From the Pastor’s Desk:
As many of you may know, I was in Prohogar, Mexico July 19-26 on a mission
trip. Prohogar is a colony south of Mexico City on the outskirts of a large
city called Cuernavaca. This was my third trip to this area in the last ten
years. There is a church there that we support financially that is led by Eloy
Rodriguez. Dave Legg joined me on the trip. The purpose of the trip was to bring
encouragement to the church as well as the surrounding churches in the state
of Morelos. I compare the trip to a Paul and Silas missionary journey when they
returned to visit churches that they had previously started.
I am most happy to report that the church in Prohogar is thriving. Since my
last visit in 2005 they have constructed a new church building on their property.
It is a block structure with a tin roof and is a great upgrade from their previous
meeting area which was little more than an open area with three walls.
While we were there we primarily taught. They held a conference for the four
Christian churches in Morelos that was well attended Tuesday through Saturday.
All but one of the meetings was hosted at Prohogar. We taught on Christian doctrine,
worry-free living, sacred family, and the upside down ways of the kingdom of
God. On Sunday, I preached and Dave taught the youth in Prohogar for a combined
worship service. Two women came forward to receive Christ on Sunday.
I would have to say this was the best mission trip I have ever taken. One thing
that made it special is that we ate meals in twelve different homes. The brothers
and sisters there were gracious, hospitable, and full of questions. We laughed
a lot. They teased Dave that he needed to stay in Mexico so that they could
find him a wife. When I showed one host family a picture of my family they laughed
at a comment made by the husband. When I asked what was said it was explained
that they have a saying when a father has a pretty daughter who is marrying
age. He said that I smell like a father-in-law.
Because I have been to this area on two other occasions, I was able to renew
friendships that were established from previous visits. All of the churches
had the same preachers except for one. One of the church leaders from the church
in Satellite grew up in a mountain village and attended school in a one room
building with one teacher for the first six grades. He said they were very poor.
His uncle was the village chief, and one day he had to go to a nearby town.
While in town he found a Bible that had been torn in two and thrown into the
trash. He took it home and began to read it. With great excitement he began
to share with the rest of the village the message of the Bible. Not long after
that a missionary came to their village and explained the gospel. This was how
my friend became a Christian. Today he is a psychologist and continues to preach
in his church.
Emotionally, this trip was gut-wrenching. As the week progressed I was constantly
on the verge of tears. When they prayed over us at the conclusion of the Sunday
morning combined service, the flood gates opened. I was deeply moved. I think
I have a better understanding of what Paul told the Philippians when he wrote,
“I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all
of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from
the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my
heart;” (Philippians 1:3-7a).
You may question why we send nearly one-fourth of offerings to various missions
both stateside and abroad. We do it because we are partners in the gospel. We
do it because the great commission has yet to be fulfilled. One day we will
all be in heaven, and we will be shocked at how many different nations and ethnic
groups will be represented.
Eloy and his family send you his greetings, his thanks and his prayers. Thank
you for allowing me to go and for having the foresight to partner in kingdom
work around the world.
God’s Servant,
Greg
Family Ministry News
The children of our church family have had a lot of fun this summer with ROMP
and VBS. The Summer of ROMP will be concluded on Wednesday, August 4th at 7:00
p.m. with a Banana Split Extravaganza. All our youth are welcome to attend and
enjoy the fellowship, games, ice cream and devotions.
August 14th, Middle and High School students and their families will be meeting
for an afternoon on the lake with swimming, fishing, and a cookout lunch. The
day will begin at 10:00 and end sometime mid to late afternoon. If you plan
to attend, please speak with Robin Dyal or Matt to get the latest on the details.
Bring your fishing poles, swimsuit and side dish or dessert for the cookout.
September 17-19, Middle and High School students will be heading over to Doe
River Gorge for a weekend of fellowship, amazing activities and challenges,
and an intimate time with God’s Word. The cost for the weekend will be
$25 per person. Parents are also welcomed and encouraged to attend. Please be
watching for more information in the coming weeks.
The Big Picture is coming to Wednesday Night Live beginning in September. Work
will soon begin to transform the High School Classroom into The Action Theater,
to be used for youth of all ages. The room will have new paint colors, staging,
lights and a theater screen. The new direction will be focused on building and
encouraging families with elementary aged children. The Big Picture sessions
will be designed for children and parents together. There will be worship and
skits each week teaching important lessons in an exciting, relevant and fresh
way. Materials will be provided for the parent(s) to reinforce the lesson together
with their child(ren) at home. These learning times will be fun, interactive,
and something you will want to invite your friends and their families too also.
Be listening for more information as we begin talking about The Big Picture!
In Christ,
Matt
Grace Notes from Rob
Why do we need CARE groups?
I want to initially answer this by asking more questions. How well do we know
the person sitting two pews in front of us? How well do we know who is deeply
hurting in our church? How well do we know the person who is financially struggling
maybe sitting three people away on a Sunday morning? Let’s face it. It’s
really hard to get to know a person or family only seeing them 1 day a week
in a large gathering on Sunday morning. Don’t misunderstand; Sunday Morning
is a wonderful way to get all the believers together to worship our loving God.
However, I believe God intends for us to be even more closely connected with
one another.
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”
Acts 2:46
The 1st century church was meeting in homes and finding true community with
one another. In the smaller gatherings they could begin to understand each other
on a deeper level. They could see where someone was hurting and lift them up.
They could share in the joy when something good happened to a fellow friend.
It was in this smaller setting that Christ was able to bond their community
together.
We need CARE groups to experience this deeper level of biblical community.
So starting in September we will begin having CARE groups. Later in August we
will begin sharing the details and an explanation of each group. But first we
want to share with you the types of groups we will have. This year we’ve
broken our CARE groups into 3 categories.
HOME Care Groups meet in homes, are driven by fellowship, and provide an opportunity
to get to know a small group of people on a deeper level.
COMMON INTEREST Care Groups are meetings where you can find out how hobbies,
pastimes, and shared interests create powerful communities.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH Care Groups are opportunities where you can experience Bible
studies, prayer time, and growing relationships to become fully integrated followers
of Christ.
Hope to see you involved this Fall,
Grace and Peace,
Rob
August Activities
8/3—Men’s Fellowship Breakfast—9am at Shoney’s
8/4—ROMP—Banana Split Extravaganza/Back-to-School Night
8/8—Prayer Team Meeting—after church in library
8/8—Evangelism Team—Meet after church in the Fellowship Hall
8/9—Best Years Fellowship Picnic—6pm, Panther Creek
8/14—Mid/High School Outing—at Cherokee Lake
8/19—Women’s Missionary Union—1pm in Betty K’s home
8/21—Roy’s Steakout—6pm, Fellowship Hall
8/26—Women’s Missionary Union Calling—11:30am at Shoney’s
Roy’s Steakout
Saturday, August 21, 6pm
Cost is $8 per person
Join us for good fellowship and a great steak dinner. Please sign up in the
foyer. Also indicate if you will be bringing a dessert.
Wednesday Evenings in August
No adult classes on Wednesdays in August.
ROMP will meet at 7pm on August 4 for a Back-to-School night.
Wednesday Night Live
Meals start September 1.
Come at 6pm for an inexpensive dinner followed by Bible studies and activities
for all ages.
The Big Picture
New children’s activities on Wednesday nights starting September
1.
Families of elementary age children, check Matt’s article above to learn
more about this exciting new program.
Care Groups
Signup in August
Start in September
Looking for people with similar interests? Looking for a chance to grow spiritually?
See Rob’s article above to learn more about CARE groups.
100th Anniversary Coming—Photos needed!
This fall (October 24) we will have a 100th anniversary celebration for our
church. We would like you to bring in photos and videos of church activities—especially
old ones. Please bring them as soon as possible, and no later than Labor Day,
so that we have time to put them together. We will take care not to harm them
and we’ll return them to you.
Submitted Directory Photos Returned
The hard copy photos many of you submitted to be used in our directory have
returned. You may pick them up in the foyer.
Missions Spotlight—Stepping Out Ministries, Inc.
Every person needs to feel good about themself and find their purpose in life.
That’s what the dedicated, Christian staff does at Stepping Out. They
assist people who need help coping with life’s struggles.
The ministry was started over 10 years ago by a very dedicated Christian woman
named Patrice Puglise. She and her staff offer weekly classes—such as
APT (Automatic Positive Thinking), Anger Management, Parenting, and evening
Bible studies for both adults and youth—in Morristown and the surrounding
Lakeway area.
Stepping Out is supported through fundraisers, as well as accepting monetary
donations and supplies from local churches. Our Women’s Missionary Union
has helped by donating school supplies and our church donates non-perishable
foods, a monthly meal and financial support.
Your prayers are appreciated for this very worthwhile evangelistic reach out
to many hurting people.
Thank You Notes
Thank you for your prayers, food and transportation to U.T. and back for my
surgery. Each and every one of you has been such a blessing to us.
Ramona & Bill R
Dear Friends,
May I thank you once again for your sincere expression of love and concern during
this difficult time. I truly believe Billie made my life worthwhile. She is
now in God’s care. Our family will always be thankful for your prayers.
Wally R
Dear members of First Christian Church,
Thank you so much for the thought, prayers, and lovely flowers for Billie. God
bless you all.
The family of Billie R
Our purpose at First Christian Church:
to be a biblically functioning community that guides people to Jesus Christ
for spiritual life change.
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
Sunday:
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship 10:30 am
Children’s Church
1st & 3rd Sundays at 10:30am
Wednesday:
No adult studies this month
ROMP for children at 7pm on August 4
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