Winter Service Shedules are Now Available
The service schedules for January, February & March 2012 are now available online. If you are part of any of the Sunday serving teams, just click on one of the links below to view the schedule and find out your dates of service.
January 2012 Volunteer Schedule
Come and Help Make a Difference!
This is our chance to impact people in our community with what a Christ-follower should look like. This is our chance to do something practical. This is our chance to help elder folks like we would want our own parents to be assisted.
Join us this Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm as we bless the senior community of Meridian Terrace with helping hands. We will be raking leaves, pulling weeds, cleaning gutters, and other very much-needed chores. Please call Anthony Perez @ 253-202-8156 if you plan on turning out. Bring your rakes, buckets, wheelbarrow & gloves and meet us as we leave from the church at 10 am sharp November 12th. I definitely wouldn’t miss out on this opportunity to show Christ’s love in a very practical way and I hope you won’t either.
Fall Service Schedules
The service schedules for October, November & December 2011 are now available online. If you are part of any of the Sunday serving teams, just click on one of the links below to view the schedule and find out your dates of service.
October 2011 Volunteer Schedule
Let’s Give Ourselves to Being Built Together
An encouragement from Pastor Tom
What a great series the first epistle of Peter has been so far. It’s been a really good thing to be reminded of the living hope that we have been born again into through Jesus’ resurrection. Equally encouraging is the fact that God has now given us an amazing destiny as His chosen people and all that is encompassed by this. We have been made alive by God’s grace and are now being built into a living and breathing family through whom God has chosen to reveal himself to the rest of humanity. Wow! How blessed are we!
Interwoven into this picture of our destiny that Peter weaves before our eyes are sobering reminders of how we should be living our lives. Our call to become holy and to live submissive lifestyles are points of emphasis; and rightly so. A house, or more correctly a family representing Jesus himself ought to have the same qualities as are his. We need to be constantly spurred on to live more characteristic of our namesake.
The things that Peter is admonishing us to do are counter-cultural. Setting the passions of our flesh aside and refusing the world’s values are enormous undertakings. If that isn’t enough, we are to give ourselves to being built together with the other members of God’s household. The concept of a team seems really appropriate to me. The team that God has in mind is really pulling together which means that there is a lot of good chemistry and certainly value placed upon the part played by each member. Peter urges us toward unity, being sympathetic, brotherly love and having a tender heart and humble mind toward each other.
How can we do these things? How do we do them well? One thing is for sure, we have to stop living such individualistic lives. The church that God invented is not a bunch of individuals gathering under the same roof to unconnectedly experience music and teaching together. Why do we settle for something that is so clearly not what we were meant for? Maybe it’s because it’s easier this way. It probably is easier in the sense that we don’t have to work so hard at accepting each other and being supportive or sympathetic. Being individual Christians is not nearly as much work as being the built together kind. It may be the easier road, but it’s certainly not the most rewarding. Ever try to give yourself recognition or a pat on the back? How rewarding is it to struggle through challenges on your own? Is it ever easy to persevere with health issues without anyone to help lift you up? On top of all of these things, can we produce the fruit that God has called us to as individuals?
Alone is not a very uplifting word, so let’s not allow each other to experience it. Pick up a phone and ask someone how they are doing. Seek your brothers and sisters out and get to know them better; simple things like what they’re good at, their vocation and their background. Go out of you way to pray for a fellow member and offer an encouraging word. Look for people who are sitting all alone or who are noticeably detached and do your best to draw them into relationship. Push yourself to get involved with other members, working together in some of the initiatives God is placing before us as a church. There are so many things we could do to become more joined and built together. We owe it to the one who picked us for the team to try harder at becoming one; don’t you think so? It’s just a thought.
Summer Service Schedules
The service schedules fior July, August & September 2011 are now available online. If you are part of any of the Sunday serving teams, just click on one of the links below to view the schedule and find out your dates of service.
Tents Needed for ONEBLAZE
ONEBLAZE, happening on July 6th-10th, is quickly approaching. We are expecting upwards of 150 young people gathering from all over the northwest. It’s going to be an exciting time both for our church as well as our community as they focus on outreach and community service. We’re going to need much help to make this event a success. We will be asking for volunteers for specific areas and will be letting you know in the very near future what those needs are, so keep tuned in.
For now what we are in real need of are tents. Preferrably large ones. ONEBLAZE will be camping out behind Frontier Junior High School and your tents will make this possible. We will be responsible to get your tent back to you in as good of shape as it is lended to us. If you have a tent that you can lend, please contact Justin Henderson at justin@cscc.tv. Please make sure that your tent is clearly marked with your name and check it in with Joe Crocker. Joe can be contacted at joeloveshawks@gmail.com.
Busy Weekend Coming up . . .
Just wanted to keep you up to date with all that’s happening this weekend so you can make your plans accordingly. Saturday morning we will be going out as Cedar Spring’s Reach” into some local neighborhoods providing much needed labor. Yardwork and cleanup will be the order of the day and we get to do it as a gesture that says, “God loves you and we are his hands.” Anyone that would like to participate, please show at the church with your gloves and yard tools and a big smile. We will depart from the church at 9:00 am so please be on time.
On Sunday, after services we will be hosting a BBQ/Party on the church grounds. Alby will be serving up some of his famous BBQ, all the meat you can eat and it’s all provided free. You are welcome to bring any kind of side dish or salad to supplement, or just show up. It is sure to be a good time! All in all it’s going to be a busy weekend, but we will be better for having spent it together as a church family. You-all come out now, ya hear!
A Prayer Request for Afghanistan
We recently received an email correspondence from one of our own, Jason Schiffner, who is stationed in Afghanistan. I pass this prayer request on to you from him:
I am confident that God has secured my safety since before I stepped off the plane. What we need most are prayers for the people of Afghanistan who are our mission. The enemy has built a mountain here in Afghanistan, but the Lord has sent His people here to free them. We are missionaries. I have a short time left in this country and I am desperate for the supporting, vigilant, faithful, and passionate prayers from my brothers and sisters in faith for God’s divine intervention in the nation of Afghanistan!
My brothers and sisters, please pray together fervently with a warrior’s heart that God would bring His justice to the land of Afghanistan. Call upon God’s promises of justice. I pray that your hearts would ache for the sad children and the oppressed women of Afghanistan. Pray together for God’s divine grace and mercy for the people of this land.
The enemy has built his mountain here, but nothing can stop God. In Mathew 21:21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” My brothers and sisters, have faith that God will move the enemies’ mountain and pour out the love of Jesus on the land of Afghanistan with your prayers. Thank you.
Cedar Spring’s Reach
We are called to be a light in the darkness, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. Formerly known as the Impact Team, Cedar Spring’s Reach is just that. Through this ministry we, as a church body, go out into Graham and surrounding areas to serve our community. We do projects around people’s homes that are in need including yard work, clean up, pressure washing, painting, and other projects that arise. Through this we are able to build relationships with our neighbors and over time, pray they come to know the saving grace of Jesus. Through Cedar Spring’s Reach we serve the community once a month on Saturdays from morning till mid-noon. God has already opened many doors in our community and we would love to see the church body involved in this ministry.
If you would like to get involved in this exciting community opportunity, our next outing is coming up on June 4th. For more details contact Ana-Maria Tarau at (253) 414-4570.
We’re Still Looking for Help
If you’ve only recently subscribed to this blog, you may not have seen our earlier posts about volunteer needs. If not, you can click on the following links to view them in detail: We Need Some Volunteers and Even More Volunteer Needs.
We really do need some help and have had very little response to these areas of need. If you are interested in helping but have not yet contacted someone, please do so soon. Also, you could forward this email to someone else whom you think might be interested. Contact Pastor Tom at tom@cscc.tv.
