Agape Newsletter: 1. Food Pantry THIS Sunday Morning 2. Awakening THIS Sunday Night 3. Wednesday Night ReLaunch NEXT WEEK!

(Scroll down for details on free food this week at Agape)

Hello all,

Wow!! This is an action packed week at Agape! First of all, we kick off with breakfast and food pantry this Sunday. We need your help! If some folks could come a bit early Sunday morning (say, at 8:45) and help get ready for the food pantry, that would be great! We already have an assembly line set up to make food bags. so we should be able to get them made quickly with a little help. This might be a long email, so here are the highlights: 1. Food Pantry this Sunday 2. The message this Sunday is…interesting 3. Awakening Sunday night at 6:30 4. Wednesday Night ReLaunch this next Wednesday night at 6:30.

During the message this week, we are in 1 Timothy 2:8-15 . If you click that link, or in some browsers, just hover over it, you will see that this is quite a passage! Is the Bible sexist? Was Paul a misogynist? Was this little section only applicable to the first century, or to Ephesus? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO US? These are the questions that we will be tackling Sunday in the message. I am not going to lie to you - this is a tough passage - especially for us 21st century Americans. This passage is also one of the reasons why we have made an intentional change in our teaching of late in moving more towards going through entire Bible books during a message series. Doing it this way - we can’t skip the hard parts, or the awkward parts. We can’t pick and choose the parts of God’s Word that we want everybody to hear. Instead - we have to wrestle with all of it, and all of it is God-Breathed and inspired. I believe this will be a challenging message for both the speaker and the listeners; for both men and women; and for us as a congregation. In addition to that, I believe it will be very good and comforting for us - because God is good. His Word is good. His plans are good!

SUNDAY NIGHT - at 6:30 our friend Shawn Lombard is joining us for Awakening!!! Awakening is a refreshing time of worship and prayer that has the goal of seeing revival in our area of Birmingham, and of elevating our own worship and prayer lives. Shawn is a very powerful worship leader, and if you were at the first Awakening, you might remember how wonderful it was. This is something you are not going to want to miss! Here is a video of Shawn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgY8wl3ub0A and here is a link to the Awakening Facebook page. If you are coming….could you confirm your reservation online?

Finally - NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT (March 2nd) at 6:30pm, we are ReLaunching our Wednesday nights @Agape. Kids ReVive will be revitalized and meeting in a new place, and there will be three new small group classes that you can participate in. We will start at 6:30 with coffee and treats, and then break up into classes. Please make plans to join us for this very important Wednesday! Here are the details of the classes below:

What Is This Thing Called Love? taught by Kevin Small
“8 Weeks in 1 Corinthians 13″

Session 1: Importance of Love
Session 2: What Love Is
Session 3: Content Like Jesus
Session 4: Mannered Like Jesus
Session 5: Giving and Forgiving Like Jesus
Session 6: Handle Stress Like Jesus
Session 7: Pure Like Jesus
Session 8: Dependable Like Jesus

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands taught by Michael Fargarson
This class is focused on teaching people how to engage in one on one ministry and will be a practical
survey of the book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp. Some things addressed by the class will include:

Fulfilling God’s purpose in our relationships
Properly using the Bible to help someone through life’s trials
Helping others in the midst of suffering
Identifying the real problems that must be addressed for us to see God’s will done in other’s lives
Why and how we speak the truth in love to others
Giving people what they need to change
Faith Foundations 101 taught by Chase Thompson
“Important Questions – Useful Answers”

Session 1: How can I know God is real?
Session 2: How can I know the Bible is trustworthy?
Session 3: How was the world created? What about evolution?
Session 4: Who was Jesus?
Session 5: Why did Jesus come? What is the Gospel?
Session 6: What is the church and how did it start?
Session 7: What happens when we die, and how does the world end?
Session 8: Your Questions and Answers

Free Food this Sunday at Agape!

Hello all,

This Sunday morning, beginning at 10am, we will be having our food pantry ministry at Agape. What this means is that if you are a family that needs food (and you meet certain income qualifications) we will have a free large bag of groceries to give you. If you are a widow, or person with many children, we can possibly help more than that. Here is how our Sunday morning process will work:

10:00Am - Arrive and those that need food, sign up at the food ministry table in the sanctuary.
10:02Am - The entire congregation - (members, guests, people that come for food) sit down and eat a home cooked breakfast, which includes made from scratch biscuits, eggs, homemade pancakes, juice, and more. All are invited to eat with us, and there is no charge.
10:40am - Worship starts (note: we have no special dress code at Agape…come dressed as casual as you like!)
11:?? At some point, the worship music will end, children’s church will begin, and there will be a Biblical message given

At approximately 12:15-12:30, we will begin to hand out the free bags of groceries. The people who arrived first will be the first to pick up their food. If you are unable, or not interested in coming to breakfast and worship with us - don’t worry…you can still get a bag of food! Just come at 12:15 to pick up the food. There will be several people in line in front of you, and it may be that we run out of meat (when we don’t have enough) but there is generally enough food to give out, even to the latecomers.

Feel free to email us through our contact page with any questions.

We look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Agape News: Sunday Meeting @ Living Word Church 10AM + Breakfast. (Also: Genesis Sunday night at 6pm)

Hello all,

Does everybody remember that we are meeting at Living Word Church this Sunday morning, instead of at Agape!? If you are like me - perhaps that has slipped your mind, so let me remind you: This Sunday, at 10am, we need to be at Living Word Church building (directions below) at 10am. Pastor Bo Johnson called me this week to let me know that they would be having breakfast for us, and encouraged us to come at 10, so let’s get there a slight bit earlier than the time I gave this past Sunday morning, and come hungry!

Once again - come to Living Word Church this Sunday, at 10am, hungry for breakfast, fellowship, worship and the Word of God! How do you get there? LWC is just a short drive past Pinson High School, on highway 75, heading to Oneonta. It is a five minute (3.1 mile) drive from Agape, and a one minute drive from Pinson Valley High School. Here’s a link for directions: CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

Also this Sunday NIGHT, at 6pm, we will have Genesis at our house. All are invited - bring some food to share. This will be our kickoff Genesis meeting for 2011, and will help us get back into the habit of meeting regularly.

See you Sunday (at Living Word Church),

Chase

Upcoming Events:

All of February: No Adult Bible Study or Kids ReVive@ Agape (see below for relaunch in March). EPIC YOUTH IS MEETING AS NORMAL

Sunday, February 20: Joint Service part 2 - Agape to join Living Word church - I will be preaching there, and their worship team will be leading worship. ALSO: Genesis Sunday night at 6pm.
Sunday, February 27: Awakening: Worship and Prayer, led by Shawn Lombard - Sunday night @6:30pm.
Wednesday, March 2: Wednesday Night ReLaunch.
Coming in March: 1st Timothy series within a series: How to minister as the Body of Christ.
March 26 (tentative date): Man Gathering: Featuring fellowship, large chunks of meat, and other primal things. Led by: Louis “Captain America” Gruendler
April 22nd: SECRET CHURCH simulcast at Agape live and featuring the teaching of Dr. David Platt.
Coming in April: Cleanup Day @Agape.

Great News! That SCOUNDREL Chase Thompson isn’t preaching Sunday! (Agape Newsletter)

Instead, the right Reverend J. David McConnell will be bringing the Word, and will be exhorting us to fight the good fight of faith from 1st Timothy 1. It is a great passage of Scripture, and I know that David will share some very important - even critical - truths with us as a Body. We should also be hearing some more details about our upcoming Relaunch of Wednesday night groups. Come join us Sunday morning at 10am for breakfast and fellowship, followed by worship and word!

Don’t forget that NEXT SUNDAY we will be joining up with Living Word Church (1/2 mile north of Pinson High School on Highway 75) for worship and word. We need to be there at 10:15, and we will leave a few trusty folks behind at the Agape building to help you remember if you forget.

Also - we are having a bit of a food drive this Sunday. Mary has asked us to bring some boxes of cereal to give away in the community. Could you go through your pantry (or go to the store) and bring some unopened boxes of cereal to give away? That would be great, and would be good for our community as we are rarely able to offer cereal to our food pantry friends.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Chase

Upcoming Events: (DONT FORGET IN ONE WEEK WE GO TO LIVING WORD CHURCH TO JOIN THEM FOR WORSHIP!)

All of February: No Adult Bible Study or Kids ReVive@ Agape (see below for relaunch in March). EPIC YOUTH IS MEETING AS NORMAL

Sunday, February 13: 1st Timothy Series: Fight the Good Fight (David McConnell preaching) plus Mini food drive - bring cereal for the food pantry!
Sunday, February 20: Joint Service part 2 - Agape to join Living Word church - I will be preaching there, and their worship team will be leading worship. ALSO: Genesis Sunday night at 6pm.
Sunday, February 27: Awakening: Worship and Prayer, led by Shawn Lombard - Sunday night @6:30pm.
Wednesday, March 2: Wednesday Night ReLaunch. NEW! IMPROVED! Shiny! Cleans and polishes! (Real details to come very soon)
Coming in March: 1st Timothy series within a series: How to minister as the Body of Christ.
March 26 (tentative date): Man Gathering: Featuring fellowship, large chunks of meat, and other primal things. Led by: Louis “Captain America” Gruendler
Coming in April: Cleanup Day @Agape.

Agape Newsletter Special Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Edition

Hello everybody,

I hope you are surviving through the wet weather and drizzle. This Sunday at Agape we are continuing in our journey through 1st Timothy, and will arrive at a very rich and beautiful place. We are going to be talking about the love of God that leads to Him pouring out His grace, on even the worst and stinkiest people imaginable. This week’s passage will give us the clearest glimpse of grace that we have had in a long time, and I expect that it will be encouraging to some, and lead others to salvation in Jesus. You will hear about how God changed the heart of one of the most violent criminals in history - A Japanese serial killer that did not even deserve an atom of mercy - , and you will hear about how a group of men in Europe were used to light the world on fire because of the truths in this section of 1st Timothy. We will also look at the very real and tangible strength that comes from Jesus. Don’t miss it!

What an interesting day we had last Sunday! While many Agape “regulars” were sick, we still had a full house of people, including 14 first time visitors (!) and about a dozen more very new people. I was encouraged when I left the building that one of the last people to remain at Agape was a new lady (who originally began attending through the food pantry) that was happily cleaning the tables in preparation for next week. In addition, we had a young mom who came desperate for help. Both of her parents had died at an early age, so she grew up in foster care. She has two or three children of her own, but relatives have dropped off other children with her recently, so now she is taking care of ten children! In my book, those children, abandoned by their parents, count as ORPHANS. I highlight the word in all caps because, as we sought God for vision and direction in 2010, one of the words He kept focusing us on (over and over!) was the word ORPHAN. Agape is called to minister to Orphans! We want to practically help Jennifer out as an extension of this ministry to orphans. If you would like to bring some nice or new things for a care package this week, that would be great. (please see clothing sizes listed below), and we can put together a care package for her and her family!

Speaking or Orphans, this week we will lead off worship with a video about a very special group of orphans in India that Agape will be supporting this year, and the Orphanage that is not only rescuing them from oblivion, but is raising them up to be passionate, incredible followers of Jesus.

Next week we should be hearing about how God is leading the youth group in regards to helping Orphans and rescuing children in the worst kind of danger. Stay tuned!

Upcoming Events: (DONT FORGET IN TWO WEEKS WE GO TO LIVING WORD CHURCH TO JOIN THEM FOR WORSHIP!)

Sunday, February 6: 1st Timothy series part 2. (Note: Superbowl gathering cancelled…get together with your Agape family and watch the game!)
All of February: No Adult Bible Study or Kids ReVive@ Agape (see below for relaunch in March). EPIC YOUTH IS MEETING AS NORMAL
Sunday, February 13: 1st Timothy Series: Fight the Good Fight (David McConnell preaching) plus Mini food drive - bring cereal for the food pantry!
Sunday, February 20: Joint Service part 2 - Agape to join Living Word church - I will be preaching there, and their worship team will be leading worship. ALSO: Genesis Sunday night at 6pm.
Sunday, February 27: Awakening: Worship and Prayer, led by Shawn Lombard - Sunday night @6:30pm.
Wednesday, March 2: Wednesday Night ReLaunch. NEW! IMPROVED! Shiny! Cleans and polishes! (Real details to come very soon)
Coming in March: 1st Timothy series within a series: How to minister as the Body of Christ.
March 26 (tentative date): Man Gathering: Featuring fellowship, large chunks of meat, and other primal things.
Coming in April: Cleanup Day @Agape.

Clothing Sizes:

Girl - 24 months
Girl age 4 size 5
Girl age 7 size 8
Boy age 6 size 7
Girl age 12 adult size pants 7 shirts med / 7-9
Girl age 11- pants adult size 9 shirts med 7-9
Girls age 10- size 10 pants / shirt med
Girl age 9 - size 10 pants/ shirt med
Boy - size 8 pants med shirt

See you Sunday!

Chase