The Lighthouse Go Shores! Go Missional! Kathy Porter, Deacon of Ministries MONTHLY NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2018 VOLUME 7 That s right! At Shores Community Church we are setting aside the one week before Thanksgiving week to reach out into our community and share our blessings.because WE ARE BLESSED! Hopefully you have a table triangle at home to refer to what will be happening from November 11th through November 17th. But don t wait until then to get involved! We need everyone to take a part right now, with one to seven options, and here s how: 1. Purchase pillows and pillowcases, (or even make them if you are so inclined), to be given to Muskegon County for foster children in the event they are being moved to another location and would benefit from having just one thing to call their own. That happens! There are currently 435 children in the foster case system in Muskegon County. Local stores are selling pillows at very reasonable prices and toddler pillows might be just as much in need as the regular sizes. These items may be dropped off in the church foyer any time the building is open. 2. Once again we are participating in Operation Christmas Child. Stop by the table in the foyer and pick up a box, (or boxes), and follow the directions listed on the inside flap, the inserted leaflet or at Operation Christmas Child on the web. You get to choose the gender and age of the child(ren), so pick up a label(s) on the table in the church foyer to mark the box accordingly. Continued on next page... Church Events Nov. 11 Kids Receive Scripts for Christmas Program Nov. 11-17 Missional Week Nov. 18 Kids Christmas Play Rehearsals Begin During Service Nov. 18 All Church Thanksgiving Dinner 5PM
YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR SHOEBOX to see where it winds up by registering it on the website. We have delighted many children in the past and plan to keep on going. Boxes can be dropped off at the church or the location station which is Forest Park Covenant Church on Henry Street. Check the OCC website for days and times that week. 3. Do you have any gently used (or new) coats, jackets, hats, gloves, mittens, etc., both for children or adult (teens), that could be donated to Mona Shores Schools for those in need of something warm this winter? There are days where students come to school not properly dressed when a teacher can give them something appropriate to wear for the cold weather. Consider stopping in a local donation store, (Hope s Outlet?), and purchase any of these items at very reasonable prices. Just drop them off in the church foyer anytime the building is open and we ll make sure they get delivered to the schools. 4. Come join us at church on Thursday evening, November 14th at 6:30 PM, and hear about how needy children in the Muskegon area are provided with meals when school is not in session. Please bring your children and we ll jointly assemble quart size bags with the essentials to make meals for children who might have to go without something to eat otherwise. What an excellent way to demonstrate to our church s children how blessed they are and how important it is to share with those in need. 5. Many area families would like to prepare a Thanksgiving meal yet can t afford to buy the necessary items to make it possible. We could help make this happen for them by purchasing items when we do our own grocery shopping. Stop by the table in the foyer and pick up a brown grocery bag with an attached food list stapled to the front. The items mentioned are suggestions of nonperishable foods. NOTE! The foods must be non-perishable! If possible, you can enclose a note of blessing and a gift card so the family can purchase perishable foods themselves. Please drop your filled bags off at Hope s Outlet on Glade Street. 6. Angel Tree is another opportunity for us to share the love of Christ this holiday season with those in prison and their families. Names of children along with a wish item will be written on tags and hung on the Christmas Tree in the foyer the second week of November. These children will receive a wished for Christmas gift from their imprisoned parent through us. Gifts may be dropped off at the care-givers home or brought to church and placed under the tree. Names and addresses will be made available as well as a suggested conversation to share Christ s love with the recipients. What a wonderful privilege we can have to watch a child be surprised with a present from their absent parent. 7. Muskegon Covenant Academy is a safe place to live, learn and grow spiritually for young people who have no other place to live. We can offer them a warm, hospitable evening by preparing a meal and joining in an activity to show that we care. Many of our homes participate in a family night where a meal followed by games and snacks or a movie is accepted as normal but for these young folks, it might need to be arranged from the outside. So, SCC can be the outside group to spend a fun evening, Sunday, November 17th, sharing the love of Jesus with those in need. Let s reach out this Thanksgiving season and make a difference in others lives in our community. For questions, please stop by the table in the foyer before or after the Sunday morning service. P.S. The Parsekian Family is doing all seven!
The Persecuted Church Bob Lenz, Deacon of Missions Sunday, November 4th has been designated Persecuted Church Sunday in which emphasis is placed on the many believers around the world who are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. We ll take a break this month from featuring our SCC missionaries to focus on this topic. Statistics show that at least 215 million Christians experience high levels of persecution in countries around the world. Some of the more familiar terrorist groups that promote persecution include ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, Al-Sharia, Al-Shabaab, Taliban, Hamas, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Abu Sayyaf, Hezbollah, and Mujahideen to name a few. (For a complete list, go to the U.S. Dept. of Foreign Terrorist Organizations website). These groups oppose God, as well as Israel and the United States. Some may be more adamant against one than another. The number one country that oppresses believers is North Korea. Here is a list of suggested prayer requests that will help you to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ: 1. Pray that country leaders will come to know the Lord. 2. Pray for strength and courage for those in prisons, and labor camps that they will be witnesses for Christ, as well as be sustained in health in terrible living situations. 3. Pray for believers to stand strong who face fierce pressure from family, friends, and community to renounce their faith in Christ. Some face ostracism, house arrest or threats of death from family members. 4. Pray that family members will come to know the Lord through the believers testimonies. 5. Pray for church leaders to stand strong in face of immense pressure from their persecutors. 6. Pray for Christian women who face the threat of abduction, forced marriage and rape by Muslims in Pakistan and other countries. Some girls under ten years old are forcibly taken as brides for Muslim men. 7. Pray for secret believers to have courage and perseverance in their faith. 8. Some believers face the death penalty for leaving their country s religion. Pray that laws will change giving people increased freedom of religion. 9. Pray for Christians in refugee camps to be faithful witnesses for Christ. 10. Pray that terrorist leaders will come to faith in Christ. God bless you as you intercede for the persecuted church. SCC Youth David Jaeger, Youth Director It s beginning to look at lot like Thanksgiving. Christmas is still a long way off so please don t pretend it s okay to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. We re going to try keeping with the theme of thanksgiving during November at SCC Youth. We ll be talking about some very simple concepts like kindness, gentleness, patience, and other qualities some of us struggle with producing around family and friends during the holidays. Continued on next page...
Occasionally we all need reminders that making fun of someone can go too far, or that kicking a sibling isn t the best model for a holiday all about being thankful (even for your siblings). In light us being a people who should be known for their thankfulness, I want to leave you with this quote: "We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country." C.S. Lewis SCC Kids Lesa Jaeger, Children s Director In SCC Kids we are gearing up for our Christmas Program December 16th. I will be handing out the schedule for the Christmas Program this Sunday, November 4th, which will have the information you should need to help your kids get ready for the program. Lately in the classrooms we have been struggling with disruptions and distractions. Just so everyone is aware, we decided what actions a teacher will take to handle these situations. First, there will be a verbal warning. If the behavior continues the security guard will take them to discuss how to make better choices and if they are ready to make those better choices in the classroom. Finally, if the behavior will not change and the child continues to distract the class, the security guard will be called to take them. Youth Events Regular Youth Group and Open Gym Nov. 4 & 11 Nov. 16 Plan3t Trampoline Park 6-8 PM Cost: $14, Pizza Included No Youth Group Nov. 18 Nov. 28 Regular Youth Group, NO Open Gym Prayer Evelyn Snipes, Prayer Team Shores Community Church Day of Prayer (SCCDOP) was started to emphasize and remind us that nothing is accomplished without prayer. SCCDOP gives us an opportunity to come to a quiet place, confess our sins and prepare ourselves to meet with God. So you say, I can do that at home. Yes, but the serenity and peacefulness that surrounds you and to see others who are also praying for our church and all of our ministries, maybe even those who we sometimes forget to pray for. (i.e. Armed Forces, Persecuted Christians and First Responders) gives us much encouragement to pray more. To be surrounded by prayer is powerful. One of the interesting features about this Prayer Day is that we get an opportunity to share in what prayer means to others through the 90 quotes that are posted around the walls. For example: Prayer is the rope that pulls God and man together. But it doesn t pull God down to us: It pulls us up to him Billy Graham. Another one: I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming condition that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. Abraham Lincoln On behalf of Pastor Nate, Kathy Porter, chair of Prayer Team and Prayer Team members, we thank you and are grateful for those who took the time to come and participate in Shores Community Church Day Of Prayer.
Birthday s & Anniversaries Happy Birthday to: 7 David Stroud 10 Otis Black 10 Missionary Charissa Cable 10 Jenny Doctor 13 Rebecca Gorenflo 15 Rick Cooper 17 Dale Domsten 18 Jeff Miller 22 Jeff Cooper 26 Bruce Walpole 28 Levi Firehammer 28 Daphne Parsekian 29 Missionary John Lewis 30 Missionary Stephanie Lewis 30 Nora Pollock 30 Norma Sherwood Happy Anniversary to: 5 Kevin & Linda Herbert 20 Missionaries Jeff & Joyellen Hazard Getting to Know Your Staff Kaitlyn Ayers, Lead Pastor s Administrative Assistant Kaitlyn grew up here at SCC. She graduated from Mona Shores High School in 2011, earned an Associate s Degree in Marketing in 2013 from Muskegon Community College, and graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor s Degree in Business Administration, majoring in General Management, in 2017. Kaitlyn has a variety of duties here at SCC. In addition to being Pastor Nate s right hand, she handles marketing, day to day office duties including the bulletin and this newsletter, plays a part in planning and putting on outreach events, and new visitor relations on Sunday mornings (just to name a few). She also loves volunteering at SCC on the worship team, missions committee, shower planning committee, and on occasion assisting in children s and youth activities. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys spending time with her goofy and amazing family and friends, watching movies, picking on Pastor Nate (because he picked on her first of course), dancing, reading, coloring, singing, shopping, and petting her cat Cinder.