2015 – November – Heights Happenings

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Heights Happenings
November 2015
An informational newsletter of:
Greetings to you Southern Heights family and friends! This fall
sure has been exceptionally warm!
There has been plenty going on these last few months.
First though, we as elders would like to let you know that there
are many people in the family of Southern Heights that
diligently pray for you and we are grateful to be a part of your
life journey regardless of where that is or leads. Please
remember that our contact information is always available to
you should you need anything!
So right out of the gate, September was slamming busy
and full of amazing things that Southern Heights was ready to
do to bring Glory and Honor to the King of Kings! We started
out with our Kick-off Sunday. After that, a number of things
ensued. We introduced our new logo, with a fully intentional "I
am the church wherever I am" pursuit. We also had a chance
to get a new picture taken as a family, included were those
new snazzy bags with the revamped church logo on it. Many
of us had the chance to gather for a fantastic church campfire
and quality movie, "Princess Bride," which is a huge favorite of
many! We began the "40 Days in the Word" challenge as well
as the new seating arrangement "In the Round", which
enabled us to get a visual grasp on what it is like to put the
Word of God center in our lives.
"Refresh" has been a wave of "refreshment" on many
levels, providing something for everyone every Wednesday!
There have been great meals planned and eaten (yum) as well
as a slew of group choices every other week. Week-A has
given options such as the new Dangerous group, Men's and
Women's ministries, Cadets, GEMS, etc.. The list goes on!
On the B-week, the Multi-generational Service has provided a
great time of worship and learning together. These are just the
highlights but so many good things happened in September,
and it is so good to be part of a growing family!
October marked the first of our First Fruits Campaign. Thanks
to all who have taken on the challenge and prayerful
consideration of completing a First Fruits pledge. This certainly
requires us to trust God with our finances, which also helps
set the tone for the future budget, which in turn blesses the
ministry options our church family engages in.
Also in October we had a chance to engage in another
family meeting. It was filled with good vibes and
information that enabled our congregation to be caught
up on the conversations, steps and actions that have
taken place since our last family meeting. It certainly
seems safe to say that we have all experienced a tighter
community feel as we have worked together to grow as a
family who serves and loves God!
Speaking of a growing family, we would like to (again)
welcome Logan and Stephanie Higley as well as Bill and
Deb Hughes to the family officially! They took the time to
encourage us by sharing their stories, including a
profession of faith from the Higley's. God is truly showing
his workmanship in our lives and we praise Him for what
he is doing at Southern Heights!
November is moving along at a good click and still
quite warm compared to last year! As we address the
beginning of the month, this past Sunday (Nov 8) we had
a chance to submit ourselves in service to our neighbors
with our "Service Sunday." What an excellent way to put
into action exactly what we are intending to do in our
vision of "I am the church wherever I am." We are looking
forward to see how God uses this church family to
engage the world, starting, but not limited to our own
neighborhoods! It will also be interesting to see how the
Lord finishes out the year.
As we look a little bit forward, if the Lord wills it, we will
be having a Christmas Children's Service on December
20th! A big thanks goes to Tami Koning and those
working with her to make parts of that service an exciting
time for our children and a good memory for each of us
as we near the celebration of Christ's birth.
Lastly, the elders would like to continue to encourage you
to shine brightly for the world to see. As we all struggle
with the invasive culture and its ideologies that don't line
up with the teachings of Christ, along with the difficulties
of our own lives, remember these words and store them
in your hearts:
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Heights Happenings
Continued…
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various
kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces
steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4 (ESV)
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for
when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life
which God has promised to those he loves. James 1:12
(ESV)
Also as we continue to serve those around us, be
encouraged with these words from Galatians 6:9-10:
..."let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to
those who are of the household of faith. (ESV)
It is truly a privilege for us as elders, to serve you and we
look forward to the continuing journey that God brings us
on together!
In Christ,
Matt Smith
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decided to help the Tree of Life Christian School in the
Edison neighborhood as our Micah 6:8 project. Donation of
winter clothes especially coats were being collected in tubs
in the church lobby. Bermo Enterprises has graciously
offered coats for only $13.25 each. If you would like to
participate with Bermo’s offer, please contact Rick or Lee
Anne Fontaine.
Starting on November 1 were ”The Great Divorce” by C.S.
Lewis led by Al Olson till December 13 and a one session
class on Domestic Violence led by Deb Nieboer. On Nov 8
Marv Veltkamp led a one session update on Uganda. On
Nov 15 Pastor Dan started “Growing your Faith” which will
end on December 13.
We are now looking forward to the new year. At present we
are considering “What is Reformed Theology?”, Max
Lucado’s “Growing the Marriage of your Dreams”, “The
Gospel according to Jonah”, and a parenting class, possibly
Tony Evan’s “Raising Kingdom Kids” or Dobson’s “Family
Project”. Please watch for updates in the bulletin and
postings at our adult ed publicity table in the lobby.
Remember to keep in touch with the Lord by being in the
Word daily, participating in a life group, and spiritual growth
through independent and group study, possibly by attending
an adult ed class on Sunday morning. All the above will
help us “Be the Church Where Ever We Are”.
The Adult Ed Committee is always interested in your input
for future classes. Our forum class last year was an attempt
to respond on a weekly basis to attendees’ feedback. We
prayerfully rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us on what
subjects to cover and who should facilitate based especially
on the spiritual needs of our part of God’s family, the church
of Southern Heights. Is the Holy Spirit stretching you out of
your comfort zone? Is there a passion that He has placed
on your heart that requires additional knowledge? We
would love to help you and ourselves grow and succeed.
Please communicate how your Adult Ed Committee (AL
Olson, Cheryl Kemink, Rick Fontaine, Larry Kopta) can
assist you directly to us or through the office.
Yours in Christ!
Larry Kopta
Adult Ed December 2015 Update
Our year had a great start with Rick Warren’s “40 Days of
Prayer”, led by Rick and Lee Anne Fontaine. Having the
class linked with the sermons reinforced the main points,
varied ways to study Scripture and being with God through
Scripture reading daily. Hope all participated even if you
didn’t take advantage of attending class and had follow up in
your small group or men’s and women’s Wednesday night
ministry. Emphasizing that reading and understanding
Scripture transforms us to action, the Sunday class group
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Heights Happenings
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DVDs
Adult Fiction
Redeemed
Paul and Beth Tyson are about to renew their
wedding vows after 20 years of marriage.
Trouble sets in as Paul’s internet security firm is
hacked and a beautiful young businesswoman
named Julia is sent to oversee Paul’s company’s
buyout. David and Liz, Paul and Beth’s friends
from church, have recently separated after Liz
admitted to having an “internet” affair. Paul tries to help his friend,
David, but starts to question what constitutes adultery as Paul
finds himself daydreaming about Julia.
Kauffman Amish Bakery Series
by Amy Clipston
A Gift of Grace, A Promise of Hope,
A Place of Peace, A Life of Joy, and
A Season of Love
Join the Kauffman and Lapp families
on their adventures in this 5 book series!
All five books stand alone, each one
branching out on tale of a different family member. Love,
heartache, trials, hope and renewal await as you take this
adventure!
Kids’ DVDs
The League of Incredible Vegetables
– Veggie Tales
When Dr. Flurry shows up in Bumblyburg and
wants to freeze the entire city, the job of saving
the town is too big for LarryBoy alone. To
accomplish the task, he turns to the League of
Incredible Vegetables for help. LarryBoy,
Thingamabob, S-Cape, Vogue, and Ricochet
learn that God is bigger than all their fears as they attempt to stop
Dr. Flurry. The DVD includes a Newsboys video and the silly
song, Supper Hero.
A Nation Divided – What’s in The Bible?
Volume 6 in the What’s in the Bible? series
covers the books of I & II Kings and I &
II Chronicles. The stories include Saul, David,
Jonathan, Elisha, Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
Topics covered include the unfaithful kings, the
prophets and the splitting of the nation of Israel.
Adults might learn something from this kids’ DVD too! Don’t miss
the bonus short, A Pirate’s Guide to Church History.
Buck Denver Asks …
Why Do They Call It Christmas?
Buck Denver invites his friends to his cabin in
the woods for a Christmas party and to learn
the origin of the Christmas traditions that we
celebrate. You’ll find out how Christmas trees,
stockings, presents, Santa’s red suit and many
other traditions point to Jesus’ birthday.
Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury
Tyler Ames is a talented baseball pitcher
who is drafted out of high school into the
minor league. Leaving behind his parents
and girlfriend, he hopes to make it big, but a
season-ending injury before he makes it to
the major league cuts short his career. A
series of miraculous events lead Tyler to a
job he desperately needs and the people who God places
in Tyler’s life to lead him down a path to forgiveness and
redemption.
Adult Non-Fiction
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
Fan or follower? Fans simply admire
Jesus, but are not totally committed.
Not a Fan challenges the reader to
honestly examine their relationship with
Jesus. Kyle Idleman provides thoughtprovoking questions to help the reader
assess their relationship and invites them
to follow Christ with their whole self.
Heights Happenings
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For families, please keep an eye out for notes
coming home and emails being sent with all of
the details. If you have any questions, please
let us know.
From Children & Family Ministry…
I hope everyone had a successful back to school
transition! I can’t believe how fast this fall has
gone. We have exciting things going on with
Children & Family Ministry that I feel blessed to
share with you.
40 Da ys in the Word… What an amazing thing
that Southern Height participated in. Our 2s-3s-4s
class learned the memory verses each week as a
way to participate. Our Kids Alive had a curriculum
that was unbelievable called “Rebels of the Book”.
It had a video series with cliffhangers that I’ve heard
a few students liked so much they tried to find the
episodes online. The lessons were also well
written and nicely focused for the volunteers. Kids
Alive were taught the memory verses with the
Rebels theme verse of All Scripture is inspired by
God and is useful to teach us what is true. 2
Timothy 3:16 (NIV) which was the focus of the
videos. At the end of the 40 Days Unit, both
classes participated in a Micah project. This
involved sending mini-care packages to soldiers in
Afghanistan with some treats, pictures with a verse
and “We are the Church” lip balm. The children
were given specific names so the families can
continue to pray for those receiving the packages
and you could feel the love that they put into the
packages.
Christmas Progra m… Let’s rejoice! We get to
celebrate the birth of Our Lord & Savior. This
year’s program is being led by Tami Koning with
Melissa Baas and Amy Triemstra. This year’s
theme is “The Angels Saw It”. Rehearsal have
already started and you won’t want to miss it so
mark your calendars for Sunday, December 20th.
Our “Song of th e Month” this month is
The Powe r of Your Name by Lincoln
Brewst er. As DJs say, “we are going to slow
it down a bit for a moment” J As I went to my
list of favorites, I was hesitant because it is not
a song you would rock out to but the words
are so strong I knew I was supposed to share
it. Maybe this can be a new devotional song
for families. “I will live…. By the power of your
name”. It’s that really what it is all about?! We
live for Him. Life isn’t always perfect but we live
because of Him and this song is a beautiful
reminder that. I hope you enjoy it!
I hope you feel God’s love this Christmas and it
is filled with all of the important things! Prayers
for a happy 2016!
Please reach out to me, Sarah Garcez, if you
have questions, comments or would like to
help the children and families.
E-mail: [email protected] or
[email protected]
Cell: 269.808.7960 (texting is welcome).
Please Join Us for:
Younger than kindergarten in 2s-3s-4s
room during Ed Hour
Elementary Kids Programming during Ed
Hour
Nurser y (0-2 years), 2s-3s-4s, Kids
Alive (K-3 r d Grade) classes during worship
service
Younger than 1 st grade every Wednesday
Night
GEMs & Ca de ts (1 st thru 5 th Grade) every
other Wednesday Night
Heights Happenings
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TREASURER’S MONTHLTY REPORT
For January 1, 2015 to October 31, 2015
11-18-2015
GENERAL FUND
Budget total for year
Pro-Rated Budget
Contributions to date
Expenses to date
Beginning Balance
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
$379,000.00
$315,833.33
$291,850.56
($311,432.25)
IN
$5,454.00
$3,810.50
$1,420.00
$347.00
$509.00
$348.00
$5,294.00
$260.00
$350.00
$748.00
OUT
$0.00
($742.86)
$0.00
($1,677.27)
$0.00
$0.00
($750.00)
($3,900.00)
($2,240.99)
($3,914.98)
$0
$5,454.00
$8,521.64
$9,941.64
$8,611.37
$9,120.37
$9,468.37
$14,012.37
$10,372.37
$8,480.46
$5,313.48
SNAPSHOT
($19,581.69)
On 10-31-2015
CHECKING
$41,256.70
SAVINGS
$41,051.99
Comments:
October was a very good giving month and our expenses were right in line
with budget. Our “snapshot” is still negative for the year, but it is not as
negative as before. We are making good headway as a church after a
difficult year. Historically, there is a good amount of giving in December
both because of Christmastime giving as well as end-of-the-year gifts.
Our Building Fund has a good balance so that we can take care of some
things before the end of the year and have a bit of reserve for the “just-incase” Our balances are stable, even if we don’t quite have the 3 month
reserve we would like. God is providing! Pray for good stewardship in both
giving as well as spending.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jeff Baas - Director of Worship and Administration/Treasurer
RESERVED AMOUNTS:
48
Building Fund: $5,313.
00
3 months Emergency: $94,750.
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