Northeast Community News –April 30, 2013
Dear Friends and Family,
We had another wonderful day in the
Lord, Sunday! As we sang happy birthday to “baby Theo” and “grandma Julie,” it occurred
to me this fine looking 3 year is no longer a baby! What a blessing to share life together
in community! From prayer vigils to potlucks, to visiting in homes and in hospitals, to
singing happy birthday to a child in the church to loving the “least of these” outside the
church, God’s people are at their best together!
God’s message this week was from John
13:31-35 and titled, “The New Commandment.” If you knew you only had months, weeks, or days to live
what would you want to share with the world, family and friends, with those you love? John
13-17 finds Jesus in the upper room
sharing a meal and conversation with His disciples on the eve of His death.
In John 13:31-35 Jesus shares three
important lessons with His disciples. First, He
reminds them He loves them very much by
addressing them as “my children” in v. 33. Only once does Jesus address them in this tender and
affectionate way. On the eve of His death Jesus wanted to make sure that while disciples may not
understand the storm that is coming or why it arrived, they can be assured
Jesus loves them very much! The same is true today! Regardless of your storm
remember Jesus loves you very much!
Second, Jesus shares a new command.
While Jesus had affirmed the OT teaching that weare to love God with our heart,
soul, strength, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39), in John 13:34 He
commands His disciples to love one another as He has loved us! Jesus shifts the
standard of true love from how we treat ourselves to how He loves! How does Jesus love? His
love is a sacrificial, putting others first, and claiming no rights for Himself! It is a
love that willingly goes to The Cross. If we are to love as Jesus loves we must set aside
our rights, put others first, and take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24-26).
Finally, Jesus provides a test to
determine if we are true disciples. In John 13:35 Jesus says, “...all men [humanity] will know
you are my disciples, if you love one another.” When we love as Jesus loves,
those inside and outside looking in will know we are Christians! But be warned! When we do not love the
way Jesus loves, all humanity will also know we are fakes and imposters, too! Let’s be authentic and
love one another as Jesus loves!
WED. NIGHT ADULT BIBLE STUDY ON
CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE AT 6:30PM
Most of us want to be deep, strong,
wise, and mature Christians, but we may not realize those attributes require discipline and
concentrated effort! This week we will examine the discipline of Social Justice. John
Wesley has said there is no holiness without social holiness! Join us Wednesday and learn to
connect with God, reach out to others, and stay on track! You can do this! Hope to see you there!
Blessings! Pastor Dan
Hello From Pastor Amy
My office hours will vary every Tuesday,
and if you need to see me, just call! 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.
Church Office: 616-459-2773 My Contact
Info: 616-514-9521 or aorban@nnu.edu
NEWS AND EVENTS
First Friday Chinese Lunch – May 03 @ 11:30am
Everyone is invited to attend Chinese lunch on the first Friday of every month. The group meets at the Hibachi Grill on Alpine located behind the Target. The food is cheap and delicious, and no reservations are required. Just show up for lunch and fellowship. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Tamm.
Church Elections This Sunday May 05th
Attention members! Church elections take place THIS Sunday May 05th. All members are asked to make a special effort to be present and vote to elect your officials for this church year. Your voice is important, so make sure to vote on Sunday morning! Larry Branagan will be handing out ballots before and after Sunday school.
Family Church and Communion – This Sunday May 05th
On the first Sunday of every month, we celebrate the sacrament of communion. On this day, we do not send our children to children’s church, but we keep them with us for the full service. This allows our workers to participate in communion, and it also allows our children to be present for this special time!
Marriage Enrichment begins— This Sunday May 05 @ 2:00pm
Our marriage enrichment small group begins May 05th from 2-3:30pm at Dick and Emily Morse’s house. There is already a wide range of couples, with marriages ranging from 3 years to over 50 years! It’s going to be a great time! Talk to Pastor Amy to join!
Family Sports Schedules!
We have several children in the church who are involved in sports with their schools. If you have a child who would like their church family to support them in sports, please give Pastor Amy your schedule and she will publish it in the newsletter!
Alannah Parsaca’s soccer schedule: Note – contact Shannen Parsaca with questions!
April 30: @ Brewer Park
May 2: @ Veteran's Park
7: @ Whistle Stop Park
9: @ Walker Charter
14: @ Walker Charter
16: @ Timberland Charter, Muskegon
You Can Write to Larry!
Most of you know that Larry TerHaar was sentenced last week to 2.5 years in prison. There is no doubt that he could use some words of encouragement from his church family, and it is important for him to know that he is in our thoughts and prayers. If you want to write him, here is his address:
Larry David Shane TerHaar
#866962
c/o Charles Egeler Facility
3855 Cooper St.
Jackson, MI 49201-7517
Indian Lake Nazarene Camp Events
If you don’t know, Indian Lake is a Nazarene campground where people from churches all over our district gather for District Assembly, children and youth camps, and various other activities. Pastor Dan and Janie own two cabins there, and usually invite everyone down to visit during family camp week in July. It is a beautiful place, and a lot of fun! Here are some upcoming events at Indian Lake as we approach Spring and Summer:
May 21-23 – Work and Win. More work days to spruce up the camp after winter. The camp is including free meals and lodging for workers!
May 25-28 – Memorial Day Weekend. There will be family activities on Saturday, and a concert on Sunday morning.
July 4-6 – Family Festival. Fun filled days with activities for all ages, including a 5k walk, other sports, water slides and rides, animal show, crafts, swimming, ponies, pontoon boat rides, a climbing wall and zip line, an outdoor movie and more!
CHILDREN AND YOUTH CAMPS!
Discovery Camp (grades 1-2-3): July 1-3
Boys & Girls Camp (Grades 3-4-5): July 29-August 2
Middle School Camp (Grades 6-7-8): July 18-22
High School Camp (Grades 9-12): July 14-18
This year, Indian Lake is offering a special promotion! If we get three new campers to attend camps, the fourth goes for free! Registration for camp begins April 15th, so begin planning! Please note that scholarships are available to help pay for kids who want to go to camp. You can see the bulletin boards, the tables outside of the sanctuary, or Pastor Dan or Pastor Amy if you are interested and want more information. You can also go to the website: www.ilnccamps.org, or call 269.649.2281
Postcard Greetings Now Available
Is there someone you’ve missed? Someone you used to look forward to seeing each week but they are missing? Maybe there is someone you would like to invite to church or to a potluck or to Sunday school, but you’re not sure how to go about it. Well, one possibility is to send them a postcard! We recently had postcards made and they are available to anyone who would like to send them to invite, encourage, miss, or welcome someone to the church! Interested? See a Sunday school teacher or Pastor Amy or Dan.
Girl Scouts Meet in our Building! Next Meeting Monday May 06th at 6:00pm
The Girl Scouts program meets 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!
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 Pastor Amy or Irene Pratt.
Upcoming Events
May 03 First Friday Chinese Lunch @ 11:30am, Hibachi Alpine
May 05 Church Elections
May 05 Marriage Enrichment Small group begins @ 2pm, Morses’ house
May 12 Mother’s Day
May 21-23 Work and Win at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
May 29 Wednesday Night Potluck @ 5:30pm
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