Invite a Friend to Church

By Pastor Larry Bennett

March is "Invite a Friend" month at The Chapel in North Canton. It is a great time to reach out to someone who is not born again or does not have a church home, and invite them to attend a service with you. We all have people who we know could benefit from a service and who would probably love The Chapel. Sometimes, we just need a campaign like this to compel us to take the step to finally invite them to come. Maybe March is that time for you to invite a friend to The Chapel.

How do you do it?

First, pray and ask God who you should invite, and then, simply invite them. Listed below are the topics of Pastor Bennett's sermons during the month of March. There may be a sermon topic that is relevant to someone you know and what they are facing in life. Invite them for that Sunday. This allows the person to see that Christianity, and The Chapel, are relevant to life.

Next, after the service, take your guest(s) out to eat. (Remember, the Cracker Barrel is the official restaurant of The Chapel - just kidding.) During the meal, ask them what they thought of the service that Sunday morning. It may open the door to an opportunity to talk more about The Chapel, but also, an opportunity to talk about Christ and the difference He can make in their lives.

Finally, invite your guest(s) back for another service. Easter Sunday is a great time, or April 7 when The Chapel Choir will present a musical.

Don't let March go by without inviting someone to be your guest at The Chapel. It just may change their lives forever.

In Christ,
Pastor Larry Bennett

March Sermon Topics

"Pre-Field Follies"
A Series of Articles Written by Chapel Missionary Julie Sanders*

#1 - Missionary Misconceptions
by Julie Sanders*

"Wow," she said, "I just love my family. I could never leave them." As I heard her honest response, it sounded somewhat familiar, like I'd heard it before. In fact, I realized that I had said it before, myself. That was back in the days when I believed that missionaries must be unique people who didn't have families as close as mine. I assumed that God must have a way of choosing people who didn't mind living out their lives far from the place they called home and with the people they called "family." But as for me, I said, "I just love my family. I could never leave them."

Perhaps it was the echo of missions conferences where what I focused on were the words of Matthew 10:37, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." God couldn't really mean that, could He? I always imagined that leaving my family would be too much to bear, too much to sacrifice. But, verses 28 and 39 say, "he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." A cross is a painful thing to bear, and now I know that missionaries are not people who don't feel the pain. They are just people who are comforted by trusting in the One Who understands. They are following the One Who bore the greatest pain when He left His home and then His own Father turned away from Him.

As we've journeyed down the road to the Field, I thank God for those He has brought along our path. He has given us such excellent examples to learn from as we near the day to let go of our loved ones and to let go of the plans we had with them and the expectations we had for how we would live out life together.

First, He gave us the example of His own Son, Jesus. I'm so glad that Jesus didn't say, "I just love my Father. I could never leave Him." Instead, He said, "Not my will, but Thine be done." Oh, that I could live with such a heart as that.

Then, there are all the missionaries who have all said goodbyes to those they loved and longed for. So many have gone before us. We are not the first to grieve the distance. We are not the first to entrust our loved ones to others as we go to distant places. As He has been faithful to those before us, so He will be faithful to us.

I know that I can do whatever my Lord asks of me, because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." His promises are to be trusted. He said that, "everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life" (Matt. 19:29).

By His grace, I will say, along with generations of other ordinary people who loved an extraordinary God, "I love my Father so much. I have to follow Him."

* Jeff & Julie Sanders are Chapel-sponsored missionaries currently ministering in the Philippines through ABWE/HARA (Assn. of Baptists for World Evangelism/Helping Asians Reach Asia). Julie has written several articles that share her experiences and insights into the lives of the faithful being called to the mission fields. We will be featuring Julie's "Pre-Field Follies" articles throughout the year.

JOHN 13:3-5  -  A Holy Example

By Pastor Frank Yost

3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Every time I read this passage, I have to wonder what was going on in the minds of the disciples. I mean here was Jesus, God in human form and Creator of everything, getting on the floor and washing the feet of the disciples. The one thing that shocks me in all of this is they let Him do it. Nobody protested until He started cleaning Peter's feet, who then wanted Him to (physically) wash him all clean. Amazing.

The Teachers and Assistants that serve in Children's Ministry, I believe, follow the example that Christ set that day. I have seen the adults in this church sit down on the floor with the children. I have seen a grown man wear a paper plate on his head to teach the children the Word of God on a level they understand. These people sing, dance and clap. They use puppets, parachutes, paper, crayons, blocks and glitter. They show up before class and set up their supplies and lessons. They get to know the children by name, making every one of them feel special!

Many of these children will remember their Teachers and Assistants when they recall how they met Jesus and how they began their personal relationship with Him! These adults display the love that Christ showed for his disciples and for us on a weekly basis.

For the month of February (and beyond), let the Teachers and Assistants know how much you appreciate and love them for what they do. Without them, there would be no Children's Ministry. Also, many of our own children would lose an important cornerstone of their Christian foundation. 

On a personal note, to the Teachers and Assistants of the Two's and Four's classes, thank you for teaching my children the Word of God and showing them the love of our Savior. Thank you for making my children feel at home when my biggest fear in coming here was they were going to have a terrible time adjusting from our last church. Both my boys love the classes and to be honest, it helped confirm that it was God who led me and my family here to serve. 

NIV John 13:15 "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

If you would like to serve as a Teacher, Assistant or in any type of service in Children's Ministry, please call Pastor Frank any time!

ADOPT A CHRISTMAS FAMILY - A SUCCESS!

By Bethesda Outreach Ministries

Eleven families were adopted. Twenty-one more received gift certificates and food vouchers! Thanks be to God! The love of Jesus Christ was made real to children and adults alike as we celebrated His birth in the best way possible-by giving.

THANK YOU! To the pastors-to the lay leadership-to the office staff who handled numerous telephone calls-to those who "adopted"-to those who visited and prayed with families-to those who contributed time and money-to all who were part of the 2001 Adopt A Christmas Family program. And a very special thanks to Brenda Spohn and Barbara Gressel for their heartfelt dedication and the hours spent in identifying needs, assigning families, and "making it work."

And while we're conveying thanks, may we express our appreciation to the Pastors, the Trustees and the congregation for their ongoing support of and involvement in this ministry. Never has the encouragement and cooperation been greater. 2001 was a most productive year. Over 200 Canton area families received some type of financial assistance-all in the name of Jesus Christ. Many other activities of ministry to those less fortunate took place, the most important being sharing the Gospel and seeing the salvation of some-the recommitment of many.

There were changes this past year. Bethesda Outreach Ministries received their own 50l(c)(3) non-profit classification which enables us to expand our activities while at the same time operate in concert with The Chapel in North Canton. We are all united in our joint mission to lead others to a close relationship with Jesus Christ by showing His love and compassion in their time of need.

Jesus said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me." We thank Him for the privilege He has given all of us to minister to the material and spiritual needs of others.