Family News

February 15, 2004

SHORT  BY

STUFF   DAVE SHANER

Some of you may have heard of the new Mel Gibson produced movie, 'The Passion of Christ.' Even though it has an 'R' rating (for violence), we would like to encourage you to attend this. Many 'Christian leaders' throughout the country have previewed it and see it as one of the greatest evangelistic opportunities the church has ever had. It has come under intense criticism with the claims that it is anti-Semitic. Most of these claims come from those who have not seen the movie. Paul Harvey said, when he previewed it, that he walked away not with the feeling that the Jews killed Jesus as much as the feeling that my own sins did. It comes out on February 25. Invite your friends to go see it with you. Invite them to church so they can learn more.

Last week we looked at how to handle conflict. As long as there are differences of opinion, conflict will occur. How we handle it is a part of what Christianity is all about. The apostle Paul felt pressure from the outside as well as the inside. He had to handle personal attacks as well as help others to get along. Family and church squabbles are certainly not new to today. But conflict, in another sense, can actually be healthy for a church. The scriptures tell us that as 'iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' - Proverbs 27:17. Iron on iron involves tension that results in good.

A principle of conflict management states the following paradox:' If you want to have less conflict in your relationships, try to have more.' This doesn't mean that you try to intentionally get people angry with you. Hitched on to that first quote is, 'If you want less conflict, invite disagreement.' We need to be open to different opinions that others have on different issues. A sign of a healthy family or church is that they are able to handle disagreement and take each other seriously.

We have been studying the life of Moses on Sunday mornings. Sometimes, I am appalled at the way Moses talks with God. As I read, I am thinking, 'How can he talk like that with God?' Moses will disagree with God, argue with God, challenge God, and simply say what is on his mind! The Lord lets God talk and sometimes he even changes His mind! Of course, there are other times when God gets angry and says, now you have stepped over the line. But the reason Moses is able to have those discussions at all is because the relationship is so deep. When the relationship is solid, we can handle conflict. When iron sharpens iron not only do individuals grow, but God's community, his church, grows as well. Much of life is not what happens to you but how you handle what happens to you. Allow the spirit of Jesus Christ to aid you as you work through difficult times.

Have a Great Week!!!

It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but God's mercy.
-Romans 9:16

Prayer Ministry Meeting

The Prayer Ministry will be meeting this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the small auditorium to discuss future plans. If you would like to be involved with any aspect of the Prayer Ministry, please come and share your ideas.

Good News!!!

The angels in heaven rejoiced as Joleen Reeves, daughter of Mike and Earlene Reeves, was baptized into Christ last Sunday afternoon. Be sure to welcome Joleen into the family of God.

Africa International Missions

In your February Christian Chronicle, page 16, you may have seen the full page description of works being done in Africa under the leadership of Roger Dickson. The Archers, who are heading back to Cape Town in the fall, received this e-mail this past week.

Just sent Malvin and Craig off for Venda (area in northern So. Africa above Swaziland ) this morning with a load of material.

The Hydes, Swartz's and Kendall-Balls left yesterday. Peter Ford leaves today also. All of them are taking a load of materials and Study New Testaments to Venda for the school and campaign work. On Friday they have a meeting with the Department of Education about the Adventures program in the schools. This is a major evangelistic push into this area. Please pray that God continue to open these doors.

Roger will be at the Tulsa Soul-Winning Workshop in March and speaking elsewhere to raise funds for printing 6,400,000 tracts. These will be used by their network of national preachers and churches for evangelism. There are open doors within the school system and people receptive to the gospel in Africa. He concluded by saying, The African International Missions system of African evangelism is now coming together. The International Christian Press has finally come online, and thus the system we have been working on for about seven years will be fine tuned this year. We are going to evangelize this continent.

While in the States, Roger will be seeking retired people who would like to come and spend time working on this effort. Consider being one of those folks. And, please continue to keep the Dicksons and others involved in this effort in your prayers. Please see Ivan or Sally Archer for more details.

Shepherds Corner

Do you remember the mission statement and logo that summed up our ministry? It is a triangle and at each respective corner were the words WIN... KNIT... MATURE.

WIN... the lost
KNIT... the body together
MATURE... the saints

We have developed many activities over the years, and each one of them will be involved with one of these three ministries. We encourage you to be involved with these activities. One specific activity that we have is our Life Groups. These Life Groups are involved with all three ministries. As elders we feel that Life Groups are vital to your spiritual growth. If you are not in a Life Group we encourage you to become involved with one.

- For the Elders

Ladies Get Out Night!

Ladies get out of the house and enjoy the fellowship Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Joanna Wuest's home. Call 772-6247 or Loretta Robinson at 762-2794.

It's Secret Sister Time!

Ladies, the deadline to turn in your secret sister information sheets is Sunday, February 29. Give them to Katrina Swaim (or put them in her box.) If you still need one, extras can be found on the kiosk.

Area Wide Singing

You are invited to come and join other brethren from the region for this time of singing and praising with each other and to our Lord on Sunday, February 29 at 2:00 p.m. at the Valley Church of Christ, 17221 E. Broadway, Greenacres, WA.

CCS Scholastic Book Fair

February 29th - March 5th
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Small Auditorium - Come Join Us!

Calendar of Events

Feb. 15 - Prayer Garden Meeting 4 p.m. - Small Aud.
Feb. 17 - 6:30 a.m. Prayer Breakfast at JB's
Feb. 17 - Ladies Night at Joanna Wuest's 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 - N.W. Bible Bowl Challenge at Richland
Feb. 29 - Mar. 5 - CCS Book Fair - Small Auditorium
Feb. 29 - Area Wide Singing, Valley Church 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 2 - Rescue in Concert at NIC - CCS Fundraiser
Mar. 12 - 14 - MIQVAH Youth Rally
Mar. 16 - CCS Talent Show, Science & Art Fair

Prayer Requests

Carole Fredrikson asks prayers for her foot to heal and for the pain to stop.

Pray for Bud & Cathy Litterell as they travel to Russia to visit a 9 year old girl they hope to adopt through Lifeline of Hope.

Clay Bronson, Earlene Reeves' niece's husband, had an MRI that showed a mass on his brain. They will do another MRI in 3 months to see if it has changed.

Chrystal Coleman was in a car wreck last Thursday. She is sore and has some scratches but is doing fine.

Continue to keep Ron Dupey in your prayers as he awaits more tests.

Pray for the Reeves and the Togo Team as they continue to fulfill the Lord's work with the Kabiye people in Togo, Africa. At this time of year they are dealing with the dry season's desert winds which fill their homes with dust. But it is a good season for teaching because there are no crops and the people are idle.

Continue to remember: Harold Long, the families in Tecate, Mexico, Dave Shaner, Sr., George Parrish, Tammy Heath, Chris Williams, Red Caylor, Adam Bristow, Shirley Lindell, Barbra D. Anderson, Donann Scott, Wally Forbush, Russ Allen, Seth Wright.

Thank You!

A great big thank you to all who have been working in the Soup Kitchen. We have gotten many thank yous from our guest. Please keep them in your prayers.

Attention Senior Saints

The Golden Age Camp (minimum age of 50) at Yellowstone Bible Encampment is scheduled for August 21 -28. The speaker this year will be Dan Weib. The cost is $110 per person, ($95 if paid in full 30 days in advance of camp).

Camper applications may be obtained and mailed to:
Pam Salsbury, Registration
909 South Nevada
Belgrade, MT 59714
(406) 388-1149 or (406) 388-4782

Mike's Memos......

Sunday AM Teen / Parent Class
'House Upon The Rock'

Next Sunday - Session 4 B
'God's Model for Faithfulness'

You were created with a heart designed to love and be loved. You were also built to trust and be trustworthy. Faith in God is the foundation of all trust. No one will ever be trustworthy without being faithful to God. You have what it takes to be trustworthy. You have what it takes to see deeply into the people in your inner circle and determine whether or not they are trustworthy. You also have what it takes to trust, both God and trustworthy people. Remember, only a few people in your life will be trustworthy with your innermost heart. But ah, those wonderful few, those brothers/sisters, that intimate fellowship of family, that treasure in marriage so cherished and valued. This is called 'oneness'. It is the same as the trinity. These relationships are truly worth the battles, hurts, risks, betrayals, and work it takes to have them. They are what God wants to give us, and what Satan wants to steal from us.

Bible Bowl Challenge
With Richland & Kennewick
At Richland on February 21st

We will leave Friday at 4 pm and return Saturday about 4 pm. Friday night we will be staying in the homes of Christian families in Richland.

MIQVAH 2004
March 12th - 14th

Yes, it is only five weeks until we will be hosting all the Northwest teens...some 150 of them, for our youth rally weekend. It is always a very busy, challenging, exciting time for this congregation. It is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to live what we preach. Please be praying for our Youth Group as we make all the necessary preparations for classes, devotionals, activities, decorations, etc. Pray for all the teens from surrounding areas to come with hearts prepared to receive God's word, and pray for this church family as we prepare to open our homes and our hearts to so many young guests.

We will need about 30 host homes! Please be willing to serve in this way. A sign-up sheet will be on the Kiosk in a couple of weeks. Mid-Winter Retreat was awesome! Not only did we have tons of fun tubing down the hill.... all the way to the lake, but the spiritual parts of our weekend were fantastic. Thanks to all the teens for good attitudes and especially for those who led. And, thanks to the adults who served so willingly.

CCS CORNER SCHOOL NEWS

What is your Reaction?''' by' Dan' Dupey

What is your REACTION when something goes right that you thought would go wrong? How do you react when something goes wrong that you thought would go right? What is your reaction in ANY situation that YOU are responsible for? We might ask ourselves. "How do I handle this and how do I prioritize it?" Who is important? We all think, "Well, I am." No, the other person is. We sincerely need to direct our focus of attention on others before ourselves. We must, in all situations, put our God first. In other words, what would He want us to do? How does He instruct us? As parents, teacher/educators, mentors, friends, and fellow Christians, we have a myriad of situations that confront us weekly, and even daily. Let's keep the light shining with reactions that show how Christ shines through us. Put a smile on someone's face by showing that you care about THEM!

We can react in a way that brings others closer to us or sets them apart. We are thankful for another week that has given us the opportunity to share God's Word with our students in class and in Chapel. This is always exciting for all of us! I must say that singing in the early morning with all of our students can turn a sad face into a happy one. It brings a smile to our faces when we hear everyone singing together!

We appreciate ALL, and I mean "ALL" the hard work that went into putting our Valentine's Program together! Thank you Patty Welter and all your helpers. Also, I want to thank Georgette Rude for her perseverance as she works with our group of students. Our Talent Show will be here soon, as well as the annual Auction! We have had a great turn out for our basketball program. Jeff Nirk is coaching the 5th-8th grade teams, and Kim Borsheim is coaching the 2-4th grade teams. We appreciate all the hard work that they put in as they work with these students!

Coming Event Dates:
Stuffed Animal Donations: Feb. 15th
Book Fair Feb. 27th - Mar 5th
RESCUE! March 2nd
Science fair March 16th
The Talent Show March 16th

We thank all our sponsors and would like to, again, offer the invitation to sponsor a child in Christian Education for the NEW Semester. We have a wonderful group of students and are having a tremendous year!

Rescue tickets can NOW be purchased in the school or church office or see Georgette Rude. The concert, a fundraiser for the Coeur d'Alene Christian School, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2nd, 7:00 p.m. at NIC Schuler Auditorium.

CCS Auction Note

Keep the school auction in mind on store clearance items to donate - our theme is trains - 'All Aboard!'. We can use items for Kids Silent Auction, Silent Auction and Live Auction as well as drawing prizes. We also can use anything depicting our theme for decorations. The date for the auction is Saturday, April 24. Remember to keep your eye on the school bulletin board in the foyer for more information. Thank you for your support!

TO SERVE February 22^nd, 2004

Contact Warren Brown ASAP if you are unable to serve.

Assembly Times:

Other Bible Study Groups are offered at various times. Please call the office for times and places.

Statistics:
WEEK OF 2/8/2004

	Home Page		Prayer Requests
	About Us		Services & Classes
	Church Bulletin		Sunday Sermon
	Missions & Outreach		Youth Group