March 2007
Download a Copy for your Self March 2007

  

Many of you are quite aware of my past involvement in missions, especially India. Some may not know or may not understand the “why” of that involvement. Let me comment.

    For most of my Christian life, I really didn’t “get it” when it came to missions. Yes, I knew that Jesus commanded the church to go into all the world. I understood that to mean we should take his saving message to those who don’t know him, those in our neighborhoods, our villages, our nation and the world. Knowing the mercy and compassion of Jesus, I also believed we should assist the poor and suffering. To me all of this was missions. The Christian who spoke to his unsaved neighbor about Jesus was a missionary. Helping stock the local food pantry was missions.

    In recent years, I have revisited and given much more thought as to Jesus’ words, “Go into all the world…” In the Bible, we discover the Apostle Paul as our model missionary. There were plenty of unsaved people in Palestine when he went to Greece, to Asia Minor. Why leave the country to find the unsaved? There were beggars in Jerusalem. Why go elsewhere to find suffering people?

    In Romans 15:20, we find what might be the most revealing verse in all of the Bible as to the bottom-line of the Great Commission and as to the heart of Paul, the model missionary. Here we read, “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another man’s foundation ….” Another translation reads, “…bringing the Message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known and worshiped.”

    Paul’s radar screen only included places where the life-transforming message of Jesus had never, ever been. That is why he went to Greece. That is why he was planning to go to Spain. Could this be how he interpreted Jesus’ Great Commission in Matt. 28:19?

    Would Paul’s definition of missions be good enough for Christians today? Would it? I think so. That all sounds good, but if it is really true then most of what is called missions is not really missions. Say what???? For example, serving the poor in Haiti might very well be a valid ministry, but should we call it missions if Haiti is 90% Christian? Should we use offerings given for missions for that work? Would Paul have considered it missions? Would he have considered church planting in countries 80 or 90% Christian as missions, regardless of their economic plight or their geographic location?

    Many church and mission agency leaders have taken a second look at the Great Commission and at Paul’s mission strategy. They have begun to view Jesus’ words, “make disciples of all nations” as to mean people groups who had never, ever had a chance to say “yes” or “no” to the gospel message, not even once. This understanding of missions throws a whole new light on what many argue to be the church’s primary focus. Looking at the Great Commission in this light, in the light of Romans 15:20, has caused major shifts in funding of what has traditionally been known as missions.

    Churches all across America are now asking the hard question, “Is what we have been funding as missions really missions?” Would Jesus and Paul agree with our answer?

    When studying and identifying people groups around the world, one comes to the startling conclusion - most of the funding going to “missions” is going to the people groups and nations that have had the Gospel for many years, maybe hundreds of years.

   This year our congregation voted to take the first step in a five-year process to reach the goal of 10% of our general budget figure going to missions, to parts of the world where the Gospel has never been. Letting Jesus and Paul define our missions is a big step for any church to take.

    Ninety per-cent of the world’s unreached people groups are in one part of the world now called the “10/40 Window”. Many of these are in Muslim countries where missionaries can’t get visas. Many of them are backward, tribal groups in the mountains of India, Pakistan, Burma, and Nepal. Many still do not have a written language. They have been forgotten by the world…., and sadly by most of the church.

    In 1998, I founded an orphanage in South India. It was not me by myself, but through the efforts of several Godly people, Hope Home was born. We presently have about 120 boys and girls from destitute situations. Our prayer is that God will use that home to raise up responsible, Indian citizens who love God and will shine for him in India, a country in the middle of the 10/40 Window. Those who have partnered with this work have indeed been blessed through it.

    See ya on Sunday with the joy of the Lord as our common, driving force.

                                            Pastor Curry

 

Pictured above is the “10/40 Window”. In future months, we will talk more the work of God happening there. If you would draw a rectangular box over North Africa, the Middle-East, and most of Asia you would have 65% of the world’s people in 35% of the world’s land mass. Ninety percent of the world’s poorest of the poor live in those nations. The bottom line of the box would be 10 degrees latitude north of the equator and the upper line would be 40 degrees north of the equator, with the western border being the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern border being the Pacific Ocean. Between 1.2 and 1.4 billion people who have never heard the Gospel one time live in the “10/40 Window”.

 

PULPIT FORECAST

"To regularly avail oneself to the public exposition of the Holy Scriptures is one of the highest and holiest habits one can ever attain in this life."

       My series the last two months has been on two basic pillars of Christian belief – God is great and God is good. You can fit all our understanding of God on those two foundational pillars.

         I hope you have been blessed by the messages and have a greater awareness of who it that sing and praise to each week and why we worship and adore the Lord.

 MARCH MESSAGES

 MAR.  4  “God Is Justice”- Genesis 18:16-33 and Matthew 13:24-30. We will also share in the Lord’s Supper.

 MAR. 11  “God is Integrity” – Hebrews 11:8-12.

 MAR. 18 “God is Love” – I Corinthians 13 and I John 4:8 and 16. 

 MAR. 25  “God is Jehovah” – Exodus 3:11-15.

 

NEW BUILDING UPDATE

            Doors are finally in and may be installed by the time you read this. We should be good to go for finishing the front entrance now with lift platform. It will be soooooo nice. 

             In every way possible, the building has been a huge test of our patience. How well do we wait upon the Lord? How well can we keep focused on God’s guidance and trust that he works in ways we can’t fully understand? How well do treat those who don’t always treat us fairly? How well do we work together in times

of disagreement? God is using this project to show us things about ourselves that we didn’t know before.

            Our monthly mortgage is $1,364.66. It is incredible how so many people are so generous in making this possible month after month. We are current on all other obligations. What a miracle! 

 We are hopeful that in the coming year the funds to finish the inside of the building will come.

 Our Building Committee (Katie Margison, Jim Lyons, Roy Mauck, Mae Backovitch, Joe Martin, Jim Pillars, and Anne Lyons). Don’t hesitate to ask them questions.

MARCH BIRTHDAYS

1: Cindy Johnson

2: Marcella Manolis

4: Alex Dietz

6: Mike Johnson

6: Mary Evans

6: Sabrina Martin

13: Duane Lahti

14: Kathy Martin

15: Chris Kramer, Jr.

18: Temple Bushie

21: Mickey Blake

26: Jerry Evans 

 If you know of anyone who is not on our list, contact Randy Margison.

 COFFEE HOUR

3/4/07              Rhonda Curry & Nicole Reyes

3/11/07            Joyce Richter & Carol Lawrence

3/18/07            Chris & Donna Kramer

3/25/07            Mae Backovitch & Joyce Richter

 

USHER SCHEDULE

3/4/07              Bob & Carol Dawson

3/11/07            Christopher & Erin Kramer

3/18/07            Mae Backovitch & Linda Martin

3/25/07            Dan Schlabach & Karen Eggert

 COUNCIL REPORTS from the most recent meeting are always available at the back of the church in the wooden rack at the top of the steps. Don’t hesitate to pick one up if you have interest. Council Meetings are always open to our members. We meet the first Tuesday evening to conduct church business and the third Tuesday evening to pray. Please contact Council President Mike Johnson if you wish to attend or speak at any meeting. 

 ON THE RADIO EVERY SUNDAY 98.3

      Know of a shut-in who might enjoy our service? Make sure to have them tune in every Sunday. 

        At the end of each service, Calie Lyons and Jim Pillars make a fast trip to the radio station to be on the air at 12:00 noon.               

        People who live out of the area can tune in on the internet by visiting www.wrlr.fm . Look to the left side of the page and click on “on-air audio stream”.

USE OF CHURCH BUILDING AND CHIMES CALENDAR??  

            The calendar in the Chimes each month only contains the events of our church life. It does not list all the groups using the church facility on different dates. If you wish inquire about using the facility, please call our Facility Coordinator, Jim Pillars.

 

RUMMAGE SALE NEWS

  Rummage Sale time is here again.  Our Spring Sale dates are: April 19th through April 21st, 2007.  Set-up Sunday will be April 15th.    As usual, Lydia Circle will  provide lunch on Set-up Sunday for those who will stay after Church is over and help set up. We will be accepting donations from Sunday the 15th through Tuesday the 17th.  Because Sunday School needs all of the space downstairs for classes we will have no area in which to store donations for the Spring Sale, so please do not bring anything until Set-up Sunday.

   The Spring Sale is a “Rapid-fire” sale.  From after Church on Set-up Sunday, to the following Saturday at noon we must set up the sale, sort and price everything, have the sale, pack up all of the leftovers and the re-set so Sunday School can come in the following day.  It is a HUGE job that can only be done if many people pitch in to help.  Please reserve Sunday afternoon the 15th of April to help with this worthy cause. We ladies of Lydia Circle would be so grateful for your help.  Sign-up sheets are posted in Fellowship Hall.

    Lydia Circle Rummage Sales have been going on for over 40 years and now generate from $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 per sale.  These funds are used to help out with Church expenses as well as purchase items the Church needs that are not covered under the Budget.  

In addition to the financial benefits the sale provides, there are other benefits as well.   The sale enables those with lower income to purchase quality items for far less than they would otherwise have to pay.  The sale provides an outlet for recycling good usable items that would otherwise be tossed out and become more landfill.

    There are the intangible things as well.  The sale provides an opportunity for modeling Christian love and fellowship for others and has even brought new members to our congregation.  People who came to the sale and decided they wanted to be a part of Community Church.

    If you have been thinking about joining Lydia Circle and for some reason have not done so, please consider working the Spring Sale. It would give you and idea of what we do.  The work is not hard and it would not have to take much time.  You could work set-up Sunday or just Saturday for clean-up.  You could work a half day or even come in the evening on Monday or Tuesday after work for a couple of hours to help price or sort.

 We look forward to seeing you.

 Yours in Christ;

Linda Martin

Lydia Circle President