Kenai Christian Church

Transcription

1 Kenai Christian Church John 11:25 December 19, 2012 Sunday Sunday School Worship Evening Wednesday Bible Study Our Services 9:45 AM 11:00 AM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM Ministers Robert DeVolld Phone: Home Bryan Copenhaver Phone: Home Youth Minister Adam Meyers Women's Ministry Leslie Daniel Phone: KCC News is published monthly by Kenai Christian Church 104 McKinley Street, Kenai AK Phone: FAX: WEB: Layout Annie Job Editor Annie Peek Women s News Layout Susan Lee Editor Annie Job Sending warm wishes and joy to you and your families this Christmas season and always. KCC Staff Vol. 12 No.12 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Monday, December 24th at 5:30 pm Join us as we celebrate Jesus birth with a beautiful candlelight service. Family and friends welcome! Evening Service dismissed on Sunday December 23rd. Soul Café and Bible studies will be dismissed December 26 & January 2nd Publishing Jean Widmayer, Chrystle Henderson Joy Winston, Louann Peery Joyce Tugan, Angie Miller

2 I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Minister's Outlook A New Year cloudy and 10 ( ) 7:00 a.m. For forty-six years I have written a column at the beginning of each year for the newsletter. I am sure that if I were to review every one of the forty-six columns I would find the following poem (prayer) published in more than one of them. This poem has a special attraction to me probably for several reasons. 1.) Perhaps, because in my elementary school years I was much like the boy described in the poem. 2.) Or, perhaps, as I have mentioned in the past, it is because teachers have been in my family. Dad taught school. A brother and sister taught school. Two sisters-inlaw taught school. Sheila and I taught school. One of our sons and our daughter are school teachers, and two daughters-in-law are teachers. 3.) Or, perhaps, it is the message of the poem that inspires me. I tend to think this is the reason. I first heard the poem read by Professor Elliott at the beginning of a second semester. I believe it was in the apologetics class he taught. It certainly is dated, but you will easily be able to glean the meaning. Enjoy! The New Leaf He came to my desk with quivering lip, The lesson was done. Have you a new leaf for me, dear teacher? I have spoiled this one! I took his leaf, all soiled and blotted, And gave him a new one, all unspotted. Then into his tired heart I smiled: Do better now, my child. I went to the throne, with trembling year, The year was now done. Have you an new year for me, dear Master? I have spoiled this one! He took my year, all soiled and blotted, And gave me a new one, all unspotted. Then into my tired heart He smiled: Do better now, my Child. We stand on the threshold of By the grace of God we are afforded a new opportunity to honor Him. He and we have witnessed the events of the past year(s), and because of His great mercy and love, He has given us another opportunity to serve Him. How good He is! The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6: Robert Encouragement Corner Year In Review Like many of you, it s hard for me to believe that another year has come and gone. This time of year though, I m reminded of that fact every time I log onto the internet. It seems that there is no end to the Year In Review compilations that people have put together. Whether it be in the realm of; sports, entertainment, or world news, it s always interesting to view the highlights that made the year memorable. In the same sense, it s always good to stop at the end of the year and reflect on the previous twelve months in our own lives. What was it about the year 2012 that made it unique? What were the highlights? What were the lowlights? How has God used this last year to shape us as individuals? There s no doubt, as you read Scripture, that God encouraged his people to remember his faithfulness to them. In fact, on several occasions in the Old Testament, the Israelites would go so far as to erect stones, mounds or altars to serve as reminders to future generations. For example, after God miraculously stopped the flow of the Jordan River, to allow the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land, we re told in Joshua 4:4-7 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, What do these stones mean? 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the J o r - dan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. As I think back on this past year, I m reminded of several events that have helped to shaped both the congregation and the community here at Kenai Christian Church. Events such as; the Youth Winter Retreat, Easter services, Biker Sunday, Graduation Sunday, small groups, VBS, camp, the church picnic, Promotion Sunday, Missions Emphasis Month, Women s Retreat, Trunk or Treat, the Thanksgiving meal, the Christmas Tea, Cookie Theatre and the Christmas Eve service. With so much happening among the congregation, it only makes sense to take the time to not only thank God for each of these events, but to remember them and their impact upon the congregation. In order to do this, as opposed to erecting stones or altars in their memory, Adam and I have compiled video footage from some of these events which we plan to show at the Sunday evening service on December 30 th. Consider this your official invitation to come and view the highlights of this past year with us. It should be a great time! Because He s the Truth, Bryan

3 Mission Moment res o lute: (adj) \re-zə-lüt, -lət\ 1. marked by firm determination As the Christmas season gradually gives way to a new year, some among us will play with the notion of making a New Year s resolution where we will commitment to a project or the reforming of a habit that we perceive to be advantageous. It may not be a custom you practice yet regardless of whether you make them or not, it s a good time for some honest selfassessment and personal inventory. Some resolutions such as losing weight, quitting smoking, eating healthy or exercising more remain popular choices year after year, and the one thing they all have in common is some physical benefit to the resolution maker. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making one of the aforementioned resolutions in fact most of us need to be better stewards of the physical body God has given to us- -but isn t our spiritual wellbeing equally important? (hint hint it s more important!) Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ~1Timothy 4:8 Are there any resolutions or commitments you need to make that have eternal significance? Do you spend as much time preparing your heart for worship on Sunday morning as you do getting dressed for church? How s your prayer time looking these days? Who do you need to forgive and who do you need to seek forgiveness from? Do you spend as much time in God s Word on a daily basis as you do on the internet? Do you ask God to open doors for you to share Him with others? Hopefully these questions will help you assess the health of your spiritual life and get you thinking about areas you can focus on growing and maturing during the upcoming year. Now we all know that there is no difference between Dec 31st and Jan 1st. Nothing magical changes us at midnight on Dec 31 st and allows us to effortlessly achieve our goals in the new year. Studies have been done that tell us it takes days to form a habit that s 3-4 weeks of repeating a specific behavior until it sticks with us. Many New Year resolutions are abandoned before the end of the first month! As Paul points out in Romans 8 it can seem impossible at times to do the good we know we ought to do. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18b Given this depressing news, what are we to do? The Bible has a suggestion. It is not through human willpower, but by abiding in "the light" Jesus Christ, the source of all power, that we have the ability to do good. If we are trying to do things through our own will power, we will find that there is no "power" in our will. Only by abiding in Christ can we fulfill the will of God in our own lives. Rich Deem Let us all be marked by firm determination to do good through Him in the New Year. PRAISE!!! Brad Smithwick was immersed on Sunday, December 16, Welcome to the KCC Family! Women's Annual Kickoff Celebration This belongs to: All Women & bring a friend! If lost return to: Odie's Deli Sterling Hwy, Soldotna Date of Travel: January 11, 2013 Time of Arrival: 6:00pm Cost of Trip: $15 if you pre-book, $16 at the door. We will be selling tickets in December, please Contact Chantel Taylor if you have any questions. See you there! Stuck? Wandering? Looking for our promised land? Asking, What s the point? He brought us out...that He might bring us in Deut 6:23 Women s Bible Studies beginning Thursday, January 17th. The Law of Love: Lessons from the pages of Deuteronomy ~ with Beth Moore ~ Thursday Mornings: 9:00-11:00 (Breakfast is served at 9:00) *Gospel Garden Childcare is available for Thursday mornings only, for children birth thru 5th grade, who are preregistered. Thursday Evenings 6:00-8:00 pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you for participating in Operation Christmas Child! KCC added 92 boxes to the community total of 1,425! We would also like to say Thank You Geneva Stasek for knitting hats again this year! If you added one of Geneva's hats to your shoebox, you made a child extra happy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Sincere Condolences To the Bergholtz Family, Mike s mother passed away on December 4, 2012 To the Tugen Family Dave s mother passed away on December 14, 2012 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

4 2012 TAX INFO DONATIONS need to be in an offering box, received by the office or postmarked by ~ BY MONDAY, DECEMBER 31st In order to qualify for your 2012 taxes. Donation statements will be handed out mid- January. If you prefer yours ed or mailed, please the office and let them know. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS! Now for something completely different! A new MEN S Bible study will begin January noon. We will be working thru not a fan. By Kyle Idleman Books will be available for purchase at the first class Contact Randy Richeson for more information.

5 ALWAYS FREE ISSUE NO. 5 ALIEN ENCOUNTER Evil in the world... I was just about to write my newsletter article on something light-hearted when I heard of the tragedy that struck Connecticut. This is one of those days as a minister that I wrestle with what it means to follow God and how to lead others towards Him. Today s grim headlines are a stark reminder that evil is real, and as men and women we can choose to follow God s commands or not. 1 Peter 2:11 ALIEN YOUTH/DECEMBER 2012 How? How can such a tragic event happen when God is such a loving God? I ll keep it as simple as I can: we can choose to follow God or reject Him. When we reject God, we reject everything He stands for: love, mercy, forgiveness, and justice. When we reject Him, we embrace evil and let evil rule in our hearts. Those who have gone this way can be led to do things that don t seem reasonable or even fathomable. You might ask, Couldn t God have prevented this? Absolutely, just as He could have prevented the innocent murder of his Son, Jesus. But God allows us to choose whom we follow as it creates a true fellowship with Him. Reflect on His Word in Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Christmas Break Events: Dec 22nd: Christmas Party! Middle School 5pm-7pm High School of Dave & Susie Knudsen Dec 24th: Candlelight Service 5:30pm in FLC No regular services on Dec 26 & Jan 2nd. Jan 2nd: Extreme Sledding Gibbons Home Jan 3rd: Movie Day! Noon-4pm in the Youth Room, bring your favorite snack to share. -Adam PARENT S: Adam is using a new service called Mail Chimp to better inform and equip the parents of our youth.. If you need to get signed up, see Adam ASAP. NEW SUNDAY NIGHT STUDY: Starting Sunday, Jan 6th, the Alien Youth will be doing a youth apologetics course called God Quest. Don t miss out on this AMAZING study. HAPPY NEW YEAR: 2012 was a great year in Alien Youth, and 2013 looks to be even better. Let s continue to grow in fellowship together as we serve God together!!