Agape Newsletter: Time Change Coming!

Hello all,

I don’t know about you, but I am sure looking forward to the weather this Sunday! High of 82, low in the lowers 60. I don’t care if it rains, I am just looking forward to the cool-down!

Now that we’ve got the small talk out of the way, let’s get down to business. This Sunday, we continue in our Philippians series, coming to one of the most important passages in the entire Bible. In Philippians 2, we find such a clear description of the Gospel, such a wonderful picture of the love of Jesus for us, that it is almost stunning. In the midst of the message, we will be looking at unlikely romances, and we will discover what has to be the most absurd, most unlikely romance in history, as well as a few runners up.

This would be an ideal message to invite your friends or family members to, as it will include an unmistakable and clear presentation of the Gospel. Also, this Sunday morning, we will be enjoying a mini-breakfast together! I am planning on picking up several dozen fresh and warm Krispy Kreme doughnuts and juice, and we will eat together at around 10:30, so small groups will get out a little early.

I need to let you know about an upcoming, significant change. Beginning the second week in October, we are changing the start time of our primary Sunday morning service to 10:00am. Going forward, we will begin our time together every week with breakfast and fellowship, moving into worship shortly afterwards. The small groups that currently meet at the church on Sunday mornings (with the exception of the seniors class) will be morphing into home groups. I will write more details in this space next week, but rather than telling you more about the move via email, Sam will be making a big announcement this Sunday morning, so come join us, and hang around afterwards in case you have any questions. Why the change? Why breakfast? Why homegroups? We will try and explain it all this Sunday!

Ann Talley and Selah will be coming home from the hospital soon! We want to bless them with dinners at night, don’t we?! Please email me if you would like to be part of that blessing.

Here are some dates to be aware of:

Sunday September 26: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at 10:30

Wednesday, September 29: Launch of a New Wednesday night series The Gospel in Life: How Grace Changes Everything

Sunday, October 3: Genesis at 6:00pm.

Sunday October 10: New Service Time at 10:00am, kicking off with breakfast!

Sunday night, October 10: Awakening:Worship and Refreshment. 6:00pm.
See you Sunday!

Chase

p.s. One more weather note: Watch out for Tropical Storm Matthew. It might be a doozy!

Agape Newsletter: Wednesday Night Food Pantry and Town Hall Meeting.

Hello all! I need to let you know that the Agape food pantry is tomorrow (Wednesday) night. We need your help! Although, thanks to Sam and Laurie and our Kids ReVive children’s ministry. we have a lot of bags ready to give out, we still need help making a few more bags and then handing them out. There will be many people that come to us for food tomorrow - the more folks we have that can come help, the better we are able to minister to those who have food needs. Last month, I opened the food pantry a little early so that people could come help with bagging, this month I will open a little early as well, so if you can get there early - come join me at 5:30! Food pantry officially begins at 6:00, and we always have a line waiting.

After food pantry, instead of having our usual Adult Bible Study, we are actually going to have a brief town hall style meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:30, as I’m hoping that most people who are doing food pantry will be able to attend. We are going to discuss two items: 1. Our upcoming (new) Wednesday night series - which I am very excited about and 2. How we can better “reach” the people that are coming to us for food via the food pantry. I would love to hear your input on both of those items, and I hope you will be able to join us!

Once again, a quick summary for those who don’t like to read: 1. Food pantry tomorrow night at 6 - come help! 2. No Adult Bible Study tomorrow night. Instead we will have a 3. Town hall style meeting at 7:30.

That is all - see you Wednesday!

Chase

Oh wait - one other thing: This Sunday might well prove to be a special Sunday at Agape. I will be emailing you more details soon, but I will write this for now: Be thinking about a family, or a friend, or a group of friends that you can invite to come join us Sunday. More on that shortly.

This Sunday at Agape: Philippians series + more.

Hello all,

This Sunday at Agape, we will be worshiping and seeking the living God together; we will break open Philippians again, and go deep into the Word of God, and we will seek to go deeper into fellowship with each other. In addition, we will have an important announcement about a change or two that will be coming in October.

As we get into Philippians this week, we are going to find Paul, a man who knew much suffering, exhorting us to proclaim Christ with our lives and our words, even as he was doing the same thing when he was writing the letter from prison. We’ll seek to answer questions like: Why does God have me in this difficult situation? What purpose does suffering have? What does it mean to bear witness to Jesus, and how can I do it? (and more)

Let’s remember to pray for each other, and remember to lift up Leslie Pendergrass and the Sellers family this week.

Finally, here is a video for you that I find powerful, comforting and, well, just nice! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR3axQxEb9Q

See you Sunday!

Chase

Agape Newsletter - Special He Shouldn’t Send out Newsletters after Midnight Edition.

The following may (or may not) be a true story. If you don’t have much time to read, you can skip to the last few paragraphs (below the picture) for all the information that you need!

Greetings dear friends. It is with great relief that I type you this letter. Early this morning at roughly 7am, I sat down to type the Agape newsletter, as is my habit on Fridays. As I typed out the first few sentences, something equal parts remarkable and inconvenient happened. Perhaps you have heard of spontaneous combustion? Well, I was spontaneously teleported. To Siberia, Russia. Though I was slow in getting over the shock of sudden long distance travel, I knew I was in Siberia by the street sign that I had been transported near. Welcome to Siberia it read. In Russian. And yes, I speak Russian. While I was pondering how fortuitous it was that I was raised by parents who valued a good training in multiple languages, I was confronted by none other than former WWF wrestlers Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik! At least, that is who they wanted me to think they were. Looking closer, I saw through their disguise, quickly realizing that it wasn’t Volkoff and the Sheik at all, but actually Vladimir Putin and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad! “Why have you brought me here?!” I demanded to know, incensed at the interruption of my most important duty of the day. Putin (dressed as Volkoff) gave me an evil grin, and said, “the newsletter you are working on must never reach the people of Agape. It is too important.” I realized immediately that priority one was to get home as fast as possible, and write this newsletter, so I turned on my heels, and began walking home, even as President Ahmadinejad threatened to “wipe Pinson off of the map”, among other things.

I can take many insults. Insult my football team, insult my fashion sense, insult my toupee - I don’t care! But, insulting the good people of Pinson like that? No! That is something I could never take. I spun around and confronted them both. “By Grabthar’s hammer”, I said, “you will take that back right this instant!” Infuriatingly, Ahmadinejad reached over and touched the brim of Putin’s Ushanka (that Russian fur hat that all good Russians wear) and sneered, “Touch black, no take backs”. “That hat is brown”, I spat in disgust, as I girded my loins rolled up my sleeves for battle. Fortunately at this point, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared, and we made quick work of “Volkoff and the Iron Sheik”, and left them laying in the frozen tundra, regretful that they had tangled with America yet again. Using the governator’s influence and wealth, we were able to escape Siberia and I have only just now arrived home. I do apologize for the delay in sending this out, but, as you can see, it was not my fault. It is not as if I just totally forgot to send the newsletter out, and then made up some fantastical and extremely silly story as an excuse. I wouldn’t do that. (or would I?)

Here’s what’s going on at Agape this week:

Sunday Morning: We continue with our study of Philippians 1, actually getting into the text of Philippians this week. We will look at the faithfulness of God to complete His work, the joy that comes from prayer, and the overflowing love that God calls us to have for each other. This book is really blessing me and encouraging me, and challenging me as I read it, and I encourage you to sit down and read it, chapter by chapter, with your family!

Sunday Night: We will have our first Sunday of the month Genesis meeting at our house at 6:00pm. Come and join us for fellowship, food, prayer and Bible study/discussion!

Keep an eye out for our September Awakening time of Prayer and Worship, which will be held on one Sunday night this month. (probably the fourth, but I will try and let you know next week).
Are you praying for each other? Last Sunday, we discussed the likelihood of all of us at Agape going through a storm this week, and I imagine that most of you have faced that storm by now. A gentle question - were you able to praise God in the midst of the storm (trial) that you faced this week? Like Paul and Silas in Acts 16, God calls us to overcome trials through worship, prayer and abiding in Him. He will give us faith to do this, so let us receive His gift, be empowered by His Spirit, and overcome all trials and opposition!

Also - David has asked me to announce this: Please let everyone know that we have some extra EPIC shirts for sale (size L, M and S) and they are 15.00. They can let me know if anyone wants one.

That’s all for now
please pray for me! :)

Chase