October 2010

The Evangel
Volume 3, Issue 5
Happening this
month:
Growth Groups
Leader Training Wednesdays 6:30pm
“Testimony to God’s
Grace” by Rosanne
Gilmore October 12, 7pm
Sunday Lunch October 17
October 2010
Time for Some Covenant Examples
Pastor Dale C McIntire
There’s still a great deal of ground to cover in our discussion of church covenants
and their potential use in local congregations, but now is a good time to look at a
couple of illustrations, a couple examples of church covenants. Some covenants are
short and sweet like the one from the Journey Church of New York City. Others spell
out the commitments in greater detail. Both have their strengths. Both have their
weaknesses. Neither is perfect. Each works for the church that wrote and adopted it.
Take a look at these two examples. See what commitments are defined. See what
commitments are not defined but left for individual interpretation and application. See
what is intentionally omitted. See what is intentionally included. Get an idea of what
we are talking about when we consider a church covenant.
Membership Covenant
Inside this issue:
Spanish Family
Camp Report
3
Missions
Monthly
4
Missionary
Prayer Guide
Fall 1020
5
Message from
Mt. Rose
6
CCC Quarterly 7
Business
Meeting Minutes
The Journey Church of New York City
1. I will protect the unity of my church
...by acting in love toward other members
...by refusing to gossip
...by following the leaders
2. I will share the responsibility of my church
...by praying for its growth
...by inviting the unchurched to attend
...by warmly welcoming those who visit
3. I will serve the ministry of my church
...by discovering my gifts and talents
...by being equipped to serve by my pastors
...by developing a servant’s heart
4. I will support the testimony of my church
...by attending faithfully
...by living a godly life
...by giving regularly
Signature____________________________
Date________________________________
Testimony to God’s Grace
by Rosanne
Gilmore
October 12th, 7pm at Cornerstone
Continued Pg. 2
Page 2
The Evangel
Time for Some Covenant Examples
BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH, Minneapolis, MN
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive Jesus Christ as
the Lord, Savior, and, supreme Treasure of our lives, and, on the profession of
our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, angels and this
assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as
one body in Christ.
“Hopefully, these
two examples will
give a clearer
picture of the
commitments
that can be
included in a
church
covenant”
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in
Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge,
holiness and peace; to promote its spirituality and fruitfulness; to sustain its
worship, ordinances, and discipline; to welcome, and test biblically, instruction
from the Scriptures by the elders of the church which accords with the Elder
Affirmation of Faith, seeking to grow toward biblical unity in the truth; to
contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the
expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel
through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our
children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our kindred and
acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings,
faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment, to avoid all
tattling, backbiting and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from
all drugs, food, drink, and practices which bring unwarranted harm to the body
or jeopardize our own or another’s faith.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember
one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate
Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take
offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our
Savior to secure it without delay.
We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will, if
possible, unite with a likeminded church where we can carry out the spirit of
this covenant.
We acknowledge that implicit within this covenant is the consent to be
governed by the Relational Commitments that have been officially adopted by
the church and that address peacemaking and reconciliation, accountability
and church discipline, marriage and divorce, counseling and confidentiality,
and the protection of our children.
******************************************************
Hopefully, these two examples will give a clearer picture of the commitments that can be
included in a church covenant.
Spanish Family Camp Report -
by Joel Pike
In 2009, through our relationship with our
missionary Juan Felipe from Pelican Rapids, MN,
Cornerstone became involved in the annual family
camp for the Spanish churches of Minnesota. The
three day event is held at a Girl Scouts facility which
provides the meals, a place to stay and a variety of
camp activities. On August 26-28 we participated for
a second year in the family camp, although Juan's
church was not able to attend.
Our goal was to
provide the children's ministry for the families while
the parents were attending their teaching sessions.
This involved running a VBS-style program of crafts,
bible stories, puppets, singing, games, teaching times
and snacks. We went with a desire to not only bless
the parents, but to get to know the kids and be able
to minister the grace of God in their lives.
At the
most we had 27 kids at a time, although that number
seemed to fluctuate without our being aware of it!
This year Rich and Cy Fortunato were able to attend.
Rich took care of the snacks and crafts and Cy made a
great puppeteer, as “Lola”. Margarquet helped with
the planning but was unable to attend at the last
minute. Noah was our other puppeteer, as “Harvey”; and also gave a great effort in
trying to lead and corral the wildest of the kids.
Pastor Dale and Linda were a great help during the
camp. Linda took the youngest kids for the teaching
times and had a ministry of prayer and
encouragement. Pastor Dale had the 7 and 8 yearolds and was also the creator of balloon animals and a
few impromptu games. Also from Cornerstone were
myself (Joel) and my son Joshua. I led the singing
times, did some teaching and generally tried to keep
the show rolling. John and his son Boston, who
fellowship at Okontoe, joined us as well.
John
planned games, told the Bible stories and helped teach. From Mount Rose church in
Grand Portage, Jake McCormick came to lead the teenagers. He was joined by his
sister, Molly Jo who lived nearby the camp. I am appreciative of this team as they
were tireless in reaching out to these kids. And I
appreciate the Hispanic families for including us in
their worship and times around the campfire. Rich
and the bagpipes were also a big hit.
While we
experienced some difficulties in trying to minister
cross-culturally, I know that the Lord has purposes
that He is working out in our own lives and the lives
of the Spanish churches of Minnesota. So I thank
you, Cornerstone, for your financial and prayer
support of this year's Spanish Family Camp ministry.
Missions Monthly
Jeff & Barb Chapman
Chapman Children: Christopher, Rachael, Caleb & Anna
The Chapmans are missionaries to Japan
through Converge Worldwide.They are seeing
Japanese people in their neighborhood come to
Christ and experiencing miraculous healing.Their
home church is growing and they are completing
a new school for missionary children.
Dear Warriors,
It has finally started to cool off. This is the first
day under 95 for more than a month. God is
working and we need you to pray for the
following.
going, Jeff visited the Community Center we
have used before. He reserved the room for
Christmas day and is in the process of
reserving rooms for weekly adult English
cl ass es t o b e h el d on S u nd a y
evenings. (Exodus 23:20 (NIV) 20 "See, I am
sending an angel ahead of you to guard you
along the way and to bring you to the place I
have prepared.)
1) Praise that God has provided a job for our son,
Chris, now in his 2nd year at Northwestern
College. It is at a restaurant in the dorm
only minutes from his dorm room. God is 5) Jeff met with the owner of an antique pottery
good. (Psalms 54:4 (NIV) 4 Surely God is my
shop last week. Fellow missionary, Lori
Harms, had visited the shop a few months ago
help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. )
and found out that the owner wants to study
2) We started worship services in our house Sep.
English. She promised to find someone to do
5. It has been our family and Hiro so far and
that. Nothing is concrete, yet, but the shopwe have had some great music and
owner is recruiting students and figuring out
how to set up a meeting place in her shop. Jeff
fellowship.
Pray for the salvation of
is figuring out what materials to use in addition
neighbors, so they can enjoy worshipping with
to the Bible for English study. Pray for God to
us. (Psalms 86:9 (NIV) 9 All the nations you
bring people who's hearts will be open to the
have made will come and worship before you,
Gospel and that the class can begin soon.
O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.)
(Isaiah 49:6 (NIV) 6 he says: "I will also make
3) The kids began school Sep 6th and have been
you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring
commuting 40 minutes by bus/bicycle, train
my salvation to the ends of the earth.")
and on foot. Pray for a great year of learning
and growing. (Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) 15 Instead, With Great anticipation,
speaking the truth in love, we will in all things
grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Jeff and Barb
Christ. )
4)
We are asking God to provide a room for us to
rent to be used for English classes and Bible
studies. So far, every place has been too
expensive. In order to get some outreach
Jeff and Barb Chapman
Converge Worldwide BGC Missionaries to Japan
E-mail: [email protected]
Home Phone: 0743-89-0664
Cell Phone: 090-3706-6195
Page 5
Tom and Mary Lou Ellison, Grace
Japan – Converge Worldwide
1. Praise God that He is growing his church in Tokyo in ways unexpected by
the Ellisons: youth are coming to a volleyball outreach, the quilting group is
putting action to their faith in serving the needy.
2. Pray for more national leaders to rise up in the Nerima church.
Charydyn and Analiza
Philippines - Children's Shelter of Cebu
1. CSC is an orphanage physically manifesting the
love and grace of Christ to 82 Philipino children.
2. Charydyn is in 3rd grade and Analiza in her second
year of high school. Both would have us pray for
adoptive families for them and their siblings.
Juan and Elena Felipe
Pelican Rapids MN - Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference
1. Praise God for a new church plant in Park Rapids, MN by the people of
Iglesia Bautista Cristo La Roca in Pelican Rapids.
2. Pray for the new life in the Lord for the churches – vibrant and strong
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Chris and Faith Creech
Singapore – Converge Worldwide
1. Pray for Chris' students at East Asia School of Theology who are
mostly missionaries and pastors from all over Asia, as they are
looking for better ministry and biblical training. Many are facing
persecution in their home countries.
2. Pray for Faith's mother in Arizona who diagnosed with severe
dementia and Alzheimer's after complications with anesthesia
during a surgery.
Tom and Barb Marks
Fort Washington, PA – WEC
1. Serving as WEC's Member Care Consultants, providing encouragement
and well-being for over 2000 workers in 80 countries, as well as training new
missionaries.
2. Pray for their trip to Grand Marais in November to visit Tom's mother and
to share at Cornerstone.
Brad and Lucie Kaspar, Adam
Vsetin, Czech Republic – Josiah Venture
1. Praise God that baby Adam was cleared to receive vaccinations
needed for their trip to the US this fall.
2. Their neighbor, George, recently gave his life to Jesus.
3. Praise God for a group of student leaders beginning to take
ownership in their church youth group.
Paul and Ana Hill
Argentina – Converge Worldwide
1. Praise God that their church has been able to help provide food and
water to those in need around them after many months of drought.
2. Pray for increased financial support for Hills, as well as their need
for a new vehicle.
Page 6
The Evangel
Message from Mt. Rose Community Church
September 23rd 2010
Mt. Rose Community Church
P.O. Box 159
Grand Portage, MN 55605
Matthew 7:7-8 says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
I humbly write to you today with a list of needs from Mt. Rose Community Church. We understand that budgets are tight
across the MIBC, but in faith that the Lord will provide, I ask you to prayerfully consider helping with any of the items
below. If you are able to help with any item, even a partial donation, please mail a check to the address above (include the
item list below,) and place a check-mark (√) next to the item you are donating towards.
Our church body is small and the majority of our weekly tithe goes towards finishing the building project. The items listed
below are all important to continue to effectively expand our ministry efforts in the Grand Portage community.
Will you prayerfully consider helping?
Pastor Jacob McCormick
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item
Price
32” Flat Screen T.V.
$365
DVD Player
$50
Media Cart
$250
Men’s Bible Study Material
$175
Women’s Bible Study Material
$175
Youth Study Curriculum
$200
iMac Office Computer
$800
Media Shout Software (PC Version)
$400
Media / Presentation Computer (dual monitor, HDMI output)
$450
2 Music Stands
$150
4 Microphone Stands
$175
Chinking Exterior of Church
$6,000
UHF Wireless Lapel Microphone
$200
Garage Floor Paint—(to repaint floor in basement of church)
$450
Church “Welcome Center” - table mailboxes, pamphlet holders)
$500
Installation of Above Stove Hood Vent
$375
Other Church Needs:
Used laptop - There are several families in the
church that have very outdated laptops. If you
have recently upgraded and you are able to
donate your laptop, please consider donating to
Mt. Rose to bless those who attend. (Windows
XP minimum)
Digital Cameras - If you’ve recently upgraded
in megapixels and your old camera is now
sitting around and not being used please
consider donating it.
Couches - We have a fireplace nook in the
upstairs fellowship area where we would like to
put several
couches to make the nook usable for bible
studies / prayer events. If you have some
couches in good condition, please contact us!
Slate - We are going to place slate on the
outside of the church, and we could use a group
of volunteers with experience to lend us a hand
in this project.
Outdoors gear - we are regularly seeking snow
shoes, cross country skies and other items that
promote outdoor activities. If you are able to
help, we would be greatly blessed!
Mt Rose Community Church 1 Eliza Rd, P.O. Box 159, Grand Portage, MN 55605 Office
218-475-2311 Email [email protected]
Volume 3, Issue 3
Page 7
Volume 3, Issue 5
Page 7
Quarterly Business Meeting Minutes - September 1, 2010
Joann Mattson, Church Clerk
Chairman John Hay called the
meeting to order, shared a devotional
referencing Matthew 14:22-32, and
opened with prayer.
JoAnn Mattson read the
minutes from the June 9, 2010 annual
meeting. M/S by Andrew Warren,
Irene Laine to accept the minutes as
read; motion carried.
Andrew Warren presented the
treasurer’s report. The general fund
balance is $23,234.59 and the
balance for all funds is ($110,790.60).
Year to date giving (week 13) is
($2,666.91) under budgeted amount.
M/S by Jim Mattson, Sharron McCann
to accept the report as amended;
motion carried.
Board reports:
CE Ministry Board – Mary Hay
September 19th.
VBS was held in July with several
youth helpers and about 40 children
attending. VBS director was Lynn
Sheils.
Outreach & Evangelism
Board – Linda McIntire
The CE Board met and reviewed
the volunteer application form and
process.
Sunday School for children
resumes this next Sunday.
We have a growing number of
middle school and high school
students so the CE Board will be
planning once a month youth
activities.
CE Board is exploring offering an after
school program on Wednesdays.
Elder Ministry Board – John Hay
Board met and prayed for
individual needs.
Church covenant discussion.
Growth group discussion.
Discussed upcoming sermon
series.
Seven candidates for membership.
Hospitality Ministry Board – Sharron
McCann
Board met and planned a church
dinner with a tentative date of October
30.
The next Sunday Lunch is
The Hospitality Board has agreed
to assemble the welcome packets.
An additional stove for the kitchen
was donated by the Bob and Carol
Murray.
Mission Ministry Board – Joel Pike
A team of 2 women and 9 men/
boys recently served at the Hispanic
family camp. They have met for a debriefing meeting. About $1,000.00
was raised for the short term mission
fund to cover costs and pay for 7-8
others to attend.
Missionaries Tom and Barb Marks
and Brad and Lucie Kaspar may be
coming this fall.
Ministry
Prayer will be held at the
Overlook
through
September
(weather permitting).
OE Board in the process of doing
the prep work for the Advent
devotional.
An outreach event in the form of
a ladies’ tea with Rosie Gilmore
speaking is being planned. She may
share with the congregation first and
then invite the women of the
community.
Their board is investigating showing
the movie ‘Courageous’ which is
geared toward men and due out in the
spring.
Service Ministry Board – Bernice
Howard and Irene Laine
Keeping up with sending flowers,
gifts, and cards.
Helping Hand disbursement.
Rich Fortunato has agreed to serve
as head usher.
Trustee Ministry Board – Joe Kirkeby
Thanks to whoever mowed
around the perimeter of the church lot.
Weekly church cleaning
volunteers is going well.
by
Saturday, September 18th from 912 will be church clean up.
Update on church sign. The sign
permit has been submitted.
M/S by Irene Laine, Jim Mattson to
accept ministry board reports as
given; motion carried.
Pastor’s report
The Frank and Lois Staples
family gave the church a monetary gift
upon the sale of the family home. The
gift was used to finance the parking
lot expansion.
Growth groups will begin in
January. A ten week training for ten
leaders (LEAP Committee plus 4
more volunteers) will begin on
Wednesday, September 22nd.
Update on activities.
Pastor has agreed to serve as the
pastoral representative for Care
Partners (a hospice type program)
and he will be involved in training on
the 9th and 23rd of September.
Old business
The LEAP sabbatical grant
application has been submitted. We
should hear in November if accepted.
The audit has not been completed.
New business
John Hay reported that the
current church mortgage pledge
period ends December 31, 2010 with
a balloon payment due July 22,
2013. Discussion regarding building
loan fund balance and building fund
cash on hand. Refer to trustees to
manage payments to pay off loan
principle as soon as possible.
Discussion regarding a new capital
campaign or building fund drive –
referred to the church board.
Adjourn.
Please Note!
Minutes from the CCC Board
Meeting September 21, 2010
will be in next month’s Evangel
1 Cedar Grove Lane
PO Box 662
Grand Marais, MN 55604
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Morning worship service
M/S by Pastor Dale McIntire, Andrew Warren that
having interviewed and now heard their
testimonies that we affirm for membership
Dave and Rosanne Gilmore, Danielle Fosness,
Dwight Dear, John and Laurie Hill,
and Harriet Quarles (in abstentia); motion carried.