June 2008



We Need You!

     Praise the Lord church family! God is so wonderful! I am amazed at his grace and mercy! Before I begin, I again want to say how much I love each and every one of you and am so honored to be your shepherd. You truly are a blessing to me!

What is on my heart today? Well it’s a need I have been observing in our church lately. It’s the one thing that is greatly needed and one that the enemy probably fights harder than any other: prayer. I have been taking this to the Lord and talking to Him about it and he has moved on my heart to share it with you. There is a great need for more prayer in this church and in this ministry as a whole.

I once heard this saying and it’s one that has always stuck with me, “Little prayer, little faith; much prayer, much faith.” The scripture the Lord keeps ringing in my spirit is Mark 11:15-17, “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.’”

Jesus was saying that you are trying to use my Father’s house for another purpose. My Father’s will is that it would be used for prayer, but more directly that it would produce prayers. If the Lord looked down from heaven right now and measured the level of our prayer tank, what would he see?
I am a firm believer that for the Lord to do anything in this “house,” it must come first by being birthed in prayer. The Lord has been giving glimpses of what is ahead, even in the prophetic words by Don Hightower, revealing the plans of the Lord for this church and ministry. Our part is to birth it out in prayer.

All my life I have been a studier of military strategy and history. I have always been fascinated with the art of war. (Why? I don’t know!) But now that I am a Christian, I have learned we are in a battle daily; a warfare with unseen powers of darkness. Warfare is always a battle for territory. A good warfare always involves taking ground, then defending it. Why? Because if you leave ground undefended the enemy will just move in and reclaim it. We as a church body have gained a lot of good ground in the city and community; we’ve “held the line” so to speak. But for a line to be held means soldiers must be vigilant and alert, always watching, always at attention. Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Prayer not only births things in the spirit, it also forms watchfulness and thankfulness. By neglecting prayer in the church, we are in danger of drifting off to sleep and allowing the enemy to approach our line. Do you care? Is this important to you? I hope so because the church is not the building, the church is you! It’s your spouse, it’s your children, it’s your job, it’s your home, it’s your health, it’s the person sitting next to you on Sunday and all that they have. It’s me, your Pastor, and my family, it’s the Elders, the Deacons, the teachers, everything we hold dear to. And the enemy will not be content until he can possess it or destroy it! It’s up to us to defend it, fight to protect it, and give God thanks for it.
The word here in this scripture that stands out to me is “devote” (KJV uses the word “continue”) It means to be constantly diligent, to continually give self. Every Thursday night we come together for group prayer, from 7:00 pm to about 8:30 pm, sometimes more or less. The Lord has shown me it is a time to assemble, take our places on the line and defend it. Listen to these Words of Jesus:
Matthew 18:19-20, "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." For the past several months, there have been three or four of us that have met faithfully to pray. Last month our church had a monthly average of 120 in attendance. For this I am grateful, but three defending 120 is not good. Now I know there are many of you who do pray faithfully in your homes in your devotion time, but if you feel the Lord moving your heart to come, as Uncle Sam says, “WE NEED YOU!” It’s only an hour, or an hour and a half of your week. Can you devote it to the Lord and to this church? Our ranks are growing, and because of this the enemy sees us a greater threat. We must defend the line and advance the kingdom!

2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…” Our greatest weapon is prayer; we must assemble and call on the name of the Lord!

- Pastor Doug

Jesus loves you and so do I!

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June’s Schedule of Ministry


Greeters— Denise Reed & John Allen & sons
Janitor: Rita Jones

Special Music—
    6/1—Communion—no special music
    6/8—William McLaren
    6/15—John Wayne Jones
    6/22—Alphonso Simpson
    6/29—Kate McGruder

Nursery—
6/1—Sunday School: Rita Jones
        Worship: Anita & Andrea Swift & Demonte A.
6/8—Sunday School: Rita Jones
         Worship: Joan Maze & Shada’ Splunge
6/15 -Sunday School: Rita Jones
          Worship: Rita Jones & Eboney Chambers
6/22— Sunday School: Rita Jones
            Worship: Anthony Nollen & Kara Hammond
6/29—Sunday School: Rita Jones
           Worship: Renee Simpson & Trisha Kuster
 

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Schedule of Services

Morning Prayer begins at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays in the Adult Room downstairs.  Sunday School begins at 9:30, followed by our Worship Service at 10:30.  A nursery is provided for children under 5 and Children’s Church for grades K-3 and 4-8.  Our Mid-Week Fellowship is Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.  Prayer Night is Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. each week at the church. 

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June Birthdays and Anniversaries  

1—James Shirley

2—Kara Hammond

2—Chuck Dilts

3—John Wayne Jones

4—Emmalynn Brown

6—Kalib & Kate McGruder’s Anniversary

7—Dana Hardy

8—Melissa Saffold

9—Brenda Krull

12—Anita Swift

12—Matt & Sara Brown’s Anniversary

16—Dick & Marie Walker’s Anniversary

17—Alphonso & Renee Simpson’s Ann.

17—Camellia Thompson

19—Myrtle Amerine

25—Ron Daniels

25—Randy & Jan Wood’s Anniversary
 

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Mid-Week Fellowship

Mid-Week Fellowship is on Wednesday Nights at 7:00 p.m.  Join us for this exciting series!!

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Prayer Night

Each Thursday at 7:00 p.m. is Prayer Night at the church. We pray for the needs of the church, our communities and surrounding areas. We invite you to join us for the most important night of the week!

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Ministry Opportunities                                     

Nursery Workers

Janitors

Wednesday Night Children Helpers

If you are interested in becoming involved in a church ministry or you just don’t know what’s available, please talk to Pastor Doug or Trisha.  There’s always a place for you!!       

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Church Van Schedule:

The church van will not be running a regular route during the summer.

If you need a ride, please call Pastor Doug at 331-4072 at we’ll arrange for

the van to pick you up.

 

(While WIU is in session)

Corbin & Olson Halls 9:30 a.m.
(In the parking lot behind the tennis courts)

Lincoln & Washington Halls 9:40 a.m.
(In the new hall, U-shaped parking lot)

Thompson & Higgins Halls 9:50 a.m.
(In front of Thompson Hall)

Henninger, Bayliss, Wetzel & Tanner Halls 10:00 a.m.
(In front of Henninger and Bayliss)

Look for the light blue van with our church magnet!
 

 

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June's Events

 

Bridal Shower

The church is hosting a  bridal shower for Bethany Wainwright on Friday, June 6th at 6:30 p.m.  This will be held in the church basement and is a potluck so please bring a dish to share.    Bethany is marrying A.J. Reed in July.

Celebrate Father’s Day!

Celebrate Father’s Day with us!  This is an excellent opportunity to bring your dad, brother, uncle or male  friends.  We’ll be giving a small gift to all the men in attendance.   Father’s Day is on  June 15th this year.   



1—Registrations due for Camp

4—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.

5—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.

6—Shower for Bethany 6:30 p.m.

8—Council Meeting 2:30 p.m.

11—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.

12—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.

14—Men’s Fellowship at the church 9:00 a.m.

15—Father’s Day and Mission Sunday

18—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.

19—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.

20—Worship Practice 7:00 p.m.

21—Work Day at the church 9 a.m.—3 p.m.

23-26—Grade School Camp in Decatur

25—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.

26—Prayer Night 7:00 p.m.
 

 

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Vision for Africa

Many of you met Stanley Nsofwa when he ministered here.  What you may not realize is that Stanley oversees a ministry called Vision for Africa.  This includes a school for 100 children, a Bible College, a medical clinic, an orphanage, and a farm.  Stanley gets little ongoing support and spends a lot of his time soliciting for help and developing business ideas that would provide a steady income to meet all the needs of the ministry.

If you are interested in helping with Vision for Africa, place your offering in an envelope and mark it "Stanley."  These funds will be sent to Groveland, IL monthly and wired to Stanley to support the mission.

We will be providing updates on the ministry as we receive the information.

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