MARCH Expanding Christ s Kingdom 2017 We will be a church that brings about conversion and transformation by being the representation of Christ to our community, because we provide refuge for the lost and broken, promote strong, healthy spiritual families, and represent a body of Spirit led worship. ri A Note From Pastor Brandon Lent is here. You may be wondering what Lent is. You have heard the word, and you know it is a church thing, but what is Lent really? As Daniel Webner once said, Lent, it is more than what s in your navel. With that being said, here is one of the best explanations I have found on what Lent really is. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The forty days of Lent are representative of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. The Gospel according to Mark says, The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. (Mark 1:12-13, ESV) Lent is a time of reflection. Lent is a time of repentance. Lent is a time for us to focus on our relationship with Christ as we anticipate the empty tomb Easter morning. This is often practiced in many church traditions by choosing to give up something, volunteering more, or giving of ourselves for others. Once again, Lent is a time to better and deepen your relationship with Christ. In this, you may be wondering how does giving up something or serving more accomplish this? To be honest, If you choose to give up something just to give up something, or if you choose to serve more just to serve more it wouldn t accomplish anything significant in your life. Well, other than giving you a false sense of accomplishment, but if you give up something or serve more to allow yourself to make Jesus more the subject of your life then it most definitely will accomplish the goal of Lent. For example, I gave up Netflix one year for Lent, and instead of replacing the time I would watch Netflix with something that furthered my relationship with Christ. I watched Hulu, and it made this practice pretty meaningless. I pray I never waste another season of Lent like this again, and I pray that others can learn from my mistake. Therefore, if you plan to participate in this season of reflection and repentance. Don t just give something up to give something up. Don t just volunteer to volunteer. Rather, seek how you can better improve your walk with Christ. Give up the things that hold you back. Give up the things that lead you into sin. Give up the things that prevent you from making Jesus the subject. In this, I stumbled across an awesome list the other day of things to give up or do to help us in our journey this Lent that I would like to share with you all as well. The need to please everyone: I can t please everyone anyway. There is only one I need to strive to please. Impatience: God s timing is the perfect timing. Sense of entitlement: The world does not owe me anything. God does not owe me anything. I live in humility and grace. Bitterness and Resentment: The only person I am hurting by holding onto these is myself. 1 Cont. Pg. 2
Blame: I am not going to pass the buck. I will take responsibility for my actions. Gossip and Negativity: I will put the best construction on everything when it comes to other people. I will also minimize my contact with people who are negative and toxic and bring other people down. Fear of failure: You don t succeed without experiencing failure. Just make sure you fall forward. Doubt: Believe God has a plan for you that is beyond anything you could imagine. The future is brighter than you could ever realize. Self-pity: God comforts us in our sorrow so that we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Retirement: As long as you are still breathing, you are here for a reason. You have a purpose to influence others for Christ. That does not come to an end until the day we die. Pride: Blessed are the humble. Worry: God's in control and worrying will not help. In this not only will I be trying to give up Netflix properly for Lent this year. I also plan to give up the need to please everyone, worry, and impatiences, because these are things that I really struggle with. I am letting you all know this because I hope you will hold me accountable to this during Lent. Let me know what you plan to give up this Lent. Let me know how God is telling you to deepen your relationship with Him. Let s check in on each other and see how we are doing as we progress through this season of reflection and repentance. FREE FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT March 3rd Great for all Ages! SUNDAY MORNING VAN MINISTRY Every Sunday morning, we will be offering a bus ministry to the Church. Need a ride?? Don t sweat it. We will be by between 8:30-8:45am to pick you up. Please contact the Church office or Pastor Brandon if you or someone you know would like to join us. *must be within 20 mile radius of Church, Thanks! Come and join us for our Family Movie Night. We will be screening "UP" on our new 1080p ultra-high def projection system in our fellowship hall. There will be free popcorn, candy, and beverages as well. Hope to see ya there! (next months movie night is Saturda, April 1st) DON T FORGET REFIT IS BACK!! 2 ReFit is every Monday evening at 6:30pm at the Church. ReFit is a Community-Centered, Relationship-Focused approach to fitness. Fitness is ministry. Fitness is Outreach. Fitness with a purpose. It is open to all women looking for a fun, safe, and encouraging environment to workout in. BEST OF ALL ITS FREE, and childcare is provided upon request. For more information contact us @ 217-728-7855 or info@sullivanchog.org
The first Sunday of the month the Evening Service is held at the Sullivan Healthcare & Rehab Center 11 Hawthorne Dr, Come join in at 4:00 PM, Sunday, March 4th THANK YOU Your support during this scary heart surgery adventure we went on has been so encouraging! THANK you for your prayers, cards, text messages, and kind words. My cardiologist is very pleased with how those two new valves are working. My sternum healed quickly. We grew much closer together through this experiences, and we found a greater trust in the Great Physician! David and Colleen Vandeursen YOUTH LOCK-IN Calling all Youth!!! Ignite Student Ministries will be having a Lock-In on Friday, March 3rd from 7pm to 7am. If you are in our 20 mile radius and need a ride please contact Chris Smith or the Church to make pick up arrangements. Come out and enjoy food, games, movies, Pokemon battles, occasional outings and much more! Everyone attending is asked to bring a snack to share with their peers. Hope to see all the youth there!! FYI this Lock-in is being hosted by Charleston. STATE OF GRACE IN CONCERT We will once again have a special time of worship and celebration with State of Grace on March 25th @ 6PM. State of Grace has been singing for 8 years. God has blessed them more and more with each year. They are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for them. They enjoy the traveling and singing and they always have a good time but the greatest joy is to be able to share the gospel through their songs and testimonies and then to see the fruits of their labor. They believe that Jesus is coming back very soon and we want to be instruments in God's hands behind that miracle of salvation. We will be taking a love offering for State of Grace after the concert. The dates for Summer Camp this year are as follows: Grade School Camp (Grade 3-5) June 5- June 8, 2017 Junior High Camp (Grade 6-8) June 30- July 4, 2017 Senior High Camp (Grade 9-12) June 26- June 30, 2017 WELCOME TO THE FAMILY DINNER We will be welcoming multiple families into our church family this month on Sunday, March 19th during our time of worship and celebration. We encourage you to be there to welcome them with us. We also want to invite you to a potluck lunch we will be having after service for these families. If you plan to attend bring a meat dish, a side dish, a salad, or a dessert to share. Let s celebrate the expansion of Christ s Kingdom by breaking bread together. 3
Rachael Smith s Blog Bible Study Every Wednesday 6:30pm to 7:30 Join us every week, as we study the Bible and learn how to honor the Lord with our lives and walk as women of faith in our families, our jobs, and our communities. Coffee Talk Third Saturday of Every Month @ 8:30am @ Red Apple in Sullivan One the third Saturday of the month, we meet for coffee and breakfast. Bring your friends, and join us for yummy food and loving fellowship. Monthly Fellowship Event Every month we have a fellowship event, hosted by one of the ladies in our group. We enjoy a potluck-style dinner, play games, chit-chat, and just let our hair down. Rachael Smith s Blog Ladies, do you want a real, relevant, and biblical teacher to help you get through your week that understands the promises you face day in and day out. Look no further. Check out our Women s Minister, Rachael Smith s blog at https://chainbreakhers.wordpress.com/. I am so proud to see all that Rachael has accomplished during her time with us at Sullivan Church of God. God definitely has big plans for her and her family. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. (Genesis 17:11-13) Let me be transparent for a minute. There have been times in my marriage when my husband lets me down shocker right! I wouldn t believe a married woman out there who said that her husband has never disappointed her. There is a reason Paul tells us in the Bible that it is better to not marry! Seriously, though, our husbands are far from perfect and we are just as imperfect. I have to admit that in those times when I do not like what he is doing, or when I wish he would do it differently, or when he just is not doing it the way I would do it (is anybody with me!), that I oh so easily play the role of the judging, critical, nagging wife. As if I think that I can nag him into perfection. Wow! Sometimes I fail so miserably at looking at my imperfections, but I hardly miss a moment to notice the imperfections of my husband. Ladies, nobody wants to cuddle with a cactus! I judge I critic I correct I disrespect and then I wonder why he doesn t respond in a loving way to me! We need a news flash: we are not our husband s judge. The Bible does not say, Wives, correct your husbands, or Wives, critic your husbands, or even Wives, you have every right to be stomping mad at your husband when he forgets to do something you told him to do, and you are beyond justified to let him know how mad you are! The good Word says, WIVES, SUBMIT TO YOUR OWN HUSBANDS, AS TO THE LORD. It is not our place to perfect our husbands, and it only ends badly when we try. Our job is to support our husbands, to be their cheerleader, to admire them, and to respect them. God calls us to encourage and lift them up when life beats them down. God calls us to speak life and truth into them. God calls us to respect and honor them, even when they act unloving to us. God calls us to graciously forgive them, for He has unceasingly forgiven us! I love this little passage in Genesis. The Israelites are fighting the people of Amalek. Whenever Moses had his hands raised, the people of God prevailed. Whenever Moses lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. And as Moses arms grew weary, his partners Aaron and Hur were right there to help him. This is the godly role we ought to take in our marriage. As long as your husband s hands are raised to the Lord and his eyes are on the Lord and His leading and guidance, your family will prevail and have the security and victory of living in obedience and honor to the Lord. But your husband s arms will grow weary. As God said, man is not meant to be alone. God has sent you to help your husband hold up his hands to the Lord when he is weak and weary. When your husband is struggling, don t bring him down even further. Hold his hands up and point him back to the Lord. When your husband is tired and irritated, be patient with him. Hold his hands up and respect him still. When your husband is struggling with bitterness or negativity, don t fuel his fire. Hold his hands up and remind him of the provision and sovereignty of the Lord. Creation was not complete until Eve. We look around us and see the beautiful mountains, oceans, rolling hills, starry skies, sunsets, and glorious living creatures from the ant to the elephant and even in all of this beauty, it was not complete until Adam had his helpmate. Respect him and support him and love him, even when it is hard especially when it is hard for you are doing it as unto the Lord Himself. Rachael Dawn Smith 4
March 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 Email:brandon.zoll@sullivanchog.org Pastor Brandon s cell 812-215-0702 Chris Smith s Cell 720-876-7642 Email:chris.smith@sullivanchog.org Church Web: www.sullivanchog.org Movie night UP 5 4pm @ SHCRC 5-6 6:30pm ReFit 7 Scouts 8 activates 9 10 Oh, Wh 7pm Youth Lock-in Charleston 11 12 5- DAYLIGHT SAVINGS 13 6:30pm ReFit 14 15 16 17 18 6:30am Iron Sharpens Iron 8:30am Coffee Talk 19 11am Potluck 5-20 ReFit 21 Scouts 22 23 24 25 State of Grace and 26 5-27 Refit 28 29 5 30 31 (FYI: April movie night is the 1st @) We were unable to put birthdays and anniversaries on this months calendar. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Expanding Christ s Kingdom 321 N. West St., Sullivan, IL PH 217-728-7855 Email:office@sullivanchog.org NEW SERMON SERIES - STARTING MARCH 5TH 6