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News from Local Congregations |
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only way we know about significant events is by somebody
telling us, by reading a publication or by asking various
groups what they are planning. We simply do not have time
to contact numerous groups before each issue to get their
current news. We receive a lot of publications, but
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The Fifth Annual Greater Atlanta CRC will be held on April 22nd and 23rd at the beautiful rustic Red Top Mountain State Park and Conference Center in Cartersville, Georgia. It is sponsored by Christian Educational Ministries (CEM). The park is located on Lake Allatoona, just 1.5 Miles east of I-75, via exit #123. It is less than 30 miles north of Atlanta.
For reservations call: 770-975-0055 and when you call, be sure to mention that you are with CEM. There are private rooms and some cabins.
Speakers will include Ronald Dart, Steve Sanders and Larry Watkins. Sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. on April 22nd and April 23rd, and Sabbath services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Contact CEM at 888-242-5344 or adm@cemnetwork.com . Or, call Stan Denzinger at 770-502-8933 or call Steve Sanders at 770-844-8147.
The Church of God, Berean Fellowship invites you to join us for Passover Festival Week, a Celebration of Freedom, April 18-26, 2000, in the Greater Milwaukee Area. This week’s activities will include Holy Day and Sabbath services with guest speakers; daily evening fellowship and services; Seder/Passover services (with traditional Church of God services available), Bible study, feasting and fellowship throughout the week.
Calendar of Events:
Tuesday, April 18: Traditional
Church of God Passover service
Wednesday, April 19: Passover Seder celebrations in
designated homes
Thursday, April 20: First Day of Unleavened Bread services,
2:00 p.m., followed by Feast dinner and dance.
Friday, April 21: Evening fellowship, Feast meal and Bible
study at Eltrich’s home.
Saturday, April 22: High Sabbath service, 2:00 p.m.,
followed by Feast dinner and social.
Sunday, April 23: Evening fellowship, Feast meal, and
Bible study at Merritt’s home.
Monday, April 24: Evening fellowship, Feast meal, and
Bible study at Hagen’s home.
Tuesday, April 25: Evening fellowship, Feast meal, and
Bible study at Wales’ home.
Wednesday, April 26: Last Day of Unleavened Bread services,
2:00 p.m., followed by Feast dinner.
Come and join us. Good local hotels/motels available with some space available in brethren’s homes. Call or write for more information to:
Church of God, Berean Fellowship, P.O.
Box 215; Dousman, WI 53118
cog-bereanfellowship@usa.com
www.geocities.com/berean_fellowship
or call toll free 877-444-4252
Services for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread will be held at the fellowship hall of the United Methodist Church in Terrell, Texas, at 1:00 pm. It is located at 503 West College. Ron Dart will be the speaker. A potluck meal will follow. Contact CEM at 888-242-5344 or adm@cemnetwork.com
Our home fellowship is hosting a Feast for the upcoming Unleavened Bread season. The Theme: “Giving thanks and ingesting the living words”. It will be a time focused on giving thanks to our gracious heavenly Father and His Son, for all “Their blessings”, sharing those blessings with others, studying, learning, and practicing “Their way”.
Music, prayer, fellowship, feasting and a variety of services, will promote this festive atmosphere. We will make an effort to accommodate all varieties of understanding, especially as to the observance of Passover/memorial/night to-be-observed. We will have services/activities every day April 17th-26th. There will be a festive meal on the evening of the 19th, possibly with some singing to celebrate the night to be much observed. The 20th will be the First Day of Unleavened Bread. All are welcome to attend a single service or the entire time.
Everyone is invited to participate, as you are comfortable; we welcome your contributions. We will try to give everyone opportunity to voice their ideas and understandings, etc, in an appropriate setting.
The format envisioned at this time will be varied, with all these options: 15-30 min. “sermonettes”, 45-60 min. “sermons”, 30-45 min. “split sermons”. These may include question and answer sessions. Bible readings of different lengths, special music of varying types. Giving of testimonies of God’s love. Bible studies on specific topics or verses/books in the Bible or on questions from the forms received. Also book reports, video reviews, lesson formats etc. that might be helpful to us. Some announcements may be included.
We are meeting in Quaker Hill Conference Center, Richmond, Indiana (765-962-5741). Room rates are approximately $30 for a single and $50 for two adults and up to 3 children. There are other hotels and restaurants in the area.
—Cliff Howard, 765-642-6070
902 E 29th; Anderson, In. 46016
E-mail: choward1@ameritech.net or rfoust2@juno.com
Internet: http://www.ameritech.net/
users/choward1/LR-COG-In.html
Like everything, it is a learning experience and, all in all, it’s been fairly smooth. Help Line is a network of about 16 volunteers with a desire to help others. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ willing to take time to talk, pray, study the Bible and, if necessary, find other help for a person in need. Some of us are professional counselors; some of us are not. We will try to help you find solutions to any of the following:
Addictions: alcohol, drugs, gambling, homosexuality, pornography, sex
Emotional problems: depression, discouragement, loneliness, rape victimization
Family: child rearing & discipline, divorce, domestic violence, education, marriage problems, teen problems (dating, etc.), family dis-harmony due to different doctrines or church organizations.
Personal needs: financial guidance, health (traditional & alternative), imprisonment, physical needs, spiritual needs
While we have been able to be of service in many aspects of people’s lives, only one or two have requested help with addictions. Yet we have good reason to believe that the ratio of drug, homosexuality, pornography and other addictions is relatively high in the church. We hope those addicted are receiving help in their local community. If not we urge them to contact us.
It is encouraging to note that some of those requesting help are now signed on as volunteers.
We have several inmates requesting services. I have been referring some to Lisa Henderson who is starting up an inmate pen pal service.
Along this same line, there are two inmates in California upon whom I put a challenge to write articles based on their own experience and knowledge that would be of value to us, especially the youth. Our hope is that they will be of interest and profitable for various COG publications.
If you, or anyone you know needs our services, please contact us.
—Steven & Suzanne Kieler, 515-576-5743
2193 Sheker Dr; Fort Dodge, IA 50501
E-mail: sskieler@juno.com
The web site with old HWA and WCG writings (conveniently packed into PDF files), mentioned in the Nov/Dec Servants’ News seems to be gone. If someone knows where it has moved, please let us know and we will print it. The former address of the site was:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~gwmatteson
Another site with downloadable “zip” files (not as convenient but usable) is: http://www.hwaonline.org
The Women’s Conference of March 10 through 12 was a special treat for those who attended. Linda Hardy White and the International Bible Learning Center sponsored this event in the Dallas area. Approximately 100 women were present from several states across the nation. Joy and enthusiasm filled the reception as we conversed together in the lobby of the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Friday evening.
Various speakers on Saturday shared their insights before and after a catered buffet lunch.
The morning speakers included Linda Hardy White (Carrollton, Texas) sharing her research on the historic role of women in the Church, Allie Dart (Whitehouse, Texas) on teaching our children, and Gillian Gully (Waco, Texas) on the biblical perspective of success.
After breaking for lunch, Dr. Jewell Cress (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) admonished us on our role as women and answering God’s call for His service in our lives.
After a short break, a musical presentation of several vocalists and an “audience participation” session was enjoyed. During the “interactive” session, (moderated by Rosemary Crow of Katy, Texas), several women shared personal evangelism and community service experiences.
After dinner, we were given some choices. Four speaking sessions were provided, with two occurring at the same time. These included one for teens, by Carol Boyer (East Lansing, Michigan) and a time management lecture by Carolyn Scharpen (Mission Viejo, California). The final Saturday lectures were one for singles given by Marita Brooks (Carrollton, Texas) and one on home schooling by Tarcila Fox (Nashville, Tennessee). An ice cream social, a live country music band, and door prizes concluded the evening.
On Sunday morning, a continental breakfast was provided for everyone. Louisa Sandsmark (Simsbury, Connecticut) informed us on financial planning, Melodee Overton (Big Sandy, Texas) exhorted us on conflict resolution. Peggy Wooten (Birmingham, Alabama) and Linda Hardy White presented closing comments.
The conference provided opportunities for meeting new “sisters in Christ”, visiting with old friends, and sharing knowledge and experiences. It is the hope of the conference sponsors that there will be regional conferences in as many states as there are women to sponsor them.
Tapes of all presentations (8 hours) are available for $39, audio and $59, video. Make checks payable to IBLC; 4021 Randall Lane; Carrollton, TX 75007; fax: 972-492-3851; email: info@iblc.org . Another conference on Building the Next Church is planned for the Dallas area sometime in July.
—Marleen Edwards
The Bible Sabbath Association is conducting an essay scholarship contest for 2001. Those interested in scholarships should contact June Narber Harrison; PMB 193; 6325-9 Falls of Neuse Road; Raleigh, NC 27615;e-mail ejnarber@mindspring.com. Donations for the scholarship can be sent to the Bible Sabbath Association; 3316 Alberta Dr; Gillette, WY 82718.
I invite you to tune in. Virtual Church is a live and interactive phone-connected audience. Just dial in to our conference center to be connected. It’s free (You pay for your call at whatever your long distance provider charges—usually 10-cents-a-minute or less. I pay 5 cents using the discounter 10-10-636 prior to dialing our conference number. At that rate the one-hour call cost $3.00.) Use a speaker phone if you have one and invite others to listen in.
Dial 918-222-7158 and at any time during the welcome message enter the code 0566# (# is the “pound” key).
Time: 11 AM Pacific Standard Time (Noon Mountain, 1 PM Central, 2 PM Eastern). We meet weekly at this same time. For coming topics check the schedule on our web site: www.godward.org.
Following the panel discussion, your comments and questions are welcomed. Please join us any Sabbath.
—Ken Westby
I invite everyone to have a look at the updated web site for The WAY Publications. The URL is: www.jps.net/mjlane/theway
I ceased regular publication of The WAY some months back, for the simple reason that I didn’t have the time to devote to publishing it. However, I have archived most of the articles on this web site, and I am adding more articles and transcripts as time permits, including some things that have been sitting around in my file cabinet for years, and presentations I have made more recently.
Which brings me to the main purpose of this item:
A number of us who have known each other in the past, and/or know each other now, who share the WCG as a common background, have businesses. Some of these businesses have web sites. I thought it might be a really nice thing if we would add a page of links on our web site to other church people’s businesses and web sites. Wouldn’t it be fun to know that, for many of the things we need, and might search for on the internet, there might be a church member or family out there who can supply it? I think it would be a wonderful service to have a page of links to those of us in the same family (we’re all God’s kids, right?), so we can stay in touch, and even do some business with each other.
I know about some of your web sites, and I’m impressed with the quality and artistic design of these business sites. Would you like to be linked to our web site?
Do you know of some church people who are in business, and who have a web site, who might also like to take advantage of this service?
I know this amounts to free advertising. I just want to do this for the family. It might be fun, it might help bring in a few more sales—who knows? It’s just one of those wild and crazy ideas I get once in awhile.
Suppose you need a little help in mounting a web site. I happen to know a really great commercial artist and advertising professional who just went out on her own and started her own company and a brand new web site. I’ll bet, if you wanted to get some good help, you could become one of her customers.
Hey, know anybody who needs the finest stained glass windows or doors? I know who to call! She’s another one who has a great web site.
So, let me know what you think. Does this sound like something you’d like to do? Do you know somebody in the church who might like to have a business link on our web site?
Akron Ohio Fellowship e-mail correctionEd Schneider’s e-mail address should be ets124@hotmail.com (not ets123...). He was listed as one of the contact persons for the Akron-Cleveland-Canton-Youngstown, Ohio Fellowship on page 6, column 1 of the Nov/Dec 1999 Servants’ News. |
What an opportunity to network!
Take care, everybody. God loves us, so who can be against us?
—Jack Lane
[Such a business link can work out fine as long as everyone understands it is based on offering a fair product or service for a fair price. Too many times, I have known people to do business with other believers in a less righteous way than they would do business with unbelievers. They would say things like: “He’s a church member, so if we can’t pay all we owe him, he’ll understand.” or “They are church members—they shouldn’t get in a bad attitude if I’m late (over a year late) delivering the product they paid for.”
Finally, ministries and gospel preaching should never be influenced by profit-making motives. Paul did not decide to preach the gospel “where his tent-making business would be best”, but where the Spirit led. He did not advertize his tents in his epistles. I am not saying that a gospel-preacher can never buy/sell anything from/to another believer, but profit-making businesses should be kept as separately as possible from a ministry. —NSE]