August 2014 Vol. 47 No. 8 The Great Bend Christian As FCC Great Bend, we are a community of Jesus followers who are devoted to sharing Christ with the World, providing opportunities for deep spiritual development, and raising up the next generations of Disciples! On August 10, we start a new 5-week sermon series called A Letter from Prison. In this series we will be taking an in-depth look at the letter Paul wrote, while he was in prison, to the Philippian Church. What we will encounter is a man who is at the end of his rope, because of his suffering for Christ, trying to teach the Philippians what it means to be a Christian in a very harsh and unforgiving world. The themes include, Working out Your Salvation, The Faithfulness of Jesus, Faithful Suffering, Jesus the Slave, and last but not least Getting some Perspective. If you are a person who needs to find encouragement in an often times very cruel world, this sermon series is for you! Beginning this fall a new casual Bible study for young adults will begin Sunday, September 7th, in the church parlor. The group will focus on adults from the age of 20 to 40ish on Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. A nursery attendant will be available for any participants who may have young children. Rev. Josh Leu will present the first study, "Making Sense of the Bible". The study will last six weeks and have a social gathering at the end of the study. The planning group thought this study would be a great foundation to begin with so each person can continue to use this skill to deepen their understanding of future studies. The planning group is very excited to be able to bring young adults a way to connect deeper with God while also having fellowship with other young Christians! Can t wait to see you there!
SPECIAL PRAYERS: Karl Brack; Joyce Bray; Maddi Braymer-hip scope surgery; Myrna Campbell; Amanda Degenhardt-colon cancer; Merlin Enabnit-triple bypass surgery; Gary French; Betty Hartle; Lisa Jones-upcoming heart surgery; Lilly Morrison-upcoming removal of adenoids/tonsils; Brad Patzner; Carolyn Sheets; Ava Smith-22 months old, upcoming pacemaker surgery CONTINUED PRAYERS: Larry Arnold, Mabel Bender, Laura Brown, Derek Christendon, Cody Clark, Corina Dean, Cody Deason, Ray Demel, Lola Donecker, Diana Enabnit, Tammy Flowers, Mary Lyne Grandclair, Mildred Harders, Don Jones, Dick King, David Kirby, Todd Klein, Jaxon Kretchmar, Gayl Lee, Amber Lloyd, Annie Lomas, Terry Ludes, Juanita Mausolf, Clayton McAllister, Evelyn Mead, Doug Nairn, Drew Nelson, Stacy North, Lana Penney, Terry Piland, Rose Rein, Maggie Robinson, Sheila Rusco, Doug Schenkel, Jessica Stephens, Mike Tysver, Kadin White, Scott Wieland, Barbara Winkey, Terry Worthington MILITARY SERVANTS: Chris Batchman, Brandon Deason, Malcolm Deason, Steven DeWitt, Ted Jackson, Steven McGee, Jake Myers, Adam Schwartz, Justin Sperry Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers while I was in the hospital and recovering. I m doing well now and working on getting back to my normal activities. I really appreciate the calls from Pastor Joshua checking on me. It s comforting to know when you are not feeling well that someone is thinking of you. Thank you again! Nicki Harders Rev. Bill Johnson Upon Your 40th Ordination Anniversary July 14, 2014
Martha Group Hostess: Earlene Arnold Program: Anneliese Ward August 13, 2014, 9:30 am Lunch Bunch August 20, 2014, 11:30 am 2014 REGIONAL ASSEMBLY October 24-25, 2014 Celebration Community Church Hays, KS Old Testament Professor and author Dr. Rick Lowery, Ph.D., will keynote our 2014 Regional Assembly in Hays. Known for his outstanding teaching of the Old Testament scriptures, Dr. Lowery connects the scriptures to life in today s world in a way that will inspire listeners to live the vision God has for each disciple of Christ. Dr. Lowery is passionate about a vision of the world in which God calls us to participate in creating wholeness, justice, peace, abundance, joy, and love in this broken world. The scripture texts for keynotes will include Genesis 1 and Habakkuk 2. Dr. Lowery is currently writing a book, "Genesis and Human Rights." Information about meals, youth programs, workshops, and lodging is in the church office and at www.kansasdisciples.org. Please mark your calendars now for October 24-25 and join your friends at Celebration Community Church, Hays! Joy Group Salad Luncheon August 26, 2014, 12:00 pm New Day Group Hostess: Jenny Colglazier Program: Mary Hunter August 25, 2014, 7:00 pm Sunday, August 17, 2014 10:20 am Service School Teachers, Students of Any Age Bring Your Backpacks to Church to be Blessed!
The basics of giving! We must manage well the resources that God has entrusted to us in a planned and prioritized way by giving to the Church, to missions and to the poor. God owns everything The foundational truth about giving is that God owns everything. Psalm 24:1 states that The earth is the Lord s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. God entrusts resources to us Possessions and wealth are like trust accounts that God gives us in varying portions. The parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16 reminds us that God owns everything and we are the trustees of his resources. Our responsibility is to manage God s resources well Our role is to use the resources that God has entrusted to us in a way that pleases him. In other words, we are stewards or overseers of what he has provided for our lives and we are accountable to him for all he has placed in our hands. There are great benefits in being good stewards The Bible states that when we fail to return to God what is his, we are in effect robbing him (Malachi 3:8-11). On the other hand, the same passage promises that God will open the windows of heaven for us when we observe the scriptural principle of giving. God is looking for channels through whom he will allow His resources to flow. When we give and manage his resources well, we are participating in the kingdom task and we become partners in making an impact for God. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Paul encourages Christians to give more freely and cheerfully because God rewards faithful givers. In other words, God blesses us not so much materially but spiritually when we give. Giving reveals our hearts and our faith Jesus says For where your treasure is, your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). How we manage the resources that God has given us reveals two things about us. First of all, our spending reveals our priorities. If we do not use our money in a way that honors God and furthers his kingdom, then it brings into question the reality of our commitment to Jesus Christ. Secondly, giving is an act of faith. When we give, we are in fact making a statement about whom and in what we trust. Earthly possessions are temporary but the money we give to God will be used by him for the eternal purpose of advancing his kingdom. Web Site: www.fccgbk.com FCC's podcast: http://bit.ly/1ccgbpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstchristiangb
Past 5 Weeks Attendance and Gifts 22 29 06 13 20 Sunday School 46 50 67 45 52 Early Service 24 19 20 18 30 Late Service 112 96 157 135 130 Children s Church 7 6 10 3 9 TOTAL 143 121 187 156 169 General Offering 1,173.32 5,505.40 11,144.60 5,050.47 3,386.44 Special Offerings 0.00 1,104.90 0.00 100.00 20.00 TOTAL 1,173.32 6,610.30 11,144.60 5,150.47 3,406.44 *Special Offerings include donations to: Sound System Fund, FCC Food Bank First Christian Church 620-793-6603 The Great Bend Christian (USPS 576-380) Published Monthly By First Christian Church Postmaster Send Address changes to: First Christian Church Periodicals Postage Paid At Sunday Services 8:15 am Early Worship 9:00 am Sunday School 10:20 am Morning Worship 5:00 pm Chi-Rho-& CYF (6th-12th) Summer Activities Women s Bible Study, Tuesdays, 6:30 pm, June 10 July 29 If you need to contact our staff: Rev. Josh Leu, Minister revjleu@gmail.com Kristian Pearson, Youth Minister kapmahn@gmail.com Kathy Rose, Church Secretary fcc@cck.kscoxmail.com