call Lois at Area Code Change: Beginning February 26, 2011, all customers with a 402 area code must use the new dialing procedure for ALL calls. On or after this date, if you do not use the new dialing procedure, your call will not be completed, and a recording will instruct you to hang up and dial again. Beginning March 26, 2011, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the 531 area code. All customers with a 531 area code must dial the area code + seven-digit telephone number on all calls or the call will not be com- Pastor Cliff will be broadcasting live on KGBI Radio a sixty second moment on Transforming Your Mind. Broadcast time is as follows: Monday through Wednesday & Friday ~8:20 am and Thursday ~ 8:50 am. Thursday you can hear Cliff twice, at 8:20 on the Early Show and at 8:50 for Transforming Your Mind.

6 Future Events: Stay tuned for more details later: Monday, February 21 Administrative Council Meeting 6:30 Church Office Wednesday, March 2 provide lunch at Omaha Street School 11:30 Contact Sharon Walton at cmschip1@yahoo.com or Sunday, March 6 Ask the Pastor: Informal question an answer session as Pastor Cliff answers your questions about scripture. Questions that arise from your private bible study, or from messages on Sunday Morning. Plans are to have these sessions once a quarter. Time and place to be announced in next weeks newsletter. Sunday, March 13 1:30 Connecting Hands goes to Douglas County Health to share in music and prayer with the residents. Contact Sandy Howard at showard@tconl.com. April 11 and 12 6:30 Good News Jail Spring Banquet Downtown Hilton on April 12 or Mid American Center on April 11. Contact Lois at or lois@spirit-of -faith.org for tickets. Senior Moment: In May or June a special celebration of our Seniors (60 and over) Graduation Celebration: In June a special celebration for our Youth that graduate from High School. Youth Mission Trip: July 2011 More details later Choir Practice: Ongoing Weekly Meetings Wednesday at 7:00 Contact April Veline at jveline@tconl.com or Bible Study: Note Lenten Six Week Bible Studies will start in March. The Sunday Night Bible study at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Roger and Sandy Howard. We are studying the book of Isaiah. Contact Sandy Howard at showard@tconl.com or Monday Noon Bible Study 12:00 to 1:00 We are studying the Gospel of John All are welcome to attend. Bring your own brown bag lunch, drinks are provided. Contact Lois Schorman at lois@spirit-of-faith.org or I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

7 Join Us for Worship at: Millard North High School Mustang Center 1010 South 144 th Street 9:00 a.m. Worship and Children s Sunday School Church Office: Burt Street, Suite 104, Pastor Cliff s Office Hours: Monday 8:00 to 4:30 Tuesday: 8:00 12:30 Wednesday: 8:00 to 12:30 Thursday 8:00 to 4:30 Friday 8:00 to 1:00 Lois s Office Hours: Monday 9:00 to 2:00 Wednesday 9:00 to 2:00 Friday 9:00 to 2:00 Office Phone: Lois s Cell & lois@spirit-of-faith.org Cliff s Phone & cliff@spirit-of-faith.org 2011 Administrative Council Chairman Carla Hanson Vice Chairperson Stan Spurgeon Secretary Lory Jones Member Kris Eschliman Member Jack Yerton 2011 Ministry Chairpersons Worship April Veline Outreach Sharon Walton Human Relations Ron Ganer Marketing/Communications Vacant Finance Youth Life Long Learning Roger Howard Alex Tulsie Sandy Howard