Winter Quarter Bible Classes
Our new Bible Class curriculum for the Winter Quarter begins today! We hope everyone found the right class. Please make a special effort to get involved / participate in a Sunday and Wednesday Bible class. These are wonderful opportunities to be spiritually fed. The course offerings are as follows, with Sunday classes rotating next quarter. If you have questions or suggestions, please talk to Mike Swaim or Arrty Rude.

Christmas Open House
There will be an open house at the Shaner home on Sunday, December 19, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Food and goodies will be served. All are invited to come and share some holiday spirit.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' -Luke 5:8

Attention All Adults!
Old Fashioned Sleigh Ride & Potluck
Saturday, December 18th at 12:30 p.m.

Stillwater Ranch (20 minutes North of Spirit Lake). Sleigh ride with Clydesdale horses all decked out with bells. Trails through the woods on a 50 acre ranch. They are able to help anyone with a disability onto the sleigh. There will be a warming building with wood stove, hot cider and picnic tables.

Fee $15.00 per person - in lieu of gift exchange. Same drill as before: Meet at the Fredrikson's at 12:30 p.m. to drop off potluck food and to carpool. Bring a sack lunch and blanket. Afterwards, back to the Fredrikson's for potluck. We still have room on the sleigh and we need others to join us! Talk to Keith or Carole Fredrikson after church or call them at 623-6133 or Kim at the church office. Potluck sign-up sheet can be found on the kiosk.

The Ornaments are Out!
Thanks to everyone who picked up a Christmas ornament! There's just a few more left. In case you missed last week, you will find our special Christmas
ornaments hung on the Christmas tree in the foyer. These ornaments contain the wishes of children close to our church family. We ask that packages are returned by Sunday, December 19 to the church office. Please return the ornament you picked up from the tree with your present. We'll do the wrapping for you and we hope you enjoy buying your special gifts! No time for shopping? We're happy to do it for you! Please drop any donations off at the church office or contact Lorraine Robinson at 691-8719. Feel free to call her for any other questions you might have and thank you very much! Merry Christmas!

Honor with a Poinsettia
Christmas time is such a bright, joyous season, and beautiful red Poinsettias always give it an elegant beauty. Here's a borrowed idea that I think is great. Would you like to honor a loved one's memory and brighten up our auditorium at the same time? Anyone who wishes to bring a red Poinsettia, any size, to help decorate the front of the large auditorium for the holiday season is invited to do so. It would be a sweet way to honor a friend, or you might honor a loved one who has passed away. If you give us the names of the ones honored we will list them in the bulletin.

Shepherd's Corner
I was reading a book, and it talked about assertive behavior. It went on to explain that this is when someone stops to help someone else in need. You may be going to work, to church, or some other engagement, but you stop and help anyway. There is a part in you that says you need to stop and help although you may have to explain to others why you are late.

This behavior is the behavior Jesus tells us to display in our lives. In Luke 10:29-37 we read of Jesus response to a question about, '...who's my neighbor?' He told them a parable about the good Samaritan who stopped to help someone in need, to be a neighbor.

Jesus told us to live this way, to be a neighbor, before this term of assertive behavior was even coined. So in Jesus' word, 'Go and do the same.'

-The Elders

Food Donations
We are collecting items to make Christmas dinner baskets this year. If you are able to help out, we ask that you please have the food returned by Sunday, December 19 to the church office. Thank you!

Personal Financial Planning Seminar
For all interested in looking at their own personal financial plans, a 1.5 hour seminar will be held in the small auditorium on December 14th at 7:00 p.m. Bob Clark and Waddell & Reed will be hosting this event.

Ski Trip to Schweitzer - December 20 If you have any questions, see Dave Shaner. There is a sign-up form on the kiosk.

Student cost with your own equipment - $17
Adult cost with your own equipment - $35
Student cost with rental equipment - $29
Adult cost with rental equipment - $50

Tweener's Christmas Party!
The Tweeners will be having their after Christmas, Christmas party on January 15th at 6:30 p.m. at the Kish's home. Cost is $5 per person to cover a casual dinner of hors d'oeuvres and dessert. Get creative and come up with the looniest 'White Elephant' gift for a gift exchange. Please no children. For more information see Alyssa Frahm or Michelle Kish.

New Year's Eve Party!!!
Are you READY! Its hard to believe it's less than a
month away. If you want to help, please see me.
I need lots of help. Thanks! George and Joanna
772-6247.

Just a reminder that there will be NO Soup Kitchen on December 29th.

Calendar of Events
Dec. 12 - Winter Class Quarter Begins
Dec. 14 - 6:30 a.m. - Prayer Breakfast at JB's
Dec. 14 - 10:30 a.m. - Sew N' Love Ladies Bible Class
Dec. 14 - Elders/Deacons/Ministers/Wives Dinner
Dec. 16 - C.C.S. Christmas Program 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 18 - Senior Saints Christmas Party & Potluck
Dec. 19 - Shaner Family Christmas Open House
Dec. 20 - Ski Trip at Schweitzer

Prayer Requests

Anita Poland is at home recuperating from having her right knee replaced.

Phoebe Hruska is recovering from throat surgery.

Betty Wilhoite is recovering well from knee surgery and other complications.

Ed & Ada Brown, Warren's parents, are dealing with various health issues.

Cathy Litterell, Doug & Jerri Gwin's daughter, has pneumonia and has asked for our prayers.

Ron McIntire has been dealing with health issues. Please pray for God's comfort and healing.

Praise God for Matt Bunker, Georgette Rude's nephew. His biopsy test came back cancer free.

Pray for Tony & Laurice Rohrenbach for upcoming school exams.

Pray for John Lazaro, a friend of Carrie Forbush, who is a new Christian and is struggling and is looking for work.

Karlene Graham is struggling with arthritis.

Remember to keep in your prayers: Mike Kish, Matt Rude, Terry Morgan, Lamont Petersen, Jr., Christopher Henrikson, Daniel Moberg, & Cameron Davis who are serving in Iraq.

Pray for Andrew Crump, who is training for 5 months at Fort Stewart for deployment to Iraq.

Pray for the Kabiye Christians and the Team of Workers. The dry season is beginning in Togo, with the extreme heat and dust storms. But, there are blessings in the difficulties. Farming comes to a standstill, and the people have lots of time to listen to God's word. More are converted each year during this season. Pray for David, Becky, and all the team.

Ray & Karen Rayburn are temporarily employed in North Pole, Alaska.

Continue Praying For.... Leona Howard, Dewayne Ray, Leona Baker, Don Pederson, George Parrish, Howard Rude, Sr., Sherrian Bersi, Irene Clark, Pat Irmer.

Answered Prayer!
Praise the Lord! My test results have come back and they found no existing cancer cells. My kindergarten class tells me all the time, 'Miss Utter, God is not done with me yet.' Thank you, I have been overwhelmed with prayers and I love you all. -Robin Utter

Mike's Memos.....
Bible Bowl with Richland -
Saturday afternoon, Dec. 11th

The Pre-Bible Bowl Quiz last Wednesday night went very well with Joleen Reeves and Ronnie Ross making the highest scores. Brandi Welter, Alan Frisk, and Stephanie Inabnet also made very high scores. We are proud of all our kids. Others who took the test with scores ranging from 83% down were: Gerry Ross, Micaela Dehlbom, Jonathan Howard, Fares Al-Samno, Austin Shaner, Adam Borsheim, Chris Dehlbom, Nichel Cooper, Holly Welch, Cameron Sims, Ashley Bymaster, Catherine Robb, Kory Lackey, Kelsy Nirk and Christine Mullaly. These kids are learning the book of Luke! I know they will be even more ready for the challenge with the teens from Richland on Saturday.

Past...Present...or Future?
Should we focus our lives in the Past, the Present, or the Future? Our tendency toward one of those life focuses is usually dependent on our age, with younger people looking to the Future, and older people looking back to the Past. From the writings of C.S. Lewis we find the following insight:

Humans live in time, but God destines them to eternity. He wants them to attend, chiefly, to two things - to eternity itself, and to that point of time called the Present. For the Present is that point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, we have an experience analogous to the experience which God has of reality as a whole. You see, God lives outside of time...always, only in the present. In it alone freedom and actuality are offered. God would have us be continually concerned with either eternity(which means being concerned with Him),.... or with the Present - thinking about our union with Him, separation from Him, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, or giving thanks for the present pleasure.

Satan's business is to get us away from the eternal and from the Present. With this in view, he may tempt us to live in the Past. But this has limited value to him because of its reality, and its resemblance to eternity. The devil knows it is far better to make us live in the Future. Since our passions point in that direction already, thoughts about the Future inflame hope and fear. Since it is an unknown, thoughts of the future are of unrealities. In a word, the Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time.

Nearly all vices are rooted in the Future. Gratitude looks to the Past, and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust and ambition look ahead.

To be sure, God wants us to think of the Future too - just so much as is necessary for planning for life's necessities and our obedience to Him.....and our forward look to heaven. Satan wants all of us hag-ridden and perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end - never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, always using the real gifts of the Present as fuel to heap the altar of the Future. This fills us with anxiety rather than allowing the peace of God to reign in our hearts on a daily basis as He intended.

C.C.S. CORNER SCHOOL NEWS
Right now we are on what I like to refer to as 'the roller coaster ride which we call the school year.' Once the ride starts, you cannot get off. There may be periods where the ride slows down, climbing up link by link to the top only to drop off too quickly to catch your breath. Lately, we have seemed to be flying down the slope with Thanksgiving followed by the craft fair, followed by Christmas parties, followed by the Christmas program and in the midst of it all we are teaching our students mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. Unlike a roller coaster, you can get on at anytime. We invite you to join us on this ride. We have chapel each morning at 8:45. Our Christmas program is on Thursday, December 16, at 7:00 p.m. We always welcome your presence and/ or your prayers. -Mrs. Nelson

Join us for this year's CCS Christmas Program 'Grandpa's Christmas Story' on Thursday, December 16th at 7 p.m. in the small auditorium, starring our students & Larry Grow. Directed by Georgette Rude & Mike Reeves.

PTO Presents Gift Wrapping!
$2.00 Small and Medium Box
$3.00 Large Box

Thursday During School Hours
December 16th

Put a little note on the package with the recipient's name. We will wrap during the day. You can pick your packages up when you pick up your child.
We will keep them locked up until you arrive.

The CCS library has National Geographic magazines dated 1966-1985 for sale for $1.00 each. If you are interested, please contact Georgette Rude at 772-9833.

**FREE Rabbits - See Ashlin or Joleen Reeves**

BIBLE BUILDERS MEMORY VERSES
Children's Sunday A.M. Bible Classes
For the month of December - John 6:14

3 years - K: 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world'

1st - 3rd Grade: 'After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.'

4th - 6th Grade: 'After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.'

TO SERVE December 19^th, 2004

Contact Warren Brown ASAP if you are unable to serve.

Assembly Times:

Sunday:

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

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