Be part of a Christian ministry and help carry forth Christ's mission in the world.
Our church is blessed with many wonderful musicians.
We have two Choirs:
1. The Sanctuary Choir consists of anyone in the 7th grade and up. We meet to practice at 4:45 each Sunday evening. We perform two musicals, each year. One at Christmas and the other at Easter. This choir also helps out in leading the morning worship service.
2. Our Children’s Choir is made up of those kid’s K-6th. Our church bus picks the kids up from school each Monday (during the school year) and we are finished at 5:00. This choir will perform at Christmas and many time during the spring.
If you have any questions you may contact Church Staff at 903-389-2613.
Wednesday nights at CBSM are developed specifically with the needs of our students in mind! New students are welcomed, and weekly attendees make them feel right at home! We believe that a mid-week service is very important to the spiritual growth of our students. CBSM offers students a time during the week to slow down and focus on God.
Grades 7th thru 12th meets in the Youth Room, upstairs in the Family Life Center.
Be sure to join us Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. for CBSM. Come early and enjoy snacks and drinks with us.
Contact: David Skinner
Some of the programs offered are CBSM Kids, Children's Church and Nursery. Sunday evening auxiliaries also include Sunbeams, G.M.A.s and Galileans.
Contacts: Trisha Wren
Calvary’s Nursery is a loving and peaceful environment designed to care for children birth through 3 years old. We recommend parents bring a diaper bag and bottle. You will also want to bring a change of clothes for your child just in case it is needed.
Calvary’s Nursery is normally available during Sunday School and every worship service.
Contacts: Amie Mullen
Sunday School for all ages begins at 9:30 am each Sunday morning.
Contacts: Donald Mullen, Samuel Mullen
We are in need of a new small group leader / host. If you would like more information about what that entails or would like to volunteer, please let me know. If you are interested in jumping into a Calvary life group, please let me know so we can get you into a group or start another group if needed!
We currently have 3 Life Groups:
Group #1: Host & Leader – TBD (Held: TBD)
Group #2: Host - Marshal & Jaymi Craig | Leaders – David & Kayla Skinner (held on Sunday after church two weeks on the two off)
Group #3: Host - Joe & Sara Wren | Leaders – Mark & Teresa Duke (Held every other Friday night).
Contacts: David Skinner, Marshal & Jami Craig, Joe & Sara Wren
Calvary's Deacons: Mark Chavers, Don McLeod, Elton More, Clois Mullen, Marvin Mullen, Larry Davis, Dennis Lane, Tommy Miller, Jerry Sheppard, Daniel Phillips, Michael Wren, Wesley Kenney, and Joe Wren.
Please call or text your urgent prayer request to 903-390-4176 or 903-644-0238. Non-emergency request may be emailed to email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.org.
We would love to have you join us in making a difference in the lives of others by lifting them up to the LORD in prayer during difficult times. You may request to serve as a prayer warrior on the email chain, the phone chain, or both.
Go the the following link to sign up to be added to the Calvary Baptist Prayer Ministry: Calvary Baptist Prayer Chain Ministry
To request phone chain only, you may call one of the above phone numbers.
The requests for prayer are personal, so do respect and keep private information received.Please do not send a prayer request unless it is for yourself or the one identified has given permission.Please keep the prayer situation confidential and unless the individual is a personal friend, do not discuss the situation with the person for whom you are praying.
If you would like to be involved in this ministry, would like to add someone to our visitation list, or know of someone who would enjoy a sermon DVD delivered weekly, please contact the church office at 903-389-2613.
The team will provide a safe place to worship, remove fear from the minds of the members and visitors who attend, provide physical security of the building and its contents, and protect financial assets of the church.
Trained team members will be available to assist with any unforeseen accidents or medical emergencies that may occur on church property.
Contact: Joe Wren
Seniors are invited to join us the first Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. for Golden Circle.
Contact: Norma Morse
Sunday morning worship, and Wednesday evening adult bible study services are streamed to Facebook and YouTube platforms. DVD's of Sunday morning services are available to be copied and distributed.
Contacts: Gary Wiggins, Larry Morse, Billy Patterson, Samuel Mullen, David SkinnerFor DVD copies contact: Linda Mullen
Contact: Billy Patterson, Sid Ivy
Contact: Tommy Miller
We have books and DVD's for all ages, including Bible study guides, devotionals, Christian fiction novels, biographies, and books for children/teens.
Contact: Amie Mullen, Kristi McLeod
Contact: Church Staff or Tommy Miller
Contact: Larry Davis, Tommy Miller
For new construction this crew is responsible to gather information, make recommendations, and oversee projects.In regards to building maintenance and repair, they are responsible to outline duties of church employees. They receive suggestions, ideas complaints, etc. They employ and/or dismiss professional assistance, and ground keepers, when needed.Contact: Don McLeod
The church vans are serviced and preventive maintenance performed in order to keep them in good, safe running condition. This team is responsible to see minor repairs are made when needed and to bring any major repairs before the church for approval. Among other responsibilities, this team sees that groups using the vans leave them clean and filled with fuel.Contact: Justin Green
Contact Interim Pastor Philip Attebery or the Youth Pastor David Skinner if you are interested in serving in one of these ministries. Everyone has a place.


Do you want to get rid of stress? Then this is your tour. Enjoy a beautiful and peaceful day near Bucharest, in amazing locations</span>: Caldarusani Monastery, Snagov Monastery and the Garden of the Vlachs.
- Entrance fees
- Professional guide
- Arrival and departure transfers
- Medical insurance
Bucharest STRESS FREE Tour
Do you want to get rid of stress? Then this is your tour.
Meet in the hotel’s lobby with your guide and depart by bus outside Bucharest.
Today we will visit the Caldarusani Monastery, an ideal place for those who want to find a peaceful and blessed place. You can meditate and resonate with nature, with the beauty and the spiritual world.
Caldarusani Monastery is located 40 km north - east of Bucharest, on a peninsula surrounded by the lake with the same name, the place where laid once the Vlasiei Forests.
In the great and endless woods of Vlasiei, in the early 17th century, in 1637, Prince Matei Basarab fell in love with these wonderful places and built a stone monastery, one of the most important and outstanding monuments of Bucharest, Caldarusani Monastery, on the site of an old wooden hermitage. Today, the Monastery is equipped with a high watch tower with a Bell and is surrounded from three sides by the Lake Caldarusani. Matei Basarab's old Throne Room now houses the Treasure Room, here being exposed crosses, chalices, bishops' garments, embroidery, candles, all of inestimable value. The church was built in only 100 days and was consecrated on December 26th. The original painting was restored in 1778, 1817 and 1911, the last time by the painter Belizarie.
The Holy Caldarusani Monastery was noted throughout history as an important spiritual rebirth of the Romanian Country. Monastic life is intensely spiritual, living far from the foundation of the entire community, prayer and work are intertwined here by the old canons and ordinances of the Fathers of the Eastern Church. The monastery was linked with the activity of the Holy Hierarch Gregory the Teacher, Metropolitan of Romania (1823-1834). You will find here his holy relics.
The Monastery Museum houses particularly valuable objects: icons and paintings of great painters (Eugene Lazar, Nicolae Grigorescu, George Tatarescu, Sava Hentia), silverware, bishops' garments, gold and silver embroidery of a particular artistic vision and great finesse. All this together with the valuable library which houses thousands of manuscripts and religious books in Latin, Greek, French, Italian and Romanian, dating from the 17th century until today, giving the monastery an undeniable historical and spiritual value.
The Miracle! Come and see the double icon!
Come and pray to the holy icon from Caldarusani. The icon was brought here in 1940, from the Monastery of Noul Neamt. The holy object is unique through perfect execution, but also through appearance. On one side of the icon is painted Virgin Mary, and on the other St. George, hence the name of the double icon.
From Caldarusani Monastery we will continue to see the Snagov Monastery, strongly related to Vlad the Impaler (Dracula).
Snagov Monastery is located on the only island on Snagov Lake and is a very old religious site founded in the early 15th century. The location of the monastery is well known because it is believed to be the burial place of Vlad the Impaler, better known as the inspiration for Irish author Bram Stoker's character Dracula in his 1897 novel. The monastery once housed the coin minting facility of the medieval principality Wallachia and in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, one of the most important printing houses in South-Eastern Europe was located on the island.
After such a spiritual time it’s time to relax and to enjoy the countryside’s life in Garden of the Vlachs (Gradina Vlasiei).
Conceived as an oasis of peace and humanity close to Bucharest, the Snagov village, Gradina Vlahiia, literally “the Garden of the Vlachs”, is a place of stories, an authentic Romanian village in miniature, a place for resting.
You can visit the traditional Maramures wooden house, renowned as a true micro-generator of peace and harmony. It is perfect for recharging your batteries. These examples range between 100 and 200 years of age. They are authentic village houses, rebuilt in Vlahiia Garden along with their entire universe, created according to time-honored customs and traditions, with authentic homemade clothing, icons, decorative wall hangings, blankets and tools.
We will continue to see the Icon Musem, the church of Vlahiia Garden, the Peasant Museum and the farm.
The church itself is a precise copy of the famous “Monastery cut from a single tree” in Valcea county, reproducing the wonderful details of the original, while the collection of icons counts over 100 pieces, from Greece, Russia and Romania, dating from the 17th Century. With interior painting realized directly on the wood, this space is surely unique.
The Peasant Museum portrays the world of the Romanian peasant, charged with customs and traditions inherited from our ancestors, transmitted from generation to generation. The construction, the dovetailed intersections entirely of wood, the loom, the tools for carding wool, the traditional slippers, rolls of handwoven fabrics, winter outerwear, and ladies decorative blouses – all emanate authenticity and tradition.
The farm - The daily routine of the animals – their feeding and watering, grooming their coats, shoeing the horses and ponies, milking the cows, collecting the eggs from the roost, preparing the cheese, butter and sour cream and tending the garden – all are the fruits of the creative passion which keeps alive the Romanian traditions.


GOD IS GOOD
God is soooooo good to me!
I got the job!
Thank you allllll who prayed for me. Like I said be fore the only way I would get this job is by God and God alone. Well apparently this is the job he wanted for me to have.
All the odds were stacked against me. A lot of which I can not go into on the web.
I have been so stressed out as of late just because of this "job" thing.
but alas God has blessed me.
I have benny's as soon as I sign papers which will be next week.
so again THANK YOU ALL.


“I battled years of addiction to alcohol. My family had nearly given up on me. Today, I’m thankful am alcohol free. Teen Challenge made it possible for me to lift my head with real hope for the future. I used to depend on the bottle in my hand for survival, but now I’ve thrown the bottle away and I’m holding on to Jesus. ”
“Samson Nuhu, a 30 years old Nigerian male, walked into the doors of Teen Challenge Nigeria, in November 2013, an alcoholic who had been caught up in alcoholism for 8 years. Through that one decision he found freedom and hope in Jesus Christ.He went through the program and graduatedin 2015. He went on to do a 1 year internship staff training with Teen Challenge Nigeria, and is presently the program supervisor, and is helping other students settle into the program.
A Bible Seminary student with Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS) Jos. He majors in youth Ministry.Glory to God, Samson has been sober and alcohol free for 5 years now!”
“After tearing my life apart from years of drug abuse, I tried to kill myself. God saved me from myself and I now stand free in Christ from the bondage of addiction. Christ is the cure! I am a new creation in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:17”
“I came to this program broken and in pieces. I was in a dark place in myself as well as in reality. The peace and inner joy that I have found in Jesus has given me hope to be alive and free. I am not the same guy with a bad reputation anymore. I am a loved child of the Most High”


This week has been one busy week and it's only Wednesday! I have officially moved into my new work spot as of last night. I am so excited because it's another level of growth for me as an esthetician and as a follower of Christ. A year ago, God called me into a season of total dependence on Him for provision. I can honestly say that the entire year of being solely on my own, He has been faithful every step of the way. And now I begin another year of new beginnings. I know there will be much more to learn and areas to grow but I choose not to be a spectator in this life but to be a proactive player! Thank you for your support!
'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go' Joshua 1:9


Halki Theological School
The Holy Theological School of Halki
The seminary is located at the top of a hill called the Hill of Hope, on the site of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, founded by Patriarch Photios I, almost a thousand years before the foundation of the theological school. During Ottoman rule the monastery fell into disrepair. The reestablishment and reconstitution of the monastery are associated with the Ecumenical Patriarchs Photius I the Great, Metrophanes III, and Germanos IV. Germanos IV (1872-1845) visited the monastery in 1842 and saw the School's reconstruction and reconstitution which was approved by the Turkish authorities. In 1844, Patriarch Germanos IV converted the monastery into a school of theology, which was inaugurated on 1 October 1844. All the buildings, except for the 17th-century chapel, were destroyed by the 1894 Istanbul earthquake, but were rebuilt by architect Periklis Fotiadis and inaugurated on 6 October 1896.
When established in 1844, the school had seven grades, four high school level and three higher level (theological grades). In 1899, the high school division was dissolved and the school functioned as an academy with five grades. In 1923, on the establishment of the Turkish Republic, the seven-grade system was restored (4 high school + 3 higher level). In 1951, it was changed to 3 high school + 4 higher level.
The facilities include the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, sports and recreational institutions, dormitories, an infirmary, a hospice, offices, and the school's library with its historic collection of books, journals, and manuscripts. The library contains over 120,000 books, one of the largest in the region.
There have been 990 graduates of the theological school and many have become priests, bishops, archbishops, scholars, and patriarchs. Many former students are buried in the grounds of the school. Orthodox Christians from around the world have attended and graduated from the theological school and the alumni are distributed around the world.
How to help
His Eminence Metropolitan
of Bursa and Exarch of Bithynia,
studied at the Faculty of Pastoral Theology, in the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 1993, he finished his postgraduate studies at the Philosophical School of the University of Bonn, Germany. He was ordained a Deacon in 1994 at the Patriarchal Cathedral and was appointed as the Codecographer of the Holy and Sacred Synod. In 1995, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod. From 1996-1997 he studied at the Theological School of St. John of Damascus in Balamand, Lebanon. In 2001, he presented a doctoral dissertation (“Severus of Antioch and the Council of Chalcedon”) at the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, proclaiming him a Doctor of Theology. In 2004, he was invited to Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, where he taught as a visiting professor for one semester. In 2005, at the proposal of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, he was promoted by the Holy and Sacred Synod to the position of Chief Secretary and was ordained to the priesthood by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Patriarchal Cathedral. In 2009, he was unanimously elected Assistant Professor of Symbolics, Inter-Orthodox Relations, and the Ecumenical Movement.
In 2011, he was elected Metropolitan of Bursa and also appointed Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of the Holy Trinity on the island of Chalki. He has served as the Orthodox Secretary of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Lutheran World Federation and as a member of the Patriarchal delegations to the General Assemblies of the Conference of European Churches and the World Council of Churches. He was the Secretary of the Pan-Orthodox Synods in Sofia, Istanbul, Geneva, and Istanbul. He has been a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches since 1996.


Philip, A Novel
My New Book
Click on cover image to link to Amazon Also available at Barnes &Noble and Xlibris
Philip is the story of boy who grows to manhood with a strong sense that God wanted him to be minister. His dreams are coming true when be graduates from seminary, gets married and becomes a pastor. But Philip finds himself in conflict with members of his church who disapprove of the time he spends with the non-spiritual matter of helping members of his congregation deal with a housing crisis caused by a freeway project that disrupts the neighborhood. He loses all he has worked for. He plunges into deep inner conflict as he slowly realizes, through disturbing dreams and a series of male friendships, that he is gay. Philipexplores the inner collision between deeply held religious values and an equally profound sexual orientation toward men.


Yesterday my time in the Word, coupled with the study I’m doing from the book Fervent, reminded me how the devil preys on our weaknesses. Whatever yours may be, whether it’s objective or emotional, don’t think of the timing of its attack as simply coincidence. The devil is a strategist. He plans then waits in the shadows for when you’re at your weakest.
Tara Holden, my heroine from Awakened Love (wip), had to learn that. Her husband’s job keeps him away from home, leaving her lonely and resentful. A male friend happens to step in during one of these times. Is it just coincidence that Tara begins to see him as more thoughtful than her husband … more concerned … more caring? Oh, and did I mention they just happen to share the same goals? That isn’t by chance. Someone in the shadows planned this and poor Tara is falling head first into his trap.
Priscilla Shirer, author of Fervent, tells us once you take that step towards the trap, it starts to affect your prayer life—your connection with God.
Suddenly, you don’t feel like talking to Him. You say it’s because you don’t have time, but the truth is you’re shamed. Shame says you messed up. Shame says why keep trying you’re just going to do it again. Now ask yourself, who’s behind shame? The devil of course and he’ll keep mounting that on you to keep you from prayer. Wonder why he does that? Because prayer weakens him! When we pray, we grow closer to God. When we grow closer to God that makes us harder for the devil to reach.
So the next time you find yourself tempted, whether you’re still in the thinking mode or you’ve gotten your feet wet, remember who’s really behind it and pray. Pray fervently! Pray for God to strengthen your weak areas and grow your desire to keep talking to Him. Let the devil know this is one strategy of his that’s doomed for failure!


Estudios Bíblicos para la Vida para Niños. En conjunto con los niveles de. LifeWay ofrece una de las mayores selecciones de estudios de la Biblia para Estudios Bíblicos para la Vida para Adultos: Guía para el Estudio Personal . E-Estudios Bíblicos para la Vida para Adultos: Manual para el Líder Versión en Español PDF – Primavera (Document Download). LifeWay.
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What do these two images communicate to you about unity? The Herschel Hobbs Commentary.
Encourage students to share with the minister things they like to do, then allow ministers to brainstorm with students ways they could use those things lifewwy the church to help others. When the church comes together for the Lord s Supper or other functions of worship, it is to be as a whole body.
Estudios Biblicos Lifeway Para Escolares – LifeWay Christian Resources – Google Books
Living It Out Students will find ways to get connected and involved in Christian community. What are some ways that we could encourage others to get along? MyLife Development Plan Real.
Psalm 96 is David s song of thanksgiving to God when the Ark was finally brought to Jerusalem. Marshmallow Buildings Physical Divide students into teams and provide them with marshmallows and toothpicks. As you use REAL, your students will be exposed each quarter to the three areas of spiritual development. Lord, we pray, Your will be done, but so often we ignore your will and do what pleases our sinful natures instead.
How does diversity benefit the church? The first verse sets the tone for the whole psalm. Discovering My Spiritual More information. In conducting this concert of prayer, you might have one main presenter or several.
Entrance Song We sing to celebrate that we More information. Entrance Song We sing to celebrate that we.
Capacitación y Evaluación de Estudios Biblicos para la Vida de Adultos Fort Worth –
We are a place to call home and a place to get help. September 2 – All Together The Mystery of God The word mystery means an unspoken secret. Are you currently praying. When Christians care for each other, it pleases God.
Basic Bible Doctrine Study Series Session 2 Believer s Baptism As indicated by the name, a primary Baptist distinction is our practice of believer’s baptism and our rejection of infant baptism. Bible Passage Truths There should be no lone ranger Christians. November 18 – His Reactions S4: September 2 All Together What makes the church a unique community? When we try to prioritize giftedness or identify some as more important and others as less important, we trespass on God s role to build the body as He chooses.
Just take a look at the intricacies of His creation.
The Lord be with you. September 23 Tell Together What is my role in others knowing about Jesus?
While the liffway can function without hands, feet, and eyes, it cannot function without the weaker parts for they are essential to the body s survival. Follow the Leader Leadership is often described as influence.
La Red Internacional de los Institutos del Liderazgo del Seminario Bíblico de Capacitación de EBI
The llfeway topics of variety and unity in spiritual gifts segues into the diversity and interdependence of all members of the body of Christ. Paul enlightened his readers by a multifaceted metaphor using the imagery of a body, emphasizing both its unity and noting its great diversity. ThaT you are going to be with. Unity biblicls Christ September 16, Ephesians 2: A three-fold exposition is begun in In contrast to the Corinthian behavior of exclusivity, Paul noted that God has put the body together.


Johns Creek offers twenty-one Adult Sunday School Communities for learners of all ages. While we do offer unique communities for ladies and singles, the majority of our groups are co-ed and open to anyone. Groups are named based on the median age of the group. However, we always encourage newcomers to visit as many groups as they like and to join the one that best fits their needs.
Our model for Adult Sunday School is unique in that our year is divided up into 5 terms. Each new term begins with a fellowship meal called Big Breakfast and lasts 8 to 10 weeks. While communities always stay together, new terms allow each group to hear a new teacher, which we call Seminar Leaders, and the opportunity to engage in the study of a new faith topic. Our current term offerings are listed below. We invite newcomers to join our groups at any time! For more information, contact our Formations Pastor, Michael McCullar, at 678-474-4404 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


JULY 25 - 30
Are you ready to enjoy a week full of adventure!? Summer Blast will be full of games, Bible lessons, and awesome electives! This year the children will be on a kingdom adventure as we learn about the one true King!
Ages: 5 years old through entering 6th grade
Daily: 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Early Bird Registration: Deadline July 2nd
What to expect:
- 5 incredible days
- A Summer Blast t-shirt
- Fun-filled activities and team competitions
- Dress-Up days
- Different electives that fit each child's needs
- A family festival, on Saturday July 30th
- A light snack will be provided


Thanks for stopping by our website.
Metro Life Church is a community that hopes to be a reflection of God’s glory to those around us by loving like Jesus, growing to be more like Jesus, and sharing what Jesus has done for us.
We invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 am.
We hope these links help you to get to know us better:
The latest bulletin from Metro Life Church, includes links to additional event informationâ€¦...Read More
During the last Alive Parent meeting in April, we asked Angie Mendez to take notes about what we talked about regarding the direction and vision for the Alive Youth Group in the coming year. We are posting her notes here to help parents best understand what we're seeking to accomplish in Alive. ...Read More


Sunday, June 6, 2010
Back from mission trip - getting ready for Europe again
Every year since I accompanied youth from FCC Stillwater on a mission trip to Matamoros, Mexico, our church has returned each year with adults and college students to serve with Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries and Juntos Servimos. The youth led the way and the adults followed. Returning to the same mission site each year gives the group the opportunity to see the progress that has been made. Each year we renew friendships that have developed over the years.
Even though my Fund for Teacher's Fellowship will take a significant part of my summer, I knew that I would follow through with the commitment I made to lead the mission trip this year. Since I received the news in March that my proposal had been accepted this year, I have been reading guide books, studying maps, making reservations, but for one week I focused on something else. Last week, I did not think about Europe.
Now for the next 4 weeks I will give this fellowship the same intensity with which I began this quest. I will live, breathe, and eat the experience. When I return to the classroom in August, I will try to communicate to my students that when they find their passion, work will seem like play.


Kate and I are now well into our furlough here in the States. Our first stop was Michigan to visit friends, family, and both of our home churches.
My home church, Ward EPC in Northville, Michigan, held its first triennial missions conference at the end of September – Compelled by Love. The week was themed after 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
We are so thankful to be a part of a congregation that is so active and passionate about missions. Ward Church supports more than 30 different missionaries and ministries both locally in Southeastern Michigan and around the world, and they invited us all to attend the conference together.


We believe in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ when He said, All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus Christ also said,
It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own
authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:7-8).
Missions are the heart and center of the First Baptist Church of Leonard! Each
year we are on mission in the world. Each year we are on mission somewhere in
To our Jerusalem: The City of Leonard is where our Church is located. We
desire to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by serving our City during
the Annual Leonard Picnic, Halloween on the Square, Chamber of Commerce
Luncheons and our Annual Fireworks Fellowship. In addition, we help to support
the Leonard Assistance Program that helps people in Leonard.
To our Judea & Samaria: Disaster Relief is a vital part of this missions
endeavor. We work in conjunction with the Southern Baptists of Texas
Convention to minister to those in need because of a disaster such as hurricanes,
fires, tornadoes, and some other natural disaster such as tsunamis. Our Church
members who are Disaster Relief trained have been deployed during natural
disasters such as: Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Rita and most recently Sandy in
New York; tornadoes in Eagle Pass, Texas, Joplin, Missouri and Tuscaloosa,
Alabama; earthquakes in Haiti; tsunami relief efforts in Japan; and, flooding in
Minot, North Dakota.
In addition, our Student Ministry has served in New Orleans, Louisiana, Corpus
Christi, Texas and Dulce, New Mexico. Other mission trips to Mexico have also
taken place with our men leading out in evangelism and building.
To the uttermost part of the world: Tanzania has been on the hearts and minds
of our people. We have partnered with e3 Partners (check them out: http://
www.e3partners.org/) in reaching the Maasai Tribe in Northern Tanzania. Each
year we have the opportunity to equip, evangelize and plant churches. This is an
experience of a lifetime!


St. John’s Lutheran Church is a thriving and growing ELCA congregation located in the heart of Sacramento, California. We are committed to inspirational worship, meaningful service, and dedicated discipleship. We are a large congregation, open to all, and we are excited about our mission: Living God’s Love in the World! Join us!
St. John’s Lutheran Church seeks a full-time Communications Specialist to coordinate communications efforts to enhance the visibility and image of St. John’s Lutheran Church in ways that are effective and innovative. In addition to coordinating the creation of and implementation of messaging including interdisciplinary messaging efforts across departments and disciplines, the Communications Specialist will coordinate and supervise the marketing, design, video, and web functions.
For a full job description, list of qualifications, and application instructions, please visit:


Roman Origins in Assyrian Roots and Babylon
The history of the Romans began a long time before the presence of Julius Caesar but few, if any, have questioned their roots. It would not have been in my mind either except that the Spirit asked me to search for the origin of the cross. Before long it took me to Babylon and the ziggurat and high mountains where the sun-star was formed and people worshiped it as the Mother God, Mari.
In a vision they were standing in front of a perforated stone and as the sun rose behind it the brilliant rays dispersed into the colors of the rainbow and they went outwards in perpetually moving circles central to which was the right-angled cross. The sign is awesome and the people were overcome with emotion.
From this came the symbols that remain today in all religions. The seven pointed star indicates the seven colors and it is found over law-enforcement bodies universally. The 5 pointed star, another of the symbols, is over the flag of Islam and almost country. It was this religion that has its roots in this place.
The people were named for it and they are called ‘Amor’ or ‘O-m-or’ which means ‘circle of mother sun’. In the circle of light men died at dawn on crosses in expectation of rising with ‘her’ and being her ‘mate’. ‘Ma-t’ is the origin of ‘mate’ and it means ‘mother’s cross’. The one who died on the cross was names accordingly as ‘X-r-i-s’ or ‘Chris’ it means ‘cross of power-eye of light’. ‘X-r-i-s-t’ has the other cross and is an indication that men died on crosses in the shape of a cross and it is the origin of ‘Christ’.
The Amors were violent, murderous, raiding and capturing people who invaded and stole entire countries. It was when they arrived in Italy and built their new Capital Roma, reverse of Amor, that their roots are exposed.
One of their descendants, Constantine, established the Catholic Church in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea and he invented Jesus Christ as a replacement for all the men who were still dying on crosses. He then placed the Mother God, Mary, in the religion as the Mother of God.
The Romans are the Assyrians of prehistory who carried their religion and their Mother God with them wherever they ventured. Their previous Capital was Mari, the ruins of which are in Syria just 11 km northwest of Abu Kamal.


Kuda Kwenyu Ngakuitwe (Zimpraise 2015 Second Coming)
There are times in life when you try everything in your power to get the results you want for whatever it may be that you've been desiring or needing and yet it all doesn't seem to work. You should know that all the time God knows better than what you think is the best and the best way is to let his will be done. Give it all to God and let him take dominion and authority over that situation. His got you covered!


The picturesque, little village of Llanrhaeadr yng Nghinmeirch has been a settlement since at least the sixth century, when St Dyfnog set up the church next to the holy well. The modern translation of the village name means ‘church waterfall’ (‘llan’ meaning church and ‘rhaeadr’ meaning waterfall). However, originally the village name would most likely have been translated as 'the enclosure of the waterfall (or cascade) in the district of Cinmeirch'. The church tower dates from the 13th century but the doubled aisled body of the church was a 15th century addition.
Visitors can also see the holy well a short walk behind the graveyard and view the Jesse Window, which depicts the descent of Christ from Jesse, father of King David. The window dates from 1533, and is one North Wales' most precious medieval treasures.
GYG is an 1100m Karting Circuit, one of the biggest karting circuits in the UK.
A historic Welsh Drovers Inn, nestled on the edge of the sleepy village of...
This interesting and scenic trail links the Hiraethog villages of Pentrefoelas,...
Take on the Her Hiraethog


Can’t find the answer you’re looking for in the Q&As below? Please send us your question at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Does it really matter?
It is indeed essential to be open-minded. It doesn’t mean we have to agree and accept everything, but it is worthwhile to be interested, and therefore open-minded. Otherwise, we may be led to believe that propaganda is only a thing of the past. Acknowledging the dangers of indoctrination within religion, media or education is a good thing. Tolerance and freedom are also crucial. Tolerance does not mean that everyone holds the same belief system, but that we accept that we can believe or think differently. In this freedom that you have, that we have, our desire is to let you know what we consider to be of uttermost importance.
If God exists, why do we suffer?
This question is surely the most commonly asked. From the beginning, man wanted to cross the borders of good and go into evil territory. This is what the Bible calls sin. This evil begins in my own heart, every time I cross the borders of good. We are fooling ourselves if we reject the notion that evil is very much present in each one of us. In my freedom, do I accept to submit to God and stay within the borders He calls good? If that’s the case, I recognize that my Creator is greater than me and that He knows what is good more than I do.
Are faith and science compatible?
Faith can be reasonable as much as it can be unreasonable ; the same can be true for science. Science is often considered to be the supreme, or ultimate, authority. If scientists still refuse to recognize the existence of a higher design behind all this intelligence (namely, the universe), it’s in part because they don’t want God—and thus, the Bible— to have the ultimate authority. Faith and science are compatible as long as they are both reasonable.
Does it matter whether or not I believe in God?
If God doesn’t exist, all victims are forsaken. Fortunately, God exists, and He knows everything, He sees everything, and justice will be done. Without God, there would be no transcendence, and good and evil would only be a matter of opinion or preference.
Why doesn’t God intervene?
Voltaire believed in God but thought He had turned his back on Creation. If this was the case, the situation would indeed be quite hopeless. God didn’t create robots; He made us free, but our choices are not without consequences. We are all responsible for our actions, and there will be a day when the justice will be made.
Is there still hope for me to be saved?
I have made many mistakes and committed many sins in my life. I don’t think there would be enough time in the world for me to try to make things right. Fortunately, there is a solution, a light at the end of the tunnel. It is so easy to see the problems in others, but so difficult to see them in myself. If I recognize that I am a sinner, I confess my sins and turn away from them. If I believe that God, in Jesus, gave Himself at the cross for me and paid for my sins, I have eternal life. That is faith. Faith is both easy—it is freely given to everyone who desires it—and hard—because of my pride.
Lucky you, you already have faith!
Everyone has faith in something. I can believe that God exists or believe He doesn’t exist.
On one particular occasion, I was carpooling with a man from Corsica and had the opportunity to share my faith with him. He said that “give” is the most appropriate word for “love”. And he was right I guess: if we look at this world’s way of thinking, we realize that people have many expectations and wants. But the real question is, “Am I ready to give—to give myself?”. The perfect exemple is Jesus. God didn’t stay in Heaven while we wretched people were wrestling with our sins. God became small, he became a man—and that is extraordinary. While man tries to be god, God made Himself man. When man boldly declares, “I’m so strong”, what is he really next to His Creator? So little.
And what about morals?
Morals seem to be only made of barriers and restrictions. However, an excellent class assignment handed back with a bad grade will soon awaken a sense of injustice in us. We are never really upset when injustice happens to others, but when it affects us, everything changes.
Why all this?
Dear Reader, we want you to receive eternal life after your physical death and have the fullness of joy that is found in knowing God. Life on earth will always be marked by the consequences of sin, and happiness doesn’t exist outside God. It is that simple.
Many other questions could be asked, such as, “What about people who cannot make choices due to their disability or age?” and “ What do you make of other religions?”.


If you type into Google “songs about love,” you’ll find thousands of examples. Many of them describe how we experience or show love, but I had set out to see how we describe love: what is it?
There are plenty of titles that offer answers ranging the emotional spectrum from “Love is Blindness,” to “Love is a Rose,” to “Love is a Battlefield.” My Spotify playlist begged me to reconsider the search when it suggested “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You’re Told).”
Love is an integral part of the human experience, it’s no wonder there would be many songs, poems, and stories about it. I think many would agree that to have love in one’s life is better than any wealth one could find and to be without it is the worst possible poverty. Love is an unavoidable facet of our lives.
But what does the Bible say about love?
In verse 16 of 1 John, the writer states plainly, “God is Love.” The majority of the epistle is an explanation of discipleship as loving God by following God’s commandments. We understand to be true in our relationships, too. To love someone is often characterized by acting in ways that satisfy their desires. We love our parents by obeying them; we love our spouses by sacrificing for their happiness; we love our kids by becoming part in their imagination and fantasy in play.
I was having lunch the other day with a friend when I saw a man with his young son and another person. It seemed the lunch was business for the two adults, but after a while, the little boy started to get restless, and his father gave him a toy. As the little boy played, he started telling stories about the characters involved with his toy. The father and the other man listened to the little boy and interacted about the imaginary characters. To encourage the child, even when it was obvious they had things to discuss, showed the child that his voice mattered.
Love requires our participation in it.
John’s epistle invites us to consider where love comes from. While we know God is love in a very direct sense, that love becomes fully present to us through the person of Jesus. John’s gospel tells us that Jesus the Son is part of God’s own self, the Word that spoke creation into existence, who then takes on the form of a human person as Jesus of Nazareth. God chose to participate in our lives to love us. After Jesus’ death, God sent the Spirit to continue to work in us and through us to know love more fully. For the creator of all things to continually make efforts to be a part of our lives is a big statement. It speaks to God’s unwavering dedication to loving us, even when we don’t love God, or even ourselves.
This invitation to love as God loves is a happy one. Those who remain in God’s love are protected from judgment. All of our life’s mistakes are forgotten if we abide in love.
And yet we struggle to abide in love sometimes. Verse 20 suggests that it is normal to not always love, but it is clear that we are never to hate. Sometimes, the bar we set for ourselves is to not hate others but not really try to love them either. We don’t want to put ourselves out there to people we don’t like. We use phrases like, “you don’t have to like them, you just have to love them.”
If we are to follow the example of Jesus, we can do better than that. We can see others as having the same worth and value as a child of God as we have. The good news is Jesus gives us all the help we need to love others, because he is the provider of our needs, our source of spiritual food.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples and Jesus are gathered in the Upper Room. Judas has already left to betray Jesus, and the disciples have begun to feel the anxiety of the coming events. As they struggle to understand how they will follow their master, Jesus tells them that they will be given the Spirit, in the NRSV it uses the Greek word paraclete which translates to Advocate, so they will always have God’s presence with them.
Just like last week’s passage where Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd,” in this passage he tells them “I am the true vine.”
The vine Jesus is speaking about is a grapevine. Grape plants are a series of vines and branches that cling to whatever surface they are near. Unlike other crops that stay in one spot, grapevines stretch all around. Jesus is acknowledging one important thing about the faith: it is meant to spread. I imagine if Jesus were in the South he would have said, “I am the kudzu.”
Attached to the true vine of Jesus are the branches, which is us. Grapevines require trimming and pruning to keep the branches healthy. God, the vineyard keeper, knows if we are healthy and bearing fruit. One can claim to be connected to Christ and show evidence of that on the outside, but over and over in the New Testament it is stated our fruit is how we will recognize faith.
To love is to keep that connection to God, to grow fruit, to be subject to the trimming and pruning of God who loves us more than we can know. Growth is not a passive process – it takes energy and work. It is to realize that the fruit we grow is not ours but God’s. To say we love God is to say that we want to participate in God’s work and allow our lives to be useful to God.
Is that the love we show?
One of the great challenges of the church today is the cultivated witness of those who have leaned too far into their religious devotion to rules to exclude people from experiencing God’s love. Many Christians have taken it upon themselves to pick up the pruning shears and cut branches they think could be bad for the vine without considering that is God’s job.
I have met a number of people that don’t want to attend a church because they had a bad experience being judged and excluded by one. I had a discussion last week with a person who told me, “I like you, but I won’t go to your church.”
There are a lot of stories like that in our community, and it is our mission to show love well enough that they reconsider their past pains. How can we love Charlotte so that people are willing to join us in it?
To overcome this challenge, we will need to be better about how we love. We have to invest our efforts into being active with our faith – not in ways that promote judgment, because that’s God’s work – but to reach out in love to those around us.
The bishop spoke this week at a clergy conference where he said, “Love is the mission of the church.” We all know what mission means: it’s the purpose, it’s what we are here to do. Are we succeeding in our mission?
At the beginning of the year, I told you our goal for the year was to focus on relationships. Everything we do as a church needs to focus on building relationships. In the front of the church, we have three missions represented. Are any of you willing to be present when we give and finding ways to be in ministry to those in need? Are you willing to accompany our ministry coordinators when they make the drop-offs and speaking to the organizations we give to?
We need to make everything we do here about building relationships with God and with each other. That’s a big step. Many of us come here, because this is our church home. It’s where we find love. Some folks come here, because they are looking for a place like that – a place where they belong; to be loved. Some come to find healing, hope, spiritual sustenance. They also are looking to be loved. All of those require relationships.
The difficulty is, in today’s society, we have fewer interactions with each other. We are in a time when there are fewer places to practice the skills of building relationships. When we used to make small talk in stores, at the bank or the post office, now we don’t have to. This is a great opportunity for the few places left that require presence and participation. We have an opportunity to speak to people who may not have spoken to another human being outside of their family or coworkers all week. We can be a place people come when they are longing to be with other people who care about them.
I know we want to be a place of community (many of you have lamented how different our community is in meetings and conversations), and it will take some reflection. Let me offer an example: a number of weeks ago, we held our Easter Egg Hunt. I was ecstatic to see all the unfamiliar faces of those who came, many of whom weren’t family members but had come because they saw the signs or were invited by friends. I bet some came looking for a place to belong where they and their kids were welcomed.
But I noticed people tended to stay in their own groups. There wasn’t much mingling. Most people had a constant eye on their cameras. While I love a good family photo op, I didn’t see much relationship building. I didn’t hear any introductions. Later in the day, I was told a visitor had posted on Facebook that she did not feel welcomed. Did we succeed in our mission to love her and her family? Did we talk to anyone about the Resurrection of Jesus? We have room to grow in how we love others and build relationships with them.
Today, we celebrate one of our great relationship-building traditions in the church: the 5th Sunday lunch. I want to challenge you to sit with people that you don’t normally sit with. Who do you not know well? If you don’t know someone’s middle name or their favorite color, then you have something new to learn.
In the last verse of today’s epistle, John says this: “Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also.” I invite you to consider what love is to you. Is it simply not hating someone, or is it to participate in the life of others and build relationships that spread Christ’s love?
Love requires a lot from us, but I have found that it gives so much in return. Nothing given in love for another is lost if we give it knowing we give to Jesus, our sustenance and our provider.


"First Camp" at Eagle Trace- Morristown Boys & Girls Club June 9-11, 2017
The rustic Eagle Trace Christian Camp is in South Hamblen Co., Morristown, TN in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
NO NEW CAMPS ARE BEING SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME. ANY PRIVATE CAMPS SCHEDULED WILL BE DISCUSSED CLOSER TO THE DATES
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Eagle Trace Christian Camp 3068 Springvale Rd. Morristown, TN 37813 423•312•5995
Copyright 2017 Anglers for Christ Ministries, Inc.


The Barney Maffett Center began its life as Barney Maffett’s Cafe at the corner of Barney and Maffett streets in Muskegon Heights. In 1997, Covenant Church’s Board of Deacons purchased the former Boelkins Grocery Store after 80 years of business. Rumor had it that someone wanted to buy the building and turn it into a liquor store. So our Deacons immediately paid five hundred dollars in earnest money, and the congregation completed the purchase soon after.
Our deacons and other church members then spent six months in prayer and action to discern what might be done with the space. Considerations included reopening as a low-cost grocery store, using it as additional storage or office space for church and ministry needs, or opening a small cafe. Why a cafe? Because we learned that’s what our neighbors wanted after the residents all around the building were surveyed. After a full year of renovations by church members and friends, “Barney’s” opened in 1998. Its mission was to be “a beautiful, character-filled coffee shop where the gospel is gently shared through kindness and service.” In 2003, after 5 years of good coffee, food, and fellowship, Barney’s closed as a business, but ministry lived on.
Since then, The Barney Maffett Center has continued as a bright spot for ministry in our neighborhood: a store-front church, a meeting place for an after-school YMCA center, and, for two years, a cafe and computer center for a federally funded program called Weed and Seed. For several years, it was home to one of the three locations for PATHFINDERS, an after-school program for youth. When the partnership could no longer be financially supported by Pathfinders or Covenant, we once again turned to prayer and discernment, and a decision was made to sell the building.
While navigating COVID, Covenant had several offers and plans for the building brought to its attention. Finally, the holy space at Barney and Maffett Streets was purchased in 2021 by Kaja Thornton-Hunter for her business Overcoming Barriers. The site became “Barney Maffett B US iness Cafe” aka the “US Cafe” serving Aldea fair-trade coffee 5 days a week as well as breakfast and lunch on designated days. The Cafe has quickly become a community space for folks to connect, collaborate, mentor, and meet up with community leaders. Also available for sale at the cafe are “Kaja’s Spices,” which are produced and packaged right in town. The Aldea Coffee is great and the ideas are flowing, so visit the Cafe at the corner of Barney and Maffett, two short blocks from Covenant Community Church.


Missione di San Luis Obispo de Tolosa . Una tradizionale missione nella Valle degli Orsi . La struttura più imponente di SLO si erge proprio in centro, in Mission Plaza. Fondata nel 1772 da Padre Junipero Serra, è un edificio di grande effetto, sulla cui parte anteriore si erge la scultura di un grande grizzly Consigliamo di prenotare i tour di Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in anticipo per trovare posto. Se prenoti con Tripadvisor, puoi cancellare fino a 24 ore prima del tour e ricevere un rimborso completo. Vedi tutti i 2 tour di Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa su Tripadviso Welcome to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. For more than two centuries, Mission San Luis Obispo has greeted travelers, pilgrims and guests with open doors and a place to rest. At the crossroads of the Central California coast, the Mission lends heart and spirit to its vibrant surrounding community. We hope you will visit us. We are open year. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: Bellissima missione. - Guarda 679 recensioni imparziali, 472 foto di viaggiatori, e fantastiche offerte per San Luis Obispo, CA su Tripadvisor
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (Spanish: Misión San Luís Obispo de Tolosa) is a Spanish mission founded in 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California.Named after Saint Louis of Anjou, the bishop of Toulouse, the mission is the namesake of San Luis Obispo.Today, it offers tours of the beautiful church, gardens, school and small museum that holds a collection of its. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa 1794 - 2017 - Duration: 3:29. San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce 2,511 views. 3:29. The Missions of California by R.J. Adams - Duration: 10:12 Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is a Spanish mission founded in 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in the present-day city of San Luis Obispo, California LCCN2013632713.tif 6,144 × 4,096; 144.04 MB Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, CA USA - panoramio (1).jpg 3,456 × 5,184; 2.21 M A gem among the historic Spanish California missions, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is must-see for history buffs, family vacationers, and California tourists of all kinds. Watch the video to see SLO's charming downtown area, where visitors can choose from a variety of restaurant and shopping establishments. Founded in 1772 and built on its current foundation in 1792, the still active.
We recommend booking Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 2 Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa tours on Tripadviso Alla tua vacanza a Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, non può mancare la visita delle principali attrazioni locali, come Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa! Prima di partire consulta la guida turistica di Expedia e scopri tutto quello che c'è da sapere su Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Key Facts San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded on September 1, 1772. The mission church was built in 1792-1794. The former convento (now a museum) has a distinctive front colonnade. The museum has a special room that focuses on the Chumash Indians. A large modern plaza in front of Mission San Luis Obispo. . La missione prende il nome da Ludovico, vescovo di Tolosa, ed è l'omonimo della città di San Luis Obispo e della Contea di San Luis Obispo
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa 1,6 km. California Polytechnic State University 2 km. Pismo Beach Outlet Shopping Center 17,5 km. Ristoranti e negozi di alimentari * Firestone Grill Ristorante 1,4 km Aeroporti più vicini * Aeroporto Regionale di San Luis Obispo County 5,9 km Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded on September 1, 1772 by Father Junípero Serra on a site located halfway between Santa Barbara and Monterey. A cross was erected near San Luis Obispo Creek and Father Serra celebrated the first mass at the site.. The mission was named after Saint Louis of Anjou, the Bishop of Toulouse and is was fifth in the California Mission Chain I have just modified one external link on Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Interesting facts. San Luis Obispo is the only mission that has bells that are named. They are Sorrowful, Joyful, and Gloria. The mission was attacked three times by pagan Indians. Why? Because the Indians were mistreated. San. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is the fifth mission founded by Father Junípero Serra and the only mission to have an L-shaped chapel. Today the mission is located right in the heart of San Luis Obispo, which is a bustling college town along the coast of California. The mission is free to visit, but [
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Facts. Location: 751 Palm St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Date founded: September 1, 1772. I started the California Frontier Project to share the very best information and resources about California's early history and natural environment. Learn more about the project here. Follo Father Serra, first Father-Presidente of the Alta California Mission Chain, founded the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on September 1st, 1772. It was the fifth of California's 21 missions, and it is located in present day San Luis Obispo


7 Reasons to Put Your Children in Redwood Christian Schools -
Redwood Christian Schools
Top-rated private schools in the Bay Area CA
Redwood Christian Schools (510) 889-7526 or https://www.rcs.edu
Elementary School – Middle School – High School
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1. ACCEPTANCE – Without Strings Attached
2. CHALLENGE – To Dream Great Dreams
Dreams are a powerful thing. The history of our world is the story of men and women captivated by visions of new horizons, new frontiers, and new beginnings. Our nation owes its birth to many such dreamers. In this passive age of comforts and entertainment, children can be severely limited - even robbed - of the time to just dream, look beyond the "already" and wonder at that "maybe." Dreams are the stuff from which goals are made goals that form entire lives – and nations.
3. CONFIDENCE – In an Uncertain World
Children are born with an incredible, insatiable desire to meet head-on and conquer it. But caution takes over when fears begin to grip the child's heart. Withdrawl replaces activity, and life ceases to be a marvel and instead becomes a fearful journey on an uncertain road.
Children need healthy doses of good old-fashioned faith and optimism, and they need to be encouraged to experience life with openness and anticipation. Knowing that God is in control and with us in every life situation is the one trustworthy source of confidence in our uncertain world.
4. DISCIPLINE – To Build Strong Character
A disciplined life doesn't really limit; it liberates the child to reach his potential. Like a river that overruns its banks, life without boundaries loses its strength.
And where there are no boundaries, a child loses his sense of security – knowing that there is someone who will help him avoid hazards and maintain control until he is mature enough to control himself. After all, the goal of all discipline is self-discipline, that beautiful quality of life based on the strength of character.
5. FREEDOM – To Be Kids
Childhood and youth are incredibly short, but meaningful spans of life, and they are years of intense growth in every area. And since our culture has one of the shortest periods of adolescence in the world, our children need every moment of childhood they can get.
Kids need the freedom to be kids. Hopefully, they can relate to adults who can see life through their eyes: The mazement of every discovery, the pride of accomplishment, and the fun of simple play. We need to give our children their childhood – and enjoy it with him.
6. STRENGTH – To Face Adversity
We want our children to be strong, to be able to endure hard things and surmount obstacles - and to stand alone if need be. But true strength is born of one thing; adversity. Only in facing problems squarely and working through them by God's grace can a child learn strength.
Every young child needs a certain amount of rights kind of struggles in their lives to exercise the muscles of independence and take flight, just like a butterfly that struggles to be free at the cocoon.
7. WISDOM - To Make Right Decisions
Life is a journey that is determined by a series of choices. And children begin making their own choices almost from the moment of self-awareness.
Children need the wisdom to make the right decisions. They need to hear wisdom from the adults in their lives and history lessons. But the most significant reservoir of wisdom the world has ever known is found in the Bible. To learn its wisdom is to provide them the light that will never fail them or lead them astray
Redwood Christian Schools (RCS) serves students in grades TK-12. Our elementary campus is located in Castro Valley and our middle school and high school campus is in San Lorenzo, CA. The mission of RCS is to equip students for daily living and eternal life through academics, athletics, and enrichment programs.
In summary, RCS is inspiring futures with its core values: Establish CHRISTIAN TRUTH as a guide for life. Maintain a HIGH ACADEMIC STANDARD. Instill PURE MORALS in the heart of the student. Generate a SPIRIT OF PATRIOTISM. Live a DISCIPLINED LIFE.
We love children and want to see them reach their full potential. We are committed to providing a quality, Christian-centered education in a safe, secure, and loving learning environment. Children should blossom as unique individuals created in the image of God.
We seek to partner with parents and their church and develop well-prepared children with the character and vision to meet their world confidently. We invite you to call our district office for more information, including a personal tour of our campus and classrooms.
Serving Christ through Education,
Al Hearne ll
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the CALLING to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)
Top-Rated Private Schools in the Bay Area CA
#bestprivateschool #bestchristianschool #schools #childrenneed
* Redwood Christian Schools admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Redwood Christian Schools does not discriminate based on race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
This Hot Deal is promoted by Castro Valley / Eden Area Chamber of Commerce.


YOUR FAMILY MATTERS TO US
True North Kids is a fun learning environment designed just for them. It’s a place they can learn about Jesus on their level while you connect with God and others.
Life was never meant to be done alone. Group life at True North is designed to help you grow in your relationship with Christ and connect with others in supportive community.
There are times when life is overwhelming, when all we have is questions. In those moments, hope can feel far away. The great thing about prayer is that it shifts our perspective toward the One who not only hears us but can truly help us. No matter what you’re facing, we’d love to pray with you!


You’ll find the Presbytery Offices at 209 High Street, Perth
Crieff Parish Church
Guest speaker at Crieff Parish Church on Sunday 19th June was Rob Jones, who has been the church’s partner missionary in Malawi for six years . Rob has worked as the head pharmacist at Nkhoma Hospital and he also lectured in clinical pharmacy at the University of Malawi. Rob described the difficulties of providing well-organised health services in a very poor country, where malaria and other tropical diseases take a heavy toll of the population. At a time when the economy of Malawi is weak the population of subsistence farmers are struggling to earn a living wage and can ill afford the expense of medicine. Rob Jones is now returning to the UK with his wife Ritu and their three children, and the Rev Andrew Philip gave thanks for all the work done by Rob and his wife and wished them well as a new phase of their life begins. After the service Rob had lunch with the congregation , and met Mary Dick–Smith, the great granddaughter of David Livingstone, the great Scottish missionary and doctor who explored central Africa.
Left to Right : Bayne Shaw, Rob Jones, Rev Andrew Philip, seated : Mary Dick Smith


Icons. The Trinity. Fine art print B3
The most famous artist of Russia Andrei Rublev was brought up at the cloister, which was founded by Sergey Radonezhsky . He was the monk, a high-educated and wise man. Annals call him “ wonderful old man”, “a man of the perfect virtue”.In 1427 Father-Superior Nikon of Trinity-Sergey… ordered the icon “The Holy Trinity” from Andrei Rublev in memory of the cloister founder Sergey Radonezhsky. The dogma about “The Holy Trinity” is the principle in Christianity. It maintains that God exists the one in three faces – God-Father, Savaoff, Earth and Heaven Founder, visible and invisible world, God-Son, Jesus Christ, and God-The Holy Spirit, the Consoler. According to the Bible, God came to the fore-father Abraham, who put up a tent in the shadow of the high Ìàìâðèéñêîãî oak, with the view of three handsome young men. That is why more often the three-faced divinity is painted in three angels sitting at the table. This is the Holy Trinity.
There are three young men on the Rublev icon, which images have hothing mundane, they look like soaring around the white meal – a table, on which there is just a sacrificial chalice. The genius artist present a miracle, something incomprehensible with the mind: three angels feels like the one because of love and harmony united them. The angel in the middle, God- Father, points to the chalice. Full of love, He must give His Son for cross and death. God-Son, the left one, agrees to His will with the benedictory gesture of His hand. God-The Holy Spirit , the right one, bends His head gently and puts His hand down.
Notwithstanding that the heart of happening is tragic, the icon is full of the heaven harmony. The picture is put in the circle, which fluent lines repeating and being a kind of “rhyming” spill over each other, bringing round and up. The faces of angels look similar and different at the same time. There is a mildness and “strength”, irresistible internal force. The images are painted very gently, with barely perceptible tones. People called this way of painting – “painted with smog”. This icon is the top of Andrei Rublev’life. When there were endless disasters, bloodsheds, high mortality and crucifixions, he told about the most important, which called people to love and peace. The icon was painted in memory of Sergey Radonezhsky , “for a view to The Holy Trinity to fight a fear of hateful dissentions of this world”.
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Agni Publishing House (Samara, Russia), Nicholas Roerich Museum (New York) and Fine Arts Academy Gallery (Moscow, Russia) have published a unique album, dedicated to the pictorial heritage of Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947).
Will be available on the second volume of a unique publication dedicated to the works of Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947).
The album was released by the publishing house "Agni" (Samara), with active cooperation of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, as well as the Moscow Gallery Fine Arts Academy and the St. Petersburg State Museum and Institute of the Roerich Family.


By Joe Bartling
We’ve all heard from Biblical teachings that Jesus was raised in a town called Nazareth; he’s specifically called “Jesus of Nazareth” in the KJV version of the New Testament 17 times, 12 times in the Gospels and 5 times in the Book of Acts.
So, lets take a look at where the word “Nazareth” and its vocabulary cousins, “Nazarene” and “Nazirite”, come from and why it is important. First off, there is a very important verse in Matthew, that suggests that Jesus must be “from Nazareth” to fulfill a specific messianic prophecy. The verse is Matthew 2:23:
And he [referring to Jesus’ father Joseph] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene”.
There is a lot of wordplay going on here in the Greek. The first thing to notice is that the first “he” is referring to Joseph, the “father” of Jesus, as Joseph is following the instructions that an “angel of the Lord” gave him in Matthew 2:19-20. The second “He” in the same verse is said to be relating the Jesus, and capitalized in most of our translations. Also, the first word “Nazareth” in this verse is the Greek Nazaret (Ναζαρὲτ, G3478) that the translators arbitrarily apply to both Ναζαρὲτ and a similar word Ναζαρά, transliterated Nazara. Strongs Concordance says this word means “the guarded one”, but says the word is of “unknown” derivation. But in Hebrew, there is a common Hebrew root נָצַר, transliterated “natsar” which means “to guard, keep, or preserve”. The word is used 62 times in the Hebrew Bible and is translated into English as “preserve”, “guard”, “keep”, “keeper”, “keeping”, and “watchmen”. The verse is used 7 times in Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible dedicated to “keeping” and “preserving” God’s law, precepts, commandments, and instructions.
Psalm 119:2 “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”
Psalm 119:22 “Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.”
Psalm 119:33 ” Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.”
Psalm 119:34 “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”
Psalm 119:56 “This I had, because I kept thy precepts.”
Psalm 119:69 “The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.”
Psalm 119:100 “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.”
A derivation of this root is the Hebrew word נֵצֶר, transliterated “netzer”, which is used figuratively as the English word “branch” four times in the Hebrew Bible. The word means “branch, shoot, or offspring”, but essentially refers to the burst of green color, the new life that comes to an old tree with the sprout of new life. The word is used in the words of the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11:1:
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
The word “Branch” in this verse is usually capitalized in Christian versions of the Bible, as it is this verse that many Bible teachers teach that this is the verse that Matthew 2:23 refers to in the “prophetic fulfillment” above, “He shall be called a Nazarene”. The word “Nazarene” in this verse is the English translation of the Greek word Ναζωραῖος, transliterated “Nazoratos” (G3480). Strongs defines this word as a “Nazarite – one who is separated” and is used in Acts 24:6 to describe a sect called “Nazarenes” (Greek: Nazoratos). This seems to imply a different Hebrew word נָזִיר, (H5139) transliterated “nazir” and translated to “Nazarite”, from the Hebrew root נָזַר, (H5144) and transliterated “nazar”. This word means “separated, consecrated, and dedicated” to keep “sacredly separate”.
These “Nazoratos/Nazarenes” are commonly thought to be “Christians”, but it is interesting that the distinct characteristic of this group is that they are sectarian, and keep themselves “sacredly separate”, hence the moniker, “Nazoratos”. This group of “sectarians” seems to be the same group described in Acts 21:20, believers who were “zealous for the law” or those who were keeping, guarding, and preserving God’s law, commandments, precepts, and instructions. It is also to interesting to observe that these “Nazoratos/Nazarenes” are NOT from the “town of Nazareth”.
So the two different Greek words used in the same sentence in Matthew 2:23, to equate “Nazareth” with “Nazarene”, have two different meanings and come from two distinctly separate Hebrew concepts. One being one who “keeps, guards, and preserves” and as a “green shoot” comes out of a root bringing new life to the root. The other being one who consecrates himself to keep “sacredly separate”. The verse is Acts 24:6 describes these “Nazoratos” as a “sect”, indicating they are distinct and “separated” from the general population and from other Jews.
So, what seems to be clear in all of this, is that the concept of a “town called Nazareth” was possibly misinterpreted or misunderstood from the original concepts. No town of “Nazareth” is mentioned in the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1, or in any other verse in the Hebrew Bible. That would have been impossible, because Nazareth didn’t exist as a city or town while any of the Hebrew prophets were alive. The first reference to a town called Nazareth in any non-Biblical sources is in the 2nd century CE.
The prophecy itself seems to correlate to the “first” concept of the “branch” indicating that the “messiah” would be a descendant of Jesse, and confirming a Davidic biological descent, a “netzer”, and/or a “nazir”, but not specifically a resident of the “town of Nazareth”. We’ve discussed the possible mistranslation or misinterpretation of the Hebrew name for Jesus, “Yeshua Ha Notzri” in the article “Jesus’ Boyhood Hometown: Rediscovered after 2,000 Years?“.
John the Baptist was thought to be a Nazirite, one who separated from the world to follow God, and teaching and preaching a “baptism” or mikvah of repentence and consecration, by separating to “make straight one’s path in the wilderness”. Jesus followed in this practice, as did many followers in the Galilee, as recorded in Mark 1:3, Matthew 3:3, and John 1:23, and identifying with the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3.
The common bond to all of these disciples was the commitment of consecration, and sacred separation, to follow the Almighty, his laws, precepts, and instructions because “the kingdom of God is at hand”. This is similar and overlaps to the outward practices of the Essenes and also the “zealots”, Hebrew: kana’im, who come out of what Josephus called, the “Fourth Sect of Judaism: the Zealots”. founded by Judas of Gamla.
This distinct choice of separation and consecration by Galilean Jews, was evident in their home lives in the 1st century CE archaeological remains found in Jewish Galilean towns such as Gamla, Bethsaida, and Yodefat, as evidenced by their choice of rejecting imported “Red-slipped bowls” and other symbols of Hellenistic life, Roman imposition, and pagan/mixed culture.


John Caleb Pendleton | Curator - Black Literature Collective
gregarious -- structured -- imaginative
Grove Hill and the neighboring community of Whatley, Alabama have shaped John into the man he is today. Multiple generations of his family have resided in this rural part of Alabama and it is from a deep connection with family that John has developed love for people, food, and God. It is also through the oral history of his family and older community members which John learned the richness of being black.
Though a southerner at heart, Chicago has become home. John moved to Chicago to attend Moody Bible Institute where he studied Biblical Exposition and Youth Development while also serving as president of the black student group. During his time at Moody, John worked with various youth organizations. He has a passion for educational reform and his current role is with The Future Project as Dream Director at Austin College & Career Academy High School in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. Prior to serving here, he was in Al Raby School for Community & Environment as a Program Coordinator with GRIP Outreach for Youth.
John and his wonderful wife Kari live in the North Lawndale neighborhood with their rambunctious Staffordshire Terrier. John is delving back into woodworking, which he learned from his father, and Kari is a baker. They fully embrace their individual and unique blackness as they seek to use their stories and skills for the sake of helping others around them.


In order to be effective in ministry, we must understand our purpose and how we fit into God’s master plan. In this interview, Jacob Tapia talks with Pastor Jason Varnum (Soul’s Harbor First Pentecostal Church) about ministry and how to become a more effective minister.
Click to Listen
In this interview you will hear Jason Varnum discuss these important topics:
- Early ministry experiences.
- The importance of one-on-one ministry.
- Allowing God to use our talents for ministry.
- Connecting with Apostolic leaders.
- The importance of serving those whom we desire to emulate.
- Preparation for preaching.
- Having a breakthrough mindset.
- The importance of following the leading of the Spirit.
- Our role as ministers.
- The importance of teaching the Scriptures.
- Bible study tips.
- Keeping a right spirit in ministry.
- The importance of spiritual authority.
- The role of pastoral leadership.
- Seeking the approval of God.
If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an episode, email Jacob Tapia (Administrator).


Non-Fiction. Published 2015.
Read: February 2015, 228 pages
Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman explores how to better control your tongue, knowing what to say and how to say it, and realizing when it is best to say nothing at all.
This book explores what the Bible says about the many ways we are to use our words and the times when we are to remain silent. Even though we know that Scripture has much to say about how we are—and are not—to use our words, this is still an immense issue, causing heartache and strain not only in family relationships, but also in friendships, work, and church settings.
Karen Ehman is the communications coordinator for Proverbs 31 Ministries and a writer for their online daily devotions. Her numerous books include A Life That Says Welcome and Let. It. Go. She is a favorite presenter at women’s events and a frequent guest on national television and radio programs. Karen is also a contributor to Focus on the Family’s online magazine, Thriving Family. She lives with her family in central Michigan.
Words CAN be used in wonderful ways, but sometimes we need to be reminded of that! Choosing our words wisely can create the relationships and atmosphere we all desire. Keep It Shut offers a helpful tips and biblical knowledge to help Christians learn styles of speech that we often forget are tearing others down. Words do matter.
While certainly this book would be quite a lot to cover, I want to focus on two specific parts I’d like to share- Chapter 4: Zip It and Pray and Chapter 6: Behind The Screen. Ehman notes that prayer must be an important component when considering censorship with others. Allowing ourselves to pray before we react can greatly influence our ability to show compassion and discernment. The author suggests several things to become a prayer warior: A) Pray Your To Do List, B) Be Intentional- make time for prayer, C) Read and Write, D) Make a Recording and Memorize, E) Identify and Apply the Bible’s Nonnegotiables. These things will make us more readily able to react and speak in ways that save us from disaster.
In Chapter 6, Ehman focuses on controlling your digital tone- something very important to remember while online. Here are some Rules for the Cyberspace Playground that will get you “talking”: A) Pray Before You Post, B) Imagine the Recipient Sitting Next to You, C) Remember that When You’re Online, You’re Also on Stage, D) Ask Yourself If You’ve Earned the Right to Address the Subject at Hand- are you slinging an uninformed opinion, E) Ask Yourself If You Have a Close Enough Relationship with the Person to Warrant Offering Your Opinion, F) When You Do Speak, Let Your Speech Be Laced with Grace.
I received this book free of charge in exchange for my review from Book Look Bloggers.
Talking to God helps me know how to talk to others. -p61


“What a wonder we are, we humans, we beings of God, we children of the Earth. We are lost in our illusions of perfection, drowning in the sorrows of forgotten dreams and borrowed hopes – but we yearn for the knowledge that will reveal the gospel of our truth. We search everywhere, and yet what little we discover only leads us back to our own beginnings. There is nothing beyond ourselves, all that is rests within our mighty little hearts. There, in that sacred place, resides all the wisdom, the comfort, the joy, the strength, the faith, the courage and the love that we need to sustain during our journey.
Every day life offers up countless opportunities to help us discover who we really are and what we can truly become. Each of us is unique, beautiful and true, as is every moment of our day. If only we would stop thinking about doing things and simply did what our hearts inspired us to; happiness might find its way into our lives more often. To love or not to love, to be happy or not to be, to hug a life or not – the choice is always ours to make. It is now, in this very moment, that you decide how your life will unfold tomorrow.”


The LPC e-pistle is designed for the friends and families of Langhorne Presbyterian Church and any others who happen by. Pastor Bill Teague shares weekly comments on the world, the life of faith and Langhorne Church. A weekly e-mail, sent by request, keeps members up to date on news and prayer concerns within the congregation. Langhorne Presbyterian Church is a warm, Christ-honoring congregation, and we’d love to have you stop by for a visit if you’re ever in our neighborhood. You can get directions to LPC here.
Becky and I are out of town this weekend – a little fall getaway into New England. In the meantime:
One Sunday a long time ago I used the intersection of Bellevue and Richardson Avenues as a sermon illustration. The point had something to do with obedience with that corner in Langhorne as a good example of not-quite obedience. The Bellevue and Richardson intersection is one of those places where we tend to roll through rather than come to a complete stop. I remember at the time of the sermon a number of people shared their own Bellevue and Richardson stories or nominated other intersections as places of even worse offense. The point of the illustration was that a lot of us live roll through Christian lives.
Some of you may have seen the new sign that’s been posted just below the stop sign at the southeast corner of the intersection the Bellevue and Richardson. “Stop Really Means Stop,” it shouts at us as we pass the First National Bank.
The Really Means Stop sign is professionally made and well mounted – by the borough or the police or the vigilantes, I don’t know.
While I applaud the intentions of those who have posted the sign, I wonder what good it will do. It reminds me the irate parent in Walmart yelling at a child three aisles away. “Come here right now! I’m going to give you to three. One, two, two and a half…”
Does the nagging spouse ever get the other to lose weight or exercise or quit drinking? Does the lunch room become neater when the nagging boss sends memos about it being everyone’s responsibility? Do people quit drinking coffee in the this or that room in the church when the elders forbid such sin and post signs to remind us so? (Ouch!)
Except around eight in the morning or five in the afternoon, the intersection of Bellevue and Richardson in Langhorne is pretty quiet, and chances are a roll through stop will work just fine. Once in a while, though, you’ll roll through to a nasty little fender bender. Even if you’re pretty sure all’s clear, you might as well stop anyway. Just because that red octagonal sign says so.
Chances are that when we roll through some of the Ten Commandments, everything will seem to be just fine. A white lie, a tiny covet, a not very vain taking of the Lord’s name, a slight dishonoring of parents, a small graven image. Roll through violations may have surprising consequences, though, if in no other way than in our boldness to roll a little faster next time. But even when we’re pretty sure all’s clear, we might as well obey the Word anyway. Just because God says so, and he loves us.
I won’t see you this Sunday, but if you come to worship driving south on Bellevue, remember stop means really stop when you get to the intersection with Richardson Avenue.
LPC people know the names of the people and the place. John and Jess Cropsey. Kibuye, Burundi, East Africa. For eight years we have heard the names and have gotten to know John and Jess just a little bit. They visit with us from time to time. We have learned about the wonderful work they are doing in that little town we had never heard of before – in a country few of us could have found on a map.
John is an ophthalmologist serving as part of the medical mission team at Kibuye Hope Hospital. This video was shot five years ago, but still captures the heart of what John is doing. Indeed, the blind are made to see.
The Kibuye team is building an amazing center of healing in what may be the poorest place on the planet. Continue reading
A week ago, I was off to a Presbytery meeting where, among other things, LPC’s own Casey Huckel was examined and received by the Presbytery as a candidate for ordained pastoral ministry. Of course, Casey’s examination and reception were the highlight of the meeting for our LPC delegation, but not the only highlight. Yes, we are Presbyterians and sometimes it seems we are just a bit taken with our “decently and in order” ways. But debating procedural minutiae or hearing reports of God’s astounding work in the mission field, there was a good spirit and strong hope in our meeting together.
I like this Presbytery of the East.
We met at the Bethlehem Stetz Reformed Church, EPC, mailing address in Glen Rock, PA. The church’s website says, “Just four miles west of New Freedom, PA, on State Route 851.” No offense meant, but it felt pretty much like the middle of nowhere – the rolling hills of the southern York County farmland.
It turns out that this nowhere location for a church building has meant something important, and maybe in its time something to give offense. Continue reading
According to the old hymn,
Day by day his sweet voice soundeth,
saying, “Christian, follow me.”
Jesus calls – not to be confused with Jesus Calling, the title of a phenomenally popular devotional and dangerously wrong book of the same title. The book is a particularly good (or bad) example of American Christians’ tendency to outsource the hard work of reading Scripture and praying diligently. Why not let someone else do it and have her work in your inbox every morning. More here.
Jesus call us.
I will be heading out to Glen Rock, PA, this morning for a day and a half of presbytery meeting. I am looking forward to it, and none of it more than that item of business that comes mid-morning on Saturday. The Ministerial Committee will call Casey Huckel to stand before the assembly with these words from its report to the presbytery:
Casey comes before the Presbytery with the recommendation of the Ministerial Committee, which examined him on September 9. The presbytery will examine him as to Christian experience and growth, the motive for seeking ordination, and a statement regarding the person’s call to ministry. Continue reading
You may have seen the story from Japan about the Buddhist temple where they have asked a robot to serve as their new priest. So far Mindar, the robot, mostly just preaches the same sermon over and over, but its designers are hoping that developments in the field of artificial intelligence will lead to a cyber priest whose programming and the use of algorithms will allow it to offer spiritual advice and pastoral counseling. I would think it could be really good at balancing budgets and keeping calendars.
With my retirement planned for next year, I think I may be getting out of the clergy business just in time. But, also what an opportunity for LPC to be on the cutting edge of pastoral technology. It’s not too late for us to change the call for our October 6 congregational meeting from electing a pastor search committee to electing a pastor programming committee. Continue reading


While not practicing dentistry in her office, Dr. Ku is an active member of her church and participates in the church's free dental clinic in Apex, giving back to the community from which she and her family has received so much from. She is also a proud supporter of WorldVision and is an active volunteer for the NC Baptist Men Medical/Dental Bus voluntary project and the NC State Fair Dental bus. She also served at the Durham Rescue Mission. If you are interested in finding out and contribute to one of these worthy causes, please click the links below. Thank you for your interest and participation.
Proud Sponsor of Wake County Fraternal Order of Police #41 Shop with a Cop program
Dr. Ku, along with her assistant Ginny, was able to serve the Fair workers with the Southern Baptist Assoc. at the NC State Fair on October 25th, 2013! What a blessing! Here is a picture of them taking time out between patients.
Dr. Ku served with the Dental Bus of the Souther Baptist Association at Apex Baptist Church in March 2014. Over 30 patients were seen in a single day, and 10 came to know Jesus Christ as their savior!


Church restrictions on dating and marriage
Princess Olga of Kiev was the first ruler of Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, either in 945 or 957.Undoubtedly influenced by his Christian grandmother and by a proposed marriage alliance with the Byzantine imperial family, Olga's grandson Vladimir I (c.Both depend in part on whether the non-Catholic spouse is a baptized Christian or a non-baptized person, such as a Jew, Muslim or atheist.If the non-Catholic is a baptized Christian (not necessarily Catholic), the marriage is valid as long as the Catholic party obtains official permission from the diocese to enter into the marriage and follows all the stipulations for a Catholic wedding.Theologican Robert Hater, author of the 2006 book, “When a Catholic Marries a Non-Catholic,” writes: “To regard mixed religion marriages negatively does them a disservice.They are holy covenants and must be treated as such.” A marriage can be regarded at two levels – whether it is valid in the eyes of the church and whether it is a sacrament.The Old Testament prophets saw the marriage of a man and woman as a symbol of the covenant relationship between God and his people.The permanent and exclusive union between husband and wife mirrors the mutual commitment between God and his people.
They looked so good and you knew they would taste so sweet, but no matter how you stretched and squirmed you just couldn't reach them.
Why does the church teach that marriage is a sacrament? Like the other sacraments, marriage is not just for the good of individuals, or the couple, but for the community as a whole.
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament.
956-1015) prince of Kiev, from among several options, chose the Byzantine rite.
Baptized in 988, he led the Kievans to Christianity.
Search for church restrictions on dating and marriage:
With permission, a priest or deacon may witness such marriages.


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