January Shortly before his death, Jesus told his disciples he no longer considered them as servants, but as what? 3. Friends FRONT PAGE

Transcription

1 1 January 2019 Happy New Years to our Church Family! Can you believe it? Having just celebrated Christmas Day, we look to the end of our past year and the beginning of a new year. Let us reflect upon this New Year. As the year 2018 draws to a close, what kind of year has it been for you? Has it been a year to cherish or a year to quickly forget? Whatever the year s tone for us, as we find ourselves on premise of something new, something that has not yet happened. As we move into 2019, it is truly with a hope that a new year will bring a change for us. A chance for a fresh new start- a new beginning. And with that many of us make New Year resolutions- pledges or promises to ourselves or to God that you will personally be different this year. As you read this letter I want to focus upon some New Year s resolutions that each of us should consider for ourselves, but before we delve into our topic, I thought you might enjoy a few stories of failed resolutions: A story is told that at the beginning of a New Year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers new year s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. "Why weren t my resolutions posted?" She w as throw ing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions. Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded. This teacher s first resolution was not to let little things upset her in the New Year. Continued Page 2 FRONT PAGE Pastors Letter Pastors Letter Continued...2 Pastors Letter Continued...3 Cooking with Pastor...4 What s Happening...4 Children s Page...5 Looking Ahead...6 Church Calendar..7 Wrap Up Page...8 Shortly before his death, Jesus told his disciples he no longer considered them as servants, but as what? 3. Friends

2 Or how about this one A son called his parents to wish them a happy New Years and when his Dad answered the phone, He asked his dad, well Dad, what s your New Year s resolution? His dad replied, "To make your mother as happy as I can all year." W hen his m om got on the phone he asked. her the sam e question. His mom replied my resolution is "To see that your dad keeps his New Year s resolution." So what is your New Year s Resolution for 2019, maybe some of you have given up on resolutions taking the same attitude as the characters in the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes: 2 God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I m so far behind I ll never die. Calvin The First Resolution to make can be something like this: Regardless of past successes or failures I want you to give a new year resolution one more try but this time realize that keeping this promise is a team effort. Invite the Holy Spirit to join you this year. The disciples were faced with a new day. Their master Jesus had died. Their hopes were crushed. Their dreams shattered. As Jesus instructed, as they assembled in upper room knowing what needed to be done but lacking both the power and the desire to carry it out. It was here in their doubt that the Holy Spirit entered the picture. As we build that relationship, we will learn to hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit, and The Holy Spirit will then personally convict, guide, rebuke, teach, counsel, comfort, each of us. And when that happens our relationship will deepen and we will grow. Second Resolution that you could make is to Become active in a local church s worship and Bible Studies Become involved in, don t just come on Sunday morning or once a month or year and expect to personally grow. I strongly believe that in order to become all that we can be we need each other and even more than the fellowship we need to be with each other in a small group Bible study that can be Sunday school or a weekday Bible study. But choose to study God s word within a group. The third Resolution, Choose to become a regular tither this year There are very few times in the Bible where God dares you to test Him, but this is one of them. Continued Page 3

3 Listen to Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be enough food in my temple, If you do, says the Lord Almighty, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great that you won t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you. Beginning in the new year at the first paycheck give God the first fruits of that check. Before a single bill is paid, pray to the Lord and ask what He would have you give. Trusting that God will provide if we obey his word. I truly believe that we miss a blessing because we don t trust God with our money. It s all God s anyway. God could demand 100 percent but he only asks for ten percent. By not obeying and tithing we are disobeying God and we are sinning against the very God that we say we love. This year try it test God and obey Him by tithing. What would happen if everyone that attends this church obeyed and tithed what more could happen for God s kingdom here and abroad. You can t expect to receive and to have a close relationship with God and experience His abundant blessing if you keep sin in your heart and life. Today say in the year 2019 I or my family will be a tither. I will test God. I will try it. A fourth resolution is simply to put any undesirable habit, addiction, sin, you name it into the hands of God. Too many of us start here with our resolutions, we try to treat a symptom without addressing the root cause. Unless you abide with Christ and choose to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives and into our problem there is no hope. You will always try to quit and you will most always fail. I have been your pastor for four years now. I have got to know most of you enough to know where you are hurting and where your difficulties are. Where hidden pains or sins are. It is time to break the cycle. You can t change by yourself. You need the powerful presence of God. If you want to change start by building that personal relationship with Christ and let God begin to cause you to hunger for change to thirst for righteousness. This new year that quickly comes. Make it a year where you place it all into the ever capable hands of our God. Yours In Christ Jesus, Pastor Don 3 What woman came back to life after Peter prayed for her? 1. Dorcas

4 COOKING WITH PASTOR DON 4 This Recipe was Submitted By Patsy Adamson. Dainty Tea Cookies 1 Cup Butter 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 2/3 Cup Sugar 1/8 tsp Salt 1 Egg 1 Tbsp. Vanilla 2 1/2 Cups Flour Cream the butter and the sugar together Add Egg: Mix and add the dry ingredients (which has been sifted together) Add Vanilla Pastor Don Put through cookie press or roll out to desired thickness and cut out with cookie cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 1o Minutes (Make 7 dozen small cookies) Send in your Recipes to Pastor Don at donaldpetersjr1211@gmail.com, or give them to him or to Pam at the Church office This Month "Thank you to the Christian Youth in Action for supporting the Ford City Police Department's Adopt-a-Family Program through the Armstrong Community Action Agency with presents for one family and food for two families. I am thankful that this will give children in our community a blessed Christmas, and I am also thankful that we have youth in our church wanting to spread God's love. ~~Jeff Cogley" Board Reports Are Due There will be a Church Board Carry- In Meal & Meeting on Monday, January 7 at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall. All board reports are due in the church office by no later than Wednesday, January 2. Household Cleaning Product Collection The Worthington Minesterium will be collecting household liquid cleaning products thru the end of January. These products will be distributed to families through the Worthington food bank. You many place your items in the box located in the main vestibule. Thank you! Tithing Envelopes & Bible Reading Guide 2019: Please pick up your tithe envelopes and a 2019 Bible Reading guide. They are located in the main & side vestibules. Deacon Christmas Gathering: The Deacons will have their Christmas gathering on Thursday, January 17 at 6 PM at Cabin Greens. Please let Linda Smeltzer know if you are planning on attending.

5 5 Matthew 19:14 (NKJV) 14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Remember Pioneer Club meets at Sunday Evening Come and

6 PROVERBS 29:18 (MSG) 18 IF PEOPLE CAN'T SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING, THEY STUMBLE ALL OVER THEMSELVES; BUT WHEN THEY AT- TEND TO WHAT HE REVEALS, THEY ARE MOST BLESSED. Take a positive look at the possibilities of the future and speak of those things that do not exist as though they exist and thereby call them forth. Think and speak about our future in a positive way according to what God has placed in your heart - not according to what you have seen in the past or are seeing even now in the present. God has a great future for us here at Center Hill what we need to do is to believe it and confess it. I challenge you everyone here at Center Hill, to start believing that something good is going to happen here. Ask God for a vision to pursue and believe that we can do whatever we need to do in life through Christ. Do not have a give up easily attitude. Let our faith soar. Be creative with your thoughts. Take an inventory and ask yourself what have I believed lately? An honest answer may help you understand why you have not been receiving what you have wanted to receive. Allow God s redemptive revelation vision to lead us away from dead ends of your life and give to us as a Church a vision for the future. Name of the apostle who was the Lord's brother? 2. James January 14. 7:00 PM We are asking everyone to join with us as we continue our Visioning Process. We will set the course of Center Hill Church of the Brethren for the future. As we take some time asking some questions and setting goals for both the ministry and the Church. THIS MEETING IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE. Mark Your Calendars for the All You Can Eat Breakfasts! These breakfasts are open to the public and hosted by the Men s Fellowship. This year s breakfast dates are: January 19, February 16 and March 16. Breakfast begins at 7 AM-11 AM at the Fellowship Hall. Cost is: $8 Adults, $5 Kids 7-12 Years, FREE Kids 6 and under 6 Contact us, give us your feedback, and help us to improve our Newsletter. You can do this by sending your remarks to either Pastor Don at: donaldpetersjr1211@gmail.com Or to the Church Office by sending to: chillcotb@windstream.net And you certainly can also call us to on the phone or share your remarks to Pastor Don when you see him.

7 Calendar Key Important Dates SS. Sunday School MW Moring Worship BS Bible Study Dec. 30 Dec. 31 Jan. 1 Jan. 2 Jan. 3 Jan. 4 Jan.5 Jan. 6 Jan. 7 Jan. 8 Jan. 9 Jan. 10 Jan. 11 Jan. 12 Youth & Pioneer Club Church Board Covered Dish Women s Fellowship 7:00 PM BS 7:30PM Jan, 13 Youth & Pioneer Club Jan. 20 Youth & Pioneer Club Jan. 27 Youth & Pioneer Club Jan. 14 Special Meeting Goal Setting and Planning Meeting 7:00 PM Jan. 21 Jan. 22 Jan. 15 Jan. 16 Men s Fellowship 7:00 PM BS 7:30PM Jan. 23 BS 7:30PM Jan. 28 Jan. 29 Jan. 30 BS 7:30PM Jan. 17 Deacons Christmas Gathering Cabin Greens Jan. 18 Jan. 19 Jan. 24 Jan. 25 Jan. 26 Jan. 31 Feb. 1 Feb. 2 Men Fellowship Breakfast 7:00 AM 11:00 AM Ground Hog Day Maybe and early Spring! The Bible says, There is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV), and the start of the new year tends to be a time for fresh starts. That s natural and healthy. Reviewing the old and setting goals for the new provides a breath of fresh air and maybe even a little excitement that s only possible when the slate has been wiped clean.

8 January What woman came back to life after Peter prayed for her? Saphira Dorcas Mary Magdalene Sarah 2. Name of the apostle who was the Lord's brother? Paul James Peter John 3. Shortly before his death, Jesus told his disciples he no longer considered them as servants, but as what? Brothers Friends Helpers Angels Partners You can find the answers throughout the Newsletter. January 28, from 1:00 to 7:00 PM Center Hill Church of the Brethren Fellowship Hall Two ways that you can help: Volunteer to help with the Drive. By being an Receptionist, or Walkers, and help as Canteen workers And of Course Give the Gift of Life. You can make an appointment to donate by going to: redcrossblood.org Or Call RED-CROSS ( ) Contact us at Church office or us at chillcobtb@windstream,net You can contact Pastor Don at Home or Cell or. him at donaldpetersjr1211@gmail.com Don t forget to Visit our web page: and see us on Facebook at: Blue Bear Fund Starting January 6, as the children come up for the Children Story, they will have an opportunity to give to the BLUE BEAR FUND. This offering will go to the children at The Hogar Emmanuel Children s Home. We will be collecting this offering thru the end of February. The Blue Bears will also be in the main & side vestibules for anyone else who would like to give. Shoes for the World Bring in your slightly worn shoes, your unwanted shoes wrap a rubber band around them and place them in the box downstairs. Everything from tennis shoes to boots, they will use them all. The Hogar Emmanuel Children s Home will receive $.40 per lb.