One Solitary Life

I copied this from an All Pro Dad Email that I received today. Thought I'd share it with everyone.

One Solitary Life

In 1926, Dr. James A. Francis wrote, "Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office.

He never owned a home. He never set foot in a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He had no credentials but Himself. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.

His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying – and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Twenty-one centuries have come and gone, and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of progress. All the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that one solitary life – Jesus Christ."

Merry Christmas.

FCC Update 9/16/2010

Good Afternoon FCC Family!

As I am writing this, parents are dropping their kids off for the afternoon sessions of Pre-School and Early-Learners classes. It’s a great start to another year at our Pre-School & Kindergarten. Susan Brooks, Debbie Nagle, Julie Wagner, Penny Blair & Ruth Harlan make a great staff and they do a great job with the children. There are still two openings in the Early Learners class due to cancellations so contact the Church Office, if you or someone else would like to enroll a child.

Speaking, of children, Power JAM/Little JAM (4yrs-6^th grade) got off to a fun start with a Carnival last night. 24 kids came and had fun playing games and eating pizza and cupcakes. By the way, thanks to all the kids and staff for the birthday surprise! I didn’t know that I was walking into a party for me—sorry for keeping you waiting but I thought I was just coming over to grab a slice of pizza! If your child wasn’t able to make it last night, they can start coming next week and future Wednesdays from 6:30-8pm. Power JAM is all new this year with a new schedule, activities, and Bible lessons. Ruth Harlan & Jen Pelligrene and the staff have been working hard for several months making plans for this year. I am excited about what they are doing. By the way, its not too late to volunteer. This is a very important ministry for us and the help of many is needed to make it a spiritually rewarding experience for the children.

Scripture Memory Program has begun. Memory Verse lists for the Fall Quarter were passed out in Sunday School classes this past Sunday. Copies will be available in the Communication Center and they should soon be posted on our web site (www.faithcountrychapel.org).

Alpha Phi Youth will be attending the See You At The Pole Rally this Sunday at Riverwalk Park in downtown New Castle, 6-8pm. Comedian Bob Smiley will be performing. The event is free but bring spending money for refreshments and merchandise tables, if you want. Meet at FCC at 5:15pm and return by 8:45pm. See You At The Pole is Wednesday Sept. 22. Youth should check with their local school for the start time of this student-led prayer event at their school. Parents please make an extra effort to help your teen participate because it will require them to get to school earlier than normal. If that is not possible, they should join in as soon as they arrive on campus.

EMW would like to thank everyone who contributed to their offering for the Pregnancy Resource Center in New Castle. $172.39 was received in the offering which was held over several weeks at the end of August and the beginning of this month.

Katie Majors is returning to Honduras in November to work with the girls at Eternal Family Projects. She was part of the team that went to Honduras in June with Mercy Ships. If you would like to help Katie financially with the costs of the trip, you may do so through the church. Just mark your contribution “For Katie Majors”. She is in need of about $8-900 to cover the airfare and remaining costs associated with the trip. She is also accepting donations of gently used children’s clothing, hygiene items, etc. You can bring those items to the church.

New York Mission Trip is Sept. 30-Oct. 3. The team will once again work with Living Waters Fellowship and the NYC Bus Relief. Deadline to register is this Sunday. Adults: $100, Youth:$50. They will also take any donations of school and winter clothing for teens and children including coats and jackets, new socks for men and women, t-shirts and new or gently used sweatshirts. They will be delivering the VBS offering of school supplies to Living Waters’ after-school program. Last day of collection is Sept. 26^th.

First Place for Health begins next Monday night the 20^th. Judy Campbell & Debbie Downing, who have been leading this ministry, have become TV Stars! They were recently interviewed about the program for a “Healthy Living” segment on Youngstown’s WFMJ-TV. You can watch the video for yourself: http://www.wfmj.com/global/category.asp?c=179433&clipId=5092389&topVideoCatNo=127724&autoStart=true . It remains to be seen if this sudden media fame, changes Judy and Debbie at all!!

We will once again participate as a church in Praying4America during the month of October. From their web site: With the challenges we face in America, we need prayer more than ever. Now is the time to dedicate ourselves to this high priority as individuals, as families, and as churches. Praying4America is a vital initiative to observe October 2010 as A Month of Prayer for America. Thousands of churches across the nation are taking part in this vital effort. Praying4America is built on a simple strategy that utilizes an innovative resource—the Prayer Map of America. Praying4America is totally non-political. It is a prayer emphasis, not a political emphasis. It is neither right nor left, neither conservative nor liberal. It is not even centrist because it looks above to God as we pray that His kingdom come and His will be done. Resources will be available on Sept. 26.

Join us this Sunday for Worship (8:15am & 10:45am) and Sunday School (9:30am)—remember last week’s challenge that everyone who calls FCC home should be involved in a Sunday School class or Small-Group Bible Study. This week we will conclude our study of Titus and we are hosting the New Life Drama Company. This is a last-minute opportunity that presented itself. The NLDC is a group of young adults who travel the country evangelizing using sketch drama. They will present their dramas to us in both services and also will be sharing with the youth in the Sunday School hour. I am excited about having them join us in worship this week.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Russ

Good Morning FCC Family!

I hope all of you are holding up well during this heat wave. Remember our sanctuary is air conditioned now! That is an investment that we can all appreciate except for the crazy few who like to sweat when they sing!!

Anyhow, I want to update you on some upcoming events at FCC:

· Baby Dedication this Sunday, July 11.

· Pine Valley Bible Camp is hosting their Community Day this Sunday, July 11, 2-6pm. The event is free and features food and drink, horseback riding, swimming, waterslide, climbing wall and more. It’s a great way to spend time with your family and to learn more about this great ministry.

· VBS begins next week, July 12-16. This is a huge ministry for us and Judy Campbell has been busily organizing everything for next week. She’s doing an awesome job as always. Many of you will be giving of your time and talent to making it a successful outreach for us. I appreciate your commitment and efforts and I encourage you to be in prayer for the week.

· Next Wednesday night (July 14), during VBS week, we have a special opportunity. Pastor James Sai Ruma, who is an EMC Pastor in Myanmar, will be sharing with us in the sanctuary from 6:30-7:30pm. Everyone who is not serving in the VBS ministry is encouraged to attend. I am asking for everyone to make this a priority in your schedule next week. This is a great opportunity to personally connect with our EMC brothers and sisters in Myanmar. Please plan to be there.

· Baptism service, July 18, 6:30pm @ Ralph & Marge Currie’s, 316 West Park Road. Right now, I have 10 youth and adults who want to be baptized!! I will be leading a class on baptism this Sunday morning at 9:30am in the Pastor’s office for those who are planning to be baptized. Everyone must attend this class.

· VBS Celebration, July 18. There will only be 1 service that day @ 10:45am. Sunday School will meet @ 9:30am.

· LCYM Community Block Party, July 23 @ the Y-Zone. This is a youth and family event. All are invited to attend and its free! See the Sunday bulletin or the poster in the Communication Center for more details.

· City Rescue Mission Bike Run is July 24. See Dave Pacifico for more details or to volunteer.

· July 25^th is Membership Sunday. New members will be joining the church that morning. Also, the Sr. High & Honduras Mission Teams will be sharing about their Mission Trips in both services.

· July 26-28 is His Hands Ministry. See the Sunday Bulletin for more details. Registration packets are available in the Communication Center. There are separate packets for youth and adults.

· Junior Camp is July 28-30.

Also, mark your calendars for August 29. We will have a Tent Service that day @ 10am (only 1 service and no Sunday School). The service will be followed by our Church Picnic and a concert with the Tom Walker Family and The Colporteurs. This is also Promotion Sunday. All children and youth are to remain in their current grades for Sunday School and all activities (including Alpha Phi) until this date. High School graduates may join the College & Career Class this summer. It meets in the Prayer Room @ 9:30am.

It has been a busy summer so far for me but a very rewarding one as well. The Senior High Mission Trip and Sr. Camp were awesome experiences! It has been a blessing to hear God’s Word from the various speakers and to see their passion and commitment. I have been pleased that our attendance (except for the holiday weekends) has been at or above our weekly average. I know us pastors get accused of being too focused on numbers but those numbers represent people who are worshipping God and being ministered to or are ministering to others—that’s why those numbers are important!

Please continue to make Sunday worship a priority for you and your family. Remember, we have an 8:15am service so you can still make worshipping God a part of your Sundays even if you have family plans for the day. If your on vacation, visit a church nearby. Also, continue to be involved in all the other events. As you can see from above, summer provides us a wonderful opportunity for some exciting ministries.

Most of all, love God and your family and be willing to serve him wherever and whenever.

Have a great day in the Lord!

Pastor Russ

The Role of Dating

At Alpha Phi Youth tonight, we began our series on Dating & Sex using video curriculum by Michael & Hayley DiMarco. In tonight's video, we met Alexa & Aaron (they were dating separate people not each other). Alexa talked about how she ignored the warning signs in her relationship with her boyfriend. Aaron talked about how he just liked the title of "boyfriend". It gave him an identity.

Some of the important points from our discussion include:
* Though the Bible doesn't speak to dating directly, it does speak a lot about relationships. In fact, relationship is part of the very nature of God and it is also why Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that our relationship with a Holy God could be restored by faith in Him.
*God should be the number one priority in our life. Our relationship with Him is the most important relationship of all.
*To date or not to date is a personal choice that every teenager needs to make. If and when to date is something that should be decided in discussion with your parents. Parents should instill values and set guidelines to help your child experience God-honoring relationships not only in dating but in friendships and family relationships as well.
*Like Alexa & Aaron, many teens date for the wrong reasons or date the wrong people. We are influenced by the people we spend time with for good or for bad. Therefore, you should choose wisely the people you will date. To ignore the warning signs, as Alexa did, or to think that we can change the person (and not be changed ourselves) can lead to a lot of problems. We also shouldn't date just to date. Being like Aaron and just wanting the title of "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" or to be in a relationship are not good reasons to date. When you have that attitude it will lead you to be less choosy about who you date. You're just satisfied with being in a relationship regardless of the character of the person you are dating.
*We live in a culture that has made sex a god. Like the Baal-worshippers in Hosea 11:1-3, our culture has become obsessed with sex. TV, movies, music, billboards-the celebration of sex is everywhere. To quote from our lesson, "And you can imagine the true God sighing as he watches all of this. 'I created this people,' he says. 'I have loved these people. Sex was my idea. Why won't they let me tell them how to use it?'"
*There are numerous biblical and practical reasons to avoid sex outside of marriage and a major one is: It's idolatry. When we engage in a sexual relationship outside of marriage between a man and a woman, we are saying "This is more important to me than God." Is that something, as Christians, we want to say?
*Remember what the DiMarcos said in the video: Either you will marry this person or you will break up. Eventually one of those two things will happen.
*'Don't worship your boyfriend or girlfriend as a god. Don't expect that relationship to give you a full, complete life. Keep the focus on God and let Him be your priority. Accept this relationship as a gift from Him, and conduct it in a way that pleases Him."
*Remember, too what I said to you: "If you break up, they will marry someone else. Therefore, you may be dating someone else's spouse. How do you want your future spouse to be treated by the person they may be dating now? Also, on your wedding day which message would you rather send to your mate-'I love you and you are the first and only one' or 'I love you and you are the last one.'?"

Finally, let me close with this from our lesson:
"Priorities. You are making decisions every day based on what's most important to you. Will sex be the most important factor in your life, or will God take that role?

God made you to be a sexual being. He wrote it in your DNA. You have hormones. Sexuality is a part of your existence. The question is, what will you do with it? Will it become an idol? Will it be the thief that destroys? Or will you put it in its place as one part of a life that honors God in its wholeness.

Colossians 3:17 says, 'And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.' Will that be your story,as you watch TV, as you surf the Net, as you walk past the most attractive people in your class, as you sit alone with a boyfriend or girlfriend--will you act in the name of the Good Shepherd, who knows you and loves you?" (Read John 10:8-14 to understand the references to the "thief" and "Good Shepherd".)

One more point that needs to be made: God is a god of new beginnings, fresh starts. Maybe you have realized some things about yourself tonight that you know does not honor God. Now that you have realized that, you need to know that God will forgive you, cleanse you of your sin and give you a fresh start (see 1 John 1:9). What is past is past but you can set a new course for your future.

As always please feel comfortable talking with me or any of our Adult Leadership Team about this or other issues that you have questions about. Our desire is to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ and to experience the abundant life that He has planned for all of us.

Look forward to seeing you at Alpha Phi next week as we continue our series on Dating by talking about the purpose of dating.

Have a great day in the Lord!

Pastor Russ