Don't forget to get in your registration forms and money for our middle and high school youth conference retreats in November and December!!!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Pumpkin Carving Party!
This Sunday we joined together with family and friends for a pumpkin carving party! We had over a dozen pumpkins to carve and decorate that will be delivered to church members in nursing homes or that are home bound. We also had cards to decorate, pumpkin lanterns to make and coloring pages...along with lots of delicious treats to eat! What a fun night of creativity!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Actions vs. Words
St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
This past Sunday night we explored this quotation and how our actions often speak louder than our words. Do people know you are a Christian just by the way you act? How can you communicate your love for Christ to others through your actions? Why is it important for our actions to match what we say? What type of impact could you have (negative or positive) on someone who doesn't know the love of God with the way you act?
These are all important questions to think about as we realize that it is not just what we say that matters to God and has an impact on others around us, it's how we act as well! God calls us to live in ways that care for and share God's love with all of God's creation...this should be evident in both what we say and what we do! I challenge you to think of someone in your life who you can better share God's love with this week through your actions!
This past Sunday night we explored this quotation and how our actions often speak louder than our words. Do people know you are a Christian just by the way you act? How can you communicate your love for Christ to others through your actions? Why is it important for our actions to match what we say? What type of impact could you have (negative or positive) on someone who doesn't know the love of God with the way you act?
These are all important questions to think about as we realize that it is not just what we say that matters to God and has an impact on others around us, it's how we act as well! God calls us to live in ways that care for and share God's love with all of God's creation...this should be evident in both what we say and what we do! I challenge you to think of someone in your life who you can better share God's love with this week through your actions!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Got Fruit?
This past Sunday at FUSION Gathering at Connections we explored the fruits of the Spirit! Take a look at Galatians 5:13-26. The Apostle Paul discusses 9 fruits of the Spirit which are characteristics we should embody when we align ourselves with God's will.
LOVE
JOY
PEACE
PATIENCE
KINDNESS
GOODNESS
FAITHFULNESS
GENTLENESS
SELF-CONTROL
Healthy trees bear good fruit! So what does it mean to be a "healthy Christian"? Are we seeking to grow in our faith? Are we loving God and our neighbors in every way we can? Are we asking for God's guidance in our lives? When we practice spiritual disciplines like praying, reading Scripture, serving others, etc. we bear good fruit! And this "fruit" looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control! How will you live your life in order to be a healthy and fruitful "tree"?
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Do Justly
On Sunday at Connections, we talked about how God calls us to help our neighbors. We started by watching a video of three teenage friends who learned about how the lack of access to clean water for children in Africa has resulted in some children being unable to cry from being so dehydrated. It seemed like an overwhelmingly impossible issue for them to deal with, but they wanted to do something! So they created bracelets that said "No More Dry Tears" and sold them at their school and church to raise money to build wells in Africa that would provide access to clean water for some of the villages. What started as raising a few dollars, ended up leading to their own non-profit organization that has now built many wells and an irrigation system in parts of Africa!
Are there injustices that you see in the world that seem too big for you to do anything about? God calls us to respond! We may not be able to solve the world's problems on our own, but we can make a difference...no matter how small!! What are injustices you see in your own community? What's a small first step you can take to help? Grab a friend and talk about something you might be able to do to make a difference.
One of the mission projects our church is involved in is Operation Christmas Child. OCC provides a shoebox full of Christmas gifts to children all around the world. These shoeboxes not only contain small toys, but essential hygiene items like soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. They also contain a Bible study written in the language of the children they will go to introducing God's love and the Gospel story to children who in many cases haven't heard it before. You can learn more about OCC's work here: Operation Christmas Child. So, in response to our topic for the evening, we spent the rest of our time stuffing teddy bears that some of the women of our church stitched. These teddy bears will be packed in OCC shoeboxes and become a source of comfort and love for many children across the world! Check it out:
Are there injustices that you see in the world that seem too big for you to do anything about? God calls us to respond! We may not be able to solve the world's problems on our own, but we can make a difference...no matter how small!! What are injustices you see in your own community? What's a small first step you can take to help? Grab a friend and talk about something you might be able to do to make a difference.
One of the mission projects our church is involved in is Operation Christmas Child. OCC provides a shoebox full of Christmas gifts to children all around the world. These shoeboxes not only contain small toys, but essential hygiene items like soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. They also contain a Bible study written in the language of the children they will go to introducing God's love and the Gospel story to children who in many cases haven't heard it before. You can learn more about OCC's work here: Operation Christmas Child. So, in response to our topic for the evening, we spent the rest of our time stuffing teddy bears that some of the women of our church stitched. These teddy bears will be packed in OCC shoeboxes and become a source of comfort and love for many children across the world! Check it out:
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