A message from Zack
Happy February church! As we begin to wrap up our series on the mission of God, we have begun hitting some of the major application points for Meadowbrook Christian in order for us to be faithful in the fulfillment of our role in the mission of God. As was said on Sunday, January 31, in fulfilling the mission of God “We serve, we give, we are the gospel.” I asked the question, when your neighbors see you coming do they run inside and close the curtains or do they express excitement because good news is coming? Maybe a better way to put it would be to ask, if you moved would your neighborhood notice or miss you?
When we moved from Commerce Township to Lake Orion we found the answer to that question. It was actually a little surprising to me. Many of our neighbors were genuinely upset that we were leaving. Some because they were losing a neighbor who mowed their lawn and kept their property looking nice, others because they were losing a friend. During our time there we made a habit of some simple acts of kindness. I had a large snow blower and two of our neighbors were older widows, so I made a habit of clearing their driveways of snow. One neighbor had knee surgery, so Sarah brought her meals nightly for a couple weeks. We had the youth group from Walled Lake to our house on Mondays and the community noticed. A few started referring to me as the pastor. Saying hello and striking up a conversation with the neighbor who goes for a walk every morning. When covid hit, our area was a mix of upper middle class and low income. We built one of those “little library” boxes in our front yard and filled it with groceries. Many in the community jumped on board and starting filling it as others took as they had need. I even ran into a guy at the local ace hardware who recognized me as the guy who built the “Little Community Pantry” as they are called.
I don’t say any of this to toot my own horn. Embarrassingly I came to the realization that many of the people wishing us well and upset about our move were people whose names I did not even know. I also have to admit, it took me years before I actually began to take the time to get to know some of our neighbors. But whether I was taking the time to know them or not, they were learning little things about me based on what they saw and heard. The little things matter.
So I ask again, when your neighbors see you coming do they see good news coming? As we focus in on our mission as Meadowbrook Christian, working on the little things around our homes and in our neighborhood is a great place to start. Wave to the guy walking his dog, start up a conversation with your neighbor as you shovel the snow. Be the kind of the neighbor that people want to love. Start serving your neighbors by acknowledging their humanity and value. God is working. We don’t always know where, but we know that he is. Put on your best Mr. Rogers face and love your neighbor the way that your God loves you.
A message from Anthony
As Sophie and I get settled here in Michigan, and adjust to the change in weather, schedule, and overall routine, it’s been a surprise to me just how quickly time seems to escape me on a daily basis. I look up and the hours have passed without even realizing it. And always, you know there’s more on the list of things that I wanted to accomplish that day. I’m sure we can all relate in some way to the cycle of “busyness” that makes up the majority of our daily “business.”
That’s why it’s so important in our daily worship life to press pause for a few moments and connect with God and others around us. We can get so caught up with the demands of the day that sometimes we forget to thank Him for the day itself.
As we are turning our attention to discipleship this year, we have to remember to make time to focus on building and maintaining those relationships that grow disciples. There is no more precious resource than the time we have to spend with God and with others.
I look forward to spending some more time with those whom we’ve had the opportunity, and hearing the testimony you have to share. I also look forward to connecting with those of you whom I haven’t had that chance to yet.
Thank you for your witness and for your part in building up God’s church right here at Meadowbrook, and thank you for being the gospel message in the communities right where God has planted you.
Always In Christ,
Anthony C. Knotts
Lothar & Arleen Rossol (Ann.) – February 2
Leanna Thomas – February 3
Mirembe Schewe – February 5
Kaye Thompson – February 6
Shalon Cox – February 22
Zain Cox – February 22
James Friedlund – February 23
Bridget Kochan has a new address. It is posted on the bulletin board in the church lobby, or you can call the church office for the information. Her phone number is still the same.
This is a great opportunity to send a letter, card, or call to say hi, catch up or just tell Bridget and other members of our congregation that you’re thinking of them.
Thank you to everyone who donated goods for the Blessing Bag project. Thanks to your generosity, Sisters In Service was able to pack 40 Blessing Bags for Lighthouse in Pontiac to deliver to people in need. The Blessing Bags were stuffed with warm socks, hat/scarf/gloves, lotion, tissue packs, deodorant, bandaids, nail clipper, a toothbrush and paste, hand cleaning wipes and a variety of food items. We are so pleased to bless people in need of help with these bags.
Sisters in Service make plans for February meeting
Sisters in Service will be cutting fabric to make fleece hats for St. Joe’s Hospital End of Life Cart at the Sat., Feb. 27, meeting. The ladies will gather in the fellowship hall at 10 a.m. Fleece material will be provided but please bring scissors.
Our mission partners around the world continue to face struggles with the global pandemic. Please be in prayer for the following missions:
New Churches of Christ Evangelism: Please pray as NCCE offers support to “micro-churches.” These are small groups that have sprung up during quarantine in homes, shops, garages, etc. Pray for God’s work to continue in these micro-churches as well as the traditional church plants that NCCE will support as we emerge from the pandemic.
International Disaster Emergency Services: Please pray for a smooth transition from Executive Director Rick Jett to David Stine that will take place through September 3. Rick Jett has announced his retirement due to long-term health concerns. David Stine has connections to Niños de Mexico, another of Meadowbrook’s mission partners.
Michigan Christian Campus Ministries (His House): Please pray for students at Ferris State University, who, after months of online meetings, are struggling to reconnect with one another now that in-person meetings have resumed. Students don’t know whether or not to shake hands and/or hug one another, and body language is hampered due to mask wearing.
Asia Christian Services: Please pray for people who end up in refugee camps due to civil unrest in Myanmar. In some cases, refugees find the camps as an upgrade from their previous living conditions, and now the camps are looking to open schools for children there.
Niños de Mexico: Please pray for the house parents and workers in each home to have the mental and physical health needed to provide for the children in their care as they have had to go back into lockdown as of December 18. Also pray for God to provide the staff to open a new home in Queretaro, Mexico.
As always, thank you for your faithfulness in prayer and financial support for our missions.
