December, 2008
In This Issue:
Upcoming Events 2
Youth 2
Missions 3
For Your Information 4
Classified 4
Weekly Activities 5
From the Pastor’s Heart 5
Pastor Dan Giese
Youth Pastor Kipp McDonald
2730 County Road 1200 N, P.O. Box 13 El Paso, IL 61738
Phone 527-2920
In case of emergency you may call (309) 706-8939
Website www.grace99.org
Email dan@grace99.org kipp@grace99.org pam@grace99.org
Office hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Progressive
Dinner December 13th.
Enough
homes have been secured for this year’s Progressive Dinner.
The Fellowship Team
would like to thank everyone who volunteered to host this
event. The evening will start at 4:45
with appetizers at Grace. There is still a need for college
or high school age volunteers to care
for children while this event takes place. If you are able,
or know someone who is, please contact
Pam Fever. There will be a meal provided for care givers
and children.
All Church New year’s eve party promises fun and frolic
Bring
your family to Grace at 8:00 p.m on Wednesday, December
31st for an evening of cards, board games, karaoke, air
hockey and Wii. Carry in an appetizer to share and be ready
to welcome in the New Year with your friends and church
family. Dan Giese will lead an inspiring New Year’s
devotion at 11:30, before everyone welcomes in the New Year
at midnight.
Upcoming
Events
December
at Grace
Angel
Tree
Spread the gift of joy to a family in need. Pick up a star
from the tree, and bring your wrapped gift, with the star
attached, to the church. Gifts will be delivered to their
respective families on December 21.
Grace’s
Annual Progressive Dinner
Festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 13th, with
appetizers at the church. Babysitting will be provided at
the church by High School and/or College age youth. A meal
for the children will be provided.
Young
At Heart December 10
(Rescheduled from December 3 because of snow!)
Christmas luncheon followed by “Christmas in Branson”.
Please bring non-perishable grocery or paper products for
the food pantry outreach.
Nursing
Home Caroling
Carolers will meet at 2:00 at St. John’s Lutheran Church -
then proceed to two area nursing homes. Cookies and kleenex
are being prepared by teams to distribute to residents.
Christmas
Caroling
December 14th 5:30 p.m. Carolers are to meet at Grace with
two small plates of homemade cookies to leave at homes.
Christmas
Eve Service
4:30 p.m. Come for an evening of music and worship. Grace
Fellowship’s Adult choir will present a Christmas musical
drama, followed by carols by candlelight that will be sung
by all.
New
Year’s Eve Family Celebration
8:00 - 12:30 at Grace. Games, Food, and 11:30 Devotion.
Bring your favorite appetizer to share.
Two new Adult Sunday School classes being prepared.
Beginning
December 7, two 4-week adult classes revolving around the
Christmas theme are being offered.
Pam Finck will teach “A Case for Christmas.” Who was in the
manger that first Christmas morning? Lee Strobel presents
his journalists investigation of our reasonable faith.
Dan Giese will teach, “What Does Christmas Have to Do with
Spiritual Warfare?”Jesus’ birth was a declaration
of war against Satan. That’s why Satan tried to kill Him.
It was a beachhead in enemy territory. It was a strategic
step in the war to advance God’s Kingdom and take back
territory that was once lost. We’ll look at the unseen war
around us that waged for centuries, and our part in that
war.
Pre-Superbowl party slated for Jan. 31st
Get
in the mood to support your favorite team in the Super
Bowl, by dressing in their colors, or those of another team
you like to support! Bring an appetizer, and eat chili,
cheese soup, or hamburger vegetable soup along with the
drinks provided by the Fellowship Team. The team will show
the movie “Facing the Giants” to complete this fun family
event.
Youth
Youth
and Leaders Travel to ICTC
Kipp
McDonald, youth pastor took 15 others to the Illinois
Christian Teen Convention in Springfield Illinois on
November 28, and 29th. There, they found garbage strewn all
over the floor. Why? What were our teens doing in such an
environment, you might ask? They were learning the physical
work it takes to clean up the garbage around us. It was an
object lesson to demonstrate the work it also takes to
clean up our spiritual lives like removing bad influences
and other “garbage” that follows us around if we don’t take
steps to clean it up. Kipp reports this was
a great time of unity for the group.
Thanksgiving meal for youth group a blast
“Time
went so quickly that no one seemed to notice the evening
had ended.” That was Kipp’s evaluation of the Thanksgiving
meal he, Colleen, and 12 to 15 others enjoyed on Wednesday
before the holiday. The chili supper was prepared by and
for the youth and served in Kipp’s home.
New Year’s Eve Overnight being planned for High School
Youth
Immediately
following the New Year’s Eve celebration to which the
entire congregation of Grace Fellowship
is invited (see article on page 1), High School age youth
will be rolling out their sleeping bags and fluffing up
their pillows for a long peaceful night of slumber on the
church floors. Besides your own sleeping bag and pillow,
Kipp said to bring friends and food, your games, and your
music. I don’t know what those are for since you will be
sleeping.
Welcoming New International Students at ISU
We
are looking for Christian individuals and families to
welcome newly-arriving international students by providing
a home stay or transportation to a local motel. Most will
arrive during the weekend of January 2 - 4, 2009. If
interested, please let us know the date you are first
available, how many students you can accommodate, and
whether you want a male or female student.
This is a great way to “show” the love of Christ to the
students. Statistics indicate that 70% of international
students will never enter an American home during an
average stay of 4 years.
We also need volunteers to help the International Studies
Office staff with the New Student Orientation on Monday,
January 5, and Tuesday, January 6 for 2-4 hour shifts. If
you are interested and would like more information,
please contact John and Linda Berger, serving with
International Students, Inc., at 309.664.0377 or
jwberger@ilstu.edu.
Training and resource information will be provided.
Missions
Delores
Krug Sutherland says goodbye to YWAM and HELLO! to married
life!
Our
Missions Team would like to thank Delores Krug Sutherland
for following her call into the international mission field
with her 18 years of service to YWAM. Delores has announced
that she is leaving YWAM because she wishes to focus on her
new life. She and her husband, Robert, are devoting their
time to shared ministry within their church, and Robert’s
Christian bookstore. We’ll still be seeing Delores around
with her family, Melvin and Betty Krug.
CONGRATULATIONS to YOU, Grace!
Through
your generous donations, we collected $739.00 (up from
$586.00 which was previously reported) to give to the Food
Pantry. We have pretty much taken care of the hams for the
Thanksgiving baskets! Thank you, from Debbie Kingdon.
Military Missions
While
you are addressing your Christmas cards this season, you
might want to address one to:
A
Recovering American Soldier
C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001
Letter from Serviceman
Hello Kathy,
I just got your package and have been getting your packages
on a consistent basis. I can’t thank you and the church
enough for what you guys do for me. I share all the things
you send to me with my comrades in shop I work for. If only
they could be as fortunate as I am to have such a dedicated
and caring bunch of people looking out for them as I do.
Every time I receive a package I just cant wait to open it,
its like Christmas. So I can’t disclose to you (even though
I wish I could) where I will be going and when I will be
going for the next deployment...just know that its soon and
to a place that I’m not very fond of. It seems like just a
couple months ago that I got back for the last deployment
and now I have to leave again = (
If you would like to know more in detail about where and
when I leave, I’ll be happy to email you from my personal
non-navy, email...or you could just ask my Aunt Linda about
it because I’ll be home for Christmas this year and I’m
sure she’ll get the scoop on it then. But back to your
sincere dedication, I couldn’t ask for a better gift than
what you have given me, friendship and faith. Tell all the
folks down at the church how happy I am to have them there
and praying for me...and how proud I am to serve for them.
Thank you much,
ENFN soon to be EN3 Michael Kingen USN
For Your Information
Winter
Care Needed. Help from a Care Team of Snow Angels!
The
Care Team would like to hear from any of the guys or gals
in our congregation who have a snow blower or snow plow and
would be willing to help dig out those who are unable to
shovel their own snow. Let Ray Haas or Henry Armstrong know
if you can help.
Need
A Ride? Christmas Shopping Chauffeur Available
If
you are unable to drive to Bloomington and would like to go
for a short shopping trip let Linda Garrels or Kathy
Armstrong know.
Linda - (309)242-2797 Kathy - (309) 744-2371
New
Things on Sundays at Grace
You
may have noticed a new
attendance pad
on the chair where you usually sit on Sunday morning. Just
pick it up, sign your name, mark the appropriate boxes and
pass it down the aisle to the outside. Guests on the
outside, can leave the pad in the pocket of the chair in
front of them. This new addition is in an effort to keep
better track of our congregation at Grace.
New
Guest Gift Bags
were handed out for the first time on Sunday, November 30.
Visitors will be receiving one of these bags made by Jane
Kearfott of our Care Team. If you see someone carrying one,
you will easily know that they are a guest so you can
introduce yourself!
Ushers are now adorned with
name badges.
This will make it easier for guests and regular attenders
alike to identify them. If there is a need the ushers can
address like temperature, directions, or help finding a
seat, please let them know.
Poinsettias for Christmas
If
you are interested in ordering a poinsettia to be placed in
the auditorium during the Christmas season in memory of a
loved one, please contact Rex or Francis
Pinkham.
Classified
Church
Photographers needed!
Are
you planning to attend any of the many fellowship events
being planned at Grace this month or next? Tuck your
digital camera in your purse or pocket and take some
photographs while you are there. Then, email them to me at
pam@grace99.org. You might see your shots published in the
next Amazing Grace!
Children’s Ministry Leader needed!
Do
you have a heart to see children lead and mentored for
Christ? Can you order curriculum, field the needs of
teachers already in place, cover for a Sunday School
teacher who might need a Sunday off, and generally be in
touch with other team members at Grace? If you would like
to hear more about this ministry opportunity, contact Kipp
or Pastor Dan.
From the Pastor’s Heart:
Why
Jesus Came
It
might seem like a silly question, but you could probably
get lots of different answers from as many people. If
possible, it’s always best to get it straight from the
horse’s mouth. So, why did Jesus say He came? His answer
might surprise you...
On the day of His crucifixion, Jesus was questioned by
Pilot, and here is one piece of that conversation. Pilate
therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this
cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the
world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone
who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37 NKJV)
Jesus declared that His purpose was to point people to the
truth, and He implied that anyone who was devoted to truth
would listen to him. The obvious inference from His words
would be that He came into the world from another realm,
that whoever did not listen to Him would not be
characterized by truth, and that if Pilate really wanted to
know what truth was, he would give Jesus his full
attention.
That’s the rub, isn’t it? Jesus is not just a baby born in
a manger who’s birth is celebrated every year because He
was such a cute baby and such a great man. This Jesus is
King Jesus! He is a King to be worshipped and obeyed. This
Jesus is THE way, THE truth & THE life. There is no way
to God apart from Him. There is no truth apart from Him.
There is no life
apart from Him.
Jesus’ birth was a declaration of war. War against Satan
and his strategies. War against the lies and deceptions of
the enemy.
War against the falsehood and half-truths and compromise in
my own life.
So, then, it makes perfect sense for Jesus to explain: Do
not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not
come to
bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to “set a man
against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in- law against her mother-in-law”; and “a man’s
enemies will be those of his own household.” (Matt 10:34-36
NKJV)
Jesus demands our full attention. He demands our whole
hearts, all our dreams, all our goals and aspirations, all
our lives.
We are either ALL in or not really in at all. He is Lord of
all or He isn’t really Lord at all.
If I really believe Jesus is who He claimed to be, then how
could I live for anyone else but Him? How could I tolerate
living
for anything other than His priorities? After all Christmas
is about Christ.
For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil. (1John 3:8
NKJV)
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 @ 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