CONNECTIONS. February 2019

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "CONNECTIONS. February 2019"

Peregrine Ellis
5 years ago
Views:

1 Today is a beautiful day...may God take care of all your needs, touch your life with joy and contentment, bless your heart with love and faith, comfort your soul with gladness and inner peace, and grant you good health, lasting comfort and relief from the burdens of life. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! CONNECTIONS February 2019 Centerpoint Community Church Web: School Street Office@centerpointsalem.org Salem, NH Tel: (603) Pastor: Rev.Zach Crowell Assoc. Pastor: Rev. William Swilling

Slow Cook It. -By Pastor Zach Sundays can be hectic - especially if you have volunteer duties that morning.

You can occasionally catch a Sunday morning volunteer in a frazzled mood as they are trying to prepare for their part. Sundays are also our main opportunity to connect with new people.

They come with hurts, questions, apprehension, and many preconceptions. Does this Jesus have any meaning for my life?

3 Slow Cook It. -By Pastor Zach Sundays can be hectic - especially if you have volunteer duties that morning. We have a large team of volunteers on Sunday mornings, from coffee teams to children s classes. You can occasionally catch a Sunday morning volunteer in a frazzled mood as they are trying to prepare for their part. Sundays are also our main opportunity to connect with new people. I ve always said that Sunday morning is the front door of the church, and it s the time when people come to check out what this Christian faith is all about. They come with hurts, questions, apprehension, and many preconceptions. Does this Jesus have any meaning for my life? They come seeking answers, belonging, grounding, fulfillment, hope, and mostly love. They know they are missing something, but they don t know what it is. Shanna and I had the idea last year to put a meal in the crock-pot first thing on Sunday morning before church (I know some of you have been cooking crock-pot meals for decades!). We would throw in the ingredients for chili or pulled pork, and then just let it simmer on low during church. We made a point after church to invite someone over for lunch. This became a great and easy way to build a few friendships over a meal, talk about life, and pray for needs. And if no one came over, then we had left-overs to get our week started. It was a win-win for me. In short, I simply encourage you slow down, enjoy some warm, hearty meals this winter, and slow cook some new friendships along the way. Do an internet search for slow cooker recipes or go to find a new recipe to throw in the crock-pot, and invite someone to your house after church on a Sunday!

4 We have a chef in the house! Meet Stacey!! Stacey and her husband, Victor are both chefs and have two daughters Isabelle (6) and Gabriella (3). Stacey writes a chef-inspired food and lifestyle blog called Sprinkles by Stacey and has a YouTube channel, where she shares recipes from her experience in the culinary industry, travels, and memories from her childhood. Stacey is not only a chef, wife and mom, but she is one of our Elementary Dig In teachers on Sunday mornings and also one of our coordinators for our MOPS group here at Centerpoint! Like Pastor Zach said in his Slow Cook It article I simply encourage you to slow down, enjoy some warm, hearty meals this winter, and slow cook some new friendships along the way. Pastor Zach Tis the season for comfort food! Enjoy this warm comforting dish from Stacey. Shepherd s Pie Ingredients: The Filling: 1 oz. olive oil 1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb beef, or turkey 1 cup carrot medium diced 1 1/2 cups onion medium diced 1 cup celery medium diced 1 TBSP dried thyme 4 cloves minced garlic 1 oz. Worcestershire Sauce 3 oz. tomato paste 4 oz. red wine 1/4 cup chicken stock or beef stock Salt & Pepper to taste Mashed Potatoes: 1 1/2 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled & chopped 1/2 cup Sour cream 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese Salt & Pepper to taste Instructions: Mashed Potatoes: 1. Over medium high heat, boil potatoes until soft in a large pot of salted water. 2. Once potatoes are soft, strain the water off and place potatoes back into the pot or into the bowl of stand mixer. medium mixing bowl. 3. Mash the potatoes with the ingredients from above or use the whip attachment when using the stand mixer and keep warm The Filling: 1. Preheat a dutch oven or large pan over medium high heat with olive oil. 2. Add in the meat and brown while stirring constantly to break up meat. 3. Add dried thyme, garlic, carrot, celery, and onion. 4. Stir in the worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, red wine, and sweat down for a minute or two. 5. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 more minutes. Assembly: 1. Place the meat mix into a deep casserole dish. 2. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat or you may pipe the potatoes with a piping bag fitted with a star tip. 3. Bake at 400 degrees for minutes to brown the potatoes.

So, for guys, most of us have a tool box of one type or another. As I looked through my tool boxes this weekend, I reflected on my collection of tools in the box.

5 Men s I WILL Project -Jeff Vorce Just another tool in the old tool box! What an important saying for guys. It is just another tool in the old tool box. My wife is always wondering about all my tools in my tool boxes. I remind her that there is the right tool for every job and when you don t have the right tool, life and projects get very frustrating. So, for guys, most of us have a tool box of one type or another. As I looked through my tool boxes this weekend, I reflected on my collection of tools in the box. There were tools, almost brand new that were needed as I started a new project. There were tools that were given to me by my mentors (my father and grandfather) that were old and full of lessons on how not to accomplish a project, and then there were tools very worn, used through years of hard work. But all my tools I have, enabled me to accomplish many different projects, in many different roles. My roofing guns enabled me to provide a dry location for campers at two different Christian Camps and put on a new roof on the Shed. My metal tools enabled me to support a brother who was working a project that required metal welding and cutting. Then there are all the church projects and the tools required to accomplish them. Finally, I can t tell you the amount of times my chain saws have been borrowed to assist others in wood processing. Yes, there are a number of projects in any good tool kit. This is the same thought process behind the I Will Project. The I Will Project is more than just meeting on the 2 nd Friday of the Month. It is shoulder to shoulder time with guys all month long. It is just one more tool in your tool kit and like any tool in your tool kit, you have the option to use the tool or just let it sit in your box. Our hope and prayer is you will exercise the I Will Project in your tool box regularly. There are many examples of exercising the I Will Project tool, it could be as simple as three or four guys meeting together weekly for coffee, to working shoulder to shoulder on a project at the church, or away from the church or getting guys together to go to a car show, concert, golfing hiking, biking or any other activity. I Will Project is a tool to make us stronger men in Christ. In our purpose statement it reads: The goal of the Men's Ministry at Centerpoint Community Church is to provide men with the resources to develop Godly character and help equip them to influence their world for Jesus Christ. The I Will Project is the umbrella for Men s Church Ministries. Friday Nights, church projects, Men s breakfast, Men Studies, Men s Coffee, being a mentor, be a learner and other events are just few ways to get involved. You don t need to attend everything, but you should work on being involved in at least one thing. As I mentioned in my sermon the other day, you are a puzzle piece in the Lord s puzzle, you can t be part of the puzzle if you are outside the puzzle. So, jump into the puzzle and see how you fit within the I Will Project and the Men s Ministry at CenterPoint. Project Team Leaders: Lawrence Fulgieri John Nicatra Jeff Vorce Chris Waterhouse fulgieri14@yahoo.com jnicatra@yahoo.com jefvornh@myfairpoint.net chris.waterhouse@yahoo.com

Work As Worship, Saturday February 23. We want our whole life to glorify Christ, and we never want to compartmentalize our 'church life' separately from the rest of our life and work.

6 Work As Worship, Saturday February 23. We want our whole life to glorify Christ, and we never want to compartmentalize our 'church life' separately from the rest of our life and work. We want to stand before the Lord with honesty, integrity, and transparency in every area of life. Be it work, school, family, or recreation... we want to worship and glorify God. Come out for this Work and Worship event and get encouraged to look for new opportunities to worship God through the work he has given you. Great speakers and lunch included.

Tuesday Morning Prayer Group -Pat Calderone 2018 was truly a blessed year for our Women s Prayer Group. It is a joy to see so many women participating in prayer.

We are excited to see what the Lord will do in 2019. We praise his holy name. All women are invited and welcome to come out on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. to join us in lifting up prayers of Thanksgiving, Praises and Requests to our God.

What a journey- we have just finished our 5th Word by Heart school in a row!

7 Tuesday Morning Prayer Group -Pat Calderone 2018 was truly a blessed year for our Women s Prayer Group. It is a joy to see so many women participating in prayer. We receive many prayer request to bring before our God. We have a good, good God who has answered prayers for Healings, given us Words of knowledge, and renewal in our walk with him. We are excited to see what the Lord will do in We praise his holy name. All women are invited and welcome to come out on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. to join us in lifting up prayers of Thanksgiving, Praises and Requests to our God. We meet in the church library. A Moment from Missions from one of our GLOBAL OUTREACH PARTNERS Greetings from the Subedi family! We hope and pray all is well with you! What a journey- we have just finished our 5th Word by Heart school in a row! In just 18 months, we ve been privileged to see 61 students ranging in ages from 8 to 70, from 16 nations (Nepal, Bangladesh, France, Thailand, USA, Cambodia, Philippines, Sweden, S. Africa, Korea, Nigeria, Brazil, Switzerland, Canada, Bhutan and India!) learn the gospel of Luke word for word in their own languages, and then go out and share their eye-witness accounts of the gospel with the world! It has been such a joy and privilege for our family to be a part of this ministry, and to witness the power of the Word of God again and again. Our kids are just as involved in Word by Heart as we are and they are leading the way with excitement as they experience the gospel in different languages and cultures throughout the world! We are now off to Montana to pioneer the Word by heart school (3 months) there, from Jan-March. We are then coming to the East Coast for 6 weeks, to share Word by Heart presentations, run seminars a catch up with family and friends. We hope to see you all! ATTENTION SENIORS We are planning to start an adult Seniors Group, in the near future, if there is an interest by you. Possibilities are: a Bible Study, Chat Group to discuss blessings and challenges of being mature citizens, Pot Luck or Restaurant Lunches, all ideas are welcome. Please speak to or call me, Lorraine Lindenberg at if you would be interested in a once a month or more get together. I hope to hear from you soon with your suggestions.

Talk to Dawn Knight, Shanna Crowell or any of our teachers below! Plan a Sunday to visit our classrooms and learn about the easy-to-follow curriculum.

8 Looking ahead to February! Thank you teachers! Looking for a way to get involved with our Centerpoint kids? We are in need of 2 Dig-In teachers for our Sunday morning rotation-- once every 5 weeks-- one for preschool and one for 1 st & 2 nd Grade. Talk to Dawn Knight, Shanna Crowell or any of our teachers below! Plan a Sunday to visit our classrooms and learn about the easy-to-follow curriculum. We would love for you to join this fun way of serving! Nursery February 3 Kim Frederico Amy Reilly Abby Reilly 10 Karen Roulston Laura Preston 17 Jill Spencer Carrie Waterhouse Katie Spencer 24 Kaitlin Downing Judi Brake Elementary February Lesson Preshool 3s, 4s & 5s - Sunday Elementary - 1st & 2nd grades - Sunday Elementary 3rd - 5th - Sunday 2/3/2019 Lesson 10: God Speaks to Samuel (1 Samuel 3) Joanna Vorce Dawn Knight Sunna & Lawrence 2/10/2019 Lesson 11: An Idol Bows to God's Ark (1 Samuel 5:1-5) Amy Reilly Katie Dunkley Emmalie & Billy 2/17/2019 Lesson 12: David Values Saul's Life (1 Samuel 24; 26) Tracy Poteat Nadege Augusie Carmen Frederico 2/24/2019 Lesson 13: David Celebrates (2 Samuel 6) Stacey Welch- Andrade Sue Pendleton Proverbs 22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

9 Musings with Marnie Marnie Wells It's Supernatural! A young man told me a story tonight...he has been having a "hard time". He has been trying to follow the Lord, but not really successfully, yet better than before. ( you know how that is) Anyway, he has not had transportation in a long while and has had no money to make it happen... Without transportation it is hard to keep a steady job etc etc. This past week he had looked into getting a small loan for a "beater" ~ something to get around in. He found something and went back to get the promised loan only to find out it had fallen through. He was so upset and downtrodden. He tells how he was in his room just railing at God. "What the heck Lord??" "How am I supposed to make this happen?" Again I surmise you know the lingo.. Three hours later there's a knock at the door. A man stands there. He says God has told him to buy a truck for this young man. Now, mind you, not just any old truck but a NICE one with a new snowplow! He tells how he argued with God about this command saying "I think should have to work for his truck like we all have to" The Lord's reply..."who got you your vehicle? Was it not I that provided for you?" The argument was finished and the man obeyed. He handed over the keys and title to the sobbing young man ~ who just COULD NOT BELIEVE ~ that God, his Heavenly Father~ would do such a thing for him. How cool is God???? Friend~ Its not when we have it all together. Not when our tithe is on time and our ducks are all in a row*. Our Father loves us ~ just cause!!! We are His children and He JUST LOVES US!! period! Do I hear an AMEN?! Blessings! * I'm believing that you know what I am "saying" here and if not let's chat! Musings with Marnie is a daily devotional which can be ed directly or seen on the Gilead s Balm Page on Facebook. If you are interested please Marnie at marniewells13@gmail.com Perfect Love -Bob Donohue The gift of taking a chance, The gift of romance and dance, The gift of a silvery moon, The gift of a lovely to swoon, The gift of a strong hand to hold, The gift of her dreams yet untold, The gift of a White Dove and Love, The Gifts perfect from Heaven Above.

March Birthdays. Calendar of Events: Good News Productions International SOLAR KITS

March Birthdays. Calendar of Events: Good News Productions International SOLAR KITS Calendar of Events: 11 Daylight Saving 12 Board Meeting, 6:30pm 17 St Patrick s Day 17 Work Day, 8:30am 17 W@C Game Night, 6pm 18 Baked Potato Fundraiser, following service 27 Elders Meeting, 6:30pm 30