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(continued on page 5)

HITTING THE BULLS EYEBack a few years ago, two well-known

preachers decided to conduct a study

to find what characteristics the 25fastest growing churches in the coun-

try had in common. Interestingly, nei-

ther preacher knew the other had set

out on this quest as well, yet both

preachers came up with the same 5

growth factors:

Growth factor #1: Strong LeadershipMost people sincerely desire to see Gods plan for His Church fulfilled. Theyll

be glad to jump on board and participate if 2 things are present.

First, The elders must have integrity, character, and most importantly lead by

example. If the leaders have the churchs respect and see them willingly

involved in the ministry of the church, the people will support the work.

Second, The leadership must have a plan. Obviously without a clear-cut plan,

the church will be aimless and will flounder. We can have all the energy in the

world, but unless its focused on achieving a goal, we wont accomplish a thing.

Growth factor #2: A Commitment to Gods WordIn each case, the preaching and teaching throughout the 25 surveyed churches

was based on a strong belief in the authority of the Word of God. The Bible has

the power to change lives. When Billy Graham was once asked why he didnt

spend more time defending the Bible against liberal attacks, he said: The Bible

is like a lion. When you have a lion, you dont have to defend him. Just turn himloose and he will defend himself.

Growth factor #3: They were Fun-Loving ChurchesThis is not to say that the weekend services were a hootenanny or a three-ring

circus. But these are happy churches, with bright, warm friendly atmospheres

and lots of joy. The people feel the freedom to laugh and cry. Remember, you

cant hatch eggs in a refrigerator. People are attracted to joy. Certainly, there

are times for sorrow, repentance and tearsbut there is as well times for joy

and even uproarious laughter.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

9 :15 AM

WORSHIP10:15 AM

MINISTER

Donald Dennis

ELDERS

David Gephart

John GetgenDavid Lomison

Ken Scheesley

Gary Thomas

John Williams

SECRETARY

Suzanne Gephart

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LYCOMING ALIVE PAGE 2

May 31-June 1 Little girls and guysJune 1215 new purpose retreat

June 1621 senior high week

June 2325 beginners camp

July 712 junior high week

July 1419 junior week

July 2126 intermediate week

Camp Registration Forms are available at the source.

Mens Night OutFriday - May 17, 2013

Speaker - Dr. Paul S. WilliamsMessage - Crazy Love

Registration - 4:30 PM to 6:00 PMDinner - 5:45 PM to 6:45 PM

If you are able to provide a pie or two for Mens Night Out, please sign up at The Source.

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Growth factor #4: They were Unified Churches.Growing churches are characterized by people who put Christ first. In a unified church, the members

place greater importance on meeting the needs of others rather than their own wants and desires. Paul

says: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than

yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

Growth factor #5: Each Congregation had PassionThese churches had a Holy driven-ness about them. They would never be satisfied. They were never

done. They would never retire on their past accomplishments. They realized that until Jesus calls us

home, we must keep advancing His Kingdom. The entire church must have a sense of urgency about

taking the next hill.

These 5 growth factors are alive and growing here at LCC. But we need to always remember to keep

our minds open to Gods Word and direction, and our hearts open to the presence and guidance of

Gods Spirit. Lets all concentrate our sight on our Lord, our chins up, and our hands dirty in service. I

am positive if we do these things together, Gods Kingdom will advance and grow in our little corner of

the world.

continued from page 1

Denny

Expectations Womens CenterOne of the Missions supported by Lycoming Christian Church is the Expectations Womens Center locatedin Williamsport. A recent newsletter from them indicated some startling statistics.

What other things are we missing out on? In 2010 in PA there were 36,778 abortions. This means in2015:

1,362 classes that will not need teachers (based on 27 children per class)

147,112 pairs of shoes wont be needed

441,336 Happy Meals wont be sold (average of 1 per child per month)

$1,471,120 worth of school supplies wont be purchased (at $40.00 per child)

Are you surprised?

Nearly 8 in 10 women who have an abortion identify themselves with a religion.

More than 50% of abortions are repeat abortions - this indicates women use it as amethod of birth control.

Multiple surveys indicate cant afford a baby now ranks high on the list of reasons people chose abortion.

Abortion statistics remind us that 274 women living in the five counties served by Expectations WomensCenters had abortions in 2011. That is 274 too many274 faces we will not see. Remember to liftExpectations Womens Center in prayer.

Aiming for the Bulls Eye,

Suzanne Gephart

Mission Ministry

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Lycoming Christian Church

20 Chapel Hill Road

Linden, PA 17744

(570) 322-9940

Bulk Rate

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PAID

Linden, PA

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Investing in Hope...Transforming our

Nation Through Prayer!

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Kathy Dennis


BIG BAD MUSICAL A Success!

After two wonderful evenings of Once upon a time, Happily ever after, and fairy tale characters, thetables have been put back into storage, the tree stumps are being split up for our summer campfires,and life is going back to normal for those involved in our recent dinner theater production. Now weare left with nothing but memories, but what fantastic memories they are!Both performances were sold out, and most of those attending were visitors to our church! Not onlydid our neighbors, friends, and family members get a great meal and an entertaining show, but theyalso witnessed what can happen when members of a church body work together on a project.

Reviews were outstandingbetter than performances at ______ playhouse, more like professionalactors and actresses than a church group, the best show so far, and many, many more. Involve-ment went well beyond the characters on stage, however. This could not have been such a successwithout the help of so many people who worked behind the scenes; Trevor as co-director, Paul, Lee,and Wes building the sets and painting, John for supplying the tree-stumps, Ruthanns set decorationtable decoration, bulletin boards, Bryan on the soundboard, Andrea and her kitchen crew, Suzanne inthe office, Dennys photography, and Marthas suggestions and help with costumes.

A HUGE thank you to the many, many hours that each cast member, (and parents of the young castmembers) donated to this project.Finally, I would ask that we all pray that Dennys mini -sermon that was inserted towards the end ofthe show will stick in the minds of those who do not know Jesus as their Savior, and that the Holy

Spirit will convict many to seek the truth.

Praying your ever afters are filled with joy and

laughter!

After giving 10% of theprofit to LCCs MissionsMinistry, the remainder

will go towards newsound equipment for the

worship team.

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The His Kids Clubhouse presented the Easter Pageant Resurrection on

Sunday, April 7th during the morning worship. The pageant was based onthe scripture John 20:1-18. Throughout the pageant the congregation

joined the kids by singing some of those old time inspirational hymns -

Christ Alone, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, and I Serve a Risen

Savior. The cast included:

Narrators - Nicole Belton, Lindsay Brooks, and Zackary Schmalhofer

Mary Magdalene - Morgan Reinsel

Angels - Brianna Mecone and Jayden Ulmer

Jesus - R.J. Webb

Doubting Thomas - Matthew Hacker

John - Dalton Rice

Simon Peter - Kason Ulmer

I am so very proud of each and every one of these kids for getting up on stage and for sharing the good

news that Christ is Alive!

The Childrens Ministry will be hosting our annual Moms Morning Out. This is one of our most popul

outreach events and we are so very excited to be able to do this again this summer!

Dont you think every Mom (and dad too) deserves a break, a little time to go to the grocery store, grab a

cup of coffee or lunch with some friends? This year we are excited to share that our themes are: Pirates

Carnival, and Lights, Camera, Action...Red Carpet Fun. We will be having our Moms Morning Outs on

June 22, July 27, and August 17.

This is a free event from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm and includes lunch, snacks, games and fun, fun, fun. Dont

forget to bring your swimsuit and towel so you can cool off on our giant slip-n-slide. This program is for

babies up through those who have completed fifth grade. You can sign up at The Source or by callingthe church office at 322-9940.

Blessings,

Patsy Schmalhofer

Childrens Ministry

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May 2013 Newsltr