Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene
861 Fuller Ave NE - Grand Rapids, MI 49503 - PH # 616.459.2773
Northeast Community News –January 22, 2013
We had another (cough, cough) wonderful
day in the Lord last week even though many of us were sick, re-sick, and/or had
kids that were sick or re-sick, and we nearly ran out of hand sanitizer in the
church!
But sickness couldn’t stop the joy of
meeting 15-day-old Landon James Sinclair Roman (son of Danica) for the first
time nor could it stop God from prompting one to announce she wanted to seek
membership or keep us from worshipping God! Thanks to Jonathon Gingrich, Steve
Hammond, and Pat Parsaca for stepping up and running the soundboard, PowerPoint
and ushering with Janie teaching kids and Theo missing to care for his sick
family and Jerry out sick! God provided everyone we needed and we were blessed!
God is good! Praise His name!
God’s message to us this week was from Mark
1:14-20 and titled, “Follow Me.” In the first 13 verses of chapter 1, Mark immediately
tells us about John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism and His temptation. Mark is the
shortest of the Gospel narratives and he is writer that gets to the point
quickly. Beginning in v. 14 Mark recalls the calling of the first four
disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus’ words are simple, yet
profound and far-reaching. “Come, follow
me,” Jesus said, “And I will make you fishers of men” (v. 17). The
disciple’s response was just as simple and far-reaching. “At once they left their nets and followed him” (v. 18).
What a strange question from a man they
hardly knew and yet they immediately left their nets and followed. While we
know nothing of the circumstances leading up to their encounter with Jesus, it
is evident even in the busyness of preparing their nets to fish 1) God’s grace
had prepared them in advance through the Holy Spirit, and 2) they somehow
recognized the authority of God’s voice in Jesus.
In the midst of your busyness are you
prepared to encounter God today? Are you prepared to hear God’s voice today,
reprioritize your life, and follow Him? If you have heard His voice have you
responded? Following Jesus requires more than a single decision. Jesus asks us
to completely abandon our lives, plans and priorities for His plans and
priorities. Following Jesus means you keep your focus on Him and continue to
learn from Him, listen to Him, and respond to Him.
Finally, Jesus call is to become a fisher
of men (and yes women and boys and girls, too!). I have read
Mark Twain loved to go fishing, but he hated catching fish. The problem was he
went fishing to relax, but catching fish would ruin his relaxation. After all,
if you catch a fish you have to take the fish off the hook and then bait the
hook again. And that messed up the relaxing.
He realized, however, if people saw him
doing nothing, they would call him lazy, so he came up with the perfect plan.
He would fish without a hook. He would put his line in the water without any
hook or bait hook. Are we ever this way? We do just enough to make it look like
were reaching out, but we really don’t want to catch any messy that will mess
up our relaxing? Maybe it is time some of us got serious about doing the work
of God and become fishers of men.
Our service closed with Irene Pratt and
Larry Branagan reading a true story about a young man who had received Christ in
the mission field who did not have a back up plan. When the war started the
missionaries left him to tend to 50-orphaned babies he approached the situation
with child-like faith. He wrote,
“The
conflict lasted for three years. There were times when the babies got sick. I
was surrounded with medicine and equipment, but I didn’t know how to use it. I
did what I knew: I prayed. God healed the babies!
When the mill canister ran low and the babies faced starvation I was
tempted to abandon them. Instead, I prayed and hearing the noise of the gate I
opened it to find another agency had sent milk.
When we were finally able to leave the compound, the city all around
us was in ruin. Yet, we were all safe. We praised God for His protection.”
What is keeping you from trusting and
serving God? If you wait until you are perfect you are going to wait a very
long time! Perhaps it is time to drop your nets like the first disciples did and
follow Jesus without a backup plan!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT ADULT GRIEF BIBLE STUDY (6:30PM)
Are you grieving? While we often think of grief associated with the
death of a loved one, we can also grieve over a lost marriage, a lost career,
too. Grief leaves us feeling lost and helpless wondering, ‘How can I go on?’
If you are experiencing grief you’re not alone! Join us Wednesday
nights to examine what the Psalms can teach us about a compassionate, loving
God who weeps with you, walks with you, and offers hope in the midst of pain.
This week we will examine how Psalm 77 can help us address our anger. In the 6 weeks
we will examine guilt, sadness, and hope, too! Hope to see you there! Blessings!
Pastor Dan
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 aorban@nnu.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NEWS&EVENTS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Workdays Continue—Saturday, January 26th
The trustees are holding monthly workdays
this year, scheduled for the last Saturday of every month, from 8am-12pm. No
matter what kind of skills you have, there is always plenty of work to be done
around the church, including painting, cleaning, organizing, and other odd jobs
and maintenance. It is important to take care of our building and grounds! If
you can help, just show up ready to work! Talk to Theo Orban or Pat Parsaca if
you have questions.
Last Wednesday of the Month—Dinners Continue!
January 30th @ 5:30pm
January 30th @ 5:30pm
On the last Wednesday of the month, we
gather one hour before our Wednesday night Bible Study to enjoy dinner and
fellowship. The theme is soup, salad, and bread. Bring a dish to pass and join
us @ 5:30pm. Talk to Julie Orban if you can help set-up or clean-up.
Missionary
Books! – Will You Read?
Our Missions department has reported that
so far this year we have read 54 missionary books as a church. We are doing
great, but our goal of 75 books by June is fast approaching! Are you interested
in reading a book? The books are very interesting, and they are a great way to
learn more about missionary work around the world. Books are available for all
ages, and even on CD if you would rather listen! Talk to Janie Hathaway.
Every
year our local missionary team asks us to participate in gathering materials
for Crisis Care Kits (CCK). This year Tracy Tamm, a member of our local
Nazarene Missions International (NMI) council is coordinating and leading our
effort. What is a CCK and why should we help? A CCK is a collection of basic
toiletry items every human needs, but often don’t have because of a
catastrophic emergency forcing them to flee.
For
example, they were provided to the victims of super storm Sandy recently, but
have also been given to sufferers in Joplin, MO after the tornado, in Japan
after the Tsunami, and in Haiti after the earthquake.
CCK
are collected throughout the year, ‘staged’ in warehouses around the world
ready, and ready to be utilized in emergencies wherever and whenever they are
found. As Christians, we do our small part to help meet the need of 100s of
thousands around the world who are suffering.
Below
you will find the list of materials needed to complete a Crisis Care Kit. Tracy
wrote, “You can either buy
carefully or donate money or let me do the shopping! There are very specific
sizes for every item in the kits. If the items are the wrong size, we
will not be able to put them in a kit, but will donate them to North End
Community Ministry (the local compassionate ministry center here in Grand
Rapids.)”
Here is the list:
1 shampoo (12-18
oz.)
2 bars of soap
(bath sized or larger)
1 tube of toothpaste
(4.0-6.4 oz.)
3 toothbrushes (in
their original packaging)
1 box of bandaids
(30 or more per box)
1 fingernail
clipper
1 sturdy hair comb
2 hand towels
4 pocket-sized
packages of Kleenex
1 beanie baby sized
stuffed toy
All of these items
will be put in a 2 gallon sized ziplock bag. Items can be found at any dollar
store. We will be staring the drive for donations for the crisis care
kits on February 3 or the first Sunday in February and will be collecting items
until the last Sunday in February (Feb. 24th).
Do
you want to be Baptized? Baptism Class Feb. 10 – Service Feb. 24
Are you a new believer or someone who has
just recommitted their life or someone who has never been baptized and you know
it is your time? Terrific! Pastor Dan and Pastor Amy are leading a class on
baptism on Feb. 10th and leading a baptism service at the Lifestream
Free Methodist Church on Feb 24th. Let Pastor Dan or Pastor Amy know
if you are interested!
Next Northeast Community Potluck – Sunday February 10
We will be holding another Northeast
Community Potluck on Sunday, February 10 immediately following our morning
worship service. Bring a dish to pass if you are able, and join us for
delicious food and fellowship. Everyone is welcome to attend, and this is a
great time to invite a friend or family member to church! If you would be
willing to help set-up or clean-up, please talk to Pastor Amy or Irene Pratt.
Grand Rapids Taste of Soul –
February 17, 1-4:30pm
African American History month is in
February, and to celebrate, the Grand Rapids Public Library is holding their
eighth annual Taste of Soul celebration on February 17th from
1-4:30pm. The event includes literature, history, storytelling, music, crafts,
author visits, and food. If you are interested in attending with a group from
our church, talk to Pastor Dan.
Want
More? Climb Higher! Tri-District Holiness Summit in Flint! Mar. 10-11
Dr. Anthony, District
Superintendent from the Eastern Michigan District writes:
We spend so much energy, time and resources in the
local church ministry and life in general. The climb gets steep, oxygen
runs low, our climbing gear wears thin, and we need a bold, fresh boost of
spiritual energy to climb higher.
Your spiritual summit is not out of reach!
Mainstream keynotes and musicians are not always available to the average
congregation. That’s why we’re bringing them to you—for free!
Whether you are a lead pastor, associate, staff member
or leader in your local church, you will want to be a part of yet another
Holiness Summit for all Michigan Nazarenes.
March 10-11, 2013 will be a time of renewal and a fresh outpouring
of the Holy Spirit upon the three Michigan Districts of the Church of the
Nazarene.
Pastor Dan adds, “Consider yourselves invited! I
am planning on traveling to Flint Sunday evening to hear Dr. Diehl and Monday
morning to hear Susie Shellenberger and Chad Bohi so you can ride with me if
you're interested! While I won't stop Sunday night for dinner, we will stop for
a fast food lunch before coming home Monday afternoon! This is an event that
will challenge, lift, and encourage you!” Let me know if you are interested! Blessings,
Pastor Dan
Are
you married or about to get married?
Then you need serious help!
Seriously,
the married life is regularly filled with challenges and your church really
does understand this and wants to help! From internal communication to
unrealistic expectations to learning to disagree (fight) fairly within a
Christian worldview, to the external pressures of family and a culture that has
normalized temptation and divorce your church understands you are often ‘up
against the wall’ and need some support, insight, and encouragement!
Do
I have your attention? Good! Starting in April Pastor Dan and Pastor Amy and
their spouses will be leading a 6-week class based on the book ‘The Five Love
Languages.’ The class will most likely meet in our homes Sunday evenings but we
will see who is interested and their availability. Let Pastor Dan or Pastor Amy know if you are
interested!
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.
Membership
Class is Coming in April!
Do you want to know more about the Church
of the Nazarene, our local church, or are interested in becoming a member of
the church? Wonderful! Pastor Dan and Pastor Amy are leading a class on Sunday
afternoons in April and you are invited! Attendees will receive a copy of
‘Welcome to the Church of the Nazarene’ free that will explain Nazarene
history, polity, and what we believe! Let Pastor Dan or Pastor Amy know if you
are interested! It will be a lot of fun!
Next Meeting Mon. January 28th 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!
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
January 26 Church Work Day 8am-12pm
January 30 Weds Night Dinner @ 5:30pm, regular
Bible study to follow
February 1 First Friday Chinese Lunch, 11:30am, Hibachi Alpine
February 3 Communion Sunday/Family Church—NO Children’s church
February 10 NE Community Potluck following morning worship service
February 10 Baptism Class at 3:00pm
February 17 Taste of Soul Sunday, 1-4:30pm (details in newsletter)
February 17 Reverend Chris Christopher visits! (Sunday morning worship
service)
February 23 Church Work Day 8am-12pm
February 24 Baptism Service at Lifestream Free Methodist Church at 3:00pm
February 27 Soup, Salad & Bread Dinner @ 5:30pm
March 9 Tri-District TEAM Day in Perry
March 10-11 Tri-District Holiness Summit in Flint – Climb Higher!
April-May Marriage Enrichment Sunday nights
April 07 New Membership Class begins
April 22 Earth Day
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