WELCOME LISA MARIE BUSTER…
and her family. It is an honor and privilege to have the Busters with us. Lisa has been involved with music ministry for many years and has a wonderful testimony of God’s power and love. She identifies with her audiences well. Hope you can help support her by picking up one of her CD’s. They make great gifts for family or friends.
A CULTURE OF HONOR (3)…
I talked recently about the new year ahead and the importance of building and supporting an experience at Set Free that brings honor and glory to the Father. We come to worship HIM when we come to Set Free. We are here to seek HIS heart and HIS will. This is HIS place. We are HIS people. He has HIS work to be done. Each time we come to this place we need to be coming in expectation of what HE wants to do in and through each one of us. I truly believe God has a great plan for this ministry in the coming year, but we have to be willing to surrender our wills and our wants and wishes to HIM.
HONOR OTHERS BY NOT SMOKING NEAR BACK DOOR (2)…
or bringing your drinks into the sanctuary. Thanks.
LAST WEEK OF WEDNESDAY NIGHT…
Starts at 6:30 pm with worship and 7:00 with the class on The Secrets of the Vine from John 15. Absolutely powerful teaching.
CARING OPPORTUNITIES…
Who has been missing from worship lately? Can you ask the Holy Spirit who you can write an encouragement card to? How about writing a card to the family of the boy who was killed this last week?
THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL…
after a busy week I finally got the January issue to the press on Friday afternoon. Should be printed on Monday. We are again able to print due to generous donations from our readers. We had over $600 in donations for this month. We are seeing the papers disappear so rapidly that many of our racks are empty at this time. We are printing 1,000 more papers for January. We continue to get great comments on how much our paper means to people. Check us out on Facebook. The Christian Journal.
GOD’S FOOD PANTRY…
I worked with Tina to write a grant this week for the food pantry. The grant was for the Walker Fund from Oregon Community Foundation. We asked for enough to help us cover the cost of food and some rent for a larger location. Our ultimate goal is to have space to have a Shabby Chic store with donations from the community to create income for the pantry. Please be in prayer with us for God to do amazing things this year. Our pantry is growing so much. We expect to serve about 2,500 people this year!
CELEBRATE RECOVERY…
we had the largest crowd we have ever had at this location this past Thursday night! We had about 50 adults and 15 children! What an honor for God to bring these folk to our place for this program. There was a great spirit and our leaders were excited to think about the wonderful opportunities to serve. Our men’s and women’s 12-Step study programs are all starting this Tuesday at 6:30 pm. The study groups are the heart of a person’s recovery. Those who come and stick with the class come out the other side different people!
ROGUE RETREAT…
I was able to go to the Medford Soroptimist club on Wednesday to share with them about Rogue Retreat. They seemed to be impressed. Our team met with the director and program director of Goodwill on Friday. We are planning to partner with them for job training for our people. Looks like a great program. We continue to hear from people in the community and through agencies of how great they think Rogue Retreat is. We accept that with humbleness and awe of what God has done with this program. We continue to invite people who want to support this ministry to help with our $ a week for Rogue Retreat. The $ can be $1, $5, $10 or whatever. We even have current residents giving $ a week to Rogue Retreat. You can find donation envelopes in the foyer or Heather will send them to you. Call (541) 499-0880.
BOOK STORE…
we just got in some LARGE print Bibles! They are only $12. We also have the books on the Holy Spirit that I’m using for my sermon series. There are eight unspoken for! Only $10.
POP OPEN CARDS (2)…
“Do you like sharing the Word of God with others? Sometimes we just don’t know the right words to say. It seems like EVERY time I give a card it hold just the right message to the recipient that he or she needed at that precise moment. God has a way of guiding the right card into the right hand at the right time. Buy some today and see for yourself. Make 2012 a year of encouragement with Pop Open Cards!”
Heather Hoyle-Aney
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE THIS YEAR…
do you want to read through your Bible this year? I can’t emphasize enough how vital it is to read the Word daily and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us from it. I’ve never met a strong believer who isn’t in the Word daily.
I ASKED THE DEACONS TO PRAY WITH ME (2)…
for a bigger place to worship and do ministry out of. I’ve asked the Lord for years about this and so far He has provided what we are in. I see the limitations we have with this place and I long for more room for worship, for an adequate children’s program, for a larger food pantry work and for our ever growing Rogue Retreat ministry. Even our pop open cards seems to be growing and will take more room. The Word tells us to ASK and it will be given. It is far better to ASK than to try to make it happen by our own efforts, but we must ASK and keep ASKING according to the teachings of Jesus on prayer. Will you ASK with me? Will you believe with me?
DO YOU HEAR GOD SPEAKING TO YOU?…
I was talking with Debi this week about how the Holy Spirit does speak to us. She was commenting how the more she listens and follows His leading the more He talks to her. I agree. We can shut down the Holy Spirit by refusing to follow His lead. He then steps back and lets us run our own program until we get tired and come back. He then reminds us of what He said earlier and waits for us to do what He has asked us to do. When we do, new doors are opened up and we are able to move ahead with the abundant life. If we are stuck, it may be due to our own failure to follow Him. God does speak to us. We just have to be willing to listen.
