Bulletin Announcements for July 25
Click on the arrows to read the announcements.
Prelude & Offertory: Marjorie Brown, organ and
Mary Louthan, piano
Video Technician: Walter Moncrief
Sound Technician: Dennis Malek
Sermon: Pastor David Bridges
“What Are You Talking About?”
THE FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR TODAY are given by the Hoskins family in celebration of Marshall Ray Hoskins’ 15th birthday! Our family is blessed to have such a wonderful young man. He left yesterday for Oklahoma for Boy Scout camp. Pray for a fun journey and a safe return.
DO YOU ENJOY PLAYING GUITAR? You are invited to come to the Coffee Café tonight between 6 and 8 p.m. to “jam” with other guitar players. Whatever your level of experience, just bring a song or a guitar lick to share with everyone. If you have questions, contact Jim Towne.
READ AHEAD: As our pastors continue this summer’s sermon series from the book of Acts, you are invited to prepare by reading the scripture ahead of time. The passages that we will look at in the coming weeks are as follows:
August 1st: Acts 13: 1-12
August 8th: Acts 14: 8-20
August 15th: Acts 14: 21-28
OUR RWANDA MISSION TEAM has arrived safely in Kigali. For the past several days they have had the opportunity to become acquainted with EFM’s mission work in the Kigali area under the leadership of David and Debby Thomas, Brad and Chelsea Carpenter, and Molly Black. This week they will be leading activities for about 60 missionary kids (ages preschool through high school) at a retreat for missionary families. Please continue to pray for God’s blessing on their ministry. Check our church website for photos and updates!
THERE ARE SEVERAL OPEN DATES on the flower chart in the coming months. If you would like to provide the altar flowers one Sunday, please sign your name by one of the available dates on the chart located on the foyer. You will receive a reminder card in the mail shortly before your chosen date. If you have questions, contact the church office.
HEY KIDS! Children from preschool through 6th grade will sing in both worship services on Sunday, August 22nd. We’ll be practicing our song for the next few weeks in Sunday School and Children’s Church, so please join us for one or both of those times if you’d like to sing with us. It is fine if you can only make it to one service on the 22nd.
SPLASHTOWN TICKETS are now available at the church office. We’ll be heading to Splashtown on Wednesday, August 18th as our last fun day of the summer before everyone heads back to school – adults, children and teens are all welcome. There are 30 discount tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Our discounted price of $18 for any age is a huge savings off the regular price of $37 for adults and $29 for children under 42”. Stop by the church office to pick up your tickets. Children age 7 and under must be accompanied by an adult or teen on this trip. If you have questions, contact Joyce Byrne at the church office.
THE WOMEN’S MINISTRY TEAM is planning a Day of Fasting on August 11th. Ladies, you are invited to fast during that day and, if you wish, to join us for a time of Open Worship and a light dinner that evening as we break our fast corporately. Our goal is not to fast for a specific cause or prayer request, but to instead together experience the discipline of fasting for its own sake and perhaps become more confident about incorporating it into our spiritual practice. More information about that specific day is coming soon, but meanwhile go to our church website to read weekly “interviews” with some of our members about how they incorporate fasting into their own lives.
A CROWN OF THORNS that had been in our church prayer room is missing. If you borrowed it, could you please return it to the prayer room or the church office? Thank you!
WEEKLY CHOIR REHEARSALS will resume on Sunday, August 22nd at 6:00 p.m. If you have thought about singing with the choir, this would be a great time to try it out. Soon we will begin preparations for Christmas music, as well as pieces to share with the congregation throughout the fall season. Please join us!
LAST CHANCE TO ORDER MORINGA POWDER: Most of you have heard of David and Debby Thomas’ work with moringa, often called “The Miracle Tree” due to its amazing nutritive and medicinal properties. With a short-term mission team returning from Rwanda soon, we have a rare opportunity to support the moringa ministry AND improve our own health by ordering moringa leaf powder, which can be added to foods as a supplement. If you are interested, call the church office ASAP for information or to place an order. Also, there are a few of the $1 moringa powder packets still available at the church office.
MID-YEAR FINANCIAL UPDATE: The month of June was a time of very heavy expenses for the church. In addition to some seasonal expenses caused by VBS, youth camps and higher utility bills, we had to spend $9000 on materials to repair the lighting controls in the Worship Center and $8000 in repairs to the air conditioning and the ice machine. Thus, we have gone from being in the black at the end of May to having a deficit of $23,000 at the end of June. This should even out a bit in the coming months as people return from summer vacations and expenses return to more normal levels. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving, and for your prayers and support for the various ministries of our church.