Pastor’s Page

 WE’RE PREPARING FOR ALPHA. WE NEED LEADERS AND HELPERS!

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS ALPHA?

At our recent planning meeting for the Church Council, we decided to start preparing and organizing for Alpha.  Alpha is a ten-week course that addresses fourteen of the most widely held questions about Christianity and life.  Each meeting begins with a meal and ends with a small group discussion.  These are non-threatening discussions organized in a way that anyone would feel comfortable asking questions and taking part.  Alpha is for anyone.  The Christian who just wants to brush up on these important topics or the person with little to no faith at all will each enjoy this time of discovery and making new friends.  Alpha is a great place for people to ask any faith question they may have.  There is no homework and no pressure to talk.  Yet it is also the perfect setting to bring someone you care about who does not know Christ.  The Christian faith is communicated and the opportunity is given over a ten-week period for people to consider the claims of Christ for themselves.  This is all done in an environment of warm friendship. 

The Church Council has decided to begin orienting and training leaders and helpers to run our program, which we anticipate beginning in the Fall.  These sessions will run for 10 weeks on Sunday evenings at 5 - 7:00 p.m.  We need leaders and helpers!  If you are interested in being a facilitator for our discussion groups, we would love for you to apply.  Please fill out an application (available in bulletins or in the church office) and turn it in to me within the next two weeks.  We believe this will be a wonderful opportunity for our congregation to better understand the teachings of Christ and to share our faith with those outside the church. 

Here are some of the questions addressed at Alpha:

Is there more to life than this?      Who is Jesus?     Why did Jesus die?

How can I be sure of my faith?     Why and how do I pray?     Why and how should I read the Bible?

How does God guide us?     How can I resist evil?     Why and how should we tell others?

Does God heal today?     What about the Church?     Who is the Holy Spirit?

What does the Holy Spirit do?     How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?     How can I make the most of the rest of my life?

Stop Hunger Now

Last week our church took part in the feeding program of Stop Hunger Now.  The assembly process combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix including 21 essential vitamins and minerals into small meal packages. These meal packages are shipped around the world to support school feeding programs and crisis relief. We raised $2,500 to pay for the supplies and had around 80 of our members work together to package 10,000 meals.  It was a wonderful time to serve the hungry and give to others.  Thank God for each person who made a financial contribution, and all those who came out to work as a team! Thanks for helping!

                                                                                    Giving Thanks, Steve