December 2017 The View Special events this month: Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, Dec 3rd at 6:00 pm. Come Join Us for 0ur Christmas Series! Worship 9:00 & 10:45 am All Things Women meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm. Refuge Christmas party for 6th-12th youth Wednesday, Dec 15th Refuge Food Pantry the third Saturday of the month Dec 16th Christmas Eve services at 10:00 am; 3:30 & 5:30 pm No Awana on Wednesday, Dec 20th Dec 27h or Jan 3rd. Christmas Break No 6th-12th youth group on Wednesday, Dec 20th, Dec 27th. Congregational Gathering Sunday Evening December 3rd at 6:00 pm Join us for: Fellowship, Worship & Prayer Welcome New Members 2018 Budget presentation and Nominating Report. Dessert Fellowship provided by the hospitality will follow meeting! Christmas Eve Services 10:00 am 3:30 & 5:30 pm (Note change of times)
Page 2 2017 Christmas Mission Impact Ways to Impact! Give Items: (Please bring donation to Parkview) Make Cookies: Goal 7,000 Due by December 23 rd If you make them ahead of time and bring to the church we will freeze them for you to keep them fresh! Give a Turkey or a Ham: Goal 120 Due by Dec12 th Give to the Meal on December 16 th (Contact Mori Gordon 308-325-3460) Give Items of Need (Coats, Blankets, Gloves, Hats, Underwear, Socks, Shoes, Clothes, Hygiene items) Due by December 14 th Give a Gift for a Child (toys, balls, perfume, nail polish, makeup, cologne) Due by Dec 14th Give A Tie Blanket for a resident in a care home or a child Due by December 17 th Adopt a Child from the Angel Tree: 160 Children to Adopt Due by December 17 th Give a monetary donation and we will go shopping for you! Please make check payable to Parkview and in the memo Christmas Impact 2017 Give Prayer: Pray for the gospel to spread this Christmas and specifically for how God wants us to love people this Christmas Give Time: December 9 th at 9:30am: Tie Blanket Party (Gather together to make tie blankets) December 13 th at 5:00pm:Food Pantry Packing Day December 15 th at TBA: Set up for the Shopping Day December 16 th at 9:00am 3:00pm: Food Pantry/Christmas Meal/ Shopping Day December 23 rd at TBA: Organize Gifts and Pack Cookies for the following Day December 24 th 9:00am: to Deliver Cookies and Gifts. December 24 th at 6:00pm: Package Jail Ministry Cookies -Contact Jack Govier 324-589 As the winter weather season comes upon us we would like to inform you as to where you can check to see any closing information for Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights. In Case of Closings due to weather check our website at www.parkviewfamily.com or KRVN Radio! Attendance Record YTD Small Group Average: 115 November Small Group Average: 115 YTD Worship Average: 262 November Worship Average: 279 Parkview s Financial Report (Figures as of 11/29/17) YTD Ministry Fund Rec.: 468,481.56 YTD Min. Fund Needed: 482,608.50 Weekly Average Needed: 10,124.65 Weekly Average This Mo.: 10,560.00 YTD Ministry Fund Spent: 442,117.64 Building Fund Balance 1,172,271.70
Page 3 3 Reasons Christmas is the Perfect Time to Invite Someone to Church by Krista Ortiz Fast Facts about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Here are some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering : Who was Lottie Moon? Lottie Moon was a legendary Southern Baptist missionary who served in China for 39 years. She was appointed as a missionary in 1873 and served until her death on Dec. 24, 1912. Why was the offering named for Lottie Moon? Throughout her career, Lottie Moon wrote many letters home, urging Southern Baptists to greater missions involvement and support. One of these letters triggered Southern Baptists first Christmas offering for international missions in 1888 enough to send three new missionaries to China. What is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering? Southern Baptist churches collect the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the sole purpose of supporting international missions. Every penny of the offering goes to the International Mission Board s overseas budget. The offering provides the largest portion of the IMB s income nearly 60 percent. 2017 national goal: $160 million The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering provides major financial support for Southern Baptist overseas workers. Every penny of the offering goes to support their work. At this point in the Christmas season, most of us are scrambling to buy and wrap last-minute gifts. We re up to our ears in cookies, we ve got stockings to stuff, and parties to attend. But what if the most important thing that happens this Christmas isn t something we do, but a question we ask? 3 Reasons Christmas Is The Perfect Time To Invite Someone To Church. 1. Christmas spirit already has people doing things they wouldn t normally do. Only at Christmas do we see penny-pinchers digging in their pockets for change to give to the man merrily ringing the bell outside the store. Even if we aren t sure we like eggnog, we ll give it a try because, well, it s Christmas. Most people would come to church if someone they knew just asked, and people are more receptive to going to church at Christmas than other times of year. Blame it on the infectious amounts of holiday cheer, but more than any other time of year people are willing to try something new, making it one of the best opportunities to invite someone to church. 2. By nature, people are curious. Around the world, people will flock to churches on Christmas leaving others to wonder, What s all the hype about? Never underestimate the amount of desire a little curiosity can spark. Luke 2:15-16 says that when the shepherds heard about Jesus birth they said to one another, Let s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened so they hurried off and found Mary, Joseph and the baby who was lying in a manger. Curiosity is what led the shepherds to meet Jesus, and curiosity could be what leads the people you invite to meet Jesus as well. 3. Many are in desperate need of good news and great joy. Every day people are faced with staggering circumstances, and Christmastime is no exception. Marriages end, loved ones pass away, and devastating test results come back. For many, the future seems bleak and hearts are broken.often, people who are hurting feel like church isn t for them. Yet on the first Christmas, those who were frightened and in desperate need of good news and great joy were addressed directly.in Luke 2:10-11 the angel responded, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born. This Christmas, we have the opportunity to introduce those who are hurting to the same Savior. We can invite people to a place where they can meet the God who acknowledges their greatest fears, sees their deepest longings, and sent His Son to save us. Whether someone comes to church out of curiosity, a willingness to try something new, or desperation for a Savior, it could be your invitation that leads someone to meet Jesus! At the very least, you ll provide that person with a much needed break from all the small talk and Christmas movies. The hope we give away on Christmas is sure to outlast the cookies and the lights on the tree.
Page 4 Come join us for AWANAS! Wednesday Nights 6:30-8:00 pm Cubbies: Ages 3yrs - preschool Sparks: K-2nd grade T&T Club: 3rd-5th grade AWANA Schedule for December Dec 6th - Awana Store & Crazy Glasses - Photo Op Dec 13th - Family Night Jail Ministry Cookies & Cards Dec 20th- No Awana (Merry Christmas) What will you give for Christmas? One of the central features of Christmas is sharing gifts with those we love. Those who give usually experience a greater joy than those who receive. Imagine the joy of knowing that one of your gifts this year will make an eternal difference. This year again we want to challenge every family at Parkview to give to our Global Missions Offering. Our offering will be used entirely for Southern Baptist Missions in North America and around the world. Every penny goes directly to missions. Envelopes will be available in the foyer this month to use for this once a year offering and a special offering will be taken during our Christmas Eve Service for the Global Missions Offering. Let s unite as a church family to give God a gift this year-a gift that will help take His message to people who have not yet heard. Dec 28th - No Awana Jan 3rd - No Awana (Happy New Year) Awana will begin in 2018 on January 10th. October s Food Pantry report is nothing beyond the ordinary...god continues to work through this ministry and we are so blessed to be part of His plan. We served 80 families this month, 15 of which were first time guests and sure to be back. Approximately 371 individuals were provided for with 130 bags of food that were delivered. Our prayer room was well utilized and many guests wrote prayer requests on the registration forms, so we can continue to pray for them throughout the month. Felix, our Spanish speaking pastor utilizing the Refuge, was in attendance and was able to connect with out Spanish speaking guests. The volunteers were blessed with five youth members of the church participating in serving in this ministry. This warms our hearts to have our youth look beyond themselves, reach out to help others in the community, and have a happy heart about serving. So BLESSED!
The View Pastor s log December 2017 Welcome to Christmas 2017! I write this while driving to Dallas with Julie to spend Thanksgiving with our kids. My heart is filled with gratitude for our time with you so far. I hope that we have been a blessing to you. I know you are a blessing to us! Next comes my favorite season. This Christmas I invite you to Experience the Ultimate Gift of Jesus more deeply. Celebrate Christmas by intentionally taking your next step spiritual AND by sharing the gift of Jesus with someone else. In this month's gatherings, we will examine the blessings that comes when we embrace Jesus as God s gift to us. Jesus brings us the best kind of hope, joy, peace and love. I hope their lessons will renew your joy, deepen your wonder and strengthen your faith. Even more, I hope you will take this opportunity to invite someone you know who needs to experience the gift of Jesus. Worship with them as they hear about Jesus then follow up with them over a meal to help them process Jesus invitation. Holy-days like Christmas remind us of our Heavenly Father s great affection for us. The world wishes for the peace Christmas represents while pushing the limits of stress to make the most of it. The world celebrates an idea. Christ followers celebrate a loving Redeemer. It should make a difference in every part of life including our approach to the holiday. For us it should be more about joy than junk. More about peace than products. We have a great blessing to celebrate & share. I am very thankful for each of you and your part in our shared story. I look forward to worshipping with you through this Christmas season and seeing what our Lord has in mind for the year ahead. In the meantime, I hope you join us each Sunday as we Experience the Gift of Jesus together. Yours for Jesus, John Visit Our Website at www.parkviewfamily.com