Sharing with Steve
I hit a block this month. You are kind of cruising along doing your job. You plan a couple of mission sermons for Faith Promise. There are some unexpected surgeries and all of a sudden the first of the month is here and it is newsletter time. Now I need to come up with an article. I wasn’t getting any inspiration so I went to my idea cards. I write down different ideas when I read them that might work as newsletter articles. Nothing hit the spot, but I did find an article for an upcoming sermon in a couple of weeks. I then did something that I have not done in awhile; I went to my newsletter file in the file cabinet. Over the years I have collected articles that resonated with me and filed them away. This does not happen much anymore. You never receive a church newsletter in the mail; everything is posted online. I would like to share an article from Town & Country Christian Church in Topeka, KS. This is dated January 25, 1989.
GOD HELP US TO BE . . .
- A GRUMBLE FREE CHURCH: A body where no one grumbles, complains, criticizes or gripes. A place where love controls all.
- A “SKY’S THE LIMIT” Church: Where people still believe that God specializes in the impossible and will plan her activities that way.
- A MAGNANIMOUS CHURCH: Webster defines that, “manifesting generosity in forgiving insults and injuries.” A body of believers who do not get hung up on trivia, gossip, slander and nit-picking.
- A VERTICAL CHURCH: A people with hearts lifted to God in trusting, believing prayers. Prayer unleashes the power of God!
- A HORIZONTAL CHURCH: A body reaching out to people around them with the life-saving, life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord!
- A GENEROUS CHURCH: Where offerings are ridiculously big, because Jesus said, “Where a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also.” A big hearted church is a big giving church.
- A BURDENED CHURCH: A people with a burden for the things of God. The lives of people who need the gospel and the fellowship of the family of God.
- A GOD GOVERNED CHURCH: Not a democracy or a majority rule, but a God-run church, operating through competent leaders, committed to Christ’s Church and sensitive to Christ, the head of the Church!
. . . AND USE EACH OF US TO HELP MAKE IT A REALITY!!!
BELIEVE Preaching Schedule for May
After a break for our Faith Promise Rally, we are returning to our yearly series based on the book, Believe. The book is divided up into three sections of ten chapters each. The first ten chapters deal with thinking like God. The second ten chapters deal with acting like God. The third ten chapters deal with being like God. Sunday, May 6, begins the section on acting like God. How are we to act now that we are Christians? Here is the schedule for May:
May 6 – Chapter 11 – Worship – How do I honor God in the way He deserves?
May 13 – Chapter 12 – Prayer – How do I grow by communicating with God?
May 20 – Chapter 13 – Bible Study – How do I study God’s Word?
May 27 – Steve is on vacation – guest speaker
Continue to keep this series in your prayers. Our desire should be to grow in all ways in Jesus Christ. We want this book and these sermons to help in that effort.
Spring Communication Meeting
Please mark your calendars for our annual Spring Communication Meeting, which will be held on Sunday, May 20th following the morning worship service.
This is an informal meeting to bring you up to date regarding current and upcoming activities of Meadowbrook Christian Church.
We encourage you to attend this informational meeting.
Thanks,
Meadowbrook Elders
Lawnmowers Needed
Spring is in the air, and it is not too early to begin planning to help with the lawn mowing at Meadowbrook Christian Church. We need men and women to volunteer to help our mowing teams. We need at least four teams of three to four people each. Four teams will mean that you only will mow once a month during the cutting months. If you can help or need more information please see Dan Bright. Thank you in advance for helping out this way and keeping our church in great shape.
Adult Bible Study
We will be meeting on Wednesday, May 9, at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall to continue our study of Ephesians. We are on chapter 4. This chapter speaks of how the local Church is to run and how the people are to act. We have good discussion each session. Plan now to come and share with us. Bible study notes are provided.
Men’s Breakfast
Our bi-monthly men’s breakfast will be held on Saturday, May 12, at 8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall. We will have a cooked meal of scrambled eggs, sausage, gravy, biscuits, and beverage. We will continue our video series on questions that men ask. We will close with a time of prayer. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer. Plan now to attend.
Right Now Conference
A group of men will be going to the Right Now Conference in Napierville, IL, May 17-18. This is a new conference that is sponsored by RightNow Media. We have heard good things about the conference. Please pray for safe travel and that God will use this time to give us ideas and prepare us for the future here at Meadowbrook.
Annual Ladies Luncheon Coming in May
Put May 19 on your calendar, ladies, for our annual luncheon at Rivercrest Banquet Center in Rochester Hills beginning at 11:30 a.m. Guest speaker, Nelle Cooper, will entertain us with a story about:
Your Value, Your Offering, Your Legacy = Your Best.
The cost is $23.00 per person and can be paid to Cathy Podvin along with a reservation form. Checks should be made payable to Meadowbrook Christian Church. Contact Cathy at 248-884-3279 or cathypodvin28@gmail.com if you have questions. Please make your reservation by May 6.
Missions Committee Report
Asia Christian Services
Meadowbrook has been supporting Asia Christian Services (ACS) for many years. It was faith in action that made ACS founder LaVerne Morse walk the mountains of the China-Burma sector as an Evangelist. He was following in his father J. Russell Morse’s footsteps, who walked through the Salween valley in China. The work of the Gospel that had its roots in Burma from the Morse’s beginning in 1950 is now indigenous across the country. The churches in the north continue to produce missionaries on their own. Some of the villages are in the midst of the conflict of the land. Sometimes the Christian villages are caught in the crossfire and help is needed. The sobering reality is the physical and nutritional needs of SE Asia remain real. Per ACS Board member Kent Odor, “the reminders of malnutrition and disease and human trafficking and drug use are everywhere.” The spiritual needs are also very real. Eighty-five percent of the people of Myanmar profess to be followers of Buddha and do not yet know Jesus. Of the 135-140 tribes that claim Myanmar as their home, some of those tribes have yet to hear a proclamation of the power and saving love of Jesus Christ. Part of their philosophy for evangelism is, “don’t go on mission trip empty handed.” Take something to help them before sharing The Gospel, 1 John 3:17-18. This may include bringing them nutritious food, medical/first aid supplies, providing a medical or dental clinic, a preschool, etc.
The two Lahu missionaries we support are David Seksan and Thomas Pilliya. ACS is involved in many efforts to spread the gospel in SE Asia. These are a number of them:
- The Burma/Thailand Stadia Church Planting Project: The goal is to spread the gospel through the formation of 10 new churches, in new, multi-functional church buildings that serve as weekly preschools for the communities and as weekend church buildings. Most of the first 10 churches will be among Burmese refugees along the Burma/Thailand border who have fled civil war. These churches will introduce the entire Buddhist community to the Gospel.
- Evangelism to extremely remote area of villages.
- Palawah Christian Hostel (Boarding School) for education of children. Provide scholarships for poor children.
- ACS board members make regular visits to the churches, Bible Colleges, new mission fields, survey presently unreached areas. They may preach and teach at leadership training events, teach skills and business training. The culture of Asia is quickly westernizing under the new government, a need is emerging to equip the church leaders on how to join in the cultural financial movements that are raising the costs of living and creating barriers to further expand the gospel. Creating self-supporting churches and church planting movements into unreached areas remains a primary mission of goal of ACS. Such trips help to equip and encourage the on-the-scene workers in Asia and also are essential for ACS to assess needs and effectiveness of its work.
- Bible Colleges. Upon graduation, release many new workers into active service.
- 16th Golden Triangle International Christian Leadership Seminar at MaeSai, Thailand in Partnership with GBM – Gospel Broadcasting Mission.
- 2nd Christian Leadership Seminar at MaeSot, Thailand.
- Conducted the first Christian Women seminar in Lehe, the Naga land. A third one was held in another Naga village in Khamti. The Naga people are “very poor, superstitious, uneducated and ignorant.”
- The China Project is run by one of the ACS’s board members Vernon Bissell, for his evangelistic work and Christian teaching in China.
- Special Projects include disaster relief, refugee assistance, Christian training seminars, community health evangelism, and related projects that typically one-time projects, most often funded by grants from IDES but occasionally by large donations by partnering missions like FAME or by individuals. Disaster Relief and Refugee Relief are the major categories due to the frequent monsoons, earthquakes, etc., and due to the political situations in Asia, respectively.
- ACS Ministry in the USA has included an effort to update and document the wide-ranging mission work of J. Russel and Gertrude Morse and their biological and Spiritual descendants. This is the Morse Mission History Project and has included work by several people but primarily Marcia Morse Odor, who was able to review and catalog the very extensive written and video records with R. LaVerne Morse prior to his sudden death on August 3, 2016.
- Christmas Conventions for believers. People travel as far as their resources will allow to participate. As an example, in 2017, over 20,000 Lisu people attended. Per their recent newsletter, “Unlike our conventions in the USA, those attending are not staying in hotels or eating in restaurants, but rather they are basically camping. They bring their chickens, pigs, vegetables and rice with them to the gathering and they butcher them as they are needed for the upcoming meals. There is no refrigeration and so everything is prepared as needed. Their plates are banana leaves and their feasts lack nothing.” These conventions are the highlights of the year for them. Some Christmas conventions are primarily for the Asian missionaries and some of the Elders and church leaders in the newer churches and regions. The gatherings are strategically placed in the center of an unreached people. In that way the preaching, singing and music are a witness to the goodness of God in sending Jesus to earth. The students from the Bible Colleges provide much musical energy.
- New Evangelist Support Fund
- Tribal Mission Leadership Training
- Simon – Discipleship Training/Refugee work
- Medical Evangelism Phillip and North East India Team
- Aaron-Taunggyi Bible College – Student scholarships & college needs
- Ahdi Mark and broadcasting team, 8 languages in SE Asia
- Bible Translation
- Medical Evangelism Mulashidi Clinic and Medical Kits
- Hymnals in Hkongso and Lahu
The board of ACS thanks us for our continuing support in dollars and in prayers. Both are absolutely critical for the furtherance of new work. They confirm the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians in his second letter, 9:12, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people, but it is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”
Spiritual Gifts Reminder
Our spiritual gifts link is up and running. We want to encourage you to take the test if you have not taken it yet. We would like all members and faithful attenders to take this test. This is a measure of those areas where you are best suited for service in God’s Kingdom. Though this is a man-made test, it gives a reliable scale to look at and see where your giftedness is. Please go to our website at www.mccrochester.org and click on the adult ministry page. Click on the spiritual test link and follow the instructions. Your results will be sent to the Meadowbrook’s results page. The leadership will then use this information to help and encourage the ministry at Meadowbrook. If you have any questions please see Steve or one of the elders.
Cycle the Campus
The annual Cycle the Campus fund raiser will take place on Saturday, June 2, at Midland. Registration is now open by going to www.cyclethecampus.org. There is a 25-mile ride and a 50-mile ride. Team Meadowbrook will, again, be a part of this effort. The goal is to raise $60,000 for His House Christian Fellowship. Meadowbrook has raised over $4,000 each of the past several years. If you have any questions please see Steve Martin, Tom Schwartzenberger, or Ron Meegan.
Ruth Edwards – May 2
Marjorie Stevens – May 3
Wanda Douma – May 9
Kiersten Zaremba – May 13
Randy Gilbert – May 13
Joe & Mimi Romaella (Ann.) – May 14
Mike Gerstenlauer – May 18
Jerry Douma – May 21
Tom & Andrea Schwartzenberger (Ann.) – May 25
Rick Sipe – May 25
Steve Martin – May 30
Krystin Reese – May 30
