Remembering Jesus’ death and resurrection at Southland …

Good Friday service at 7pm on March 25

(we are hosting this year; we do the service with

Countryside CC)

Resurrection Sunday services on March 27

at 9 and 10:30am

a time to worship our RISEN Lord and Savior

Southland Vine The

February 24, 2016 1630 W. Republic Road * Springfield, MO 65807

We will publish the next edition of The Southland Vine on March 30.

Upcoming Leadership Meetings:

Mar. 3 @ 6 PM Elders-staff

Mar. 17 @ 6 PM Elders

What’s Inside …

2-4 General Reminders & Info

5 What MATTers to Me

6 Erik’s Endeavors

6-7 children-MIDDLE SCHOOL

8-9 Les’ Latest/High school

10-11 southlandwomen

12-13 Encounter

14 Connect

15 Grow Deep

16 Build Up

17 March serving schedule

18 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.

Session #4 begins March 16.

See the “GROW DEEP” section (page 14)

for all the CULTIVATE details.

Session #4 Content:

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General Reminders and information ... Congratulations to JERRY DOTY who was

recently immersed into Christ!

Church has always been a part of Jerry’s story, including

being “sprinkled” as a young child in a Methodist church.

Once he and his wife Brenda started plugging-in to Southland, we were able to visit with him about what God’s Word teaches about

immersion. Jerry responded with obedience. It’s a great example of choosing faithfulness

to what we are instructed to do. Way to go, Jerry!

Jerry and his wife Brenda placed their

membership with us here at Southland.

Welcome to the SCC family!

2016 “Souper Bowl” luncheon

On Sunday, January 31, our

middle school students held this

fundraiser luncheon for their

upcoming trip to the “Believe”

Conference in Kansas City.

This year, they raised $753!

Thanks for supporting our young

people, Southland family.

“THANK YOU” Notes

…

…

…

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The Missouri Christian Convention is an annual gathering of believers from churches similar to Southland across the state. This year, the event will again be held at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. The 2016 theme is “Stand Firm.”

For more information about the convention and for registration details, you can visit their website (www.mcconvention.org).

IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER ...

It’s still that time of year when wintry weather is a possibility. Unfortunately, there are times when we have to either cancel or adjust our regular schedule because of the inclement weather. These changes will be made as soon as reasonably possible (we try to have a decision made at least 2 hours prior to start time) and communicated in these main ways:

On the front page of our website: www.gosouthland.org.

Via an e-mail we send out to our "Vine distribution list.”

We also make an attempt to call those who may not have such “electronic access.” Please do let the office know if you wish to be contacted in this way so we can make sure you are called in the event of such a schedule change.

We encourage you to check in these places for an official word from SCC if you’re wondering about our plans on a particular day. Of course, if you are in doubt at all about conditions or if circumstances make your travel unsafe, we certainly encourage you to use appropriate discretion regardless of our decision.

NOTE: If we don’t yet have your contact information, or if you want to specifically receive a phone call when we make such changes, please contact the church office at 881-7405.

We certainly don’t want to skip over Spring, but there is some information we want to make sure we communicate about a couple of student ministry-related events later on in the Summer. Of course, we encourage parents to check out the sections of the Vine devoted to our student ministries for more of what’s happening. What we have listed below are broader events. They are connected to our young people, but they require the involvement of the church family as a whole.

Each May, our high school youth group holds a yard sale fundraiser for the students’ annual trip to the CIY “MOVE” Conference (this year, the conference dates are July 10-16). The 2016 yard sale will be held Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14. We need your help especially if you have items you might want to donate for the sale itself. There’s obviously still lots of time; but, we did want to

make sure you had it on your radar. In fact, Les is already able to start accepting donations (of course, it probably won’t hurt his feelings too much if you wait a bit either). We encourage the Southland family to be a part of this as a way of supporting our high school students.

On the evenings of July 25-28 (Monday through Thursday), we will be hosting our 2016 Vacation Bible School. This requires the participation of more than just those in our SCC family who have kids! So, we encourage you to get these dates on your calendars and be thinking about how you can be a part of this. In fact, if you already know where and how you want to serve, let Erik know. We will be starting the preparation process soon.

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To share any prayer requests with the Southland church family, you can send an e-mail to us at prayer@gosouthland.org or call the church office.

PRAYER Got Questions? While we work hard to communicate information, there may be additional questions you have about Southland. If so, please contact the office and someone on staff will help you. To e-mail: gotquestions@gosouthland.org.

We use the YouVersion “app” for tablets, smart phones and other electronic devices during our Sunday ENCOUNTER services. It's a great way to follow along with the sermon and even take electronic notes. You can even send your own notes to your e-mail account from within the app!

See the posters around the building for specific instructions on how to find our LIVE event using this app each week: “SCC – Sunday ENCOUNTER.”

FINANCIAL UPDATE … January 2016 (the most recently completed month)

We want to provide this basic info to keep you aware of

what's happening. Keep in mind, this is a snapshot of one

month. Please feel free to direct any questions you might

have to the office staff.

INCOME …

Regular tithe for January - $51,166.10 (total for September - January 2016 = $208,615.10)

Average weekly tithe for January - $10,233.22 (for September - January 2016 = $9,482.50).

Weekly Goal from Sept. 2015 - August 2016 = $10,000 (This is based on an estimated budget of $520,000 ... While this is our target, we adjust as necessary along the way.)

Love Offerings - $1,310

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.

Currently, we have available our sermons and CULTIVATE sessions (beginning with Dave Embree’s “Vantage Points”). At some point in the future, we may even be expanding what is offered. 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”).

FOR SALE … recently, we have been using ROKU devices to access

RightNow Media content in CONNECT Groups. Because of some recurring

issues that have arisen, we are unfortunately going to be moving away

from those and utilizing a different platform to access RNM. So, we

are making 3 ROKU devices available to anyone in the SCC family

who might want one for $30, a great price for these items (NOTE:

the issue with these is just with accessing RightNow Media; they

work fine for other applications that are available through Roku).

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What MATTers to me … When it comes to the story of Jesus in the Gospels, there’s such a consistent “WOW!” factor on display. At certain points during His ministry (as we have seen in our “Close ENCOUNTERS” series), He is going around calming a storm, feeding a multitude, casting out demons, healing the sick and even bringing the dead back to life. We’re familiar with such stories; and yet, each time we read them, we can find ourselves WOWED by what Jesus did. Without a doubt, that’s part of why such stories are included. After all, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote these stories of Jesus’ life to lead their readers to faith in Him - to help people see more clearly Jesus’ identity and authority. Such miracles help lead to that sense of confidence in what He can do, and as a result, in who He is! Still for us today, a fundamental part of FAITH in Christ is such confidence - we place our utmost trust in who He is.

And yet, that creates a dilemma for us today … a dilemma that I have keenly felt in the midst of this sermon series through Luke’s story where miracles seem to have been such regular occurrences. Here’s the question it brings about:

If that’s what FAITH in Jesus so regularly brought about during His life and ministry, shouldn’t we expect that such FAITH in Christ should bring about similar results today?

For some, the answer is “Absolutely!” The thought goes that the miracles we see through Jesus’ life and through the Holy Spirit’s work in the book of Acts should still be our expectation. After all, God’s Kingdom is still taking back territory from the enemy. Faith should still be producing such results!

For others, there is far less confidence that such miraculous events should be seen as common-place. There were certainly many whom Jesus did heal (at times, we see broad summaries implying a fairly large number of such healings). And yet, there were also those He didn’t heal. Maybe that’s something we’ve rarely thought about, but it sure seems consistent with the Gospel message: even when people had great faith, there were times when they didn’t get healed by Jesus - even though many others did.

We read these stories and place ourselves in situations similar to those who encountered Jesus. It can be so easy for it all to lead us down a dangerous road, a road even many so-called “teachers” of Christianity will invite us to travel; it’s even a popular road. It’s a road of expectation for our here-and-now lives. But what if there is more to it? What if the point of the Gospel stories is not to fill us with the expectation that this is what we should expect Jesus to do for us in the midst of our earthly circumstances, but to draw us to a FAITH in Him that transcends those circumstances? Maybe our FAITH struggle is not due to the actual promises God has made to us in His Word, but the way we’ve distorted what they were really meant to be by limiting them to the confines of a box called “our earthly lives only.” There are many great promises for the here-and-now, but many others that are for eternity even though we want to see them fulfilled now.

In the midst of this series and such questions - especially when it comes to what all this means for faith - I found myself settling on a few ways that FAITH should be at work in us:

Faith is an unshakeable confidence that Jesus can fix whatever is wrong - whether it’s a physical ailment, a sickness, a mental struggle, whatever it is. We pray in confident faith that He CAN!

Faith is also the resolved trust we have as we wait, even for those times when in great faith we’ve prayed with great confidence, but He doesn’t respond as we would like. Even then, faith remains steadfastly assured in who God is, in His mighty power and in His sovereign wisdom.

In the end, faith is looking forward with great confidence to eternity when the ultimate promise of God reaches its fulfillment. We trust that whatever happens in the midst of our earthly circumstances, nothing will thwart His eternal purposes in our lives.

The Gospel stories do invite us to faith in Christ. But maybe the faith they lead us to is more about who we trust Him to be - regardless of whether or not we ever see the fullness of it with our earthly eyes.

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Erik’s Endeavors

ATTENTION KIDS ... COME JOIN US FOR NOAH’S PARK!

Join us Wednesday evenings during Cultivate. This is a ministry for kids ages 3 through 5th Grade. Come and

experience the fun while learning to be more like Jesus.

Coming Theme for our next session: Love God, Love Others

The next big piece to accelerate technology further could be coming soon. Facebook co-founder Mark

Zuckerberg is teaming up with Samsung to work on the next big virtual reality 360 degree experience.

However, Apple will likely enter the competition with something even more exciting.

We had some exciting competition with the return of the Olympiad at Southland as students quickly raced through events in going for the gold. The games were great, but I think the fellowship with one another was even greater. Cheyenne and I had fun teaming up with all of our MC’s for the night and hanging out with people in the church. A big “thank you” to all who helped with set-up, coaching and supporting the students in a big night for them to shine.

It’s been amazing that we have had so many nice days for the sun to shine in February. The other day, Spring, Summer and Fall came together in the same moment when I was on the back porch hearing birds sing in blossoming trees while looking at dry, yellow grass, and visualizing football season, all happening with burgers on the grill. I was seeing things from several different perspectives, both in the moment and what is to come.

As I think of what’s coming, I see dual perspectives. From Spring battling to overtake Winter to the election heating up, it’s happening all over. Jesus has a similar dual of perspectives in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before going to the cross. He wants the cup God has given Him to pass, but He also wants to do the Father’s will. His disciples are a distraction, but the Father’s will wins out.

March Madness is approaching and only one team will win out. For those not as familiar with the big college basketball tournament, the phrase “Survive and Advance” is often used to get through the tourney journey. When I think of Easter, I see Jesus likely thinking in these same terms, “Survive and Advance.” Jesus has distractions from His disciples and even from within Himself, yet He also focuses on the greater perspective and chooses it instead - He “survived and advanced” to carry-out His mission. In March, there will be some teams that get hot and make a run, but they will have some inconsistency. Only one team will have the longevity to be the champion by handling the little things well: making free throws, out-rebounding opponents and taking care of the ball. Champions must handle the details in March, but also focus on the big picture that ends in April.

To win in Christ, we too have to survive and advance. However, I think at times we have it backwards in the duel of technology and prayer. The modern mindset says prayer is used more to survive and technology to advance. It should be switched. To win in Christ, we must use our technology to survive and our prayer to advance. I believe this is a time to pray hard, as Jesus did three times in Gethsemane. It may seem mundane, but at times the excruciating has to be chosen over the exciting. Technology will accelerate, but prayer can and will accelerate us faster. I believe if we are to go further in our walk with Christ, we must pray harder.

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Summer camp Dates:

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

2016 Middle School Believe Conference

Departing from SCC Friday, March 11 @ 1:00pm Returning to SCC Saturday, March 12 @ 9:00pm

The conference will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center (we will stay in a nearby hotel).

2016 VBS

July 25-28

Junior Bash at Maranatha Friday-Saturday, April 1 and 2

for students in grades 3-6

Cost is $45 - money and registration are due by Sunday, March 13.

Get ready for 23+ hours of high-energy fun, good food, Bible study, memorization and relationship-building!

The theme for this session is “Night At the Camp Museum Part 3: The Quest for Noah’s Ark.” NOTE: while this

is a continuation of a theme from last year, it will still be a great opportunity even for those who weren’t able

to be a part of it in the past. We will leave the church on Friday at 4pm and return Saturday around 4pm.

Registration forms can be found in the south foyer.

See page 3 for information about volunteering to serve at VBS this year.

On the third Sunday of each month, a group of parents and children has been going to “The

Neighborhoods at Quail Creek” (the care facility across the street from Southland) and hosting a

brief worship service for the residents of the facility. The next service will be Sunday, March 20 at

1pm. It’s a great opportunity for families to join in on this service and bless others together. Anyone

wishing to participate can meet us at the front entrance of Quail Creek shortly before 1pm.

Middle School Upcoming Schedule for Cultivate 3/16 Practice for Morningside Nursing Home service

3/23 Morningside Nursing Home service

3/30 Yard work for EN Group/TBA

Registration for camp will be April 10 - May 1. More

information to follow in upcoming vine.

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Les’ latest & grOUP HUDDLE News

Group Huddle Meals We are in full swing for this semester of Group Huddle! It’s exciting to see many new faces among our

group and encouraging to witness teens grow in their knowledge of God’s Word. As you probably know, each Sunday our kitchen staff prepares a delicious meal for hungry students and sponsors. Families are encouraged to pay $20 for each participating child to help with the cost of food. (it

averages less than $2/meal). In case you didn’t know, we gladly welcome parent volunteers to help prepare and serve the meals. If you’re interested, please contact Les Londeen to find an available date.

Keeping the Main Thing, the “Main Thing”

Twenty years ago, it was easy to attract a crowd to youth group. Planning an activity simply required creative posters and ordering pizzas. But that was twenty years ago. Since then, I have witnessed massive changes in our access to technology as well as the overall youth culture. Perhaps no change is as profound as the one many churches have failed to notice. In any ministry, we must keep the main thing the “main thing.”

Having fun in youth group is important. In fact, our kick-off event for Group Huddle this next fall will include hilarious rounds of bubble ball soccer (perhaps you’ve seen video clips of this madness on social media). Giving teenagers relevant, fun activities has turned into big business over the course of the last decade. Think about it. In 1995, we didn’t have mobile laser tag, trampoline gymnasiums or virtual reality game systems. If we wanted to be “hip” as a 1990’s youth group, we advertised scavenger hunts, food fights, dodge ball tournaments and the revolutionary paint ball games. Teenagers today have more social options and more entertainment than ever before. If we’re competing for their time in the space of big entertainment, we’ve found ourselves in a cluttered field.

The good news for those leading youth ministry is this: youth ministry was never supposed to compete on fun because a youth group offers so much more - meaning and truth. Because of Jesus, we offer real relationships that can never be experienced at an ice rink or climbing wall. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t play games or experience fun times. But big entertainment shouldn’t be our primary draw. When we have the opportunity to share quality time with students, our main focus is to encourage them to know, seek and live like Jesus. This is how we keep the main thing, the “main thing.”

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2016 Winter Jam Tour Looking for something to do over Spring Break? Winter Jam is an

incredible line-up of Christian artists. This year’s concert tour includes Matthew West, For King and Country, David Crowder and

many others.

The Winter Jam concert will be held at JQH Arena on Thursday, March 10. No tickets are needed, simply $10 at the door.

Admittance begins at 6pm and the main show begins at 7pm.

NOTE: we are not doing this as an “official” youth group trip.

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

The cost for this year’s conference will be $339 (that includes travel, meals, housing and registration). A $50 pre-registration will be due THIS Sunday, February 28.

SAVE the DATES! The annual youth yard sale will be held Friday & Saturday, May 13-14. It’s a fundraiser to helps reduce the balance for those attending the MOVE conference.

Do you need some help with your homework? No problem, bring it with you prior to Group Huddle. Starting at the end of February, we are partnering with teachers and parents in a tutoring program. Take advantage of this free opportunity to receive subject-specific help on projects, papers and other assignments. The tutoring program will be led by Suzi Bryant, who teaches science classes at Central High School. In addition to one-on-one help, these sessions will include a short devotional, prayer and some guidance related to different study skills.

Academic Tutoring … Sundays, 4:30-6:00pm starting Sunday, February 28

High School Cultivate Schedule for Senior High

March 16 Practice for Morningside Care Center (at the church)

March 23 Service at Morningside Care Center(Please meet at the church by 5:30pm)

March 30 Serving at Ronald McDonald House.

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southlandwomen As followers of Jesus, we often talk about how our lives are not (or rather they are not supposed to be) our

own. The moment we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and are united with Him in baptism, a lifelong

project of learning to give up ourselves to His control and purposes begins. The more we experience life in

Him, the more we learn the heart of the Father. The more we allow ourselves to be transformed into His

likeness, the more we find that everything in our life works together for God’s purpose. Certainly we all take

detours off God’s perfect path for us, but even in the midst of the detours, we can often see how God pulled

us back onto the paved highway of His will. The detour then becomes a real-life example of His heart of

mercy and love – an example He uses as we disciple others who are striving to faithfully follow Jesus.

And then there are those times in life when we are squarely in the center of the paved highway and it feels

very much like a detour - times when God calls us to do something harder than we could have imagined:

Adopt the child that is physically or mentally challenged.

Work on a marriage that has no love left in it.

Stay in a job where you are forced to deal with an antagonistic co-worker.

___________________ (Fill in this blank with something God has asked you to do that was hard and

seemed overwhelming at the time.)

It can be difficult when we are in the midst of those times to actually consider the fact that God may be using

our struggle for something far bigger than ourselves. A neighbor may silently be taking notice of how you are

handling the situation or a co-worker may be learning from your example. It is not too hard to reflect the

heart of God and rejoice in the midst of “easy-peasy” times; it is much, much harder to accept that being

squarely in the midst of God’s paved road will does not always mean that the journey is smooth. And yet, it is

a detriment to our testimony regarding our hope and the goodness of God’s heart when we don’t

determinedly follow God even when His path leads us into hard, uncharted territory. We rarely know the full

scope of our influence, and therefore, we rarely know just why or how God is using us to make an impact on

others. Our job is not to know the why, our job is to simply follow.

As always, Scripture offers us story after story of faithful people who were asked to travel such hard roads.

Their examples even help us see the heart of God on display. In the Old Testament, Hosea was one faithful

prophet whose life played out like a reality TV show as God made one last attempt to draw a wayward Israel

back into relationship with Himself. Hosea’s ministry began with specific instructions from God that he was to

go and find a wife among the promiscuous women. This is not a vision or a parable, but actual instructions to

enter into a literal marriage that would give Hosea (and the nation) God’s perspective of His heartbreak over

their sin. Like God, Hosea would have a wayward wife and the resulting broken heart. Hosea’s children even

became sentinels of God’s judgement when they were given names like “Jezreel” (a message that a king’s

wicked dynasty would be annihilated), “Not Loved” (a name reflecting the way that Israel’s perpetual

unfaithfulness had caused them to somehow forfeit God’s love) and “Not My People” (a declaration that

Israel had completely and utterly broken their covenant with the Lord, losing a sense of their special status).

For many of God’s ancient spokesmen, the prophetic word became the living word as God led them to

picture His message to His people through their own lives. They had to live out their very lives symbolizing

the meaning and results of God’s Word to His people. Their actions pictured for the people what God was

going to do to or for Israel. We see a similar reality with Isaiah giving his children symbolic names such as

“Remnant,” “Speedy is the Spoil” and “Return.” The curious names found significance in the Lord’s message

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to the people through him. Few would argue that Hosea had an even more difficult assignment. He had to

endure a broken heart and broken marriage as well as public disgrace. His actions raised questions among

the people and caused many to even doubt the message. The prophets themselves knew that God had

commanded the acts, no matter what suspicions it raised among the people. And yet, that meant the

prophets had to depend on God to take the acts - carried out through their very own lives - and use them to

bring about His purpose.

We are not called to the same kind of role as a prophet, but we are called at times to live out faith and

faithfully persevere through situations that would be easier to walk away from. And yet, we must always be

mindful of how God may be using our circumstances to demonstrate His love and His heart to a world that is

bent on “easy-peasy” pursuits. Our lives, like Hosea’s, can be symbolic of God’s merciful and compassionate

heart to a world bent on personal rights, retribution and violence. The Big Question for us becomes this: Are

we willing to follow God’s leading even when it is obviously taking us somewhere hard or personally

sacrificial? That is a question not easily answered, but one that each of us need to contemplate if we are to

fully reflect God’s heart to a lost and unrepentant world He desperately wants to save.

Box Top Girls

BTG is for young ladies (as well as their moms and/or grandmothers) age 8 through 8th grade.

The annual BTG retreat will be Saturday, March 16 from 9am to 4pm. This year’s theme will be “Giving God our ‘INSIDE-OUT’ Emotions.”

Moms Set Apart M. S. A. Mornings – March 3 and 17 (9:30-11:30am)

Contact Debbie Jennings … msamornings@gosouthland.org

M. S. A. Nights – March 1 and 15 (7:00-8:30pm) Contact Kristie Martin… msanights@gosouthland.org

The cost for each meeting is $5 - among other things, that helps with the cost of childcare

which is provided each meeting time (morning and evening sessions).

NEXT Ladies’ bible study

session

9:30 TUESDAY MORNINGs, starting March 15, 2016

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

Last month, I shared with you about how honored I am to work with my worship and technology team each

and every week. These men and women put in several hours each weekend helping me develop and lead a

time of worship when our Southland family can truly ENCOUNTER our Creator God. Because of my

appreciation for these men and women, I’m dedicating each article I write (for the next several months) to one

or two of my team members. Of course, there’s no order of importance; each one is uniquely and equally

valuable to this ministry.

This month, I want to express gratitude to a particular couple who, in more ways than one, jumped feet first

into ministry at Southland from day one. On a daily basis, these two demonstrate what it means to be selfless

servants. They are both willing and excited to serve, not only on their scheduled dates to sing, but also when

asked to fill in for those who can’t make it. I’m referring to Derek and Brenda Moreau - both are vocalists on

the worship team. I’d like to say that I know them quite well, although I’m sure there is likely much more to

learn. But in my short time of knowing these two, one thing I’ve gathered is that they are quite opposite in

many ways - of course, in a healthy, complementary way.

Derek is a free-wheeling, happy-go-lucky, always-

smiling, kid-at-heart, buddy-to-everyone type of guy.

No matter what mood I’m in on a Sunday, it’s hard not

to smile around Derek. I know this cannot always be

the case, but it seems like he’s always having a

fantastic morning and that even a lack of sleep is

never an issue.

Brenda, on the other hand, though gracious and

loving, is a straight-shooter. She keeps us on our toes.

She’s not afraid to tell me how it is when a particular

song just isn’t working, or maybe when the overall

attitude of the team just isn’t where it should be to

lead the congregation. And she’s definitely not afraid

to speak up when convicted. She’s taken, not necessarily by intention, a parental role with our team, probably

due to her warm heart and godly wisdom. She is definitely a joy to be around, even if for different reasons

than her husband.

Regardless of their differences, both play necessary roles to our worship team. And both have one particular

trait that is absolutely key to a worship ministry: they love and honor Jesus with their lives.

Next time you see these two in the halls, make sure to tell them “thank you for your service!”

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March Sermons - Focusing on Jesus’ Death and Resurrection After we finish our “Close ENCOUNTERS” series on February 28, we will be in a brief series for the first three Sundays of March leading-up to the last weekend of the month focusing on Jesus’ death and resurrection.

During this time every year, it’s appropriate for us to stop and focus specifically on the climax of Jesus’ life - His death and resurrection. Indeed, even as we go through the Gospel story, there is a clear emphasis placed on the way His story culminates with the cross and the empty tomb - these events together are both the focus of the overall progression of Jesus’ journey and what the writers devote such a large amount of their writings too. Considering how essential they are to our faith, the attention we give them is certainly fitting. In reality, even the story of Christmas is only significant because of the way His birth leads to this end.

For 2016, we are going to consider the cross by actually going back even further in history … to the Old Testament. You might recall that in December, we focused on the Christmas story by looking at the OT expectation of the Messiah’s arrival. That context helped us appreciate the significance of what was happening on the night in Bethlehem when heaven broke into earth. Here’s the deal: not only do the OT Scriptures highlight that He is coming, they also anticipate that His coming would include the giving of His life as a sacrifice on our behalf. For example, Isaiah 53 - it’s a text that was written centuries before Jesus, and yet, it so perfectly describes so much of Jesus’ death. If it’s been a while since you’ve read Isaiah 53, for the sake of this series, it would be especially appropriate to do so!

We are calling this series “The FORESHADOWED Cross … Old Testament Perspectives on Jesus’ Death.” There are many different ways in which what God used with His OT people was a SHADOW of the greater REALITY that would come through Jesus the Messiah. Like an author towards the beginning of a story anticipating what would happen later on, God consistently dropped hints and pictures throughout the ancient Scriptures about what He would ultimately accomplish through Christ. Of course, from our point of view, it’s all the easier to see their fulfillment in Christ - that is even part of what the New Testament book of Hebrews helps us do. In this series, we want to focus on 3 specific ways the cross is foreshadowed.

March 6 The COVENANT - through Jesus, God has graciously offered us a new kind of relationship with Him. March 13 The HIGH PRIEST - Jesus is the perfect Mediator who truly reconciles us to the Father. March 20 The SACRIFICE - Jesus has offered His own life for our forgiveness and atonement.

As we look backwards at these 3 realities that looked forward to Jesus’ death, we want it to be an opportunity for us to again remember what He has done on our behalf!

On Resurrection Sunday (March 27), we will then specifically turn our attention to what happened “on the third day” when God raised Jesus from the dead. It will be a time to celebrate the significance of what the resurrection means. Specifically this year, it will be a time to consider what it means when it comes to who Jesus is: the Risen and Exalted LORD.

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CONNECT Ministries ... a place to discover Christian community.

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.

From time-to-time, it’s good to offer a reminder as to why we have these things called “CONNECT Groups” here at Southland. Within our overall “process” (see the logo to the right - we have especially highlighted the CONNECT portion of it), this specific piece plays its own important role in helping us be “equipped to LIVE OUT faith.” On a most basic level, such connections with others are vital for how God has wired us to experience life more broadly, but especially life as followers of Jesus! It becomes an opportunity for us to learn from and encourage one another (among other things) - important things we need for our journey..

Even beyond that, relationships are key to helping people “stick” here at SCC. When we are able to experience a slice of community with other believers - what CONNECT Groups are designed to do, to help us feel CONNECTED to one another - it produces this feeling that we’re a significant part of something. It’s not just belonging to an institution, but belonging to one another in Christ. It’s why in our CONNECT Groups, we strive to make such relationships a focus. (By the way, this isn’t something we should see as frivolous. In fact, in the early church, belonging to one another was a priority - RELATIONSHIP is what the NT word “fellowship” is all about!) During CONNECT Groups, we share with one another about life, we reflect on God’s Word together, we pray together with/for one another. As such things happen, it helps us each individually to grow, but it also helps us to develop that key sense of belonging. We CONNECT with one another in Christ!

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 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.

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

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 new Wednesday evening ministry called “CULTIVATE” (see below). 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).

One of the benefits of this Wednesday evening format

is that it gives us an opportunity to provide some

focused teaching that may not always be best for a

typical sermon format. Such is the case again with

this session. Specifically, it will focus on some of our

key priorities here at Southland - some points of

emphasis that we believe are vital to who we are.

NOTE: If you miss a session of CULTIVATE, we have started making those available through our SCC podcast (see page 4 for details) and through our website. That started with the “Vantage Points” session led by Dave Embree.

Other important details:

We will have childcare for ages 2 and younger.

STUDENT Ministry Details …

Our kids age 3 through 5th grade will be participating in another section of

“Noah’s Park.” The theme for this six-week period will be “Love God, Love

Others.” It seems that they have enjoyed the learning format so far and we

look forward to that continuing.

Our middle school and high school students will again be involved in some

service-oriented opportunities.

We are still providing an inexpensive meal opportunity on Wednesday night. To help us with

meal preparation, we would appreciate your RSVP if you will be eating with us (this can be

done in the foyer at the CULTIVATE table or in your CONNECT Group). You have the option

of signing-up for the whole session or by specific week. The cost of meals will again be $2/

individual with a maximum of $10/family.

Check out the flyers (electronic link here) for all the Cultivate details.

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For the past several months, Andy & Donna Lillard

(along with their girls) have facilitated a monthly

service opportunity at “The Neighborhoods at Quail

Creek” (a care home located across the street from

our building). It’s a once-a-month time (the 3rd Sunday of the month at 1pm) to go sing with

some of the residents there. This is the same location where Warren Burros has led a

Wednesday Bible study for a long time. For many of those residents, it’s an opportunity for

them to be BUILT UP. Thanks Lillards and Warren for serving in such ways!

Also, it’s appropriate to note the way that the Empty Nesters are caring for their own who are

unable to be here on Sundays by taking them communion. Thanks for taking the time to

BUILD UP those who cannot be present with us!

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.

We have recently communicated that Bill Foster is now overseeing our Building Ministry

(overseeing maintenance, etc.). As part of that, Bill has developed a list of some specific “odd

jobs” that need to be done around the building. We have listed some of those tasks below. If

you are willing and able to help with any of these, please contact Bill at 417-839-1023.

Working on the fellowship hall ceiling Painting

Replacing ceiling tiles Toilet maintenance Repair some trim

Move the dishwasher from the new kitchen to the main one

Work on the water heater in the main kitchen

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SERVING SCHEDULE – March 2016

Communion Prep: Amy Ritz (weeks 1-2), then Warren & Carolyn Burros (weeks 3-4)

Greeters Welcome Center Foyer Hosts

3/6/16 - 1st

3/6/16 - 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)

Mike & Carolyn Owen

Bill & Pam Foster

3/13/16 - 1st

3/13/16 - 2nd

Empty Nesters (8:45-9:10)

Launch (10:15-10:40)

Catherine Correll (8:45-9:10)

Tony & Kim Flatt (10:15-10:40)

Pat & Debbie Little

Steve & LeeAnn Marsh

3/20/16 - 1st

3/20/16 - 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)

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

AJ & Terra Gegg

Dennis & Kay McCann

3/27/16 - 1st

3/27/16 - 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)

Bob & Liz Wood

Warren & Carolyn Burros

Servers 1st Service 2nd Service

3/6/16 Various People Mark Miller team

3/13/16 Various People Doug Graves family

3/20/16 Various People Ben Jennings team

3/27/16 Various People Les Londeen & Youth Group

Nursery check-in 1st Service 2nd Service

3/6/16 Lacey York Susan Graves

3/13/16 Jill Sims Debbie Gray

3/20/16 Donna Lillard Amanda Butler

3/27/16 Stacy Gambill Ciara Romero

Nursery 1st Service 2nd Service

3/6/16 Lacey York/Carissa Virtue Graves family

3/13/16 Jill Sims/Cheryl McAnally Debbie Gray/Kayla Gray/Emily Owen

3/20/16 Andy & Donna Lillard Amanda Butler/Cobb family

3/27/16 Stacy Gambill/Linda Jones Ciara Romero/Jenelle Smith/Ezri Smith

CPU (in service) 1st Service 2nd Service

3/6/16 Sonya Simpson Alexis Simpson

3/13/16 Dan Gray Dan Gray

3/20/16 Simeon Martin Jay Butler

3/27/16 Wes Holt Cameron Flatt

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

3/6/16 Kristin Londeen/Emily Weber Sara Emmerton/Shelby Ritz Amber N./Javan L.

3/13/16 Andrea Conboy/Cindy McMillian Sara Emmerton/Lizzie Kilgo Les L./Noah W.

3/20/16 Judy Schiller/Aimee Garrett Sara Emmerton/Jessica McAnally Andy & Donna L./Luke B.

3/27/16 Brad & Marsha Foster Sara Emmerton/Katie Kilgo Brad & Ashley W./Wes H.

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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

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!

www.cchonthe.net

www.show-mehome.com

www.417pcc.org www.maranatha

www.occ.edu

Our local ministry partners:

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.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to hear more about each of these 3 foreign partners in April.

Be looking for more information about those opportunities coming soon.