Northeast Community News – June 25, 2013
Dear Friend and family,
We had a great Sunday in the Lord this week, and while Pastor Dan and Janie were at the Church of the Nazarene’s General Assembly in Indianapolis, we were blessed to hear God’s Word preached by Reverend Chris Christopher.
The message this week came from Hebrews 13:8 and 1 John 1:5-8, and was titled “Hope for a Changing World is Jesus.” The message can partly be summed up in Hebrews 13:8 which states, “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” In a world which is constantly changing, we can rest in the one truth, the one solid rock of Jesus Christ whose love and salvation never change. Not only that, but in Jesus there is also limitless possibilities to meet the many challenges of change, because Jesus’ teachings stay the same. This is good news for us as we look around at the shifting sands of our world.
No matter what changes around us, the power of Jesus remains, and in Him we find the same power of God to save, sanctify, and heal sinners. The transforming power of God is the same today as it was when it was recorded in blazing stories of God’s power in the book of Acts. Do you really believe this? Is your concept of God big enough?
The compassion of Jesus is also changeless. We see it in John 3:16 and we see it when Jesus hangs on the cross. Rather than telling the onlookers that judgment day was coming and reminding them that they would get theirs, Jesus in love looked to the Father and asked forgiveness for the very people who were killing Him. This love is unchanging, forever, constant, enormous, and more trustworthy than we can wrap our minds around.
Yet Reverend Christopher also pointed out that Jesus is not the only thing that does not change. Sin also does not change. It is the universal difficulty of humankind, found in every home and every heart. It is everywhere without exception. Sin separates us from God, enslaves us, and ultimately kills us. In the same way, Satan is changeless, and comes to us as a liar, a deceitful angel of light, and a roaring lion. The last changeless reality is death. Without exception, we will all come to die.
Sin, Satan, and death are all unchanging, inescapable realities for each and every one of us. We are born bent on sinning and out of step with God. The good news is that there is deliverance, and we can be reborn. God provided the way to relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. When we totally surrender ourselves to Him, He will divinely transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit; He will sanctify us and heal us. Praise God!
The call of the gospel to sinners is changeless. Jesus came to ransom all of humankind. Repent, believe, and be born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Be single-minded, be done with sin, and be fully surrendered. Put your trust entirely in the unchanging and unfathomable love of Jesus Christ because He loves you and calls you to this!
Thank you Reverend Christopher for being such a blessing to us!
With love, Pastor Amy
Friends and family, here are notes from Pastor Dan on General Assembly,
As we traveled back from Indianapolis having attended 5 days of General Assembly in the Church of the Nazarene, I wondered how to give you a report on what transpired! After all, how do you describe an event that has 25,000 plus attendees from around the world gather to pray, learn, and worship God together?
Yes, we prayed! What a joy to pray in small groups, large groups, and as a congregation and be surrounded with the sweet, Spirit-led harmonious syllables of many languages around the world as they came together in perfect unity before the throne of grace!
Yes, we learned! Some of the workshops Janie and I attended included “Scripture as Spiritual Formation,” “A Wesleyan Reading of Scripture,” and “Holiness for the 21stCentury.” What a joy to sit at the feet of brilliant scholars guided by the Holy Spirit as a global church!
One of the most meaningful moments for me came in a workshop titled, “A Place for Me in the Kingdom” where we were challenged to welcome those who feel excluded because of disability. How can we make sure those who are disabled feel love, acceptance, and a place of belonging? God help us to remove barriers to those who are hurting in secret!
Another meaningful moment of learning came as we watched 1,200 or so kids at the “world quiz” compete for Gold, Silver, and Bronze. What a joy to see kids that had “hidden God’s Word in their hearts” answer questions and then worship God “kid’s style.” (And nobody worships ‘kid’s style’ better than Jonathon Gingrich and his dad Curt! – Fun!)
Finally, we worshiped, too! The global church began worship each night starting on Thursday and we attended all of them! Our General Superintendents took turns leading services that included dynamic singing, preaching, and a call to respond. Janie joined me as I went forward to pray in response to David Graves’ challenge to better embrace our Father’s heart (like Jesus did in Lukw 19:1-10) by “calling down the despised from trees,” fellowshipping with them, loving them, and letting God’s grace change them!
I remained lost in thought on the journey back to Grand Rapids contemplating how to adequately share our insights (aren’t you glad Janie was driving) when suddenly a storm engulfed us with gusts of wind, buckets of rain, and lightning and thunder causing Janie to put on her hazards and slow down to a crawl. Then it hit me! Our time in Indianapolis was just like that! General Assembly was a time to slow way down and allow God to engulf us and soak us with the power and the presence of God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Thank you for allowing Janie and I to travel to Indianapolis! Thank you for being the Church here and doing whatever it took to allow us to be gone and recharge! But to be honest, we are so glad to be back! We love you! We missed you! It’s good to be home!
Love and blessings, Pastor Dan and Janie!
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.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Adult Alternative Sunday School – New Book begins this Sunday!
The downstairs adult Sunday school class will be introducing a new book this Sunday. The book is titled “A Charitable Discourse” and is written by Dan Boone, who is the president of Trevecca Nazarene University. In this book, Boone encourages us to recover the art of Holy Conversation as taught by John Wesley. Boone gives an honest assessment of things in our church and in our culture which pose a challenge to honest and complex conversation surrounding difficult and real issues we face today. He then examines many of these issues in depth under the guide of Scripture, reason, and tradition. The purpose of this book is to help us openly discuss controversial and difficult issues which are pertinent to believers today in a spirit of love, truth, and maturity. This is a great time to join our class, everyone is welcome!
Jonathan Gingrich is going to Germany!
Jonathan is a Calvin student who was with us for the year, and he is heading to Germany this summer. Will you pray for his travel and his time there? Will you check out his blog?
Here are some details from him:
I come to Grand Rapids on the evening of July 7th. We have a week of classes in Grand Rapids and leave that Friday (July 12) for Berlin, so prayers for travel would be very nice. We have classes Monday-Thursday every week and either have Fridaythrough Sunday free, or we go on a group trip together. On the 19th we are going to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp just north of Berlin, so that should be a pretty somber experience. The week after we are taking the entire weekend and going down to the southwest, to Heidelberg, and then coming back to worship in Luther's church in Wittenberg.
We're going to try and find a race or two to run while we are in Germany, which should be a very exciting experience, as I've never run a race outside of the midwest, much less outside of the county, but we're having trouble finding a good race with competition to run against. My friend and I have to leave the program a week early to come back August 17th for cross country camp. I also went ahead and created my blog for the trip http://grinchingermany.
Indian Lake Paint Project – will you help?
Irene Pratt is leading an effort to repaint part of the Indian Lake Nazarene Camp Tabernacle. So many of us cherish the experiences we have had at ILNC over the years, and we want to help take care of this wonderful place which is truly a gift from God. While this might seem like an enormous project for our little church, we believe that God has called us to make it happen, and He will provide a way! We still need $400, but money is not the only way to give! Irene is also asking people to come down to the camp to do the actual work. If you are willing to get on board, contact Irene!
Attention Teens – Summer Youth Group has begun!
We have kicked off our summer youth group, and we want all teens to know that they are invited to join us on Wednesday nights. For the summer we will be studying lessons about missions, and so far they have been great lessons. We also have pizza parties, work on painting the youth room, and pray for each other. If you are a teen or know a teen, won’t you join us? Talk to Theo Orban or Pastor Amy.
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 on July 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!
You can send mail to Larry! Please note new address!
Most of you know that Larry Terhaar is currently in prison. We received his new address. It is important that he hears from his church family! Don’t forget, we even have church postcards that you can use, just ask Pastor Dan for one! Here is Larry’s new address:
Larry TerHaar # 866962
c/o Marquette Branch Facility
1960 U.S. Highway 41 South
Marquette, MI 49855
40 Days of Prayer for Camp Meeting Started May 29
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 we are running out of time! We already had three teens register!
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
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:
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!
July 7-14 – Family Camp Week/District Assembly. You can find the specific dates for District Assembly events each day of the week by grabbing a brochure from the tables outside the sanctuary, or talk to Pastor Amy. This is a great week and a great time to visit the campground!
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 Sundayschool teacher or Pastor Amy or Dan.
Upcoming Events
July 4-6 Family Festival at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
July 5 First Friday Chinese Lunch @ 11:30am, Hibachi Alpine
July 7 Family Church/Communion Sunday – NO Children’s Church
July 7-14 Family Camp/District Assembly at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
July 14 Reverend Chris Christopher visits
