Announcements for Nov. 24-30

40 miles north concert- Plan now to join us here at Grace on Dec. 7 at 7pm.

LOST AND FOUND--Have you misplaced your coat or Bible? We have a few in lost and found (in the narthex) that need to be claimed.

Weekend to Remember -The “Weekend to Remember” will be coming to Columbus December 12-14. If you would like more information, there are brochures on the table in the narthex, or see Dan or Jeni Berger.

Help For The Children’s Christmas Program: The children in our church have started preparing for a Christmas presentation on Dec. 21. If you would be interested in helping with stage back drops or props, please contact Robyn Bowers soon.

Clothing drive for HEAD START kids: If you’re looking for ways to serve this Holiday season, this may be for you. There are a few kids at Head start that have some very basic clothing needs. Anything from underwear, to socks, to winter coats… they need it all. If you’re interested in donating these items, the deadline is Dec. 7. Items can be placed in the big gray containers by the front door.

SHAKE Postal Service: It’s that time of year again to start thinking about Christmas cards. Why not let the youth group help you deliver them? For a simple recommended donation of $5, we’ll deliver your cards for you (to anyone in the church body). This way, you can support the youth group, and save on postage at the same time!!! Cards need to be brought in by Dec. 14. Look for a table in the Narthex for a drop off within the next few weeks.

Offering Envelopes - If you requested envelopes for the new year, please check the table in narthex to see if they are ready.

Dominican Update: Next 1.5 Days

Internet is very difficult to come by, so there may not be another update on the blog, or it may not come until Friday afternoon.

TUESDAY--Bob, Mike & Aaron Fourman and I traveled around to a number of villages. We visited with pastors and with people who were there in the villages. It was a wonderful time and was certainly humbling to see these faithful men and the challenging circumstances they live in.

As we traveled all day, I realized the Nilsens and Wolfes are not exaggerating when they describe traffic here. Basically, there are no traffic laws (at least not enforced). There aren't even traffic guidelines (since you don't know what you'll see). You could possibly call them "traffic concepts," but that may be to generous as well.

The evening marked the kick off to the baseball clinic. There are nearly 260 men here specifically to serve in the baseball clinic this week. There is a morning session for us men, then the clinics, then an evening session as well.

WEDNESDAY--I'm writing this at 1:30pm Ohio time, so much of the day has not happened yet. However, this morning I had the opportunity to teach pastors and ministry leaders. We started at 9:00am and wrapped up at 1:00pm. It was such a blessing!!! These brothers and sisters are hungry for the Word and are asking some very good questions. Bob was my translator today and he did an excellent job. Once again, I was humbled that I don't really know english well, making Bob's job all the more difficult.

Tomorrow I will preach in a church and Friday I will preach in a brand new church plant.

It was such a joy today to see much of what we talked about from 2 & 3 John living out before me in these brothers and sisters. We have Dominican brothers who are faithfully doing the work of ministry whom you've never met, yet they are helping us fulfill the great commission as well.

Keep praying! God is doing wonderful things.

I'm praying for you as well, as you Greenville, Darke county and beyond for Christ in ways our brothers and sisters here can't!

Dominican Republic Update

Here's a quick look at our itinerary today:

4:00AM—woke up
4:30AM—Mike/Linda Fourman pick me up for airport
7:00AM—Dayton to Georgia flight
10:30AM—Original departure time for Santo Domingo
1:00PM—Adjusted departure time for Santo Domingo
2:30PM—Revised Adjusted departure time for Santo Domingo
3:50PM—Actual departure time for Santo Domingo
6:45PM--Arrived in Santo Domingo

It was all worth it though, just to see the smile on Bob and Ana's faces as we came down the terminal.

While the airport dilemma creates a bit of a frustration (fuel line leak), it really is amazing that God has granted man the ability to fling a giant scrap of metal in the air and keep it up there. We know, it is not really the aviation mechanics, but it is Christ Himself who holds all things together and allows us to defy gravity and make up lost time. Imagine the length of this trip if I had to ride in a vehicle to Florida, only to board a ship and head for the the Dominican. It really is quite incredible that I was in Greenville yesterday morning and will be preaching this Sunday at home again (Lord willing).

If you'd like to pray for the trip I can give a little more of the detail:

Tomorrow--riding around with Bob and Mike and seeing much of the ministry
Wednesday--teaching the Timothy class (I am SOOOOOOOO looking forward to this!
Thursday--Preaching in a church
Friday--Preaching in a new church plant
Saturday--heading home

Of course, all of this schedule is really in the Lord's hands.

Announcements for Nov. 17-23-08

Elder Meeting - Monday, 7pm

SHAKE - Wednesday, 7-9pm

Women's Study -- Thursday, 9:30am & 7pm

Offering Envelopes - If you requested offering envelopes, please check the table in narthex to see if they are ready. If you would like envelopes, please fill out the tear-off portion of your bulletin.

LOST AND FOUND--As this winter approaches, we've still got "reminders" from last winter around our building. Please take time to check the coat hanger and table in narthex to see if you've left a coat, jacket, Bible or other item.

Weekend to Remember -The “Weekend to Remember” will be coming to Columbus December 12-14. If you would like more information, there are brochures on the table in the narthex, or see Dan or Jeni Berger.

Communion- We will be having a Communion Service November 23 at 6:30 pm. Please set aside this date to come and celebrate the Lord's table with us.

STAGE AND PROP HELP FOR THE CHILDRENS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM--The children in our church have already begun preparing for a Christmas presentation. If you would be interested in helping us prepare with stage back drops or props, please see Robyn Bowers soon.

Operation Christmas Child- If you are interested in participating in Operation Christmas Child this year, please get a brochure on the table in Narthex. The pick-up date is Nov. 23.

Clothing drive for HEAD START kids: If you’re looking for ways to serve this Holiday season, this may be for you. There are a few kids at Head start that have some very basic clothing needs. Anything from underwear, to socks, to winter coats… they need it all. If you’re interested in donating these items, please see the sign-up sheets at the table in the Narthex

SHAKE Postal Service: It’s that time of year again to start thinking about Christmas cards. Why not let the youth group help you deliver them? For a simple recommended donation of $5, we’ll deliver your cards for you (to anyone in the church body). This way, you can support the youth group, and save on postage at the same time!!! Look for a table in the Narthex for a drop off within the next few weeks.

God is Good...

In the midst of trials, or through the trials?

Read this email from Bob Nilsen (our partner for the Great Commission) and see:

One wonders some days if it was even wise to get out of bed. Know what I mean? Even as I brush the spider off my leg and put my foot on the ground, it’s going to be a bad day. As I sit sipping my coffee, only slightly blurry eyed, watching an endless trail of ants, I wonder ‘what part of my life are they carrying away this time?’ God is good.

My mind goes back to the night before when Anna and I were playing Scrabble and heard a strange sound outside out apartment door (Which is really bad ~~ since Tim and Evelyn are in the States, it can only mean a burglar). It was a thief. The burglar entered thru a window in the hall between our apartments. I rush out into the hall with a large stick to confront the perpetrator. With Anna cringing behind the door, I maneuvered myself into the right position and finally bludgeoned the B&E artist with a 4 ft. piece of board! Our God is good.

Having downed a rather large cup of coffee, I drive to the clinic. I think the car feels a little ’loose’ in the backend. After getting out of the car I note I have a flat tire. ~~Sometime back our bus had 6 flats in 8 days!!~~ The problem with this flat tire is that I have a conference to set up. I have snacks to prepare, sound system to get ready, gas to buy, people to transport. I don’t have time for a flat tire. So I race thru changing the tire and then race off to the conference. Our God is good.

In route I discover I have lost my wallet. I should have hugged my pillow longer-like all day! So I call Anna and have her cancel the bank cards, and start trying to figure what else I have lost. How much money was in there? Didn’t I just go to the bank? Oh, no, my wallet was full. God is good.

Well, that was last week. Maybe this week will be better. This week is our anniversary and both of our birthdays. Monday, 36 years to the day. Ah, marital bliss. As a dutiful husband I turned my phone to vibrate. No interruptions. Anna and I are enjoying the shore line drive to the capital. The phone begins to vibrate and I am undistracted as we talk and enjoy one another’s company. It vibrates again. I ignore it again. I’m now feeling quite good about myself. I set the phone on the dash. It begins to vibrate non stop. Anna checks. I have a call from two pastors and one Score missionary. Wonder what’s going on? After arriving in the capital and viewing a photo art exhibit in the old city we begin to look at the old fort. My phone is vibrating non stop and I’m considering taping it to my back for a massage. Finally, Anna says: "You better answer that." (I have been a very good husband up to this point, even though every few minutes my fingers would twitch out of reflex trying to answer the phone).

After calling the Score missionary I discover there is something wrong with our storage facility in Monte Cristy. So I call the pastors. It seems a thief cut thru the metal outer door then cut the hardened steel locks to the inner door, many things have been destroyed. Would I come and check things? Did I mention we just emptied a 40 ft. container into the storage building and there was close to $100,000 worth of supplies in there? Many valuable medical items, along with baseball equipment for next week's Annual Baseball Conference and Outreach! Where’s my pillow? God is good?

Yes, our God is good.

Now the rest of the story. The B&E artist? It was the BIGGEST RAT IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. The stick I beat the critter with caused it to stick to the sticky paper Anna had put out earlier to trap it. (There had been telltale droppings earlier in the morning.) The little vermin! God is good.

The flat tire? The car had had a strange vibration for a couple of weeks and I couldn’t find it. When I got the flat tire-caused by the one of the 10,000 screws on Dominican roadways-I had to check the right rear tire. It seems the steel belts on this tire had separated and the tire had a large bulge. It was due to explode at any time. It took a flat to get my attention. God is good.

What about the wallet? It seems someone picked it up off the street and got on the next bus that passed by. After taking the money, he threw the wallet on the floor of the bus. The driver found it, discovered my SCORE business card inside and called me. The next afternoon he drove it to Score, delivered it and was given a reward. God is good.

All the pesos were gone. But the credit/debit cards were there!! My driver's license and nursing license were there! Along with everything else!! I checked my secret flap and the $100 US was still there!!! God is good.

Oh, and the pesos I had withdrawn from the ATM, Anna found them in my pants pocket while doing laundry a couple of days later. It seems after leaving the bank I put them in my pocket (which I never do!!). God is good.

Having enjoyed our day in the capital, Anna and I decided it would be a wise thing to visit the storage facility in Monte Cristy. After arriving, the pastor apologized and asked me to check the inside to see what might be broken or missing. After checking the building out, nothing was damaged or missing. NOTHING!! God is good.

I’m even wondering what our good God was saving us from by having us cancel our bank cards? Identify theft is huge down here. Even several of our missionaries have had problems. By cancelling and having new cards issued, we eliminated the old numbers. We also took this time to come up with a new plan to avoid using the cards in the future.

God is good.

Announcements for Nov. 10-16-08

VETERANS, AN EVIDENCE OF GRACE--It is a great grace from God that we are able to gather together this morning, with no fear of opposition from our government. The Lord has given us this gift of no merit of our own. This should cause us to pray for those who do not enjoy such freedoms around the world, and pray that our brothers and sisters remain strong, even in the face of opposition. It should also remind us of lives that have been lost or laid in harms way to preserve such freedoms. Take time, especially this week, to thank a veteran for their service to preserve our freedoms, for they are an evidence of the grace of God in your life!

LOST AND FOUND--As this winter approaches, we've still got "reminders" from last winter around our building. Please take time to check the coat hanger and table in narthex to see if you've left a coat, jacket, Bible or other item.

Weekend to Remember -The “Weekend to Remember” will be coming to Columbus December 12-14. If you would like more information, there are brochures on the table in the narthex, or see Dan or Jeni Berger.

SHAKE - Wednesday, 7-9pm

Women's Study -- Thursday, 9:30am & 7pm

Life Group Leaders Meeting - The meeting scheduled for today after 2nd service has been postponed. Leaders will be notified of a new date.

Offering Envelopes - If you requested offering envelopes, please check the table in narthex to see if they are ready. If you would like envelopes, please fill out the tear-off portion of your bulletin.

Communion- We will be having a Communion Service November 23 at 6:30 pm. Please set aside this date to come and celebrate the Lord's table with us.

STAGE AND PROP HELP FOR THE CHILDRENS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM--The children in our church have already begun preparing for a Christmas presentation. If you would be interested in helping us prepare with stage back drops or props, please see Robyn Bowers soon.

Operation Christmas Child- If you are interested in participating in Operation Christmas Child this year, please get a brochure on the table in Narthex. The pick-up date is Nov. 23.

Clothing drive for HEAD START kids: If you’re looking for ways to serve this Holiday season, this may be for you. There are a few kids at Head start that have some very basic clothing needs. Anything from underwear, to socks, to winter coats… they need it all. If you’re interested in donating these items, please see the sign-up sheets at the table in the Narthex

SHAKE Postal Service: It’s that time of year again to start thinking about Christmas cards. Why not let the youth group help you deliver them? For a simple recommended donation of $5, we’ll deliver your cards for you (to anyone in the church body). This way, you can support the youth group, and save on postage at the same time!!! Look for a table in the Narthex for a drop off within the next few weeks.

Wow!

That was the common expression to Chris Cobb's sermon at Grace.

Chris did an excellent job of presenting Christ in Psalm 100. If you were at first service, it was a great blessing to hear this message. However, if you were at second service, Chris had a little extra time and the joy of the gospel simply exploded from his message. I'd encourage you to listen to it. (You can download it by right clicking the link and selecting "save as.")

Even if you were in second service, I'd encourage you to download this message and listen to it again.

Also, can I encourage you to:

--Thank your brothers and sisters from Bible Fellowship for letting us "borrow" Chris for a week.

--Thank your brothers and sisters from BFC for all their ministry to people at Grace.

--Thank God for technology and capabilities to "re-listen" to sermons, or hear ones which we missed.

--Thank Jason for being willing to rearrange second service to make sure Chris had sufficient time to preach. It really is a blessing to have a music pastor who desires to give proper time to the teaching from the Word!

Announcements for November 3-9

Elder Meeting - Monday, 7pm

Grace Moms - Wednesday, 9:30am

SHAKE - Wednesday, 7-9pm

Women's Study -- Thursday, 9:30am & 7pm

Operation Christmas Child- If you are interested in participating in Operation Christmas Child this year, please get a brochure on the table in Narthex. The pick-up date is Nov. 23.

STAGE AND PROP HELP FOR THE CHILDRENS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM--The children in our church have already begun preparing for a Christmas presentation. If you would be interested in helping us prepare with stage back drops or props, please see Robyn Bowers soon.

LOST AND FOUND--As this winter approaches, we've still got "reminders" from last winter around our building. Please take time to check the coat racks (just beyond the restrooms) to see if you've left a coat, jacket or other item of clothing. You'll also notice a number of Bibles and books on the shelf above the coat rack. If you have left your Bible behind some week, you'll probably find it there!

Weekend to Remember -The “Weekend to Remember” will be coming to Columbus December 12-14. If you would like more information, there are brochures on the table in the narthex, or see Dan or Jeni Berger.