July 28th 2015

I am not talking to those who have been serving and giving of their time, but those who have not yet found a place to plug-in. This is your chance - Your time!

In this weeks newsletter we are changing it up and simply offering you 3 opportunities to get connected and start serving in the church. A consumer arrives, is served and leaves - but a family joyfully serves one another, and we are a family!

Please prayerfully consider how you might serve in your family.

Its time to get invested

Monday 7/27 Martial Arts 6-8:00pm Free Tuesday 7/28 Community Groups: The Schifo Home 6-8:00pm Wednesday 7/29 Ladies Bible Study 8:30-10:00am True Woman 101: Divine Design an 8 week study on Biblical Womanhood!

Thursday 7/30 Worship Practice 7:30pm

Saturday 8/1 Act Like Men 7:00am Donuts, Coffee and Conversations!

Elders Meeting 8:30am

Church Work Morning 9-11:00am We are going to be doing some weeding and prep work on the church grounds. Can you come help for a few hours?

Sunday 8/2 Christian Education 9:30-10:30am Childrens Sunday School 9:30-10:30am Childrens Church 10:45am Worship Gathering 10:45am Guests: AWANA Missionaries Don and Nancy Estep

All-Church Lunch 12:00-1:00pm AWANA Training 1:00-2:30pm

This year we are driving a stake in the ground by saying that kids matter at CEFCM. We are doing this in two significant ways in the coming weeks and months.

First, we are committed to continuing AWANA even after the recent departure of longtime partner Grace Church (for the second see Opportunity #2). We are joyous in that they will be offering a midweek program, but after much prayer we dont feel released from this calling. God is calling us to continue.

Therefore we are ALL IN for AWANA in 2015/16 - Are you?

Please PRAY About Doing 3 Things Sunday: #1 Attend the 10:45am service to hear Dons passion and the power of AWANA in the lives of kids.

#2 Stay afterwards and share in an All-Church luncheon for our missionaries. You are invited regardless - Because you are family - Also as always, invite a friend if you like!

#3 PRAY about staying after and joining AWANA training. This will equip you to help with AWANA regardless of the commitment. We need people to do all kinds of jobs from helping at the AWANA store 4 times a year, to being a weekly listener, or a weekly set-up and tear- down person. There is always a way you can make a HUGE impact in the lives of kids for the sake of Christ!

10:45am Service with Don and Nancy Estep 12:00 - 1:00pm All-Church Luncheon 1:00 - 2:30pm AWANA Training There will be childcare available at the training for parents with children. Please contact Jan in the office if you need childcare so we can ensure we have the right number of volunteers Sunday.

YOU ARE INVITED TO

NURSERY PROJECT

As I was sitting in my office on Wednesday, April 15th, praying for the nursery project I was struck by a particular vision and scripture. As I closed my eyes I saw young children being prayed over and the bible being read to them. I heard the gospel being shared, and at that moment I heard Acts 11:26, For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

My prayer out of that moment is that by seeking the Lord we would establish a Little Antioch, a safe and inviting place where children can hear the gospel, and grow as disciples who know and trust Jesus. I see Little Antioch as a special place that when they look back they will know that it was there that they first heard the gospel, and because of that they are now called Christians.

Excited? I certainly am, but as with anything I have to make sure my excitement doesnt exceed my obedience because none of this is possible without prayer.

Sure, we may be able to make some pretty good plans, but the problem in doing that is that it will always lack Gods power. Jesus said apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5). Gods word tells us that man makes his plans, but that it is the Lord who orders his steps (Proverbs 16:9).

Therefore, we must pray first. Pray often and pray even when we feel secure in what we believe we know. Prayer pulls us, the people of God, towards God. It causes us to lay before Him everything that was His to begin with; every plan, every purpose, and in doing so - every praise. Prayer delights Him and unites us. Please consider joining me in prayer for what will do for His glory and the joy of the Gospel in this project!

Will you covet to pray for this project and how God will use it to have us be a great encouragement to kids AND parents!

Gods Remodel

Specific Prayer Points:

Day One:Pray that God would provide wisdom and strengthen the leaders on the facilities committee. Pray for one mind and one accord. (Philippians 2:2)

Day Two:Pray for our congregation. Change can be difficult even if it is needed, and because of that there may be resistance. Pray that we will have a receptive spirit.

Day Three:Pray for the architectural work being done to ensure the spaces we remodel are compliant to every code and law, and is safe for all who use them.

Day Four:Pray we can be firm in our business dealings, and that we will not let possible volatile situations explode.

Day Five:Pray for the planning prior to the construction. Pray for the selection of materials, paint, tools, and and the people who will use those materials. Pray that each dollar that we lay before this project will be stretched to purchase more than we can imagine.

Day Six:Pray that God would call and use skilled workers to transform the existing nursery space into a place that is inviting and encouraging. Pray for safety of the workers.

Day Seven:Pray for the salvation of the workers. Some of the construction workers might not be Christians; we dont know. When is the last time we had a group of possibly unsaved, unchurched people come to our church every day for a few weeks?

Day Eight Pray for the finished construction. Pray that this space would be a place where both children and adults would be forever changed and remade. Pray that this would be like a little Antioch, where they hear the Gospel and through that grow to know and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Please pray for the architects, village officials, and the construction company that have been and will be working on the nursery project. Pray for favor, provision, creativity, clarity and also that as we progress that they will be protected.

NURSERY PROJECT

Foyer

CryRoomCheck-In Nursery

Worship CenterNurseryOutdoorPlay Yard

We are looking for 2-3 people who are willing to take the Sunday sermons and copy them to CDs to distribute to the Glenwood and BridleBrook retirement communities. These folks would also be responsible for creating, copying, putting together CD covers, and dropping the CDs off at the Glenwood and Bridle Brook.

Are you someone who wants to be a part of helping our senior saints be encouraged with weekly Bible teaching? Are you a creative person who would love to create CD labels and cases? This is a practical and powerful way to serve our community.

Call Jan today at: 217-586-5165 to volunteer!

In addition did you know that we host a worship service every 8 weeks at the Glenwood? We are in need of someone to provide music and others willing to pray and share a devotional thought. This is a great ministry without a lay leader....Is that person you?

Senior Saints

Read Hebrews 11:36-38 These verses offer to us clarity that dispels all the bad evangelism which tends to say: Come to Jesus and the streets will be lined with gold and your problems will fade away. The great cloud of witnesses, those who came before us, stood faithfully as a testimony that life with Christ is not easier, but better. How? Because in Christ, your life leads to life rather than death. In fact as an active participant in this new life, powered by the Holy Spirit, you become a testimony that leads others to greater life in Christ by sharing the Gospel. How can you stand by faith in greater ways for Jesus Christ?

July 26th James 5 July 30th 1 Peter 4July 27th 1 Peter 1 July 31st 1 Peter 5July 28th 1 Peter 2 Aug 1st 2 Peter 1July 29th 1 Peter 3

Weekly Bible Reading

Weekly Devotional

As many may know by now our President (along with 5 other countries) without consulting our Congress, has signed a Deal with Iran which includes some language and promises that are very dangerous to the well being of our Country and to the stability of Israel and the Middle-East. We have an opportunity to lift our voices in a powerful way by and lend our support to our leaders and thereby be instrumental in a better deal.

Please attend a short meeting after church Services in the upper classroom, August 2nd, at 12:00pm for further information.

Also, Peggy Shapiro, Director of the Chicago District of Stand With Us has agreed to visit with us on September 6th, at 6:00 at which time she will discuss this very important and urgent situation and show us how to practically engage in a letter writing campaign to voice our concerns and encourage our leaders.

Ahead of all of this we need to be praying for the ways that God can use us to be a voice of intervention in this time. A bad deal certainly can be a pathway to proclaiming even better news - the gospel.