Easter Weekend

Dear Folks – just a reminder about the special services this weekend.  Hope you plan to take advantage of them!

 

Good Friday Service – noon -  1pm  We’ll read Scripture, Sing a few hymns and watch a portion of ‘The Passion of the Christ’.  This service is designed to help us appreciate the sacrifice of Christ.

 

Sunday Morning –

                8:30am – Sunrise Service – Come early for a fresh reading of the Resurrection Story!

                9:00am – Easter Egg Hunt – Big Kids hide them, Little kids find them!

                9:30am - Breakfast Buffet – Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes, Sausage, Biscuits and gravy, Muffins/Donuts.  Suggested Donation $2 per person/$5 per family.

             10:30am – Worship Service – Special Music and Message.

 

There will be no Sunday School or Evening Services.  Hope you can come!  Bring a friend!

 

Pastor Bob

Israel Trip

Dear folks - I wanted to send you an update on what my daughter Lydia is doing this summer and give you an opportunity to participate if you want!  Thanks for taking time to read her letter.  You also might receive a letter from her in the mail soon.  Reply if you’d like more information!

 

 

Dear Family and Friends,             

 

We have an important tradition in the Wright family.  When one of us kids turns 16, we get to go on a mission’s trip.  Steven worked with an Indian tribe in the Grand Canyon.  Phillip worked with a Missionary pilot in Haiti and the Caribbean.  Mark went to Italy to work with some missionaries from our church.  Anna went to Africa last summer with New Tribes Mission.  Now it’s finally my turn!

 

As I was thinking about where I would like to go, it struck me that I really wanted to go where missions all started – to Israel.  To walk where Jesus walked.  To see the place where He lived, died and rose again.  To visit the places I’ve only ever heard about in Sunday School.  It wasn’t exactly what my parents were thinking, but we decided to look into it anyway.

 

My dad called one of his Seminary Professors in January and found out that they were planning a study trip to Israel this June with a small group of students and pastors.  He asked about the possibility of us joining with them, and he said they would love to have us come! 

 

This is NOT a sightseeing tour.  It is an archaeological study trip that even qualifies for academic credit (if I was a college student)!  We get up really early (5:30am) and stay up late.  But I’m excited about the things I’ll see!  One of the highlights of the trip is that I get to participate in an archaeological dig on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem with the University of North Carolina for a few days.  We’ll also explore most of Israel – Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, Masada and Jericho, Jerusalem and surrounding areas, and even travel down to the Red Sea.  I’m eager to get there!

 

I need to raise money in order to go.  The cost of the trip is $3,000.  I’ll be gone from June 9^th – June 23^rd.  I have been working hard and saving money so I can go.  I have already raised $1,500 through jobs and other stuff.  I was wondering if you could help me, too!  Would you consider giving a gift to help me go?  I know things are really tight financially for many people, so if you can’t give, I understand.  But if you could give $10, $25, $100 or more, it would really help out!

 

I’d also like to ask you to pray for me concerning the following:

      Safety – This is a dangerous part of the world, but it’s also one of the most exciting!

      Spiritually – I want my faith to be increased and also be helpful to those I travel with.

      Physically – This is going to be a pretty strenuous trip – pray for my dad that he will be able to keep up with me!

      Finances – I am trusting God to supply the amount I need to cover the cost of my trip beyond what I can provide.

I am expecting two weeks of hard work and a chance to see the Bible come alive.  Would you please partner with me by giving and/or praying?  If so, you’ll have an important part in my trip, and I will be truly thankful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lydia Wright

260 S. Main St

Britton, Mi 49229

Email: lydiawright2593@yahoo.com

 

                                            

 

 

church stuff

Hey all!  What a great weekend!  Thanks for all your help in pulling it off.  We had 30 guys out for Guys Night – congratulations to John Cochrane on winning the Ping-pong tournament!  Thanks to Willie Demps for the great food and everyone for coming.  We are already planning our next one!

 

Also – we had over 90 people attend the Talent Show last night and 13 wonderful (and fun) performances!  Congratulations to Stephanie Cochrane for her winning performance (hope you’re wearing your “winner’s crown” with pride)!  Also - thanks to Sue Billau and Jan Demps for the organizing the food and for everyone who brought something to eat.  Thanks to those who set up and cleaned up afterwards. 

 

I enjoyed seeing everyone in church Sunday morning!  Hope you were encouraged by the message about Elijah.  It’s amazing to realize how much one person can accomplish when they believe God is real and aren’t afraid to show it!

 

Some other things to consider…

 

Keep praying for Diane Stemen, Phil Duncan and Gordy Acosta as they recover from surgery.  Diane is going to have to begin radiation and chemotherapy treatment soon.  Not fun! 

 

Debbie and I will be leaving this Thursday for a few days to visit Phillip in Texas.  We’re excited to see him!  Bill Bennet, director of Camp AoWaKiya (a Christian Youth Camp up north) will be speaking next Sunday morning.  This is a GREAT youth camp (I’ve been involved with this camp for almost 20 years!).  We’ll be taking up a special offering on Sunday for the ministry there (there will be no adult service in the evening.  High school will meet as usual).

 

Finally – Please pray about our church finances!  Our giving is down by almost $6,000 so far this year from where it needs to be.  Put simply, the current ministry here cannot be sustained at our present level of giving.  If you haven’t given for awhile, this would be a great time to begin!  We know this is God’s church, and we know that ultimately He is responsible for making it function effectively.  But we each have a part, too!

 

I know our church finances are impacted just like everyone else’s because of uncertainty in the market, but I don’t think God wants our commitment to giving waver because of fluctuations in the economy!  If you have the ability to give a special gift – it would be very much appreciated!  It would be a tremendous blessing if someone reading this right now could give a generous gift of $1,000, $5,000 or even $10,000!  Maybe God will use you to be that special blessing!

 

Well – have a great day and a blessed week.  I’m looking forward to attending the Awana Grand Prix this Wednesday night!  Come and watch (or participate) if you can!

 

Pastor Bob

Weekend events and prayer request!

Dear Folks – I was just reading about Elijah this morning and was impressed at his total confidence in God – even in the face of tremendous difficulties around him.  I have been thinking about the chaotic state of affairs in our own country and was struck by how much some of our leaders remind me of the prophets of Baal dancing around the altar of their money God, trying to get our economy back on track and “save” our way of life.  If the situation weren’t so serious – it might be humorous. 

 

At some point and in some fashion, God will make Himself known, just as He did to the Israelites.  God is working His plan and it involves Him being glorified above all others.  We can be sure of that!  The challenge to me was wondering which group I can most identify with – the prophets of Baal who bought into the culture and worshipped false gods; the people of Israel – who hesitated between following the world or following God; or Elijah – who knew God and followed Him fully – even in the face of opposition.

 

Also - I wanted to remind you about a couple of events coming up this weekend! 

 

Guy’s Fun Night!  We are having a Guy’s Fun Night tomorrow (Sat @ 7pm).  We’ll have food, ping-pong, dodge ball and horseshoes (among other things).  One of the purposes is to simply enjoy being with each other and encouraging each other.  A second purpose is to invite and meet some new friends or family that haven’t been involved in our church.  A third purpose is to get the youngsters and older guys together for some FUN!  We don’t always take time to hang out together!  It’s going to be a pretty laid back and enjoyable evening, and we want you to be there!  (Wives – make sure you remind your husbands and sons to go!)

 

Talent Night!  So many people enjoyed this last time we did it, the CE committee wanted to organize it again for this Sunday evening @ 6pm!  We have several people who are signed up to participate and we’d love some more.  We aren’t necessarily looking for professionals, we just want to see you (or your family) do something!  The more people that participate, the better!  We’ll have fun together and enjoy light snacks.  This fun event will replace our normal Sunday evening service.  Plan on coming!

 

Please keep praying for Diane Stemen (Tim Brososky’s sister).  She had cancer surgery this week and is recovering at home.  She needs further treatment.  If you would like to send her a note, her address is 18120 Sharon Valley Dr. Manchester, Mi.  48158.  Her email is R4Stem@aol.com.

 

Also – pray for me tonight (Friday).  I will be co-facilitating a Parent Workshop in Adrian on Substance Abuse Prevention.  It’s a great opportunity for me to represent God and our church to the community.

 

Pastor Bob

 

 

 

prayer request

Dear folks – just a quick prayer request for Gordy Acosta (Bob & Jo Fetters son-in-law).  He is having eye surgery this morning to repair a problem he’s had for awhile.  It is outpatient surgery and there are no anticipated problems, but they still would appreciate your prayers today!

 

Pastor Bob

This Sunday

Dear Folks – wanted to let you know that we are having hot, fresh cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning at 9:45am!  We’re also having missionary guests Michael Banks and family.  They are missionary appointees to Mainland China, helping to develop churches and supporting the church growth movement there.  He’ll be talking about the Chinese home church movement during Sunday School and he and his wife will be sharing their testimonies and a message during the morning service.  His wife will also be helping with Children’s church.

 

Also, we will be having the Brass Group assist with worship.  Sounds like fun!  Hope you can be there.  Don’t let a little snow (assuming we don’t get too much J) stop you from worshipping  together!  Make sure you come to special breakfast and meeting at 9:45am and then stay for the worship service at 11am!

 

Pastor Bob

 

P.S.  Please don’t forget about the special ‘Dining to Donate’ project at Applebee’s this coming Wednesday.  You can eat anytime during the day and 15% of your bill will go the Haiti Kids Book project!

Update from one of our missionaries

Folks – from time to time I like to give you an update from some of our missionaries.  I just got this recent email from the Miskimen’s in Thailand.  It’s exciting to see how God is working around the world and how we are involved as a church in supporting the work.  Enjoy reading this update from them and pray for them today!

 

Dear Friends,

It seems as if we have arrived in Thailand at an incredible time in the history of the Church in Thailand.  Jim Blumenstock (another professor) and Tim went to an informational meeting last Friday that really surprised us.  We knew the Church in Thailand was growing but we had no idea how much.

 

A group of several hundred churches from across Thailand have been working together since 2003 to systematically reach their own people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Since that time, they have seen churches planted in 75% of Thailand’s 926 provinces and at least cell groups started in nearly half of Thailand’s 7,415 districts.  In 2008 alone, a new church was planted every 2.5 days.  This same group of churches has just 40 seminaries and Bible colleges to teach pastors to lead these groups.  And the goal of these churches is to plant at least one church in every one of those provinces and have at least a cell group in every one of the districts.  There is great spiritual hunger in Thailand and recent studies have indicated a softening among Thais toward discussing God, Jesus, and Christianity.  A recent campaign by one Christian group was overwhelmed by requests for literature – over 60,000 each day of the campaign; by the end of the campaign, over 3 million Thais had requested literature!  And this in a country where Buddhism is the state religion.

 

What an opportunity for our school to have its base in a country where churches are effectively working together to make disciples and to plant churches all over Thailand.  There will be tremendous pressure on the current schools to provide pastors for these churches.  We can both help prepare pastors at our two teaching sites in Thailand and we can improve the education of professors at the national schools already present in Thailand.  We will be sending a representative from ABTS to attend in May the national meeting organized by these churches.  They are planning for 4,000 Thai pastors and lay leaders to attend the meeting.  And in the midst of all this, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is planning a campaign for Thailand which is set to climax in December 2009.  Please pray that we will have wisdom in seeking out the best contacts through whom we can arrange strategic partnerships to shape the theology of Thailand.

 

On a personal note, we were very encouraged a couple weeks ago when our next door neighbor showed up outside our gate with a  pot of green chili chicken curry.  We have sensed that Thais tend to be private and stay inside their gates as much as possible.  But here she was with a pot of some of the best Thai food we have had since we arrived here and outside our gate.  Tim used the only Thai he knew (Hello, thank you very much!) and accept the pot and she retreated back to her home.  It was a tremendous gesture of welcome on her part and we were thrilled to see her.  We just need more Thai to be able to say more.

 

We met another neighbor who speaks another foreign tongue that we can decipher a little easier.  He is originally from England and lives in a house near ours with his 6 year-old daughter, Elody.  He originally made our children’s acquaintance when they were paddling in the river behind his house – he jokingly warned his daughter that pirates were approaching!  He invited Ellie to play with Elody some time and we will be sure to follow up on the offer.

 

Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf.  We still feel overwhelmed from time to time but it’s less and less.  Charlene had her first dose of food poisoning Friday night and slept all day Saturday and half the day Sunday recovering from it.  Ironically, it was probably from the western restaurant we visited for our Valentine’s Day celebration.  Thankfully, our children have so far been spared the awful effects of unsanitary food preparations.

 

From Chiang Mai,

Tim and Charlene Miskimen

 

this Sunday

Dear Folks – Good Morning!   I wanted to give you a ‘heads-up’ for tomorrow.  Byron & Jean are visiting Bill & Valerie in Alabama this week and he will not be here to play the piano for our worship service.  So Jim Stewart and I are going to be playing our guitars for the service.  Hope you enjoy the change!

 

Also, we are going to have a time of sharing in the service how God is blessing us.  I would like several of you to have something to say (it doesn’t have to be much) about how God is being faithful to you or how you are being blessed by Him.  If you’d like, you can respond to this email with a story of blessing and I will share that with everyone – that way you won’t have to get nervous by standing up and sharing (and those who can’t attend the service can be a part of our service – i.e. our missionaries)!  Hope you enjoy worshipping together tomorrow!

 

Pastor Bob

 

P.S.  I also highly encourage you to come to the Bible Study time before morning worship.  We are studying how to develop the time-tested spiritual disciplines in our lives.  It’s been encouraging to hear how God forms His image on each of us.  The kids have their own classes (last week they had cupcakes, too!)  Hope to see you there!

church stuff

Folks – a couple of items for your info and prayer

 

Please continue to pray for Phil Duncan as he recovers from his surgery on his foot.  Send him a card to cheer him up! His address is 225 Maple Ave. Tecumseh, Mi. 49286  Also, pray for Tammy Stewart.  She found out that she has fibromyalgia and is in a lot of pain.

 

The Haiti Team is asking for those who would like to support the Haiti book project to come to Applebee’s Restaurant on Wed. February 25^th to eat.  15% of your bill will be donated to the project!  You can eat anytime during the day (11am – 10pm).  There is a copy of the coupon attached to this email.  You will need to bring it with you and give it to the server when you eat lunch or dinner.  This event is not sponsored by the church or Missions committee, but is an opportunity to help the Haiti kids get books for their library.  See Stephanie Cochrane for more details.  Thanks!!

 

The CE committee is planning another Talent night (like the one we did last August) for Sunday night, March 15^th @ 6pm.  We want to get lots of entries – songs, skits, duets, comedy (clean, of course) or other talents (remember Mark breaking bricks with his head?).  Anyway, this is a community event, so be thinking about who you would like to invite to participate.  We can even have whole families come up with something!  There will be a sign up sheet in the foyer.  We’ll have food available and a short devotional.  This is a great opportunity to build up our church in the community.  See Marty Billau for more info.

 

I met with the Lenawee County Superintendants this morning to talk about how our educational/counseling program might get into the schools.  Chuck Pellham, Britton Sup’t. is helping me.  They decided that they want me to meet with the General Services committee next week to work out details.  Also, I am meeting with the LISD Asst. Curriculum Director and the Social Worker Supervisor next week to discuss how I might fit in to their program.  Cool.  There is a $1.5 million grant that is available to help fund programs like this

 

Finally, we will be having missionary Michael Banks come and speak to us next week (Feb 22^nd) during the morning service.  We need a place for them to stay on Saturday night.  If anyone can host them, that would be great!  They have three younger kids that they will be bringing along.

 

Hope you’re having a great day.

Pastor Bob

sermon notes

Dear folks – thought I’d send along a brief reminder of my sermon thoughts this morning…

 

 

When we’re faced with tough times, James 5 gives us five words to remember:

 

   Patience – God’s plan is working itself out – as promised. (vs 7 - 8)

 

   Poise – Don’t take affliction as an opportunity to complain (vs 9)

 

   Perspective – Consider those who have gone through this before, and don’t imagine that you’re in control of things. (vs 10 – 12)

 

   Prayer – If your suffering because of sin, pray!  If you’re suffering because of your sin, confess and pray! (vs 13 – 16)  It really works!

 

   Purpose – God can do extraordinary things through ‘ordinary’ people (think Elijah).   Our primary goal is to reconcile others to God (vs 17 – 20)

 

 

Some good stuff for us to think about this week!  God Bless!

 

Pastor Bob

 

Baby name

Folks – Kenny & Chrissy’s baby’s name is Isabel.

Baby news!

Dear folks – just wanted to let you know that Kenny & Chrissy Stewart had a baby girl yesterday!  It wasn’t due for a couple of weeks, but Chrissy was having high blood pressure, so they decided to induce her.  I don’t know all the details yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out – I will be visiting her today.  She’s in Herrick Hospital.

 

Hope you’re having a great week!  See you in Awana tonight!

 

P.S. Some recent meetings and ministry stuff…I was in Adrian Middle School this week speaking with 20 at-risk Jr High kids talking about the value of their life – it was a lot of fun!  Also, I found out that I’m a voting member on the Lenawee County Substance Abuse Coalition Board (because of my involvement at Recovery Lifestyles).  This is a critical committee in Lenawee Co that directs services, provides funding and grants access to the community.  Lots of good community networking.  My first meeting with them is TODAY at 8:30am. 

 

Tomorrow, I’m meeting with the Youth Summit Council at Britton Schools to help them impact their school.  Then, on Friday, I’m meeting with John Drahuschak, the main Lenawee County Youth Probate Court Officer (the one who deals with all the teens who are struggling with the law) and Chuck Pellham (Britton-Macon Superintendent) to help design a program to reach the teens in Lenawee County through the local school districts.  Amazing. 

 

Please pray for these ministry opportunities.

 

Pastor Bob

 

 

Church camping trip & Stuff

Hi again folks – I wanted to remind you about a couple of things going on.

 

Tonight (Wednesday) – we are still having the meeting at Basil Boys (in Tecumseh) for those who are interested in helping to plan the church camping trip this summer (meet @ 6:30pm).  We will order pizza and plan the basics - where, when and how much it will cost.  Right now, we’re thinking about going up to Munising (in the U.P.).  The Pictured Rocks, waterfalls and Lake are beautiful up there and we always have a great time together.  We would be staying in tents at a state forest campground and would share meals together.

 

This Sunday – Jake Albring and Stephanie Cochrane are inviting those who would like to help the “Books for Haiti” project to eat lunch with them at Big Boy (in Tecumseh) this Sunday after church.  Big Boy will donate 10% of your bill to the church and we can use that money to purchase books for the children from Haiti.  This project is not sponsored by the Church or Missions Committee, but is just an opportunity to get together for a meal and help the Haiti kids at the same time!  Hope ya’ll can come!

 

Pastor Bob

This Sunday

Dear Folks – Good Morning!  Hope your day is going well.  I was reading James 1 today in the New Living Translation and ran across these encouraging words…

 

“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

 

We are definitely living in uncertain times - just listen to the news!  This Scripture was encouraging to read because of the reminder that as believers, we can have a different perspective on life than those who don’t know God.  The rest of the world has to depend on their own resources to find peace, joy and security.  But we have a different Source.  Our faith in God allows us to wait on Him to provide for ourselves and our family.  And even if He doesn’t provide the way we would prefer, we know that we will develop character.  Either way, we win!

 

Church News. 

This Sunday, we will be having our Annual Business meeting and potluck.  We will be electing officers and committee members and adopting a budget for 2009.  This is an important meeting and one that you are expected to attend (if you are a member J).  We will be gathering after the morning service for lunch (bring a main dish and a side dish or dessert), then we’ll have our meeting (starting around 1:30pm).  We should be done by 3:00pm.  There will be no evening service.

 

We’ve regretfully had to revise our church budget down from last year and are praying that God will provide what we need to meet the expenses we have.  Thankfully, our church is in pretty good financial shape right now (unlike many businesses and churches), and we have a positive balance in the checkbook and NO DEBT.  But we do have a very stringent budget and are looking for more ways to save money without severely affecting the ministry here.

 

On a personal note, Debbie and I have recently been able to add some much needed extra income by taking part-time jobs at a Counseling center in Adrian, which has been very helpful.  Because of our church’s financial situation, I have not taken a salary raise here in three years.  This year, our health insurance premium is going up by $2,000, so I will need to find a way to pay for that.  We appreciate the way that you have taken care of us over the years and the many extra things that you do to help support us.  It is a blessing to be your Pastor! 

 

In taking this part-time position, I think some of you will have to take on more responsibility to make the church function properly.  I pray that we will be able to work this out.  I know God will help us.

 

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing you on Sunday for church, the annual meeting and lunch!

 

Pastor Bob

 

P.S.  The Haiti Team (Jake & Stephanie) would like to invite you and your family to come and eat dinner at Big Boy next week (Feb 1^st) after church to help support the Haiti book project.  10% of your bill will be given to them to use to purchase books.  Also, we are working with Applebee’s to set up a similar dinner benefit on Wed, Feb 18^th.  More details on that later.

Our Missionaries - Tim and Charlene Miskimen

Dear Folks – Thought I’d send you a recent email from our newest missionary family, the Miskimens.  They have taken Bob & Esther Howder’s place in Thailand.  Please pray for them today and let them know you appreciate their ministry!

 

Hello!

 

We wanted to let you know that we now have internet at our house.  It’s slower than what we wanted so we cannot do much with video or uploading files, but it’s good enough for email and limited web surfing.  We tried several options to get a faster connection but finally realized it was this or nothing.  It is a special help to Charlene and the kids who now can keep a little more current on news, sports, and emails and feel a little less isolated in Northern Thailand.  Taking the whole family to the office during off hours was not going to be a long-term solution.

 

We had a surprise supper invitation from one of our taxi drivers.  We met Ake (pronounced like “ache”) “by chance” late one night when we were desperately seeking a taxi to get us home with our several bags of groceries.  He has since been a great help to us with several things including buying our truck, getting it repaired, inspected, licensed, and Tim’s own driver’s license.  He speaks adequate English and has been very helpful all around.  His daughter is about Ellie’s age so they have played together on a number of occasions when Ake came to our house to help with things.

 

We gave his family a gift bag at Christmas time as well as a DVD of the Jesus film in Thai.  He reciprocated at the New Year by giving our family a gift basket full of fresh fruit (gift baskets are very common here) along with an invitation to meet at a Thai restaurant for supper that night.  So we went to a nice Thai restaurant with his family and we were also joined by his wife’s sister’s family.  We sat around the table for about three hours as various dishes were brought out (including two whole fish who watched us during the meal).  We talked about all sorts of things and basically had a good time getting to know these dear people.  We look forward to doing more with Ake’s family in the future.  Please pray that we will have opportunities in the future to explain further what we do and why.

 

Sometimes we find that language barriers are helpful – like when your children say things that you hope no one heard or understood.  As I said in an earlier letter, some of our neighbors have loud dogs.  One dog is particularly annoying.  He is an old, German shepherd who has only his bark left – a long drawn out bark/howl/death rattle.  And it’s usually late at night or early in the morning (4:30 AM early) that he seems to see his invisible prowlers.  I admit I have mentioned in my children’s hearing some unkind words regarding that dog.  One day I went out with Ellie and Matthew in their little boat paddling along the canal.  As we came directly across from the house with the German shepherd, he of course began  to announce our intrusion into his territory.  Ellie sang out from the back of the boat, “There’s that Dog Daddy wishes would DIE!”  With the way sound travels across water, my only hope is that no one in that house speaks any English.

 

Thank you for praying,

Tim and Charlene

 

Discipling Leaders for Growing

Churches in SE Asia

Asia Baptist Theological Seminary of Cornerstone University

360/22 San Sai Noi

Amphur San Sai

Chiang Mai 50210

Thailand

(66) 83 564 1226

http://abts.cornerstone.edu

 

Happy New Year

Dear Folks – Hope you had a great Christmas and are having a nice New Year’s Day! 

 

Family news…We have really been enjoying our family this week!  It’s been fun getting to know our son Phillip’s girlfriend Hannah (from Texas).  She has been with us for the last few days.  She is quite something!  She is studying to be a missionary doctor and is attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.  She was adopted from the Philippines as a baby by her missionary parents.

 

Steven just got a full-time job in Chicago yesterday!  He’ll be working for a Valet Company at some pretty upscale restaurants.  He said he got to drive a Jaguar last night!  Amazing.  He got a really nice apartment from a friend of ours who is a pastor in Chicago.  So he will be living and working there while he begins ministering with his friends in the city.  God really takes him to some interesting places!

 

Church News…We have a couple of people who are interested in taking over the high school youth group!  I don’t want to say anything yet, but I’m excited about the possibilities!  We’ve been praying and God provides!

 

Also – the nomination committee will be presenting the list of people being nominated for positions in the church this Sunday.  We have great candidates who are willing to be involved.  I’m glad that so many of you are interested in serving in this way.  God is pleased when we minister to others in His church.

 

Our deacons will be submitting the proposed budget for the year in the next couple of weeks.  We are having to make some adjustments because of the current economic situation.  Please be ready with your input!

 

I’m looking forward to this coming year of ministry!  I’m sure that God has great things in store for our church.  I can’t wait to see what they are!

 

Pastor Bob