July In this issue. A Christian Nation?

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1 July 2014 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Psalm 33:11 A Christian Nation? When I was a child growing up in Phoenix, one of the local TV stations, KPHO channel five, displayed the above verse, along with the American flag, on their station identification splash screen. The screen was shown on the hour and half-hour. It was a good reminder. In the 60 s and early 70 s there was little doubt the Americans thought of the United States as a Judeo-Christian nation and many would enthusiastically agree, Blessed is a nation whose God is the Lord. In this issue A Christian Nation?P.1 cont: A Christian Nation? P.2 Church Health Workshop P.3 Discover Farmers Market P.4 Beth Moore Bible Study P.5 Amazing Grays P.5 Tell Your Story P.6 Live to the Praise of His GloryP.6 Kids Ministry & Family Events P.7 Calendar P.8 In fact, the Civil Rights Movement of the time, which was spearheaded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., drew its inspiration from a deeply held Christian commitment. King challenged the nation with a call for justice directly from the pages of Scripture. It is because of our self-understanding as a Christian nation that the Civil Rights Movement began to dismantle segregation. We as a nation began to see that segregation was unjust and not in line with our values. In his Letter From a Birmingham Jail Dr. King said this, One day the south will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. (Continued on page 2) July 2014, page 1

2 Discover Church st Ave N Brooklyn Park, MN , fax (Continued from page 1) Our Judeo-Christian heritage has begun to fade from our consciousness. No, it is not completely gone. There are still great swaths of people who understand that our values come from a biblical heritage. What is gone is a consensus that we are a nation based on Judeo-Christian values. It s hard to imagine any national movement such as the Civil Rights Movement arguing for justice based solely on a biblical understanding of what is right and wrong. So how do we live as Christian citizens in this new context? Office Hours are 9am - 3pm Monday - Thursday and 9am - Noon on Friday. Add to this that every Christian has a dual citizenship. We are all first citizens in the kingdom of God and second, American citizens. So how do we live our life as an American citizen and as a citizen of the kingdom of God? We will have two sermon series dealing with the questions In God We Trust, and Parables of the Kingdom. Show up for worship in July and August to explore how to live as a citizen of the kingdom of God and as a citizen of the United States. Pastoral Care Phone If you need to talk to a pastor after office hours or have a pastoral emergency, please call July 2014 Page 2

3 Church Health Workshop Do you love Discover Church? Do you, like me, see the tremendous potential that Discover Church has as an outpost for God s Kingdom? Would you like to do something to make our church grow? If you answered yes to these questions, we want to invite you to the Church Health Workshop. We will be using the Natural Church Development Survey that a crosssection of the congregation took last spring. The good news is that according to the survey, we are a healthy congregation. Even better news is that there are ways we can improve our overall health as a congregation and therefore become more effective in inviting all people to discover their full life in Christ. Now it is your turn to give feedback, to strategize how we move forward as a congregation and then make it happen with an action plan. Join us on Saturday August 9 th from 9:00am to 1:00pm for a congregation-wide workshop. There will be more details to come, but mark your calendars if you are interested in rolling up your sleeves and helping us reach our full potential as a congregation. If you have any questions you can contact Pastor Carl. You may sign up for the Workshop at the Ministry Desk after Sunday services. July 2014, page 3

4 Top 5 ways you can support Discover 5). Visit our website to stay up to date on vendors, events and activities! 4). Like our Facebook page and follow us. 3). Volunteer! Whether you enjoy meeting and greeting people, or prefer to physically help with set up and/or tear down, we can use your involvement! 2). Spread the word! Tell your friends, family members, and neighbors about it or put a Discover yard sign in your yard. (We will gladly give you a sign - we have plenty) 1). Stop and shop at the Market every Tuesday from 3pm to 7pm. Meet the vendors and buy their stuff! No matter which you choose, we always appreciate your prayers as we reach out to our community to put a face on our church and share the heart of Jesus. Thank you for your support! Discover Come and see us every Tuesday from 3pm to 7pm. We are getting more produce every week! Great Harvest Bread, Beautiful Plants and more! Visit our vendors and get to know the neighbors! Be a blessing! Discover Church is also providing a simple activity for children week by week that relates to growing things, healthy eating and environmental responsibility! Here is what s coming up next: July 1st, Firefly Craft July 8th, Paper Making July 15th, Paint Making (used on homemade paper) July 22nd, Flower/leaf prints July 29th, Vitamin Puzzles! We would highly recommend coming with your children to our! They will take an interest in trying new foods when they see them in a different context. This is also a great way to begin teaching them about supporting their local community. Hope to see you all there! July 2014 Page 4

5 The Fall Beth Moore Bible Study will be BREAKING FREE. The study is 11 weeks. Themes for this study come from Isaiah, a book about the captivity of God s children, the faithfulness of God, and the road to freedom. Sign up will begin August 24th at the Ministry Desk. Get a head start and pick up your workbook now at any Lifeway Store. Questions? Libby Axe at laxe50@comcast.net or call Discover Church st Ave N Brooklyn Park, MN , fax AMAZING GRAYS Sunday July 9:30am at Old Country Buffet in Fridley Friday July 4:00pm - 12 midnight Brooklyn Center Relay for Life Thursday July 11:15am TBD - possibly Broadway Pizza, Brooklyn Park near Festival or Roasted Pear in Brooklyn Park. Save the date: September 30th White Elephant Bingo Please sign up on the sheet labeled for Amazing Grays in the activity rack in the Welcome Area. Sign ups for the next couple months will be available there. If you have any questions, Please contact Elaine Sorensen at or Carol Pahl at Office Hours are 9am - 3pm Monday - Thursday and 9am - Noon on Friday. Jesus Understands Life s best fit for You and your family HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY Pastoral Care Phone If you need to talk to a pastor after office hours or have a pastoral emergency, please call July 2014, page 5

6 S T A F F L i s t i n g Pastor Carl Billings, Senior Pastor Pastor La Andriamihaja, Associate Pastor Joe Gerber, Worship Director Christy Grigor, Director of Children & Family Ministries Pastor Jonathan Brandon, Director of Youth Ministries Pastor Terra Sorg, Director of Prayer Counseling Jessica Kuhn, Event Coordinator and Director of Hospitality Ka Vang, Receptionist Bud Larson, Custodian Tell Your Story Speak - Tell your story for God s glory. Help save the soul of your fellow man-you can do it! Yes, you can! A short story would seem the best. Tell about challenges; tell about test. Share about Jesus coming into your life; bringing you victory; lessening strife. Keep it short, keep it true-tell your story, all about you. Help touch the life of your fellow man Share Jesus with them whenever you can. By: Jean Hansen Live to the Praise of His Glory! Ephesians 1:13b Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God s possession - TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY. When I see a flag, I feel the love and pride for my country, a symbol of all that is good. I choose to give the negative to God asking him to heal our land. The Praise of His Glory reminds me of a furled out flag, rippling in the wind. As we live to praise God, others see and sense that and praise also. Then His glory is revealed to them, often unbeknownst to ourselves. We don t strive to be Independent once we trust in Jesus but are totally dependent on his love, truth and grace. Believe is an action word. We believe actively and base all of life s decisions, dreams and plans upon faith in God s good plan for us. I fail so often in trusting completely, but am committed to striving for the high calling with God s help. Happy Dependent s Day! Dependence on God. By: Nancy Brown July 2014 Page 6

7 KIDS MINISTRY & FAMILY EVENTS By Christy Grigor I would like to extend my most heartfelt "Thank You" to the following people who helped make our VBS absolutely wonderful. Felicia Lockrem, Aimee Hempeck, Maddison Bitzer, Anna Betland, Jake Hempeck, Charlene Yigan, Chelsea Yigan, Lanja Andriamihaja, Grace Taylor, Val Yatscotske, BJ Grigor and our honorary Jr. Staff Coco Yigan. Your leadership and joy made VBS wonderful and I am so thankful for your time and commitment to VBS!!! I wish the entire church could have seen the way you led songs, activities, and related and loved on the children during VBS! Fall Retreat/October 31-Nov 2 We were able to reserve the camp for 30 people based on deposits given. You can still sign up for this fun event! We will be having a candy hunt Friday night, enjoying God s beautiful outdoors, and learning about Who We Worship. Registration, and information at the Kid s Church Check-In table. Deposit is $22. Kid s Clubs/Activities this Summer We have dates and times!! Meets Wednesdays in July from 6-8 pm, and Tuesdays from 6-8 pm in August. Children can be dropped off at 6 pm and picked up at 8 pm. Rocket Building: July 9, 16, 30th we will meet 3 times, 2 times to make the rockets, once to set them off. ($13 fee to cover costs) Memory Books: July 9, 16 we will make photo memory books. Bring your own memory book and the pictures you want to include. We will have paper and supplies ($2 fee to cover costs of paper and stickers). Movie Nights: August 5th and 19th. In the hot summer heat, we will set up a movie in Faith Hall or the youth room for a cool fellowship night. Free event, popcorn and beverages. Bike Rides: Join us for a quick and easy bike ride. Dates to be announced based on weather! : Each Tuesday during the summer we will be offering a special activity for children to do for free, or for only a few dollars. Wild Mountain Friday, July 18th: Please see the flyer at the Kid s Church Check in table! Please contact Christy anytime with questions! My is: Christy.Grigor@DiscoverChurchNetwork.org. Rally Sunday September 14th! This year we will keep the Fun Fest "inflatable" bounce houses for Rally Sunday. The purpose of Rally Sunday is to REGISTER YOUR CHILD(REN) in our program! Filling out a form each year helps us to update contact information for your child, and also helps us to contact you with information about events that are "up and coming!" Write down the date, and plan on attending! July 2014, page 7

8 July 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 9am Staff Prayer every morning; all are welcome 1 11:15am - Staff meeting 3pm - Discover 2 3 9am - Marty Akland HS 6:30pm - Girl Scouts 4 Happy Independence Day! 5 Office Closed Communion Worship 8:30 & 10am 8am - Men s Bible Study 9:30am Amazing Grays 11:15am- Staff meeting 3pm Discover 6pm Stewardship Mtg 7pm Council 6pm Kid s Club 9am Marty Akland Home Schoolers P. Carl at MT Carmel 13 Worship 8:30 & 10am 8am Men s Bible Study 10:45am Mogenson Huddle 14 6:30pm Daisies 15 11:15am Staff meeting 3pm Discover 16 6pm - Kid s Club 17 9am Marty Akland Home Schoolers 10am Staff Prayers 10am AG Luncheon 6:30pm-Girl Scouts 18 8:15am Wild Mountain Family Event 9:30am Repast set up & food prep 6pm Marriage Event Worship 8:30 & 10am 8am Men s Bible Study 9am Quilting 11:15am Staff meeting 3pm Discover 6pm Kid s Club 9am Marty Akland Home Schoolers Wedding 12pm Leader s Huddle 27Worship :30 & 10am 8am Men s Bible Study 6:30pm Daisies 11:15 Staff Meeting 3pm Discover 9am Marty Akland Home Schoolers July 2014 Page 8