The Messenger Newsletter

The Messenger
M O U N TA I N B I B L E C H U RC H
Volume 26 Issue 8
August 2013
Strength and Honor
The beating heart of the
Church is not in the pews of a
building, it’s in the classrooms,
hallways, and ball fields of
our schools. It’s in the workplace and most importantly,
it’s in our homes and neighborhoods.
There is a statement in the
movie ‘Gladiator’ by the character Maximus that is an axiom. He and a few of his fellow gladiators are about to
be attacked when Maximus
says, “Whatever comes out of
these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we
work together. Do you understand? If we stay together,
we survive.”
That same key to survival is
true in all of life. It’s true for
our nation and especially true
for the Christians in our nation.
It’s also true for our own MBC
family. Enemies abound but if
we stand together in the purpose and power of Christ, our
enemies will be rendered
helpless. Ecclesiastes 4:12
All Christians are called to
be Christ’s disciples and soldiers of the Cross. Ephesians
2 tells us Satan has been allowed a strong foothold in this
world. Chapter six exhorts us
to put on the complete armor
of God. I wish to refer to
these Christians as ‘Disciple –
Gladiators.’
You may feel the reference comparing the earth to
a Colosseum is a stretch but I
remind you that Hebrews 12
says there is a great cloud
of witnesses observing what
is going on among earthlings. Mostly, they are taking note of those who are
willing to keep their eyes
focused on Jesus, who is the
author and finisher of our
faith.
Then, as you listen, Christ
asks you, His ‘Disciple Gladiators;’ one more thing,
“Will you be protectors of
My Kingdom and My Church
for as long as I give you life?
If you will, I will empower
you but to one end alone, be
witnesses for me everywhere
you go. As you do you will
defeat the corruption that
has crippled the world,
America, and even the
Church today! Do you accept this great honor that I
have offered you?”
True ‘Disciple - Gladiators’ know this is a task too
big for the best of us. Then
we hear Christ assuring us
that all authority in heaven
and earth has been given to
Him and He promises to be
with us every step of the
way. True ‘Disciple – Gladiators’ with head bowed and
heart pounding will fall to
their knees in submission and
respond, “Yes Lord, my life is
yours to command!”
At one point Maximus says
to his fellow Gladiator –
slaves; “Brothers, what we do
in life echoes in eternity.”
That’s a fascinating perspective of life uttered by
Maximus because as a slave,
his owner ‘Proximo’ advocates; “We are nothing but
dust and shadows, dust and
shadows.”
The enemies of the cross of
Christ shout at the top of their
lungs that same message.
There’s nothing special about
you. When you die you return
to dust and your life will have
been nothing more than a
shadow.
Soldiers of the Cross have
a very different missive about
the significance of our lives
from Christ to all mankind.
This missive reads,
“You are the light of the
world. A city situated on a hill
cannot be hidden. 15 No one
lights a lamp and puts it under
a basket, but rather on a
lampstand, and it gives light
for all who are in the house. 16
In the same way, let your light
shine before men, so that they
may see your good works and
give glory to your Father in
heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 (HCSB)
The Messenger
In other words, “what we
do on earth echoes through
eternity.”
When mortality impacts
a person and they see more
days behind them than in
front of them . . . they want
to know if there was some
purpose to their life. We
ask the question again,
“Why are we here and is
my life making a difference
in this world? That seems a
rather optimistic question so,
‘is my life making a difference in my community? We
may feel more comfortable
narrowing the scope to our
own family, have we made
a positive difference there?
Christ gives us a very
different measuring device;
He says He has made us a
light. So the question is, how
far does a light shine? The
answer is, it depends on the
density of the darkness
around your light.
You might recall when
Marcus Aurelius asked Maximus, “Tell me again why
are we here (fighting this
war)?” Maximus answered,
“For the glory of the empire,
sire. They fought for you
and for Rome.”
Marcus Aurelius asks a
most pertinent yet unexpected question: “And what
is Rome, Maximus?” His answer was pungent; “I've seen
much of the rest of the
world. It is brutal and cruel
and dark, Rome is the light.”
We can hear Christ engaging us in a similar conversation today. “Tell me
again why you are here?”
We answer, “For the glory
of your Kingdom Lord! I’ve
seen much of the rest of the
world and it’s brutal and
cruel and dark. Your Kingdom is the light!”
Then don’t ever forget
that conversation! Life is a
gift from our heavenly father to us. “Who are you to
give it up for lack of lifting
a spoon?” Juba – Gladiator
Maximus asks the question, “I am a slave! What
possible difference can I
make?” By the end of the
movie, that question is vividly answered. You probably
ON OUR 42ND BIRTHDAY WE WILL HAVE OUR WORSHIP SERVICE
AT 10AM AND LUNCH WILL FOLLOW.
INVITE YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS TO HELP US CELEBRATE!
Page 2
question what difference
your life can possibly make.
Your answer will touch all of
your life’s decisions. Correctly answered it will give
you strength to resist temptation, stand firm in the midst
of trials, to openly ask Christ
to direct every aspect of
your life. Your life has
great significance in God’s
hands.
Toward the end of the
movie after Maximus dies,
Lucilla asks, “Is Rome worth
one good man's life? We
believed it once. Make us
believe it again. He was a
soldier of Rome. Honor
him!”
I ask you, “Is the Kingdom of Christ worth one
good man’s life?” Is Christ’s
Kingdom worth your life?
Let’s remain in the land of
the living in our analysis
here. Obviously Maximus
believed the empire of
Rome was worth his life and
that belief directed his life’s
decisions.
Do you believe the Kingdom of Christ is worth your
life? Have you become a
soldier of Christ’s Cross?
Are you a ‘Disciple – Gladiator’ for Christ? If your answer is yes, then we honor
you, both now and when
that time comes when your
life is called into the presence of Christ, the judge of
the living and the dead.
We have a good friend
of our MBC family who after
33 years is stepping down
from the position of Executive Director of Youth for
Christ Kern County, to take a
smaller role in the organization, Jim Lewis. Jim has su-
perbly led the Kern County
‘Youth for Christ’ ministries
and has seen thousands of
high school and middle
school students accept
Christ’s offer of redemption.
Thousands more have rededicated their lives to
make a difference for
Christ’s Kingdom.
Jim’s precious wife Dianna has been a vital part of
his ministry as well as having
her own ministries through
YFC. They have both been
‘Disciple – Gladiator’ soldiers for Christ primarily
focused on our Kern County
youth.
I ask you, “Is reaching
our Kern County’s youth
worth one good man’s life?”
Then honor him.
I ask you again, “Is the
Kingdom of Christ, the only
source of ‘light’ in this dark,
cruel and brutal world,
worth one good man’s life?
Then honor Him!
Lucilla comments somewhere in the movie, “Today I
saw a slave become more
powerful than the Emperor
of Rome.”
In that same frame of
thought, every time a soul is
freed from the bondage of
sin and delivered into the
glorious Kingdom of Christ,
the servant – slave of Christ
has become more powerful
than all the powers of evil in
this World.
Thank you Jesus and
thank you ‘Gladiators for
Christ who have answered
God’s call to be faithful witnesses for Jesus. “We honor
you!”
Your Pastor, Marv
Volume 26 Issue 8
Bible Happenin’ In The Park
tended by 25 of our faithful church kids with a handful of neighborhood children. The weather was
perfect, surely because of
the prayers offered by
many.
A couple of
balloons
were
hung to
blow in the wind. One
never made it to be hung
as it escaped and blew
away in the lovely breeze.
The VBS song leaders
kicked off the Happenin’
with enthusiastic VBS music.
Our Mission’s Team decided to take the Bible to the
park. Sharing the Bible with
neighborhood kids on a sunny afternoon is the perfect
way to reach the unchurched. Invitation
were made and
passed out to all
the Vacation Bible
School participants.
More were printed
and delivered door
-to-door in a couple of
neighborhoods. The Youth
were diligent in covering the
neighborhood with invitations, but many residents
didn't answer their doors.
The Happenin’ was at-
It was hard to corral the kids
from the fun play equipment
in the park but finally they
all got settled to hear Marilyn Berg give the Bible story
of Paul and Silas jail experience with live action from
chosen youth characters. The
Bible verse memorization is a
method using Crazy Cards
requiring various activities
while reading the verse.
Psalm 33:20 was the verse
used to reinforce the idea of
hope and help from the
Lord. At the end of the party, Oreo cookies and cold
water was served.
Cappy Stephens
Emily Rohe Earning Medals
On June 30, 6-year-old
Emily Rohe of Tehachapi,
competed in the ISI Summer
Skate Fest Figure Skating
Competition in Channel Islands. She competed in
three events in her division
(Alpha) and placed first in
all three, receiving a perfect
score of 5.0 in each event.
She brought home three
gold medals earning the
chance to advance to this
year’s World’s Figure Skating Championships, which
only happens every four
years.
Her first time on the ice
was this last December
when Valley Oaks Charter
School took a field trip to
the ice rink. She stepped a
very tiny, shaky foot on the
ice and has loved it ever
since.
Emily skates almost daily
at the San Joaquin Community Hospital Ice Center in
Bakersfield and is coached
by Kalina Auch and Cory
Frias. During the school semester she combines her
training with gymnastics
classes at Perfect 10 Gymnastics in Tehachapi.
In Anaheim, at the ISI
LEFT: EMILY
LEFT: EMILY
WITH FATHER
OF COMPETITOR. HE
WANTED HIS
PICTURE TAKEN
WITH EMILY
WITH HER
DAD, RON
RIGHT: EMILY
ON PODIUM
RIGHT: EMILY
WITH NEW
FRIEND AND
COMPETITOR
World’s Recreational Figure
Skating Championships the
next week, Emily earned a
gold, a silver, and a bronze
medal for each of her
events. The Championships
were held on three different Olympic size arenas.
Emily skated at two of the
three rinks.
Congratulations to
Emily!!!
The Messenger
Vacation Bible School 2013
Page 4
Photos courtesy of Brandie Johnson and Debbie McIntyre
Volume 26 Issue 8
Vacation Bible School
Energy, enthusiasm, fun,
fun, fun!!! That pretty much
describes the week of July
15-19. It was Vacation
Bible School week and it
was great. There were
about 80 kids that attended and 27 of those do not
have a home church. So,
yea, we are reaching the
un-churched! Everyone
worked so hard to make it
a great week and it sure
paid off. There was laughter, water, prayer, songs,
and lots of smiles. We set a
goal to raise $300 for the
victims of the tornadoes in
Oklahoma. We raised
$572.90! Wow, that is our
God meeting all our needs
for sure. Thank you to all
the artists, volunteers, helpers, teachers, prayer warriors, and people who donated much needed time, food,
CHURCH SIGNS:
candy, and camping gear.
It surely can’t be done without all of us pulling together. When we all use our
talents and skills it just
makes everything come
together beautifully. A
million thanks!
Lori Henry
GOD LOVES US THE WAY
WE ARE, BUT LOVES US
TOO MUCH TO LEAVE US
THAT WAY.
FORGIVENESS IS THE
SCENT THAT THE ROSE
LEAVES ON THE HEEL THAT
CRUSHES IT.
Children’s Director
GOD DOESN’T WANT
SHARES OF YOUR LIFE, HE
WANTS CONTROLLING
INTEREST.
Kids And Teens Wanted
A call to all kids and
teens who like to sing.
September 8th is Mountain
Bible Church’s 42nd anniversary celebration….also
know as our Annual Fall
Kick-off.
All kids and teens are
invited to be a part of an
ensemble group that will
sing two songs during the
10:00am worship service.
We will be singing songs
from this year’s Vacation
Bible School soundtrack.
PLEASE, LORD, LET ME
There will be several practices leading up to this big
event. Be watching the
bulletin for more information.
Lori Henry
Children’s Director
PROVE THAT WINNING
THE LOTTERY WON’T
SPOIL ME.
HOW TO AVOID EARTHQUAKES: IF YOU FIND A
FAULT, DON’T DWELL ON
IT.
PESSIMISTS NEED A KICK
IN THE CAN’TS.
A LOT OF MONEY IS
TAINITED: IT TAIN’T
YOURS, AND IT TAIN’T
MINE.
EXPECTING THE WORLD
TO TREAT YOU FAIRLY
BECAUSE YOU ARE
‘GOOD’ IS LIKE EXPECTING THE BULL NOT TO
CHARGE BECAUSE YOU
ARE A VEGETARIAN.
Page 5
The Messenger
We Are Going To Miss Carol Pepaj
Carol Pepaj, 51,
passed away at home on
July 16, 2013, surrounded
by her loving family.
Carol was born June
14, 1962, in Jackson Tennessee to her parents, Dow
and Jane Mullins. She was
a beautiful tomboy who
loved sports including softball, track and field, tennis,
and horseback riding. Her
life-long love for outdoor
activities began during her
childhood, and she never
lost her love for camping,
hiking, and fishing.
JIM LEWIS SPEAKING
AT OUR WORSHIP
CENTER DEDICATION
NOVEMBER 2003
Upon graduation from
high school in 1980, Carol
served in the U.S. Army for
three years. She loved
acting and participated in
several local productions as
well as assisting in theatrical presentation at her
church.
In 1986, Carol relocated to Tehachapi where she
met and married her soul
mate, Paul Pepaj on November 15, 1997. Upon
the birth of their precious
son, Jack, on November 23,
2003, Carol’s joy was absolute and complete.
Those blessed to know
Carol will remember her
for her amazing sense of
humor and wit. Carol never lost her humor even in
mundane, everyday activities. She loved to play
pranks on others, and she
could be quite imaginative
in the planning of those
pranks. Never yet has a
person been born who possessed such a capacity for
life.
Volume 26 Issue 8
CHURCH SIGNS:
FAITH SEES THE INVISIBLE,
BELIEVES THE INCREDIBLE,
AND RECEIVES THE IMPOSSIBLE!
WEEDS ARE FLOWERS
TOO, IF YOU GET TO
KNOW THEM.
YOU WERE BORN AS AN
ORIGINAL. DON’T DIE AS
A COPY.
CHRISTIANS ARE LIKE
COALS OF A FIRE … TOGETHER THEY GLOW, APRT
THEY GROW COLD.
A HUG BEATS A SHRUG
ANY DAY!
STEVE AND CAPPY STEPHENS WILL
CELEBRATE THEIR 68TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ON TUESDAY, JULY 30TH!
CONGRATULATIONS STEVE AND
CAPPY!
“ALWAYS BE HUMBLE AND GENTLE.
BE PATIENT WITH EACH OTHER, MAKING
ALLOWANCE FOR EACH OTHER’S FAULTS
BECAUSE OF YOUR LOVE.” EPHESIANS
4:2 (NLT)
BY PERSEVERANCE, THE
SNAIL REACHED THE ARK.
BEFORE YOU WONDER,
“AM I DOING THINGS
RIGHT,” ASK “AM I DOING
THE RIGHT THING?”
PEOPLE ARE NOT YOUR
PROBLEM, THEY ARE YOUR
PURPOSE
For Help and Answers
Call the church office-----———————————-----822-7541
Crisis Prayer requests————-—Call Christine, 822-8849
Change address or phone———————————---822-7541
Doctrinal questions-----——————-–————--------822-7541
Wedding questions----———————-————---------822-7541
Hospital visits----------------——————————-—------822-7541
Counseling Information--———–———————------822-7541
Child dedication Service -———————————---822-7541
Student Ministries (Junior High to College)—-822-7541
Membership/Baptism-----———————————-----822-7541
The Messenger of Mountain Bible Church
Office Manager and Editor: Donna Eastham
Contributing Writers: Lori Henry, Cappy Stephens, and Pastor Slifer.
Distribution: Neya Kuithe
Sunday Morning Services at Mountain Bible Church: 8:30 and 10:30
Children’s Programs are available at the same times.
Infant care (0-2 years) is available in the nursery.
Senior Pastor: Dr. Marvin D. Slifer
Children’s Ministries Director: Lori Henry
Youth Ministries Director: Christy Boyd
Human Resource Director: Christy Boyd
Trustees for 2013: Bill Ary, Andy Eloff, Robert Garcia, Paul Hughes, David Lange, Ron Rohe, Paul Smith, Ed Weston and Ron Williams.
Elders for 2013: Dennis Collins, Sam Conklin, Ed Dunlap, Dae Lantz, Dave Lawrence, Tom Lichtenwaldt, Darrin Mason, Andy McCain
and Andy Ohmit.
The Messenger is published monthly. All submissions to The Messenger are due the twentieth (20th) of each month. We would like
contributions of news articles, photos and other information from the Youth Group, Men’s and Ladies Bible Studies, Missions Team, Let’s
Eat Cafe, Energizers and Praise Team. Please remember to put your name on the article so we can give proper credit.
The Messenger is published by:
Mountain Bible Church 630 Maple Street Tehachapi, CA 93561 661-822-7541
MOUNTAIN BIBLE CHURCH
630 Maple Street
Tehachapi, CA 93561
Phone: 661-822-7541
Fax: 661-822-8557
www.mountainbiblechurch.org
E-mail: [email protected]