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November 2016 Kid's Happenings

Hello Church Family,
This month will be a preparation month for our church.  Preparing for our Upward League.  You may ask yourself, why is the church preparing for this?  Isn’t this a children’s ministry program?  If you are someone that has thought of this as a children’s ministry program then let me help you to see this differently.  When I think of Upward, I think of two things:  sports and Christ.  We use the sport of Basketball and Cheer to teach the gospel to those that don’t know and to those that need to know more.  The kids that are involved are an extension of their families.  We as a church are called to spread the good news.  What better opportunity then to do this through our Upward Ministry.  To reach more than the children, to reach parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors...

• The mission of Upward is “Promoting the Discovery of Jesus Through Sports”.
• The Opportunity to Serve within Upward “We believe that it is a privilege to serve others”. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45 
• The Priority of Children “We believe that every child is a winner”. “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”  - Matthew 18:14 

Will you consider being on mission for our community?  Will you take the opportunity to serve within Upward?  Will you make children and their families a priority?  Make time to serve for the sake of others knowing Him!  We serve an awesome God, he did not place this ministry within our church walls for us to take it lightly.  He placed it within our church walls for us to take it seriously!  Sign up in the lobby to help be on mission with our church as we display Christ’s love and truth to our community and witness lives change through Upward Basketball and Cheer.  Thank you for the opportunity to love on your children.

November 2016 Women on Mission

International Mission Study
Norway • Happy, Healthy, and Lost

It’s a land of dramatic Nordic landscapes with lush meadows and forested hills, icy glaciers and rushing waterfalls, deep fjords and snow-capped peaks.  In the north, the summer sun shines around the clock, and in winter northern lights fill the sky.

Beyond startling beauty, Norway’s other superlatives include it being considered the world’s most democratic nation.  It ranks among the world’s wealthiest nations with North Sea oil fields allowing the country to sock away reserves of hundreds of billions of dollars.  And using the United Nation’s measures for happiness, people in Norway enjoy high levels of security, strong social policies, freedoms, and an overall sense of
well-being, making Norway one of the happiest countries in the world.

Yet, in a country that seemingly has everything, Norway’s heritage as a Christian nation belies its spiritual state.  Postmodern culture has taken root here as in much of Europe with its sense of relativism and lack of definitive truths.  Large church buildings of the past stand empty or have been converted into cafes in this secular culture.

In a land of such outward beauty and self-sufficiency, how and where is God working to bring people to a rich faith in Norway?  Journey through Norway in the International Mission Study 2016, and see how God is bringing spiritual beauty to this land.

Our study is Wednesday, December 7th at 12:00 p.m. following our noon lunch.

*Please continue to bring in cake mix for the Rescue Mission.  Deadline is November 13th.

*Women on Mission will meet Monday, November 14th at the home of Arletta Zarazee.  We will carpool from the church at 5:45 p.m.