Dear Friends and Family!
Yes, we had another wonderful day in the Lord, Sunday! One highlight came as little Isaiah walked up the stairs from the parking lot and said excitedly, “Hello Jesus, Hello Jesus, Hello Jesus” with joy streaming from his face! It made me think, ‘Surely God tried to encounter us during our discipleship, prayer, singing, giving, and engaging in God’s Word time…but were we listening? I must confess that sometimes I’m so focused on the ‘order’ of worship that I forget to worship! Sometimes, I’m so intent on leading prayer, that I forget to listen! Father, forgive us and help us to listen and respond as you would want us to respond! May we all approach Your throne with the exuberance of a 4-year-old! “Hello Jesus! I am listening!”
God’s message this week came from Galatians 3:23-29 and was titled ‘Heirs of the Promise.’ Most of us know what an ‘heir’ is. It is when you have been ‘named’ in a will or some other legal document to receive something you didn’t earn. Heirs of large estates may be entitled to millions, while heirs of more modest estates might receive little more than a used couch! But the good news Paul declares to the Galatians, is that regardless of your social standing or family wealth (or lack of wealth) when you trust in Christ for your salvation in faith, you become an heir to the Kingdom of God; a co-heir with Christ; an heir to the Promise!!
Two big points: first, in v. 24 Paul argues the Jewish Law and all its harsh and exhausting requirements was only in effect until Israel matured. The word the NIV translates as “in charge of” is the Greek word paidagogos and is defined as ‘tutor, child’s attendant, guide, disciplinarian and supervisor.’ The paidagogos was a paid servant entrusted with teaching, protecting, and guiding children from 6 years old to adulthood. But once the child became an adult, the paidagogos was no longer needed. Therefore, Jews they weren’t born through the Law, they were brought up by the Law. When Jesus came they didn’t need a surrogate father anymore to guard, teach, and discipline them anymore! They had the Holy Spirit!
Second, in vv. 26-29 we discover when we’ve put our faith in Christ, when we’re saved and baptized into Christ, we are sons and daughters of God and heirs of the promise, regardless! In the Kingdom of God there are no second class citizens only heirs, actually co-heirs with Christ who have equal access to the Father and all of the wonderful promises He made in the Bible! While there are literally 100s of promises you can claim, why not look up these:
Joshua 1:5 – Matthew 7:7, 11:28, 28:20 – John 3:36 and John 14:18. What other promises do you remember from your reading and studying the Scripture? From this moment on, stop speaking meekly about the possibilities of them being true and claim them for your own! Speak with confidence! After all, YOU are an heir of the Promise! Blessings, Pastor Dan
NEWS AND EVENTS
OUR NEXT MISSIONARY GATHERING IS JUN. 26 @ 5PM(NOTE TIME CHANGE!)
Our missionary gathering is Jun. 26 at 5pm. Bring a friend and come enjoy a brief lesson on missions! After Sherry J. leads our lesson, we eat snacks, laugh, and chat (sometimes at the same time! :) So bring a snack to pass and join us at 5pm! You’ll be glad you did! Have questions? Contact Sherry J. She loves to text! (269) 932-8334
NEW ‘LADIES’ BIBLE STUDY IS BEING PLANNED!
Mary W., our Discipleship Superintendent, wants to know who might be interested in a Bible Study on Saturdays from the book of Daniel. While the study and accompanying DVD presentations by Beth Moore are ‘geared towards women,’ Mary said this study would be open to a few good men, too. Here is a description from the materials.
Join Beth in a faith-building study of prophecy and learn how to live with integrity in today's self-absorbed society. The prophet Daniel faced unbelievable pressures to compromise his faith, to live in a hostile culture, and to confront temptations and threats. Today, believers in Jesus Christ face many of the same trials.
This Old Testament Bible study falls in two parts. Part One: Daniel chapters 1-6 examines Daniel's life and the pressures he faced. Part Two: Daniel chapters 7-12 covers the prophecies from Daniel through the second coming of Christ.
If you are interested or have any questions, please let Cherry P. or Mary W. know right away. Mary would like to know how much to order by this Sunday (6/26) and plans to start the study in the next few weeks! See Mary with any questions!
HELP! THE CHURCH BOARD APPROVED 7 WEEK FALL SABBATICAL FOR PASTOR
The following comes from the Michigan District Journal regarding Sabbatical Policy:
To provide long-term pastoral staff and their family the opportunity of a sabbatical leave for the purpose of professional development, personal and spiritual renewal, rest, and visioning. By means of a sabbatical leave, the congregation wishes to express gratitude and affirmation to our pastor and family…A sabbatical leave of 7 to 13 weeks will be provided to the senior pastor after the completion of each seven years of consecutive full time employment….The scheduling of the sabbatical leave shall take into consideration the needs of the congregation, the scheduling needs from the pastor’s proposal, and other pertinent concerns as may be established.
Having served as our pastor since Sept. 2008 and after consultation with Dr. John Seaman, our District Superintendent, your church board voted unanimously to extend Pastor Dan and Janie a 7-week sabbatical beginning Mon. Sept 26 through Sun. Nov. 13.
Please begin praying for Pastor Dan and Janie as they prepare to be away that God will refresh and renew them as they seek to draw nearer to Him through prayer, study, and fasting. But also begin asking God how He wants you to serve while they are gone.
As your pastor, I strongly urge you to consider saying yes when you are asked to serve! It would be a blessing to God and to this church! Better still, let a board member know you are available to serve wherever there is a need! What a special blessing that would be! Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more details! Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask Pastor Dan directly or Gerry D., our church board secretary!
THE NEXT LADIES RENDEZVOUS IS SAT., JUN. 25 AT 10:30AM!
Cherry is planning the next Ladies Rendezvous for JUN. 25and all ladies are invited! Please contact Cherry for more info or if you need a ride! Call or text (616) 916-7595.
PASTOR DAN AND JANIE ARE GOING ON VACATION JUN. 30 – JUL. 09
Ok, the truth is Pastor Dan is going on a fabulous ‘work trip’ with Janie starting June 30. Janie will be taking Pastor Dan to Barcelona, Rome, and Athens, Greece while she ‘hosts’ her companies highest performing agents. Either way, it will be the trip of a lifetime and we give all the credit to our Heavenly Father for making this possible!
Should you have any concerns or needs while we’re gone, please contact Gerry Dawson. As you know, Gerry is our church board secretary and in that position leads the church when I am in any way unable to care for you. Yes, we have visiting pastors coming! Take notes and let me know how God spoke to you through them! God is good! All the time!
FAMILY FESTIVAL AT INDIAN LAKE NAZARENE CAMP JUL. 01-04
Do you have plans for the July 4th weekend? If not, there is fun, food, and fellowship for all ages at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp! Family Festival is almost always held on the July 4thweekend. Typically, there has been dodge ball, volleyball, basketball, horseshoe tournaments, crafts, wagon rides, a climbing wall and a zip line and more! You can find more about Family Festival at the camps website: http://www.nazcamp.org
FAMILY CAMP (SUMMER REVIVAL) IS COMING TO INDIAN LAKE JUL. 11-17
The Church of the Nazarene is just over 100 years old and one of her oldest traditions is to gather each year for a time of spiritual renewal called ‘Camp Meeting.’ Today, Camp Meeting is a one-week time of renewal with 2 services a time of discipleship each day! You may wish to come to the ordination service on Sunday, July 10th. While I have been told it is a ‘pastor’s service,’ it’s amazing to see God’s new leaders as they are ordained! Come for a single service or the week! whole week and you will be blessed! I Promise!
Jul. 11 District Assembly at 8:30AM – EveningService – 7:00PM
Jul. 12-15 Morning Service – 9:00AM, Study 10:30AM, Evening Service – 7:00PM
Camp Meeting begins with District Assembly on Sun., Jul. 10th and ends Sun., July 17th. Pastor Dan spends the week at ‘camp’ in a small cabin at 7959 Victory St. Vicksburg, MI and would love to have you stop by! Need more information? See Pastor Dan or Janie!
LET KIDS CAMP AT INDIAN LAKE! THEY WILL LOVE IT!
Indian Lake Nazarene Camp has a wonderful summer camp for students of all ages. At camp kids learn to feel good about themselves, gain self-confidence, self-esteem, learn leadership skills, make friends, and learn about God’s love for them! You can learn more by going to this link: http://www.nazcamp.org/camps
NO WED. NIGHT BIBLE STUDY JUL. 13th – COME TO INDIAN LAKE!
July 11-17 is Family Camp at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp! It is a wonderful time of spiritual renewal and fellowship around the ‘old stone altar.’ Instead of having our regular Wed. nightprogram, we’re encouraging everyone to come to camp for the 7:00pm service! Pastor Dan is serving ice cream at the cabin to everyone who comes!
JUST A REMINDER! NO CHILDREN’S CHURCH DURING THE SUMMER!
Yes, we love your children and agree kids can worship and learn about Jesus better when they can create something with their hands, receive a snack to eat, and move around, but our children's workers need a summer break! So, the kids will stay with us during the worship service for the summer! Bless you for understanding!
OUR NEXT THIRD THURSDAY CHINESE LUNCH IS JUL. 21 AT 11:30AM!
Our next Third Thursday Chinese Lunch is Jul. 21 at the Hibachi Grill on Alpine. The food is good, but the fellowship is even better! Come, enjoy a great time to eat, share joys, concerns and even laugh! If you have any questions? See Tracy or Linda!
2016 PRAYER GUIDE FOR THE MICHIGAN DISTRICT (STARTS JUN. 01)
It’s getting to be that time again when the District Church asks us to pray for the July activities at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp. From the District Assembly, to Camp Meeting, to the NMI, NYI, and SDMI Conventions, they all need our prayers! If you’re willing, pick up a 40-day prayer guide off the table outside the sanctuary and pray! Bless you!
DAILY DEVOTIONS – “REFLECTING GOD” IS AVAILABLE! FREE!!
“Reflecting God” is a daily devotional guide our church makes available free to anyone interested. The devotions provide a brief truth from the Bible every day. Reflecting God also has a section for reading the Bible in a year and praying for our missionaries! Feel free to take one! You’ll find them located on the table outside the sanctuary!
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER REQUESTS
Remember, to keep our prayer lists current, we only place requests in the newsletter and bulletin for 3 weeks without an update. If you want to keep your prayer request in the bulletin or newsletter just keep filling out the tear off tabs and keep us informed!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Jun. 25 Ladies Rendezvous at 10:30am
Jun. 30-Jul. 9 Pastor Dan and Janie on vacation
Jul. 01-04 Family Festival at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
Jul. 03 Welcoming Pastor Ed Douglas to share God’s Word!
Jul. 10-16 Pastor Dan and Janie at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
Jul. 10-11 Dist. Assm. at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
Jul. 11-17 Family Camp at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp
Sep. 26/Nov. 13 Pastor Dan and Janie’s 7 week Sabbatical
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