AMAZING GRACE
November 2008
November, 2008
NOTE: We are
sorry for the delay in mailing this newsletter to you.
We have been experiencing technical difficulties.
Pray, Vote, Pray!
In this issue
Upcoming
Events.................................2
Youth...................................................4
For Your Information..........................4
Missions...............................................5
From the Pastor’s Heart......................5
Wiener Roast a HOT
(Dog) Event
Who would have
thought you wouldn’t need a sweatshirt at a wiener roast in
October? That was the case on October 11 when 55 people
gathered to roast hot dogs in 85 degree weather. Thanks to
Frank and Bonnie Haas for bringing their hayrack, and to
everyone who cooked the brats and hot dogs. Thanks also to
everyone who helped set up and tear down. This event would
not have been such a great success without YOU.
-Fellowship Team
Jennifer Lindsey
Attends
True Woman Conference
Jennifer
Lindsey and her niece, Ann Craig attended the True Woman
conference in Chicago last month. Jennifer reports that
this conference truly renewed and refreshed her. She shares
a statement made by Mary Kassian who was one of the
speakers at this Christian conference. Mary Kassian says,
“I believe the time is ripe for a new movement - a seismic
holy quake of counter-cultural men and women who dare to
take God at His Word and who have the courage to believe
and delight in God’s plan for male and females.” Mary calls
for men and women alike to surrender their lives to be used
for God’s purposes and prays that lives of Christians all
over the globe will display God’s glory to this generation
and the next.
Mission Team Serves
Many
The Grace
Fellowship Missions Team, consisting of Debbie Kingdon
(leader), Ron Griffith (elder), Linda Garrels, Sheila
Pinkham, and Bill Walden are busy seeing to our support of
many missions around town and throughout the world. The
missions Grace supports are Delores (Krug) Sutherland of
YWAM, Steve and Nancy Jeffrey’s of Kingdom Seekers
Ministries, our local food pantry, Hearts at Home (Jill
Savage, Bloomington), and our sister church in Kovrov,
Russia. Our much anticipated and well-attended 4th Sunday
meal was started in order to raise money for the Mission
Team. Over the years the 4th Sunday Meal has become a way
for other teams to raise money for their special needs and
projects. The Mission Team has also supported local
families who lost their home in a fire, and have helped buy
hams for the food pantry’s Thanksgiving outreach, which we
hope to do again this year. There is always room for you on
the Missions Team. If you would like to be a member,
contact Deb Kingdon.
Operation Fall Clean-Up November 1st, a
success!
On Saturday,
November 1st, Operation Fall Clean-Up teams gathered at
8:00 a.m. at Grace. They then dispersed into the community
to rake leaves, install storm windows, clean gutters, and
carry in lawn furniture. 17 homes were served as teams
demonstrated a practical way to share the love of
Jesus.
“Meet the Pastor” Date set for November
2nd
If you are new
at Grace, senior Pastor Dan Giese wants to meet you! He
will be staying after Worship on November 2nd to talk with
you and begin getting to know your family. This twenty
minute gathering will take place in the Fellowship Hall. Be
on the lookout for more Meet the Pastor dates!
Young at Heart
Nov. 5 Meet at
12:00 N for Italian Sausage casserole, green beans, garlic
bread, and custard pie. Loretta Ulrich will talk about her
experience growing up in an Amish home.
Many of you asked for the recipes from last month, so here
they are!
Tortellini
(Ravioli) Soup
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can vegetable broth (I just cooked a chicken
then boned it and put the meat in the soup. I used the
broth instead of buying vegetable broth.)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic (dehydrated)
1 (16 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini (can use
ravioli if you prefer)
2 baby zucchini
2 baby yellow squash
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1 Place first 4 ingredients in a pan,bring to a boil and
boil 5 minutes.
2 Slice squash in 1/2 lengthwise and then slice thinly
widthwise.
3 Add ravioli and squash and cook till ravioli is done.
4 Garnish with Parmesan.
Sophie's Apple Cake
Mix in large bowl:
4 c. tart apples, peeled and sliced
2 c. sugar
Sift together
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
Mix and add to apples
2 beaten eggs
2 t. vanilla
3/4 c. oil
Add dry ingredients to apple egg mixture. Pour into 13 x 9
greased pan.
Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake 50 minutes at 350
degrees.
Progressive Dinner December 13th
November 30th
is the last day to purchase tickets for Grace Fellowship’s
annual progressive dinner which is to be held December 13th
beginning at 4:30. Tickets are $5.00 per person for High
School age and up. Baby-sitting and a meal will be provided
for your children. We are still looking for families who
would like to host the salad course, soup, main course, or
dessert at their home. Please contact Pam Fever, Connie
Armstrong, Sheri Chiotti, Doris Fever, Bonnie or Frank
Haas, Roslyn or Steve Hibbs, Irma or Jon Talbert, or Tammy
Reeser.
Youth
Thanksgiving
Dinner set for Youth
Wednesday Nov.
26th the High school will be sharing a meal for
Thanksgiving. We request that each student bring a
side dish and meet at 7:00 p.m., our regular meeting time,
at Kipp's house. Drinks and main course will be
provided. Show up early if you want to help
cook!
Kipp
McDonald (Youth Minister)
1
Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have
not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give
all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. "
Illinois Christian Teen Convention
“This world
tells us that “clean” is a virtue, something to aspire
towards. If you’re not clean, you’re dirty, you’re
worthless, you’re nobody. ICTC ‘08 is all about challenging
these traditional notions of clean. Through Bible-based
teaching and Spirit-led-worship, Kipp McDonald, Colleen
Haas, and Tyler Johnson will be learning to grasp what it
means to be Clean for the sake of Christ at ICTC on
November 8th.
We are requesting prayer for Pastor Kipp, Colleen, and
Tyler as they leave Friday, November 7th for Springfield.
Please pray for their safety and that their spirits be
filled with the knowledge of Christ.
www.ictc.org
For Your Information
New
Email addresses
Dan Giese, Kipp
McDonald, and Pam Finck all have new email addresses. If
you are used to communicating with them by email, please
take note of this change.
Dan Giese - dan@grace99.org
Kipp McDonald - kipp@grace99.org
Pam Finck - pam@grace99.org
Supply Shopping Days on the 1st and 15th
As a reminder,
please let Pam know of any supplies you need for cleaning,
cooking, or carrying on church activities by the 1st and
15th of each month. Pam will go shopping as close to those
dates as possible depending on her work
schedule.
Missions
Steven
and Nancy Jefferys ask for prayer for Tunisian
missionaries
In their
October correspondence, Steve and Nancy Jefferys of Kingdom
Seeker Ministries asked for prayer for a missionary family
in Tunisia. Authorities of this small, 98% Muslim country,
have asked that all missionaries leave the country. This
particular family has called Tunisia home for a decade.
Please keep this family in your prayers.
Thank you
Thank you so
much to everyone who donated time, tools, and food
for the roofing project done on October
18th.
Praise God for the perfect weather and safety that He
provided for us. He touched many lives through this
one act of kindness, mine especially… and I am forever
grateful. Ray
Weekly Activities Calendar
Sunday
Jr.
High Youth Group (5th-8th)
6:30pm @ Fellowship Hall
Monday
I.C.F.
(Internet Christian Frontline) 3:30pm @ Kipp McDonald’s
Tuesday
High School
Bible Study 7:00pm @ Kipp McDonald’s
Wednesday
Adult Choir
6:30pm @ Grace Fellowship
High School Youth Group 7:00pm @ Kipp McDonald’s
Thursday
High School
Bible Study 7:00am @ Kipp McDonalds
Men’s Bible
Study 6:00am @ Grace Fellowship
Women’s Bible Study 9:00am @ Grace Fellowship
Saturday
Beginner’s
Bible Study 12:30pm every other week @ Grace
Fellowship
From
the Pastor’s Heart
Entangled
No one engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he
may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Tim. 2:4
NKJV)
Entangled: it describes so
many Christians today. “Entangle”—what’s it mean? The King
James uses “entangleth” and in Spanish it’s “se
enreda”—that’s a big help! The NIV translates it, “gets
involved in.” It’s only used one other place in the entire
Bible: 2 Peter 2:20. It’s from two other words meaning “to
be woven into” or “braided into.” It can mean “ensnare,”
“entrap” or “mixed up in.”
As I’m writing this, we’re
one week away from the National Elections and I can’t help
but reflect on the fact that it’s so easy to become
entangled in the concerns over what “might” happen if this
person or that person gets elected. We’ve spent the last
month talking about many of the moral issues at stake. To
be sure, it’s important. But not so important that I get
entangled by it. Instead I should be caught up in God. It’
so easy to go running off in an important direction that
keeps us from the MOST important thing!
I don’t know if you’ve
noticed, but the world tries its best to entangle you in
the stuff of this physical life—so entangled that we forget
about anything spiritual at all! The better the world can
weave you into the fabric of this earthly life the more
entrapped you become. It’s like a fly caught in a spider’s
web. We call it “The Rat Race” or the “drudgery of life.”
Some will try and convince
you that this life is all there is and there ain’t no more!
Once you believe that, you’re entangled for sure! You try
convincing the fly that he should make the best of the
spider’s web! Sometimes the fly is smarter than we are! We
are totally oblivious to the danger, forgetting that Satan
is looking for someone to devour. And the more entangled
you are, the easier lunch you become.
God does want to set us
free from our entanglement, but we need to want to stay out
of the spider web. Leaders, like any good soldier, should
be wary of being entangled in anything other than what
their commanding officer wants.
I sprained my ankle once
jumping hurdles after Cross Country practice. Do you think
I told coach how I hurt my ankle or that I even hurt it? No
way! He would have pulverized me! As far as coach was
concerned, I had no business jumping hurdles in the middle
of cross country season! God must wonder sometimes why in
the world we spend our time doing (fill in the blank) when
we’re in the middle of a war!
Working to stay focused...
Your brother,
Dan