First Things First 2-20-21-10

8/14/2019 First Things First 2-20-21-10

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FIRST THINGS FIRST`The Weekly News of First Lutheran Church and School

1644 Nursery Road, Clearwater, FL 33756

Phone 727-462-8000For the c hurch, p ress 1

For the school, press 2_xz{x|z tw fxz{x|z {x ^|zwBlogs: flc-clearwater.blogspot.com

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fls-clearwater.blogspot.comInternet address: www.flcclearwater.org

February 20-21, 2010

From Gods Matchless Word1 The LORD is my light and my salvation

whom shall I fear?The LORD is the stronghold of my life

of whom shall I be afraid?3 Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;though war break out against me,

even then will I be confident.

Psalm 27: 1,3
http://www.flcclearwater.org/http://www.flcclearwater.org/


2/16

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Weekly Adult Bible Studies

SUNDAYS

9:15 a.m. Fellowship Hall The Book of GenesisPastor Zimmermann

7:00 p.m. Off-site Womens Bible Study1st and 3rd Sundays June Schultz

TUESDAYS

7:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall Mens Prayer Breakfast

Followed by the Worker Bees (work around the campus)

WEDNESDAYS

9:45 a.m. Fellowship Hall The Book of Zechariah Adult Bible StudyWeekly Rev. Arnie Piering

i|| VxWelcome to all who come here to worship our LORD. Another

voice in praise of Him is a wonderful blessing. We are so glad you

have come. To show our appreciation we would like you to stop by

our visitor center, located in the narthex, where you will find gift

bags. Please take one.

Please introduce yourself to Pastor Zimmermann and perhaps to others you may

notice just hanging around after the worship service has concluded. We sometimes get

so caught up in our excitement at seeing friends for the first time in the past week that

we forget to lookout for YOU! Thank you for joining us today, and please, thank our

LORD for his free gift of grace.


3/16

Prayers of the PeopleFor Our Church and Community

Sick, Hospitalized, -Doris & Lester Cecil -Mary Lou & Carl Holdefer -Dan Murrayor Recovering: -Carole Hayes -Elizabeth Kelly -Cindy Taylor-Dee Nizen, aunt of Lyn Hedrick -Rita Sivals, friend of the Hedricks-Michelle Bumgardner & Isaac Moore, family of Marge Carver-Ryan Fox, cousin of Sandy Brown-Ernest Krueger, Becky Fordhams father in Wisconsin

Birthday: -Lexi Sarang, 15 on2-24-10(Birthdays & anniversaries, etc. will be put in FTF only when they have been requested by the individual, family, or friend. Thank you.)

For The Church, Our Nation and the Worldpray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Continue to pray for the Haiti survivors and the many Godly ministries working to minister to body and

spirit during the long recovery.Pray for our nation and our leaders on every level that Godly decisions would be made on behalf of ourfuture.

Pray for areas of our country under extreme weather conditions. Pray, too, for those in California stillexperiencing the dangerous and devastating mudslides.

Pray for the many victims of crime, shootings, & injury in our area. So many need the saving love andpeace of Jesus Christ. Pray, too, for peace for those in our church family who have recently lost loved

ones.

Pray for our children and adults to register for new Sunday School classes that will start in March.Pastors class is ongoing and you are welcome to join it at any time.

Pray for God to raise up dedicated leaders, teachers, and helpers within the church to help the ministerialmissions of FLC to move forward. Pray for our children, especially, to come to know & love the Lord.

Pray for the ministries of First Lutheran. May they each be used mightily by the Lord to minister to

people in our area and beyond, and to give Him all the glory. Pray for our mission outreach program toGuatemala and those who are planning to go, for our local evangelical programs, for our StephenMinistry caregivers and those who are in their care, and for our childrens ministry programs.

Always remember our men & women currently serving in the military who each need our ferventprayers for protection and health. If possible, send them letters in the mail and small useful gifts.

Always remember to pray for the persecuted church worldwide, especially innocent children.. Theysuffer greatly and well beyond our imagination yet, we reside in one of the safest countries withregard to religious freedoms. Always be thankful to God for your freedoms and dont take them forgranted.

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4/16

Serving in the Military:Deployed:

-Tabor Cleberg, E3, Air Force, Kadena, Okinawa, Japan-Janna Less, Air Force, daughter of Rev. & Mrs. Keith Less, Baghdad-SSgt. Paul Mueckler,in Afghanistan on his 5th tour; Colleen Rabes brother

-Sgt. Jonathan Norton, great-nephew of Marge Carver; deployed for his second tour in Iraq

Stateside:

-Max Garrett, Army, son of Candy Garrett, Ft. Polk, Louisiana, under medical care following

numerous surgeries for injuries received overseas.-ET1SW Chris LaGrange, Navy, an FLS Dad

-Maj. Kurt Mueller, Army, now in the U.S. at Command & General Staff College,Ft. Leavenworth, KS; grandson of Don & Joan Mueller

-Pvt. James Smith, Camp Pendleton, CA, the Holdefers granddaughters husband

-Danielle Taylor, PV2 Army, stationed at Ft. Jackson, S.C., granddaughter of Cindy Taylor &niece of Matt and Rebecca Fordham

-GySgt. Steven Murray,USMC, presently stationed at MacDill AFB, Tampa, son of Marge& Ken Murray.

-MMFN Justin R. Holcomb, Navy, grandson of Carol Blue, is now serving stateside.-SPC Nathan Davis, Army, cousin of Ronda Farris.

Flowers:

The flowers on the altar were provided bythe family of Minnie Heinemann, whos funeralwas this week.

There are a large number of vacant dates available for

flower arrangements. Sign-up sheets for future floraldonations are available in a binder in the narthex. Thankyou.

Newspaper Ad Sign-up sheet is available in the Narthex for members to help with the expense

of our weekly ad in the St. Pete Times.Please call the office by Wednesday a.m. to give your flower or newspaper dedication message.

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5/16

NEW Ministry at FLC!

First Lutheran is developing a call ministryandneeds your help. Do you love to talk on thephone? If you do, you have all you need to join thisnew exciting ministry. Please call the office andgive Jan your name and phone number andsomeone from the Call Ministry will call you.

Attention Narthex RedecoratingCommittee:

A meeting will be held this Sunday, February 21stafter the 10:30 service in the church.

20 0 9 Financial Statements are in the Narthex ready for pick-up.Thank you.

Look! Coming Soon to FLC!

Mens Prayer Breakfast Every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m.Lent Wednesday Services Wednesday, February 24th 11:00 & 7:00Lenten Suppers Wednesdays through Lent: 5:45 p.m.Varsity Boys & Girls State Basketball Tournament -All day each day, February 19-21stMens Breakfast - First Anniversary Celebration Saturday, February 27th 7:45 10:00 a.m.Guatemala Information Meeting Thursday, March 4thRally Day! Sunday, March 7thWinter Visitor Dinner Sunday, March 14th, 4:00 p.m.WAYYYY Off Broadway Dinner & Play Sunday, March 21st, 1:00 Dinner/2:00 Show

Guatemala Mission Trip Saturday, April 17th thru Sunday, April 25th

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6/16

Men's Prayer B reak fastat First Lutheran

MEN, come meet together again this week for food forthe soul and for the body! Each Tuesday morning from 7:00 -7:45 a.m. our mens ministry hosts a fellowship and prayer

breakfast in our First Lutheran Fellowship Hall. Come and -bring a friend.

Dont forget! Bring a friend!Start your day praising the Lord!

We meet again next:Tuesday,Februar y 23rdFeaturing: Hospice Volunteer Oppor tunities

First Lutheran Church

Every other SundayPre-K 3 - 5th Grade

during the 10:30 a.m. service

IssuesProblems We all have issues and problems that we face. For some, it is theirattitude. For others, its a habit that they cant seem to break. For many, it is something they have facedtheir whole life. The goal of this series is to take on each of those issues and problems and learnhow to Deal With It! Not just our own way, but the BIBLE WAY! We need to find out what God has tosay about how we should Deal With It!

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February 28: Hard to Say I m Sorry (Forgiveness) When someone hurts us, we must choose to forgive them.

Children will enjoy videos, music, puppet skits, illustrated messages, power verse, and games! Children will be escorted to

the gym after the childrens message in the Sanctuary. Parents, please pick them up in the gym after the service.


7/16

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`|v axPraise Team: Thursday 7:30 p.m .

Saturday Warm-up at 5:00 p.m.

Bells: Wednesday 6:30 p.m.

Adu lt Choir: Wednesday 7:30 p.m .

Winter Residents,do you sing????Please join us in the balcony while you are here.Call Ann Hinz, Worship Director, to join one of these musical praise groups: 727-462-8000 x 104.

Youth News!Thank you to everyone who supported the YouthGroups latest fundraiser Valentine flowers andchocolate.

Nine youth, chaperoned by Ann Hinz, will be traveling to New Orleans in

July 2010 to participate in the synodical Youth Gathering Believe.

Additional fun, fundraisers are being planned including:

March 21 Lasagna Dinner 1:00 p.m.

WAYYY Off Broadway Review 2:00 p.m.featuring the Showcase Arts FoundationApr il 4 Easter BreakfastApr il 25 Dog Show

Chocolate candy bars are still being sold. We need to raise $4,478.58 to

meet our goal. Thank you for your support!!


8/16

UPDATE!

Haiti News for the Congregation$1,000,000 for Haiti from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

If we cant go, we are asked to send .Lutheran World Relief

LCMS World Relief/Human CareELCA Disaster Response

WELS Committee on Relief

Thank you so much!!! All the matching funds are gone. That means thatin less than a month, Thrivent Financial and our member have combined to

contribute $3 million for the earthquake response efforts in Haiti! Thousandsof members contributed through our Helping Haiti effort, which provided a$1 Thrivent Financial contribution to every $2 members gave to any of fourLutheran relief agencies. We pledged to add up to $1 million to donations ourmembers made, and we reached that goal last Monday. Lutheran World Reliefand the three Lutheran church body relief organizations that have receiveddonations through the Helping Haiti efforts have provided food, shelter and

water to meet immediate needs. They are also committed to continuing theirsupport as Haiti begins to rebuild.

Therefore, you are now asked to not send your contributions to Thriventany longer for this effort. Please send your contributions directly to the relieforganization from the list above because all the matching money is gone.

Thank you so much for providing $2 million in less than a month. Keep ongiving. Haiti really needs your help.

Thank you, Dennis Miller

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9/16

School News - By Principal, Elaine PoppMission Statement:

First Lutheran School exists to proclaim the Gospel as we teach academic skills and Christian values,establishing a strong foundation for a child to live a successful, positive, and Christ-centered life.

The Lutheran State Basketball Tournament for boys and girls has been going on allweekend in our CLC. Teams from all over the state have been competing and we are nowdown to the finals. If you would like to see some great basketball, heres your chance. Thegirls final game will be held this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. and the boys final game follows at

2:30 p.m. This tournament had been a huge event and a big thank you goes out to Mrs.Hallsted, The Booster Club and the many volunteers who came out to make sureeverything ran smoothly.

In 3rd grade, Mrs. Bershaw is holding her annual Principal of the Dayelection. There are six candidates vying for the position. They put up posters,pass out candy, etc. to help win votes. They also must make speeches to the

4th and 5th grade classes. Then, the election is held. Stay tuned for theannouncement of the winner. Good luck, candidates!

Our yearbook is quickly approaching its deadline. One big way wecover its expense is through ads and PDAs . If you would like toplace a business ad or have a special message printed in our

yearbook please contact our yearbook editor at

[email protected]. Thank you for your support.

Dont forget, enrollment has begun. Encourage your family,friends, and co-workers to come and check out what a great

Christian education they will receive at FLS. You can also stop bythe office and pick up an enrollment packet or have Patti send one to

interested families.

Hands-On RecyclingPLEASE REMEMBER - We are collecting used INK CARTRIDGES, LASER and FAXCARTRIDGES, and CELL PHONES. Bring any of these items to the boxes in the narthex orto the church or school offices. You can also contact Patti in the school office if you would

like a form for your company to fill out for Hands-On to come and pick up from themdirectlyand give First Lutheran School the credit. Thank you!

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


10/16

First Lutheran Youth Basketball ProgramSessionII

Saturdays,February

27

thru

May

22,

2010

GirlsandBoys Grades3to8

We just c ompleted the first session o f the First Lutheran Youth Basketba ll Program.Over 40 boys and g irls partic ipa ted over the past 10 weeks. Session II sta rtsFebruary 27, 2010.

The Saturday Mo rning program is a fun lea gue with players of a ll skill leve ls andexperienc e. The ga me s a re com petitive with coa ches and a referee . We keepscore, but we don t count wins and losses. Each week you may be te amed withd ifferent p layers, so that we c an keep the tea ms even.

The reg istrat ion fee is $70.00 which inc ludes 10 Saturdays and a team jersey. Thejersey is reusab le. This p rog ram w ill repeat next Fa ll. Orde r the jersey one size

la rger to ma ke it last. Reg istra tion forms are a va ilab le a t the c hurc h and schoo loffic es and on o ur web site und er Church Forms .

Registe r by Februa ry 25th and save $5.00 off the reg istra tion fee.Not sure if you want to p lay? Try It before you Buy It

Com e out on February 27th. Pay $5.00 at the door. Wea r a p la in gray or b lack t-

shirt (because you won t have a tea m jersey yet). If you d ec ide to join, we willc red it the $5.00 toward the cost of the jersey a nd reg istra tion fees.

Questions? Ca ll Me lvin Mac iolek a t 449-9185.

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11/16

Wednesday Lenten DinnerThis Wednesday, February 24, 2010

You are invited to join us for dinner before the evening Wednesdayservice. The Mens Ministry will be serving supper starting at 5:45 p.m.Allow yourself enough time to finish before worship service at 7:00.There will be a free-will donation. Please join us each Wednesday throughLent in the Fellowship Hall.

A God who let us prove his existence would be an idol.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Scout News:Our very own Cub Scout Pack #484 just received a thank-you note from the St.

Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank, 863 3rd Avenue N. in St. Petersburg. The Cub ScoutPack worked very hard on Sunday, January 31st, by picking 4,438 pounds of fruit!!

The Free Clinic Food Bank distributes food to their own three in-house Agencies:We Help; Beacon House and Womens Residence, and, on every Tuesday, they become theFood Bank of St. Pete and Pinellas County. They have a weekly food distribution day toeach of their 50 Partner Agencies. They also supply food pantries, child-care centers, and

shelters in the area. They try to be good stewards of all donations. The Tuesday after ourcub scouts helped, the fruit was distributed to all the agencies mentioned above. KenMurphy, the Food Bank Director, thanked our scouts with a keepsake letter. FirstLutheran is proud of our scouts!

RCS Food Donations Needed

Non-perishable foods are needed each week. God has given each of us an

abundance for which we are indeed grateful. Thank you for sharing.

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the

law of Christ. Galatians 6:2TheFOODBARREL in the Narthex is regularly sent to the RCS food pantry to help feed people in the

Clearwater area. Or, you can drop off your donation in the church office.

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12/16

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Sunday, March 7thSunday School & Bible Classes

All Ages: 0 100+

Register Today!

Find a registration form in the Narthex and turn it in today!

When you register, tell us what you would like to be registered as:(S) for Student; (T) for Teacher; (TA) for Teachers Aide, (H) for Helper

Class Location Class Location

0-2 yr. old Nursery (at church) Young Single Adults Stage Area in CLC

3-4-5 yr. old Sunday School Office in FH Young Married Couples Gathering Place (at church)

K-1-2 gr.3-4-5 gr. Room 10 (off Fellowship Hall) Single Parent Adults Conference Rm (back office/ FH)

Middle School6-7-8 gr. Church Library Life Light Cry Room in church

High School9-10-11-12 gr. Loft-Youth Room in CLC Genesis (Pastors Class) Fellowship Hall


13/16

Lay Leadership Coun cilMeeting Highlights

Monday, February 15, 2010

Opening prayer and devotions.

Appointed Michael Beebe to fill the open position of congregation treasurer.

Appointed Arnie Piering and Lisa Vaughan as LLC members-at-large to fill the

two open positions created by recent resignations. Held policy based governance training on section concerning internal financialcontrols. Reviewed the current Receipt Procedures and made some minorchanges. Next month, will review Cash Disbursement Procedures and design amonthly financial report form that auxiliary groups/boards/committees needto submit since they use the churchs tax I.D. and sales tax exemption.

Pastor reported two very recent deaths and funerals, i.e. Minnie Heinemann,

and Earlene Roller. Reviewed January and YTD financial report.

New telephone call ministry needs at least one more person.

Arranged for an overview of TCN training for the congregation leaders

Discussed selection of a vendor to make banners to be hung in CLC

Reviewed progress of video projection installation noted it is not yet completeand some things currently in will need to be moved. May have a shelf/cabinet

with speaker cloth made and added. Have 4 monitors; none in balcony. Board of Christian Life will host a potluck dinner for the winter residents on

March 14 from 4-7 p.m. Noted that the adult choir hosted aValentine/Welcome Back dinner for them on February 12th.

Closed meeting by praying the Lords Prayer.

Worth RepeatingTo please God...to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness...to be lovedby God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his workor a father in a son- it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which

our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.

C. S. Lewis

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14/16

Identity

Thus says the LORD, he who created you: "Do not fear, for Ihave redeemed you; I have called you by name, you aremine." (Isaiah 43:1)

What precious words of comfort and identity. Redemption is not acommon concept today, but slaves and prisoners understood itfor centuries. It is the means by which some generous personbuys the freedom of one conquered in war or imprisoned forChrist has redeemed me from sin and its penalty of death. I am

Christ's by reason of his doing for me what I could not do formyself. He has bought me for a price, the costly price of his owndeath.

debt.

God also has called me by name. God has done this great workfor the whole world, one person at a time. I, individually, my life,has been transferred from darkness to light, from danger to

safety. I have also been given a new name, God's name, Christian.

So I am God's by right of purchase, and I am God's by change of nature. No longer tossed about bytemptation and self-centeredness, I am grounded in the creator and free to live as God intended,with grace and courage and faith and joy. If this, my identity, is guaranteed by God, how is it that Iso often forget who I am, and whose I am?

"Dear Lord, you have done all that is required to set me free and make me whole. You havegiven me my identity. Help me to remember who and whose I am."

Web site: eDevotions.org - art illustrated Christian devotions

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked atthe old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible,

and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree thathad been pressed in between the pages.

"Momma, look what I found," the boy called out.

"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.

With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered:

"I think it's Adam's suit!"

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15/16

PT L S c r ip S h o p

February, 2010

The 2ndquarter has ended and each teacher has over another $100 in SCRIP credit thatcan be used for classroom purchases.

Planning on a movie night out? We have several remaining bonusAMC cards with a $2.50 bonus over the $25.00 value. Therefore, the

card is worth $27.50 to you. They are first come first serve as thispromotion has ended.

There has been an expressed interest in cards that can be reloaded. Not all of them can be,but here is a list of which cards can:

AMC Theaters Gap/Banana Republic/Old NavyB. Dalton Booksellers Papa Johns

Barnes & Noble LowesChevron/Exxon StarbucksCVS

Go towww.shopwithscrip.com to find out how to reload your card.Our school code is: 7AC8DE8B14975

Nancy Seltzer, Coordinator, 559-0606 or [email protected]

Last Weeks Attend anc e: Februa ry 13-14, 2010

Saturday: 53 Sund ay: 8:00 am: 86 10:30 am: 156 Weekend Tota l: 295

Churc h Offe ring Unrestricted - Fisca l Year Week 29 (Februa ry 13-14, 2010)Bud geted Weekly Inc ome:....................................................................................$7,012.00Received This Week: ................................................................................................. 6,319.00Bud geted Year-to-Da te: ......................................................................................203,348.00Received Year-to-Da te : .......................................................................................208,470.64

Articles for First Things First must be submitted no later than Wednesdaysat 10:00 a.m. unless priorarrangements have been made with the office. Please e-mail your article to: [email protected]. Then,

please call to be sure it was received: 462-8000 x 1. Thank you so much.

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http://www.shopwithscrip.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.shopwithscrip.com/


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TTThhhiiisss WWWeeeeeekkk::: FFFeeebbbrrruuuaaarrryyy 222111---222777,,,Sunday WORSHIP .................................................................................................8:00 a.m.

Pastors Adult Bible Study..Fellowship Hall....................................9:15 a.m.

Kids Corner Sunday School..Room 10..........................................9:15 a.m.WORSHIP ...............................................................................................10:30 a.m.Monday Wee Dance .. Fellowship Hall...................................5:45 p.m.

Basketball League PracticeCLC............................................. 6:30 p.m.Cub Scouts.Fellowship Hall and campus ........................7:00 p.m.Evening Circle Committee Meeting.Church Library ..............................7:00 p.m.

Tuesday Mens Prayer Breakfast.. Fellowship Hall ................................. 7:00 a.m.Worker Bees...........Fellowship Hall.....................................8:00 a.m.

TangSooDo ........Fellowship Hall.............................5:00 p.m.Girl Scout Troop #823.Fine Arts Room & School Library......................6:00 p.m.Boy Scouts ..Fellowship Hall ....................................7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Adult Bible Study Fellowship Hall ....................................9:45 a.m.Lent Morning Worship ServiceSanctuary...................................... 11:00 a.m.The Pinochle Group Room 10 .........................................1:00 p.m.Prayer Shawl Ministry..............Library..........................................4:00 p.m.Bell Practice.........................Church Balcony ....................................5:45 p.m.

Girl Scout Troop #684.Fine Arts, Multi-Purpose Room..................6:45 p.m.Cub Scout Pack Committee Meeting - .Room 10 .....................................7:00 p.m.Lenten Supper.....................Fellowship Hall .....................................5:45 p.m.Lent Evening Worship ServiceSanctuary ........................................7:00 p.m.Adult Choir Practice.............Church Balcony ....................................7:45 p.m.

Thursday Stephen MinistryGathering Place ....................................1:00 p.m.Wee Dance AftercarePre-School ........................................2:45 p.m.

TangSooDo ....Fellowship Hall.....................................5:00 p.m.Basketball League Practice...CLC ............................................. 6:30 p.m.Venture Crew MeetingChurch Library.....................................7:00 p.m.Praise Team ...Sanctuary .........................................7:30 p.m.

Friday TangSooDo..Fellowship Hall ....................................6:00 p.m.Saturday 27

thMens Breakfast 1

stAnniversary Celebration-Fellowship Hall .......... 7:45 a.m.

Boot Camp Workout ..............Soccer Field .......................................8:00 a.m.OE SerenityRoom 10.......................................10:30 a.m.

Praise Team Warm-Up........ .....................................................................5:30 p.m.CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP .................................................................6:30 p.m.

Sunday 28th WORSHIP .................................................................................................8:00 a.m.

7th

Grade Bake Sale between and after services BreezewayPastors Adult Bible StudyFellowship Hall ..................................9:15 a.m.Kids Corner Sunday School...Room 10.........................................9:15 a.m.WORSHIP ...............................................................................................10:30 a.m.Childrens Church DEAL WITH IT! .............................................. 10:30 a.m.

Womens Bible Study..Offsite Location..................................7:00 p.m.

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First Things First 2-20-21-10