2016 graduation season is here! Beginning Sunday, May 1, we will have a display in the foyer to recognize our 2016 Southland high school

graduates. The same information (plus a listing of post-high school graduates) is available on page 4.

Southland Vine The

April 27, 2016 1630 W. Republic Road * Springfield, MO 65807

We will publish the next edition of The Southland Vine on May 25.

Upcoming Leadership Meetings:

May 5 @ 6 PM Elders/staff

May 19 @ 6 PM Elders

What’s Inside …

2-3 General Reminders & Info

4 Southland’s 2016 Graduates

5 What MATTers to Me

6 Erik’s Endeavors

6-7 children-MIDDLE SCHOOL

8 Les’ Latest/High school

9-10 southlandwomen

11-12 Encounter

13 Connect

13 Grow Deep

14 Build Up

15 May serving schedule

16-17 Live Out

Southland Christian Church ...

equipping you to LIVE OUT your faith

as you ENCOUNTER God, CONNECT with others,

GROW DEEP and BUILD UP one another.

Our 2016 VBS will be July 25-28 from 6-8pm each of the evenings.

Check out page 3 for information about how

you can volunteer to serve as part of VBS.

2

General Reminders and information ... We want to extend a “welcome to the family” to our newest

Southland members who have recently joined us: Tyler Abma and

Delynn Drake.

“THANK YOU” Notes

…

…

Each May, our high school youth group holds a yard sale fundraiser for the students’ annual trip to the CIY “MOVE” Conference (the conference dates for this year are July 10-16).

The 2016 yard sale will be held Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14.

You can still donate items by bringing them to the church building. If you need to make special arrangements (for example, for a special pick-up), contact Les either at the office (881-7405) or on his cell phone (773-1650). Donation receipts can be provided for tax purposes. We encourage the Southland family to participate as a way of supporting our high school students and their annual trip to this moving conference experience. See “Les’ Latest” if you are willing to come and help with the yard sale either in advance or during the sale itself.

Don’t forget Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8!

Let’s take the time to thank God for the blessing of our moms and honor them for the ways they’ve influenced us,

especially the legacy of faith they’ve passed on.

3

VBS 2016 is coming! July 25-28 (Monday-Thursday evenings)

The leaders of our VBS team are already at work preparing for “CAVE QUEST.” We will need many more volunteers who are willing and able to join the team and serve. We will need crew leaders who will travel with groups of kids to various stations. We will need workers who can assist our leaders in the various areas. We will need some friendly faces to welcome kids and help with the registration process. These are just a few of the ways you can help!

If you want to volunteer, you can sign-up at the display down the hallway (where the kids’ Sunday School classrooms are). This display will be moved to the main foyer towards the end of May.

As we get closer to time, there will be some other ways you can participate even if you cannot serve during the actual evenings of VBS. We will need several items donated for the week. There will also be an opportunity for those who want to volunteer to help decorate the building for the week.

Save the Date!

FLOURISH 2016 This special annual gathering will be

Sunday evening, August 28.

See the LIVE OUT section (page 16) for

details about this great way to support the

work of the Pregnancy Care Center.

We will have a “One Service Sunday” on Sunday, May 29 (this is

typical for us on Memorial Day weekend) at 10am. There will still be

nursery/kids’ programming as normally would happen during the

10:30 service. Kids’ Sunday School classes and CONNECT Groups will

NOT meet on that Sunday. There will NOT be a donuts/coffee

fellowship time before the service.

4

Southland’s 2016 Graduates

Will Deckard (Republic H.S.)

Will has been accepted to

the University of

Missouri. He has also

been chosen to be a

resident at the Mizzou

Christian Campus House.

We also have the following college graduates (for more details about the specific degrees of these post-high

school grads, stop by the display in the foyer):

Associate’s degrees: Rori Carmichael, Cameron Flatt and Seth Meyer

Bachelor’s degree: Adrian Todd

Master’s degrees: Billy Constantine (back in 2015), Stella Falconer, Ted Orcutt and Austin Shearin

Bryant

Edmondson (Kickapoo H.S.)

Bryant will enroll as a

student at Missouri State

starting in the Fall

semester of 2016.

Layton Flatt (Kickapoo H.S.)

Layton has been

accepted to Ozark

Christian College in

Joplin - we are grateful

to support OCC as one of

our ministry partners..

Sarah

Holt (Parkview

H.S.)

Congratulations to Sarah for her acceptance at Drury

University and Missouri State. She will be finalizing

plans over the summer.

Megan Rosell (Kickapoo H.S.)

Megan has earned the

Missouri A+ scholarship

and will use it to attend

O.T.C. After completing

classes there, she hopes

to then transfer to MSU..

Emi

Siplinger (Kickapoo

H.S.)

Emi will enroll at MSU for the Fall semester where

she plans to study hospitality and restaurant

management.

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What MATTers to me … If you were with us on Sunday, April 17, we had a different kind of service during our ENCOUNTER time. As we had done before, we used Isaiah 6:1-8 as a template. It’s a scene where Isaiah has a vision of the heavenly throne room. He sees God in His greatness and holiness. From there, Isaiah’s experience continued as he became aware of his sinfulness and received God’s grace and mercy to deal with that sin. The whole encounter led up to verse 8 when He heard the Lord’s voice asking: “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” Isaiah, in awe of God’s greatness and having freshly experienced His mercy and grace, responds with the famous words: “Here am I. Send me!”

Within the book of Isaiah and his life as a prophet, this experience is recognized as his “CALL.” Many prophets had a similar experience: some kind of divine invitation launched them into their ministry as God’s spokesman. That kind of calling served a vital role for the arduous task of being a prophet - it certainly wasn’t an easy job. In the midst of it, being able to return to this foundational experience would have been a very powerful memory, one that could spur on continued faithfulness to the task.

Still today, we might talk about this idea of “calling.” For us, it is often relegated to a very specific kind of vocation - as in someone devoting their life to full-time service in ministry (as a pastor, missionary, etc.). And yet, there is another sense in which any believer is one “called” by God. In Ephesians 4:1, Paul even encourages followers of Jesus to “live a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” Many times, we want it to have all the specific details attached - just as it is with “knowing God’s will.” We want to know specifically what it will involve, where it is to be done, how long, etc. And yet, however true it still is that God very directly enlists people to serve in very specific roles, more and more I find myself convinced that the CALL of God is more general. He needs people who are simply willing to carry-out what He desires to be done in the world. As Paul writes it, God’s desire is that followers of Christ simply answer the call and say “YES” to doing what they have been instructed to do … even if all of the specifics are not provided.

This leads me to words that Oswald Chambers has written in his devotional work called My Utmost for His Highest. It’s a powerful and challenging read. In the midst of our focus on Isaiah 6 and this broader reality of our own calling as followers of Jesus, these words seem most appropriate for us to consider.

God did not direct His call to Isaiah – Isaiah overheard God saying, “…who will go for Us?”

The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear “the voice of the Lord” continually asking, “…who will go for Us?”

However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, “Here am I! Send me.”

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19).

If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard – “the voice of the Lord.”

In perfect freedom we too will say, “Here am I! Send me.”

God has designed each of us in Christ to be His masterpiece, created to do the good works He has prepared for us to do. There may be some very specific ways He desires to see you carrying-out His calling. Even so, at the most basic level, perhaps what matters most is that we cultivate a heart-level attitude that simply chooses in response to God’s general invitation to say “YES! Here am I!”

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Erik’s Endeavors With the end of school approaching, life can get fast and busy. One can feel like they are alone in doing the work and lacking rest. That may be you. If so I want to encourage you today. May I receive a small amount of your time to share several of the great things that are happening because of people working together? As I think of working together, I visualize two horses pulling a heavy load in tandem. I also connect and combine this to a previous idea: one horse can go fast, but 2 horses can go further. I have recently been seeing how the power of the collective is allowing things to go further faster.

Group Huddle is finishing out the semester with our unit on prayer. It’s amazing to see the growth in confidence of the students as they pray alongside their peers. We were blessed to have Merilyn Morgan and Pat Burge come share their wisdom and heart on developing a great attitude in prayer with God.

We just finished up Noah’s Park for the semester and one of our big lessons was on sharing. Students learned that sharing with another person can benefit other beyond just the two people involved in the sharing exchange. Sharing pleases our heavenly Father. Also, sharing can multiply and benefit several other people all around us and through the world.

Students expressed sharing through their giving efforts in helping to support Sean Falconer on his World Race mission trip. Through the combined efforts of Cruisers (children’s church) and Group Huddle, we were able to collectively reach our goal of $500. The students’ giving will help benefit Sean, but can also multiply as it benefits all of the people Sean comes in contact with to share the gospel.

At Jr. Bash in early April, students worked collectively to build animal pens for Noah’s ark. Students learned the truth about the story of Noah’s ark and how it took God’s miraculous power to bring all of the animals together.

VBS is beginning to come together as we just had our core team meeting. We are excited to see how God will use VBS to bring kids closer to Him as they learn to follow Jesus, the Light of the world!

All of these different stories remind us that our church is working together and great things are happening. I hope they have been an encouragement to you. However, I believe that if we are to be stronger, we must unite and work together more than ever using the power of the collective. These pieces also remind me that it’s not about my title (“Erik’s Endeavors”), but that it’s God’s Endeavors. Since it is about Him, I want to encourage you to be continuing to grow the seed of devotion to Him. Let us be devoted to His Kingdom and know that His Bride must be taken care of. Let us be devoted to share together and unite for something that is bigger than us. God will multiply His work as we grow in our devotion to Him. While watching Him work is great and can benefit us all, the end is about God being more glorified.

On the third Sunday of each month, a group of parents

and children has been going across the street from

Southland and hosting a brief worship service for

residents of “The Neighborhoods at Quail Creek.” The

next service will be Sunday, May 15. It’s a great

opportunity for families to join in on this service and

bless others. Anyone wishing to participate can meet us

at the front entrance to the facility around 1pm.

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Summer camp dates for 2016 (listed by age group): Beginner Camp (K-1st grade) June 11

Kids’ Camp (grades 2-4) June 16-18

Junior Camp (grades 5-6) June 12-15

Middle School Camp (grades 6-8) June 26 - July 1

Each camp session will focus on Paul’s

first letter to Timothy (located in the

ancient city of Ephesus). Those

attending will be challenged to

become GAME CHANGERS who live

with pure hearts, clean minds and

strong faith.

Payment for camp will be due by Sunday, May 15. Invoices will be mailed out early in May.

They will show the final amount owed after SCC scholarship money has been applied.

2016 VBS Monday, July 25 - Thursday, July 28

(6-8pm each evening)

VBS programming is for kids ages 4 through 5th grade

(we are also going to include any SCC-connected 3

year-olds - officially it will be advertised as being for

those 4 and older). There will be nursery-care for

younger children of those who are serving at VBS.

We will have registration information available in the upcoming weeks.

Middle School Servants A Saturday afternoon of hanging out at Braum’s and serving at the

Salvation Army is back. We will meet at the church at 12:30pm on

Saturday, May 14 and then return at 3pm. During that time away, we

will eat ice cream and share in fellowship at Braum’s. After that, we will

be helping to sort food for part of a shift during the Salvation Army’s

“Stamp Out Hunger” food drive. Students can sign-up during middle

school Sunday School. Contact Erik if you have any questions.

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2016 Summer MOVE Conference University of Nebraska (Lincoln) July 10-16

The 2016 Summer MOVE Conference will again be held on the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln,

Nebraska. Students will enjoy five days of worship, challenging messages and small group studies. Housing

and meals will take place in the dormitories and dining halls. Registration includes access to the recreation

center, student union and museums. We will depart from the church on Sunday, July 10 and return on

Saturday, July 16. We currently have 27 students and sponsors registered with 3 more spots available.

Watch for information arriving in your mailbox. Invoices showing the balance due for the MOVE

conference will be mailed following the youth yard sale.

The annual youth yard sale will be held on the parking lot of the church on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May

14. This fundraising event helps students who are attending the Summer Move Conference. Students and

sponsors attending the Move Conference are encouraged to sign up for one of the following yard sale shifts:

Sorting & Pricing Tuesday, May 10 6-9pm

Sorting & Set-up Thursday, May 12 6-9pm

Early Shift Friday, May 13 7-10am

Mid-Day Shift Friday, May 13 10am -1pm

Afternoon Shift Friday, May 13 1-5pm

Early Shift Saturday, May 14 7-11am

Late Shift Saturday, May 14 11am-3pm

DID SOMEONE SAY YARD SALE?!!

Les’ latest & grOUP HUDDLE News

Step Up for Down Syndrome

Saturday, June 11 (1-6pm)

Southland’s youth will be teaming-up with many others from local agencies and churches to host a carnival for area children. Volunteers are needed to set-up, decorate and oversee carnival games. You can sign-up at the youth display or contact Les (417) 773-1650 for more information.

Devo on the Go: “Summer Games”

For Senior High Students … Sundays 6-8pm (from July 24 - August 21)

Mark your calendars for some encouraging evenings in God’s Word and memorable fellowship. We will meet in different homes and area venues. Activities will include a cook-out, an escape room challenge, sand volleyball and more. A full schedule will be available soon.

9

southlandwomen When I first moved from a small town in northern Illinois to Springfield, two things immediately caught

my attention.

The first was the number of restaurants here. Dixon had a small assortment of locally owned cafés and

eateries. The Woolworth’s in the middle of downtown had a soda fountain where you could enjoy the

best french fries and milkshakes in town. Dog and Suds was on the south side while A&W was on the

north. This was appropriate because the people took sides about which of these two drive-ins had the

best root beer. (My first job was at A&W, but I secretly preferred Dog and Suds root beer because it was

creamier.) Eventually KFC and Pizza Hut also came to town, but for many years, the closest McDonald’s

was about 12 miles away. You can imagine what it was like to move from a place like that to Springfield

where restaurants are lined up on every major thoroughfare.

The second thing I noticed about Springfield was the number of churches. Dixon had the “usual” churches

(i.e. Lutheran, Methodist, etc.) and a spattering of “other” churches (Assembly of God, Foursquare, AME,

etc.). By far, the biggest, grandest, most noticeable churches were the 2 Catholic churches. One of them –

including the convent and other buildings – even took up the better part of a city block. Aside from the

Catholic churches, there was just one church of each of the other denominations. In a town the size of

Dixon, families went to the same church generation after generation. Where you went to church was as

much a part of who you were as where you worked or what side of the river you lived on. In a town the

size of Dixon, it certainly mattered that you went to church somewhere. I can remember overhearing

conversations about neighbors and people my parents or grandparents knew. Disdain was evident in their

voices when those people were described as “not church-goers.” My grandmother explained to me once

that church was important because it was the Bride of Jesus. As a child, I remember thinking that this was

one of the strangest things I had ever heard. While Grandma didn’t really explain it much beyond that

statement, I remember thinking about what that meant and how it could be so.

Fast forward to today. Somewhere in the intervening years, the significance and meaning of the church

has been lost. Perhaps a small part of it may due to the difference in location, but it seems there’s

something far deeper at work. For many churches, it has become a business – often even an exercise in

empire-building. As for the people, they shop for churches like looking for a new car. There is little

“brand” loyalty, but choice is often driven by preferences like the available bells and whistles. Doctrine

does not matter nearly as much as how energetic the praise team is or how dynamic the pastor is. It is so

“American” that we have even made the attending of some church a status symbol akin to driving a

Cadillac versus a Ford. In the process, we have largely forgotten the significance and purpose of the

Church, the Bride of Christ.

In Ephesians 3, Paul records the mystery of the Church – how Jews and Gentiles are melded together

spiritually for an ultimate purpose: to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. This is accomplished through

the carrying out of two distinct missions: making disciples and equipping the saints. These are the tasks

God has given His Church. Notice that initially, it has nothing to do with music or building size or

programming or length of services. The Church’s purpose has to do with seeing new birth and maturing in

Christ brought about. I wonder if this is why so many churches have lost their focus. The process of birth

is arduous and painful, and so is the process of maturing – it’s life-long and tedious. We don’t like to be

put in a position of committing to something that requires that much effort and giving of ourselves. We

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Moms Set Apart M. S. A. Mornings – May 5 and 19 (9:30-11:30am)

Contact Debbie Jennings … msamornings@gosouthland.org

M. S. A. Nights – will not meet for awhile Contact Kristie Martin… msanights@gosouthland.org

will give, but when that giving requires sacrifice or tolerating something we don’t prefer, we can easily

walk away and find another place – another church building to go to. We have forgotten that the Church

is not about us at all – but it is about Jesus. It is a significant and honored position that God has given us

to be the Bride of Christ; and yet, we are in many ways not living up to that calling. How unimportant

would some of the common church “complaints” be if we remembered why God ordained the institution

of the Church? How weary He must be of our constant discontent and quibbling, of our inability to look

beyond personal preferences and self-aggrandizing, of our propensity to tear down rather than build up!

Ultimately, what has developed is a Church that values culture more than Christ, becoming a reflection of

the modern mindset that says we are each our own authority. Even as individual Christians, we struggle to

make Jesus our Lord – the One in authority over our lives. It is no wonder then that the Church, set up

under the Headship of Jesus Christ, is floundering to bring Him honor and to carry out the hard tasks of

birth and maturity.

So what? The point is this: one of the greatest reflections of Jesus Christ in our lives is how we participate

in and support His Church. We tend to think about even our involvement in terms of whether or not we

determine it to be valuable (how self-centered and consumeristic of us!). Here is an epiphany: there is no

perfect Church because YOU are not perfect. The Church is needed by each one of us not to accomplish

our own purposes for ourselves, but to see His will brought about in our own lives and in the lives of

others.

Just as the family is the place where children learn to share, compromise and serve, so is the church the

place where even grown-ups must learn to share, compromise and serve. As children of God, we are loved

and cherished, but we are still children and Church becomes the practical place where we must learn to

get beyond ourselves in the process of maturing. Too often, when this process becomes challenging, we

jump ship or simply pull away because that is easier than growing up. How many times have you as a

parent or grandparent told a child that life is not all about them? That being a part of a family means you

sometimes must do something you do not prefer? We discipline children for whining and complaining.

We withhold blessing as a consequence for ungrateful and entitled attitudes. We remind our children that

they have to live under our authority until they are old enough to be on their own – like it or not. I believe

that is what God’s Word would also prompt us to remember when it comes to the Church. He will not

tolerate our poor attitudes and actions – we only think that He does. But at the end of our “Green-Tape

life,” one of the things we will have to account for is how we reflected Jesus’ authority in our life as it

pertained to His Church. That may seem like a long way off, but in reality, it is not. Consider how miniscule

your green tape is on the rope of eternity and in light of that, consider the importance God places on the

Church in the lives of His children while on this earth. Then ask yourself this question: Am I willing to do

what it takes to reflect Jesus’ authority in my life by submitting myself to the process of maturing through

fully participating in His Church?

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Weekly ENCOUNTER ... a time to gather in God's presence together.

Psalm 63:1-5 is one my favorite Psalms. It reads like this:

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You;

I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You,

in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory.

Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your Name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise You.”

I wish I could be honest in saying that I live each moment of my life carrying-out the heart of this text.

However, that’s not the case, as you probably know. The things of this world get in the way. Other

people get in the way. Most of all, I get in the way. But, I really do believe this should be our goal as

worshippers: to earnestly seek after the Lord as if searching for water in a dry and parched land. I think

the problem is that we really don’t believe that His love is truly better than life. If we did, then our lives,

our church and our homes would look radically different. But as I said, life often is our obstacle in seeking

after Him daily.

I will let you evaluate on your own with the Holy Spirit’s guidance your pursuit of Him in the midst of

everyday life. I certainly believe we need to strive after this kind of heart and attitude toward our God in

everything, so please make this a goal. However, in this brief time I have your attention, I want you to

primarily focus on Sunday morning ENCOUNTER. Does your heart or attitude reflect this Psalm?

Each week as we gather, I am blessed to be able to lead our congregation in the worship of our mighty

God. One of the specific blessings that I look forward to is seeing the joy expressed in the faces and

gestures of several in our gathering. One young lady in particular often reminds me of Psalm 63, and she

just happens to also be on our worship team. The she I am referring to is Amy Ritz.

From the first Sunday I met Amy, I knew she absolutely loved to worship Jesus, especially through music,

song and physical expression. She is one who does not pay attention to those around her to check to see

if she’s “fitting the mold” of others in the room, but is only concerned with what her heart and attitude is

expressing to her heavenly Father.

She’s not ashamed to sing a loud and joyful song of praise with her lips, to lift up her hands in surrender

or even dance occasionally by swaying back and forth to the rhythm of song. She loves to worship and

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Upcoming Preaching Calendar For the next several weeks, we will be in a series of sermons called “GREEN-TAPE Life 2.0 … Living TODAY in Light of ETERNITY.” God’s Word would give us a basic perspective that says there is something beyond this earthly life - an eternal existence. Even more, Scripture calls us in Christ to both see and live our comparatively brief here-and-now lives with that eternity in mind. Each week in this series, we will look at how the reality of ETERNITY should influence a different area of our lives TODAY.

May 1 GREEN-TAPE Values - living out a heavenly/eternal set of standards and principles even now

May 8 (Mother’s Day) GREEN-TAPE Child-Raising (this is NOT just for parents, but for all who have the opportunity to influence young people whatever the capacity!)

May 15 GREEN-TAPE Faith in the Midst of Trials and Suffering - trusting in His promises even when/ if we don’t see them being fulfilled as we might want

May 22 GREEN-TAPE Hope in the Face of Death - clinging with confidence to what is “beyond”

May 29 (“One Service” Sunday) GREEN-TAPE Money - living out eternal priorities with our finances

How to listen to content you may have missed ... Nothing can replace actually being here with the Southland family as we go about our church life together. And yet, we know that from time-to-time, people cannot be here in person. We have recently started utilizing a new way of making content available - through a podcast.

On whatever device you might have, use whatever “Podcast” app you want and search for “Southland Christian Church - Sermon Podcast” (look for our logo). You can even choose to “subscribe” to the podcast so you will be automatically notified when something has been added. Should you need any help, let us know and we’ll be glad to help make that happen. Just a note: ALL the same content can also be accessed directly through the website as well (go to the “Online Sermons” tab and then “Launch Sermon player”).

she’s not afraid to express herself. I wish there were more worshippers like Amy. I wish I was more like Amy in my worship of God. I admit, there are times when I’m raising my hands and I look out my peripheral vision to see if I’m “fitting in” or not when worshipping with others.

Now, I understand this type of expressive worship does not fit the personalities or comfort level of every single worshipper. I definitely do not want to seem as if I’m belittling others who aren’t as expressive as Amy (like myself). But I do just want to acknowledge Amy and thank her for exemplifying true Psalm-like worship on a weekly basis, whether she is on stage leading or she’s leading by example from within the congregation. Her joy, energy and excitement at being in the presence of our loving God is an excellent model of leading in worship. She helps point us to God by showing us how His Spirit moves her.

Next time you see Amy, thank her for not holding back and helping us see that God’s presence and experiencing His love is so much better than life.

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CONNECT Ministries

We have designed our CONNECT Ministries to help people discover Christian community. They provide the right kind of place to

build relationships with other believers, pray with and for one another as we strive to follow Jesus faithfully and consider how

God’s Word applies to our lives. See the flyers available by the CONNECT banner in the foyer for additional information.

Here are the CONNECT Groups that are currently meeting and their locations:

CONNECT Groups that meet at 9 AM on Sunday mornings:

Free at Last (Fellowship Hall) The Refuge (in the Gathering Room - off the Great Room)

The Morning Branch (the Great Room) LAUNCH (Room #5)

CONNECT Groups that meet at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings:

Free at Last (Room #6) Empty Nesters (in the Fellowship Hall)

CONNECT Groups that meet outside of Sunday mornings:

The Evening Branch … meets (occasionally) Sundays at 6 PM @ Ben and Debbie Jennings’ house

242 … Sunday evenings, verify with Jon Carmichael precise time and location

A note about CONTENT for CONNECT Groups - each group is currently on its own when it comes to content. That information will be determined by each group’s leaders and communicated within.

When it comes to outside events , each group communicates those details among its own members.

At Southland, a significant part of what we do is designed to help people GROW DEEP. This happens through our Deeper Life

Groups (a.k.a. "D-Groups") as well as other opportunities like Ladies Bible Study. Beginning in September 2015, it has also included

our Wednesday evening ministry called “CULTIVATE” (not meeting over the Summer). Though each one is somewhat unique in its

format, they all have the same basic purpose: to help us plant deep roots down into Christ and God’s Word (see Colossians 2:6-7).

G ROW DEEP Ministries ... an opportunity to plant deep roots in Jesus and God's Word.

We have wrapped-up our first year of CULTIVATE. We hope it has been

a blessing to all who participated. Thank you also to those who served

to help make it happen. We are already looking forward and planning

for the re-launch in September!

NOTE: If this is a good time for you to become a part of a DEEPER LIFE GROUP, you can still submit a neon card (available at the Welcome Center) to let us know you are interested.

14

We want to say a special “thank you” to members of

the EMPTY NESTERS connect group. The group

took its monthly meeting in April to clean the

kitchen + more. Thanks for your service!

A special “Thank you!” to our worship team who led us during a special ENCOUNTER

service on Sunday, April 17 (a service that required extra involvement from the team that

day): Scott Wooldridge, Jared Wilson, Rori Carmichael, Scott Griggs, Terry Ochs, Derek &

Brenda Moreau, Kendall Wooldridge and, of course, Jon. Thanks for using your talents to help

lead us as a congregation in worship!

A big “THANK YOU” to those who volunteered to serve as part of the 2016 mowing team:

Dennis McCann, Mike Seal, Mark Miller, Billy Constantine, Justin Virtue and Scott

Schiller. In addition to those men, Truman Haynes regularly serves by mowing the south

portion of our property.

“Thank you” to Pam Sewell and Charlotte Emmerton for again coming and helping prepare

the meals for CULTIVATE for this 4th session!

This section of the Vine provides a central place for you to be informed about how to become active in service at Southland. One of our major priorities is to be a place where God's people BUILD UP one another. In fact, according to Ephesians 4:16, the overall health of the church (the Body) depends upon each part doing its "own special work." Through our acts of service, God uses us to help others grow. At the same time, here’s what is beautiful about God's design: what we do for the benefit of others even has benefits for our own growth as followers of Jesus. That's why we share this section with you. While we cannot include every potential opportunity to serve, we want to (1) highlight some specific areas where we need help, (2) make you aware of special opportunities to serve and (3) provide a place to thank some of our volunteers.

To volunteer to serve in any area of ministry, please fill out one of the BLUE "Build Up" response cards at the Welcome Center. We will pass your name along to the appropriate leader.

Opportunities to BUILD UP ... a way to serve others and even help ourselves grow.

Specific OPPORTUNITIES to SERVE & “BUILD UP” the BODY

At the Welcome Center, we have provided flyers with specific ways people can serve and

BUILD UP one another here at Southland. If you’re looking for a specific way to get involved,

we encourage you to take a look at these materials and find the right place for you.

If you are willing to serve for 25 minutes at the Welcome Center once a month (from 8:45-9:10 or

10:15-10:40), please let Deb know.

Make sure you check out the VBS information on page 3 about the need for volunteers!

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SERVING SCHEDULE – May 2016

Communion Prep: Amy Ritz (weeks 1-2), then Dennis & Kay McCann (weeks 3-5)

Greeters Welcome Center Foyer Hosts

5/1/16 - 1st

5/1/16 - 2nd

10:30 Free at Last (8:45-9:10)

The Branch (10:15-10:40)

Wilber Kaylor/Sue Malina (8:45-9:10)

Joe & Suzi Bryant (10:15-10:40)

AJ & Terra Gegg

Dennis & Kay McCann

5/8/16 - 1st

5/8/16 - 2nd

Empty Nesters (8:45-9:10)

Launch (10:15-10:40)

Catherine Correll (8:45-9:10)

Scott & Judy Schiller (10:15-10:40)

Bob & Liz Wood

Warren & Carolyn Burros

5/15/16 - 1st

5/15/16 - 2nd

10:30 Free at Last (8:45-9:10)

9:00 Free at Last (10:15-10:40)

Jerry & Brenda Doty (8:45-9:10)

Jay & Kim Tyler (10:15-10:40)

Terry & Brenda Ochs

Ernie & Charlotte Emmerton

5/22/16 - 1st

5/22/16 - 2nd

Empty Nesters (8:45-9:10)

The Refuge (10:15-10:40)

Pat Burge/Dorothy Marti (8:45-9:10)

Ken & Debbie Nelson (10:15-10:40)

Mike & Carolyn Owen

Jay & Kim Tyler

5/29/16 (one service)

The Branch (9:45-10:10) Keith & Christy Wall (9:45-10:10) Pat & Debbie Little

Servers 1st Service 2nd Service

5/1/16 Various People Mark Miller team

5/8/16 Various People Doug Graves family

5/15/16 Various People Ben Jennings team

5/22/16 Various People Les Londeen & youth group

5/29/16 Les Londeen & youth group

Nursery check-in 1st Service 2nd Service

5/1/16 Stacy Gambill Susan Graves

5/8/16 Donna Lillard Debbie Gray

5/15/16 Jill Sims Amanda Butler

5/22/16 Amanda Miller Cobb family

5/29/16 Debbie Nelson

Nursery 1st Service 2nd Service

5/1/16 Stacy Gambill - Linda Jones Graves family

5/8/16 Andy & Donna Lillard Debbie/Kayla Gray - Jenelle/Ezri Smith - Xana Butler

5/15/16 Jill Sims - Cheryl McAnally Amanda Butler - Emily Owen - Xana Butler

5/22/16 Amanda/Abbi Miller Cobb family

5/29/16 Debbie Nelson - Pam Sewell - Xana Butler

CPU (in service) 1st Service 2nd Service

5/1/16 Sonya Simpson Alexis Simpson

5/8/16 Dan Gray Dan Gray

5/15/16 Simeon Martin Jay Butler

5/22/16 Wes Holt Cameron Flatt

5/29/16 Sonya Simpson

Wee Cruisers’ Leaders Li’l Crusiers’ Leaders Cruisers’ Helpers

5/1/16 Kristin Londeen - Emily Weber Sara Emmerton - Shelby Ritz Andy & Donna L. - Javan L.

5/8/16 Andrea Conboy - Cindy McMillian Katie Kilgo - Lizzie Kilgo Brad & Ashley W. - Noah W.

5/15/16 Judy Schiller - Aimee Garrett Sara Emmerton - Jessica McAnally Les L. - Luke B.

5/22/16 Brad & Marsha Foster Sara Emmerton - Katie Kilgo Brad & Ashley W. - Jacob R.

5/29/16 (We need a 5th Sunday volunteer) Sara Emmerton - Ezri Smith Les L. - Wes H.

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OPPORTUNITIES TO “LIVE OUT” YOUR FAITH

One of the key purposes of the G6:10 Ministry is to offer opportunities for us to LIVE OUT faith (see the theme

verse of Galatians 6:10). That is not so much about creating new events, but helping to keep the SCC family aware

of events that are already happening, especially with our local ministry partners. The goal is not for everyone to

participate in every single event. Rather, we want to lay these opportunities before you so you can decide how/

where/when to participate. We want to provide you with some very specific ways you can participate in Kingdom

work as you LIVE OUT your faith!

As a church, we have been called to shine a light into the Springfield community. The G6:10 Ministry wants to highlight

three specific opportunities to do good.

Sunday, May 8 is the beginning of this year’s Baby Bottle

Boomerang. This event will run through June 5. So, start saving

your change (and dollars) to help support the ministry of the Pregnancy Care

Center. We will have supplies and information available at a display in the alcove.

G6:10 is looking for volunteers to serve at the Salvation Army on May 14 for the annual

“Stamp Out Hunger” food drive. Items are collected by mail carriers and then brought

there where they need to be sorted for future distribution. There are two possible shifts

available: 2-5pm & 5-8pm. Volunteers will be serving at the Chestnut Expressway location.

From 3-5pm on Saturday, June 11, the Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks will be hosting a carnival

at the Expo Center - “Step-Up for Down Syndrome.” We want to encourage you to LIVE OUT faith by

volunteering to serve at this event. The high school youth will be participating in this as well.

LIVE OUT Ministries

... a path for putting faith into action.

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,

especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

- Galatians 6:10

To keep you informed about Southland’s foreign missions

partners, we strive to provide updates when available in

the alcove of the auditorium (by the map). This is really

the only way one of our partners can communicate with

us. Their location makes any online presence too risky

from a security standpoint. We do make their newsletters

available as they come in.

There is a website for the “Central India Christian Mission.” Check out www.indiamission.org

for more information about some of the global Kingdom work we get to partner in here at

Southland. You can also “like” their Facebook page for ongoing updates.

You can check out the website for “Life of Hope Ministries” at www.lifeofhope.org. Through

our partnership with Life of Hope, we are partnering with those on the ground in Guatemala.

We had a couple of our SCC family working on a medical trip there recently.