Love God. Love Others. Live Out. MONTHLY Sep. 2016 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Eph. 5:1-2 (MSG) Called to Serve Over the past few months I ve had some exciting conversations. The first started with a guy in our church, Randy Kersker. The quick phone call led to a breakfast at the good old Eastside Café. Over coffee and pancakes I learned of how God had been moving in Randy s heart. He was searching for next steps and wanting to explore what he felt was a calling on his life to ministry. Randy spoke with sincerity and enthusiasm, explaining how his heart had been pulled in this direction. He was learning more about the Word, and hungry for more of God than ever before. In the midst of this pursuit of deeper relationship with Christ, Randy began recognizing the potential of something more. A few weeks later I was sitting down with our summer ministry intern, Tyler Bradshaw. Tyler had prepared all of the devotional moments for our International Youth Convention Trip. He wanted to run them by me for some feedback. I sat and listened to what he had prepared, and found myself in awe at the depth of Biblical insight and knowledge that was coming from this young guy. Again, there was an unmistakable passion, and Tyler explained that he was searching for God s will. He d had other plans, but now things were changing. He doesn t know where all that will lead, but is recognizing God s hand on his life. A few weeks later a Facebook message pinged with another request to meet. This time it was Casey Holloway wanting to meet with me about how God was moving in his heart. I once again found myself conversing over Eastside s pancakes and coffee, sitting across the table from a young man who was overcome by God s stirring in his heart. Casey, who had grown up in our church, and always exuded leadership gifts, shared with me how his intentional pursuit of God over the past year had changed him. His original plan to seek Criminal Justice Administration, was suddenly moving toward a call to vocational ministry. He too was asking for next steps and seeking guidance on how to be obedient to this call. As I reflected over the summer, I concluded that my Eastside meetings had resulted in a few extra pounds! More seriously, I was in awe of God s movement. God calling people into his service is a sign of a healthy church. It is also a sign that the Kingdom of God is still thriving, and God is always in the business of moving in the hearts of men and women to take the charge of leading and equipping Kingdom people. I am so grateful for these men and their obedience. I am also grateful for Brady Keyes, who will begin pursuing a ministry degree this year at MACU. Samantha Wall has also expressed a leaning toward ministry to children. All of this is evidence that God is raising up leaders. This information is too good to keep to myself. And the reality is that we often under celebrate this call on someone s life. The leadership at is working on a mentoring program and ministry opportunities for these leaders to gain experience and further discover their gifting. I d also encourage you to pray for these people by name. If you don t know who they are, find out so that you can encourage them. If you do know them, don t hesitate to talk with them about what God is doing. You will leave that conversation encouraged yourself! Blessings, Pastor Andrew
s y a Suenpdtember in S A new teaching series, The Power of One, begins on Sunday, September 11. Throughout Scripture God has moved through obedient people. Alone, these men and women were ordinary, but the One in them made them extraordinary. The Power of the One (The Spirit of Christ) that dwells in each disciple unleashes great power and potential for each life. Sometimes we may sell ourselves short from God s power in us. Maybe we think His power is only realized by a chosen few. But as we will discover, ordinary people have often started a path of greater significance by taking ONE step of obedience, following ONE conviction, or offering ONE kindness. Upbeat Gospel Worship. 8:45am Sunday School. 10am Contemporary Worship. 11am ONE bold move of leaning into God s power enabled heroes of our faith to do great things for the Kingdom things we are still reading about today. What is the untapped potential in your life, that could be unleashed with ONE choice? Sunday, September 11: One Leader Sunday, September 18: One Conviction Sunday, September 25: One Kindness Sunday, October 2: One Bold Step We Celebrate August Baptisms Natalee Watkins, Brice Ledbetter, Stewart Arnold, Michael McCutchen, Lukas Smith and Ciara Trent
S Y A D S E N D WE ptember in Se Family Dinner @ 5:30pm Fuel Kid s Check-in @ 6:15pm Adult Electives & Student Ministry @ 6:30pm FAMILY DINNER MENU SEP. 2016 September 7. Popcorn Chicken & Fries September 14. Pizza & Salad September 21. Chicken Spaghetti September 28. Sausage & Potatoes Join us on Wednesday, September 7 at 6:30pm for our Family Jam. Pastor Lori, Ted & Friends will lead us in energetic worship and we will discover the September Life App of Trust.
SENIORS Upcoming Events Juliett Ladies Luncheon Thursday, September 8 at 11:15am and carpool to The Grille. BRING A FRIEND Senior Adult Connection Luncheon Thursday, September 22. 11:30am Thursday, October 13 at 11:15am and carpool to the Hamett House. ROMEO (Men s) Thursday, September 8 at 8am and then head out for a hardy breakfast. Saturday, September 17 Bus will leave at 12:15. We will eat lunch at Cosby s All You Can Eat Catfish near Grand Lake. Thursday, October 13 at 8am and then head out for a hardy breakfast. Join us for our fall kick-off Senior Luncheon. Good food, good music, and good fellowship. Day Trip to Acadia, OK The Round Barn and POPS Monday September, 26 Leave church at 8am. $2 gas fee and cost of food. Cost of plate: $13.98 for Adults MISSIONS Local & GLOBAL VS. 2016 ER G N U H Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 24. We will experience our third annual vs. Hunger event. We will once again partner with Pack Shack and Convoy of Hope to pack thousands of meals for hungry people in a developing nation. Last year we packed just over 50,000 meals. This is a missional event that a 3 year old all the way to a 103 year old can participate. Last year we had 4 generations of one family present to help pack meals. Every meal costs 25 cents. We will be working on fundraising projects and taking a special offering between now and our packing event to help determine the number of meals we will be able to send to those in need this year. Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to this special day If you would like to be a part of coordinating this event, please plan to attend a special meeting on Wednesday, August 17 at 5:30 pm.
STEWARDSIP STATS & INFO JULY GIVING & INTEREST *$9,433.51 AUGUST GIVING & INTEREST **$77,608 AVERAGE SUNDAY ATTENDANCE July 335 August 385 GENERAL FUND GIVING Monthly Need $40,422.16 *July Giving **August Giving *YTD Variance $28,618.53 $40,233.53 -$31,831.84 *Record does not include July 31 giving. **Record includes giving as of August 29. SPECIAL GIVING *July August $2,372 $2,010 *Record does not include July 31 giving. **Record includes giving as of August 29. TOTAL BUILDING FUND TO DATE $1,854,092.17 Would you like to join the effort of moving toward future relocation? Please contact Pastor Andrew to learn more about his exciting venture in the life of. Giving envelopes for our More than Bricks campaign are located in the pews. You can also contribute to the MTB campaign online by designating your gift.
Putting our TRUST in God and the people He s put in our lives isn t always easy. That s why we re taking the month of September to see what God says about TRUST. KIDS September 2016 THE LIFE APP: TRUST Putting your confidence in someone you can depend on. MARK YOUR CALENDARS WEDNESDAYS Check-in @ 6:15 September 7: Family Jam September 14: Minute to Win It Night September 21: Bring a Friend Night September 28: Wacky-Tacky Night Saturday, Sept. 24th This is a great service project for the whole family! Kids will have a great time helping pack thousands of meals. Sign up for a 9-11am or 1-3pm shift. Wednesday, Sept. 28th Watch for details about how we will help you and your child acknowledge this special day.
JOURNEY STUDENTS SEPTEMBER 2016 We are God s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10 JOIN US ON SUNDAYS & WEDNESDAYS. LET S TALK ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. Week 1: On social media, it s better to get your worth from God than from your likes. Week 2: On social media, it s better to build people up than to tear them down. Week 3: On social media, it s better to be cautious than to be foolish. Let s HAVE FUN Mafia Night September 18.12:30pm Lunch @ Pizza Hut & Ultimate Frisbee at the Park Sunday, September 11. 5:30pm Dinner & Mafia Game @ the Rehbein s Saturday, September 24 Come help pack thousands of meals for the hungry. Sign up for a 9-11am or 1-3pm shift. Wednesday, September 28 Meet @ School Flagpoles before school. Evening rally @ 7:00 with more details to come.