Brunswick Reformed Church 3535 Grafton Road Brunswick, Ohio 44212 (330) 225-5475 Ministers: The Congregation Pastors: Don Poest Dan Toot Worship & Christian Education Sunday 9:00 & 10:30 a.m. www.b-r-c.org
Welcome to Brunswick Reformed Church s worship celebrations. To make our mutual experience more enjoyable today please: 1. Relax - At BRC you can rest assured that you will not be embarrassed, singled out, or put on the spot. 2. Fill Out a Welcome Card - These can be dropped in the offering plate later. The information won t be misused, and will help us know who s been here. It s also a great way to drop a note to, or request a contact from, a staff member. 3. Ask for Prayer - If you have a prayer concern to share, pick up a prayer request form from the cart in back. Give completed forms to an usher or the pastor before the service begins. 4. Know There Are Options for Children - - The small room in the right rear corner has rocking chairs where little ones can be rocked, quieted or nursed. - We have an excellent nursery for ages 0-3 at the far end of our education wing. 5. Join Us for Fellowship - Coffee and juice are served in the fellowship area after each service. Join us and get acquainted. We do ask that you not take drinks into worship with you. 6. Do Not Feel Obligated to Give - If you are a first-time guest, please do not feel obligated to participate in the offering. This is a time when members and regular attendees honor God by giving to his work through this church. Let today be our gift to you. 7. Give by Text is available. Simply send a text to 330-239-8652 with the amount you would like to contribute. 8. Stop by our Welcome Center for more information about Brunswick Reformed Church! 9. BRC is on the web www.b-r-c.org Who Is BRC? We are a member of the Reformed Church in America, a Protestant denomination that goes back to the Reformation period in Europe when the Church was reformed according to the Word of God. We are a mixture of Christians from many denominational backgrounds, all seeking to grow in our spiritual maturity as we live by faith with Jesus as our forgiver and leader. You will find our calling, mission and core value statements on the back of this bulletin.
January 10, 2016 Welcome to worship. Thank you to the worship team for leading us in worship through music. Sunday: 9:00 a.m. Worship service 9:00 a.m.: 1 Corinthians (Adult) Room 4 10:30 a.m.: Worship Service 10:30 a.m.: Sunday School classes (Pre-school - 5th grade) 10:30 a.m.: Through the Bible (Adult) meeting in Room 10-11 2:00 p.m.: Women s Renewal team meeting. To get a cd of any of our sermons, simply write cd and the requested date on your Welcome Card. You ll then find your requested cds on the shelf across from the kitchen (usually by Tuesday.) The sermon audio files, sermon outlines, study questions, verses and bulletins are available on the church website www.b-r-c.org. The poinsettias in front are available to anyone who wishes to take them home. Please check the hallway shelves. A lot of stuff has accumulated there in recent weeks. Please claim what is yours (before it s donated to charity!)
REACT Student Ministries... For Sunday, January 10 and upcoming events 9:00 a.m.: Middle School and High School Sunday school class meets in Room 10. No youth group tonight. Next week the youth group is scheduled to meet from 12-2 p.m. for a snow shoveling service project (if no snow, meet from 6-8 pm) The Belgic Confession Article 5: The Authority of Scripture We receive all these books and these only as holy and canonical, for the regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith. And we believe without a doubt all things contained in them not so much because the church receives and approves them as such but above all because the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that they are from God, and also because they prove themselves to be from God. For even the blind themselves are able to see that the things predicted in them do happen. Prayer concerns: Guy Lenart continues to rehab his new knee. Continue to pray for those with ongoing health concerns: Bob Beck, Bob Cooperrider, Rick Demeter, Nancy & Bob Hanwell, Anna Henry, Ashley Holler, Peg Jenkins, Flora Kostyak, Rose & Bob Murray, Eileen Raich, Gini Reinke, Ted Szenger, Mary Trzop and Nickey Whited. Continue to pray for our military personnel.
THIS WEEK: Monday: Campus Life, 6:30 p.m. Monday: Transition Team meets on at 6:00 p.m. in room 1. Monday: Grief Share, 7:00 p.m. Rooms 8 & 4. Wednesday: Women of Wisdom, 10 am-noon, Room 8, w/ a study called #Struggles by Craig Groeshel Wednesday: Men s Study, using Sermon Questions, Rm 4. Wednesday Connections meets:7:00-8:30 p.m. FOUNDATIONS 2.0 - A blueprint of Scripture, continuing with the New Testament Led by Pastor Dan Soul Detox (Clean Living in a Contaminated World) Led by Donna Cook Kids Club (Kindergarten - 5 th )What s In the Bible is to teach kids the story of the Bible. Led by Jason & Alexa Palmer, Scott Nelson & Krista Caruth Thursday: God s Friends Forever, 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Worship Team rehearsal, 7:15-8:30 p.m. Friday: Shining Stars meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday: Refit from 9-10 a.m. in the Fellowship Area. Advance: The Prayer Group will meet on Sunday, Jan 17, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. You are invited to join together for a time of prayer. Advance: Consistory meets on Monday, Jan 18, at 7:30 p.m. Attendance last week was 81 & 117. Offerings for Dec 27 totaled $10,862, and for Jan 3 $9,010. Our Christmas Eve offering totaled $3,502.
Interested in a BRC garment? If so, note BRC shirts on your welcome card. T-shirts, long sleeve t s, polos, hoodies, and zippered hoodies can be ordered if we have enough interest. The Women s Renewal is scheduled for this Fri-Sat, Jan 15-16, here at BRC. Women ages 18 and older, give yourself this gift! Invitations are available from any team member: Patty Carroll, Krista Caruth, Donna Cook, Jaime Coyne, Beth Crouse, Kayley McNamara, Michelle Morgan, Alexa Palmer, Pastor Don or Cathy Poest and Beth Virzi. Here is the list of Renewalist: Stephanie Beck, Kimberly Bell, Adrienne Browning. Kim Burnham, Cheryl Carlisle, Cora Carroll, Dawn Ciocca, Gina Clemens, Jackie George, Linda Kara, Maggie Kusner, Angie Martinson, Sharon Meyer, Dolly Nash, Selina Popov, Kelly Rhue, Stella Shepherd, Eileen Smalley. Uphold them with prayer. If you wish to write a letter of encouragement, please make sure it s in the box on the hallway shelf by 9 am on Saturday morning. The kitchen crew for the January Women s Renewal is looking for donations. We are in need of bottled water; cubes of pop; snack items (chips pretzels - etc); granola bars or breakfast bars; and cookies or brownies. Cash donations would also be great if that would be easier. Please contact Emily Leight (330-741-0719) if you are willing to help us out. Thank you so much for supporting our efforts! The Nursery Excellence Team is reforming, under the leadership of Amber Toot. The team will meet periodically to organize, clean and maintain the high quality of our nursery. If you wish to be a part of this ministry, note NET on your welcome card. There is a yellow Bible Reading Record insert in the bulletin this week. You are encouraged to use it for your own devotions and scripture reading.
The Force Awakens Mark 4:35-41 Don t be alarmed, this sermon is not about the new Star Wars movie! The sermon this morning speaks of a force far greater, and if this force were to be awakened in the church, it would become an force! Context: A group of men, together on a boat with Jesus, in the midst of a great storm, and experiencing the difference the presence of Jesus makes! stuff happened while the disciples were with Jesus on a boat! Jesus, both his humanity & his divinity were being revealed to them in these moments. true force of Jesus Christ was being awakened to them. The Clear teaching: Jesus is approachable because of the humanity he shares with us. all-powerful, even the wind and the waves obey him. Jesus is also How should we respond to Jesus, the One with such power, when He makes himself fully to us? What would it look like to have this kind of force, the force of Jesus Christ, awakened within & amongst us today? would take place! Transitions & Transformation: We as a church are seeking transformation in 3 arenas: worship (inward), corporate bible study (upward), and service & faith-sharing (outward). Small Groups/Bible Studies: We can t grow if we don t study the Word of God. We can t grow well if we don t study it. Upward Transformation happens through being committed to the study of the Word of God & by committing to the application of it with one another. Many times after Jesus did his public teaching he would be alone with his disciples & they would question him further & He would go w/them. How many of us would be more committed to a small group/bible study, and want to grow deeper in our faith, if Jesus was leading it? If the Word of God is manifested in Jesus then every time we open this book to read & study it together we have, as our small group leader.
We need to see this book for what it truly is, the very Word of God, it is Jesus Christ revealed, and made accessible to us. If you want to: Know Christ get to know the book that makes Him Grow in your faith & relationship with Him Study this book See transformation in all areas of your life Study it w/others As we live in a fallen world, as fallen people, we all are going to encounter storms in our lifetime. What will we do in the of them? Will we come before Jesus, even if in our coming we enter his presence with questions, fears, anger, & confusion? The disciples did & Jesus did not rebuke them! Will we come before him even if we think he is asleep and uninterested in the storm we have found ourselves in? The disciples did and we can too. We can come before Jesus with whatever we are facing & we can come before him. We can ask the hard questions, He can handle it. Small group ministry and corporate Bible studies can truly be effective in providing us w/an opportunity to experience the same response from Jesus. The disciples experienced being in the midst of the storm together, they came before Jesus together, they experienced the miraculous together & then they pondered together what it all meant. This is ministry! Encountering the presence of Jesus may not answer all your questions and extinguish all your fears. In reality it more often multiplies our questions & increases our fear, but we leave knowing that we have been in the presence of God. Do you have a place, a group of people to this with? When we engage in small groups together, and encounter Christ through His Word together, life transformation takes place. So what will we do with this encounter that the disciples had w/jesus on the Sea? seek the same encounters with Christ and His followers today? Will we Augustine - This is the moment to Christ. There s an unstoppable force that is accessible to us! studying and applying the Word of God in our lives! Let s awaken it together by reading,
Attention YOUTH... grades 4-12 We have received information from Camp Geneva in Holland, MI and Cran-Hill Ranch in Rodney, MI about summer church camps. Camp brochures are here! They re on the hallway shelf. Here are our weeks... Those going into 5th-6th grades...camp Geneva, July 10-16 Those going into 7th-9th grades...camp Geneva, July 10-16 Cran Hill Ranch...in High School, ages 13-17, dates are July 10-15 Camp Geneva needs the names of our campers by Sunday, JANUARY 18, in order to save spots for us. Camp Geneva fills up very quickly - but they will save spots for our kids- if they have names. Sign-up on the bulletin board near the church office. If you know you are going...sign up on the sheet & register online. If you want to go, but aren t sure about the dates...sign up. If you want to go, but are unsure about finances...sign up. Then start asking Pastor Don questions about getting you there! Camp fees range from $380-$475. (Scholarship help is available from both camps, as well as BRC. Please don t assume your family can t afford camp, talk to Pastor Don or Rhyna Sensiba.) Online registration for Camp Geneva is now available and PREFERRED! Please register as soon as possible. Geneva is filling up...on registration day one 475 kids registered compared to 171 on day one last year.
Camp Geneva has given us a Voucher Code: 6203-10D, which will give you a $10 discount and identify you as a BRC camper. When you register online, please let us know so we can include you in our planning! Cran-Hill Ranch doesn t fill up quite as quickly...but it ll be helpful for planning if registration is completed by February 1. Online registration is available and preferred by CranHill as well. They have given us a Sponsorship Code BRC-CHR2016 which will identify you as BRC campers - and give you a $25 discount!! When you register online, please let us know so we can include you in our planning! BRC arranges group transportation to camp (a van or bus, depending on numbers) Cran-Hill campers will leave from BRC Sunday MORNING, since camp starts at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Geneva campers will leave from BRC Sunday AFTERNOON and spend the night in the camp gathering room. We will require a $25 transportation to help defray costs. Further information is available on the camp websites www.cranhillranch.com or www.campgeneva.org, Questions, contact Rhyna Sensiba, 330-225-5475, or BRCSensiba@aol.com SO...while there may be cold and snow now...summer will return! Plan now to register for camp! Parents: we encourage you to make a week for your kids at camp a priority in your family budget planning. Congregation: A scholarship to camp is a wonderful way to help the youth of BRC!
Small Group Study Questions 1) Have you ever encountered what seemed to you to be an unstoppable force? What was it, and did it prove to truly be unstoppable? 2) Have you ever come into close contact with the extreme forces of nature? Can you fathom a force that could oppose such power? 3) Jesus silenced and calmed a mega storm! The disciples responded with exceeding fear. How would you have responded? 4) Have you ever experienced the power of God silencing and bringing a calm to a storm (metaphorically) in your life? What was that like? 5) What difference does it make to experience life, and the storms we encounter in it, with the presence of Christ and His people with us? 6) Why is it important to be in a small group/corporate bible study with other believers? What advantages does it bring? 7) What do you do with your doubts, fears, frustrations, etc? Where do you turn? 8) Have you awakened the power of Christ in your life, in your storms? What difference has it made? 9) Joining a small group invites Christ, His Word, and a group of interested and seeking followers of Jesus into your life. Why is this a formula for success? What difference could it make in your life? Serving at BRC Sunday, January 10 Greeters (9) - Guy & Candice Lenart (10:30) - Dennis Parker Welcome Center - Jim & Renee Niedermyer Nursery (9) - volunteers (10:30) - Kristin Toot, Serena Kramer Ushers (9) - Earl Gentile, Dick Sensiba Assisting - Nick Virzi, Mel Wilk (10:30) - Ilze Fultz, Patty Walker Assisting - Pete Nixon, Jim Niedermyer Verse Cards (9)- Pat Lods, Barb Cognata (10:30)-Jim & Eileen Smalley Coffee-&Juice (9) - Gene & Betty Shuster Sunday, January 17 Greeters (9) - Bob & Nancy Hanwell (10:30) - Mark Herbert Welcome Center - Eileen Smalley Nursery (9) - volunteers (10:30) - Melissa Fazekas, Savannah Dickens Ushers (9) - Nick Virzi, Mel Wilk Assisting - Paul Buser, Mike Pasko (10:30) - Pete Nixon, Jim Niedermyer Assisting-Carol Dickens, Renee Niedermyer Verse Cards (9)- Earl & Karyn Gentile (10:30)- Gary Brualdi Coffee-&Juice (9) - Dick & Rhyna Sensiba
Brunswick Reformed Church Why Do We Exist? BRC exists to be a church where the love of Jesus is transforming lives. What Do We Do? BRC offers opportunities for Christ-centered worship, discipleship, fellowship, service and outreach. What Are Our Core Values? Scripture: In all of life the Bible governs, guides, shapes and sends us out. Humility: God and his grace is the lens through which we view and respond to ourselves and others. Compassion: The love of Jesus empowers us to value and love all people, and to serve those for whom God is equipping us. To What Values Do We Aspire? Discipleship: We will continue to develop a wise understanding of God s Word, an ability to discern God s will, and an eagerness to obey God s leading. Worship: We will continue to grow in our commitment and love for both personal and corporate worship. Kingdom-focused: We will place involvement in God s mission before personal preferences or human traditions. Faith sharing: With humble confidence we will live out our faith, sharing our stories and inviting others to join us on the journey as we have opportunity. Prayer: We will live all aspects of life dependent on God and in communication with him, sharing our hearts and listening for his leadings.