Tuesday, October 30, 2012

NE NEWS - October 30, 2012


Northeast Community News – October 30, 2012
Dear Friends and Family,

What special days we have had in the Lord in recently! Every day the Triune God comes and blesses and challenges us, and this week was no exception! As we finish the 40-days in the Word together, I am reminded God not only comes to us individually but in community! What a joy to come together to worship Him in community each week! God is good and we praise Him!

But, as Christians, our community does not end at the boundaries of 861 Fuller Ave NE in Grand Rapids, Michigan! While this is the location where we gather each week, we are part of a larger community of believers around the world!

As we began a three message series on ‘what do Nazarenes believe?’ we conclude first and foremost they are a Christian people interconnected with all who trust in Christ for their salvation. We are not independent of each other! Our message this week was titled, “We are a Christian People” and examined Ephesians 4:1-6.

Paul declared, “There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, onebaptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-5).

While some Christians think they are independent and not interconnected with other Christians, Paul makes it clear there is only ONE body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism and God who is over and through and in ALL of us! The common thread that connects us is Jesus Himself!
Jesus declared, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

So, as we gather as Nazarenes each week we need to be reminded that there are many other ‘branches’ abiding in the One True Vine, that is Christ! While our views of tradition, experience, reason, and Scripture may differ slightly from other tribes and denominations, we need to remember we are all rooted in Christ!

Because we are indeed interconnected with other Christians and we know God is love (1 John 4:8) and Christ told us the essence of the Law is to love God and love neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40), we need to really love other Christians regardless of their music choices, what they wear, where they worship, or at what time, etc. Oh that the world might see Christians from all denominations love one another!

As Nazarenes, we join all Christians who affirm the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. These creeds starting with the apostles and refined in the first several centuries of Christianity form the basis of orthodox (or right or true) belief! These creeds keep us from heresy (wrong or perverse) belief that led some Christians astray.

What do Nazarenes believe? First, we are a Christian people! This week find another person or two from another faith and remind them we have much in common and then shake their hand. Remember, we are in ‘this thing’ together!

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY
Dr. Frank Moore prepared three Bible study lessons to explain the three central values in the Church of the Nazarene: We are Christian, Holiness, and Missional. Join us this week at 6:30pm to take a deeper look at being a Christian. In the next two weeks we will examine what it means to be a holy and missional people, too!

Don’t Forget! Don’t Forget! Fall Back! Daylight Savings Ends November 4th
Don’t forget that daylight savings ends on November 4th. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour so that you aren’t late for church on Sunday! You wouldn’t want to miss the sermon!

Blessings! Pastor Dan

Hello From Pastor Amy/Your Part-Time Church Secretary
My office hours will be on Tuesdays from 8am-5pm, but if you need to see me, you may want to call first. My responsibilities also include preparing our weekly program, so if you have an event that you would like to put in the program or newsletter, please feel free to contact me!

On Prayer Requests: If you have a specific praise or prayer request which you would like to appear in the program and/or newsletter, please make sure to fill out the tear-off sheet in the weekly program, or contact me at any time.

Please Update Me! We have a long, ongoing list of prayer requests. Please keep me updated. Requests will be pulled from the newsletter & program after three weeks. Thank you! Church Office: 616-459-2773 My Contact Info: 616-514-9521 or amyorban@hotmail.com

NEWS & EVENTS

Love Offering Thank You!
To everyone who gave to the love offering for Theo and I (Pastor Amy), we want to sincerely thank you. It is an incredible blessing to be in a church that loves us so much. It is also an incredible blessing to me to be surrounded by people who are encouraging and affirming my call into ministry. In addition to the love offering, I can’t help but be reminded of the ones who bring us dinners and the cards and love and hugs received from so many. And how could I forget the many, many women and girls who help care for our boys in the nursery every week? Thank you all for giving, not just of your money but of yourselves! Love Pastor Amy and Theo

Don’t Forget – No Wednesday Dinner this week!
We are not holding our Wednesday Night dinner this week, but our regular family night will go on as scheduled. Bring the whole family for Bible Study and Children’s Program, see you there!

First Friday Chinese Lunch – November 2 @ 11:30am
On the first Friday of every month, everyone is invited to a Chinese lunch at the Hibachi Grill on Alpine Ave. The food is cheap and delicious, and no reservations are required. Just show up at 11:30am for good food and fellowship. Feel free to bring friends or family members! Talk to Tracy Tamm with questions.

Family Church – Sunday, November 4th
On the first Sunday of every month, we keep our kids throughout the entire service so that they can participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist, also known as Communion or the Lord’s Supper. This also gives our adult workers a chance to be in service. Isn’t it a blessing to have our children participate in prayer and worship!

NAZARENE BIBLE COLLEGE
The Church of the Nazarene has many wonderful regional colleges and universities we are asked to support. In our region, we support Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) in Bourbonnais IL., Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) in Kansas City, MO., and Nazarene Bible College (NBC) in Colorado Springs, CO.

NBC is uniquely designed to equip ministers who come into ministry later in life. NBC offers courses on campus and on the Internet. Your faithful giving has allowed your church to give $50 to support NBC this year! When our gift is combined with the rest of the churches across the United States it really adds up! On behalf of your church board, ‘Thank you for your faithful giving!’

Vote Vote Vote! November 6th Presidential Elections
Our Nation’s Presidential Elections are being held on Tuesday, November 6. You have a responsibility to vote! Please consider being in prayer for our nation this day.

Veteran’s Day – November 11th
Most of us have friends and family members who have served our country. The sacrifice of these men and women is far beyond what most of us can imagine. Veterans Day in the United States also coincides with Remembrance Day and Armistice Day in other parts of the world which specifically remember the World War I and World War II Veterans. While Memorial Day honors those who have died in service, Veterans Day honors all those who have served in the US Military. One common tradition is for Veterans to hand out the fake Poppy flowers in exchange for a donation to Veterans. If you would like to be a bigger part of Veterans Day, this is a great resource: http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/.

Olivet Nazarene Preaching Ambassador – November 18th
We are happy to welcome our third student from ONU’s Preaching Ambassador Program. On Sunday November 18th, Reed Sapp will be bringing the message during our morning worship service. Reed is a Youth Ministry major at ONU. We will be blessed to hear the heart of the next generation of church leaders! Please be in prayer for Reed as his visit draws near.

Sunday, November 4th, LAST DAY for Blankets!
We are holding our third annual blanket drive throughout the month of October. Bring your clean, new or used blankets which will go directly to Mel Trotter Mission for the homeless people who stay there in the cold of winter. There are eight more days left to give! Our goal this year is 75 blankets! 

Blanket Total: 30  

Birthdays and Anniversaries, Please!
Do we have your birthday and anniversaries? Please email them to Pastor Amy, or write them down and stick them in her mailbox located on the wall outside of the nursery, thank you!

Advent is Coming – Volunteers Needed!
Advent, our preparation period leading up to Christmas, begins on December 2nd. One of the special things we like to do during Advent is to have volunteers do special readings at the beginning of each Sunday service. The readings correlate with the lighting of the candles on our Advent Wreath. Would you be willing to read? Talk to Pastor Amy or Pastor Dan!

Girl Scouts Meeting in our Building! Next Meeting Monday November 12th at 6:00pm

We are thrilled to announce that beginning in October, the Girl Scouts program will be meeting in our building every other week on Monday nights @ 6pm. If you have a girl who is interested in joining, there is a $12 registration fee, and the group will tentatively be meeting every other Mondays of the month. Also, if parents of girls are interested in volunteering, they are also more than welcome to register to be a part of the program! Talk to Pastor Dan for registration forms!

Craft and Scrapbooking Weekend at Indian Lake: Nov 2-4

Chris Freed, Activity Director at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp (who is also Irene Pratt’s niece) announced a time for LADIES ONLY to bring their scrapbooking, quilting, sewing, and stamping, etc. to Indian Lake to enjoy a time of fun and relaxation for just $25 (and this includes meals). If you’re interested there are brochures on the table outside the sanctuary!

Northeast Community Walking/Jogging Club

Our walking club has begun to dwindle in size! Perhaps most of you don’t like to walk or lose a few pounds or make a few friends with some in your church family! Alas, I imagine it is probably more likely you are all busy doing other good things! But, if you would like to get a few laughs while getting a little exercise we will be walking 3.1 miles (5k) every Tuesday night at 6:00pm through November 20. If you are interested just show up! See Pastor Dan if you have any questions!

New Website! New Facebook Page!
Please send any input or ideas to Shannen Parsaca atslparsaca@gmail.com  
Check us out on Facebook under “Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene” 

Want to help, but not sure how?
If you are wondering where to plug in, but are not sure how, we have opportunities. Current opportunities include a soundboard worker, nursery helpers, childrens workers, potluck coordinators, visiting our shut-ins, greeters and ushers, visitor follow-ups, Sunday School teachers, music leaders, people willing to shovel snow in the winter, and much more. It doesn’t matter how long you have been attending our church, serving is a great way to honor God and get to know the people around you! If you sense a call to a specific area or need some ideas to pray about, please contact Amy Orban or Cherry Pakiela or Irene Pratt.

Upcoming Events
Nov. 2             First Friday Chinese Lunch @ 11:30am
Nov. 2-4          Indian Lake Craft/Scrapbooking Weekend
Nov. 6             Election Day - VOTE
Nov. 11           International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Nov. 11           Veteran’s Day
Nov. 18           Preaching Ambassador Reed Sapp from ONU is coming
Nov. 22           Thanksgiving Day
December 2     Advent Begins

Reflections from Pastor Amy 
Weekly thoughts, life-lessons, and reflections from a redeemed child of God, a mother,
 a wife, a student, a sinner under the Cross of Jesus Christ, and a Pastor-in-training.                                  
  October 30, 2012

This year for our October Pastor Appreciation month, the church board decided that we wanted to make it an extra-special, month-long event to show our love for Pastor Dan and Janie. We hope that by now, the feel loved and over-loved and smothered in love. Sunday marked our last Sunday of appreciation, and today will mark my last article dedication.

You already read the interview with Pastor Dan which discussed his love and appreciation for Janie, so this week you get to hear a little bit about the life of ministry through Janie’s eyes! You will see my questions in regular print, and Janie’s answers in bold. Enjoy.

When did you know you wanted to marry Pastor Dan? 
That is a good question! I guess shortly after we met.

What was he like "back then"? 
He was the ‘perfect’ gentleman. He generally brought me one cut rose every week, opened doors for me and he tried to be the ‘man’ which of course I rejected. He was a little wild when I met him - after all, he was a Harley rider….he tried to scare me away until he realized his parents would disown him!

What were your initial thoughts when he told you he felt called into ministry? 
Amazingly, I was at peace with it because it was God’s will for him/us.

What have some of the biggest challenges been for you both in this process? 
Dan was concerned about his call because he knew it would require moving away from the kids and the house/land I loved which had been the family home since 1986. Dan tried to say he couldn’t go into the ministry because he couldn’t take me away from our home. So, at times I was frustrated and kept telling him he could not use me as a scape-goat!

I think our education was also a big challenge.

As we look back, we clearly know that God was holding us up.

 What are some of the biggest blessings? 
The peace we have knowing that we are right where God wants us. All of the people at NE Community are a blessing. We have never been so loved and cared for.

What kind of unique issues do you see Pastor Dan having to deal with?
 I think Pastor Amy taught him this saying – you are going to have to walk over some bodies; meaning, some people either cannot or will not get well in this life. He really wants to help everyone and wants everyone to be successful in giving up alcohol, drugs, or other issues. Unfortunately, that is just not reality.

Second, it is dealing with having to drop personal plans (which may be just sitting on the couch watching a football game) when someone calls and is in crisis.

He lives by this saying – the interruptions are ministry; ministry is not all of the planned things like writing a newsletter or sermon or calling on people.

Is there anything thing that you want us to know or wish people would realize about Pastor Dan? 
 While he can sound short at times, he deeply cares for everyone and wishes he could spend more time with each and every person. I think he gets frustrated that he cannot do everything (and perfectly!). He wants everyone to know Christ as their Savior.

What is the best way we can appreciate him? Tell him why you appreciate him!  

Thank you Janie, for sharing your perspective with us! Aren’t you guys glad that this is your last week under the spotlight! You have a whole year before we will smother you again. Love you!


With Love, Pastor Amy




    
      amyorban@hotmail.com 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

NE NEWS - October 23, 2012


Dear Friends and Family,

What wonderful weekend services we had in the Lord this week! Our first service Saturday night was led by Pastor Amy and was titled, ‘A Night of Christ-Centered Testimony.’ After opening remarks, a few hymns, and prayer, Pastor Amy gave us the Biblical and theological foundation for testimonies! Are you prepared to give your testimony? Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15b:

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Paul added the idea of having a testimony in Colossians 4:5-6: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

So, with hungry and thirsty hearts and the lights turned down low three ladies took turns sharing their testimonies. Each spoke of extremely painful moments of unbelievable struggle and hurt, but each gave the ‘reason for the hope that they had’ and the answer was Christ. It was a night that could never be repeated! The honesty – tender vulnerability – and powerful testimonies were something each of us needed to hear! Thank you Jeni, Tracy, and Irene for not only sharing your pain, but for glorifying Christ Jesus! God is good! (all the time!) Amen!

Our Sunday morning service was also wonderful! God’s message this week came from Nehemiah 13:4-27 and was titled, ‘Keeping Our Promises.’ The people of God had seen so much! They had witnessed the hand of God work in their midst, but over time had become complacent and forgotten their heritage, tradition, and passion. They were drifting from their anchor and needed a wake up call!

After governing Jerusalem for 12 years, Nehemiah returned to Babylon to serve king Artaxerxes. He told the king he would return and he kept his word!

But several years later Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and could scarcely believe his eyes. On his return he found a storage room in the Temple being used by a Gentile (and a big enemy of God’s at that) while the Levites and Singers had to return home because the people weren’t tithing, and the house of God was being neglected. How did Nehemiah respond to obvious sin and drift?

First, he sees and calls sin what it is! There isn’t any ‘turning a blind eye’ or prideful rationalization with Nehemiah! In v7 he sees the Gentile in the Temple, in v11 he sees the house of God neglected, in vv. 15-16 he sees people working on the Sabbath, and in vv. 23-24 he sees Judean men marrying foreign wives. And this is in the church! How about you? When you see sin do you ‘turn a blind eye,’ write it off as ‘personal choice,’ or do you call it what it is – sin?

Second, he takes a stand! Throughout this passage Nehemiah not only sees sin, he takes a righteous stand against it! For example, in vv10-11 he rebukes and calls out the officials and tells them what they ought to be doing. Where does God want you to take a stand for righteousness? Are you willing to do the unpopular and hard thing because it is the right thing to do?

Finally, Nehemiah kept his guard up and refused to compromise or back down like Eliashib the priest did with Tobiah in vv. 4b-5. After all, since the tithes were way down and the storage room was empty why not set aside the law requiring the Temple to be free from Gentiles and rent a room to a man with money to pay? Not only was Tobiah a Gentile, he was the chief enemy of God! What had begun with a little spiritual drift resulted in inviting the enemy to live with them!

But this is how spiritual drift works! We innocently think we can loosen some of our ‘discipleship essentials’ like missing a week of worship, a few days of prayer or bible study and convince ourselves we’re just fine when one day we discover the enemy has moved back into our lives and is living with us!

If we want to live righteous and holy lives for God like Nehemiah did in the midst of a sinful and tolerant culture, we need to call sin what it is, take a stand, and refuse to compromise or allow our spiritual lives to drift! If you have drifted, it’s time to get back! Read your Bible today, pray right now and attend worship this week!

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY
This week’s adult Wednesday night study is called ‘Developing a Vision for God’s Work.’ Do you know God’s vision? Are you aligned with it? Join us this week at 6:30pm as we discuss loving God and loving others!
Blessings! Pastor Dan

Hello From Pastor Amy/Your Part-Time Church Secretary
My office hours will be on Tuesdays from 8am-5pm, but if you need to see me, you may want to call first. My responsibilities also include preparing our weekly program, so if you have an event that you would like to put in the program or newsletter, please feel free to contact me!
On Prayer Requests: If you have a specific praise or prayer request which you would like to appear in the program and/or newsletter, please make sure to fill out the tear-off sheet in the weekly program, or contact me at any time.
Please Update Me! We have a long, ongoing list of prayer requests. Please keep me updated. Requests will be pulled from the newsletter & program after three weeks. Thank you!Church Office: 616-459-2773 My Contact Info: 616-514-9521 or amyorban@hotmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NEWS & EVENTS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Friday Chinese Lunch – November 2 @ 11:30am
On the first Friday of every month, everyone is invited to a Chinese lunch at the Hibachi Grill on Alpine Ave. The food is cheap and delicious, and no reservations are required. Just show up at 11:30am for good food and fellowship. Feel free to bring friends or family members! Talk to Tracy Tamm with questions.

NAZARENE BIBLE COLLEGE
The Church of the Nazarene has many wonderful regional colleges and universities we are asked to support. In our region, we support Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) in Bourbonnais IL., Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) in Kansas City, MO., and Nazarene Bible College (NBC) in Colorado Springs, CO.

NBC is uniquely designed to equip ministers who come into ministry later in life. NBC offers courses on campus and on the Internet. Your faithful giving has allowed your church to give $50 to support NBC this year! When our gift is combined with the rest of the churches across the United States it really adds up! On behalf of your church board, ‘Thank you for your faithful giving!’

Fall Back! Daylight Savings Ends November 4th
Don’t forget that daylight savings ends on November 4th. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour so that you aren’t late for church on Sunday!

Vote Vote Vote! November 6th Presidential Elections
Our Nation’s Presidential Elections are being held on Tuesday, November 6. You have a responsibility to vote! Please consider being in prayer for our nation this day.

Veteran’s Day – November 11th
Most of us have friends and family members who have served our country. The sacrifice of these men and women is far beyond what most of us can imagine. This Veteran’s Day, make sure to thank our service men and women!

Olivet Nazarene Preaching Ambassador – November 18th
We are happy to welcome our third student from ONU’s Preaching Ambassador Program. On Sunday November 18th, Reed Sapp will be bringing the message during our morning worship service. Reed is a Youth Ministry major at ONU. We will be blessed to hear the heart of the next generation of church leaders! Please be in prayer for Reed as his visit draws near.

Food Drive Thank You!
We want to say THANK YOU to everyone for the donations to our food drive. All donations received went directly to the North End Community Mission. For such a small little church, we have been able to give very generously! Thank you to everyone who participated!
Total Food Donated: Cans = 224 Boxes = 48

Blanket Drive for Missions Through October – Eight More Days!
We are holding our third annual blanket drive throughout the month of October. Bring your clean, new or used blankets which will go directly to Mel Trotter Mission for the homeless people who stay there in the cold of winter. There are eight more days left to give! Our goal this year is 75 blankets!Blanket Total: 24  

Birthdays and Anniversaries, Please!
Do we have your birthday and anniversaries? Please email them to Pastor Amy, or write them down and stick them in her mailbox located on the wall outside of the nursery, thank you!

Advent is Coming – Volunteers Needed!
Advent, our preparation period leading up to Christmas, begins on December 2nd. One of the special things we like to do during Advent is to have volunteers do special readings at the beginning of each Sunday service. The readings correlate with the lighting of the candles on our Advent Wreath. Would you be willing to read? Talk to Pastor Amy or Pastor Dan!

Children’s Church Changes
This month we have started allowing the children to remain in the service until after our family prayer time. Our children’s leaders think we may have children who would like to be at the altar praying, and there are probably some families who could benefit from a shared prayer time. The children will be dismissed to regular children’s church following our prayer time. Let’s encourage our children to come to the Lord and pray!
Girl Scouts Meeting in our Building! Next Meeting October 29that 6:00pm
We are thrilled to announce that beginning in October, the Girl Scouts program will be meeting in our building every other week on Monday nights @ 6pm. If you have a girl who is interested in joining, there is a $12 registration fee, and the group will tentatively be meeting every other Mondays of the month. Also, if parents of girls are interested in volunteering, they are also more than welcome to register to be a part of the program! Talk to Pastor Dan for registration forms!

Craft and Scrapbooking Weekend at Indian Lake: Nov 2-4
Chris Freed, Activity Director at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp (who is also Irene Pratt’s niece) announced a time for LADIES ONLY to bring their scrapbooking, quilting, sewing, and stamping, etc. to Indian Lake to enjoy a time of fun and relaxation for just $25 (and this includes meals). If you’re interested there are brochures on the table outside the sanctuary!


New Website! New Facebook Page!
Please send any input or ideas to Shannen Parsaca at slparsaca@gmail.com  
Check us out on Facebook under “Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene” 

Want to help, but not sure how?
If you are wondering where to plug in, but are not sure how, we have opportunities. Current opportunities
 include a soundboard worker, nursery helpers, children's workers, potluck coordinators, visiting our shut-ins, greeters and ushers, visitor follow-ups, Sunday School teachers, music leaders, people willing to shovel snow in the winter, and much more. It doesn’t matter how long you have been attending our church, serving is a great way to honor God and get to know the people around you! If you sense a call to a specific area or need some ideas to pray about, please contact Amy Orban or Cherry Pakiela or Irene Pratt.



Upcoming Events
Nov. 2                 First Friday Chinese Lunch @ 11:30am
Nov. 2-4              Indian Lake Craft/Scrapbooking Weekend
Nov. 6                 Election Day - VOTE
Nov. 11               International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Nov. 11               Veteran’s Day
Nov. 18               Preaching Ambassador Reed Sapp from ONU is coming
Nov. 22               Thanksgiving Day
December 2         Advent Begins


Reflections from Pastor Amy 
Weekly thoughts, life-lessons, and reflections from a redeemed child of God, 
a mother, a wife, a student, a sinner under the Cross of Jesus Christ, and a Pastor-in-training.                                    
October 23, 2012

If you were not able to attend our Saturday Night Testimony Service, you really missed out.

To start out, we talked about why we share our testimonies with one another. Here are a few of the biblical reasons I shared Saturday night:

·         We share our testimony because God commands us to do so. From Moses to Deborah to King David and throughout the New Testament, we hear God telling us to go and tell the world what He has done.

·         We share our testimony to remember what God has done for us. The prophets of the Old Testament were constantly, repeatedly pleading with the people  - REMEMBER what God has done for you! Remember His mercy and His kindness and all He has done. The people were quick to forget, and as a result, they were quick to run back into sin and idolatry. When we take the time to remember what God has done for us, it gives us fresh perspective and encourages our faith. Taking the time to remember what God has done can also be a weapon against the devil, who is always trying to lead us astray.
As the psalmist said, “Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2)

·         It encourages others to believe in Jesus Christ. Sharing with others is simply a vital part of our faith as Christians.

·         To share your story can also help your fellow believers. I believe that one of the devil’s best weapons is to try and make us believe that we are the only onesstruggling with sin, the only ones who have been through this or that, the only ones carrying scars and pain. When we share our testimony, we realize that we are not alone. More importantly, we get to celebrate the fact that we share the common hope which is Jesus Christ.
  
·         Sharing our testimony is a form of worship. Take the story in Luke 17:11-19, where 10 lepers were healed, but only one returns to give thanks and praise to Jesus. Scripture says that this man “came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no on returned to give praise to God except this foreigner? And he said to him, rise and go, your faith has made you well.”  We can say we are grateful, but true gratitude comes with more than just words, it comes with actions to follow.

·         Lastly, giving our testimony helps us to “hold fast to our profession of faith” as the writer of Hebrews 10:23 said. To openly and publicly discuss our faith in Christ helps solidify our faith. We gain confidence to proclaim the name of Jesus and Him crucified for us, we do not keep it to ourselves.

One of my favorite verses about this is from Paul in the book of Romans:  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:16)

Saturday night, we heard the powerful testimonies of three women who were willing to open their hearts and memories to us, as well as their hope in Christ.  For nearly two and a half hours we listened to stories of trial, of bondage to evil, and of the incredible drawing and saving grace which is in Jesus Christ who sets us free, heals us, and keeps us as His own.

One of my favorite statements came from Tracy. She was talking about when she turned her life over to Christ. She said something like, “as I reflect on all of my struggles, I realize the end isn’t really the end, but the beginning.” What a testament to the way everything changes when we meet Christ.

At the end of her story, Irene described the goodness of the Lord as something like eating a hot fudge sundae. Can you imagine only tasting one little bite of a delicious hot fudge sundae? Me either. And so it is with God – He is so good, and once we taste of His goodness, we just want more and more of Him.

Jeni’s testimony hit home for me in a very personal way. Did you know that several people in our church (including our Weds Night Bible study group) have been praying for Jeni and Josh for about 3 years? Her story clearly showed a God who continued to love and pursue her while she was out wandering in the wilderness. Her presence among us and her willingness to share her story is an incredible testament to God’s goodness and answered prayer!

There is a song out right now, and the lyrics say – Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me. Hallelujah and all my stains are washed away… Throughout the stories of these three women, I could clearly see grace weaving in and out of their lives, pouring down like rain from start to finish. Sometimes we feel lost, like stumbling down the hall when the power is out, looking for a light switch, banging our knees on the end table. Time brings perspective to the valleys we walk through, and as we know that this too shall pass, we trust that God’s hand is carrying us along. I was so blessed to hear these testimonies about how these three have made sense out of life, how they have found healing and peace and understanding, and how they look back and see God’s gracious hand in it all.

Thank you again to Tracy, Irene, and Jeni for opening yourselves up for God’s glory!

With Love, Pastor Amy                                                                                                                                                                                             


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

NE NEWS - October 16, 2012


Dear Friends and Family,

What a wonderful day we had in the Lord, Sunday! Five ladies had returned the day before from ‘Come to the Fire’ at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL, and three of them shared what God had done Sunday morning! One testified she was completely healed of her many deep and painful memories of abuse and another set free of other hurts during the healing service! Praise the Lord!

Last Sunday was also Rev. Christian Christopher’s 90th birthday and the time for our bi-monthly potluck! Perhaps as many as 12 family members visited us this week during worship and perhaps 6 more came to the potluck. It amounted to another ‘Fuller Ave. Reunion’ as many in his family once attended our church! It was fun for everyone and the food and cake was delicious! God is good!

God’s message this week came from Nehemiah 12:27-47 and titled “Preparation, Purification, and Participation (or Praise).’ As we near the end of Nehemiah, it is important to remember the full story.

First, there was a time of preparation. We often like to skip to the ‘good parts’ of a story, but it’s important to remember all that led up to this day of dedication, celebration, and praise! The happy ending we find in Nehemiah required tears and turning to God, overcoming repeated plots of the enemy, lots of hard work, and a need to confess faults, consecrate lives, in order to be set free! Remember, as you grow in grace and become all Jesus has for you, you need to be prepared to cry, turn to God, overcome, work hard, and confess and consecrate, too!

Second, there was a time of purification, too. An indispensible part of the praise and celebration was to purify the walls and the people, first (v. 12:30). Those who were regarded as ritually unclean were unfit to participate in the ceremony without bathing, fasting, and sprinkling holy water, and blood from the sacrifice. While Jesus rejected ritual outward cleansing as burdensome, he still challenged His followers to have pure hearts! How? Through the blood of the lamb! Have you asked Jesus to purify you through the Holy Spirit? Oh that all of us would seek the cleansing that the Spirit of Christ can accomplish through the blood!

Finally, there was a time of participation (or praise). It began with a procession of thanksgiving along the walls (12:31-38) and ended with praise so loud, ‘The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away’ (v. 12:43).

How loud is your praise? How far away from our church could they hear us praise God? The early church got a little undignified! They weren’t afraid or too self-conscious; they got downright blessed and loud! Those early Nazarenes, full of the Holy Spirit, clapped, sang, shouted, and danced little ‘hallelujah dances’ with ‘hankies waving’ in the sanctuary overwhelmed with praise for God! May God ‘do it again’ as we too learn to prepare, purify, and praise God! Amen!

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY
This week’s adult Wednesday night study is called ‘Learning to Trust God.’ Who we trust determines what we do and how we do it! Join us this week at 6:30pm as we discuss loving God and loving others!
Blessings! Pastor Dan

Hello From Pastor Amy/Your Part-Time Church Secretary
My office hours will be on Tuesdays from 8am-5pm, but if you need to see me, you may want to call first. My responsibilities also include preparing our weekly program, so if you have an event that you would like to put in the program or newsletter, please feel free to contact me!

On Prayer Requests: If you have a specific praise or prayer request which you would like to appear in the program and/or newsletter, please make sure to fill out the tear-off sheet in the weekly program, or contact me at any time.

Please Update Me! We have a long, ongoing list of prayer requests. Please keep me updated. Requests will be pulled from the newsletter & program after three weeks. Thank you!
Church Office: 616-459-2773
My Contact Info: 616-514-9521 or amyorban@hotmail.com

NEWS & EVENTS

A Night of Christ-Centered Testimony – OCT 20th at 6:00PM
Have you ever longed to hear what God’s grace can do in the life of someone broken by alcohol, drugs, and other sinful passions left out of control? Have you ever wished ‘regular people’ could just get up front and share their testimonies and preach about what God has done without spending years getting educated? Do you ever wonder what church might look like if it was a bit more real?

If you answered YES to any of these questions then you NEED TO COME to our FIRST ‘Night of Christ Centered Testimony’ on October 20th at 6:00PM!

For weeks Pastor Amy has planned an alternative service where we can come hear what God is doing in the lives of his people! This is a night where you can hear great stories from all kinds of people about how awesome Christ really is. This is a great time to invite friends, family, neighbors, or anyone else who could use some good news. Who will you invite?

Invitations will be available THIS Wednesday! Grab some and hand them out!
Also please note that this will be a casual night, and you do not need to be polished or profound at public speaking or wear a suit to share your heart for Christ with others! Won’t you pray you about it?

Food Drive Thank You!
We want to say THANK YOU to everyone for the donations to our food drive. All donations received went directly to the North End Community Mission. For such a small little church, we have been able to give very generously! Thank you to everyone who participated!
Total Food Donated: Cans = 224 Boxes = 48

Blanket Drive for Missions Through October
We are holding our third annual blanket drive throughout the month of October. Bring your clean, new or used blankets which will go directly to Mel Trotter Mission.  Our goal this year is 75 blankets! Blanket Total: 14 

Birthdays and Anniversaries, Please!
Do we have your birthday and anniversaries? Please email them to Pastor Amy, or write them down and stick them in her mailbox located on the wall outside of the nursery, thank you!

Advent is Coming – Volunteers Needed!
Advent, our preparation period leading up to Christmas, begins on December 2nd. One of the special things we like to do during Advent is to have volunteers do special readings at the beginning of each Sunday service. The readings correlate with the lighting of the candles on our Advent Wreath. Would you be willing to read? Talk to Pastor Amy or Pastor Dan!

Children’s Church Changes
This month we have started allowing the children to remain in the service until after our family prayer time. Our children’s leaders think we may have children who would like to be at the altar praying, and there are probably some families who could benefit from a shared prayer time. The children will be dismissed to regular children’s church following our prayer time. Let’s encourage our children to come to the Lord and pray!
Girl Scouts Meeting in our Building! Next Meeting October 29th at 6:00pm
We are thrilled to announce that beginning in October, the Girl Scouts program will be meeting in our building every other week on Monday nights @ 6pm. If you have a girl who is interested in joining, there is a $12 registration fee, and the group will tentatively be meeting every other Mondays of the month. Also, if parents of girls are interested in volunteering, they are also more than welcome to register to be a part of the program! Talk to Pastor Dan for registration forms!

Craft and Scrapbooking Weekend at Indian Lake: Nov 2-4
Chris Freed, Activity Director at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp (who is also Irene Pratt’s niece) announced a time for LADIES ONLY to bring their scrapbooking, quilting, sewing, and stamping, etc. to Indian Lake to enjoy a time of fun and relaxation for just $25 (and this includes meals). If you’re interested there are brochures on the table outside the sanctuary!

Northeast Community Walking/Jogging Club
Our walking club has begun to dwindle in size! Perhaps most of you don’t like to walk or lose a few pounds or make a few friends with some in your church family! Alas, I imagine it is probably more likely you are all busy doing other good things! But, if you would like to get a few laughs while getting a little exercise we will be walking 3.1 miles (5k) every Tuesday night at 6:00pm through November 20. If you are interested just show up! See Pastor Dan if you have any questions!

New Website! New Facebook Page!
Please send any input or ideas to Shannen Parsaca at slparsaca@gmail.com  
Check us out on Facebook under “Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene” 

Want to help, but not sure how?
If you are wondering where to plug in, but are not sure how, we have opportunities. Current opportunities include a soundboard worker, nursery helpers, childrens workers, potluck coordinators, visiting our shut-ins, greeters and ushers, visitor follow-ups, Sunday School teachers, music leaders, people willing to shovel snow in the winter, and much more. It doesn’t matter how long you have been attending our church, serving is a great way to honor God and get to know the people around you! If you sense a call to a specific area or need some ideas to pray about, please contact Amy Orban or Cherry Pakiela or Irene Pratt.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 20                 Testimony Service @ 6pm
Nov. 2-4    Indian Lake Craft/Scrapbooking Weekend
Nov. 11     International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Nov. 18     Preaching Ambassador Reed Sapp from ONU is coming
Nov. 22     Thanksgiving Day
December 2         Advent Begins

Reflections from Pastor Amy 
Weekly thoughts, life-lessons, and reflections from a redeemed child of God, 
a mother, a wife, a student, a sinner under the Cross of Jesus Christ, and a Pastor-in-training.                                    
October 16, 2012
Scatter the Darkness
In 2007 my sister gave me a CD called “Scatter the Darkness,” along with a small book she printed which had the lyrics to every hymn on the CD. Inside she wrote a small message to me about finding quiet moments with Jesus in the busy life of a big family, and how the songs inside reminded her of me, and of grace and grandparents and childhood memories and gifts from God.  

This was one of those gifts that I put away on a shelf and did not look at again for a long time. The meaning and thoughtfulness behind the gift was lost on me, mainly because I was too wrapped up in myself to even think about it. Also because I was resentful at my perfect sister with her great life and beautiful kids and church family. I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to hymns.  Quiet time with God?  I was usually too hung over (or drunk or high) to even know what time it was, let alone find time that didn’t revolve around me doing whatever I wanted to try and make myself feel good.

 This dark time for me went on for a few years. And it got progressively worse, quickly. More alcohol, more drugs, more criminal friends, more terrible men, better drugs, self-pity and misery and overall spiritual bankruptcy abounded.  Many of you have your own horror stories or know about other people’s, so I won’t burden you with mine. We’ll just say it was ugly.

 I moved several times, figuring a new and better place to live would be the solution to my horrible choices. But there I was, and wherever I went, more bad choices came with me. Each time I moved, I took the Scatter the Darkness CD and book off of my bookshelf, packed it away, and then shoved it back in the corner of the bookshelf when I unpacked it later.

 It began to haunt me. Why not just throw it away? This reminder of….of what? I didn’t even know, but it made me uncomfortable every time it crossed my mind.

 On several different dark days when I found myself wishing things could change, I would pull out the book and CD. Sometimes I would listen to the songs, other times I would just read some lyrics. Sometimes this gave me great comfort, sometimes I hated it. Then back on the shelf it would go, hiding. Scatter the Darkness

 Five years later and my darkness has been scattered. I am no longer trying to escape God. It didn’t happen all at once. It took a treatment center for drugs and alcohol, more failed relationships, a lot of accountability to a lot of people, and a whole ton of spiritual reconstruction. Not to mention a lot of the seeds of God’s love planted by a lot of faithful people who loved me and love Him.

 Yesterday I sat down in the quiet of the afternoon (during baby naptime) and listened to this CD.  It is the perfect set of hymns for the Lenten season. Today it no longer haunts me or makes my stomach turn with the guilt which comes with living the wrong way. Today I am free, and not only do I get to sit and listen to music which comforts me and brings me closer to Jesus, but I also get to feel close to my dear sister who lives in another state and who I miss dearly. I get to reflect on my relationship with her and with many that I wreaked so much havoc on in my darker days.  It is much better today, by God’s grace.

 Yes, she was always there, that quiet voice reminding me of better things. And her gift of the Scatter the Darkness CD was always there, another quiet symbol of God’s drawing grace. Who would have known the important role this gift would play in my walk? These things were always there, pointing me to the Savior who was always there. I wonder where I would be without people in my life who were constantly telling me the truth, even when I wanted nothing to do with it?

 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? (Psalm 139:7) The truth is, I can’t, and I don’t want to.  Pastor said on Sunday that God uses ordinary things for extraordinary purposes, and isn’t it true? God pursues us through all kinds of people and things. In my life, seeds were planted and now they grow.

 I hope you take time to quiet yourself and seek God’s face. As you reflect, I wonder, who is it you should be thanking Jesus for in your own life? Who has been your steady reminder of His goodness, who has been His servant planting seeds in your heart with words and gifts, wanted and unwanted?  Who has pointed you to the Cross?  

 Dear Jesus, thank you for my sister, for the Scatter the Darkness CD, and for the people you have put in my life to plant seeds of your love in my heart. Thank you for everyone who prayed for me when I was living in the darkness, thank you for pursuing me and drawing me into your light. May I also be a faithful seed-planter to those who desperately need their darkness scattered.  

With Love, Pastor Amy