The Evangel September 2016

To stand before men on behalf of God is one thing.

To stand before God on behalf of men

is something entirely different. -

Prayer is not a preparation for the battle;

it is the battle!

Current (3 weeks):

Ann & Barry Conn

Tiffany Watson- meningitis (Wilma

Kingery’s granddaughter-n-law)

Flood recovery in Louisiana

Christie Wright - cancer returned

Belize - recovery from hurricane Earl

Jack Gilbert - health concerns

Tom & Donna Huffman - employment

Ongoing Concerns:

4/14

Alan & Linda Baker - Belize children

Anias & Jadon - conjoined twins

Building Project

Lila Bear - side effects of chemo &

Maintenance chemo treatments

Richard Russell

In Care facilities:

Carolyn Gast

Elsie Phillips - Heartland

Ivan Cooper - Heartland

Fighting Cancer:

Ann Conn

Carol Mefford

Christie Wright

Dan Letizia

Denny Mefford, Jr.

Elizabeth Weidner

Larry Wheeler

Lila Bear

Lis White

Patty Johnson

Wilfred Good

In the Military:

Alicia & Steve Tordoff - Army Res.

Jalen Blazich - Army

Jared Blazich - Air Force

Josh Kiest

Shane Gephardt

Tyler Briggerman - Navy

Wes Letizia - Air Force

Missions:

Christian Campus House

Heartland Christian Village

International Missions:

Compassion International

HIS Home for Children

Hopewell

Rapha House

Ryan & Melinda Hicks

Thirst Missions

Neoga Community Food Pantry

Oblong Christian Children’s Home

Oil Belt Christian Service Camp

PRAYER IS A POWERFUL WEAPON

Church,

Thank you for giving to people that need school supplies. My

family could not afford the school supplies for this year. It

was great to go to class prepared.

Sincerely,

(name omitted for privacy)

"We are GROWING! With the larger

number of preschool through 5th graders attending our church services, we're expanding our ministries! During the sermon each Sunday, we invite our preschoolers to continue attending Wee Worship, our kindergartners through second graders to attend Primary Worship in their own classroom upstairs, and third through fifth graders to attend Warrior Worship in their own classroom

Children’s Ministry News

upstairs. All of our kids will have lessons geared specifically to their age level, and we're super excited to see their growth in Jesus! We pray that seeds are being planted each week, and we're trusting that God's Word will not return void, just as He promises! Thanks to all of our children's ministry volunteers who serve with love in Jesus' name." - Katy Frankie

Tech Team Greeters Children’s Ministry Communion Servers

4 Audio: Tom

Video: Matt

Tom & Cathy

Tomlinson

Nursery: Cathy & Mahayla Oakley

Wee Worship: Sheri Coen,

Andrea Workman

Primary Worship: Zach Letizia

Warrior Worship: Joni McClure

Alan Baker

Doug Baker

Jake Ballinger

David Coen

Don Coen

Barry Conn

Kirby Davis

Jack Gilbert

11 Audio: Aubrey

Video: Zach

John & Reeni

Letizia

Nursery: Joann Miller, Pam Storm

Wee Worship: Louella Drum

Primary Worship: Paula & Rory Gentry

Warrior Worship: Joni McClure

Wendell Haws

Bill Kenworthy

Doug Moore

Monte Page

Greg Oakley

J R Schisler

Harry Starwalt

Tom Tomlinson

18 Audio: Aubrey

Video: Jim

Don & Denise

Coen

Nursery: John & Reeni Letizia

Wee Worship: Cheryll Gilbert,

Primary Worship: Penny Hess

Warrior Worship: Jennifer Davis

Art Walk

Chad Walk

Alan Baker

Doug Baker

Jake Ballinger

David Coen

Don Coen

Barry Conn

25 Audio: Tom

Video: Matt

Fontella

Waddell

Nursery: Judy Starwalt

Wee Worship: Katie Hakman,

Megan Robinson

Primary Worship: Amber & Paul Lake

Warrior Worship: Jennifer Davis

Kirby Davis

Jack Gilbert

Wendell Haws

Bill Kenworthy

Zach Letizia

Doug Moore

Monte Page

Greg Oakley

Thank You!!! September Servers

Through the love offering last week, $430 was sent to Convoy of Hope

to help those in Louisiana recovering from the flooding.

Missions’ Updates

Helping at Hopewell

It's Back to School time! The children

at Hopewell Children's Home in Belize are in need of sponsors. Just $20 per month (September 2016 through August 2017) or a one time gift of $240 will provide the cost of a child's tuition and books. You will receive a photograph and will be able to send letters of encouragement to your sponsored child. To sign up or ask for more information, contact Heather Baker Upton by email at hcbaker@eiu.edu or text or call her at 217-294-2918.

James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

A big thank you to everyone for

being an answer to prayer! Because of your generosity, First Christian Church is sending $3118.75 to Belize to help the two families repair and rebuild their homes after the damage caused by the hurricane. A group from another church has already volunteered to go to Belize to do the repairs. However, they had not raised the money for the materials. God has been working on the hearts of two congregations to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these families in Belize. Isn't it great to be a part of the body of Christ working together for His glory?!

Looking for a way to use your gift of encouragement?

If you would like to organize the College Student Encouragement Ministry,

please contact Linda Baker.

On July 31st FCC held its annual Back to School Giveaway. This event helps the students of Neoga start the school year with what they need such as backpacks, school supplies, tennis shoes and clothing. More than 60 families, including 141 students, received items from this giveaway. Thank you for all your prayers, monetary donations and time volunteered to make this year’s Giveaway happen. Without you this event could not take place. As many of the stores wrap up sales of school supplies, many of these items will be marked down in price. Please consider purchasing a few of these items and donating them for next year’s event. This helps keep our costs down, and we are able to make our money go further. In Luke 10, Jesus talks about the Good Samaritan and that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. Passing out school supplies is one example of how we can do this. If you are interested in becoming involved in any of the other outreach ministries that happen at the former elementary, feel free to get in touch with me, Amy Baker, or contact the church office. You can reach me at 217-273-2018.

>> Community Clothesline

August 4th: 47 Families 125 Individuals August 18th: 13 Families 35 Individuals

>> Back to School Giveaway

>> Neoga Community Food Pantry

35 Families, 106 people served 4 Deliveries 13 Volunteers, 29 1/2 volunteer hours September: Soup October: Tuna

Ladies’ Small Group

Fall Study Begins the Week of September 11

Entrusted: A Study of II Timothy (DVD) led by Beth Moore will be our focus this fall. In Paul’s final letter,

he charged Timothy, his beloved son in the faith, to not be ashamed to fulfill God’s call on his life. Beth Moore will challenge us to go forth and use our spiritual gifts as we serve our Lord. We will meet in the FCC Basement Fellowship Center at 6:00 pm Sunday or 9:30 am Wednesday; the last session of this seven week study will be the week of October 30. We will not meet the week of October 9. Our 90 minutes together will consist of fellowship, video teaching by Beth, discussion and prayer. Recognizing that our schedules are different, each participant will be encouraged to select a level of participation.

Level 1. Participate in the Video sessions only. Level 2. Participate in Level 1 and complete the homework Level 3. Participate in Levels 1 and 2 and hand write the book of II Timothy Level 4. Participate in Levels 1, 2 and 3 and read The Next Level articles with Melissa Level 5. Participate in Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 and memorize II Timothy

To help us plan, please indicate your participation by signing the Fall Ladies’ Small Group sign up form at the Welcome Center. Please note if childcare is needed.

Believe or not, but it will soon be time to start rehearsal for the Neoga Community Christmas Cantata. This community-wide effort is such a pleasure to be a part of, and anyone interested is welcome to join in this opportunity to worship the birth of Christ through song. The members of the different churches seem to enjoy bringing their talents together to help bring joy to the season, and the community’s response has always been overwhelming. Rehearsals and performances will be in the sanctuary at the Grace United Methodist Church. The first rehearsal will be on October 2nd from 4:00 - 5:30 pm. At this rehearsal we will sing through the complete cantata and be able to give everyone a copy of the music and CD if wanted. A fee of $10.00 will be asked of each singer to help cover the cost of the booklet. Rehearsal from then on will be every Sunday from 4:00-5:30 pm. Kirby Davis will once again be directing the cantata. If people have questions or would like more information, feel free to call him at 895-2429. Cantata performances are scheduled for December 10th at 7:00 p.m. and December 11th at 4:00 p.m.

Christmas Cantata

Building Fund

Balance as of Aug 23:

$330,274.22

After School Program

Do you have a passion for ministry with children? Do you have a couple of hours each week to volunteer your time? The After School Program, a ministry of the Neoga Ministerial Alliance, is looking for your help. We need adult volunteers on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons from 2-4:30 to help with snacks, play games, check homework, and simply to be a loving presence. Please constant Christina Krost at 217.343.4899 or Christina.krost@gmail.com to join the fun!

4/14

We have had a great summer, and now we are looking forward to a new and exciting year here at 4/14. Over the summer we opened up the school to have what we call the Hang Out. We invited 5th-8th graders to come out and enjoy some time in the gym, with friends and with Jesus. Over the month of July, we averaged 15 kids per day. We let them come in and enjoy some free time to play basketball, foursquare or just sit and talk to friends while searching the gym for Pokémon. We then came in and had some time of Bible study using our memory cross tools. The kids had a great time, and so did I. Please pray that God’s word sticks in their hearts and that they are constantly motivated by His words and His thoughts. Jennifer and I also took a group of high school students to CIY in Macomb, IL. Miles, Chayton, Trisha, Nick and John all got the opportunity to travel to WIU to learn about the book of Ephesians. Through this time, we got to learn that Kingdom workers are LOVED, RESCUED, UNITED, CHANGED and SENT. We got to see God move in some incredible ways. Please pray for these youth that the lessons learned and commitments made don’t fade with time but are constantly rekindled. On August 24th we got the opportunity to open our doors and resume 4/14 at the former elementary. Please pray for our students this year as they come, that they are motivated to learn and grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus. Also pray for our leaders that they have the physical and emotional endurance to love these kids and help them see God. Don’t forget to pray for our “newest” recruit, Sandy Fear, as she comes on board to lead kids to Christ. Looking forward, on September 11 we get the opportunity to open our doors to small groups. This is our first attempt to do small groups at 4/14 so please pray for their implementation. We will be studying the first half of the book of Daniel. This book offers so many good examples of how a young person can step up in a “hostile” environment and help lead people to God. Please pray that our kids are brought to a deeper understanding of Jesus through this.

>>Senior Breakfast August 30, 2016 & September 27,2016

All seniors are encouraged to meet the last Tuesday of the month at 8:00 am at the Depot for breakfast. Come enjoy the fellowship and begin the morning with a breakfast of your choice. Note, each one pays for his own meal.

>>Senior Day At Oil Belt Christian Service Camp Thursday, September 8, 2016

Seniors, this is a great opportunity for fellowship, inspiring worship service, and great food. Please complete your registration today, and save $3.00. The cost is $12; if the registration is postmarked after September 2, 2016 the cost is $15.00. We will leave FCC at 7:45 am and anticipate returning by 4:15 pm. Matt Proctor from Joplin, MO will be the speaker and John & Judy Roberts will be leading the song service. In addition, we will enjoy a Gospel Concert featuring part of the Homecoming Gospel Choir and a few laughs as David Green shares some of his “unique” experiences. To help us plan, please sign up at the Welcome Center prior to September 7, 2016.

>>Senior Fellowship

October 13, 2016 seniors will meet from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at FCC. During our worship time, we will sing a variety of hymns and learn about the stories behind these hymns. Mark your calendar and plan to attend and enjoy the worship, fellowship, and lunch with the staff and seniors of all ages. Meat, drinks, and table service will be provided; each person should bring a vegetable, salad, or dessert to share.

Attention All Seniors

Sun

Mon

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Wed

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September 2016