Change a Child's World...and Yours!

Isaiah 1:17...learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

In July 2012, I made my first trip with the Rwanda Partnership Team.  We spent one day with Rev. Gasana at the Shyogwe Parish.  He took us to meet the Compassion International Project Staff.  As we listened to the Project Director, John Baptiste, the Lord spoke to my heart.  I came home, emailed Rev. Gasana for names of children in need of sponsors, wrote Compassion in regard to these children and 7 children's packets were mailed to me.  Thanks be to God, each of these children received Sponsors through the generous hearts of people at Apostles.  In January as the Rwanda Team was preparing for another trip, the Lord pierced my heart with Isaiah 1:17 and James 1:27.  The children in Rwanda have become a priority in my life.  One way I can help is partnering with Compassion International as an Advocate for these children.  I am deeply grateful and humbled by this opportunity from the Lord.

Craig and I have the amazing privilege of sponsoring 4 children through Compassion in the Shyogwe Diocese.  Belise, Solange, Alexia and most recently Thierry.  They are loving, humble, fun and hard working children.  They enjoy soccer, jumping rope, singing in their church choirs and going to school.  They want desperately to have an education.  In each letter we receive is a prayer request for them to understand what they are learning and be able to make good grades.  The children ask how they can pray for us and our family.  We exchange Bible verses.  I send pictures of our family.  We also receive letters from the mother's.  Two mothers shared that they walk 45 minutes to fetch water several times a day.  Each time I turn water on, I see these mothers walking for water and pray for them.  I no longer take running water for granted or waste it. These mother's prayer requests are for homes of their own, so they can provide for their children and be self-sustaining.  These children fill my heart with such joy and love.  Since visiting with them in June, I feel even more attached in the heart to them.  I see their bright eyes, beautiful smiles, hear their voices and feel the touch of their hands each morning as I pray for them.  God has blessed me tremendously with these special children whom He loves so much!

Compassion International is a ministry dedicated to releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.  They do this through holistic child development; a model that addresses the spiritual, economic, social and physical needs of children.  Compassion works through the local churches.  The Shyogwe Diocese has 2 Compassion Projects.  Sponsoring children with Compassion International in Rwanda is another avenue of building our partnership with the Shyogwe Diocese.  When you sponsor a child, you provide the opportunity for a child to hear the gospel and receive Jesus as their Savior.

After both services this Sunday, October 20, children packets will be available for Sponsorship.  Please pray about becoming a Sponsor and offering the love of Jesus to a child in need...a child who will love you as well!  Sponsorship is $38 a month and a lifetime of love given and received!  If you have any questions, you can email Teresa Kincaid at nanatgk@gmail.com.

A Look Inside the Youth Leaders Weekend Away

This past weekend our student ministry leaders took a retreat to the beach to get away, spend time getting to know each other better, and growing closer to the Lord. Here are some photos from the weekend and some thoughts from a few of the leaders. 

“Volunteering with the Student Ministry allows for a fun and unique way to serve Apostles. I not only get to build relationships with students, but with their families as well. When I was in middle school and high school I had a youth leader pouring into my life, and it was incredibly beneficial and encouraging for my walk with the Lord. I knew that when I "grew up", I wanted to serve in the same capacity and walk with high schoolers during those crazy/formative years! The Lord opened the door to get involved, and I'm so thankful.

     It's always refreshing when leaders (who have the same heart and willingness to serve) get together and are in one accord. I was encouraged this past weekend to hear what's in store for the future of Apostles' youth group as well as gaining new ideas in how to invest in the students in my small group.” - Kaycee Mathias, Junior Girls Small Group Leader 

“I love serving in Student Ministry because I still remember my leaders throughout middle and high school. They had such an incredible impact on my life and I want to do the same for some of the middle and high schoolers.

  The retreat was so beneficial because it gave the leaders intentional time to get to know one another, to bond, and to relax and reconnect with God. We had time to sit and just hang out with God which was so awesome!” - Nancy Lee McLean, Middle School Leader

  

“It was a good thing to get away to spend time with the Lord and each other.  Learning about apprenticeship and the care Jesus took to pour into his men reminds us all that we are to pour into the students God has given us.  The most powerful aspect of the weekend was watching the students listen to the cost of taking the time to form relationships with each other and build one another up in Christ and to see how much they are valued.” 

- Kai Hinkey, Junior Girls Small Group Leader 

“The youth leader retreat was a special time for all of us to get together. As we all serve different groups of students, we sometimes forget that we are not alone in ministry. The time spent on the retreat gave us the opportunity to plan, share ideas, encourage one another, and refocus our mission. I am exceedingly grateful for my fellow leaders, and their hearts for students at Apostles.” - Ben Smith, Youth Worship Team Leader

Lost in Translation

After a few decades of marriage, Barney and Arlene Ford have learned about the power of words and controlling the tongue.  This past Sunday, Patrick preached to us out of James 3:1-12.  It’s a passage that highlights the importance of how we use our tongues by demonstrating the ability that our words have for good or for evil.  It’s a passage that also calls us to consistently use our words for the praise of God and the building up of others.  Anyone with a tongue should be able to relate to the struggle and the challenge… 

In conjunction with this passage, Barney and Arlene Ford have been willing to share a testimony from their own lives about the miscommunication they have experienced in their marriage and the importance of controlling their tongues.  Enjoy (and learn from) their story:

Arlene and Barney Ford

When growing up I thought talking was just talking. The experience in my home was just like what everyone else experienced. At nineteen, when I became a Christian “foul” language was left behind in my new life.

Arlene and I married after college. Marriage turned out to be easy! Being the nice guy I thought I was, I would say to Arlene, “Where would you like to go for dinner?” Arlene’s response very often was, “I don’t know. Where would you like to go?” Knowing where I wanted to go for dinner and now believing that Arlene didn’t know, I would announce the location for dinner, satisfied that I had been sensitive and listened to Arlene. Arlene was inviting me into a conversation about where we would go to dinner, but I didn’t speak her more indirect language.

We got a view into the serious nature of how much we were missing one another when we stopped to visit my mother for a few hours on a trip to see both our parents. Back in the car and pulling away from my mother’s apartment Arlene said, “I am sorry, I guess we’ll never be able to go back.” Shocked and confused, I responded, “Why not!?!” Her answer, “Well, you and your mother had that terrible fight.” My response, “What fight?” What Arlene perceived as a relationship ending fight hadn’t even registered as an issue for me.

The intensity and expressions of anger in my home of origin and the nuanced gentleness of Arlene’s were miles apart. We spoke different languages and didn’t know it! At least I didn’t. My first response to Arlene as we struggled with this phenomena was, of course, “Speak up, mean what you say and say what you mean!”.

Sometime later, listening to the scripture being taught on the subject of communication in marriage the Lord said to me, “Learn to speak Arlene’s language.”

So began for me and for us the life long journey of listening, learning and speaking in our marriage.  

The Sunday Set-Up for October 13, 2013

Sermon Teaser: Taming the Tongue: How powerful are words? How often do you consider the weight of the words that find their way to your tongue? How might those words tear down or how might they build-up? Have you ever considered that the words you speak may also play a major role in forming you as a follower of Christ? Join us this Sunday as we delve into James’ provocative challenge to the Christian discipline of Godly speech.

Readings for Sunday: James 3:1-12 and Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20

Bulletin: October 13, 2013

Opening Up Our Lives Through Community Groups

by Robin Bolash

I love leading and being a part of a community group– studying scripture with other people and walking through life’s up and downs with a group of friends.

Our group has been meeting together for years now – and we enjoy the fruits of all that time together – we laugh a lot, we speak freely, and we share each other’s burdens.

Recently we have had a number of new folks join our group, and at the same time we have had a family in our group in crisis. I thought the combination of those two dynamics would be awkward for either the new folks or regular members of our group. As the leader I wondered, “How can we have new people join a long established group and maintain the level of intimacy, connection, and ease of communication that we enjoy?”

However, with this family in crisis, it was clear that we needed to we needed to pray –so we did. We spent an entire meeting in prayer for this family, walking through scriptures we had studied over the past few years as a springboard for intercession on their behalf. What was amazing and encouraging was that the five new folks that joined us for the first time that night just dove right in. Even though it was their first meeting, they joined us right where we were as a community and came alongside this family with us to care for and pray for them in a time of great need.

I loved experiencing that and found it deeply encouraging. I am so thankful that these newcomers were willing to join us in what we needed to do as a community group, and thankful our established group did not hesitate to welcome these newcomers. Mostly I am thankful that week after week I get to be a part of a community group so committed to one another and to the word of God. 

Seeds Family Worship Concert

On September 20, Church of the Apostles hosted a concert by Seeds Family Worship. Each year, the children at Apostles listen to the various Seeds CDs which set Scripture to music. It is one of the many ways the Children's Ministry is committed to hiding the Word of God in the hearts of Apostles' children. We asked a few of the families that attended the concert to share what they love about the Seeds songs:

An 8 year old said, "My favorite song is 'Young'...1 Timothy 4:12."

One mom said, "Our kids have been singing the songs everyday.  The other night, when I was praying with our son at bedtime, he started interjecting 'don't be anxious about anything...'  We then both started singing the verse, Philippians 4:6,7.  So, those songs get repeated in our house and, at times, right in context."

The dad of two girls told us, "Our kids have been singing their favorite song 'don't let anyone look down on because you are young, but set an example for the believers'...they love to sing that at the top of their voices and run around the house!"

The Sunday Set-Up for October 6, 2013

Sermon Teaser: Have you ever given thought to what faith is supposed to produce in the life of a believer? We may not be justified in God's eyes by our works but can you really say that a person has genuine faith if there is no outward evidence of that faith? Please pray that God will speak clearly to us this Sunday on the relationship between faith and works in the book of James, and join us with an expectant heart to worship our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reading for Sunday: James 2:14-26

Bulletins for Sunday: October 6, 2013 (8:30) & October 6, 2013 (11:00)

This Sunday is also Baptism Sunday. We will have baptisms at both services. Join us on Sunday to welcome these children into our church family.