We read in 1 Timothy 1:18, “that by them (the prophecies made about Timothy) you may wage the good warfare.” Friends, the fact is that ministry is NOT a walk in the park. It is not always easy! When we embark upon serving and ministering for the Lord, we will encounter spiritual warfare. And, spiritual warfare is not ONE battle but an ongoing war. In other words, when we are involved in ministry, we are not entering a sprint but a marathon! When we embark upon serving the Lord, we have to be in it for the LONG haul. Some people get so excited about beginning a particular ministry but after a while when they encounter a problem here or there, they lose steam and “burn out”.
If God has called you into relationship with Himself, He has called you to a lifetime commitment of service . . . and this ministry is against a powerful foe. So, be aware that ministry is “the fight of a lifetime!” May God help us to be aware of the importance of standing firm in our relationship with Him!!
Sunday Worship
Pastor Glen’s sermon this Sunday is entitled, “Get in the Ring,” based upon Ephesians 6:12-13. Please read this text in preparation for worship. Our worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School
There will be NO Adult Sunday school class this Sunday, as we will be launching our new Hope Navigators, and we will be welcoming the Lebanon Evangelical Presbyterian Church for our worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday school will resume the following Sunday at the new time of 9:30 a.m.
Tithes and Offerings
An offering box is available when you enter or exit the sanctuary. Additionally, online giving opportunities are available on the website.
Combined Worship and Luncheon with Lebanon Evangelical Presbyterian Church
We will be hosting our sister congregation across the mountain on THIS Sunday! Our worship service will be at 10:30 a.m. in lieu of 9:30 a.m. Lebanon EPC will join us for worship, and our hospitality team is coordinating a meal after worship. Ladies and/or gentlemen are encouraged to bring a dessert. If you signed up to bring a dessert or salad, please remember to bring it on Sunday! Thanks SO much!!
Since we will be having guests on February 19th, it would be helpful for those who are able to park in the parking lots to the west of our church building (Synergy Rehab & Wellness, etc.).
March 19th the Lebanon Church will host our congregation for worship and a fellowship meal! Please mark your calendars now for these wonderful times of worship and fellowship.
The LAUNCH of HOPE NAVIGATORS
Also, THIS SUNDAY Hope Navigators will be launched. Please pray for God to move mightily, as we begin this exciting ministry for children and families. Let’s all make a special effort to make our guests from Lebanon or other visitors feel especially welcomed!!
NEW SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Beginning on Sunday, February 26th, we will begin a new schedule! Adult Sunday school will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Given that we only have three Sunday school rooms in our building, it will be helpful to have all of those available for family/children’s ministry during worship. We are exploring an alternate location for the adult Sunday school class, which will meet at 9:30 a.m.
Our worship service will be moved to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. While this move will be helpful for our ministry to families and children, it will also make it easier to have meetings and other events after worship.
AGAIN, this change will begin on February 26th.
Women’s Bible Study
We are excited that our women’s Bible Study has been launched! We are studying Elijah, utilizing Priscilla Shirer’s wonderful study “Faith and Fire”! We began the study on Tuesday, February 7th and will continue each Tuesday through March 21st. There will be two options for participating in the study: Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. and Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. Ladies, we look forward to your participation!!
Hope Navigators
Hope Navigators is coming . . . As Wills & Sarah Kitchen stated in a recent Facebook ad, “Hope Navigators is the portion of our Family Ministry program designed specifically for your kids! We exist to see the youngest among us brought to faith in Jesus and discipled in His ways!”
The first BIG event will be a Carnival for families and children THIS Saturday, February 18th at our church building. We need as many volunteers as possible to make this a wonderful outreach to our community.
Ahead of the Carnival, various people have signed up to help with an outreach at Sharp Shopper by handing out flyers about the Carnival and our church. Here are those who have signed up:
In order for Hope Navigators to be a success, we need multiple people to serve. Some help will be directly serving with children, while some of the needs require support with prep work and decorations. Here is a list Sarah provided for specific helpers! Please pray about your role in making Hope Navigators a genuine blessing to young families with children!!
Weekly
Nursery: 1 leader, 2 helpers
Pre-K: 1 leader, 1 helper
Elementary K-5th: 2 leaders, 2 helpers
Sign in/Greeters: 1-2 person
Monthly Numbers
Nursery: 4 leader, 8 helpers
Pre-K: 4 leaders, 4 helpers
Elementary K-5th: 8 leaders, 8 helpers
Sign in/Greeters: 4-8 people
Extra jobs 1x/month: Each job would work on a rotation of every 2-3 months depending on the amount of people that sign up
Prep Team (monthly job): Team consists of 2-3 people
Decorators (monthly job): team of 2-3 people
Snack Coordinator (monthly job, rotate every 2-3 months): 1
Total number of Ideal teams per year
Prep Team: 3 teams (total of 9 people)
Decorators 2-3 teams (total of 6-9 people)
Snack Coordinator: total of 3 people
Prayer Concerns and Praise Reports
If you have any concerns you would like to add to the Prayer Concerns and Praise Reports list or give an update, PLEASE contact our prayer coordinator, Janet Coiner (540.447.0918) by THURSDAY at NOON!! Thanks so much!!
Driver Assistance
If you or someone in our congregation needs a ride to a doctor’s appointment or other appointment, please call Tom Reider (540.649.5162). He has agreed to coordinate rides. He has a list of those who have volunteered to give those rides. We are grateful for this important ministry!!
Mission Corner
Baby Bottles to support the ministry of ComfortCare Women’s Health are to be returned THIS Sunday (or as soon as possible)
Missions Team is active keeping in touch with our missionaries and other ministries. Please keep updated! You can visit our website and go to the Outreach page
December Financial Report
Offerings: Monthly: $15,141 YTD: $185,266.50
Expenses: Monthly: $20,983.26 YTD: $188,826.61
We have also received monies designated for our capital campaign and restricted giving. In December we received $12,140 for our capital campaign.