December Arbor Drive Website: Volume 23

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1 December Arbor Drive Website: Volume 23 Not long ago I was at a store waiting in the checkout line. The lady in front of me wanted to pay with cash, which is usually quicker than paying with a credit card. But in this instance she wanted to provide the exact amount and spent a long, long, long time searching through her purse to find the coins she needed. Let s just say that the longer I waited the more I needed the Lord to deposit in my hand a can of patience that I could pop the top and gulp down. It didn t happen. I waited. I am reminded in this season of the year that the Israelites has been waiting for centuries for their Savior to come. 700 years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah wrote: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call him Immanuel. 700 years is a very, very long time. Generations had come and gone. Many generations. And when He finally did come they did not recognize Him for who He was. The first Sunday of December is also the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means coming. It is about the anticipation of the coming of someone who will change the world forever. Jesus did come. And He did change the world. We are very fortunate in that we know that He has come and we no longer have to wait. The future, because of Christ Jesus, has been changed. Our future is one of joy and bliss and peace and beauty..and.well..heaven. God did that when He gave us Jesus. There are four Sundays of Advent. Tradition has it that on each Sunday we are reminded of major qualities or attributes of Jesus: love, joy, peace and hope. These do not encompass the entirety of who Jesus is but they speak to a great gift given by God to us. After all, who doesn t want more love, joy, peace and hope? Jesus is all that and more. Our God had always planned to come down and get personal, or as it is written in The Message, Jesus moved into the neighborhood. Our God is not content with a long-distance relationship. He wants to get up close and personal with us. Christmas is a reminder of that fact. We don t need a priest or pastor to speak to God on our behalf. We can go directly to Him and develop a deep friendship that will change our future forever. Jesus was born of a virgin so that we would all know it was a miraculous birth, directed and produced by God and only God. He did it at exactly the time and in exactly the place He wanted it to happen. Our Savior has come. Our salvation is assured. We need wait no longer. Today we can know our salvation is true. Not tomorrow. Today. Now. Because of Christ Jesus. I pray that in this season of love, joy, peace and hope, that you seek the baby Jesus in your heart and know that salvation is yours.forever. Amen. 1

2 Bench Notes No one likes to wait. Few of us are fans of being stuck in traffic, or in long lines at the Post Office or Wal-Mart. Time is a precious commodity and we hate wasting it waiting. Our world focuses upon the immediate: we get breaking news as it unfolds. We can prepare a decent meal in just a few minutes, thanks to our microwave. We fax, scan, phone, , Facebook, Skype and all manner of other things to resolve our need for the immediate. Yet, there is value in waiting. A seed, planted in the ground, has to germinate in order to grow and produce the final product it was designed to provide. The child who remains in its mother s womb a full nine months has a better chance of being healthy and whole. The book that is written, then carefully revised, is likely to be of greater insight and value than what the first draft offers. The musician who learns the music, and then lives with it before performing for an audience, is likely to have more musical nuances, expression and interpretations than the initial performance. Food - (cheese, steak, beer and wine) becomes more valuable and tastier when it has aged. We are entering a season of waiting. Advent 2017 is upon us, and while we often place our focus upon that one day, December 25, this is really a season to prepare as we wait for the blessed day to arrive. Just as expectant parents work months ahead of time to prepare for the unborn child, we too should spend this Advent season in preparation for the coming of our Savior. How do we do that? In the midst of wrapping presents, planning dinners and parties, sending greeting cards and baking cookies (peanut blossoms are my favorite, BTW), let us shift our focus from all these good things to the simple fact that through the birth of baby Boy, salvation for all of us has come into the world. The best Gift ever given was born in a humble stable, to give light to this dark world, and make the way for salvation for all who believe. There is a website which can help you align your focus this Advent season: Their daily meditations will guide you through this season. Whether you have a few moments or an extended period of time, you will find these meditations to be thoughtful and full of insight. Let us, as we wait, remember that great Love that has been given to us through Jesus Christ. God bless you all during this season! On other notes Music For a Season of Joy features three concerts this year: Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 12 noon Soprano Andrea Frakes Pope Friday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. Organist Mark Gifford Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 12 noon Harpist Julia Jamieson Lunch provided before and after the concerts on Wednesdays. Share a copy of our Advent brochure with your friends and family. What Child Is This? will take place during worship on Dec. 17 at This worship experience features our choirs, handbells, Scriptures and videos of the Christmas story. Be sure to be in worship that morning. Christmas Eve service begins at 6:00 p.m. Special music by our choirs, with two-pianos and handbells. Bring a bell to ring! Thanks to everyone who attended the Concert for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness. We raised money to support Dove, Inc., and had a car load of coats and warm items to share with those in need within our community. Over 300 guests walked through our building during the Nativity Tour last weekend. Thanks to everyone who made it happen. Great newspaper coverage with the H&R! Loving, Giving, Gracious Lord, thank You for this blessed season as we celebrate Jesus birth once again. Tune our hearts to vibrate with Yours so that we would truly seek Jesus. Let our focus be upon Your Great Gift and upon the life that You call us to live. May we be Your hands and feet and voice in this world, we pray in Jesus name, amen. Merry Christmas! Mike & PJ Waltenberger 2

3 Ready, Set, Go!... and tell the people all about this new life. Acts 5:20 Dear Rev. Ron, It is exciting to share that we will arrive in Hungary at the end of November. We have so much for which to be thankful. God has been faithful in our partnership building and you, our partners, have been supportive, generous, and prayerful. We praise the Lord for being on mission together with you. Thank you for your many prayers, notes of encouragement, financial gifts, and amazing Commissioning service. Our gratitude for you can only be matched by the joy we feel in having the opportunity to join with our Hungarian brothers and sisters to tell all about this new life in Christ. We treasure your continued prayers and support as we begin this new ministry. Specifically, please pray: for smooth packing and travel, including correct documentation for our dog, Pepper, that Rachel, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Andrew transition well, for a house that feels like home in Hungary., that we will find joy in language learning. The photos below capture some special moments during the Commissioning. The Falam Baptist Church praise team leads in worship. Ruthann Stevenson encourages the SixGoods Go Missionary Partnership Team. Rev. Sharon Koh gives a message from Second Corinthians, What we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord. We are just the vessel! Jon and Amanda receive words of commissioning by IM Board Members Roger Raikes and Susan Rhodes. 3

4 Rev. Sandor Huli offers a prayer in Hungarian for Jon and Amanda during the Commissioning service. Rev. Patricia Hernandez presents flowers from Davit Varduashvili & Baptist friends from the Republic of Georgia. We are especially thankful for our Missionary Partnership Team. Paula Hall is the convener of our team. Assisting with giving and financial support is Mike Kingsbury. Gwen Lett and James Vinson coordinate love, support, and care for the Good kids. James also helps with technology. Prayer and pastoral care are provided by Rev. David and Sharon Good and Leon and Evlyn Parrish. Keeping our SixGoodsGo Facebook account interesting is Susan Rhodes. Kori and Rev. Mark Pyenta help us stay connected to our supporters. Our Mission Energizers are Rev. Danny and Renée Langley. Providing help with moving and logistics is Amanda Grant. We also have regional team members who represent SixGoods Go: Rev. Dr. Ivan Greuter in the Central Region and Rev. Dr. Robert and Melissa Henderson in the Great Rivers Region. We praise the Lord for the way He will use this team to help us reach people in Hungary. Please Paula at paula416@aol.com if you would like to connect with one of our MPT members. They would love to be invited to mission-interested gatherings or events near you. The words of the apostle Paul in Philippians reflect the thankfulness we feel. Paul says, In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. We praise God for the opportunity to serve Christ in Hungary and we thank you for your partnership in the gospel. Yours in Christ, Jon and Amanda 4

5 December Birthdays 7. Yadier Juriga 11. Karen Parks 12. Tammy Napier Luther 13. Piper Parrish Pax Wright 15. Autumn Stukins 16. Patti Smith 17. Judy Cox 22. Keith Guinn 23. Diana Stukins 26. Justin Moreau 26. Cindy Perez 29. Jim Beams Happy Anniversary Aubrey and Helen Kingston 12/12 Richard and Joan Moreau 12/15 5

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9 Annual Reports are due January 11,

10 December 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :30 p.m. Survivor s Class Progressive Dinner 3 Worship 10:45 a.m. Life Groups 4 Staff Meeting 5:00 p.m. YES! Seniors Committee Meeting in Library 5 Worship at Lincolnshire 6 11:15 a.m. SOJ Lunch 12:00 p.m. Concert - Andrea Frakes Pope 12:30 p.m. SOJ Lunch 6:00 p.m. Carillon Bell Choir 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir 7 8:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study 8 7:00 p.m. SOJ Concert Mark Gifford, organist 9 10 Worship 10:30 a.m. Special Business Meeting 10:45 a.m. Life Groups Worship at Lincolnshire 11 5:00 p.m. Arbor Trails 12 Worship at Lincolnshire 13 11:15 a.m. SOJ Lunch 12:00 p.m. Concert - Julia Jamieson, harpist 12:30 p.m. SOJ Lunch 6:00 p.m. Carillon Bell Choir 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary Choir 14 8:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study 5:30 p.m. Trustee Board Worship - Cantata Cookie Walk 10:45 a.m. Life Groups Worship at Primrose 11:45 a.m. BOD meeting 11:45 a.m. Christian Ed. Board 2:30 p.m. All church Caroling 18 Staff Meeting Worship at Lincolnshire 21 8:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study 11:30 a.m. YES! Senior Ministry & ABW 5:30 p.m. BOF meeting 5:30 p.m. WMB meeting 6:30 p.m. Executive Council Worship 10:45 a.m. Life Groups 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service 25 Merry Christmas Worship at Lincolnshire 28 8:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study :30 a.m. Journeys 31 Worship 10:45 a.m. Life Groups 10