Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
February 2014
Inside: Open Table | Reacting or Responding? | Filtered
Declassified
Image from Life Kids Midweek Program.
The Scroll | February 2014
2
Open Table Launches at LBFBy Gary Keith, Lead Pastor
After more than two years of praying and planning and educating and building connections with our community, LBF will start a new ministry to those who are experiencing poverty and I couldn’t be more excited.
During the month of February we will be training those of you who have volunteered to be part of this “Home Mission” effort. I’m grateful for a man named Jon Katov, who started The Open Table in 2005 after his own encounter with poverty and a deep Christian desire to do something that will last.
As we begin this “Home Mission” it reminds me of my trip to Kenya in several ways. For example, I knew what I wanted to see accomplished in Kenya, but I had never met the actual people, so I needed to be ready to flex and adjust to their needs and not just my own pre-determined ideas of what to do. Starting this new Open Table ministry will be the same.
I know that our end goal is to help people in poverty return to a self-sustaining lifestyle, but I really can’t predict everything we will face or every situation that will come our way. With the Open Table model, the person we are helping has full veto power to anything that the table suggests. This is to maintain the dignity of the individual. It is also important for the individual to believe that they are in control of their life and that they can do this for themselves.
Yes, it is true that there is still much to learn as we enter this world of helping people in a genuine and authentic way. And in an effort to help in that learning, our elders and staff are reading a book called When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor and Yourself. Although we are just beginning our reading, even the first chapter reminded us of something we may have forgotten or not thought about lately. The author asked, “Why did Jesus come to this earth?”
Now the answer for most of us would be to provide salvation, to provide forgiveness for our sins, to do what we could not do for ourselves. And you would be correct. But let’s not forget what Jesus also said:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
So as we start this new ministry to the poor, rest assured that we are smack-dab in the middle of God’s will for us as a church. May His name be glorified and His reputation enhanced in our community as we move forward.
2426 N. Euclid Ave. Upland, CA 91784 Ph: 909.981.4848 Fax: 909.931.0498 Email: [email protected] Web: lbfchurch.com FB: facebook.com/lifebiblefellowship Twitter: @LBFChurch
Gary Keith Lead Pastor [email protected]
Dan Franklin Pastor of Teaching [email protected]
Jeff Taylor Pastor of Worship [email protected]
Mike Cloud Pastor of Care & Visitation [email protected]
Phil Shahbaz Pastor of Community Life [email protected]
Russ Parker Pastor of Administration & Missions [email protected]
Matt Sasso Pastor of Student Ministries [email protected]
Laurie Baiz Life Kids Children’s Ministry Director [email protected]
Carol Hawkins Missions Coordinator [email protected]
Lea Lee LIFE Groups Coordinator & Office Projects Support [email protected]
Steve Mylar Director of Business Operations [email protected]
Heidi Rogers Graphic Designer [email protected]
Contributing Pastors, Directors & Staff
I know that our end goal Is to help people In poverty return to a self-sustaInIng lIfestyle, but I really can’t predIct everythIng we wIll face or every sItuatIon that wIll come our way.
“
”
Life Bible Fellowship Church
3
February Anniversaries 1 Anthony & Sylvia Latona, 39 years 2 Ed & Aide Soria, 12 years 3 Roger & Barbara Rinier, 46 years 6 James & Michelle Burden, 7 years 6 Jerry & Rita Dixon, 15 years 11 Charlie & Melanie Bowyer, 31 years 11 Robert & Lorelei Canales, 4 years 11 Larry & Sandra Sidders, 30 years
11 Joshua & Darlene Smith, 14 years 11 Rick & Pam Stocking, 37 years 12 Albert & Rebekah Mehany, 14 years 14 Peter & Michelle Dejager, 18 years 14 George & Lupe Fillinger, 13 years 14 Jim & Janelle Hansen, 61 years 14 Bob & Cynthia Wirth, 28 years 16 Michael & Bonnie Ramirez, 6 years 18 Jeff & Jordan McGivern, 8 years
21 Mike & Karen Alexander, 21 years 23 Keith & Kathleen Sharpe, 30 years 24 Dick & Carol Volbeda, 25 years 25 Jamie & Karen Gruner, 12 years 26 Robert & Deborah Nakatani, 9 years 28 Will & Celia Steiner, 13 years
If any anniversary information is not correct, please contact the church office.
Anniversaries & Births to Celebrate, Losses to Mourn Share in the joy of marriage and new life, and reach out to those in grief.
Service Times Sunday @ 8, 9:15 & 10:45 am
Life Kids Children’s Ministry programs available @ all services, except Nursery @ 8 am & Life Kids & 56° Midweek Programs Tuesday @ 6:30 pm
Exit 83 Jr. High Sunday @ 9:15 am & Tuesday @ 6:30 pm
Exit 83 High School Sunday @ 9:15 am & Wednesday @ 7 pm
Mosaic College Group Thursday @ 7 pm
For more info on these programs, plus small groups, Bible studies, and upcoming events, visit lbfchurch.com.
LBF reserves the right to use photos and video taken on campus at LBF-related events. Any who do not wish to comply with this policy must notify the church office at (909) 981-4848 or [email protected].
Reacting or Responding?By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship
I once went to a church that had six – yes, six – worship leaders. This meant that rarely did the same person lead two weeks in a row, which often meant there was a good chance that the person leading was not someone’s “favorite.” The things that stick out most in my mind about that time are the comments I would hear on a weekly basis like, “Oh, so-and-so is leading? Looks like I’ll just hang in the coffee house ‘til the music is done.” Or, “I just can’t worship when that guy leads.” Or, “She never does songs that I can worship to.” Now, none of these are bad or malicious people. I am sure that each of them has a heart that loves God and desires to worship Him. What these comments, and thoughts like these that I have had in similar situations, reveal is the tendency for us to react to what’s in front of us rather than being open and responding to
what the Spirit of God is doing in us.
We live in a society that tells us that we should go for whatever makes us happy or feels good. That means that we have the right to evaluate anything and everything to determine what will be best/most entertaining/satisfying, etc., and choose that option, rejecting anything else. In many cases, like when choosing a restaurant, this is harmless and probably how most of us choose where to eat. It becomes problematic when we take this into our approach to God, because we then take on the responsibility of determining how and through what means God can/will work. And it is not just with worship music that we do this; it can be with a pastor’s sermon, a Bible verse we have read a hundred times, or anything else we evaluate based on our preferences and then determine
our reaction based on those feelings. A reaction that may at times remove us from an opportunity for God to move or bring about change in our life.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 commands us, “Do not quench the Spirit.” This is in the context of the Spirit of God moving amongst His people, and them taking it on themselves to determine what God is doing, and what they are willing to accept. When Pastor Dan calls us to open our Bible to a passage that I am very familiar with and I tune out because I “already know” what those verses mean, I risk quenching the Spirit of God and a new work that He may want to do in my life. When a worship team begins playing a song that has really never struck me and drawn me deep into worship and I decide to just evaluate the performance or all the faults of the song, I risk quenching the
Reacting continued on page 5.
4
The Scroll | February 2014
Declassified: The Gospel of JohnBy Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching
The 2012 movie “Argo” was based on the true story of a creative CIA rescue mission when six Americans were in danger in Iran in 1979. The movie was only possible because, after years of keeping the details of the mission secret, the CIA declassified the mission. Finally the full story was able to be told. What once was clothed in secrecy was now made transparent.
Many things in life seem mysterious to us. Were we given our wishes, we would certainly declare many things to be declassified. We would love to have the mysteries of life, clothed in secrecy, laid bare so that we could finally understand them.
Is there any mystery that is more important than the mystery of God? Every other mystery pales in comparison. After all, God is more important than any other reality, and nothing could be more important than knowing the truth about God. Yet many lament that He is shrouded in mystery and we can never know anything about Him.
In his gospel, John acknowledges that, in the past, God has been shrouded in secrecy. Near the beginning of his book he says, “No one has ever seen God.” He is invisible. He is mysterious. The evidence of His existence is clear, but He still appears to remain hidden behind the curtain of the world. Many people have posited theories about
Him, and most of them contradict one another. It seems like a cosmic guessing game. John’s statement seems to reflect the despair that many have begrudgingly accepted: No one has ever seen God.
But that is not the end of John’s statement in verse 18 of his opening chapter. Here is the full verse: “No one
has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, had made him known.”
Let me paraphrase what John says in this verse. God has remained hidden from us all our lives. But then God’s Son, who is intimately connected with the Father, came and made God known to us. This is why, in the opening verses of John, Jesus is referred to as “the Word.” He is God’s final statement about Himself.
Jesus did not come simply to sacrifice Himself and rise from the dead. If this was the case, he could have swept down from heaven, died on the cross, and then ascended right back to heaven. Instead, He spent 33 years on the earth. This is because Jesus’ mission of eternally saving people is bound up in His mission to reveal the truth about God. Jesus came to make clear what was once hidden from us. He came to declassify God.
For much of 2014 at Life Bible Fellowship Church, we will be studying through the Gospel of John. Over and over again we will be presented with the reality that Jesus has come to declassify God for us. We will see Jesus perform signs that reveal profound truths about God’s power, knowledge, and grace. We will see Jesus speak truths that will unveil God’s heart and
His modes of working. We will see Jesus freely sacrifice himself for His people, and thus reveal God’s grace and truth in unthinkable ways. Over and over again we will have God disclosed to us through His Son.
As you prepare your heart for this study, consider spending some time reading John on your own. And read it through the grid of Jesus’ mission to declassify God for us. As you listen to the sermons and study the book in your LIFE Groups, continue to ask how the truths that Jesus reveals impact your life right now.
The truth about God is always the most relevant fact in any situation. Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder about Him. After seeming to remain hidden for ages, God now has declassified Himself through His Son.
Is there any
mystery that is
more important
than the mystery
of God?
5
Life Bible Fellowship Church
Pre-K and Kindergarten Participate in Activities that Reinforce God’s StoryBy Laurie Baiz, Director of Life Kids Children’s Ministry
The Pre-K and Kindergarten classes on Sunday are simply a delight to watch. The children are learning so much about God’s Word and enjoy all the different activities that they get to do throughout the morning. Both age groups begin in their separate classrooms and are encouraged by their teachers to take part in Explore Time. This is a where the kids get to touch, create, and play with different objects that will correlate with the Big God Story they will hear later in the morning.
After Explore Time, the Pre-K class walks down to room 111 where they join the Kindergarteners for worship. The kids sing, do hand motions, and dance their praises to the Lord! Then they gather together and get ready for the Big God Story told by one of our volunteer storytellers. This wonderful large group time is designed to encourage the kids to be interactive with the storyteller.
There are many sections to this part of the lesson, such as Chloe’s Rules, Mail Time, the Wardrobe of Wonder, and the Big God Story. Chloe’s Rules is a DVD where Chloe the puppet goes over all the rules for story time,
including the most important rule, “to have fun.” This DVD encourages the kids to respond to it by answering questions and repeating phrases back in a way that is very similar to shows like Dora the Explorer.
At Mail Time there is one child volunteer that gets to come up and get the mail out of our mailbox and then the storyteller and child share the “Remember Verse.” This verse is also written on cards to take home, where we encourage parents to review them.
The Wardrobe of Wonder is a large chest that has clues about the story for that day. The kids get to guess what they think is going to be in the wardrobe and then they talk about how that object is going to be a part of the story.
The Big God Story is told by the storyteller who helps bring the story to life by asking the kids questions and having them act out parts of the story, which keeps them engaged with the story from God’s Word.
After the large group time is finished, the Pre-K class is walked back to their classroom and both the Kindergarten and Pre-K class meet for small group
time. During the small group time, the teachers dig deeper into the lesson by doing several different activities each week. The activities include games, coloring, crafts, and talking about the story. Each part of the lesson is connected together and reinforces the Bible story through repetition, modeling, and discussing the story.
As a parent, if you are looking for additional resources to continue the learning at home, each classroom has a 1-page paper called The Home Front Weekly that features the lesson that they will learn the following week. It includes questions that you can ask your kids over dinner or before bed and the Bible verse that they are learning in class.
These are great tools to use during the week and will further prepare them for what they will be learning on Sunday.
Spirit of God that may want to use that song in that moment to bring healing to my brokenness in a way that I have never needed before.
Our purpose for coming to church should not be to evaluate and react. We all need to come with the anticipation that God is there, that the Holy Spirit is alive and active amongst His people, and that no
matter what may be presented to us from the stage, we should look not to react based on our preferences, but to open our hearts to the work of God and respond however He leads us. This could lead to new expressions of worship, deeper understanding of the truths of scripture, and a response that takes us out of our comfort zone and into the LIFE that is promised those who would truly allow Jesus to be
the Lord of their life.
I know I am deep in this journey of what it means to truly allow God to lead me, to take me past my critical nature and desire to evaluate and react, and into a deeper relationship with Him where I will respond to His leading and draw nearer to Him in every aspect of my life. Will you join me?
Reacting continued from page 3.
LIFE Groups Spotlight: Debi & Rick MerryBy Lea Lee, LIFE Groups Coordinator
Names: Debi and Rick Merry
Tell us about how you came to faith in Jesus Christ. Debi: I came to faith at home in my living room when I asked Jesus into my heart following a neighborhood Bible study I had been invited to by my mother-in-law. Rick: After 40 years of believing that anything worth having had to be earned, I met a group of Christian men whose friendship and whose witness impacted me and started me on a serious investigation of Christianity. My search ended on my knees with my pastor as I prayed to receive salvation and commit my life to Christ.
Tell us about your family. We’ve been married 41 years. We don’t have children, but we both come from big families and have lots of nieces, nephews, and now great nieces and nephews.
Tell us about how you found LBF. We moved to Upland and made a list of prospective churches in the area from the Internet. We attended our first service at LBF on Palm Sunday a year and a half ago, and never made it to the second church on the list.
How long have you been leading a LIFE Group at LBF? About a year and a half. We joined the church at the first membership meeting after we began attending and spoke with Phil about leading a group that night.
Tell us a bit about your LIFE Group. We have such a great mix of people! We love discussing the lessons, remembering what we heard in the sermons, and figuring out how we can apply what we’ve learned. We enjoy praying together and the great food we share is an added bonus!
What are some of the discussion highlights you have had this year? One of our members is writing an A to Z introduction to some of the characters of the Bible. From time to time, she blesses us with a reading from a current chapter she is working on. It’s also a blessing to hear prayer updates and praises about the things we’ve been praying about.
What has been the most encouraging thing that has happened in your LIFE Group? I guess watching our group bond with one another and share openly and deeply as we pray together and share God’s leading in our lives.
How would you describe the importance of the LIFE Group you lead? We love each and every member of our group and appreciate the contributions each one makes in discussion and prayer. We learn from each other, laugh together, and grow together. A week without our LIFE Group leaves us feeling that something important has been missed!
What would you say to some one that is wary about joining a LIFE Group? Dive in, the water’s fine! Seriously, these are people who love the Lord and love each other. It would be a shame to miss the chance to grow loving relationships around God’s Word.
7
Life Bible Fellowship Church
FilteredBy Matt Sasso, Pastor of Student Ministries
Our world easily corrupts us, but we are able to filter what we see. So many messages and values are passed on by our culture, and we are so impressionable.
During this four-week series in Exit 83, we are going to learn how to filter our world through the lens of God’s Word. Throughout the process, we will use different types of filters to illustrate how God’s Word can help us change the channel, bounce our eyes, and reveal our desperate need for more of His presence in our lives. Oh, it would be easy to just lock ourselves in a convent for the rest of our lives, but then how would an unbelieving world see a loving God? We need to learn how to filter our world.
During this series our student ministry will spend four weeks looking at these words of Jesus: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23). During this series we hope that your students are challenged to passionately pursue life in Jesus and to lead others to do the same.
Giving UpdateFiscal Year July 13-June 14 Total Budget: $1,720,000
Budget Goal Giving Received Over/Under November $133,853 $115,116 $(18,737) December $265,822 $335,902 $70,080
Year to Date $917,966 $911,239 $(6,727)
*Online giving is available at lbfchurch.com
* Offering boxes are mounted on walls by exit doors.
6
The Scroll | February 2014
Missions News From Thailand and the SeaBy Carol Hawkins, Missions Coordinator
The Lord has blessed LBF with some very special men and women who are serving Him in cross-cultural places, having a huge impact. He has used their work in reaching out to many people and bringing much-needed help and hope. I want to share some of their exciting news with you.
Pete & Mary
Pete and Mary have been serving in Asia for over 30 years, living in Nepal, Laos, and Thailand. Pete is a veterinarian and the Lord has used him greatly in helping teach nationals how to care for their farm animals. Farm animals are so vital for many people to be able to run their farms, raise their crops, and provide for their families. If their animal is sick, that could be a critical problem for them in survival.
A number of years ago Pete wrote a book called, Where There is No Animal Doctor. The book, a manual that deals with many animal health-related topics, has already been translated into four languages and there are currently four additional languages that are in the middle of translation. This is so en-couraging and shows just how crucial the information in the book is. And it is also exciting when we realize that it’s one of our own missionaries who is bringing this life-saving information to other cultures.
Pete and Mary currently live in northern Thailand (Chiang Rai). Pete does animal
health clinics with pastors who are also farmers. He continues to teach and serve. Mary serves with the International Christian School. Together this couple touches thousands of lives.
Contact them: [email protected], [email protected]
Tom & Terry Velnosky
Tom and Terry have served with Mercy Ships for almost 28 years. Mercy Ships is a ministry that brings a hospital ship, complete with doctors, dentists, nurses, technicians, operating rooms, etc., to the poor nations along the west coast of Africa with healthcare.
Tom and Terry live in Texas, where the headquarters for Mercy Ships is located. Tom’s role is to procure all the medical equipment, medicines, and many of the supplies for the hospital ship,
Africa Mercy. In that role, he also must be aware of how the equipment operates and what it would take to get it repaired (even in Africa) in the event of a malfunction. His position is instrumental to the smooth running of the hospital and the thousands of lives that are helped through the medical care received. This is so encouraging as I think of one of our missionaries in such a strategic position.
There are currently plans underway for Mercy Ships to build a second ship, which will be the world’s largest civilian hospital ship. Tom is involved in the planning and designing of the hospital portion of the ship. This is really exciting that he is able to be such an integral part of the design. It is also a huge responsibility as well as a great honor for him.
Contact him: [email protected]
Please be praying for these couples and their families. You can see that the Lord is using their talents to bless many. Their ministries have far-reaching effects that touch thousands of lives with the love of Christ. It means a great deal to have you support them through prayer. And be encouraged – you are blessing lives around the world!
Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid
Upland, CA 91786 Permit No. 167
We exist to passionately pursue LIFE in Jesus and to lead our neighbors to do the same.
2426 N. Euclid Ave. Upland, CA 91784 lbfchurch.com
facebook.com/ lifebiblefellowship
@LBFChurchcurrent series!
2426 N. Euclid Ave. Upland, CA 91784
RETURN SERVICE REqUESTED
