Valley Isle Fellowship Sharing the "Joy of the Lord" by Pastor Stephen Kaneshiro March 16, 2014 We are all very familiar with the Greatest Commandment, but what about the Greatest Joy? Did you know that the Greatest Joy that one can ever have is the "Joy of the Lord? The Lord gives so much joy that can truly be described as Unspeakable Joy. In other words it is hard to describe it with words. I believe that the only way to adequately describe the unspeakable joy of the Lord to others is you simply have to show it to others by living it out in the good times, in the bad times, and also, in all of the in-between times. As your pastor, I want to let you know that all we have done and all that we continue to do is aimed at trying to move you into this kind of unspeakable joy. We are desirous of you being so in love with your Lord that you begin to truly experience the I can share with you that I have been challenged in recent months with allowing the Joy of the Lord to be my constant demeanor and my constant companion. The devil has and is trying to steal this joy through hard times, through depressing times, and through disappointing times. What these difficult times has shown me is that I have the choice as to whether I will experience the Joy of the Lord or the disappointments and/or depressions of this world. You see, I am the one who actually chooses to trust and lean on the Lord or to trust and lean on the world. Proverbs 3:5-6 (HCSB) says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. I have come to understand that this passage is telling me that I have to make a willful effort to trust in the Lord. For me, trusting in the Lord does not automatically happen. I have to put forth the effort. If I don t put forth the effort, then I naturally begin to trust in the things of this world and I am robbed of the Joy of the Lord. John 10:10 (HCSB) says A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. You see, when I choose not to trust in the Lord, the devil will come (not may come) and steal the Joy of the Lord from me. In fact, he will not only steal the "Joy of the Lord but he will try to kill and destroy me. However, I can stop the devil s impact on my life when I willfully make the effort to trust in the Lord and let the "Joy of the Lord" reign and rule in my life. You see, experiencing the Joy of the Lord is a choice. It is not something that is automatic and continuous. It takes effort on our part that is immersed in loving obedience. When bad things happen in your life, remember it is up to you how you will respond to those traps of Satan. It is up to you whether you will experience the "Joy of the Lord or not. It is up to you whether you will let Christ reign in your life or not. (continued on pg. 2) IN THIS ISSUE 1 Sharing the "Joy of the Lord" 2 Sharing the "Joy of the Lord" (continued) 3 AM Service: God's Love and Our Great Need 4-6 Announcements 7 VIF 2014 Calendar Valley Isle Fellowship 473 S High St PO Box 886 Wailuku, HI 96793 808.244.0865(ph) 808.249-0235(fax) Email: vifoffice@hawaii.rr.com Website: www.vifmaui.com
Sharing the "Joy of the Lord" (continued) Personally, I want to share with you that I fail so many times by making the wrong choice. However, I will not stop trying to choose to trust the Lord with all my life. I will not stop in trying to let the Joy of the Lord reign in my life. I know that I will continue to fail, but I also want you to know that I will not give up, because the alternative of letting the devil and world rule in my life is something I do not want to even think about. Join me as we encourage each other in the Joy of the Lord. Yours In Christ, Stephen Kaneshiro VIF Evening Service April 6, 2014 - CANCELLED - You are encouraged to participate in "Unstoppable" with Nick Vujicic of Life Without Limbs - 2 -
AM Service: Pastor Jeremy Kaneshiro The Story God's Love and Our Great Need John 11:1-44 ESV 1. Jesus loved and Family. (vs.1-3) 2. Jesus allowed Lazarus.(vs. 4-6) 3. The disciples were. (vs. 7-16) 4. Seeing in Lazarus. (17-27) 5. Jesus,. (vs. 28-37) 6. The of God (vs. 38-44) The Truths 1. True love for what we need. 2. To see is what we need most. NOTES: - 3 -
ANNOUNCEMENTS Very Important & Exciting Business & Informational Meeting TONIGHT 5:00 PM VIF Church Sanctuary Tonight, 3/16/2014, we will be having a Special Called Business Meeting. The main points of this Special Called Business Meeting are: 1. We have a total of $298,798.31 in our Building Fund and in our Capital Campaign Fund. 2. At the end of January, we had a balance of $179,853.10 in our General Fund. 3. We are in the process of trying to secure a contract with Fong Construction of $315,000 to build the now approved Water Line. 4. Therefore, we are asking you, the members of VIF, to approve of $16,201.69 to be moved from our General Fund into our Building Fund in order to have all the needed funds to pay for the Water Line Project. 5. We are asking that an additional $31,500 be set aside from the General Fund to be given to the County of Maui on the completion of the Water Line Project to meet the County s requirement of a 10% retainer. This retainer would be returned to us after 1 year if we have no problems with the new water system. 6. This would mean that a total of $47,701.69 be used from the General Fund to fund this Water Line Project. Following the completion of the Business Meeting, the VIF Staff will provide a pizza and salad dinner and ask that you stay and participate as they share where we are going as a church. They will be sharing the dream and some of the steps to getting there. The development and building of the physical buildings are important, but the development and building of the people who will fill these buildings is even more important. We, the staff, are excited about the direction that the Lord is leading us and we are looking forward to sharing and dialoguing with you about this. Please make the effort to come and be a part of the decision making. We also ask that you enter into the praying and implementation stage of moving into what is an exciting and God Glorifying adventure. God bless you all. Verge Conference Pastor Darren and Pastor Jeremy will be attending the Verge Conference in Austin, Texas from March 25-30. Come to the business meeting and fellowship (announcement above) to find out what the conference is all about. You can also find out more at: http://2014.vergenetwork.org/ - 4 -
ANNOUNCEMENTS March Mingle (aka Couples Weekend Out) With Tom & Jane Crick from Saddleback Church Couple's Date Night Friday - March 28, 2014 6:00pm-9:00pm VIF Church Sanctuary, Wailuku All married couples are invited for fun, food, interaction, and insights. It's a couples' time. Potluck Dinner - Please bring your favorite dish to share. Kalama Bandstand Time Saturday - March 29, 2014 8:30am-1:00pm Kalama Park Bandstand, Kihei All adults, single or married, are invited to come for fellowship and training. Child care provided upon request Check upcoming newsletters for more information and details. Want to sign up NOW? Check the back table for the sign-up sheet or Contact James Blando @ 808.871.7572-5 -
ANNOUNCEMENTS Volunteers Needed! We are in need of people to volunteer to clean our church facilities on High Street. Tasks include: Sanctuary/3 bathrooms: 1. Vacuum floors 2. Empty rubbish containers 3. Straighten room/dust as needed Annex Big Room 1. Vacuum floor 2. Empty rubbish containers Please sign up on the back table if you'd like to help. We ask that you choose one day of the following: Thursday, Friday, OR Saturday of the week that you are able to volunteer to do the work. If three people were to volunteer each week, it would take only about an hour or so to complete. By joining together in this task, we can have fellowship, fun, and bring glory and honor to the Lord. Please pray about this need. Schedule Today March 16, 2014 Team 4 Karen Fontanilla Janice Robello Judy Giron Jaydee Giron Jules Giron Kolbe Fontanilla Alysha Fontanilla Next Week March 23, 2014 High Street Cleaning Schedule Week of March 20-22 Grace/Aunty Week of March 27-29 Kaimana Apo, Mattos Team 5 Shayna Manlapao Chavelle Moniz Dayna Asuncion Seth Yamada Wayne Sniffen Week of April 3-5 Blando/Mendez - 6 -
Valley Isle Fellowship 2014 Calendar March 2014 16 AM - Pastor Jeremy John 11:1-44 Special Called Business Meeting & Fellowship 17-21 DOE Schools Spring Break 23 AM - Pastor Darren John 11:45-57 PM - Pastor Jeremy - BFM: Baptism and the Lord's Supper 24 Surf Ministry 25-30 Pastor Darren & Pastor Jeremy attending Verge Conference in Austin, TX 26 Prince Kuhio Day - church office closed 28-29 March Mingle w/ Tom & Jane Crick 28-30 Malama Pregnancy Center Training 30 AM - Pastor Stephen John 12:1-11 Lord's Supper Sunday School Worker's Meeting PM - Pastor Stephen - BFM: The Kingdom APRIL 2014 5 Disaster Relief Training 6 AM - Pastor Jeremy - John 12:12-19 "Unstoppable" with Nick Vujicic Valley Isle Fellowship 473 S High St PO Box 886 Wailuku, HI 96793 808.244.0865 (ph) 808.249-0235 (fax) Email: vifoffice@hawaii.rr.com Website: www.vifmaui.com Sunday Morning Services Wailuku Elementary School Cafeteria 355 S High St. Wailuku, HI 96793 1st Service - 8:00 am *Child care available at High Street property* 2nd Service - 9:45 am *Children & Youth Sunday School at High Street property* Sunday Evening Service VIF Church Sanctuary 473 S High St. Wailuku, HI 96793 6:00 pm 10-12 HPBC Wives in Ministry Retreat 12 Waikapu Work Day "G" Force 13 AM - Pastor Darren - John 12:20-36 PM - Pastor Darren - BFM: Evangelism & Missions 18 Good Friday 19 Easter Revival Celebration 20 AM - Sunrise Easter Devotional AM - Easter Sunday Service 27 AM - Pastor Stephen - John 12:37-50 PM - Pastor Darren - BFM: Stewarship Senior Pastor Stephen Kaneshiro Cell: (808) 419-8100 Email: icastephen@gmail.com Assistant Pastor Darren Sarmiento Cell: (808) 757-1651 Email: pdarrenvif@gmail.com Assistant Pastor Jeremy Kaneshiro Cell: (808) 280-2780 Email: vifjeremy@gmail.com - 7 -