STUFF Dave Shaner

As we enter a holiday season, let's remind ourselves about what the Bible says about special days and along with it why we do what we do here at church. One of the challenges of scripture is that of knowing what to do with the silence of scripture. If the scriptures are silent regarding a subject, shall we regard what we are to do as permissive or prohibited? We are told to be careful not to go beyond what is written (I Co 4:6). When the scriptures are specific regarding a topic, we must stay within those specific instructions. In this case, the silence of scriptures would make something prohibited as regards to the will of God. We practice taking the Lord's Supper every first day of the week because this was the day the church was told to meet and they met for the purpose of taking the Lord's Supper (I Co 16:2; Acts 20:7). That is why we do not observe this feast at any other time.

There are others things that God has left no specific instruction in regards to his will. These generally, are left up to the judgment of the individual practicing whatever is in question. Romans 14 talks about what the apostle Paul calls 'disputable matters.' These are matters where one person's faith allows him to do something while another person's faith does not allow him to do such. Holidays may fall under such a heading. Paul says, 'One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.' (Romans 14:5-6). Whatever one does needs to be done in such a way that honors God and does not violate his/her personal convictions. This principle goes way beyond holidays to include any practice where the Holy Spirit has not left us more specific guidelines.

Our current Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays have their roots in many cultures. Some of these even arose out of pagan backgrounds with the intent to turn it around by honoring Christ instead of false gods. We have many national holidays in the United States. Whether it is Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day, etc., we need to still be Christians and strive to serve God in that setting. It does not necessarily make the holiday wrong. It is right and proper to give thanks and to honor the coming of Christ. The specifics of how it should be practiced is left up to the individual. The same can also be said of the church. A word of caution however, don't allow yourself to be caught up in the trap of assuming something to be wrong just because some denomination practices it. Let each event stand on its own merit.

Wayne Frisbee would like to be considered a part of the Dalton Gardens congregation. He has two sons, Wayne Jr. and Jeffrey. Be sure to welcome him into the family. His address is:

2709 N. 12th Street
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815
664-2248

This coming Monday will be a joyous occasion. The rite of commissioning culminates a period of extensive training and preparation for caring ministry through the Stephen Series, a program for lay caring ministry developed and administered by Stephen ministries of St. Louis. Our Stephen Ministers have studied and practiced skills in such areas as dealing with feelings, crisis intervention, asserting ones self with gentleness and firmness, and numerous other topics to prepare them to help people who are experiencing problems in their lives.

After the commissioning, these Stephen Ministers, some 12 of them, will be assigned to minister in our congregation and community, working with people who are experiencing such life crisis as hospitalization, retirement, financial setback, the loss of a loved one, or any of a number of other difficulties people face in daily living. We thank God for all the new Stephen Ministers and their gifts of caring and listening. Their ministries will increase greatly the overall ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ at Dalton Gardens. Please keep the Stephen Ministry in your prayers as they carry the love of Christ to their care receivers.

We appreciate our Bible Class teachers very much, and will host a banquet in your honor at The Village Inn on Thursday, December 12th at 6:00 p.m. We hope all who have taught in the last year, and their spouses, will be able to attend.

There will be an open house at the Shaner home on December 15, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Food and goodies will be served. All are invited to come and share some holiday spirit.

This is a reminder to all the Elders and Deacons for your attendance to the retreat on December 14th. It also is a reminder to the congregation that a word of encouragement to these men would go far to help them in their assignments. During these planning sessions, these men take time from their families and activities to do the Lord's work. However, this is just a small time compared to the time that they devote to the work of the church all year long. We all devote time, but these men go far beyond the normal call of duty. Please encourage them and follow their example to find a place that you can be of service. If you do not know where you can help, contact any of the Deacons and I am sure they will find a place for your talents. As Paul says in Philemon 7, 'Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the heart of the saints. -The Elders

In the church foyer you'll find a Christmas tree with very special ornaments. These ornaments contain wishes from children.....children from families in the congregation or families that are close to our brothers and sisters. The general public always talks about the 'spirit of Christmas.' I once heard this described as being the good feeling that comes because people are giving gifts to the poor. We know this is God dwelling in our hearts, bringing us joy as we do his work. He already gave us the most precious gift of all, our Savior Jesus Christ. And if you are so fortunate to be blessed financially as well, may you find joy in picking up an ornament!

No time for shopping? We'd love to do it for you. Please see Kim Howard or Loretta Robinson to make a contribution. For Questions/Comments, please call Kristine at (208)660-5478. Thank you all very much and Merry Christmas!

On Friday, December 13th at 6 p.m. the Tweeners are meeting at the Wolf Lodge Restaurant (Cd'A). Order what ever you like; splitting meals will cut the price. Plan on at least $15-$20 a person. Please sign up at the kiosk. There is room for 30 people. After dinner we will all be going to Don & Betty Rude's home for coffee and dessert and a $5.00/per family gift exchange. No kids please!

Yes! In two more weeks there will be plenty of snow on the mountain to go skiing. Make your plans now. If you have questions, ask Dave Shaner. There is a sign-up form on the kiosk.

Student cost with your own equipment - $16

Adult cost with your own equipment - $30

Student cost with rental equipment - $28

Adult cost with rental equipment - $50

December 10 - Prayer Breakfast 6:30 a.m. at JB's

December 12 - Teacher Appreciation Dinner

December 13 - Tweeners Christmas Dinner Party

December 14 - Elders/Deacons Meeting 9 a.m. - noon

December 15 - Christmas Open House at the Shaner's

December 19 - CCS Christmas Play -'Sleigh Ride'

December 23 - Ski Trip at Schweitzer

December 31 - New Year's Eve Party

Rod Hopkins, Paula Morris' brother-in-law, was taken to the hospital in Anchorage Friday afternoon with chest pains. We have no other information yet.

Mildred Neuby, Paula Jaynes' mother, is in Sacred Heart awaiting further heart surgery.

Anita Haman, Teen Pearson's daughter, is having blood transfusions regularly.

Edna Hale, Wendy Lansford mother, is now improving from her accident.

Dick Atkinson had knee replacement surgery.

Ruth Marcell Shafer, Rae Killingbeck's mother, has just been diagnosed with cancer and sister, Vera Lee, has been diagnosed with pericarditis.

Mitchell James, Carol Fredrikson's father, now has an infection where he had an amputation.

Leo Ebel, Sharon Nirk's father, is suffering with lung cancer and the prognosis is not good.

Pray for Dawn Morgan as she continues with chemotherapy.

Pray for Jan Almond as she recuperates from leg surgery.

Bill Elliott, Jan Almond's brother, is in the advanced stages of cancer.

Continue Praying For....

The Togo Team*David Morgan*Mark Mood
Rick Howard*Zach Shaner*Dallas Miller
Sharon Clayton*Chris Flick*Ron & Myrtle McIntire
Bill Hartofilax*Joe Jovanovich*Marnelle Marchese

Education Ministry Plans

Plans are in progress for building long-range curriculum, educational goals, and classes for our Bible School program. This is an open invitation for your input. If you have ideas, questions, or suggestions please see Arrty Rude or Mike Reeves. Your help will be appreciated.

Togo Update The teaching continues in two new villages, Te and Kpindi. Responses are expected this week or next. PRAY!! Continue to pray for the new Christians in Togo, and the team of missionaries.

Jared Wuest brought me one of Randy Alcorn's books, Lord Foulgrin's Letters, to read. Teens/ Parents, I dare you to read this one and evaluate the choices you are making. In the part I will share from page 155, Lord Foulgrin, one of Satan's angels, is sharing with another demon their success in making immorality 'normal' in the world, and also in the church.

Foulgrin explains that he was delighted when as one Christian friend told another about a movie he said, 'That was a great movie -- only one sex scene, and...... (a very bad word) only used a few times.'

The demon says, 'Titanic is one of my favorites'. How many Christian young people have watched it in their own homes?!! Suppose someone in the youth group said to one of the boys, 'There's an attractive girl down the street. Let's get together and go look through her window and watch her undress and lie back on a couch and pose naked from the waist up. Then this girl and her boyfriend will get in a car and have sex - let's get as close as we can and listen to them and watch the windows steam up.'

They would both know this was wrong. But you can get them to do exactly the same thing by using a television instead of a window. That's all it takes. Every day Christians across the country watch women and men undress and commit acts of fornication and adultery which God calls an abomination. The Lord commands them to hate sin, but they watch it for entertainment. What He grieves at, they laugh at....and we laugh!'

Foulgrin continues, 'Christian parents are shocked when their daughters get pregnant, or their sons get a girl pregnant. We've done our job well when they see no connection between these sins and their having watched hundreds of acts of immorality in the movies and on television and heard thousands of jokes about it.

God warns them, 'Guard your minds.' We say, 'Open your minds to everything.' We contaminate their lives by contaminating their minds. 'But that movie only has one bad scene in it,' they say. Yes, and if someone just placed one small piece of excrement in a cookie, would they still eat it? Fortunately they are more concerned about their bodies than their minds.'

Yes, Satan is shrewd, and we are duped. I know this is a little harsh, but please, can't we wake up and see what's happening? I am sick of watching our kids fall into Satan's traps. Let's do something about it! Amen?

What a great day. I know a bunch of kids who already know a lot about the book of Matthew. We will be going to Richland to do the Matthew 13-28 on February 8th. My thanks to all who helped, participated, and shared in the learning & fun.

Good morning Brothers and Sisters!

The school year is flying by. We are already in the beginning of December! Where is all the snow we usually have this time of year? One of my students asked this question a different way, 'Why don't we got no snow?' After a grammar lesson, we talked about the lack of snow. It is so fun to stop and have a 'teachable moment' once in a while.

In Christ, Arrty Rude

Don't forget a great opportunity to help Coeur d'Alene Christian School and save money shopping at Silver Lake Mall. Buy your tickets in the school office.

Make sure to mark your calendar for the CCS Christmas play 'Sleigh Ride' on Thursday, Dec. 19, in the large auditorium. Everyone is invited to attend.

Dear Dave,

What a delight to get to know you and your congregation! We were blessed by you and hope and pray that we were a blessing to you.

Heaven will be sweeter because we've known each other here. Maybe we'll even get to connect again next fall?! What a rich blessing you were and are to our lives! Keep on!

Faith, Hope, and Love,

Dan & Katherine Cooper

Thanks to all of those who attended the CCS Fall Festival dinner program. Your generosity was much appreciated!

Thanks to special saints Al & Anita Poland and Dan & Dawn Morgan for their continual giving to the soup kitchen.

A special thank you to owners Chris & Paula Meyling and the customers of Piggie's Deli-Food-Gas in Coeur d'Alene for their cash donations towards the Soup Kitchen and 65 lbs. of food for the pantry to feed those in need.

To everyone at Dalton Gardens church,

Thank you so much for your prayers and concern for my mother, Edna Hale she has improved.

-Wendy Lansford

All the lights in the class rooms work now thanks to Scott Dehlbom and his sidekick. Thanks from somebody that saw you :)

TO SERVE December 15^th, 2002

ELDERS:		PREACHER:
David Bruner	667-2943	Dave Shaner	765-8524
Ralph Crump	773-6945
Larry Grow	664-3522	YOUTH MINISTER:
LaMont Petersen	777-4309	Mike Reeves	762-8024
Scott Rouse	623-4203
Don Rude	772-5532
Mike Swaim	772-4341

DEACONS:
Mark Borsheim 772-8183	Warren Brown 772-9556
- Leadership Training for Christ	- Assembly Management
- Missions / World Bible School	- Greeting & Ushering
Scott Dehlbom 762-1029	Tim Frahm 665-5851
- Benevolence	- Tweeners
- Prayer	- Finance
Arrty Rude 755-6409	John Simpson 687-5822
- College Age	- Building & Grounds
- Bible Hour	- Senior Saints
- Education	George Wuest 772-6247
- Family	- Fellowship
Steve Taylor 765-8263	- Men's Activities
- Audio / Visual	- Women's Activities
- Statistics	- Soup Kitchen

Baptisms, Year to Date - 27

Statistics:
WEEK OF 12/1/2002

Attendance:
Assembly	217
Bible Classes	133
Wednesday Bible Study	99
Bible Study Groups	126
Contribution:
Current	$4,354.46
Goal	$4,561.00
Average	$4,027.00

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