Jan. 6      5:00p  Budget Q and A

Jan. 6      5:30p  Gathering for Prayer

Jan. 6      6:00p  Grudem Study

Jan. 13     5:00p  “How to Teach the Bible” Study

Jan. 13     6:00p  Grudem Study

Jan. 19     7:00p  Daddy Date Night

Jan. 25-27 Away  High School Winter Camp

Jan. 27     5:00p  Potluck & Q and A Session

Jan. 27     6:00p  Annual Business Meeting

Daddy Date Night           

SCRIP                         

IT’S TIME TO GET IN SHAPE... for 2008!  Before you buy exercise equipment or running shoes, order your Big 5/ Sports Authority /Foot Locker scrip & help send a student to camp! Scrip is just like a gift certificate. You get the full amount you pay for it. 

IT’S WHITE SALE TIME! Pay for those new sheets & towels from Linens N Things or Bed Bath & Beyond with scrip debit cards.

NEW SCRIP! Walmart/Sam’s Club in $25 and $100 denominations.

Study Schedule           

Join Pastor Bob for these exciting studies:  Grudem study at 6pm on Sunday, January 6th and at 6pm on Sunday, January 13th; How to Teach the Bible at 5pm on Sunday, January 13th.

Join us also as we gather for prayer at 5:30pm on Sunday, January 6th.

Annual
Business
Meeting                                   

Join us for the second half of our annual business meeting at 6pm on Sunday, January 27th. Join us for a potluck and Q & A time before the meeting at 5pm.

Copies of the 2008 budgets for the church, Children’s House preschool and Taft Avenue Partner School are on the back table in the Worship Center. You can also find a list of our current church officers and those recently nominated for 2008.

Also, there will be a Budget Q and A session at 5pm on Sunday, January 6th.

Dates to Remember      

Missions conference is coming up at the end of next month. Mark Sunday, February 17th and Sunday, February 23rd on your calendars. You won’t want to miss it.

Flower Donations        

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life--and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.  And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”  
I John 1:1-5  (NAS)

I love this Christmas passage because it puts so many of the pieces of the puzzle together for us:  the eternality of our Savior, the fact of His coming as man so that He was seen and heard; His message of repentance and the Kingdom of God, the eyewitnesses of His death, burial and resurrection, His perfect representation of the nature of the Father, His perfect keeping of the Father’s will, and the fellowship we enjoy with the Trinity and with one another based on that fellowship.  You would have never guessed so much good teaching could be found in five verses!  But it is all these truths that we celebrate during the Christmas season.  Isolated as a little baby, helpless and cute, our Savior is devoid of the true meaning for the season, but when we understand that He is eternal God who came as perfect man and perfect God and lived a perfect life with a message of salvation for all who believe, the season takes on a meaning that is deeper and full of joy for all who believe.  And it is this Christ we celebrate. 

Women's Ministries            

A Special Thanks: On behalf of the women and children at Casa Teresa, thank you, thank you, for your generosity to them. The gifts and cards you gave will be greatly appreciated on Christmas morning and for times to come. The staff at Casa Teresa were overwhelmed  and greatly touched when we arrived with the gifts. Thank you, again, for allowing God to use you in this way.

Save the Date: ...for DADDY-DATE-NIGHT on Saturday, January 19th. Games, fun, speaker and food.

Wedding Receptions: Women’s Ministries is looking for someone who is interested in helping with wedding receptions. There are 3 weddings that are in need of a wedding reception coordinator. The dates are January 26th, March 29th and May 30th. If you are interested or need more information, please contact Carrie Williams at the flower cart or call her at 997-0344 or 403-5531(cell). It’s a lot of fun to do!!!

Youth Ministry             

Holiday Break: No youth groups on Tuesday, December 25th, Wednesday, December 26th, Tuesday, January 1st or Wednesday, January 2nd.

Special Wednesday: Jr. High Special Wednesday on January 16th from 6:30 - 8:00pm.

Sign Up: High School Winter Camp sign-ups begin Sunday, January 6th at the 2nd hour. The cost for camp is $95.00. A $25.00 deposit will hold your spot. See Doug.

Dates to Remember: High School Winter Camp is January 25th - 27th at the Lighthouse in Big Bear.

Missions is not about programs.  It is about people.  People prayed and people were sent.  Scripture tells us we are to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into the fields.  The book of Acts is so exciting because it is a book, not about programs, but about people.  If there is progress there will be problems.  It will not be a smooth sailing. No, our adversary does not sit idly by, but interferes in every way possible.
 
Pray that Pablo and Martha Garcia may have clarity in determining the avenue of transition for their ministry beyond Agua Viva activities.

We are praising the Lord for the safety and guidance granted to Mike and Kathy Fisher during their last visit to Eastern regions of the globe as they experienced “shifting gears without changing direction.”  Pick up the full account at the Mission table and then join them in praying for peace in Myanmar, for the boldness of His servants, and for open doors and open hearts to the Gospel.

Be sure and pick up a copy of the “Little Texas Gazette” at the Mission table to gain the full scope of the many multi-faceted ministry opportunities God has laid before Jeri and Gloria Little.  You will be amazed and redouble your prayer effort on their behalf.  Read about a special infant baptism at Little Texas, Soccer Camp, Family Camp, “The Way” University outreach, Moldova update and answers to prayer. 

From Italy, Amy Williams writes, “What an end to the summer... Driver’s license, outreach, understanding dyslexia, more time to build relationships.” The Lord certainly opens doors in unique ways.  In Amy’s language class this summer she stated, “I prefer books on tape because the physical act of reading can be very tiring for me.  Others in the class did not know about dyslexia, so I was asked many questions.  I was able to continually share my dependency on God!  It was great to be able to explain that God helps me deal with difficulties.  I never expected my class to spend time talking about my disability.  What a joy it was to spend so much time talking about God helping me in my weakness.”  “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why , for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Amy asks that we pray for an improvement of the internet connection in her home and a formal invitation to return to teach conversational English at the local high school in the fall.