Tag Archives: financial crisis

Jano07

Chase

0

Agape Newsletter, November 14, 2008:

Hello Friends,

Welcome to a somewhat abbreviated, as well as late edition of the Agape e-newsletter.

Ultra-quick summary of this week at Agape:

1. Sermon this week: The Great Romance Part 2.
1A - Coming December 7 and 14 - Agape’s Vision for 2009
2. Don’t forget to bring spaghetti noodles or meat this Sunday to give to the food pantry. (we have lots of sauce, not so many noodles)
3. Crossroads Sunday night at 5:00 pm - Subject: Christ In You
4. Christmas Shoe boxes are due November 22 (for more details, see display in the back of the sanctuary)


Sunday morning at Agape, we are going to continue looking at the Great Romance, specifically, how our love for each other should be a reflection of God’s love for us. I’m also going to share with you how I was almost killed this week in a high speed police chase (no kidding!), and some of the thoughts that have come from being that close to eternity. This might be something good to bring a lost friend or family member to come hear, so be encouraged to do that! (in case anybody is wondering, I was not the one who was being chased).

Sunday night, David will be continuing his series on the Gospel, specifically looking at doing the will of the Father - and how Christ dwells in us. Every week, David puts a lot of time into seeking God and digging in scripture in order to bring us the deep truths of God on Sunday nights - and he does an excellent job! John Talley is serving as the worship leader for Crossroads, and he is also doing an excellent job, leading worship on Sunday nights with a dynamic creativity that is refreshing. If you haven’t been yet, let me encourage you to come!

Please know, as I mentioned last week, that this current sermon series is laying the foundation for December 7 and 14th - the two Sundays that will be our Vision Sundays - in which we will be examining what God is calling this body to in 2009. I know that some of you who receive this email are infrequent at Agape - please let me say to you that the next few Sundays are critically important in the life of our fellowship! I encourage you to come and worship, pray and listen to what God is calling us to. If you are bored with religion, and normal “church stuff” I can assure you that 2009 will be quite different from the norm. The economy is crashing around us, and many are fearful. They are like sheep without a shepherd.  It is time for the people of God to step forward and shine the light of God to the lost - you are invited and called to be a part of that!

This Week’s Schedule:  (This month’s schedule online at: http://agapepinson.com/calendar_of_events.htm)

Sunday, November 16, 9:15 am - Please remember that we’ve changed corporate prayer time from 8:30 to 9:15am
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Corporate worship, prayer and word. This Sunday: The Great Romance, part 2.

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on:  Christ IN You. In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us that not everyone who calls Him ‘Lord’ will actually enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He goes on to say that it is only those who do the will of His Father that will be rewarded with eternal life. While these verses may be puzzling at first, if we clearly understand what it means to experience the Gospel of Christ, then the warning of Matthew 7 will become crystal clear in our lives. Join us on November 16th as we seek to understand the depth of these words: ‘Christ IN You - the Hope of Glory‘.
Wednesday night, November 19 - Correcting last week’s newsletter, we will not actually be having our fellowship meal this Wednesday night - to accommodate folks who don’t like to drive at night, we are moving our fellowship meal to Sunday, November 23rd, directly after church. This will be a Thanksgiving fellowship meal/celebration, so make plans to join us after church next Sunday, and bring some food! Actually, since we’ve invited some of our friends from the community, you might want to bring extra food.


Next Sunday, November 23 (right after worship: Thanksgiving fellowship meal and celebration.

This Week’s Links:

*****    The Cell Phone Challenge: How many unchurched people’s contact info do you have in your cell phone? http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2008/11/12/cell-phone-challenge/

*****     Do you remember hearing on the news that Sarah Palin didn’t realize that Africa was a continent? Well, that was a hoax: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/arts/television/13hoax.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.


*****    This is interesting; a very candid interview of Barack Obama on his religious beliefs. Perhaps not as shallow as some might expect, but definitely quite far from a Biblical understanding of Christianity. : http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2008/11/obamas_fascinat.html

Here’s an excerpt: “This is something that I’m sure I’d have serious debates with my fellow Christians about. I think that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and prostelytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to hell. I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup.”

*****    Can you be busy and lazy? Why being busy doesn’t automatically mean we are being diligent: http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/how-busyness-and-laziness-coexist-cj-mahaney.aspx

*****    My favorite site for finding online bargains: http://slickdeals.net/


*****     Some interesting thoughts on surviving the economy from a Christian perspective: http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2008/11/11/secret-to-surviving-economy/

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday! 

Chase

Jano07

Chase

0

Agape Newsletter, November 7, 2008 Special Presidential Election Edition.

Hello again everybody and welcome to yet another Agape newsletter. Wow - what a historic week! Is everybody ok out there? 

Ultra-quick summary of this week at Agape: 

1. New sermon series begins this week - The Great Romance.
1A - Coming December 7 and 14 - Agape’s Vision for 2009
2. Don’t forget to bring spaghetti sauce or noodles this Sunday to give to the food pantry. 
3. Crossroads Sunday night at 5:00 pm - Subject: Jesus’ call to follow.
4. Angel Food money is due by Sunday morning, but Cindy will be at church Saturday morning from 9-12 so you can pay then.
5. Christmas Shoe boxes are due November 22 (for more details, see display in the back of the sanctuary) 

This Sunday morning, we will begin a three part series that will lay the foundation for something critically important to Agape that will begin in December. The message series is entitled “The Great Romance” and is an examination of the Love of God for His people, and how we are to experience it, enjoy it, return it and reflect it. This week the primary focus will be on God’s Love for His people. I can hear you thinking now - “well, I know God loves us - and I’ve heard plenty of sermons that have told me that.” I can assure you that you’ve not heard many messages on God’s love from the perspective you will hear Sunday. I believe Sunday will bring a fresh understanding and experience of God’s love for all of us. It will be a message partly presented via multimedia, and I believe it will be quite emotional, encouraging and life impacting. This is a good series to invite a friend who has been wounded in church in the past to come and hear. So, please let me encourage you to invite your wounded and discouraged friends to come and be refreshed! Week two of this series will look at how God’s love for us should be reflected to each other in the family of faith. Week three will examine how God’s love for us should compel us to love those outside the walls of the church. 

I mentioned earlier that this three part series will be foundational for something very important at Agape. I am referring to December 7th and 14th - the first two Sundays of December. On those days, and probably the first week or two in January, I will begin a series on Agape’s call and vision for 2009. The word vision has always been a powerful word to me, especially in the context of the church. When I was ten or so, I went to a large church that began a 12 million dollar building program. The cornerstone verse used for raising money for that program was Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. This verse has been (mis)used in many hundreds (thousands?) of churches over the years to inspire the people to all join in a vision - a vision that usually centered around either the expansion of the facilities or a new building entirely. I believe that to be a misuse of that particular passage - but the passage itself is important and certainly true - the people of God wander aimlessly, ultimately perishing when there is no God centered, God inspired, God breathed vision put in front of them. When I say vision, I really just mean that which God is uniquely calling the people of Agape Baptist to do. I believe that we each have a powerful and unique calling from God on an individual level, and I believe also that we have a corporate calling as well - one that can only be fulfilled by us moving together under the leadership of God. 

Since Cary left Agape in 2007, it seems that we have been without an overall specific vision. Please don’t misunderstand me - I’m not saying that as an insult in any way, shape or form. The fact is that for a church of our size - Agape has a very strong community impact, and is very active in so many areas. In the eight months that I have been at Agape, I have been waiting on God, and asking Him to reveal His vision for us - His call, His specific purpose for Agape in this specific time. I believe that now is the time for us to hear and understand God’s vision and call for us at Agape on a new level - a specific level for this next year. I would ask you to join me in fasting and prayer over the next month as we all seek God and ask Him to reveal His will to us for this next year. I will write and speak much more on this issue in the coming weeks. I invite your input - especially your input gained after personally praying for God to reveal His calling to Agape. 

One other thing - if you missed the expert’s round table discussion on the economy this Sunday, David has posted the audio file on our website: http://agapepinson.com/sermons_online.htm (you can also download David’s Crossroads sermon from last week there as well) 

This Week’s Schedule:  (This month’s schedule online at: http://agapepinson.com/calendar_of_events.htm)
Saturday, November 8 - Food Pantry (from 9-12) Although Angel Food money can be turned in Sunday morning to Cindy, she tells me that it would be helpful for people to turn their orders in on Saturday morning if at all possible. Angel food menu and other information is online at: http://agapepinson.com/angel_food_ministries.htm

Sunday, November 9, 9:15 am - ALERT ALERT ALERT. Corporate Prayer has been changed from 8:30 to 9:15. You no longer have to wake up early to come and pray together!!! 
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Corporate worship, prayer and word. This Sunday: The Great Romance, part 1. 

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on what it really means to FOLLOW JESUS. Here’s his summary:  A Call to Follow

Jesus offers to everyone this invitation: ‘Come to me and I will give you rest’. And while this certainly is a call to receive forgiveness for our sins, we must realize that is also a call to responsibility. To be born again is to accept Christ as Savior and Lord. We are to trust Him, not just for redemption, but also for total direction in life. Therefore, His words are not just a call to receive, but also a call to follow. Join us on November 9th as we continue our study of what it means to experience the gospel.


Wednesday night, November 12 7:00 pm- This Wednesday night, we should be finally wrapping up Matthew 10, and going into Matthew 11. I said that last week as well, but our discussion this past Wednesday night on certain elements of Matthew 10 was so good and lively that we didn’t get as far as I thought we might. We will also have food pantry this Wednesday night from 6-8. 

A few other scheduling notes: Sunday, November 19th will be our last Fellowship Wednesday night of the year, so be sure and join us for great fun, fellowship and food. Also, we will not be having our normal Wednesday night services the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but I believe we will still have food pantry that night. I will find out for sure and let you know in the next newsletter. 

This Week’s Links:

*****     What if Starbucks marketed itself like the church did? A parable: http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2008/11/06/what-if-starbucks-used-church-marketing/

*****     Wednesday the sun came up and I was happy. It is still morning in America. The candidate I voted for did not win, but I got to vote in a free and fair election. Power will be passed peacefully and the Constitution is intact. http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11595333/

*****     Were you disappointed by the results of this week’s election? Here’s John Piper on how to cope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFvlfc2VkN0  (He also addresses the current economic situation). I love John Piper. 

*****    Oswald Chambers on intimacy and having a now faith vs. a future faith: http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/11/06/devotion.aspx

*****    Zondervan Publishing has bought one of my favorite and most used websites, www,Biblegateway.com. All I’ve got to say is that they had better not mess it up! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/novemberweb-only/145-41.0.html

*****     Finally, from the practical, if not spiritual department: Did you know that stretching before exercise isn’t a great idea after all (at least not the way most of us stretch!) Read on:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?_r=3&em&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday! 

Chase

Jano07

Chase

0

Agape Newsletter 10-31-2008

Hello friends and family, and welcome to another Agape newsletter. I’ve promised myself a fresh chocolate chip as a reward for finishing this newsletter, so I’d better get started!

(I added a few people to the newsletter list this week - if you’re one of those people, and don’t want to get this amazingly awesome weekly newsletter, please let me know, and I’ll take you off my list!)

First up: Here’s an ultra-quick summary of what’s inside:

1A. DON’T FORGET about Daylight Savings Time ending this Sunday morning - set your clocks BACK 1 hour before you go to bed Saturday night! 
1. Send in your questions for our economy panel this Sunday!
2. PLEASE invite a friend to come join you at worship this week!
3. Crossroads Sunday Night at 5:00pm (topic: can I lose my salvation, and how do I know if I’m really saved?)
4, Special Prayer Time for the 2008 election Monday night (November 3rd) at 8:00pm. 
5. The children’s Christmas program practice begins Wednesday night, November 5
6. Don’t forget to turn in deacon nominations this week.

Sunday morning we will be having our expert panel on the economy, and addressing all of your questions. Our panel consists of 2 attorneys, an accountant and a banker. In addition to the extended Q and A time, I will be bringing a very brief (10-15 minute) message on how we, as God’s people, should respond to the economic crisis. IF YOU HAVEN’T SENT IN YOUR QUESTIONS YET, please do so! There is still time for you to send in any questions that you might have, and the sooner we get your questions, the better we’ll be able to answer them. Thus far I have about 11 or so questions that have been sent in, and we still have room for a few more. Act Now! Operators are standing by. Free questions to the first twenty callers!

Also - I would like to urge you to invite friends, neighbors and family members to come visit Agape Sunday. The economy is something that is on a lot of people’s minds, and to my knowledge, not many churches are addressing it in a practical and spiritual way - this week would be an awesome time to encourage somebody to visit with you!

This Monday night, beginning at 8:00 pm we will be having a time of corporate prayer in the sanctuary,  focused on the 2008 election, which will be happening Tuesday. This is a critically important election for our country, and we need to join with millions of believers across the nation who will be crying out to God for His will and His wisdom for Tuesday.

Finally, on a bit of a personal note, please allow me to encourage you to go see the movie Fireproof if you haven’t seen it yet. Janet and I watched it tonight, and both of us found it to be a great movie. Let me be very clear: I don’t have a lot of patience for most Christian movies - I appreciate their message, but let’s be frank: most of them stink! Fireproof, however, stinketh not one jot or tiddle, to use King James English. It was an enjoyable movie with a powerful message, and it can certainly be a life changer for a lot of couples. Let me say it one more time: this movie doesn’t stink! I wasn’t actually looking forward to seeing it all that much, having plenty of experience in the past with Christian clunkers like Megiddo,Thief in the Night,  and some of the Left Behind movies (the books are better than the movies) - but this is a really good movie, with an even better message. Guys - take your wives!

My Top Christian Movies:

1. Amazing Grace
2. Fireproof
3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (I haven’t seen Prince Caspian yet)
4. Luther
5. The one I’m forgetting right now.



This Week’s Schedule:
Sunday, November 2, 9:15 am - ALERT ALERT ALERT. Corporate Prayer has been changed from 8:30 to 9:15. The reason for the change is so that people (like me) who might not be all that fired up about waking up early, can wake up just a shade early, and come pray together. It is a critical time in the life of our country and our fellowship at Agape, so I urge you to come a few minutes early, and pray with us in the back of the sanctuary.
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - This Sunday, as noted above, we will be addressing the crumbling economic situation in America. What does it mean for us individually, and what does it mean for the church?

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on the Gospel again, specifically focused on two important issues of salvation. Here’s his summary: When it comes to the issue of salvation, more than one Christian has dealt with the question of ‘Am I really saved’ or ‘Can I lose my salvation?’ And while it is critical for us to know the condition of our heart, Christ does not want us to walk in confusion or fear over the issue of being born again. Which is why we can and should have the assurance of salvation. Join us November 2nd at 5pm as we seek truth from the word on how we know we are saved.
Monday Night, November 3rd, 8:00 pm - Corporate prayer for the 2008 Presidential election - in the sancutary.

Wednesday night, November 5 7:00 pm- This Wednesday night we’ll be finishing up Matthew 10 - should ministry today look like it did when Jesus sent the twelve out? Was Jesus the Prince of Peace, or did He not come to bring peace but a sword? And why in the world is He telling us to hate our wives, mothers andf fathers in this passage? Could this be the same Jesus that we used to see on the flannelgraphs in Sunday school? Come join us!

This Week’s Links:

*****     Here’s a fantastic new song from Hillsong - Stronger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZBPD-T20t0

*****     A great holiday is set to be celebrated today, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Happy Reformation Day!” To everybody: http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/worship/11583552/

*****    Abortion is one of the greatest tragedies and horrors of my generation. This article demands a response of intercession and a crying out to God for mercy and justice. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/viewarticle.php?selectedarticle=2008.10.28_Hendershott_Anne_A%20Dangerous%20Time%20to%20be%20a%20Black%20Baby_.xml I honestly had no idea it was this bad.

*****    Thoughtful and short: Three ways we can spoil the gospel. http://andynaselli.com/theology/three-ways-to-spoil-the-gospel

*****    John Piper on meekness vs. laziness: http://adrianwarnock.com/2008/10/piper-friday-meekness-not-laziness.html

*****     Visualizing the debt of the United States in a clear and easy to understand way (as credit card debt). Who knew we owe Luxembourg so much? http://blog.mint.com/blog/finance-core/visualizing-uncle-sams-debt/

Come and join us Sunday morning as we worship together and encourage each other in Jesus!

Chase

p.s. I ate my chocolate chip cookie about one paragraph into this newsletter. Guess it’s time to work up a message on self discipline…and time to go make some more chocolate chip cookies!    :)

Jano07

Chase

0

Agape Newsletter 10-29-08: Free Family Movie Night

Hello and welcome into another action and announcement packed edition of the Agape E-newsletter!

We have several events and announcements this week, as well as one significant change of plans. You’ll recall that last Sunday during the message on the economy, that I said we would have an expert panel this Sunday to answer any questions that you might have? Sadly, we are going to have to postpone our expert panel until next week, due to the inability of one or two of our key panelists to be able to make it this Sunday. They are, however, on for next Sunday, so we will shift our question and answer time until then. We will have bankers, accountants and attorneys on our panel - all with the expertise and knowledge to answer your questions. So then - that puts the ball in your court: What questions do you have about the economy? About getting a new job? About your 401 k? About your savings and investments? I do realize, like I said last week, that the economy is an odd thing to be talking about during church, but if you will listen to the opening minutes of the first message on the economy (posted at: http://agapepinson.com/sermons_online.htm) you will hear why I believe it to be an important issue for Christians to be knowledgeable on. Mainly - we are called to be a light in these dark times, and we shouldn’t be ignorant of all the shaking that is going on in the world right now. As I type this message on Friday afternoon, I see that the Dow Jones average has dipped more than 300 points and is coming dangerously close to the 7000’s.

Three other notes of interest for this week: 1. TONIGHT IS FREE FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT!!! (at 6:30, see below for more details) 2 PRAYER TIME IS MOVING - beginning next Sunday (not this Sunday) we will be changing our Sunday morning corporate prayer time to 9:15 am, instead of 8:30 am. It is hoped by this move that more people will be able to come and pray together before corporate worship. I will write more about that next week. Finally, 3. Deacon nomination papers will be available in the back of the sanctuary this Sunday morning, on the Crossroads table. In fact, they were available this past Sunday morning, but I neglected to mention that at the end of my message, as I was supposed to. There is space for four names to be nominated - feel free to take the form with you this week, and bring it back next week.

Also: Please remember to pray for Mark Jones this week, as his father died Tuesday morning. Pray for peace and comfort for Mark and Traci, as well as peace and wisdom for his brother’s and sisters. Also, pray for Ron Franks as he had surgery this week, and is recovering at home.

On to this week’s schedule

This Week’s Schedule:

Friday, October 24 (TONIGHT!) at 6:30pm: FREE Family Movie Night in the sanctuary at Agape. Cost? Surprisingly cheap! Tonight we’ll be having food, movies, fun and games at church as your missions team treats us to a free movie and much more. The movie on tap for tonight is the Veggie Tales, Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. I had the privilege of watching this movie recently, and absolutely loved it. (No Kidding!) It was funny, and inspirational enough to bring a small tear to my eye at one point. A very small, manly, and tough tear. The kind that Hercules or Superman might have shed.

Saturday, October 25, 9:30 am: Angel Food orders will be at the church to be picked up -don’t forget to come by and pick up your box! November’s orders are due by November 8th; David has placed a menu online at: http://agapepinson.com/angel_food_ministries.htm

Sunday, October 26 - 8:30 - Corporate prayer. Prayer is so critical in the life of the church, so please join us in the back of the sanctuary to lift up our hearts to God. Don’t forget that corporate prayer moves to 9:15 am next week!
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Morning worship and word. This week we will take a very brief break from talking about the economy, and watch an interesting video, and hear a message on the power of our words.

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be bringing a message that everybody in the church, as well as their friends and neighbors, needs to hear. The title of the message is: When Belief is Not Enough, and here is his description of it: The end of John chapter 2 shows us a group of people who believed in Jesus, yet the Bible says that Christ would not entrust himself to them. He knew their hearts and He knew they were following Him for the wrong reasons. According to scripture, simply believing the Gospel is not sufficient to be saved. Satan believes the gospel. So what does it take to be saved? Jesus said the answer was to be born again - the question is: what does that mean? Join us October 26th at 5pm as we seek an answer.

Tuesday night, October 28: The Nest, homeless ministry at Agape. More information on the Nest: http://agapepinson.com/nest_ministry.htm.

Wednesday night, October 22nd - Back to Matthew this week, as we’ll be tackling the 10th chapter of Matthew - a most challenging, yet refreshing passage of scripture. We will also have food pantry that night, beginning at 6:00.

This Week’s Links:

*****     Here’s a completely free CD of Advent and Christmas songs (the one catch? You have to tell 5 friends about it). It sounds beautiful from what I’ve heard of it. http://www.sojournmusic.com/2007/12/05/advent-songs-2007/

*****     Why is Christianity at it’s best in the midst of disaster: http://www.newmanmag.com/newmanreport/2008/09/christianity-in-midst-of-disaster.html

*****     John (Amazing Grace) Newton on Not Being Afraid (via James Mcdonald): http://familyreformation.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/do-not-be-afraid/

*****    A Civics review: How we elect our president. http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2605119/How-the-U-S-A-elects-its-President.html

*****    Ben Patterson on learning how to pray by using the Psalms: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/october/34.87.html

I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!

Chase

Jano07

Chase

0

Agape Newsletter - 10-17-2008 - Economic Crisis part 1

Hello all, all and welcome to the third week in October edition of the Agape newsletter. Among our highlights this week: A missions yard sale Saturday at 8:00am, A message on the Economy this Sunday morning at 10:45am, and a Crossroads message Sunday night on how the sacrifice of Jesus saved us from our sins. Read below for more details:

This Week’s Schedule:
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18 at 8:00 AM: Don’t forget that the missions team is having a yard sale at Agape tomorrow (Saturday) morning, beginning at 8:00am. Come one, come all - find some great bargains AND help our missions outreach fulfill the calling of Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46) and love our community.
Sunday, October 19 - 8:30 - Corporate prayer. Prayer is so critical in the life of the church, so please join us in the back of the sanctuary to lift up our hearts to God.
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Morning worship and word. This week I will be bringing a message that is centered on all of the issues raised by our volatile economy. What is going on? Why is the stock market struggling so much? What does it mean to you and me? And, most importantly, where is God in all of this, and what should our response be as the people of God?! Come join us and have a listen to this very unusual message, as well as seek God and bless His name in worship and prayer. If you know somebody who has been effected by the economic crisis currently, or has been interested in it, then please forward them this email and invite them to come join us this Sunday!
Sunday night: 5 pm - Crossroads. Most of us know that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross makes it possible for us to enter heaven, right? But HOW does that work? Why did it work? Here’s David’s summary of what he will be teaching on this Sunday night at Crossroads: The Cup Christ came to secure our eternal redemption from the rebellion of Genesis chapter 3. But how did He do it? Was it the nails? The crown of thorns? A beaten and bloodied trip up an ancient hillside? How did the sacrifice of Christ secure forgiveness of all sins, for all times for those who would believe? Would we be surprised to hear that it was not what was seen on that day that saves us, but what was unseen? Please Join us October 19th at 5pm.

Wednesday night, October 22nd - Back to Matthew this week, as we’ll be tackling the 10th chapter of Matthew - a most challenging, yet refreshing passage of scripture. We will also have food pantry that night, beginning at 6:00.

Friday night - Family Movie Night with fun and games and much more!

Well, normally, I would try and type something interesting, funny, spiritual, inspiring, or antagonizing to Auburn fans in this space, but alas, I’m babysitting Kassidy while Janet is taking Chloe and John Caedmon to the doctor (they have bronchitis - pray for them please!), so I’m not able to concentrate enough to type much of anything worth reading, so I guess I’ll just close out with some hopefully high quality linkst.

This Week’s Links:

*****     Thinking about World Hunger Month….Did you eat breakfast today? (I did: 1 bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats, one bowl of Rice Chex): http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2008/10/how_hungry_are.html

*****     Deep Truths of the Bible for Children (good children’s books with a deep Christian message): http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2008/10/deep-truths-of-the-bible-for-c.html

*****     This will be a bit controversial, I imagine. I am posting it less for it’s political content, and more for it’s incisive commentary on the importance of being pro-life: http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=2630

*****     Fireproof 1, Religulous 0 http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2008/10/religulous.html

*****     Real Preachers of Genius; Mr. Mega Church Seeker Sensitivity Guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb9DF16Fx8k&feature=related (Please note - this video lampoons seeker sensitive churches and touches on the Emergent movement. I’m including it here only because of it’s amusement value, not because I necessarily agree with some of the issues the video raises. For me, it’s a mixed bag)

I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!

Chase

Jano07

Chase

0

Agape Newsletter - 10-10-2008. Yard Sale, Movie Night + more

Hello again everybody, and allow me to welcome you to another edition of the Agape newsletter - now available in print edition (when I remember to print it out)!


October looks like a very active month for us, so let’s get straight away into our weekly schedule and announcements, shall we?

This Week’s Schedule:
Sunday, October 12 - 8:30 - Corporate prayer. If you haven’t yet joined us for corporate prayer - why not come and and seek God with your faith family? We meet at 8:30am in the back right of the sanctuary.
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Morning worship and word. This week we’ll finish up our series on leadership, and examine God’s plan for Elders, Deacons and Pastors in the church. Come join us, and bring a friend!
Sunday night: 5 pm - Crossroads. Sunday night David is going to tackle a very serious issue - How can a good God send people to Hell? If you missed last week’s message, then you missed a powerful explanation of how a good God who is all powerful can allow evil and suffering in the world. Here’s a link to download it: http://agapepinson.com/sermons_online.htm
Here’s a summary from David of what’s coming up this week at Crossroads: Whether in public or private conversation, more than one Christian has been challenged to respond to why they believe a loving God would punish sin and send people to hell. In light of our rebellion, perhaps we should ask how a Holy God can allow sinners into Heaven. To answer these questions, we must search scripture to understand the character and glory of God. Join us October 12th at 5pm as we continue our study of The Gospel.

Wednesday night, October 15, we’ll be having a fellowship meal together, along with some various and sundry fun and games. The meal begins at 5:45, so come join us for some quality food and hang out time!


This Week’s Announcements:
Attention: parents: Please help us keep children off of the stage in the sanctuary. There is much expensive and sensitive equipment on the stage, and recently we have had issues with children getting on the stage and moving or knocking over equipment. Let’s all join together and remind the kids to stay off of the stage when we see them there!
Angel Food orders are due by October 11 (Saturday) at 9:00 am. Cindy and the missions team will be at Agape to collect these, as it is food pantry Saturday. For an online menu, as well as more information on Angel Food, go to our site: http://agapepinson.com/angel_food_ministries.htm

Also here are some more announcements from Cindy and the Missions Team:

1. Movie/game night Oct. 24th starts at 6:30pm
2.Missions yard sale Oct 18th see Sue Taylor if you have items to donate
3. October. is world hunger month.  we will be collecting food/money specifically for food pantry at our church for the entire month of October.  See Cin for any questions.
4. Need personal care items for The Nest  on Oct. 28th.

Just in case you’re not on Sue Taylor’s email address list, here’s her email with more information about the Missions Yard Sale:


Hey guys!  This is just a reminder about Agape’s Benevolence Yard Sale which is NEXT Saturday, October the 18th.  PLEASE, if you have donations that you have not already taken to the church, plan to take them to Agape this Saturday morning before noon.  We will be there working with the donations!  We’ll even help you unload your vehicle!!! If you have donations but can’t get them there by then, please have them at Agape by the evening of the 17th.
Don’t forget, the more the merrier.  Come and visit and SHOP our yardsale.  (This would be a great time for the husbands to buy their stuff back!)  All proceeds further our benevolence work atAgape!

Love you all,
Sue

A personal note:
One other thing before I give you some external links to check out: Sadly, our dog, Kara (a stray who was dropped off at the parsonage a few weeks ago), was run over by a car and killed early this morning. She had a bad habit of crossing the street and going to the bank from time to time, and though it has gotten better lately, she apparently still would go over to the bank early in the morning to greet the bank tellers when they arrived. She was such a personable and sweet dog, and we’re very sad to see this happen - the kids in particular. After I told the kids about it this afternoon, they wanted to see Kara one last time, so I walked them down to the woods where I had moved her for them to say goodbye. On the way back up to the parsonage, Chloe looked at me and asked, “Why does God let bad things like that happen?” Answering that question on a level that a child (or even an adult) can understand is quite challenging, but David did an excellent job of doing just that last Sunday at Crossroads (see the link above to download the message).
Maybe you have somebody like Kara in your life. Not a dog, of course, but a friend or family member who is engaging in dangerous/risky behavior. All evening, I’ve been asking myself if I could have done anything different to prevent what happened this morning. If you have a friend or family member that is in a similar position, don’t wait until catastrophe strikes to help out or intervene in some way - otherwise you’ll be like me, wondering what you could have done differently, but knowing that it might be too late.
Finally, some links to sites and articles worth checking out:

*****    Adrian Warnock is one of my favorite Christian bloggers. Here, he has a video of Billy Graham preaching in 1958: http://adrianwarnock.com/2008/10/video-billy-graham-preaching-in-1958.html
Also on his site this week is an article from Charles Spurgeon (the Baptist “Prince of Preachers”) that states that conviction of sin is necessary for salvation: http://adrianwarnock.com/2008/10/spurgeon-conviction-of-sin-essential.html

*****     Here’s a thought provoking article that I don’t entirely agree with, but definitely find some merit in. What the Church should learn from Google: http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2008/09/17/what-the-church-should-learn-from-google-1-of-many/
*****     From ThinkChristian (quoting the pope): Our financial systems are built on sand. Boy, has that been evident this week! http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2008/10/07/financial-systems-built-on-sand/
*****     Were you aware that the Christians in Orissa, India are currently undergoing major persecution? Please pray for them! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/november/3.15.html
More information and a video from Gospel for Asia: http://gfa.org/orissa-video  - The speaker in this video is K.P. Yohannan a very trustworthy and Godly man, whom I have enormous respect for. Keep in mind that there may well be more Christians in India than in America. I am almost certain that there are more Christians in China than in America. Food for thought.
That’s it for this week! If you have questions, comments, prayer requests or announcements, please let me know by replying to this email!
Grace and Peace,

Chase