A Time To Give Thanks

by Pastor Bennett

I love this time of year as people pause to give thanks for all that they have been blessed with and experienced during the past year.

We, as Christians, should be grateful above all others. God has been good to us. May I encourage you to pause and give thanks for:

• Salvation in Jesus Christ. No judgment will we ever face for our sins. Instead, we enjoy the forgiveness of God.

• Our relationship with Christ. Imagine being able to have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. He created everything, yet He desires daily to spend time with each of us.

• The Chapel in North Canton. God has blessed this church greatly. We continue to grow and lives continue to be changed. How gracious our God is. 

• For those who have touched your life, ministered to you, during the past year.

• For answered prayers in your life and God's care for you. I am always amazed at how God works in lives and how faithfully he meets our needs daily.

• For family and friends who are always there.

• For life and the ability to enjoy this day that God has created.

We certainly have a great deal to be thankful for. Why not take a few moments to thank God for these and all of your other blessings from God.

Giving thanks,
Pastor Larry Bennett

Church-Wide Christmas Coffee

Saturday, December 7, 2002
10:00 a.m. - Noon
In the Family Life Center

Coming Soon...
Women's Ministries "SUPER SATURDAY"
Event with Guest Speaker Donna Gassett

Saturday, February 1, 2003
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Here at The Chapel in North Canton. Be watching the bulletin for details!

"IN THE FIELD"
The Sanders Family One Year Anniversary on the Mission Field in the Philippines

By Jeff & Julie Sanders

We saw him this morning, when the sun was just drawing the steam out of the rice from rain the night before. In his blue shirt and his wide brimmed straw hat, he has walked the rice field often. He has seemed hopeful, patient, yet eager, and now it is time for him to gather his family and go out for harvest. We find ourselves in harvest season here, even as we know that many of you are watching the harvest in your state. Not surprisingly, God gave us box seats this year to watch the rice field, since our Pre-field Ministry presentation focused on Mt. 13:38, "the field is the world." We watched the man in the wide hat as he prepared the field, let the water flow in, guided his carabao through the mud, planted, and then waited. He has often walked the fields, waiting for the time to come when he could send out the workers.

Harvest season is truly a time to give thanks, and we are able to do that after this season of preparation, taking root here. Ps. 40:5a "Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order." During the past quarter we thank the Lord for further opportunities to know our fellowship of churches and to begin linking with them. We feel that we've identified a church that is a good fit for our home base as we move on from language school in the next year and "move out actively into the field." We have enjoyed growth in our language ability, in our relationships with nationals, in our relationships with our co-workers, and in our opportunities to "Help Asians Reach Asia." It's exciting to see opportunities developing. Our language training will continue until we relocate to Metro Manila, which we anticipate will be around March of 2003. From then on, we will continue to work with language helpers to develop fluency. We appreciate your prayers regarding schooling, location, and housing, in relation to our ministry site. At this time of harvest, we thank the Lord for helping us to prepare for the work He has waiting for us, and we know that His timing is perfect to move ahead in the next stage. You will read about one such opportunity in the prayer items below.

The bounty of the harvest is also a time to speak of the tenderness of God, shown through the acts of His people. In our first year, with so much that has been new and challenging, we have never had to cry out over uncertain finances or prayer support from home. The faithful financial giving, communication, and prayerful encouragement from you, God's people, has been humbling. Appropriately, for the anniversary of our Commissioning on Sept. 16, a mother and 7 yr. old son from our sending church came to be with us. They came to minister encouragement and to lift the load of home schooling in order to free us up for maximal language progress. They were sent by others from our church family, bearing gifts of practical use and spiritual refreshment. What a rich season of harvest. There are so many others, that "If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Ps. 40:5b. We feel a bit like the farmer who walks the field, in awe of the abundance, and eager to move out and do the work. Here is how you can pray as we descend on "the field."

• For protection in uncertain times & places, including the impact of global events here and in areas sometimes affected by terrorist organizations.

• Jeff will go in a "Vision Trip" to several sensitive Southeast Asian countries with two other missionaries, plus Filipino men who are interested in missions. Oct. 29 - Nov. 9, pray especially for safety, fruit, and health for Jeff as he had some kidney stone problems in Sept.

• Our decisions regarding Metro Manila housing location, time of relocation, and schooling decision for JoHanna and Jacob. Pollution and traffic implications are key factors to be weighed.

• Continuing health adjustments to climate and culture.

As the fields are ready for harvest here and there, we are full of gratitude to the Lord and to you, His people. This morning we could see people in the distance, bent over under the shade of large hats, moving in the rice, and the wind seemed to carry some of their excitement to be in the work of the harvest.

"The field is the world",
Jeff, Julie, JoHanna, and Jacob Sanders