June newsletter PARK FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH Thoughts From Pastor Jeremy It s hard to believe that it s already June. Summer is upon us and I m sure that many of us are looking forward to a great summer of plans with family and friends. In the midst our summer as a people outdoors, summer is a church family, as you are great time to continue to build enjoying a great summer, I also relationships with our neighbors want to encourage us together and the people God has placed to keep our minds set on Christ around us. Let s keep our minds and living for eternal things as on Jesus words to love our well, and to make that a rhythm neighbor as yourself in Mark of prayer in our lives. 12:31. Who has God placed Relationships with Neighbors After a long winter and a rainy spring, I m sure we are looking forward to being outside and enjoying the gift of living in Centre County. With many around you that he wants you to love? Consider inviting some neighbors over for a backyard BBQ or planning a neighborhood block party this summer. (continued on next page) Church Events June 2 nd Men s Breakfast June 6 th All Access Monthly Prayer Gathering with CityChurch June 10 th Youth Ministry BIG Summer Kickoff June 16 th Shop n Dine Outing June 16 th RIOT Summer Kickoff June 27 th Deadline to request tickets for the Ezekiel Forum featuring Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale
How does God want to use you this summer? Acts 17:26 tells us that God has determined the times set for us and the exact places where we live. Verse 27 tells us that he did this so that men would seek him and reach out and find him because God is not far from us. not just for ourselves. Summer is a great time to continue to build relationships with those around us so that as people who have been changed by the grace of God, we can share His grace and love for those around us too. How does God want to use you this summer? Jeremy Field Let s challenge ourselves to remember that as we enter summer, God wants us to live for Him and And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26-27) Interested in hosting a Block Party? We have packets of invitations in the Church Office to help you invite your neighbors! Drop by the Church Office or email at info@parkforestbaptist.org if you are interested.
Men s Ministry Men s Breakfast June 2, 2018 8 AM CityChurch Men's Golf Tournament The State College City Church Annual Golf Outing is scheduled for July 7, 2018. This is an opportunity for men to get together and play a low pressure round of golf and get to see many other men believers within the State College Community. Consider inviting a nonbelieving friend to be a part of your foursome. Details below! Registration: statecollegecma.ccbchurch.com/goto/ forms/219/responses/new Questions? Contact Chad Oberholtzer at chad@scalliancechurch.com. Women s Ministry Shop n Dine Outing June 16 th The Women s Ministry Team is excited to invite the ladies of the church and their friends to a fun day of shopping in lovely Lewisburg, PA. When: July 7, 2018 Time: 9:00am shotgun start Where: Huntingdon Country Club (10305 Raystown Rd, Huntingdon, PA 16652) Who's Invited: Hackers, duffers, and scratchers are all welcome for this four-man scramble format, Cost: $50 per golfer, includes greens fee, cart, lunch, and prizes. Register as an individual or group. Any individuals or groups less than four will be put together into foursomes. This multi-church event is open to any men who want to join the excruciating fun, churchgoer or not. We will be leaving the church at 9 AM, so please sign up if you d like to join us. We will need some volunteers to help drive, so let us know if you would like to do that and how many you can take. Priscilla Cetnar We ll start our day at the Street of Shops, an eclectic collection of stores all under one roof. With everything from antiques and flea market finds, to brand new decorative and household items, you re sure to find not only that perfect gift you ve been looking for, but also something fun and special for you! Next we ll head to the Country Cupboard, where we will enjoy a scrumptious lunch followed by you guessed it more shopping!! With lots of rooms filled with yummy baked goods, coffees and teas, decorative items, clothing, jewelry, and cute gifts, you ll have fun picking out something special to take home.
R.I.O.T. Report What a marvelous May we have had! We took three junior highers to Cairn University for JAM. They received training on how to use the Wordless Book to share the gospel message. They then got to pal around with a young child from inner city Philadelphia before sharing the gospel with them. One of our teens said that he learned that sharing his faith was not as hard as he thought it was. We also had a great time hanging out at Tudek Park as a group we are finding that these hang out times are helping to build the culture of love and respect that we are attempting to cultivate. Summer Plans At our May leader's meeting, we discussed this coming summer. We have planned what I think is going to be a fantastic summer. The plan is not to be at the church on Sunday nights. Instead, we want to get out to various places around town. Guys Bible Study Our Guys Bible study has now been hosted a couple of times, and we are loving it. We have enjoyed some delicious home cooked meals. Thank you to everyone who has hosted us, or is signed up to host us in the future. There are a lot of Wednesday nights that we are still looking for hosts, please prayerfully consider hosting our group. Leaders With the direction that we are headed as a ministry, we are still in need of a few additional adult leaders. We would love to have 1-2 more males, and 2-3 more females. A typical week consists of a 20 minute meeting before Youth Group to discuss and pray for the night, worship, a lesson, small group time, a group game, and snacks. No preparation is needed for each week, other than showing up with an open heart to God and His Children. In addition to Sunday nights, we have 1-2 monthly activities that typically occur on a Saturday. Please prayerfully consider joining this fantastic team. Upcoming Events June 10: CityChurch BIG Summer Kickoff Event We are gathering together the youth ministries from the State College and Bellefonte areas for one huge summer kickoff event. We will be hanging out at Mt. Nittany Middle School for games, food, inflatables, and much more. June 16: RIOT Summer Kickoff night at the pool details to come! July 15-20: Lake Ann Camp We will be taking more than ten teens up to Michigan for a life-changing week of camp. New this month: Leader Reflections Check out what Corrine Sharkey has to say on the next page.
New this month: R.I.O.T. Leader Reflections Check out what Corrine has to say... As I think about the past few months in Youth Ministry, I'm reminded of the lyrics to Hillsong's "Seasons": Though the winter is long even richer The harvest it brings Though my waiting prolongs even greater Your promise for me like a seed I believe that my season will come I can see the promise I can see the future You re the God of seasons I m just in the winter If all I know of harvest Is that it s worth my patience Then if You re not done working God I m not done waiting. It feels like harvest time! This song brought me comfort last year in a period of what felt like a long season of winter. And while it's not about me or my feelings toward youth ministry, my heart is overflowing as I watch the goodness that has come. As our small (but mighty!) group grows, I just have to marvel at the Lord's handiwork. What has been taking place isn't just growth in numbers, but an entire culture shift. It is incredible to watch our teens go from timid sheep (even afraid to pray in front of others!) to mighty shepherds and prayer warriors. How awesome it was to see our sweet junior-highers sharing their faith this past weekend at JAM! We've been cultivating a culture in RIOT that exemplifies Jesus' sweet love and inclusion of others. As our teens grow closer together, I get to witness the friendships being built even outside of the group. It's been an encouragement to see our teens be genuinely happy to come to youth group, asking for prayer, or asking to hang out. I'm excited for what's to come. Thank you for the support you've offered us as leaders during this transition. Thank you for letting us love on your teens and thank you for allowing us to dream for the future of RIOT. The Lord is working in big ways and it is evident. Please be praying for us as we head into the summer months. It is easy to find ways to fill your time that don't glorify God, especially with no school for our teens. But we are expectant that He will show up and has good plans ahead. Corrine Sharkey Please Pray That our plans for summer accomplish the goals that we have for them Lake Ann Camp and the lives that will be changed there For our Juniors and Seniors that have been shifting their focus to leadership For us as we continue to seek new ways to help guide our teens to draw nearer to God For the people that God will lead to the ministry to join us as leaders For the teens that they can continue to seek God and the ways that He would use them for His kingdom For the teens to want to seek out their lost friends For me (Jon) as I continue to juggle the demands of my time. That I can continue to find the right balance between work, school, family, and ministry time. Praises JAM was a great trip for the teens that went, as they received valuable training, and I got to know one of our guys a lot better We have teens seeking out friends that they can bring with them Our vision for the future is strong, and growing
Children s Ministry Vacation Bible School is the largest outreach we do as a church and it takes all of us to get involved to make it successful. VBS will be held July 30 th - August 3 rd. We are looking for adults to teach. We also need adults and teens to be guides (you would lead the students from classroom to classroom). We need monetary donations and supplies. The supplies list will be ready by June 8 th for now you can start to save paper towel tubes and 20 ounce water/soda bottles. There is a collection bin in the lobby for donations. VBS Workdays We need people to help on the VBS workdays to get the decorations ready. We got a lot accomplished last week, but we have much more to do. Will you join us for decorating prep? Tuesday, June 5 th, 8:30 12 PM Thursday, June 28 th, 9 2 PM (lunch provided) VBS Prayer This year we are asking that you also PRAY for VBS. As students get registered we will have their names available (on a display in the lobby). You can take one or several to begin to pray for God to prepare their hearts for what they will hear at VBS and draw them to Him. VBS Meeting Dates (for those who are teaching) Tuesday, June 5 th, 6:30-8:30 PM Monday, June 18 th, 6:30-8:30 PM Monday, July 2 nd, 6:30-8:30 PM Others to be determined Register your kids today! Online Form (parkforestbaptist.ccbchurch.com/goto/ forms/26/responses/new) Registration Form Brochure at the Ticket Booth in the lobby Serve With Children s Ministry Are you looking for a place to get involved, for a place to serve the church? There are opportunities for you in Children's Ministry: You can serve during Sunday School or Children's Church on Sundays. The Club, Wednesday evenings from September through March. Indoor Park, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from October through April. Talk to Babette Manning for more information.