The Missionary Church East Central District Newsletter Volume 463 November 2013 Encouraging & Challenging Retreat Weekend This year s 38th Annual Women s Fall Retreat saw 141 ladies gather together at the Hilton Garden Inn in Beavercreek, October 11-12, 2013 for a time of encouragement and strengthening of their faith. Sue Heimer, Christian speaker and author, was this year s Fall Retreat speaker. In the first session, Sue challenged the ladies to Live a Life of Faith. God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. In session two, Sue spoke on being The Friend I Want to Be. Using Mark 2, the story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man, Sue helped define what a true friend really is. Sue wrapped up the conference by speaking from Hebrews 10:35-36 and Living in Confidence. Following the last official session, ladies were encouraged to attend one of the following break-out sessions, Facing your Fears, Leaving a Legacy, or Pastor s Wife Appreciation. First Missionary Church in Lima did a wonderful job of hosting the event. The food was delicious and the fellowship wonderful. Several ladies took advantage of the guest massage therapist who helped relieve that end of the week tension. Next year s retreat is again scheduled for the Hilton Garden Inn, October 3-4, 2014, with Jennifer Shaw as the speaker. Inside this issue: From Our District Superintendent 2 Ada Family Center is Happy! Happy! Happy! 3 Notes from Around the District 3 From Our Director of District Ministries 4 Coming Events 5 Christ with Open Arms 5 Mighty Tasks Accomplished at Lumberjack Retreat 6 $20 Your District Team: Dr. Jeff Kephart, District Superintendent Email: jeffk@woh.rr.com Rev. Jeff Gerig, Director of District Ministries Email: jeffg@ecdistrict.org Mrs. Jean Gerig, Secretary Email: jeang@ecdistrict.org 533 Miamisburg Centerville Road, (937)435-2737 15 FRIDAY NIGHT NOVEMBER 15TH Registration begins at 11:45 pm, doors open at midnight. 12:00 am 6:00 am Mrs. Wendy Dyke, Financial Secretary Email: wendyd@ecdistrict.org District Office Information: Phone: (937) 339-0015 Fax: (937) 339-1924 Website: http://www.ecdistrict.org
Page 2 From Our District Superintendent In Pursuit of Excellence We ve all experienced it: the long wait in the drive through line only to discover the order in the bag is incorrect, the disinterested attitude of the check-out person at the local store, or someone s shoddy work after we paid good money for a particular job. We could name countless examples of lack of concern for service and quality, summarized in the old cliché they don t make em like they used to. It begs the question, Doesn t anybody care about excellence anymore? Excellence is defined as the quality or state of being outstanding and superior ; its opposite is mediocrity. If there is any context where excellence should be pursued and mediocrity avoided at all cost, it would be in our churches. Consider our God as described in 1Timothy 1.17: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. You d think those who worship this God would pursue excellence in lifting Him up. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In all too many American churches, a certain familiar shoddiness has settled into the way we present our programs, care for our facilities, plan and execute our worship services, and even engage each other relationally. Some might describe it as good enough, but it doesn t communicate excellence. Could it be that we have grown comfortable with less than our best for our King? Jeff, you might say, it s not about performance! I would heartily agree, with the clarification that there is a difference between performance and pursuit of excellence. Performance is about me : how people perceive my work, my effort, my contribution, my church. Performance pursues quality for the sake of attention and self-aggrandizement; it lives to hear your song was lovely or you have a great church or you re so good at that! Performance elevates us at the expense of God s glory. In contrast, excellence focuses on removing distractions that draw others attention from God and His greatness. Excellence desires to hear people say what an awesome God you serve and does all possible to keep the focus on God rather than anything else. A passionate pursuit of excellence is the natural response to Colossians 3.17: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Excellence is about getting out of God s way so He is the center of attention. If I as a visitor enter a church to find the facility unkempt, greetings from others absent, the words on the screen misspelled, the worship team unfamiliar with the songs, the programs disorganized, the Scripture read with disinterest or lack of preparation, the congregation not passionately focused on participating in worship, or the speaker unprepared, does that not draw attention away from God to those distractions? Further, does it not raise the question of how important God really is to these people? The arrival of the holiday season heightens the importance of excellence. While we may become comfortable over time with our familiar patterns, visitors who join us for these special days are often experiencing our church and by association our God for the first time. Will they find the facility is well-maintained? Will they sense we were prepared to make them feel welcome? Will they experience well-organized programming, well-practiced musicians, and readers who have invested energy and effort in readiness? Will they observe a congregation passionately investing themselves in lifting up their God? These intangibles can influence whether visitors will desire to know this God we Christians hold so valuable, or be discouraged and distracted from knowing this God by our lack of passion and preparation. (Continued on page 3.)
Page 3 Ada Family Center is Happy! Happy! Happy! One of our newest church plants, Ada Family Center, took advantage of it s community Harvest n Herb Festival by having a Duck Dynasty float in the parade as well as hosting a booth. Over 700 stopped by the booth to have their picture taken with Pastor Ray Hadley, a.k.a. Phil Robertson. The event served as a great way for Ada Family Center to get it s name out in the community. Presently, a core group of about 100 meet weekly in the Family Life Center of Union Chapel Missionary Church in Lima. Notes from Around the District Faith Alive in Elyria had a great time participating in the Apple Festival, making several new contacts with people in the area and raised $900 for the church. Greenville Missionary recently baptized seven individuals and took in nine new members. Creekside Community recently hosted a Car Show at their church with many from the community stopping by. In Pursuit of Excellence Continued from page 3 The pursuit of excellence is costly; it takes purposeful investment of evaluation, time and energy. It is easier to let things go, coast along and just improvise. Given that, let me close with David s statement in 1 Chronicles 21.24 illustrating a commitment to excellence. When offered the opportunity to make a sacrifice to God from resources provided by others, consider his response: No!... I can t just take something from you and then offer the LORD a sacrifice that cost me nothing. (CEV) May we be committed to investing our best for the Lord, that He might become greater and we might become less.
Page 4 From Our Director of District Ministries A Misappropriation of God s Blessings In last month s article I wrote about stuff, not necessarily how much of it we own but rather how much of it owns us. This month, we ll address the matter of what to do with the stuff God has blessed us with. Instead of a present-day illustration, I m choosing to go back a few thousand years to take a look at the people of Israel. If ever there was a people group blessed by God, it was God s Chosen People, the children of Israel. God s strategy was to bless Israel abundantly so that the other nations of the world would take note and desire to worship God as well, putting away their idols made of stone. Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles. In Isaiah 49:6, God speaks through his prophet, I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. It was always God s intention that His blessing of Israel be the catalyst for others to seek Him out. However, Israel didn t always play the game. All too often, Israel received God s blessings as more of a reward for their faithfulness, which then turned into a source of pride, thinking themselves better than the heathen around them. Because of this, their light burned dimly, surrounding nations were left to live in their sin and wickedness, and God was forced to see them annihilated, i.e. Amalakites, Ammonites, Canaanites, Midianites. So how was God s blessing of Israel to be tied to Israel s being a light to the Gentiles? First, let s take a look at a few word definitions. To appropriate means to set something apart for a particular use or purpose. On the other side of the coin, to misappropriate means to intentionally use the funds or property of another person for one s own use or other unauthorized purpose. It can actually be a felony to misappropriate something. So, back to Israel. How many times did Israel receive God s blessings and instead of using them to be a light to the Gentiles, they diverted those blessings towards their own desires and pleasures? Here is one clear example. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt for 400 years until a guy named Moses came around, raised his staff, dropped a bunch of plagues on the Egyptians, and freed the Israelites from their bondage. As they left, the Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed towards the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. [Exodus 12:35-36 & Exodus 11:2] God s intent was to bless Israel as they began their journey and to provide for what would be needed in furnishing the Tabernacle. But Israel misappropriated God s gift to them. In fact, they worshipped the gift. As Moses communed with God on top of Mt. Sinai, the people grew restless and rowdy. They demanded of Aaron, Come, make us gods who will go before us. Aaron answered them, Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me. So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. [Exodus 32:1-4] It amazes me that the people who saw God wipe out an entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea can so quickly turn their worship towards inanimate objects. But not only did they worship God s gift but they used God s gift to glorify themselves. Moses, when he came down the mountain yelled at them, Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you. So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb. [Exodus 33:5-6.] Whenever I read this verse, I think of my daughter Jillian who likes to play dress up with her princess gowns and jewelry. Here we have grown people out in the middle of a wilderness, playing dress up. What s the point? Who is there to impress! (Continued on page 4.)
Page 5 Stuff Continued from page 4 So what was the end result of this misappropriation of God s blessing? Three thousand of the worst offenders were killed by the Levites. God took care of the rest of the idolaters by sending a plague among the people. Those who were left got the message. When the people heard these distressing words [that God would no longer go with them], they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, Tell the Israelites, You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you. So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb. [Exodus 33:5-6] If you know the rest of the story, the people did repent, God s anger did subside, and He did stay with the Israelites. They brought their ornaments and gifts into the treasury to be used in the new Tabernacle. They gave so much, in fact, that Moses had to tell them to stop. Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary. And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. [Exodus 36:6-7] What would happen today if the people across our district brought in so much tithes and offerings that we had to tell them to stop? I can t imagine that ever happening, but how awesome that would be and what kind of impact would that make for God s kingdom? As we approach this Thanksgiving season, it s tradition to pause and reflect on the many ways God has blessed us over the years. Most of us are very grateful, but maybe we should also take a few moments to take inventory and reflect on just how well we have managed those blessings. Have we used them in the way God intended for us to use them, to bring glory to Him and be a light to the Gentiles, the lost around us, or have we taken those blessings and directed them towards our own pleasure? James reminds us, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. [James 4:3]. November 9, 2013 Youth & Kids Quizzing Grace Missionary Church, Celina November 16, 2013 Youth All-Nighter Laser Web Dayton Christ with Open Arms Painting to Bethel College The Missionary Church East Central District and Creekside Community Church are pleased to announce that the painting Christ with Open Arms, which has watched over the congregation in Dayton since 1954, will find a new home at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana. Faith Missionary Church in Dayton commissioned Rev. Joseph Kimbel, Missionary Church pastor, professor of Art at Bethel College and designer of many of our Missionary Church buildings, to paint the giant 6 by 7 painting. Rev. Kimbel came from Indiana and painted Christ with Open Arms in the garage of Edith Peffley, a member of the church. The painting was later transferred to the new church facility when the church relocated to Beavercreek. December 6, 2013 Pastors & Wives Christmas Dinner Union Chapel Missionary Church December 14, 2013 Youth & Kids Quizzing Grace Community Church, Lima December 28-30, 2013 3DYC Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne This verse implies that if we continue to misappropriate God s blessings in our lives, those blessings may suddenly dry up. Let s remember as Christians, why we are on this earth, to bring glory to God and be a light to the Gentiles. This Thanksgiving season, let s go beyond the normal going around the table, sharing one thing you re thankful for and unselfishly look for ways that we can turn God s blessings into tangible outreach opportunities.
Mighty Tasks Accomplished at Lumberjack Retreat Men from across our district descended on Ludlow Falls Camp, October 18-19, 2013, to accomplish some mighty big tasks for the camp. While the weather was ideal on Friday, rain hampered the work effort on Saturday. Still, thirty men showed up to tackle some important projects for the camp. Here are just a few of the things the men were able to accomplish: Put a new metal roof on the retreat house at the entrance to camp Begin excavation for a new children s play area down by the Ministry Center, which will be turned into a children s play village. Turned two dorms, Hope & Charity into shelters. Charity will be relocated to the new children s play area Renovation began on dorms Mary and Martha Cleared and burned honeysuckle around the falls area Besides conquering many various projects, the men were challenged by Clark Miller, Man in the Mirror Ministries, to live up to the calling God has placed on their lives as men. The men also fellowshipped over enormous hungry man meals served up by Keith Berger and his team of cooks. Thanks to everyone who participated in this year s Lumberjack Retreat, giving up their weekend to serve the Lord through the ministry of Ludlow Falls Camp. The Missionary Church East Central District 607 South Market Street Troy, Ohio 45373-3334 U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 325 Non-Profit Organization Troy, Ohio RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED