Resurrection

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Dear Friends Pursuing Christ,

 

Here I sit at my computer on the day after Easter, THE DAY OF RESURRECTION. I trust that you have enjoyed family and friends during this very special season of celebration. My prayer has been that during the time of Lent and Holy Week that you have grown closer to God. (Remember that is one of our circling prayers: Ephesians 3: 16-19).

 

I want to give a very special shout out to some of our members for their extra help in  refreshing and deepening our faith. Thanks to both Amanda Dubinick and Velma Stewart for organizing our prayer vigil (Maundy Thursday – Good Friday). For the preparation of our sanctuary for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday, kudos to Kandice and Rex Eckhoff and Shelley Needham. The tomb scene was very powerful! Of course there was the scrumptious Easter breakfast organized by the Church Life team under Elaine Sturm’s leadership and all the hands that prepared the FEAST! And David thanks for your music, especially at the Sunrise Service at WLCC.

 

We now enter the church season of Eastertide while we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Pentecost. During these next 6 weeks we are going to be preparing our faith community for this celebration of faith. On Sundays we will be exploring Paul’s letter to the Corinthians…particularly 1 Corinthians 3. Paul writes: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but only God who makes things grow” (NIV 3:8). So we will be watching how God grows us up. Growth always comes as the Holy Spirit takes more control of
our lives.
I recently read Mark Batterson’s book Wild Goose Chase, Rediscover the Adventure of Pursuing God. In it Mark writes:
“Take the Holy Spirit out of the equations of my life , and it would spell boring. Add Him into the equation of your life, and anything can happen…If you would describe your relationship with God as anything less than adventurous, then maybe you think you’re following the Spirit but you have actually settled for less-something I call inverted Christianity. Instead of following the Spirit, we invite the Spirit to follow us. Instead of serving God’s purposes, we want Him to serve our purposes. And while this may seem like a subtle distinction, it makes an ocean of difference, the result of this inverted relationship with God is not just a self-absorbed spirituality that leaves us feeling empty, it also the difference between spiritual boredom and spiritual adventure.”

 

So no more boring life. We are going to ask God to take us on an adventure and to make us dangerous just like He did with His disciples who by taking the Easter Message…”He  (Jesus) is not here. He has risen from the dead.” changed the world forever! So here we go for the ride of our lives…Join the adventure!

Love and prayers,
Ilona

Lent

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Dear Friends Pursuing Christ,

 

During Lent we have been exploring ways to deepen our prayer life. On Wednesdays and then on Friday nights we have been participating in a 4 week study on prayer by Mark Batterson called the Circle Maker. Along with this study we have been reading a daily devotional by Batterson called Draw the Circle.
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Here are some insights that I have gained from my reading and study on prayer with Mark Batterson:
  • We have not because we ask not…The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked. Now here is the good news: If you pray all bets are  off.
  • You can live with holy anticipation because you never know how or when or where God is going to answer, but I promise you this He will answer. And His answers are not limited by your requests. We pray out of our ignorance, but God answers out of His omniscience.
  • We pray out of our impotence, but God answers out of His omnipotence. God has the ability to answer the prayers we should have asked but lacked the knowledge or the ability to even ask.
  • Sometimes the power of prayer is the power to carry on. It doesn’t always change your circumstances, but it gives you the strength to walk through them. When you pray through, the burden is taken off your shoulders and put on the shoulders of Him who carried the cross to Calvary.
  • It is absolutely imperative at the outset that you come to terms with this simple yet life changing truth: God is for you. If you don’t believe that then you will pray small timid prayers; if you do believe it, then you will be praying big audacious prayers.
There is so much more. Right now we are praying big audacious prayers. Some of the prayers deal with church life, others deal with personal matters(marriages, family, work/vocation, health). We are circling our promises, problems and people in prayer.
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On Palm Sunday the children will lead us into worship with a processional of praise and palm fronds. At the end of worship those who are able will circle our property in prayer asking the Lord to give us direction and guidance on how best to use our property for the Lord. Within the next month the manse/youth house will be demolished. What does God want us to do with His land?
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Psalms 127: 1
Following the Maundy Thursday Service members are being asked to participate in a prayer vigil from Thursday 8 p.m.- Friday 3 p.m.. This Vigil can be done from your home.
Velma and Amanda are working out the details. An update will be sent out through the bulletin, email, and on Facebook.
In our Caring, Bearing, Sharing Groups (CBS) we have been encouraged in our faith as we see how God has been answering our prayers. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us as a congregation. All I know is that when you travel with God it is a wonderful  adventure.
May you continue to grow closer to our Lord Jesus Christ during this season of Lent.
Love and prayers in Jesus,
Ilona

 

Prayer

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Dear Friends Pursuing Christ,
I no sooner said goodbye to Advent and Christmas and was quickly reminded that Lent
would be here shortly! I can hardly catch my breath! That’s why I am glad to announce to
you that our study in the season of Lent will be centered on growing in our prayer life.
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You will find the study schedule below. I do hope that you will join one of these Small Groups. I believe that it will strengthen your relationship with the Lord and therefore also strengthen us as a congregation.
Lent: A Time for Prayer
  • Wednesday, February 10, 2016 – 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday Service
  • Wednesday, February 17, 24, March 2,9, 2016 “The Circle Maker”
    • 10 a.m.@ Gloria Chenoweth’s
    • 7 p.m. @ FPC Sanctuary
  • Wednesday March 16, 2016-6:30 p.m. “The War Room”-Movie
  • Sunday, March 20, 2016-Palm Sunday
  • Thursday, March 24, 2019 -Maundy Thursday
  • A Service of Prayer, Meditation, and the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
  • Prayer Vigil (Thursday @ 8 p.m. – Friday @ 3 p.m.)
  • Sunday, March 27, 2016-Easter Sunday “The Day of Resurrection”
A healthy congregation is a praying congregation. That is the truth. A praying
congregation is a congregation that leans on the Lord for direction, discernment, and
guidance. And that is what we will be doing. We will study together and pray together as a
congregation. During worship we will have some more directed time in prayer as we
examine some of the great prayers of Scripture.
pray-together
I would like to tell you more, but I can’t. I wish I could. All I know is that we are
going to travel this journey together. I am asking that you commit to travel with me. We need to do this together. God is working mightily in our congregation and my desire is that we are on God’s page for us!
In January, many of us signed this New Year Commitment for 2016. I am printing it
again as a reminder to our promise to God and to one another.
Lord, I rededicate myself to You in this New Year. Use my hands to bless those
around me. Speak through me to encourage others. And create in me a greater
desire for your Word and Will. Make 2016 a year of closely walking with You.
As we continue to read “A Proverb a Day” in February, I am going to ask you to share
your favorite verse for the day’s reading.
Love you all very much. Love serving the Lord with you and am looking forward to seeing God’s movement in our life together.
Love in Christ Jesus,
Ilona
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Welcome to 2016!

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Welcome to 2016!!!!!!!! How fast time flies when you are having fun!!!!! I hope you are ready to start the New Year!
new-year-2016
In the fall, I asked FPCers what Book of the Bible they would like to study in the New Year. Their response was the Book of Proverbs. So on January 3 we will begin a study on Proverbs in worship.
A proverb is a short wisdom saying that has practical implications. Henrietta Mears, writes in her bible handbook, “The ones included in the Book of Proverbs cover a variety of subjects: Listening to God’s voice for wisdom, chastity, control of the tongue, laziness, knowledge, relations with others, and justice among others. Perhaps above everything else in the book, there is a reiterated assertion that true wisdom comes from seeking the Lord and turning from evil.”
Proverbs-Wisdom-to-Invest
What an excellent way to begin the New Year.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
We will begin our study with Proverbs 1 on January 3rd. During January, I am recommending a very simple reading plan. Read a Proverb a day (a chapter a day-there are 31 chapters in Proverbs). As we read through the proverbs there are two questions we will be asking.
1. What is God saying in this text?
2. How do I apply what I have learned to my life?
You may want to start a journal or you may decide to pick up the journal sheets available at the church. Each Sunday, people will have an opportunity to share what they learned during the week.
Please join me as we grow in the God’s wisdom and apply it to our daily lives. Also join me and other members in one of our Caring, Bearing and Sharing (CBS) Small Groups. You will see a list of available groups in Christian Education Corner.
Finally, I want to invite you to our “Thanksgiving to God” dinner on Sunday, January 17th from 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm. In the fall many of you filled out a daily list of things you were thankful for during the month. As promised, a gourmet meal will be prepared by me. If you didn’t fill out the form there will be plenty of opportunities to say thanks. I will be discussing our “Thank You” opportunities in worship.
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See you in worship or in one of the CBS groups.
Love and prayers in Jesus,
Ilona

Season of Advent

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On Sunday, November 29th, we will enter into the Season of Advent. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the 4th of July! As you will see in the newsletter lots of events are happening in the life of our  congregation. I encourage you to join in on the festivities and invite friends and family to join with us. This season is a great time to invite friends who may not have made a commitment to Christ. During worship we will concentrate on God’s Call of Love to us and end on Christmas Eve with Our response to Him. The Worship Services are designed to meet the
needs of those who may be far from God or who are searching to find out more about Him.
As you can see there are meals to share, pageants to participate in and an Inter-generational Event that will excite even the faint hearted.  For more information on these events, check out the events page.
During this season many people find themselves hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is a great time for people to meet God and His people. We are His hands and feet with the Joy of offering His Hope to all people.
thebodyofChrist
The Deacons, in concert with the Session, invite you to participate in helping a family that we have ADOPTED. We will be taking financial donations for the gifts we will give to this family in need within our community.  Envelopes are available to place your donation or you may mark on your check “adopted family.”
Advent is a season of preparing…preparing yes for Christmas but even more preparing us for when Christ will come again. In that preparation let us invite others to join in our festivities and invite them to be a part of God’s family.
Love and Prayers in Jesus,
Ilona

Welcome to our new site!

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On September 13, we had a congregational meeting and voted to keep our name as Freeman Presbyterian Church. We had t-shirts made with our new logo. I was asked by lots of people what FPC stood for on the shirt. Here was my answer; FPC stands for Friends Pursuing Christ at Freeman Presbyterian Church where we are called to “Love God and Serve people.” Wow! What a statement that made. I have had so many compliments and kudos regarding the logo on our shirts and so many people in the church liked them that we decided to get sweat shirts!!!!!! This is one way to introduce people to Jesus Christ and our church and to let them know what we are all about as a congregation. But let it be noted people are watching us whether we are or are not wearing the shirt. They see Christ in us. We are His witnesses.

I want to give a shout out to all who worked Freeman Homecoming Days. We did not have a float this year because we decided it was more important to help out at FCC booths and help out where needed. Midway Awana had a “Rootbeer” float introducing the community to this important ministry and won second place!!! Many of the Awana children and adults walked or rode on the float.

On Sunday (9/20), we held the last of the summer’s “Worship in the Park.” We had a great time worshipping God, singing along with Richard Thurman and some old gospel favorites. We ate donuts and shared those goodies with friends and neighbors of Freeman. One of the Sunday small groups followed the festivities with lunch in the park. Oh, there was so much joy.

In September, we began organizing prayer teams to be praying for our children, teachers, and administrators at our school. We have teams that pray at home Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, we will join as one body interceding on behalf of Midway-Cass. If you would like to join one of these teams let me know or sign up on Sunday.

Love in Christ,

Ilona