Hello everybody, and welcome into another Agape newsletter. I’m almost out of breath from typing the subject line to this email, so I’d better get started before I run out of steam. 

Ultra quick summary of TWIA (This Week In Agape): 

1. Family Friend Day this Sunday - invite a friend! 

2. Sunday message on knowing your spiritual gifts (part 2) 

3. High School Senior recognition this Sunday

4. Baptisms this Sunday (now you see why I’m almost out of breath!) 

5. Angel Food canceled after this month (see below) 

6. The Nest Tuesday, May 26, Food Pantry Wednesday May 27th. 

7. Kids worship practice (for Family Worship Sunday on May 31) Wednesday night May 27th, led by Greg Cusimano

8. Family Fun Day next Sunday

Wow! That’s a lot of stuff going on this week, though in case you are worried about getting too busy, I would point out that everything going on (except the Nest) is on either Wednesday or Sunday. This Sunday in particular is chock full of chocolaty goodness: Not only are we having a special “invite a friend” day, but we’re also going to celebrate baptism with at least one person - possibly more, celebrate the graduation of several of our high school seniors, and find out more about our personal Spiritual Gifts. Please allow me to urge you to look around your office today, (or your neighborhood…or your Facebook profile…or your email address list) and think of somebody to invite to fellowship and worship with us this Sunday!  I really think that this Sunday is going to be special, particularly as we celebrate Baptism, as we go deep in the Word of God, and as we welcome Marc Fischer back from his month long singing sabbatical! 

Last Sunday, we learned about the Spiritual Gifts of teaching, mercy, encouragement and message of wisdom, and how to know if you have those gifts. If you missed it, check out our online sermons page for the message in full: http://agapepinson.com/sermons_online.htm. This Sunday, we’re going to examine a few more specific Spiritual gifts (including message of knowledge, helps/service, healing and 3 or so more) We’ll also be talking about how there are no Aquamen and no Supermen in the Body of Christ. What in the world does that mean? I hope you come Sunday and find out! 

In Missions news, I need to let you know that this month will be the last month that we will be doing the Angel Food program. The good news is that there are at least two churches within ten miles of Agape that are still doing Angel Food, and if you are interested, we’ll be glad to get you information on their Angel Food program (times, locations, etc). 

Speaking of Missions, we will have our homeless ministry, The Nest, next Tuesday night, and we need your help! We always need people to help us load up food and chairs and tables, and then drive downtown with us to build relationships with a group of people referred to in Matthew 25 by Jesus as “the least of these”. (read Matthew 25:31-46 to find out how important the least of these are to the heart of Jesus!) The following night, Wednesday May 27 we will have food pantry at Agape, and guess what? We need your help there as well! We need your help with getting food ready to be given away, as well as carrying food to the car, and praying for people who come for food. Often, all it takes is a question or two (asked to the person that you are helping with food) to get into a deep conversation/prayer time with them - a time that could very well be life changing. Come join us Tuesday and Wednesday if you can! 

Also Wednesday, beginning at 6:30, we’re beginning our inaugural once a month youth worship night, combined with our friends from New Life Baptist church in Remlap. John King is working with the youth leadership at New Life to raise up an all youth led band who will be leading our youth group (and their youth group) in a once a month time of worship. In addition, Greg Cusimano will be working with our children that night also (beginning roughly at 7:15) to prepare them to lead/participate in Family Worship on Sunday, May 31. 

I’ll write more on Family Fun day in next week’s newsletter, and also at the beginning of next week. Suffice to say that it is shaping up to be a great time of fun and fellowship. More details to come very soon in regards to the Man food cook off, as well as the bake off. Stay tuned! 

Finally, I received a very important prayer request via email earlier today. Susan Gambill wrote asking us to pray for her mother, Martha Goggans, who had a stroke this week. Pray for healing and comfort for Martha, but also pray for Susan that she will experience and know God’s peace and Love right now. 

Here’s some interesting and edifying links for you: 

*****     This video was forwarded to me by by my own dear Janet, and it is fascinating and alarming. Did you know that both Germany and France (as well as most of Europe) will be Islamic nations by 2050, if not much sooner? Did you know that roughly half of the babies now born in     Belgium and the Netherlands are Islamic? This video contains some mind boggling demographic statistics. If that sounds boring to you, let me assure you that it is not - your jaw will drop several times in this video: CLICK HERE 

*****     Nancy Leigh DeMoss on Carrie Prejean’s recent profession of faith and bold stand on marriage….This will surprise you, but I believe DeMoss is absolutely right. CLICK HERE  (Carrie Prejean lost the Ms. California pageant by professing to uphold traditional marriage and    disagreeing with gay marriage). 

*****     You know you want a John Calvin bobblehead doll, don’t you? CLICK HERE 

*****     Catholic church unveils a statue of how Jesus might look today (in jeans, with modern haircut, etc) Is this intriguing or disturbing? CLICK HERE 

*****     Ray Ortlund on Gossip: CLICK HERE 

See you Sunday! 

Chase

Hello all and welcome into another Agape e-newsletter! 

Here’s what’s going on this week: 

 

I am eager to get back in the saddle this week (so to speak) after not having preached on Sunday morning for the last two weeks. Both Greg and David blessed us with messages from God, and if you haven’t heard them, you should check out our sermons online page: CLICK HERE  This week, in addition to honoring our mothers, I will be bringing a very practical message on how you can know your Spiritual gift, and what to do when you know your gift. This will be a Bible centered message with a goal that goes far beyond simply teaching facts. I believe you will find keys in the Word of God this Sunday to unlocking your destiny, and finding out your created purpose for being where you are today. 

Have you ever had that “I don’t quite fit in” feeling about yourself? Could it be that you might be missing out on the way that God has supernaturally gifted and equipped your for living? I believe that when we find out how God has specially made and equipped us, how He has uniquely created us and endowed us with powerful, even supernatural abilities; we will grasp more clearly than ever before what He has put us on earth to do and be. Come join us to discover how to know how God has made you - as well, allow me to encourage you to invite a friend or friends - I am hopeful that this will be a greatly encouraging message for somebody who hasn’t been in corporate worship for a long time to come and hear! 

This Saturday, we will be having our food pantry - which isn’t really about food, or a pantry. Yes, we do give lot’s of food to financially struggling families, but our primary goal is to interact with the people that come - to listen to them, love them, pray for them, and point them to a relationship with Jesus. If you are interested in any of that - we’d love to have you come and help us in any way, shape, or form. Show up at 8:30 or so to help get the food baskets put together. 

Let me close with another heartfelt plea for Sunday morning children’s teachers! We are still in need of two teachers to teach our 4-5 year olds during corporate worship once a month. I actually taught this class last Sunday, and had a really good time with the group - they are fun, they listen well, and they are able to grasp deeper Biblical truths than we might imagine. If you are interested in being in that rotation, please let me know by email as soon as possible! 

Here’s some links worth checking out: 

*****     Here’s a freebie for you: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (an all time classic) is available free this month as an audio download: CLICK HERE 

*****     Girls Gone Wise: (Read the title again, if you are a bit shocked) A site for women and girls by a very solid and Biblical teacher named Mary Kassian. While you’re there, read her review of “The Shack”. CLICK HERE 

*****     In honor of Mother’s day - 20 minutes a day that a husband can use to inject life and blessing into his marriage: CLICK HERE (I can tell you right now, that I am pretty week on those first five minutes!) 

*****     Survey says: Men wan’t more anthems and less hugging in church. This article, though serious, is pretty funny to me. Honest confession: I’m posting this thinking that it will convince all you guys to stop hugging me, but also because I want Greg to lead us in that rousing anthem, “Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind Forgive Our Foolish Ways” ,  Which is apparently a real song!    CLICK HERE 

*****     This is a little Inside Baseball, but here is one of the best Greek teachers around talking about how to interpret one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament. CLICK HERE. 

*****     Pastor James MacDonald on 5 distortions of the Gospel that are common today: CLICK HERE 

1. Greg Cusimano preaching this Sunday morning on “The Secret Things” (see below) 

2. Men’s (and boys over 11) meeting tomorrow night at Living Word Church (Pizza, Parents and Porn - see below) 

3. Sunday morning prayer time at 9:15am

4. Update on Connor, the baby we prayed for this past Sunday. 

Sorry we haven’t updated in almost a week, it has been busy times.  We had a great service at Agape Baptist Church in Pinson, AL this past Sunday.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ there welcomed us with open arms and loving hearts.  Conner slept through pretty much everything again of course.  My friend David delivered an awesome message that really hit home with our family and no doubt God wanted us there to hear it.  I’m sure it will eventually be on their websitehttp://agapepinson.com/ so check it out.  Crystal and I cannot express how much it meant for us that this Church would open their service and their hearts to our family and mostly Conner.  David along with several other men in the church fasted and prayed all week leading up to the service and at the end of the service had prayer over Conner as well as laid their hands on him.  It was a very spiritual moment and the Holy Spirit was in full force.  The gratitude and commitment these men expressed and shared with us is truly a blessing and I know that God will bless them for it and he already has.  One of the younger men praying there said he had never fasted before and that he was closer to God last week while fasting and praying for Conner than he had ever felt.  It is truly amazing how God can reach so many people through a child that cannot even speak or walk yet.  Again many thanks to Agape and God Bless them all, the men involved in the prayer even gave Conner a gift, his first bible, it is called the Super Heroes of the Bible and each of them wrote him a message in it and signed it.  Again we can never express how much you all mean to us.  

The day wasn’t over just yet.  We decided to stop at Cracker Barrel in Trussville for lunch that day, really the first time we have taken Conner out to a restaurant.  As we were leaving, my Mom had Conner and was going to head on out to the Truck with him while I paid.  The next thing I know Crystal is saying “honey look!”  I didn’t know what to expect.  I turned around and at the doorway inside Cracker Barrel I see a African American man holding Conner while my mom and three other women were prayed over Conner.  I’m not talking about silently praying, this man was praying out loud and laying hands on Conner as my mom and the women with this gentlemen laid hands toward him.  The man then walked over to me and Crystal and introduced himself though all I can remember was that he was a Bishop …  I cannot remember his last name.  He told us he was praying for us and that he expected a praise report and then he was on his way.  I asked Mom what she did to get all of this started.  Mom said that they were coming in as she was leaving and the Bishop stopped and said look at that precious baby.  Mom agreed but told the kind man that Conner does have some problems though.  Well, the Bishop said, let me see that baby, and took Conner right out of Mom’s hands and began to pray for him.  Talk about causing a stir, we can’t take Conner anywhere without him causing prayer to break out….Praise God!  I am so thankful for those people that stopped to pray for Conner when they could have just said they would pray for us.  Instead they took the time to actually stop and pray for him right there.  How many times have we seen or heard someone in need and we tell them we will pray for them?  The next time take a few minutes and pray for those people right then and God will Bless you for it and the person being prayed for, I promise.  It seems God continues to show me that although I see myself as a “good” Christian person that I can always be more and do more to help others.  Having Conner and seeing so many people reach out and take time to show their concern and pray for him has definitely been an eye opening experience for me and has humbled me so much.  I don’t know what God has planned for us as we move forward, but I know that without a doubt through all of this our lives have been changed as has our walk with Jesus. Glory to his name and praise be to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Chris_Plekenpol/

Tim, Crystal, and Conner