Monthly Newsletter AUGUST ISSUE
Transcription
Monthly Newsletter AUGUST ISSUE
Monthly Newsletter OCTOBER ISS U E The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 How do we say goodbye well? With Harold and Margaret Hartwig moving to Lafayette, Ross Church is forced to say goodbye to a couple who have been part of this congregation for a long time. When someone leaves a congregation how do you say goodbye to them and how do you do it well? Oftentimes when a person leaves a church it is under tough circumstances that are necessarily positive. Perhaps they are unhappy with a decision that has been made, or the vision that has been cast, or have been hurt by another member. There isn’t often a goodbye in these circumstances, the person just stops showing up. No matter the circumstances, we should wish someone well and bless them in the name of the Lord. While that is not always easy to do it, it is the Christ-like thing to do. Harold and Margaret are moving away and so it is easier to say goodbye well. Truthfully, it is hard to say goodbye because of the relationships we have with them.. Whenever someone leaves Ross Church I hope we can wish them well and bless them in the name of the Lord no matter the circumstances because it is what God wants us to do. Shawn Gerbers, Pastor 1 VISION To be a multi-generational, multi-cultural community church following Jesus Christ. MISSION Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we share God's love joyfully and meaningfully so that all may know Jesus Christ, be energized by His love, and become responsible, growing members of His Church. 4 CORE VALUES As a church, God has called us to be his people in this place. We can do that in a number of different ways, but God has placed it on the hearts of Ross’ leaders to focus on Community, Discipleship, Evangelism and Worship. We believe Ross Church is meant to focus on these four areas, and do them well. Worship “Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” Psalm 98:1 Community “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many” 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Discipleship “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:15 Evangelism “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’” Mark 16:15 2 Worship Services Oct. 2nd World Communion Sunday 9:30 AM Rev. Shawn Gerbers Oct. 9th YOUR 2016 DEACONS AND ELDERS Zone 1: Zone 2: Zone 3: Zone 4: Zone 5: Zone 6: 9:30 AM Rev. Shawn Gerbers Ministry of Music: Ross Choir USHERS FOR OCTOBER John Rattray, Shelli Cavell, Mel Scheeringa Oct. 16th 9:30 AM Rev. Shawn Gerbers Oct. 23rd 9:30 AM Rev. Shawn Gerbers Ministry of Music: Ross Choir Oct. 30th L.V. McCoy (D) Bob Taylor (E) Mel Scheeringa (D) Don Mauger (E) Kevin Cheeseman (D) John Terpstra (E) Jonathan Evan (D) Keith Best (E) James Crowder (D) Rich Mara (E) Brandon Lohman (D) Dean Schramm (E) ELDER SCHEDULE Greeters Prayer Room Oct. 2: Rich Mara, Don Mauger Oct. 9: Bob Taylor, Keith Best Oct. 16: Don Mauger, John Terpstra Oct. 23: Keith Best, Rich Mara Oct. 30: John Terpstra, Dean Schramm 9:30 AM, Rev. Shawn Gerbers John Terpstra Rich Mara Dean Schramm Don Mauger Bob Taylor Nursery If you have children (infant through 2 years old) feel free to utilize our nursery so they can be taken care of as you enjoy the service. Our qualified Nursery Attendants are: Oct. 2: Oct. 9: Oct. 16: Oct. 23: Oct. 30: Nikki Eriks, Eileen Scuderi, Jaydon Doran Wanda Crumpton, Maureen Lohman, Madison Cheeseman Ashley Gerbers, Gretna Szymansky, Emma Cheeseman Monica Eriks, Brittany Gifford, Maya Cheeseman Ardy Best, Ruth Kaluf, Nathan Cheeseman Children’s Church Touch the heart of God, change the hearts of kids! During our greeting time children ages 2 to 1st grade are invited to the 3rd Floor. Children’s Church is where your young children build their worship foundation. This is where they focus on God in a personal way—and experience children’s worship through uplifting songs and fun, memorable Bible learning. 3 Teachers Oct. 2: Peggy Gardenhire, Kennedy Bianci Oct. 9: Ardy Best Oct. 16: Laura McCoy, Jenny Hernandez Oct. 23: Shirley Bianchi Oct. 30: Cindy & Jessica Lovall Oct. 23rd. is the DEADLINE to hand in November Newsletter materials and calendar dates. Deposit in writing in the “Secretary” box in the Chapel. The Aaron and Hur Honor In Exodus 17 the Israelites are fighting against the Amalekites. Whenever Moses held his hands up the Israelites prevailed, but over time his hands grew weary so Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands up for him so that the Israelites could prevail. Without Aaron and Hur to help Moses, the Israelites would have been overcome. The Aaron and Hur Honor is a way for Ross Church to recognize and give thanks to those who serve God by serving Ross Church. If you would like to nominate someone please see Shawn. Join folks from Ross and the community as we enjoy a good meal together. God is doing some amazing things on Wednesday night at Ross, come check it out. This month’s recipient is Janet Best Janet does so many different things around Ross Community Reformed Church. It depends on the day of the week as to where you will find her. On Sunday mornings Janet runs the computer for worship. She ensures that everything runs smoothly. After fellowship time she helps oversee the Sunday School program. During the week she keeps the books for Ross Church. She pays the bills and prepares the financial statements. She also volunteers for AWANA on Wednesday and the bread ministry on Thursdays. She really does a lot. In fact, I’m not sure I can list all that she does. If you see Janet, tell her thank you for all that she does for Ross Church. 56th Annual Torchlight Dinner, a ministry celebration for Providence Life Services will be on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Art Institute of Chicago. Join us for an elegant dinner, access to select galleries and complimentary valet parking. Make your reservations online at www.providencelifeservices.com/events or by contacting Joan Schutt: (708)342-8108 4 Sunday, October 30th is invite a friend to worship Sunday! Is there someone you have been thinking about inviting to worship? Or maybe they have been going through a rough time? Invite a friend or family to worship on October 30th. Member Highlight: Kay Childers 1. Tell us a little about yourself. My life began in Watseka, Illinois. I grew up in Hammond, IN. I married my husband right after high school and together we raised 5 children, built 3 homes and lived in Calumet Township. I drove a school bus for 30 years. I became a member of Ross after Pat Mara talked me into coming to the Easter Sunrise Service. I found a welcoming home here at Ross. 2. Are there any clubs/activities at Ross that you are involved with? I sing in the choir, play dartball, help in the kitchen, belong to Esther circle and am the contact person for the funeral lunches. 3. What is your favorite Ross activity, if any? What makes it so? Dartball is my favorite activity because it brings us all together with other churches in fellowship. My second favorite activity is working in the kitchen on banquets, the cookie walk, the Community Meal, etc. 4. What are your favorite Ross memories? What makes them so? The live nativity outside at Christmas and the concerts in the picnic pavilion. It is nice to see us get together with others for fellowship. ** Want to get to know someone more? Or maybe no one knows much about you? Make a suggestion of yourself or another member to be our next Member Highlight! Send your recommendation to the office! ** Father/Son Cookout Saturday, October 8th 1-2:30 PM Tickets are $5 and can be purchased from Shawn. 5 Roof Replacement Fundraiser In July we began our roof replacement fundraiser. Our goal is to replace the eastside of the Sanctuary roof, along with the roof over the classrooms. We would also like to replace the garage roof. We are looking at a cost of around $45,000 for the total job. If you would like to donate towards the roof replacement, please put your donation in the offering plate separate from your normal giving, or you can give your donation directly to the deacons. This is a large fundraiser but a much needed one since we are reaching the end of a normal roof life span. We have been spending a few thousand dollars each year on repairs to maintain our current roof that has been losing shingles each year. If you have any questions please free to ask Jonathan Evans or Mel Scheeringa. Goal: $45,000 Raised to date: $1,245 AWANA has started back up after summer break! All kids from Ages 2 to high school are invited to join in on the fun. If you shop Amazon, go to smile.amazon.com and use Ross Reformed Church as your non-profit of choice. It won’t cost you anything and Ross will receive a percentage of your purchase! Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 6 October is Hospitality Month hos·pi·tal·i·ty /ˌhäspəˈtalədē/ noun the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. synonyms: friendliness, hospitableness, warm reception, welcome, helpfulness, neighborliness, warmth, kindness, congeniality, geniality, cordiality, courtesy, amenability, generosity, entertainment, catering, food October is going to be hospitality month here at Ross Community Reformed Church. We as a congregation are going to attempt 1,000 acts of hospitality. This idea was drawn from the Slow Church book we studied earlier this year. We recognize the great abundance we have been given by God, and so we respond to his abundance through generosity and hospitality. Below is a list of a few examples of hospitality. Every time you complete an act you can fill out a card and place it on the board down stairs. We have 31 days to practice hospitality. Let’s see how well we can do. Greet a stranger with a smile or a high-five Invite someone to get a coffee (and pay) If you see someone who by themselves, invite them to join you Laughter is the best medicine, try to make a stranger laugh Share a ride with someone to your neighborhood Pay for a strangers food/drink at a restaurant or coffee house Give away baked goods (cookies, brownies, pies, etc.) Bake a cake with some friends and go to a public place and offer it to anyone who may want some Invite someone to stay at your home Invite strangers or acquaintances over for a good home cooked meal Offer to pray for someone in need Bring doughnuts (or a healthy treat, like cut-up fruit) to work 7 Cook a meal or do a load of laundry for a friend who just had a baby or is going through a difficult time When visiting others or having people over put your phone away Hang out with the person who just moved to town Each time you get a new piece of clothing, donate an old one Give someone a book you think they’d like When you go somewhere to get or do something, ask the people around you if you can pick up anything they need Let them have the parking space Visit a nursing home Play board games with senior citizens at a nursing home Babysit for a single mom for free Open your home to someone in need 1. Ashley Gerbers has given us an update on Ali’s foot. The last visit to the doctor, the X-ray was not clear but she has another appointment on Sept. 29th to have another X-ray taken. Hopefully she will be up and around in no time. Ashley would like to thank everyone for the prayers that were offered for Ali. Please God heal her soon. 2 Delores Carlson is having problems with her stomach. Not sure what the problem is. Please pray that she will soon be over her discomfort. God, please hold her close and heal her. 3. Dortohy Douma has been in the hospital and hopes to be out soon. Please keep her in your prayers. Dear God please take care of Dorothy in all her needs . 4. Dan Bagwell (friend from Wednesday nights) has had successful surgery. Will be home soon. Please continue to pray for him. Thank you God for successful surgery, may he make a complete recovery. 5.The following people are experiencing various problems and need our continued prayers. Karen Scheeringa; Kathryn Fronek; Marilyn Niles, Seth Lender and Bertha Banning. NURSING HOME RESIDENTS HOMEBOUND PLEASE SEND CARDS 1. Dorothy Douma 2. Elsie Edmonds 3. Ron Szymanski 4. Tom Keller Lincolnshire Health Care Center 8380 Virginia Place Merrillville, IN 46420 St. Anthony Home 203 Franciscan Dr. Crown Point, IN 46307 Aperion Care of Kokomo 3518 S. Lafountain Street PLEASE SEND CARDS 1. Leona Leep – 11606 Parrish, Cedar Lake, IN 46303 2. Eldon Niles – 8711 Mathews Street, Crown Pont, IN 46307 Kokomo, IN 46902 PRAY FOR THOSE IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY 1. Major Scott Diehl 2. Charlie Eastman E4 3. John Morris, Air Force (Bertha Banning’s Grandson) 4. Paige Raymond 5. Don Alex Tatalovich, Navy – Crew Chief of Search and Rescue 6. M/SGT Alex Zimnawoda Would you like prayer? After the service, a member from the Prayer Team will be in the prayer room located off the hallway one level below the sanctuary. If you have a prayer concern or praise, please feel free to join them – they will be happy to pray for you or with you! 8 Prayer Team Members in Prayer Room Oct. 2: Katheryn Fronek Oct. 9: Maleeta Yonker Oct. 16: Harold Hartwig Oct. 23: Eloise Kalmar Oct. 30: Pat Mara All classes are after the church service, from 11 a.m. to Noon Nursery (infant—2years) - Nursery Beginners - 3rd Floor Post High - Preschool Rm. Keith Best’s Class - 3rd Floor Eloise Kalmar’s Class - Fireside Room (begins Sept. 11th) PRESCHOOL PLAYGROUP Ages 3, 4 & 5 year olds 9:30 A.M. Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays CONSISTORY MEETING for Elders and Deacons is on Monday, October 17th at 6:30 P.M. Those who would like to request baptism transfer of membership or to make profession of faith in Christ are invited to meet with the Elders. Please call the church office at 980-0200 if you plan to attend. The Ross preschool playgroup meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from September through May. Please recommend our preschool to anyone who is looking. OCTOBER 6, 2016 RUTH CIRCLE Meets at 9:15 AM at Katheryn’s home Study Book: The Great House of God Katheryn Fronek, Hostess Wanda Crumpton, Study Leader Wanda Crumpton, Chairwoman OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS Only one Oct. Birthday Arlene Mauger, Oct. 5th ESTHER CIRCLE Meets at 1:00 PM at Kay’s Home Study Book: “Biblical Ministries Through Women” Kay Childers, Hostess Linda Tolle, Study Leader Kay Childers, Chairwoman HANNAH CIRCLE Meets at 7:00 PM at Church Ruth Kaluf, Chairwoman Pat Mara, Sunshine Girl 9 Missions EVERY CHILD MINISTRIES is a Christian mission dedicated to African children, especially those in crisis. ECM has major work in three African Countries—DR Congo, Ghana and Uganda, with additional outreach to several other African countries. Our banquet this year is focused on providing a successful route for African children at a crossroads! Please help us continue to reach the fo4rgotten children of Africa by giving generously that evening in the freewill offering. THANK YOU! ECM PARTNERSHIP FUNDRAISING BANQUET SATURDAY, October 22, 2016 5:30PM Lake County Fairgrounds, Crown Point, Indiana Young Indian missionaries with the burning desire to reach their ouwn people with the Good News are willing and ready to go into a remote area to share the Good News. They are willing to endure hardship and persecution to share their faith. Not just India! In many areas of the world, people are routinely brutalized, jailed, and even killed for their faith in God. Being able to listen to God’s Word and receive comfort strength, and hope is a huge encouragement to those who live in areas where persecution is common. With the Talking Bible, these pastors and missionaries are able to teach non-readers right from the Bible what the truth is about God and His Son Jesus Christ. For the first time, they hear about a living God who loves them very much. Your partnership with Talking Bible International is helping to place Talking Bibles into the hands of people who have not other way to learn about God. They can’t read. They can’t meet regularly together. Without a Talking Bible, they are alone and have no way to learn about God’s love for them. A Talking Bible gives them knowledge, hope and assurance of eternal salvation. Please help us continue to place Talking Bibles in areas where Christians are persecuted. Together we can Help Pastor John reach those who have no other way lo learn about God and grow in their faith. Because they need to hear. Mark S. Hoekstra President, Talking Bibles International We are writing this special letter to you to let you know that we have been forced to retire at the end of this year from the Mission to Internationals Inc. We want to let our churches know first so that you will have time to plan accordingly when it is time to make a budget for 2017. After Tom’s disastrous back surgery in October of 2014, he has tried to recover and return to work full time. He is not doing as well as we expected and hoped. So regretfully, we are going to retire and dissolve the Mission to Internationals Corporation on December 31, 2016. How grateful we are for all of you who have been such wonderful encouragers, supporters and friends to us as we have worked to serve the Lord and the international students at Oklahoma State University. You have faithfully supported the Mission with special gifts, in prayer and with many letters and cards of encouragement. We wish we could come and visit you to thank you personally for all you have done for us and the international students here at OSU but Tom is not able to travel much right now. Tom & Liz Stewart 10 Missions Year –end giving makes up a significant part of Alliance Defending Freedom’s Income, which determines our ability to fight for you. And we are trusting God for $7.6 million in gifts before December 31 so we can be a vital force to defend Christians when they are attached for their faith in the year ahead. To meet his need, everyone must do their part. Your gift — whatever God leads you to share — will help immediately. Please give prayerfully as you are able. You see, this year we received more than 3,000 calls for help. That’s far more cases than Alliance Defending Freedom and our allies can take. And with the opponents of life, marriage and family, and your re4ligious freedom ramping up their attached, this number will only increase. It troubles me every time we are forced to turn down a request for help due to a lack of resources. We need your prayers and your gift today, to fight back and win! (John 15:5) Without your support, we can’t even show up for the fight. As a strictly cash-based ministry, Alliance Defending Freedom will not go into debt to accept a case. That means we can’t take on a legal battle unless we have adequate funding. I’m writing to you today from Kathmandu, Nepal, where my wife, Ronda and I are based. First and foremost, I want to thankyou for your generous support that has allowed MAF to be here and serve the people though the disaster response period. Your giving enabled MAF to make a huge impact on the ground, in terms of lifesaving service. Right now I am working on getting government approvals and laying a foundation for MAF staff to serve Nepal well into the future. The rebuilding process is expected to take between three and five years, and we want to be here to support that. Many people are still living in temporary shelters. Please pray for the rebuilding process to pick up speed, and for the health and safety of the mountain people through the coming winter months, particularly those living above nine thousand feet. Beyond rebuilding efforts, there are great needs in areas even farther out west … in a very dark corner of Nepal. We are earnestly praying and taking steps to provide flight service to this area. The people there face extreme poverty and have poor access to health care and e4ducation. Human trafficking is a big problem. The physical needs are just enormous. Other like-minded organizations already in these areas of Nepal are working on livelihood projects —agriculture, education, or health p4rojects— but they’re struggling to get out there. Travel is difficult, time-consuming and expensive. MAF can help them overcome these barriers. One of the partners we’re working with said that, because MAF is providing access to these areas out west, “there is a new hope at our doorstep.” Now they’re able to reach people that really need to be reached. Working together, and with your help, we can bring hope to people who have none. Stan Unruh Mission Aviation Fellowship Nampa, Idaho 11