Northeast Community News - May 28, 2013
What a wonderful day we had in the Lord, Sunday! Now, some of you reading this may just not believe it (because you haven’t yet come!), but the rest of us know we really do have a wonderful church of Spirit-filled and loving people who come to worship the Living God! And while I seem to always say it, it is a wonderful day in the Lord when all of us assemble for discipleship, worship, and deep God centered friendship! If you haven’t tried Northeast Community Church maybe you should! We’d love to have you!
God’s message to us this week came from I Corinthians 11:23-26 and was titled ‘EverySunday is a Memorial Day.’ How is your memory? If you are anything like me (or many of the humans I know) you have moments of forgetfulness! From car keys to cell phones to forgetting where we parked the car humans are prone to forgetfulness!
Surely General John A. Logan knew this in 1868 when he created an annual ‘Decoration Day’ to remember the men who had died in the Civil War (later named Memorial Day) and honor them by decorating their graves with flowers. We still remember those who died to keep us free and have broadened this ‘memorial’ to include family and friends.
But long before the Civil War Jesus knew humans were forgetful and needed reminding! You see humans can also forget their faith or why they ought to mourn, remember, and give thanks! So, on the eve of His crucifixion and death Jesus established with the first disciples the Lord’s Supper, a memorial of sorts, to help us remember it is His body and it is His blood that purchases our redemption and gives us eternal life!
So, a bit like we mourn, remember, and give thanks to soldiers and families who paid the ultimate price to keep us free annually on Memorial Day, we rightly ought to mourn our sin, remember and give thanks to Jesus for keeping us free from sin and death every Sunday – every day! So, use an ‘app’ to find your car, and a calendar to remember your spouse’s birthday, but pray, attend worship, read your Bible, and partake in the Lord’s Supper to remember all Jesus has done (and continues to do) to set and keep you free!
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 and use of our time and gifts! See you Wednesday at 6:30pm!
Healthy Living Starts Today!
Ok, we hear about the need to get into shape all the time, but were you aware this idea of ‘healthy living’ was God’s idea in the first place? Listen to some of Paul’s teaching to the Corinthian Church (and us):
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Now some of us were taught that realizing our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, were bought at a price, and should honor God, were good reasons to avoid sexual immorality, smoking and drinking (and I agree), but I am concerned our emphasis on these items might lead us to conclude the way we eat or exercise, spend our time or money, or how we entertain ourselves isn’t important. A few chapters later Paul addresses these concerns to the Corinthians (and us):
“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive…So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:23, 31).
The truth is, as Christians, everything we do (and that means everything) has the possibility of honoring or dishonoring God; being constructive or destructive to ourselves as the temple of the Holy Spirit and to the faith and to our world; and bringing glory to God or bringing shame and dishonor.
It is with this understanding that we are going to bring a variety of articles, thoughts, and opportunities to ‘keep the temple holy’ and ‘bring honor to God!’ If you have any thoughts or suggestions for an article or would like to write one, by all means let us know! From finance to parenting to eating, we need everyone!
Finally, this ‘byline’ is not an attempt to be legalistic or shame anyone! Let me know if you feel offended! My hope is that we can learn from each other and what it means to live a healthy Christian life! Feel free to pick up what you can and leave behind what doesn’t apply right now! We’re all on a journey and we’re all at different places in that journey! Let the journey begin!
Blessings! Pastor Dan
Hello from Pastor Amy, your Associate Pastor/Administrative Secretary
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
Special Offering Thank You!
We received $94 in our special offering for the victims of the Oklahoma tornados. Thank you all for giving above and beyond what you had planned! The money will go to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries who are involved firsthand in providing help to those in Oklahoma who have lost homes and loved ones. Thank you again!
Our Next Wednesday Night Potluck is May 29th @ 5:30pm
We continue to hold potluck dinners on the last Wednesday night of every month one hour before our Bible study and family night. Our theme has been soup, salad, and bread. Bring a dish to pass, a dessert, or drinks, and show up for good food and fellowship! Talk to Julie Orban with questions or to help set-up or clean-up.
Church Work Days Continue! Next: Saturday June 01, 8am-12pm
Our trustees continue to hold work days on the last Saturday of every month. Everyone is asked to come chip in and help keep up the maintenance of our building and grounds. No matter what your skills, they can put you to work. You just might get a yummy breakfast out of the deal, too! Talk to Theo Orban or Pat Parsaca with any questions.
First Friday Chinese Lunches continue! June 7 @ 11:30am
Everyone is invited to lunch and fellowship at the Hibachi Grill on Alpine on the first Fridayof every month. The group meets at 11:30am, no reservations are required, and the food is cheap and delicious! Talk to Tracy Tamm with questions.
Potluck and Annual Meeting—Next Sunday June 9th
Our next Northeast Community Potluck will be next Sunday right after morning worship service. Bring a dish to pass if you are able, and join us in the fellowship hall in the basement for great food and fellowship. This time, we will also be holding our annual year-end celebration during our potluck. You will hear reports from each elected department about all the ways that God has been moving in our church over the year. Everyone is invited to attend! Talk to Irene Pratt to help set up and clean up.
NEW MISSION BOOKS are available!
Every year Janie challenges everyone to read all of our missions books! There are books for adults and teens and children, and even audio books on CD for those who would rather listen than read. This year, the NMI department has agreed to give $10 towards summer camp fees for every book read by a child or teen! See Janie to get your books and start reading for the year!
40 Days of Prayer for Camp Meeting Starts May 29
Dr. John Seaman, our District Superintendent wrote, “One of the three pillars that holiness of heart is built upon is prayer.” The District Office has put together a 40-day prayer guide leading up to Camp Meeting this summer at Indian Lake. Copies of the prayer guide are available on the table outside the sanctuary. Would you make intercession a part of your daily prayer life from May 29 thru July 7? Bless you in advance for taking the time to pray for our District and Camp Meeting! God is good!
Attention Children and Youth! Do You Want to go to Camp?
Indian Lake Nazarene Camp is located in Vicksburg, MI, and is a place where Nazarenes from throughout Michigan join together everyone summer for camp. Many who spent their childhood and teen years at summer camp will agree that camp is not only a lot of fun, but can be life-changing! This year, Indian Lake is offering a special promotion! If we get three new campers to attend, the fourth goes for free! Registration for camp has already begun, and the first deadline for the cheapest price is JUNE 3RD!
Please note that your church board feels strongly about making sure children and teens who want to go to camp can go! Therefore, scholarships are available to help cover expenses if needed. 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 269.649.228. The dates for different ages and camps can be found below:
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
Feeding the Hungry – July 02! We need your help!
Do you realize there are people in Grand Rapids who are hungry and need food? There is more need than you realize! Jesus told us we love Him by caring for those who hunger, are in prison, are thirsty, and those who are sick (see Matt. 25:35-36). One way to do this is to partner with North End Community Ministry (NECM), pay for a dinner to feed 150 hungry people, and serve at the NECM ‘Supper House’ located at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church onJuly 02. Will you help? You can give a financial gift (it costs us $200) or help serve and clean up (we need 10 servers). See Pastor Dan for more details!
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. Here are some upcoming events at Indian Lake as we approach Spring and Summer:
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!
Postcard Greetings Now Available
Don’t forget, we have NE Community postcards 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 June 3 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 please note that this group will break for the summer after June 3rd meeting and pick back up in the Fall!
Upcoming Events
May 29 Wednesday Night Potluck @ 5:30pm
June 01 Church Work Day 8am-12pm
June 02 Communion Sunday – NO Children’s Church
June 07 First Friday Chinese Lunch @ 11:3am, Hibachi Alpine
June 09 Potluck and Annual Meeting following morning worship service
