The Pastor’s Blog
- November 6th Daylight Savings Time Ends! Be sure to set your clocks back 1 hour Saturday night, November 5th.
Youth – Food, Fellowship & Football Monday Night Football Monday, November 7th @ 5:30 p.m. Meet at Angelo’s Pizza 2161 W. Main St. Cost: Buffett $8. Sign up in Ross Chapel. Hope to see you there.
Jr. High & High School Youth Outreach Event – Special guest Nick Vujicic www.lifewithoutlimbs.org
Invite a Friend! Saturday, November 19th, 5 to 10 p.m. @ Ashland High School, we will be leaving MFC @ 5 p.m. Register at iheartashland.org Admission is free with a canned food item for Ashland’s emergency food bank. Please eat dinner before you come. “If God can use a man without arms & legs to be His hands & feet then He will certainly use any willing heart.”
Mark Your Calendars for the FWMF Annual Bazaar and Soup & Pie Luncheon
Saturday, November 19th – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Friends Women Missionary & Ladies Fellowship groups will hold their annual baked goods/craft & misc. sale and soup & pie lunch on Saturday, November 19th. This is our primary fund raising effort for Yearly Meeting mission projects as well as for local area outreach ministries.
Everyone is invited to partner with the ladies by providing items such as baked goods, pies and candies of all kinds; hand crafted items for female, male, and gender neutral – general categories include kitchen, bath, general home décor, yard & garden, baby & kids. They also have a “Country Store” with quality used or never used items, no clothing please. It is helpful if you would please price your donations. Watch the Sunday bulletin and FW bulletin board for additional information. If you have any questions, please contact Nadine Brood or Donnalee Archibald.
SCRUBBY PARTY! Scrubbies are a very popular bazaar item but our scrubby maker has retired! Tuesday, November 1st @ 6:30 p.m. a get-together is scheduled at the Meadows Club House in Central Point for the purpose of learning to make kitchen scrubbies. Materials will be provided. Contact Judy Fields for further information.
FWMF (Friends Women Missionary Fellowship) is open to all women of our church. Our time together is spent in fellowship and learning about the work of our missionaries, their needs and those people to whom they minister. This month all ladies are welcome to join us at MFC Thursday, November 17th, at 10 a.m. A buffet luncheon will follow the meeting.
Ladies Fellowship Group All ladies are warmly invited and welcome to join us for sharing & caring fellowship. We will meet Tuesday, November 15th at 7 p.m. at the home of Denise Fleming.
The Power of A Simple Gift – Operation Christmas Child
Share God’s love and joy of Christmas by packing a gift filled shoe box for a hurting child overseas. Your simple gift can make an eternal difference. Our decorative shoe boxes are all gone but any standard size shoebox or 6 quart plastic shoebox will do. Information and suggested gifts for the boxes are available on the table in the hallway. Please remember to include $7 with each shoe box to help with the shipping and other expenses.
Filled shoe boxes and the $7 per shoe box need to be dropped off at the church by Wednesday, November 16th so we can get them to the drop off point on time. More information about Operation Christmas Child can be found at www.samaritanspurse.org
All Church Thanksgiving Potluck
Sunday, November 13th
Mark your calendar now and plan to join us Sunday, Nov. 13th. Our November potluck will have a Thanksgiving theme! Please bring generous side dishes and desserts that compliment a festive holiday dinner. Turkey and ham will be provided.
NWYM 2011 Thanksgiving Offering will focus on Great Lakes Leadership Training program and the Youthworkers Training Conference. Watch for more information soon in the Sunday bulletin. We will take this offering on November 20th.
Read more...
Give Thanks!
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18
In recent weeks I experienced an exhaustive time of what seemed to be nonstop activity. It was a time of late to bed and early to rise, with each day filled with more activity than there were hours in the day to get it all done. Most all of the activity was good and were things I was looking forward to, but the pace left me rather low on both physical and emotional energy. As I was praying about how I was feeling the Spirit put upon my heart the song “Give Thanks” by Henry Smith.
“Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One,
Give thanks because He’s given
Jesus Christ, His Son.
And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’
Let the poor say, ‘I am rich because of what the Lord Has done for us.’
Give thanks. Give thanks.” CCLI #2303
For the rest of the day I made that song my prayer and as I prayed back to the Lord the song that He had put on my heart, He filled me with a renewed sense of His grace and peace; He gave me energy and strength; and He met my needs in ways that I might not have even thought to ask.
During the month of November I encourage you to take time to remember, and even write down, all of the reasons you have to give the Lord thanks. And then take time each day to give Him thanks for who He is in creation, for who He is in your life and for all that He has done for you.
Giving thanks to the Lord; it’s such a simple thing to do but it brings us in line with God’s will and it sets His power loose in our lives like nothing else can.
With Thanksgiving,
Mark
Read more...
October 24-28
Home Study
Monday – Read Matthew 18:19-20
Why is there more power when we come together with other believers
in Jesus’ name?
What does it mean to come together in Jesus’ name?
When we gather in Jesus’ name, whose will should we seek?
How does this passage challenge you?
Tuesday – Read Hebrews 10:19-25
Why are we able to draw near to God?
What hope can we hold on to in all circumstances?
Why should we not neglect meeting together?
What should we do when we are together?
How does this passage challenge you? What will you do?
Wednesday – Read Acts 2:42-47
What did the believers devote themselves to doing when they met?
What was the result?
Why do you think God was able to work so powerfully through them?
What is Jesus saying to you? How will you respond?
Thursday – Read Acts 12:1-19
Why were the believers meeting together?
How did God work in response to their prayers?
Why did they almost miss the answer?
What does this passage encourage you to do?
Friday – Read Philippians 1:3-11
How did Paul feel about the believers in Philippi?
What was he confident that Jesus would do in their lives?
What did he pray for God to do in their lives?
Take a moment to pray these same things for yourself, your family and our church family.
Saturday – Read I Thessalonians 4:1-12
Read more...
October 17-21
Monday – Read John 1:1-5
What do these verses tell us about Jesus “the Word?”
Why does the world not understand this?
What can you do to better help people to see Jesus for who He is?
Tuesday – Read II Timothy 3:10-17
What warning does Paul give us here?
How can we overcome this opposition?
Where does the power of God’s word come from?
When applied to our lives what does God’s word do for us?
What will you do to be more fully filled with God’s word?
Wednesday – Read I Corinthians 2:6-16
By what does God reveal His wisdom to men?
Why is this the only way to truly know God’s mind?
How important then is it for us to be filled with God’s word and
Spirit?
What is god saying to you? How will you respond?
Thursday – Read Hebrews 4:12-13
What encouragement do these verses give you?
In what way might they make you uncomfortable?
How does God’s word lead us to live lives that are pleasing to Him?
How do these verses challenge you? What will you do?
Friday – Read Psalm 119:18, 97 and 105
As you read God’s word, do you ask God to reveal to you what He
wants you to see?
Why is God willing to do this?
How does meditating on God’s word make us wise?
How is God’s word a light for your path?
What is God saying to you? How will you respond?
Saturday – Read I Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
Read more...