march 2015 communicator - clover sitesstorage.cloversites.com/countryacresbaptistchurch... · 2015....
TRANSCRIPT
Communicator
Our Vision As the Word of God
shapes our lives, we
long to be a church
devoted to Christ’s
Kingdom by
Knowing Christ,
Growing in His Grace
and Going in His Love.
Inside this issue:
March
2015
Eric’s Notes 2
Women’s Ministry 2
Nursery News 3
Men’s Ministry 4
Library News 4
Children’s Ministry 5
Birthdays and Anniversaries 7
by Kelly R. Randolph
Are You a Fruit Detector? Are You a Fruit Detector?
continued on page 4 see Are You...
There is a show on one of the cable networks called “Diggers.” It’s a show about these
two guys with metal detectors who go to historical sites and look for treasures buried in
the ground. They set their metal detectors to locate things that might be made of
precious metals. They find all kinds of artifacts such as jewelry, musket balls, and
sometimes rare and valuable coins. They will at times dig up worthless items made of
metal. But they are trying to detect treasures.
In our men’s study on the prayers of Paul, one of our lessons emphasized the gratitude
Paul expressed for the fruitful lives of the Thessalonian believers. The author writes,
“Paul was constantly on the lookout for signs of God’s saving, transforming, and
equipping work in the lives of believers.” Like the two guys sweeping over the soil to
detect treasure, Paul surveyed the lives of these Christians with a desire to detect the
fruit of grace for which he could give thanks to God.
That idea chastened me a bit. It is easy to walk around looking for sins, failures, and
flaws in other believers. But how often do we intentionally look for the evidence of
grace? Of course, I am not suggesting that we ignore sin or live in some kind of spiritual
Good Friday Service
April 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Nothing But the Blood: The Accomplishment of the Cross
Easter Celebration Service
Sunday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m.
Good Friday and Easter Service Good Friday and Easter Service
We ought to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing
abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast
about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the
afflictions that you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 ESV)
Food Handler ClassFood Handler Class
Page 2 Communicator
The answer to that question is that
we need approximately $20,000
dollars to purchase a C7 Yamaha
grand piano and we need an
additional $7,000 dollars to make
this a reality. If you have not given
and would like to, we would be
thankful for any gifts toward this
endeavor. This piano will serve the
needs of this body for many years to
come and will be an asset to the
worship life at Country Acres Baptist.
Once again, I am overwhelmed of
the generosity by the body and want
to say thank you again.
It would be a wonderful thing if we
could purchase this instrument so
by Eric Stone
Page 2
Eric’s Notes Eric’s Notes
Communicator
Dear Church Family
I want to express to you my sincere
gratitude for your wonderful
generosity as we are closing in on
$14,000 in the piano fund. I made
this announcement of a piano fund
back in the last part of December
and you have stepped up and
provided more than half of what we
need to purchase this instrument for
our Sanctuary in only eight weeks.
Thank you to all who have given so
far. Many people have talked to me
and said that they have not had a
chance to contribute to the fund and
have asked if it is too late to give.
that we could use it for our Easter
service in April.
Thank you for all you have done to
make this a reality
P.S. We plan on having a dedication
concert from several of our pianists
once it is here. What a great time of
worship that will be.
Soli Deo Gloria
Eric
Precept Study - Romans part 3
God doesn’t go back on His promises.
He can always be trusted. Romans 9-
11 is an extended discussion of the
subject of God’s sovereignty—
election, predestination, and
responsibility—focusing on His choice
of Israel and His faithfulness to His
covenant.
Thursday evenings
March 5 - April 23
Leader: Shelly Wolfe
Phone: 393.2888
Bible Study Bible Study
Baby Shower Baby Shower
You are invited to a baby shower in
honor of Lindsay and
baby girl Bucy.
Saturday, March 28
10:00 a.m.
CABC Parlor
Lindsay is registered at
Women’s MinistryWomen’s Ministry
On Sunday, March 15, Country
Acres Baptist Church will be hosting
a food handler training class on our
church campus. Food handler cards
are required for all persons working
or volunteering in a food service
establishment in Wichita (Chapter
7.20 of the Municipal Code of the
City of Wichita). As our church
expands its area, this card will be
very important and required for
anything food related, so it is
important to have has many adults
and students possible certified. This
two-hour training is completely free
for anyone who wishes to get their
food handler card. A light lunch will
be provided following the morning
services and then the training will
begin at 1:30 p.m. A signup sheet is
located in the foyer as well as at
the Venue welcome desk.
Page 3
Nursery News Nursery News
Israel was instructed to regularly
pause and reflect on their sin and
God’s outpouring of grace. They were
to remember their bondage and God’s
wonders as He rescued them from the
hand of the Egyptians. Their festivals,
sacrifices, and feasts were designed as
spiritual check-ups, a time to evaluate
and re-center their desires on God
alone. Even in their daily activities and
decorations in their homes God called
His people to proactively recall His
faithfulness.
In Life Group this past week we
discussed spiritually maturity, what it
looks like and how to measure our
journey. In the past I had considered
the practices of the Israelites to erect
a monument in the place where God
showed His faithfulness and wanted to
create a tool of remembrance in our
home. I would like to have a visual,
even tangible reminder, for myself and
my family. Spurred on by our Life
Group’s conversation I researched
various ways God’s people remember
and wanted to encourage you to
consider one for your home.
Jordan River Stones
Prayers and significant moments of
God’s love and grace can be written
on stones and placed in a glass vase.
Display this in your home, add to it,
and occasionally review, thanking
God for His faithfulness.
Prayer Boards
Display an empty frame and use
wire mesh or strings across the
back. Clothespins hold small
papers that record prayer requests
or thanksgiving. When you fill up
your board remove some of your
prayers and keep them in a jar or
scrapbook. You could also use a
magnetic board or even paper on
the wall, such as pretty wrapping
paper.
Family Capsule
At the start of a new year begin to
fill a glass jar with mementos and
prayers from that year. Special
thoughts can still be written down
on paper but you can also include a
sea shell from your trip to the
beach, a photo, mission trip
reminder, or concert ticket. This
idea can be good for younger
children who do not yet read or
write. On New Year’s Eve take out
the notes and items from your jar
and remember together all the
good gifts God has given. Set up
jars from previous years on display
in your home.
by Juliana Williams
Clothespin Wreath
Attach clothespins to a wire frame in
the form of a wreath. You can paint
the clothespins different colors.
Hang it in your home and write
moments of God’s faithfulness on
individual clothespins.
Thankful Tablecloth
Use a fabric pen to record special
family memories, prayer requests,
and God’s acts of grace on a
tablecloth. You can pull it out for
certain meals throughout the year
and theme your writings accordingly.
For New Year’s you can write prayers
or offerings to the Lord for the next
year. On Easter you can record
thankful thoughts about God’s grace.
Thanksgiving write thanks for God’s
blessings.
Art Collage
Start your own collage on a large
empty wall in your home. Collect
small blocks of wood or mini canvas.
Paint, mod podge, write, or post a
picture on your wood or canvas. Use
color, symbols, words, and more to
remind you of significant moments in
your spiritual journey. This is also a
good visual and hands on option for
small children.
Dear Church Family,
I just wanted to thank you so much for the Christmas basket. I’m so
blessed! Thank you so much for thinking of me.
Much love in Jesus , Terri Cliburn
Many thanks to our church family for your visits, meals, cards and concerns
as I have been recuperating from surgery. The power of prayer has been
evident and we are grateful for that. Please continue to pray for complete
healing.
In Christian love, Bert Monson
Page 4 Communicator
Are You a Fruit Detector?Are You a Fruit Detector?… … from page 1
Candyland. Paul was not afraid to call out Christians who were apathetic or unrepentant or unfruitful. Yet, I am
suggesting that we should be more intentional about detecting the fruit of grace in others.
Paul not only detected this fruit and thanked God for it. He took it a step further and told them that he thanked God for
the fruit he saw in them (1 Thess. 1:2-3; 2 Thess. 1:3-4). Imagine sitting in a room with some other Christians in
Thessalonica as Paul’s letter is read publicly to them. They hear, “I thank God for your growing faith. I see your love is
increasing toward each other. I boast to others about how you remain firm and steadfast in the persecution and
affliction you are enduring.” This was, no doubt, a great encouragement to them. It built them up. It reminded them
that God was working in their lives.
When we tell others that we thank God for the fruit of grace in their lives, we both encourage them and glorify God.
When is the last time you told another believer that you were thankful for the evidence of grace in their life? When is
the last time you heard such encouragement from someone? Think of the impact those words had on you. Now, go and
do likewise.
“I am the way, the truth, and the
life” John 14:6
1. The way - there is only one way
to obtain a relationship with
God, through faith in Jesus
Christ. The world would say
there are many paths to God,
but as a Christian we must hold
fast to faith in Christ as the only
true path.
2. The truth - truth is a relative
thing in our culture these days.
Truth is dependent on the one
who is speaking and their world
view. God’s view is that there is
truth that stands alone and is not
subject to interpretation. The
gospel is one of these stand
alone truths that is an eternal
truth. The life, death and
resurrection of Christ is God’s
true message to His creation. We
are responsible for making sure
that His message is given
truthfully without change.
3. The life - the true life, for the
believer, is one that is bound up
in Christ. We must not settle for
less than the best that God offers.
We are to live for Christ daily;
surrendering our will to His.
Reflect this month on this scripture
and allow it to seep into your spirit.
Seek God’s best at all times and in all
situations.
Man to Man Man to Man
Men’s Ministry Men’s Ministry
by David Browning
Men’s Fellowship Men’s Fellowship
Breakfast Breakfast
Our next fellowship breakfast will be
on Saturday, March 7 at
8:00 a.m. Please join us for food,
fellowship and prayer. We will meet
in the gym at CABC.
Library NewsLibrary News
Monumental DVD!
Our Families Are
Worth Fighting For
This DVD will present to you and
your family a new adventure to
discover the true national treasure.
Kirk Cameron, of Left Behind fame
and father of six, takes us across
Europe and the United States,
meeting with historians and experts
in order to discover America’s true
national treasure—”people, places,
and principles creating the greatest
nation the world has ever known.”
He presents to us the journey of a
small band of religious outcasts we
know as the Pilgrims of Plymouth
Rock, their struggles and victories in
establishing a nation that has
become the best example of civil,
economic, and religious liberty.
A monument in their honor has
been erected near Plymouth, rightly
named Faith.
by Kim Evans
Page 5 Communicator
As we approach the Easter season, here is a devotion plan for Easter week to work through with your family. Make this
week a special time together as you celebrate what Christ did for each of us on the cross.
•Palm Sunday — Read aloud Mark 11:1-11. Make palm-leaf cookies. Cut frozen cookie dough into 2 1/2 inch strips.
Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Roll the cookie strips and shape them
into an outline of a palm leaf on the foil. Close all edges in the outline. Crush green candies in a bag with a hammer,
and sprinkle to fill in the cookie center. Bake at 375 degrees for about eight minutes. Contrast the sweetness of the
cookies with the harshness of breaking the candies with a hammer. Tell your children that this was a sweet day for
Jesus, but he knew that soon he would be broken — or would die — for our sins.
•Monday — Read aloud Mark 11:15-18. Tell your children that this area of the temple was the place non-Jews could
come to pray, but it had become a dirty, noisy, unworshipful place. Together, decorate a worshipful space in your
home for Easter Week. Include a Bible, candles, and an area to display the items you’ll use this week. You can review
these items at the beginning of each devotion. A small, bare tree branch laced with white Christmas lights makes a nice
backdrop. Light the candles or turn on the lights only during devotions to keep it special and meaningful.
•Tuesday — Read aloud Mark 14:3-9. This woman gave Jesus a gift that was very precious. We can give gifts that come
from our heart, too. As each child shares something he or she can do to honor Jesus, spray perfume into the air or on
the child. Decorate a beautiful piece of paper and form a cylinder around the perfume bottle for display at your family
worship space.
•Wednesday — Read aloud Matthew 26:14-16. You’ll need 30 dimes. Tell kids that Judas betrayed Jesus for about 120
days wages. Let the kids count the dimes and place them at your family worship space. Ask, “Was Jesus’ life on earth
worth more than 30 pieces of silver? Why or why not? What was the true value of Jesus’ life to our family?”
•Thursday — Read aloud John 13:1-5. Jesus washed feet to show his love. Have a bowl, a bar of soap, and paper towels
ready. Take turns washing each other’s hands and drying them as you express love to each other. Display the soap at
your family worship space.
•Friday — Read aloud Mark 15:21-39. You’ll need two horseshoe or carpenter’s nails, light gauge wire, and a shoelace
for each child. Help children lay their nails across each other like a cross, and then start wrapping the wire around the
point where the nails intersect to bind the nails into a cross. Crisscross the wire in the center. Have the kids recall an
event of the Crucifixion with each wrap. Wrap more wire around the top and make a loop to hold the shoelace.
•Saturday — Read aloud Mark 15:42-47. Take turns wrapping each other in toilet paper just as Jesus may’ve looked
when prepared for burial. Talk about how the disciples might’ve felt when all their hopes seemed destroyed when
Jesus died. Ask, “How would you have felt if you had been there when Jesus died? What would you have done?” Talk
about how the burial isn’t the end of the story, but that it was a very sad day for Jesus’ friends.
Children’s Ministry Children’s Ministry
Page 6 Communicator
1
Willie Kihle
2
Charity Gaza
3
Forest Elder
Geno & Melissa Sylvester
4
Lois Mackey
Eva Newman
6
Joshua Bostian
Pete Eicher
Philip Schepis
Randy & Roberta Lauer
Randy & Bethany Libke
7
LuAnn McMannis
8
Carol Hladik
Shaylah Salter
Ron & Sharon Trowbridge
9
Roxie Herrman
10
John Penhorwood
11
Melissa Sylvester
12
Tom Schwarz
Langston Suderman
13
Sue Montgomery
Jeff Nemmers
Jonathan Stratton
14
William Moore
Robert Mossberg
A J Nightingale
16
Rex Boyle
Marcus Lindley
Merrill & Virginia Bupp
Lee & Nancy Jones
17
John Ashworth
Randall Harris
Cheryle Henley
Jim McClary
Steve & Ashleigh Hazell
18
David Sellin
19
Anthony Cowen
Don Wilbur
Randall & Gwen Harris
21
Dan & Kim Evans
22
Jackie McKown
Zane Pykiet
Kim Schmidt
Agie Soria
John & Jan Penhorwood
23
Barb Love
25
Ron Gaston
Bob & Joan Klapprott
26
Tammy Baumann
Shirley Brooks
Dee Anne Browning
Melodie Reimer
Paul Sanford Jr
27
Duane Frederick
Mary Hermansen
Robert Neer III
Sam Travis
Andrea Trulove
Brad & Rena Lindley
28
Sharon Unrein
Paul & Kasey Brown
29
Carl Hiebsch
30
Chuck McClary
Vernon & Jean Claxton
31
Paul Brown
1
Mike Cox
3
Chase Hiebsch
Marie Humphrey
Galen & Judy Fruth
5
Gaven Neer
6
Deanna Ray
7
Earnie Tooley
If your birthday or anniversary is this month and not listed, please contact the church office
at 722.1239 so that we may update our records. Thank you.