The Federated Messenger

“Great Prayers from Ordinary People”

George Mueller (1805-1898) is considered one of the greatest men of prayer and faith since the days of the New Testament. He considered himself just an ordinary man but (in his own words) “…joyfully dedicated my whole life to the object of exemplifying faith.” Mueller had over fifty thousand specific recorded answers to prayerof which he said were answered the same day or the same hour that he prayed them!

Often we hear stories of people like this and think “I could never pray like that” or “that person must have been born with a natural desire/ability were known as “prayer warriors”, you will find these three common factors: discipline, practice, and inspiration from God’s Word! Allow me to elaborate briefly on these three factors in encourage and inspire our prayer life!

• Discipline. Just the mention of that word sounds like it involves sacrifice and saying “Nthings in order to say “Yes” to other things he needed to “…train himself to be godly.” (I Timothy 4:7) Growing in our prayer life starts with an absolute, no compromise decision to practice selfprayer. Jesus rose up “very early in the block of time to commune with the Father and so do we!

• Practice. Like many other things in life, you improve your prayer life by you pray in solitude or with others, you reading about it but by doing it! When Paul instructed the Colossians to “devote themselves to prayer” (Colossians 4:2) he followed that instruction by giving them specific things they shouldfor. In other words, Paul wasn’t telling them just to think about prayer or study about asking them to pray and gave them a few specific requests to pray for

• Inspiration from God’s Word. One of the common key factors in people who warriors” is the inspiration they received from God’s Word that fueled their prayers! Many were inspired by simply studying some of the great prayers of the Bible prayers, Paul’s prayers to name a few. In April prayers in order to encourage us in our prayer lives ways these great men and women were inspired in their praying was by meditating on the Scriptures and allowing the Scriptures then to thing that transformed his praying the most! Early in his Christian life he would arise in the morning and go straight to prayer. But then he began reading and meditating the sake of obtaining food for my soul”) and after his time of reading and meditating on the Scriptures he testified that “…almost invariably, my soul was led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication.” The reading and the meditating on the Scriptures almost irresistibly drew his heart into a season of prayer

May all of us grow in our understanding and practice of prayer over the next few months as we draw inspiration from God’s Word, discipline our schedules for prayer, and as we “exercise” by praying!

Federated Messenger

April 2018

“Great Prayers from Ordinary People”By Pastor Rick Plucknett

1898) is considered one of the greatest men of prayer and faith since the days of the New Testament. He considered himself just an ordinary man but (in his own words) “…joyfully dedicated my whole life to the object of exemplifying how much may be accomplished by prayer and faith.” Mueller had over fifty thousand specific recorded answers to prayers in his journals, thirty thousand of which he said were answered the same day or the same hour that he prayed them!

ies of people like this and think “I could never pray like that” or “that person must have to pray”! But in reality, as you read about the lives of people who

were known as “prayer warriors”, you will find these three common factors: discipline, practice, and Allow me to elaborate briefly on these three factors in

. Just the mention of that word sounds like it involves sacrifice and saying “Nthings in order to say “Yes” to other things (and it actually does involve that)!

himself to be godly.” (I Timothy 4:7) Growing in our prayer life starts with an no compromise decision to practice self-discipline by blocking out

prayer. Jesus rose up “very early in the morning” to pray (Luke 1:35) – He needed that essential block of time to commune with the Father and so do we!

. Like many other things in life, you improve your prayer life by practicingyou pray in solitude or with others, you will not grow in your prayer life simply by thinking about it or reading about it but by doing it! When Paul instructed the Colossians to “devote themselves to prayer” (Colossians 4:2) he followed that instruction by giving them specific things they shouldfor. In other words, Paul wasn’t telling them just to think about prayer or study about

and gave them a few specific requests to pray for! . One of the common key factors in people who

warriors” is the inspiration they received from God’s Word that fueled their prayers! Many were inspired by simply studying some of the great prayers of the Bible – David’s prayers, Jesus’ prayers, Paul’s prayers to name a few. In April and May, we will be looking at some of those “great” prayers in order to encourage us in our prayer lives – don’t miss those teachings!ways these great men and women were inspired in their praying was by meditating on the

allowing the Scriptures then to guide their praying. George Muller said this was the thing that transformed his praying the most! Early in his Christian life he would arise in the morning and go straight to prayer. But then he began reading and meditating on the Word of God first (“for the sake of obtaining food for my soul”) and after his time of reading and meditating on the Scriptures he testified that “…almost invariably, my soul was led to confession, or to thanksgiving,

ication.” The reading and the meditating on the Scriptures almost irresistibly drew his heart into a season of prayer – prayer that was informed by the Scriptures!

May all of us grow in our understanding and practice of prayer over the next few months as we draw inspiration from God’s Word, discipline our schedules for prayer, and as we “exercise”

Federated Messenger

“Great Prayers from Ordinary People”

1898) is considered one of the greatest men of prayer and faith since the days of the New Testament. He considered himself just an ordinary man but (in his own words) “…joyfully

may be accomplished by prayer and s in his journals, thirty thousand

of which he said were answered the same day or the same hour that he prayed them!

ies of people like this and think “I could never pray like that” or “that person must have to pray”! But in reality, as you read about the lives of people who

were known as “prayer warriors”, you will find these three common factors: discipline, practice, and Allow me to elaborate briefly on these three factors in hopes that they will

. Just the mention of that word sounds like it involves sacrifice and saying “No” to some ! Paul told Timothy that

himself to be godly.” (I Timothy 4:7) Growing in our prayer life starts with an some specific time for

He needed that essential

practicing praying. Whether will not grow in your prayer life simply by thinking about it or

reading about it but by doing it! When Paul instructed the Colossians to “devote themselves to prayer” (Colossians 4:2) he followed that instruction by giving them specific things they should pray for. In other words, Paul wasn’t telling them just to think about prayer or study about prayer; he was

. One of the common key factors in people who were great “prayer warriors” is the inspiration they received from God’s Word that fueled their prayers! Many were

David’s prayers, Jesus’ and May, we will be looking at some of those “great”

don’t miss those teachings! One of the other ways these great men and women were inspired in their praying was by meditating on the

their praying. George Muller said this was the thing that transformed his praying the most! Early in his Christian life he would arise in the morning

on the Word of God first (“for the sake of obtaining food for my soul”) and after his time of reading and meditating on the Scriptures he testified that “…almost invariably, my soul was led to confession, or to thanksgiving,

ication.” The reading and the meditating on the Scriptures almost prayer that was informed by the Scriptures!

May all of us grow in our understanding and practice of prayer over the next few months as we draw inspiration from God’s Word, discipline our schedules for prayer, and as we “exercise” our prayer muscles

April 2018

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch… By Joseph Preston

Demolition on the old Buckskin Bunkhouse has been completed and we are very excited about the possibilities with the new building! With the old building torn down and hauled away, we are working on the design and plans for the new Buckskin Bunkhouse. Our Board and staff have come up with an initial estimate of the cost for the new building. Once we finalize the drawings, go through the building code process, select a general contractor, and begin the rebuilding, we'll be able to provide a more definite cost, but for now the estimate is $350,000 to rebuild the bunkhouse from the ground up as well as to outfit the bunkhouse with new beds and furnishings. We are in that process with design plans, building code, and selecting a general contractor, so we hope to be able to break ground shortly after Easter. Your prayers for this process are greatly appreciated! This progress chart will help you see where we are in the fundraising process to be able to rebuild. What we have received so far includes insurance money and donations. We were blessed with approximately $239,000 in insurance money (about $32,000 of this will be given to us later). So far, we've received over $21,000 in donations, representing over 160 donors! With the anticipated cost of $350,000 we still need about $90,000, which is about 26% of the overall cost. The amount of money we still need to raise sounds like a lot of money, but we trust that the Lord will provide. If you desire to partner with us in rebuilding the Buckskin Bunkhouse so that it will be ready for our summer ministry, you are welcome to consider sending a donation. Our goal is to have the Buckskin ready for use by June 17th, which is 11 weeks from Easter Sunday! Be praying that everything with this rebuilding process will go smoothly so that we can open the Buckskin in time for summer camp! In the meantime, we have a lot of ministry happening at the Ranch this spring! We have busy weekends with horse retreats throughout the

spring, as well as a full schedule of Field Days with school groups. We also have the Open House coming up on Sunday, May 6 (1-5pm). That would be a great time for everyone to come and see the progress on the new Buckskin Bunkhouse as well as enjoy the day's activities. Summer camp is coming as well, so be praying for the staff that will be here, the campers, and all of the preparations that need to happen before summer camp begins.

SSSSpringfield Senior Centerpringfield Senior Centerpringfield Senior Centerpringfield Senior Center

Tuesday, April 10 ~ Devotions will be presented by Pastor Keith Nitschke. The Girard High School Bell Choir will be here to play for us!

Tuesday, April 24 ~ Devotions will be presented by Pastor Lamech Marsh, Girard Alliance Church. David Belmondo from WJET TV will share fun stories!

The meetings begin at 9:45 AM but come at 9:30 AM to join in with the senior ringers and

singers! A home-cooked meal will be served at Noon. Good fellowship, blood pressure

readings, exercises, lunch all for $3.

TRAVEL WITH THE SENIORS…What a great Mother’s Day or Birthday gift idea! June 1, 2018 to Shipshewana, IN Enjoy the talents of Mark Lowry,

singer, songwriter, author and humorist Dinner, show and lodging will take place at the Blue Gate facilities plus buffet lunch at Potawatomi Inn. Cost per person in a double room: $246. Triple $229 and Quad $220, Just a few seats available. See flyers in the Welcome Center for additional information and many other trips such as:

• Cleveland in May – Natural History Museum, Balaton Restaurant, Mitchell’s Ice Cream, nearby shopping. Cost $69

• Conneaut in June – JT’s Bagels, Conneaut Library (13 stained glass windows), Barn Quilt tour, White Turkey Drive-In.

Presque Isle in July, the Erie Playhouse in August and Pittsburgh in September! Questions/Reservations call Nancy Crabtree, 922-3249 or the Federated Church Office, 922-3655.

April 2018

Want to be more intentional about building and strengthening your marriage? Then invest yourself into this upcoming marriage retreat right here at the Fed.

“MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE BETTER” April 20 & 21 at the Federated Church

With Jeff and Laura Edwards

♥ Friday 7:00-9:00 p.m.

♥ Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

♥ Cost is $20 per couple which includes lunch.

Sign up in the Welcome Center

Calling all 3, 4, and 5 year olds (and their Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles) to the Federated Church Preschool Open House on Sunday, April 22nd, 11 AM to 2 PM. Come for a tour, meet the teacher, and sign up for a great year of fun, learning, and Bible lessons. Special offers at the Open House! Registration forms and brochures are available in the Welcome Center.

Bake Sale to Benefit the…

A group is once again traveling to the Shen Bible Camp June 10-16 to work on various projects. You can help support their efforts by shopping at their Bake Sale Sunday morning, April 15 in the Family Center after morning worship services.

The Springfield Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Workers Outreach

Ministry would like to thank everyone who helped in any way with the Palm Sunday Swiss Steak Dinner. Especially to Sam and Cindy Ring, Sally Roseski, Mike Wheeler and the rest of the team in the kitchen. Thank you for all you did to make this event a success. Prayer Retreat with Jonathan Graf

Saturday, May 5

Make sure you set aside this day to learn from Jonathan Graf about prayer. Jonathan is the publisher of Prayer Connect magazine and author of seven books on the subject

of prayer. He is a gifted motivator and will be speaking on the keys to an effective prayer life.

� DATE & TIME: Saturday, May 5th, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

� PLACE: Camp Fitch (North Springfield) � COST: $10.00

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES IN SUNDAY SCHOOL

Sanctuary Class – A verse-by

study of the book of Proverbs, led by Jerry Hills in the Family Center

Good News Class – Family Center, Room 1, is currently studying the book of Ruth with Seth Huntley and Sam Ringleading.

Kingdom Bound Class – Led by Andy Ward, studying “His Story, Christ’s Last Week” in Room 12, Family Center.

Celebration Class – All are invited to this class in the church dining currently studying the life and teachings of Jesus.

Newcomers Class – This class led by Paul Burgess in Room 31 in the church, is studying “The Miracles of Jesus”

Faith Chapel Ladies Class –is studying the book of Revelation withNancy Wuenschel leading.

Ladies Class – studying “Thriving in Babylon” in Room 10 on the ground floor of the church, team taught by Chris Naylor and Libby Anderson.

Men’s Class – Studying various topicsled by Pastor Rick, Bob Pettis, Sargent, Family Center Rooms 10 & 11.

College/Young Adult Class 18years – Rooms 8 & 9 of the Family Center, exploring what the Bible says about topics relative to life, led byand Cheryl Anderson and Brennan and Dorothy Plucknett.

The ACTS Class which meets in the Family Center coat room is studying Biblical relevance in our society ofTozer’s book “Man – The Dwelling Place of God. Jeff Wuenschel is the facilitator.

Moms & Daughters of the Kingcome to be refreshed, encouraged and challenged in the journey of motherhood. This class meets“Family Room”, upstairs of the sanctuary, behind the balcony.

April 2018

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES IN SUNDAY SCHOOL

by-verse study of the book of Proverbs, led by

Family Center. Family Center,

currently studying the book Seth Huntley and Sam Ring

Led by Andy “His Story, Christ’s Last

in Room 12, Family Center. All are invited to

this class in the church dining room currently studying the life and teachings

This class led by Paul Burgess in Room 31 in the church,

of Jesus”. – This class

the book of Revelation with

studying “Thriving in in Room 10 on the ground

, team taught by Chris

various topics, Bob Pettis, and John

ms 10 & 11. College/Young Adult Class 18-24

of the Family exploring what the Bible says

about topics relative to life, led by Mike and Brennan and

which meets in the studying the

Biblical relevance in our society of A. W. The Dwelling Place

Jeff Wuenschel is the facilitator. the King –

come to be refreshed, encouraged and

s in the “Family Room”, upstairs of the sanctuary, behind the balcony.

Parenting Class –

13) Being a parent is hard, stogether. We will be watching “It Starts at Home”, a six-week series from RightNow Media with plenty of time for discussion. Sign up in the Welcome Center.

April

Nursery 8:30 AMApr. 1 Easter 9 AM P. MachacekApr. 8 TBA Apr. 15 C. Repoff, TBAApr. 22 TBA Apr. 29 P. Heeter, L. Ritchey

Nursery 10:00 AM

Apr. 1 Easter – No Sunday SchoolApr. 8 B. Blum, TBA Apr. 15 B. Hulley, M. HulleyApr. 22 S. Johnson, S. StuyvesantApr. 29 TBA

Nursery 11:15 AM

Apr. 1 Easter 11 AM P. Adams, E. BrightApr. 8 G. Kenyon, E. CorbettApr. 15 M. Barlow, TBAApr. 22 TBA Apr. 29 TBA

Toddler 8:30 AM

Apr. 1 Easter 9 AM M. Egli, TBAApr. 8 C. Durfee, E. DurfeeApr. 15 T. Pratt, M. PrattApr. 22 TBA Apr. 29 P. Andes, D. Andes

Toddler 10:00 AM

Apr. 1 Easter – No Sunday SchoolApr. 8 A. Glover, L. BurgessApr. 15 D. Snyder, T. SnyderApr. 22 A. Glover Apr. 29 A. Glover

Toddler 11:15 AM

Apr. 1 Easter 11 AM B. Hulley, Apr. 8 J. Huntley, C. HuntleyApr. 15 B. Crosby, TBAApr. 22 V. Sontheimer, Apr. 29 TBA

– (April 8 through May ) Being a parent is hard, so let’s learn

together. We will be watching “It Starts week series from

ow Media with plenty of time for discussion. Sign up in the Welcome

April Childcare

Schedule

Nursery 8:30 AM P. Machacek, TBA

TBA

P. Heeter, L. Ritchey

Nursery 10:00 AM No Sunday School

B. Hulley, M. Hulley S. Johnson, S. Stuyvesant

Nursery 11:15 AM P. Adams, E. Bright

, E. Corbett TBA

Toddler 8:30 AM , TBA

C. Durfee, E. Durfee T. Pratt, M. Pratt

P. Andes, D. Andes

Toddler 10:00 AM No Sunday School , L. Burgess

T. Snyder

Toddler 11:15 AM B. Hulley, TBA

. Huntley TBA

V. Sontheimer, K. Wurst

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURS. FRIDAY SAT.

1 Resurrection Sunday!Resurrection Sunday!Resurrection Sunday!Resurrection Sunday! 7 AM Sonrise Service 8 AM Alaska Breakfast 9 & 11 AM Worship No Sunday School

2

6:30 PM Women’s Bible Study 7 PM FOCAS

3 4 10 AM Golden

Circle 7 PM Prayer Meeting & JOURNEY

5

3:30 PM

SALT

6 7

7:30 AM Elders & Deacons Prayer

8 8:30 & 11:15 AM Worship

10 AM Sunday School 5 PM AWANA, Ignite Small Groups

9

6:30 PM Women’s Bible Study

10 9:45 AM

Senior Center 6:30 PM Elders & Deacons

11 10 AM Golden

Circle 7 PM Prayer Meeting & JOURNEY

12

3:30 PM

SALT

13

10 AM Tabitha Team

14

15 8:30 & 11:15 AM Worship

Bake Sale for Alaska Mission Trip 10 AM Sunday School 5 PM AWANA, Praise Choir

16 6:30 PM

Women’s Bible Study 7 PM FOCAS

17 18 10 AM Golden

Circle 7 PM Prayer Meeting & JOURNEY

19

3:30 PM

SALT

20 21

22 8:30 & 11:15 AM Worship

10 AM Sunday School 11 AM-1 PM Preschool Open House 5 PM AWANA, Ignite Small Groups

23 1 PM Mobile

Food Pantry 6:30 PM Women’s Bible Study

24

9:45 AM Senior Center

25 10 AM Golden

Circle 7 PM Prayer Meeting & JOURNEY

26

3:30 PM

SALT

27 28

29 8:30 & 11:15 AM Worship

10 AM Sunday School 5 PM AWANA, Praise Choir

30 6:30 PM

Women’s Bible Study

Marriage Seminar Family Center