FAITH news NOVEMBER 2017 NhGHT LhGHT By Pastor Gordon A few weeks ago, during our Finding My Neighbor sermon series, I made the following comment I have no loyalty to the holiday of Halloween! In the spirit of full-disclosure, I may have overlooked one small, but powerful temptation. Whenever there is a chance for me to load up on candy, my defenses are greatly weakened. I might be persuaded to sport a bumble-bee costume if it meant a bucket full of Jolly Ranchers and Butterfingers. This year, however, a whole new purpose has surfaced that will encourage us to participate in this otherwise dark weekend. As a church, we proposed a hijacking of this traditionally evil night. We have asked FCF members to light up their homes during designated treat-nights in their respective neighborhoods sharing a hot dog, a smile, some candy, and a message of LIGHT. The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned. Matthew 4.16 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people, Israel. Luke 2.32 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.---john 1.4-5 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. John 8.12 Continued on Page 2
Continued from page 1 More than a dozen locations around Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia are registered to host this outreach event and we are overwhelmed! Our goal was reached. But more importantly, maybe 1000 children, representing hundreds of families will be greeted with the kindness of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the message of the cross. What thrills me about Light the Night is that we are doing exactly what Jesus has called us to do BE THE CHURCH in the world. I get excited because these are individual groups of believers (ambassadors of Christ) being the Church, scattered throughout our communities, beyond the walls of our official location at 16726 Lappans Road. My thanks to many who have been involved in this creative outreach opportunity. Staff members like Robin, Christy, Valerie, and Pastor Mike worked hard on the promotion. Host homes are serving as the face of this effort, and numerous volunteers are joining them to share the burden of food preparation and neighborly interaction. And many of you helped build our supplies through donations. Bottom line, the Light is now ours to display, and we are going to do it on one of the darkest nights of the year. We are asking the Lord to accomplish His will through the faithfulness of His kids. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;--matthew 5.14 Mark your calendar for the upcoming Ladies Connection Dates (Subject to change) Dec. 7 6:30pm Jan. 6 9:30am Feb. 1 Time TBA March 3 9:30am April 28 9:30am Holiday Dinner December 3 * 3:30pm November 11, 2017 Thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedoms. Mark your calendar and join us on Sunday, December 3 at 3:30pm at the Washington County Ag Center for our annual Holiday Dinner (Combined Thanksgiving and Christmas.) Bring a covered dish to share. Meat, drink, and table settings will be provided.
A ministry of FCF for students in 6-12th Grades Sundays Join us at 9am in the Classroom Annex Building (CAB) for a light breakfast followed by the lesson beginning at 9;15am Wednesdays Join us at 6pm in the CAB for fun, fellowship and a study of God s Word. Martins Gift Cards Fundraiser for Missions Martins Cards in the amount of $25 and $50 are available for purchase from Pastor Mike McNamee each Sunday or through the FCF office. FCF Missions receives a percentage of the cost from each cards sold. November News Switchback will not meet as usual on November 22. We will be meeting at the main building at FCF to Deck the Halls and decorate the church for Christmas. All students are invited to join in the festivities! Upcoming December Events Dec 3 3:30pm Holiday Dinner at The Ag Center Dec 7 6:30pm Ladies Connection Dec. 10 Wee Faith Kids Choir Sings during the 10:15am service Dec 10 FCF Annual Meeting (following 10:15am service) Dec 17 10:15am Faith Kids presentation, The Light Has Come (No 8am service) Dec 24 10:15am Service and 5pm Christmas Eve Service (No 8am service) Dec 25 Merry Christmas! December 25-29 FCF Office Closed
In October, FCF had the privilege to send two teams to our partner ministries in Costa Rica and Haiti: In response to recent devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Nate in Costa Rica, Jason Poole travelled to Ortega, Costa Rica October 26 through November 2nd to deliver much needed food, clean drinking water, supplies and funds to our sister church there. The people there who had very little, lost everything in the flooding. Please continue to pray for the families and church in Ortega as they recover from the devastating flooding. The second team that FCF sent was to Port-au-Prince Haiti to minister through medical clinics with Pastor Luc St. Felix October 28 through November 4. They conducted several clinics in small villages that don't have access to medical care, as well as went to a mountain village and spent the night there because the trip was too long to make in one day. They travelled all day to get to the village, spent the night sleeping on the floor of the church, had the clinic the following day, and then travelled back to Port-au-Prince. The trip was very grueling, not only because of the conditions, but also because they could only see a limited number of people. Many who came to the clinic have devastating medical conditions with very limited access to medical care. The team consisted of Pastor David Glaze, Brooke Poole, Victoria Key, Rob & Cheryl Emmett, and Oz & Sandy Yommer. Please be in prayer for the people the team treated at the clinics for physical and spiritual healing. The Global Impact meeting for November will be held on November 9th at 7:00 p.m. If you participated in a team this year, we would love for you to attend this meeting, as we will be planning our Global Impact Sunday and making plans for next year's trips! Young at Heart is an FCF Ministry for the 50+. You are invited to join us each week on Wednesdays at 10am at Y@H for our weekly Bible Study as we study, share, pray, care and enjoy warm fellowship. Mark your calendars for the Upcoming Young at Heart Events: Next Potluck Wed, Nov 13 th 12noon following Wednesday, November 15 th, at 12 Noon - Y@H November Potluck Celebrating our Veterans and a time of Thanksgiving. Wednesday, December 13 th, Y@H Annual Christmas Trip we re traveling to Gettysburg, PA for the show A Christmas Carol, presented at the Majestic Theater by the Totem Pole Players. Before the play, we will have a Holiday Lunch Buffet at the Gettysburg Hotel, including a Historical Gettysburg Character Presentation. Cost of the trip is $60 per person, including the Play, Lunch, Character Presentation and FCF transportation. See Dianne Birl or Georgia McKinsey to sign up. Reservation deadline and payment due date is Wednesday, November 8 th. Arrival time at FCF is 9:00 AM for a 9:30 departure. Seats are limited. Monday, January 1 st, 2018 Annual Y@H Holiday Celebration Details forthcoming; Save the date!! For Information on any Y@H Events, please contact Dianne @ 304-274-2888 / jdbirl@comcast.net or Georgia @ 240-217-5200 / geomck88@gmail.com Bible Study Celebrating our Veterans
October was a busy month for FCF Missions. In addition to the Costa Rica and Haiti trips, Dianne Glaze and Karen Hoagland joined a group of ladies and travelled to Uganda to minister to ladies who are caregivers to orphaned children. Karen was asked to share about her experience: It was in February at our Ladies Retreat, when I first heard Sandy Ehrgott from Horizon International speak about the Grannies in Uganda. Being a Granny myself, I became instantly connected to the women there, and felt God telling me to Go. I did research on what Uganda is like, and tried to prepare myself for what I thought I would experience when I arrived there. I was amazed at how wrong my concept of Uganda was. Even zooming in on Google Earth didn t do it justice. It is beautiful, and the people there are just as beautiful! As we drove through towns, the children were excited to see us and waved to us. They are very welcoming, gracious people. Our team consisted of 10 women of differing backgrounds. We prepared to present a 3-day conference to 200-225 caretakers, women that are taking care of the orphans in their family whose parents have died from AIDS. 300 women registered the first day, which rose to around 500 the second day. The conference was the first of its kind and women came all the way from the Republic of the Congo to be ministered to by us. We each shared our testimony and connected it to a woman from the Bible. I chose Sarah due to our common struggle with infertility. My story touched on how God uses us, even when we make mistakes, and how even when we struggle, God has a plan for our lives. The conference was held at the school compound FCF partners with in Rugendabara. Many of the children came every day, even though school was cancelled during the conference. They have a difficult life there, but those that are sponsored have help and a future. It can be overwhelming how much need is there, not just the poverty and illness in the children and adults, but the hunger for Jesus and to be prayed for and ministered to. A group of American women crossed the ocean to minister to them, dance, sing, laugh, and cry with them. We prayed with and for them, shared our stories with them and told them how much they are loved by God, and they saw and felt the love of God in it. Many came forward and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and many came forward for healing prayer, prayer for financial needs, and to break spiritual chains. So great is their faith, they were being blessed and having their prayers answered. I do not know when I will return to Uganda, with it s beautiful land and people that are ripe for the harvest, but I want to. It was so easy and freeing to connect to them and to God there, without boundaries. Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? John 2:5
Great things are happening on Wednesdays at Kidzlife! It s not too late to join! Wednesdays 6:30pm Ages 3 through 5th Grade The 8am service will not meet on December 17.
FCF Directory Updates We are updating our records to assure our information is correct and current. To help us in this process, we are asking for your assistance. You may either: 1. Email communications@explorefcf.com the Name, Address, Home Phone Number, Cell Phone Number, and Email address for each member your family that attends FCF or 2. November 5, 12 or 19th, visit the table in the foyer at FCF on that will have copies of the current directory and verify/correct the information in the booklet. If all the information is correct, initial in the space beside your name to let us know you have verified the information. Thank you for your help in keeping our records up to date. Please note that this information is only used by the church office and not for anything that is not FCF related. FCF Pictorial Directory We are excited to announce that we will be doing a FCF Pictorial Directory in November! Lifetouch will be at FCF to take pictures on November 24, 25, 27 and 28. You will have the option to sign-up online or by contacting the church office for appointments. Each family that participates will receive a free 8x10 family picture and FCF Church Directory. There is no obligation to purchase any pictures. Would you be interested in helping with the Pictorial Directory? We d love to have your help as a Host on the picture days. If you would like to be a part of this fun event or for more information, contact the church office at 301-223-4803. Thank you to the FCF family for your gifts, notes and prayers shared during Pastor Appreciation Month. We are honored and blessed to be part of the Faith Christian Fellowship family and look forward to what God is doing at FCF. The Pastoral Staff of FCF Toothbrush/toothpaste Band-Aids Underwear and socks Neosporin Cortisone Cream Cotton Swabs Listerine As winter approaches, the number of people going to shelters in the area increases. Donations are always welcome. Some suggestions include: Deodorant Razors Nail Clippers Baby Wipes Batteries Feminine hygiene products
November 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 10am Y@H 6pm Switchback 9:30am Ladies Connection 6:30pm Kidzlife, Prayer Gathering 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Communion 6pm SB Home Groups 7pm Ladies Bible Study Prayer and Fasting 7pm Meal and Service at the Mission 10am Y@H 6pm Switchback 6:30pm Kidzlife, Prayer Gathering 12 13 6pm SB Home Groups 14 15 10am Y@H 6pm Switchback 6:30pm Kidzlife, Prayer Gathering 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 6pm SB Home Groups 7pm Ladies Bible Study No Switchback or Kizlife SB Christmas Decorating Happy Thanksgiving! 26 Global Impact Sunday 27 6pm SB Home Groups 28 29 30