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Showing posts from July, 2008

Psalms 119 challenge, Church Family Meeting (Pastoral Emphasis from 7/27)

Only a couple of items for today... The Psalms 119 176-day challenge is still on! One verse a day for 176 days. Today's verse is 98. The Church Family Meeting is tomorrow at 7:00pm. All members are asked to be present. We will be having an election for our Board of Directors and addressing any concerns about the role of women in ministry (according to the Word of God and not our opinions or experiences).

From the Pit to the Pinnacle of Praise

Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV): "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD." Waiting for God to help us is not easy. David knew this full well. David waited patiently for the Lord. We can be sure God is aware of our need. Nothing escapes God's view nor takes Him by surprise. We may think He doesn't care, but He is there. God sees us when we are in the pit. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Luke 19:10: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." When we’re sinking, God is seeking. The Shepherd seeks His wandering sheep. But God awaits the call of all sinking ones. He will answer and lift you up…right on time! God sets our feet on the solid Rock and b

Conquering the Tough Talks, Prayer Training (Pastoral Emphasis for 7/20)

The next Bible Study series, "Landmines in the Path of the Believer," will begin this Wed., at 7:00pm. Don't miss this informative series on how to detect, avoid, and defuse traps that the devil lays for us. Thanks to all who went with me and the male choir as I spoke at St. Mary's Free Will Baptist Church in Apex for their 100 Men in Black - Still Standing program. The Youth Ministry will host a seminar entitled "Conquering the Tough Talks," which will be rendered by Wake Teen on tomorrow (Monday) from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. The first 30 minutes will be an update for parents on the Youth Ministry. The Deliverance Ministry will be conducting training for those interested in becoming prayer warriors as part of the ministry on Tuesdays at 6:30pm beginning this Tuesday in Adult Classroom #1. As always, we need men who will be prayer warriors. The sanctuary will now be open on Tuesdays starting at 6pm for prayer. And remember that the format for Tuesday Praye

"Date Night", Youth Car Wash (Pastoral Emphasis from 7/13)

Only a couple of items for today... Come join the Couple's Ministry for "Date Night" on Saturday, July 19 at Buffalo Lanes on High House Road in Cary at 6:30pm. The cost is $11 per person for 2 hours of bowling. If you plan to attend, please sign up at the Welcome Center. The Youth Ministry is having another car wash on Saturday (19th) from 7am to 1pm at 8500 Chapel Hill Road (old church location). They would appreciate your support.

Community Outreach Night, 4th of July (Pastoral Emphasis from 7/6)

Starting July 17th and occurring every Thursday from 4:30pm - 7:30pm, we are going to have a Community Outreach Night. The church will be opened to the community as well as our church family for various activities (games, tutoring, mentoring, workshops, etc). Here is another opportunity for you to become involved and invested in the lives of your church family and community. There is more information available at the Welcome Center. I hope everyone had a good 4th of July. And I hope that everyone is grateful for the freedom we enjoy here. In other parts of the world, Christians are persecuted for their faith and face death for worshiping God. Since we have freedom to worship and serve God in this country, let us take every opportunity to do so. To appreciate the freedoms we enjoy in the USA, please read Sis. Sam Hanebeck's thoughts on her recent trip to India.

My First Sunday at Your Church

I wanted to share this great article from ChristianityToday about looking at your church through the eyes of a visitor. Here are the key points: 1. Develop a greeting ministry with the visitor, not the greeter, in mind. Don't just greet visitors, but seek them out and assist them with feeling connected to the church. 2. Choose hospitality over visitation. When following up with visitors, don't invite yourself to their homes, but instead open up your home to visitors. 3. Recognize Sunday school as an initial contact point. Often a visitor's first experience with a new church is dropping a child off at Sunday school (and I would include the nursery). Make sure these contact points are very welcoming to visitors. Like it or not, the first impression of your church may be made based on Sunday school and the nursery. 4. Become visitors for a day. Visit other churches where no one knows you. Make a note of what that church does well and doesn't do well.