September 9, 2008

Good Moanin' Springfieldians,

It's a fairy tale of sorts, and then again, it's too close to reality to simply be a fairy tale.

It's the story of the prince and his peasant bride. A more intriguing romance had never occurred. His attraction to her was baffling, to say the least. He, the stately prince. She, the common peasant. He, peerless. She, plain. Not ugly, mind you, but she could be. And often was. She tended to be sullen and sour, even cranky. Not the kind of person you'd want to live with.

But according to the prince, she was the soul he couldn't live without. And so he courted her and finally one day, on the dusty floor of her peasant cottage, he got down on one knee, took her hand tenderly, and asked her to be his bride. Even the angels bent forward to hear her whisper, "Yes."

He promised, "I will return to you soon."

She pledged, "I will be waiting."

No one thought it was odd that the prince would leave. He was, after all, the son of the King. Surely, he had some kingdom work to do, and things to arrange. What was odd was not his departure, but her behavior during his absence. It was like she forgot she was engaged.

You would think that the wedding would be ever on her mind, but it wasn't. You would have thought that coming day would be on the tip of her tongue. But it wasn't. In fact, some of her friends had never even heard speak of that day  the wedding, the plans, or even the prince. Days passed, even weeks, and his return was never mentioned. Why, there had even been times when, unbelievably, she was seen cavorting with some of the men of the village. Flirting. Whispering...in the middle of the day, where all could see. A person could only imagine what she did in the darkness of night, when others couldn't see.

Was she rebellious? Maybe. But mostly, it seemed, she was just forgetful. She kept forgetting she was engaged. That's no excuse you say. Why, his return should be in her every thought! How could a peasant forget her prince? How could a bride forget her groom?

How could we be so forgetful? Who me?

God said of us, His people, "I will make you a promised bride forever." (Hosea 2:19 NCV) And Paul reminded the Corinthian church, and the church today, that we have been set apart "as a pure bride to one husband." (II Corinthians 11:2 NCV)

We are engaged to our Maker! We the peasants have heard the promise of the Prince. He entered into our village, courted us, took our hand, and stole our hearts. Why, even the angles rejoiced when we whispered "yes" to him. (Luke 15:7)

And those same angels must be puzzled at the behavior of some; at those who don't always act as if they're engaged. Days will pass, even weeks  and they'll say nothing about their wedding or their Prince. In fact, some that know them best, don't even know that the Prince is coming, they've never heard His name mentioned. Some have even been seen cavorting around.

What's wrong? Are they rebellious? To a degree. Do they think the Prince won't keep His promise and won't come back? I don't think that's it. I think mostly they're forgetful. I think mostly, they look at other things; they think about other things; they look at today and forget about tomorrow.

Why not take the time to read what Paul reminded the bride, the church, about what it would be like just before the return of the Prince. Take a look at II Timothy 3:1-7.

Do you think the Prince might be on His way?

This Sunday we'll continue looking at the church and Paul's letters to Timothy. He gives some great principles on how a good church can become a great church. That's what we desire. Remember to take the time to "fan in the flame the gift of God."

Did You Know?

The Prime Time Dinner scheduled for tonight, has been re-scheduled for October 14.

We received $1300 for the family that has the baby in the St. Louis hospital. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for being the church. Your "Father" must be awfully proud of His kids.

All Church Fellowship right after the morning Worship Gathering next Sunday, September 14th. Light snacks will be served and is being sponsored by Small Group Ministries. Plan on staying for a few minutes for good conversation; who knows you might start a new friendship.

The Christian Education Board meeting is cancelled for Sept. 17th, and will be rescheduled for a later date. We'll let you know.

Alleta Britton, at this time, is still in St. John's Hospital. Her son, Tim, appreciates all those who have visited and sent cards, remember short visits are best, but Alleta loves to see her friends. Alletta will soon be moved into hospice at St. John's and visitors are welcomed there also.

All Church Workday  Saturday, September 13. Meet at the church at 9:00 a.m. and help spruce up, make small repairs, and clean up the building and grounds. Lunch provided. For more info contact Andy Wubker or Dave Buchanan.

Mark your calendars for the Annual Pumpkin Fest October 10th, from 4:00  7:30 p.m. at the church. This is a great time to pick up your pumpkins and baked goods. There will be games and rides for the kids and more fun than they can imagine. Be sure and invite your friends and neighbors.

Kidz Express on Wednesday evenings from 6:00  6:15 p.m. will be a time of games and activities before the start of Caravan. Gloria Sanguedolce is planning great times for the kids.

The Wednesday Night Connection Classes will kick off tomorrow, Wednesday, September 10. Caravan and Velocity for our kid s and teens will begin, and for adults we have a great selection of 6 week classes to choose from. Dinner is from 5:00  6:30 p.m. And it is our Walleye Fish Fry night! Yahoo!

The Pastors' Prayer Team facilitated by Joan Small. A group of people who are committed to praying for the pastors of the church and the needs in their lives and for our church. Starting September 10 they will meet from 5:45-6:15 p.m. on Wednesdays.

A Parents Forum facilitated by Kathy Hedden  this group will look at the central focus of parenting  the Gospel. We need to direct, not simply the behavior of our children, but also the attitudes of their hearts. They will look at some simple parenting strategies that any parent can carry out. They will also spend a significant amount of time in prayer for their children, and learn how to turn to the Father and place every detail of our child's life in His loving and capable hands.

A Ministry of Encouragement facilitated by Mike and Julie Duncan. This is a ministry that writes notes and contacts new people to our church, those who have been missing church, and those going through difficult periods of time in their life

Financial Sense Class  (10 weeks) facilitated by certified trainers, Tom Hedden, Geoff Sarginson, Larry Hochstetler, or Bob McIntyre. Using the Bible as a guide this class' focus is learning how to handle our finances God's way. Cost is $45 per person, $55 per couple (this covers the cost of the curriculum).

Where is God When... facilitated by Fred Prince. We will explore ways to find God in difficult times. Cost of the book is $8.00.

Self-Defense Class facilitated by Kim Barrington. Basic self-defense techniques will be taught to beginners and more advanced students alike.

"Putting the Pieces Together - Developing a Fully Integrated Biblical Worldview." Facilitated by Andy Peterson. This would be a great class for new Christian, or the person that has questions about Christianity and why and why we believe what we believe.

Men's Bible Study facilitated by George Bagley and Jerry Stone. A time of looking at God's Word together, discussion, and the practical application of becoming the men God designed for them to be.

We are in need of some more volunteers to help staff the nursery both on Sundays and especially on Wednesdays. It may come to the place where we can not offer this important ministry to families if there are not some more volunteers.

This coming Sunday, September 14, our wonderful nursery volunteers are: Bonnie Patterson with the infants; and Chris Bott and Elena Sanguedolce with the toddlers, and Zack Shepherdson as the floater. This Wednesday, September 10th, the nursery will be staffed by Mindy Palmer and Lachelle Pittman. Thank you!

Upcoming Events:

Centennial Service, October 5

Coffeehouse Comedy, November 8 & 9

A bulletin board is being put together to help us remember those from the church or family members who are serving in the military. If you'd like to include someone on this board contact Debi Adams for the info you will need to supply. You can see the bulletin board above the drinking fountain in the hallway going towards the Family Life Center.

Keep using GoodSearch.com, we've earned $25.67 for the year 2008. Remember this is a search engine very similar to Google. You just type in goodsearch.com and then you are able to use as you would Google or other search engines.

ADULT MINISTRIES

The next Prime Time Dinner is Tuesday, October 14, at 6:00 p.m. in room #106.

CHILDREN MINISTRIES

Upward Basketball sign-up will be on Saturday, October 25.

Caravan for children ages 4 through sixth grade are invited to this Christian based scouting program. Cost is $10 per child. Caravan meets every Wednesday beginning September 10 from 6:15-7"15 p.m. See Director Janice Young for more information.

Kidz Expressway has begun collecting Culver Restaurant "Team Scoopie Points" from children's meals (on the side of the bag). The children would like to earn enough points to acquire several pieces of equipment. You can give your points to Gloria Sanguedolce, drop them at the office, or leave them at the Kidz Check-In area. The children appreciate your efforts to help with their projects. You can also continue to bring in those "Cans for Kids."

TEEN MINISTRY

Velocity will kick off on September 10th.

PRAYER REQUESTS...

Those listed in Sunday's bulletin

Ivan Fink

Alleta Britton

Lynette Heppe

Jeff Gemar's mother- Doris