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Hello church family, I hope you've enjoyed this winter. I'm just glad that it will soon be over. With each newsletter article that I write, we're one month closer to spring, my favorite season. One of my favorite things about spring is how everything that has seemed dead over the winter, comes back to life. Church, I like to see green. I like how creation seems to come back to life with the warmer temperatures. The seasons are truly one of God's creation miracles. Yes, we know that the earth's rotation around the sun is what gives us our seasons. But the miracle is in the fact that we're just the right distance and the earth's axis is tipped just enough to give us the seasons we enjoy so much. What are the odds of such perfect heavenly placement if you support and/or believe in the Big Bang Theory? I believe in the Big God Theory instead, and I believe that all creation is working in concert so that God's glory might be magnified. Church, God wants to show Himself to us in ways that we can't even imagine. From the laws of nature to the activities of man, God is at work and His glory is seen. Os Hillman wrote in his book, "TGIF, Today God Is First", that "sometimes the activity of God comes in unusual ways. God often sets up scenes that appear to be negative on the front end, but God has orchestrated these events for His glory." Just think, if Pharaoh hadn't chased after Moses and the Israelites, there wouldn't have been the miracle deliverance with the parting of the Red Sea. Without Goliath, there wouldn't have been David slaying the giant. Without the storm, Peter wouldn't have stepped out of the boat and walked on water. Even in the storms of life, God is working. Paul told the Romans in Romans 11:36, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." Church, God isn't subject to us or anything else. To the contrary, all things are subject to God. He's in the driver's seat and that's really, really good news. As many of you already know, from now through Palm Sunday, we'll be looking at living "FEARLESS" lives. Fear is something we all experience to varying degrees, and the question is, do we allow God to control our fear or does our fear control us? But it's not just about us. Every person we come into contact with has fears. Whether it's the person battling cancer, to the person worried about their child running with the wrong crowd, to the unemployed person wondering how they'll ever pay their mortgage, fear is running rampant. Church, we might not be able to solve their problems, but we know the One who can. We know the One who can calm their fears. Can you "Imagine Your Life Without Fear?" God can, and He's ready to do miracles in our lives and those lives that we're going to be reaching out to over the next several weeks. So be thinking and praying about those that are living in fear, and how God has placed you in a position to point them to Him, so that they might become "FEARLESS" and see God's glory shining through the darkness. Your Brother in Christ,  Hello Pekin 1st Church of God!! As we begin the month of March, may I encourage you with the words found in Jeremiah 29:11..."For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." WOW!! What a sense of comfort we can have when we hold on to this truth from God!! And we can also live a life without fear!! Speaking of fear...I hope you've been challenged and encouraged the last couple of weeks as we've begun to discover what it means to live a life without fear. I pray that you'll continue the series (or just come and check it out!) as we move forward through March and prepare our hearts for Pastor Johnny's arrival!! Church, we may be in a state of "waiting" right now, but I believe God has some great things in store for each of us this year!!! With God and Pastor Johnny leading this congregation, we can begin to move forward in seeking God's will for the life of this church!!! I'm encouraged when I place my life in God's hands and let Him lead me!! I pray that each of you will do the same!! Blessings, What really matters to you? Today, I would say family and the hope of Jesus Christ. Life is a precious gift of God. Those poor people in Haiti found out what matters to them: family, food, clean water, safe shelter, and a hope for tomorrow. Freedom is lost to millions of people each year. An instant of rage can cost you a life's sentence in prison. Look at our crumbling society all around us, our nation is in ruins, and worst of all, we kicked God out of the schools and now say Darwin's farcical theory is truth and the Bible isn't believable! How lost can one nation be? It all boils down to our only hope being found in Jesus Christ. I met a new guy in the condemned cell block. He's an atheist and loves to talk about Darwin and doesn't believe in a Creator. My new project is to somehow show the love of Christ to this man. Nothing is impossible when God's with you. Carol Miller is still recovering from 3 surgeries, and it's been a slow process. God has guided every step of her recovery. Many people have prayed for her and are still praying. Planting flowers, sharing Christ with the women at Lincoln prison every Thursday, studying the Bible with our small group every Tuesday--Carol is always enjoying life as a very active retired lady! Have you ever seen how many flowers she plants in her yard? It's a beautiful thing to see! The other Christians in the condemned unit are trying to help the atheist, too. They pray for him to open his heart to Jesus. We're preparing to take a Wesley Retreat in IL River Correctional Center (in Canton) in April. A lot of prep is needed. Phone calls and letters with everyone's name has to be sent in and cleared by the chaplain. Speeches need to be written by several of the people, and music has to be ready. Our team consists of Carol Miller, Bobby Carpenter, myself and two new volunteers: Russell Eggers and Judy Bohm. I'm very happy that Kathie's back from Florida. It's so nice to come home to our loved ones, but I really love doing what God's given me to do. God's mission is too important to miss even one opportunity to speak to some lost and hurting soul, no matter where they are. Thank you, Jesus! God bless, It's nearly March and Spring is almost here (can't come too soon as far as I'm concerned). But that means also that our next regular meeting is this week on March 4th, 2010 at 6:00pm in Room #9. Patty Anderson has an All Church Rummage Sale coming up on March 20th here in our gym. At this point, it looks like we'll probably have a booth again, so if you have any items you'd like to donate to us, please contact me. From time to time I mention in this piece a ministry called "Love Packages". The main effort behind their work is to take outdated and unwanted Christian literature, music, and teaching materials and send it all overseas to missionaries who don't have easy access to such things where they're at. Too many times, we throw things like that away because we're finished with them or they're taking up space, etc. But Love Packages can still use these items. They take them and get them into the hands of people who can't find stuff like that anywhere else. Here's a list of some of the things they're looking for. If you have any of these things and would like to get rid of them, don't throw them away! Bring them to me and I'll get them to Love Packages. All new or used Bibles (any version or type) See me if you have any questions. THANKS!! Happy Almost Spring! I was thinking recently of when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and how I learned about Him in the first place. I didn't hear about Jesus one time and instantly recognize my need for Him. It was my Sunday School kindergarten teacher who had the neatest felt cutouts of Jesus and other Bible characters and she would tell the story of that day and let us put the cutouts on the felt board. It was jumping rope with my stepsister while I waited for the VBS bus to come get us for Vacation Bible School in the summer. It was the young lady serving in Campus Crusade for Christ at Yellowstone Nat'l Park that came into my room and asked if I knew about Jesus. It was the life of a young college friend who died much too soon and the testimony that was given at her funeral. It was my friend in Seattle who kept telling me, "God is able." It was the church in Tacoma that I went to one time and they invited me to a young adult spaghetti dinner and they were so nice and welcoming and fun. It was my cousin Doug, who agreed with me that we needed to find a church when I moved back to Illinois and he went with me searching. It was Barb, a beautiful woman I just met who asked me if I went to church and would I come visit her church. It was the greeters at PFCOG who gave me a warm handshake and others in the church who just came right out and gave me a hug then asked my name. It was in the music that brought a spirit of worship. It was the words of a Pastor who loved the Lord. It was the friend who said, "Come with me, let's pray." Which one of these people are you? Are you the Sunday School or Junior Church helper who makes Jesus fun and interesting? Are you the bus driver who brings people to church? Are you helping prepare meals or visiting people who are lonely? Are you greeting visitors and making them feel welcome? Are you using your musical gifts to bring others into worship? Are you living a life that gives a testimony for Christ? Not one of these events led me to Christ. It was the team of people that Jesus put in my path. Please allow yourself to be used by Him to change a life. You might not see the result, but a life will be changed. "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'." (Acts 20:35) Church Life Elder, 8:00am Nursery 3/7 Stephanie Sipes, Alisha Wheat 3/7 Rita Potter March schedule is posted on the bulletin board next to the Nursery. 3/7 & 3/14 Jeff & MaryAnn Arnold, Shirley Osborn 3/7 & 3/14 Peggy Barlow, Ellen Eggers, Aimee Millstead 3/4 Shirley Carpenter, Deanna McAllister, Deannie Helman 3/7 Pat Hoyle, Colette Myers 3/7 Shirley Osborn (8:00am) & Debbie Ratliff (10:30am) Birthdays 1 Crystal Colclasure Anniversaries 7 Jeff & MaryAnn Arnold Income: $49,637.42
Savings: $54,089.00 Please pray for our church family daily! 1 Brenda Hankins | Return Home | Latest Sermon | Events Schedule | Our Ministries | Youth Ministry | Great Links | On-line Newsletter | Contact Us | Our Downloads | |
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