We had a great day in the Lord, Sunday! In addition to a great Sunday school class and receiving Communion on the first Sunday of the month, yesterday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with the rest of Christianity! Pentecost, celebrated on the 50th day after Easter, commemorates the moment the Holy Spirit was poured out on those gathered in the upper room. It is recorded in Acts 2:1-31 and signified the birth of the Church. Perhaps you’ll be surprised to discover today, the Monday after Pentecost, is a legal holiday in many European nations including the U.K., too!
Yes, Pentecost is that important! And although the Church celebrates Pentecost formally once a year, Christians celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit every day in their lives! Think for a moment where you’d be without the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life daily to convict, heal, advocate, rebuke, empower, and lead you? Go ahead and praise Him! Amen!
God’s message this week came from Acts 2:1-21 and titled, “The Upper Room is Dangerous.” Ok, the Upper Room isn’t really dangerous, but we face three dangers in how we approach and respond to God’s offer to cleanse, empower, and sanctify us through the Holy Spirit! First, there is the danger of contentment. Some of us get stuck between Calvary and the Upper Room. They have experienced the amazing grace of salvation, but stopped short of Pentecost. Jesus came to bring you more than eternal life; He came to bring you an abundant, Spirit-filled, sin-free life!
The second danger is experiencing Pentecost and never leaving the Upper Room! They’ve been cleansed and filled with the Holy Spirit. They’ve experienced the supernatural wind and flames, but don’t want to leave the mountain top. They think Pentecost is all about them and want to build a wall to keep them safe from sinful humanity. But, in Acts 2:6-8 we discover the disciples responding to the Spirit by going out on the streets and sharing the ‘good news’ with everyone!
The third danger is not staying in the Upper Room long enough to experience the transforming, cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. The danger of leaving before God has filled you, risks being an exhausted, bickering, and credit seeking worker spending more time distracted on the stairs with the needs of self than experiencing the fullness of Pentecost for self or others.
How about you? Stuck between Calvary and Pentecost? Know the address to the Upper Room, but too content to take the stairs? If you want to live the full life Jesus intended, take the stairs, yield to the Spirit, and be sanctified! Once experienced Pentecost, but trying to selfishly keep it? Ask the Spirit of Pentecost to lead you to others! Once experienced the fullness of the Spirit, but find yourself exhausted, bickering, and selfish? It’s time to go back to the Upper Room and ask Jesus to send a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit! May it be so!
Blessings, Pastor Dan
NEWS AND EVENTS
ANNUAL DIAPER DRIVE- KEEP THEM COVERED! Diapers collected were 1672.
ANNUAL CELEBRATION AND POTLUCK – JUNE 11 after the service
Every year, we have an annual church meeting to give our departments an opportunity to share their praises, plans, needs for prayer, and to get your feedback so they can be even better leaders. This year, we will be timing our Annual Celebration with our every other month potluck in an attempt to involve even more of you! Remember, this is a time for all of us – not just members of the church! Come, listen, eat, and be blessed!
CHURCH WORK DAY – SATURDAY, JUNE 17th
Join us at the church for a day of cleaning up things and making things look a bit better around the church. This will be from 9 AM to noon.
NEXT WOMEN’S RENDEZVOUS is June 17th @ 10:30 AM
We will be meeting at the church for this time of fellowship and fun. Call or text Cherry for any questions @ 616-916-7595.
INTERESTED IN CHURCH MEMBERSHIP?
A series of membership classes will be starting in June. If you are interested in learning more about the Church of the Nazarene, or becoming a member of our church, please let Pastor Dan know by contacting him at: 616-204-1153 or hathdan@me.com.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH SUMMER BREAK HAS STARTED
While we love the children, our children’s workers need a summer break. The kids will now be staying with us in the worship service. Bless you for understanding!
A NEW BIBLE STUDY IS COMING SOON!
Beginning in September, Mary W. will begin a study titled, “Remembering the Forgotten God”. This will be held Tuesdays at 10 AM for 7 weeks, beginning Sept. 5th. Sign up on the sheet in the church annex so she knows how many books to order.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY is at the church – 6:30 PM
We are now meeting at the church for Bible Study and fellowship. We hope to see you there!
SOUND BOOTH PERSON NEEDED:
The church is looking for someone who is interested in being a sound booth technician. You will need to be able to attend music practices Sunday morning at 9 AM. Let Janie know if you are interested at 616-204-2499 or hathjan@icloud.com.
TIME TO THINK ABOUT SUMMER CAMP @ INDIAN LAKE
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/summer-camp
Discovery Camp Completed K – 2nd grade Jul. 05-07
Adventure Camp Completed 2nd – 4th grade Jul. 24-28
Voyager Camp Completed 4th – 6th grade Jul. 31-Aug. 04
Mid. School Camp Completed 6th – 8th grade Jul. 10-14
High School Camp Completed 9th – 12th grade Jun. 26-30
Note: All camps are $ 285 (except for Discovery Camp which is $ 135)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2017 WORK & WITNESS PROJECT:
I'm writing to invite you and any members of your church to be a part of the largest Nazarene Work & Witness project called, One Heart - Many Hands Indianapolis 2017! This week-long service project will take place June 18-23. In a recent conversation with Dr. David Downs, the District Superintendent of the West Texas District, it came to my attention that many pastors are under the impression that One Heart - Many Hands (OHMH) projects are just for youth groups. In actuality, OHMH is a Work & Witness project geared for the entire church to participate in. Many churches bring multi generational groups who work on the project and learn from each other. In past General assembly years we have averaged 2000 Nazarenes serving together with OHMH to leave the fingerprints of God all over the General Assembly host city. I'm sure you receive hundreds of emails each year encouraging you and your church to be a part of something… OHMH is a unique Work & Witness project that not only affords your group the opportunity to be involved in missions together but also to experience the Global Church of the Nazarene in a very visible and tangible way as team members participate in the General Assembly services. Would you prayerfully consider encouraging your church to take advantage of this opportunity to serve alongside thousands of Nazarenes this summer in Indianapolis? For more information about this service project please contact our office at office@oneheartmanyhands.com or visit our website at www.oneheartmanyhands.com. Thank you, George Sisler
GATHER BOX TOPS FOR NAZARENE INDIAN MISSIONS!
Thank you to everyone who is collecting Campbell Soup labels and General Mills box tops! While it seems small, the cash they generate really adds up! This program has provided PA equipment, computers, and even a 15-passenger van for Nazarene Sun Valley Indian School. Questions, labels and box tops should go to Fran S. or Sherry J.
CHURCH POSTCARDS ARE AVAILABLE!
Is there someone missing or would like to invite to church? Why not grab a few church postcards and send them out? A simple hand written note blesses everyone! You will find them on the table under the missionary bulletin board in the Annex.
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:
June 7 Wednesday Service @ 6:30 PMat the church
June 15 Third Thursday Chinese Lunch at Hibachi Grill @ 11:30 AM
June 17 Church Work Day – 9 AM to Noon (Larry often brings doughnuts!)
June 17 Women’s Rendezvous @ church @ 10:30 AM
June 18-23 General Assembly 2017 Work & Witness Project
June 25 Missions Night @ church
June 26 Indian Lake Camps begin
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