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 It's A Great Time of the Year!
by
Pastor Bennett
It is a great time of the year. It is! It is a great time of the year because it is a season in which we celebrate the birth of a Savior. God taking upon Himself the form of a man so that He might die with our sins upon the cross. Born in Bethlehem, born in the shadow of the cross. We celebrate the hope this season brings.
It is a great time of the year also because it is an excellent time to impact someone for Christ. While this season of the year may be a joyous time for some, studies show that for many people this time of the year is actually a very lonely, searching time. They long for hope and fulfillment. Parties and gifts don't bring those, so they long for something more. What they need is Jesus Christ. Only He can bring hope and fulfillment to a heart. Therefore, it is a great time to share Christ with others.
"How?" you ask. Well, here are a few ideas:
Whatever way you choose, let this holiday season be a special time of the year for you because you have impacted someone's life for Jesus Christ. It is a great time of the year!
Wishing you a joyous Christmas,
Pastor Larry Bennett
Notes from the Trustees...
Over the next few months you will see the following projects initiated:
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Improvements in platform lighting to provide better lighting for special productions.
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Installation of a moveable wall between the sanctuary and milling lounge to provide additional classroom space for adult ministries.
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Replacement of the sign at the Whittier Street entrance to be more in keeping with the appearance of our building, and also more resistant to vandalism.
These projects are items that were in our building program, but were delayed due to financial considerations. God has blessed us this year and it is now feasible to proceed. For those who would additionally like to make a special gift toward these projects, a special offering will be taken on Sunday, December 22. Please look for a special offering envelope in your bulletin. We are also investigating the possibility of refinancing our bonds. With today's low interest rates, this has the potential of saving a considerable amount of money over the life of our mortgage.
Please contact one of the Trustees if you have any questions about these programs.
Sincerely,
Myron McClain
on behalf of The Chapel Trustees
January 2003:
Saturday, January
18: Men'sFraternity.Net Breakfast Meeting. 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. in the Family Life Center. Mike Nichols will facilitate the discussion sessions. Join this new men's ministry and grow in the word and fellowship with other men from The Chapel. If you have any questions, contact Pastor McCartney at (330) 494-3419, ext. 306.
Friday, January 24 - Saturday, January 25: Dr. Kevin Leman is coming to The Chapel in North Canton for a 2-day parenting seminar and will be our guest speaker on Sunday morning at 9:00 & 10:30.
February 2003:
Saturday, February
1: Women's Ministries "Super Saturday" with Guest Speaker Donna Gassett, held in the Family Life Center from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday, February 21 - Saturday, February 22: Marriage Retreat at The Amish Door. Be watching for details.
PROCLAIM YOUR PRAISE!
With a new year on the horizon, it's a great time for us to pause and look back upon God's many gracious blessings and answers to prayer during this past year. In the January newsletter, we would like to share your testimonies of God's faithfulness. In 1 Corinthians 12:1 & 26 we know that "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts. . .If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
If you would like to share your praise or answer to prayer so we may all rejoice with you, or just share how God is moving in your life, please fill out the section below and turn it in to the church office by Sunday, December 22, or fax it to the church office at (330) 494-9361 to Patty Fitler's attention.
Ask Pastor Frank (& he'll check the Bible)
Questions asked by the kids!
Why did Adam and Eve sin?
Genesis
3:1 The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. The serpent said to the woman, Did God really say, you must not eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden?
Genesis
3:2 The woman said to the serpent, we can eat the fruit of the trees that are in the garden.
Genesis
3:3 But God did say, you must not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.
Genesis
3:4 You can be sure that you won't die, the serpent said to the woman. Genesis
3:5 God knows that when you eat the fruit of that tree, you will know things you have never known before. You will be able to tell the difference between good and evil. You will be like God.
Isn't that how it always is? Do this and you'll be like God. Talk about your peer pressure. Well kids, Eve was lied to. She fell into the devil's trap to turn us away from God as he (Satan) has turned away himself. However if you read closer, Eve lied too. She tells the serpent that she is not allowed to eat from the tree, but also that she is not allowed to touch it as well.
Genesis
2:16 The LORD God gave the man a command. He said, you can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden.
Genesis
2:17 But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die.
Where in reading this do you see God saying "Don't touch"? So I guess the next question is, what was the first sin?
When God makes something, he calls it "good" as you can read when you read about the creation. Satan is a liar. He wants to replace God in the most terrible way. He will take a good creation of God's and twist it to do something it was never intended for, just for fun. I believe that when God created us, he gave us the choice to obey him, just as we are given the choice to obey our parents. If we didn't have any choice, we would be no better than robots. God wants a special relationship with us and if He were going to force that relationship, why not stop creation with dogs if he just wanted a pet?
Jesus says "I am the light of the world. Those who follow me will never walk in darkness." When we really choose to follow Jesus, we do it by our choice, not by accident, not because somebody forced us and definitely not because it's the cool thing to do and all our friends are doing it. If we follow Jesus, we choose to do it. If we sin, it's because we have chosen to sin. For better or worse, God has given us the freedom to choose if we want to know Him and have Him as our personal savior. When we choose to have that relationship, when we choose to obey God, when we choose to ignore the lies Satan tells us, that's when God knows we listened and we made the good choice He wanted us to make.
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