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