To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
There is so much to be thankful for, and as those who follow Jesus know, thanksgiving is the best place to begin, continue and end our days (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Sunday was such an encouraging day, as we move into September with so many serving, an atmosphere of love and unity, and the joy of following the LORD together. Following and serving Jesus as a family will not be easy this year, but will be worth it.
HUGE welcome to Elias on our staff team! We praise God for his excellence in helping in our desire to get better and better in our communications. Exciting to have a this need met with someone so gifted.
The resignation of a pastor is always difficult, especially when it comes at the start of a new year. So how do we respond as a congregation that wants to always be on God's side? Three key things: 1. Find a place to serve and people to love (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:8). So many of you are already doing this, and it has been a blessing to receive offers of help and encouragement. Thank you! If you are wondering how to respond, find a place to serve and people to love in Jesus bride here! 2. Be building up of others (Ephesians 4:29). Sometimes in transition and confusion, there is an opportunity to gossip and slander. Please choose God's side, and instead of Gossip and slander, bless. Please do not let negative be said about Stu and Char, please do not let negative be said about others...if you have questions, seek out a elder or pastor, but please with all others speak well, stop negativity, and be an encourager. If we fill any confusion or hurt with love and blessing, God wins! 3. Pray and Praise. Simple, our God is Sovereign, and loves the children and young families in our church, and as we pray and praise we can be confident that our excellent ministries to this precious group can continue and even improve as our weakness meets with His strength (2 Corinthians 12:10). I praise God for an amazing group of elders and pastors who are taking the time to answer any questions you might have. Feel free to contact any elder or pastor and we will seek guide you through any questions in a way that keeps us all strongly on God's side (Joshua 5).
We are beginning a new ministry year, and that is HUGELY EXCITING! AWANA starts tonight, with so many volunteers and children hearing about Jesus! Please be in prayer for this ministry! Youth Group Starts tomorrow night, with a number of new people, and the added burden on Pastor Thomas as we stretch him to cover some other ministries, please be in prayer for this ministry. Men's and women's ministries, seniors, this is an exciting time....so much gets going, so check your bulletin, the online calendar and don't miss this opportunity to connect and grow!
Kick Off Sunday: September 17: Right After SundayMorning Service we are having a luncheon, that will give you the opportunity to hear about the importance of our growth group ministries, as well as to sign up for involvement. We would love all of our people to stay for lunch (it is on Pastor Les), and enjoy the fellowship, and communication! We will also have information about men's and ladies ministries, Sunday School, and more. We want to be a church filled with healthy connections, and this is our start of this year, so come, enjoy a great meal, and sign up!
Sunday School For All Ages: This begins on September 24. We want to effectively minister to and teach entire families, and hit all ages. To do this we have asked John Neufeld to join our teaching team, and he is going to do a class on, "The Bible's Story Line: From Genesis To Revelation". Excited to have a quality teacher like John joining our team! He is a good friend, a team mate in The Gospel Coalition, and will be a wonderful addition to our teaching team. We will also offer other classes, which we will make public next week and we want people of all ages to grow in the knowledge of God, through careful study of His Word!
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOD DOING:
God is at work in Iran, in the midst of persecution. The persecution in Iran is intensifying, and many of our friends are being threatened, abused, and jailed. They need our prayers. A note from one of them was so encouraging, as they pray for Iris, and her cancer, reminded Tony and Iris that their response to this difficulty of cancer will display their God more beautifully than the conferences and sermons! What a reminder to us, from a church under pressure, to a family under pressure about the tremendous privilege of displaying who God is in what we say and do! This week pray for the church in Iran, and for Iris! This week use every pressure as an opportunity to join Iran and Iris in displaying the beauty of the Gospel!
Would also remind you to pray for those impacted by hurricanes and earthquakes. We can and should give of our resources to help people in need, and even more importantly we should PRAY. Pray for Christians around the world to DISPLAY how great our God is!
Sunday Is Coming:
PICK UP YOUR BOOKS! Sunday we have sermon based material, pick up a book, take notes and grow in your application of God's WORD together!
Title: Trusting God: He Is Willing To Help
Text: 2 Chronicles 16:1-10
As you read this passage, what is the mistake that Asa made?
Why is it important for us to learn from this how we can avoid this mistake?
What does this teach us about God and His desire to help those in need?
How does this shape our view of God and deepen our trust in Him?
Encourage you to get a book, and discuss the sermon with your Growth Group, Family, or anyone else who will interact with you on it. Our goal is that our Trust in God is something we talk about, and live, so that in dependence on Him we constantly live in peace, unity and joy! We really want God's Word preached to be God's Word lived for all of us, and we believe this will best happen through interacting on Sunday morning throughout the week, in a way that is LIFE CHANGING!
Trusting God,
Pastor Rob