(Above image: the team from La Providencia who came to work for their neighbors. Also pictured: Jenny Miler, Mary Goblish, and Jay Substad who worked on their project last year.)

By Brian Martin, Director of Children, Youth, and Family

Dear Church Family,

I recently returned from my trip to Honduras with Agua Viva, where I traveled with a handful of other amazing people from (and not from) FCC. Some of you have also had the pleasure of experiencing a trip with Agua Viva, or similar experiences that required you to confront the realities of what it means to love God and love others in a cross-cultural, poverty-stricken situation.

As usual on a trip such as this, God was working and moving in ways that I never knew or would have anticipated. For me, I saw God moving in incredible ways. Indulge me briefly as I share my favorite story from the week.

On our second day of trenching work (we were digging trenches to lay PVC pipe that will eventually bring water from a clean source to homes that have never had access less than a long walk away), a group of men showed up to work. They were not from the village in which we were staying (La Vainilla), but another village (La Providencia). This was not a next-door-neighbor village, but one that was about an hour walk through the mountains from where we were. The men had come to work for the day, to help a community they knew nothing about and had nothing to do with. Why? Because the men visiting from La Providencia were from a village that was blessed by an Agua Viva water project last year, and they heard that the North Americans were back to help someone else.

The men from La Providencia worked all day on Tuesday, having walked away from their own families and their own farms for the day – a big sacrifice. And at the end of the day, they let us know they would back again. Again on Thursday, they worked all day to bless strangers. On Thursday night, there was a town meeting, and the leader of Providencia got up to share. He said (in Spanish, of course) “We came here to help you because we experienced God’s love through our water project, and we wanted to show you God’s love, too. All we ask is that if one of your neighbor’s needs help, that you will help them.”

It was an amazing moment. God was present, and in this case, his hands and feet were represented by ten men from a remote Honduran village who had simply experienced God’s love through the service of others.

When Christians actually act like Christians, it is the most beautiful thing in the world. How are you serving this week to show the love of God to someone who needs to experience his love?

And now, here are some things happening around FCC. Get out your calendars, people!

 

Worship Night - Friday November 22

This last Easter we were blessed by a woman named Shelby Makay, who led worship with Jon Oney. Shelby has agreed with her band to lead a free worship night celebrating with us the joy of Thanksgiving. This is a opportunity to come together as a church and worship the God who gives us acess to unsinkable joy and what we have been talking about in this series. It is going to be a great night. Starts at 7pm and doors open at 6:30pm. See you there!

Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service

Join us on Wednesday, November 27 at 6:30pm for our Thanksgiving Eve Service and Hymn Sing, then stay for pie and fellowship in the Legacy Chapel afterwards. Childcare available for children under age 4.

Advent Event - December 1

Everyone is invited to this year's Advent Event. Make plans to join us Sunday, December 1 in room 100 as we mark the beginning of the Advent Season. The morning is "open house" style beginning at 9:30am and ending at 12 noon. Drop in before or after you attend service, but leave enough time to participate in all the fun activities. The event is free of charge and no registration is required, so remember to bring a friend along. We look forward to seeing you!

Hope Sunday - December 8

We are joining the greater circle of Covenant Churches and World Vision in taking a serious look at how we might help children in the poorest country in the world: the Congo. During this Christmas season as we participate in Hope Sunday, we encourage you to join with us. There are three major areas we are focusing on to prepare our hearts for this event:  1) personally take a “Do Something” card and consider something you might give up to sponsor a child in the Congo; 2) as a small group watch “58: The Film”; or 3) support a single-mother family by supporting our M.O.M.S. ministry bake sale in the lobby. For more information stop by the Hope Sunday Table in the lobby. 

I believe many of us have heard Solomon's wisdom quoted at weddings, "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiates 4:12.  While the author's original intent appears to be on the wisdom and strength in numbers, it provides a great analogy in wedding homilies that Jesus has to be the third cord in a marriage that prospers and endures.  If I can take a little liberty, I think it provides a helpful picture of what makes a strong and vibrant church.  What I love about the Evangelical Covenant is that our birthplace as a denomination was a beautiful marriage and symmetry of both the Word of God and the Spirit of God.  Churches fall somewhere on the spectrum of their emphasis on the Word of God on one end and the Holy Spirit on the other.  A healthy and thriving church will be more grounded near the center lifting up the necessity and practice of both.  In having a wonderful conversation with missionary Larry Smoak, I was made aware of a third cord that I often forget to include: Service.  Truly, if we are grounded in the Word of God and relying on the Holy Spirit to live the life of Christ, then we are going to be living lives of service in the love and joy of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Hope Sunday on December 8th, is a wonderful way we can lean more into the gift and call of service this Christmas season.  Along with every other Covenant Church, we've been invited to participate in the Covenant Kids Congo Project:  This is a partnership with the Evangelical Covenant and World Vision to reach 10,000 child sponsorships in the poorest country and region in the world: the Congo.  Sunday December 8th is our Hope Sunday dedicated to the need and opportunity to individually pledge to sponsor kids in the Congo, and our church's goal is sponsor between 75-100 kids in the Congo.

In order to prepare for a great Hope Sunday, there are a few things to engage and help strengthen this cord of service and compassion:
1) Do Something -  these are cards we've had in bulletins for a couple weeks.  This a challenge to pray about something as individuals/families we can give up, and what we want to give in order to "do something" in order to end extreme poverty.   As God gives you something to give up, please add your card to the collage of cards in the lobby.
2) 58: The Film - This is a film aimed at ending extreme poverty in our world.  As a way to engage and prepare our hearts for Hope Sunday, we're asking every small group at FCC watch this movie before Dec. 8th.  DVD's can be picked up in the church lobby or you can watch online: www.live58.org
3) Mission Gifts - As well as the opportunity to sign up for Covenant Kids Child Sponsorships, we will have a bake sale that benefits the M.O.M.S. program and an Art and Gift shop that will benefit FCC Missions programs.  While we can't do everything, we can all do something.  And as we take the Do Something challenge, may we as families and individuals take the opportunity on Hope Sunday to seriously consider doing something to end extreme poverty and buy Christmas presents that bless mission partners around the world.

In It Together,
Pastor John

Check out what's happening at FCC:

Altar Prayer Ministry Training
If you are interested in ministering to people who come forward asking for prayer after worship services, or in becoming more comfortable praying with others in general, we invite you to attend this training opportunity on Saturday, November 16 from 9:30 - 11:30 am. For more information contact Pastor John at [email protected].

Congregational Business Meeting
All who consider Faith their church are invited to attend the fall Congregational Business Meeting on Sunday, November 17 at 12:15pm. We encourage you to invest in this chance to be updated about the things your staff and council are working on. Copies of the agenda for this meeting and minutes from July's Annual Meeting are available at the information counter in the lobby. If you have any business that you would like the council to consider bringing to this meeting, please email [email protected].

Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service
Join us on Wednesday, November 27 at 6:30pm for our Thanksgiving Eve Service and Hymn Sing, then stay for pie and fellowship in the Legacy Chapel afterwards. Childcare available for children under age 4.


Worship Night - Friday November 22
This last Easter we were blessed by a woman named Shelby Makay, who led worship with Jon Oney. Shelby has agreed with her band to lead a free worship night celebrating with us the joy of Thanksgiving. This is a opportunity to come together as a church and worship the God who gives us acess to unsinkable joy and what we have been talking about in this series. It is going to be a great night. Starts at 7pm and doors open at 6:30pm. See you there!