This Week at SCC Wednesday: Women’s Bible Study will resume in January Praise Team Caroling and Dinner at Mill Creek Thursday: Food Pantry Friday: AA Next Sunday: Celebration in New Sanctuary Open House at the Poor Home Youth Group Christmas Party Pastor Becky is in Virginia today but will be in the office tomorrow Saranac Community Church Pastor Becky Poor 125 S. Bridge Street, PO Box 47 Saranac, MI 48881 616-642-6322 Fax: 616-642-9659 www.saranacchurch.org About Saranac Community Church… Our Mission… We are committed to being a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ who glorify our Triune God and practice positive Christian living by growing in God’s Word, caring for each other, and reaching out with God’s love by responding to the physical and spiritual needs of others. Our Values… As members of the Evangelical Covenant Church, we gladly affirm the following as essential to who we are as a community: * The centrality of the Word of God * The necessity of New Birth * A commitment to the whole mission of the Church * The Church as a fellowship of believers * A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit * The reality of freedom in Christ Please visit the denominational website at www.covchurch.org. Our People… We are ordinary people, united by our mission, our values, and our desire to serve others. Here are the people serving you today: Senior Pastor: Becky Poor [email protected]Secretary: Kathy Hawkins [email protected]7:00pm 6:00pm 2-4:00pm 8:00pm 10:00am 4-6:00pm 6-7:30pm
Transcript
This Week at SCC
Wednesday: Women’s Bible Study will resume in January
Praise Team
Caroling and Dinner at Mill Creek
Thursday: Food Pantry
Friday: AA
Next Sunday: Celebration in New Sanctuary
Open House at the Poor Home
Youth Group Christmas Party
Pastor Becky is in Virginia today but will be in the office tomorrow
Saranac Community Church
Pastor Becky Poor
125 S. Bridge Street, PO Box 47 Saranac, MI 48881
616-642-6322 Fax: 616-642-9659
www.saranacchurch.org
About Saranac Community Church…
Our Mission…
We are committed to being a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ
who glorify our Triune God and practice positive Christian living by growing
in God’s Word, caring for each other, and reaching out with God’s love by
responding to the physical and spiritual needs of others.
Our Values…
As members of the Evangelical Covenant Church, we gladly affirm the
following as essential to who we are as a community:
* The centrality of the Word of God
* The necessity of New Birth
* A commitment to the whole mission of the Church
* The Church as a fellowship of believers
* A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit
* The reality of freedom in Christ
Please visit the denominational website at www.covchurch.org.
Our People…
We are ordinary people, united by our mission, our values, and
our desire to serve others. Here are the people serving you today:
Singers: Sharon Darby, Chris Roberts Acolytes: volunteers needed
Praise Team: Nancy Downs, Ken Poor, Joel Fritsma
Nursery: Shelly Gregory, Nancy Benjamin
Children’s Worship: Kristen and Aaron Fritsma
Greeters: Terri McCready, Jan Renwick
Tech Team: Dave and Delaney Washburn, Brien and Beth Simpson
Prelude/Welcome and Announcements Moment of Silence
REJOICE Focus: God’s Glory *Call to Worship Leader: The Lord has done great things for us! People: And we are filled with joy! Leader: Our God has turned our weeping into singing. People: Our tears into songs of joy! Leader: O Christ Our God, come anew into our hearts this day. People: And remain in us forever.
*"Forever” *”Joy to the World” *Lighting of the Advent Candle of Joy
Karen Haskins, June Seiler Children PreK-grade 5 are invited to Go & Grow in Children’s Church REMEMBER Focus: God’s People The Prayers of the People with the Lord’s Prayer First Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-12 (The Message) “Be Thou My Vision”
RECEIVE Focus: God’s Word Second Reading – Luke 16:19-31 (NIV) Sermon - “The Pre-Christmas Gift” Pastor Mike Harrison-Haefner
RESPOND Focus: God’s Purposes Offertory *Doxology and Offertory Prayer *”He Is Exalted” *Call to Action/”Worship never ends...it must be lived.” *congregation please stand if you are able
15 - MacKenzie Roberts 17 - Margaret Chadwick Jan Petrimoulx
Welcome Visitors Are you new to Saranac Community Church? We're so
glad that you're here! Please stop by the Welcome Center today to
receive a small gift and learn how you can get connected with God and
others in our faith community. We hope this will be a place where you
will feel welcomed, loved and encouraged in your walk with the Lord.
Welcome Visitors Are you new to Saranac Community Church? We're so
glad that you're here! Please stop by the Welcome Center today to
receive a small gift and learn how you can get connected with God and
others in our faith community. We hope this will be a place where you
will feel welcomed, loved and encouraged in your walk with the Lord.
Announcements & Events Announcements & Events
PRC is actively searching for a Part Time Youth Leader for Jr. &
Sr. High Youth at Saranac Community Church. You can find a Job
Description on the church website www.saranacchurch.org. If you
know an individual who would be a good fit for this position, please
have them take a look at the Job Description and send a resume and
statement of faith/testimony to the church office no later than Dec. 12,
2016.
PRC is actively searching for a Part Time Youth Leader for Jr. &
Sr. High Youth at Saranac Community Church. You can find a Job
Description on the church website www.saranacchurch.org. If you
know an individual who would be a good fit for this position, please
have them take a look at the Job Description and send a resume and
statement of faith/testimony to the church office no later than Dec. 12,
2016.
December Scrip Gift Card Reminder Use scrip for your Christmas shopping and gift giving. This is your final
opportunity before the end of the year.
Due date for our next scrip gift card order is TODAY which will be available Thursday, December 15th. You may wait and pick them up at church on the following Sunday if you prefer. You can bring your order to church or order
online by visiting www.shopwithscrip.com and selecting Saranac Community
Church with the enrollment code of C632F5C52395L. It is very easy to do this and your order is automatically sent to our church scrip coordinator. You may also bring your payment to church or pay online for a small 15¢ fee. Remember,
you can reload or print many cards at any time during the month. There are
usually a limited number of Meijer and Speedway scrip cards available for
purchase in the church office as well. If you have any questions on how this
December Scrip Gift Card Reminder Use scrip for your Christmas shopping and gift giving. This is your final
opportunity before the end of the year.
Due date for our next scrip gift card order is TODAY which will be available Thursday, December 15th. You may wait and pick them up at church on the following Sunday if you prefer. You can bring your order to church or order
online by visiting www.shopwithscrip.com and selecting Saranac Community
Church with the enrollment code of C632F5C52395L. It is very easy to do this and your order is automatically sent to our church scrip coordinator. You may also bring your payment to church or pay online for a small 15¢ fee. Remember,
you can reload or print many cards at any time during the month. There are
usually a limited number of Meijer and Speedway scrip cards available for
purchase in the church office as well. If you have any questions on how this
Christmas Care Center Coming Yes, we are still having our annual Christmas Care Center, but due
to construction and other reasons, we will be a bit scaled down. Food, extra meat, fresh fruit & vegetables, some winter clothing and other Christmas items will be available to our clients each Thursday (Dec 1,8,15 and 22) during regular Food Pantry hours of 2-4 pm. New this year: Toys 4 Tots will be distributed at the Merchant’s Building on the Ionia Fairgrounds on Dec. 15, 12-6 pm., and registration forms must be turned in to DHS in Ionia by Dec. 9. Forms are available in the church office if you know of someone in need. You can help by praying for our Care Center, the people who will be working, and especially for the families who will receive food and gifts. You may also want to take some tags from the Giving Tree in the
downstairs entry and bring back the items listed by Sunday, Dec. 11. We can use gently used winter wear in all sizes: jackets, boots, hats & gloves, along with blankets and throws. Money to buy perishables is also needed: Checks made out to SCC –Food Pantry are tax deductible. We need several people each week to help with our project, and if you have some hours to volunteer, please sign up on the Care Center poster near the Giving Tree. You will be called to confirm the time. Let this be part of your gift to the Lord again this year. Thank you, SCC Family, for your great response to the people in need in our community!
Christmas Care Center Coming Yes, we are still having our annual Christmas Care Center, but due
to construction and other reasons, we will be a bit scaled down. Food, extra meat, fresh fruit & vegetables, some winter clothing and other Christmas items will be available to our clients each Thursday (Dec 1,8,15 and 22) during regular Food Pantry hours of 2-4 pm. New this year: Toys 4 Tots will be distributed at the Merchant’s Building on the Ionia Fairgrounds on Dec. 15, 12-6 pm., and registration forms must be turned in to DHS in Ionia by Dec. 9. Forms are available in the church office if you know of someone in need. You can help by praying for our Care Center, the people who will be working, and especially for the families who will receive food and gifts. You may also want to take some tags from the Giving Tree in the
downstairs entry and bring back the items listed by Sunday, Dec. 11. We can use gently used winter wear in all sizes: jackets, boots, hats & gloves, along with blankets and throws. Money to buy perishables is also needed: Checks made out to SCC –Food Pantry are tax deductible. We need several people each week to help with our project, and if you have some hours to volunteer, please sign up on the Care Center poster near the Giving Tree. You will be called to confirm the time. Let this be part of your gift to the Lord again this year. Thank you, SCC Family, for your great response to the people in need in our community!
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPS
Please sign-up if you are willing to
help serve on Sunday mornings.
See Beth Simpson if you have any
questions or need to make a
change.
Greeters
Ushers (needed for Christmas Eve
also)
Readers
Acolytes
We will begin collecting
receipts from Spartan
Stores, including:
Leppinks, Karls, Village
Market, D&W and Family
Fare as part of the
Spartan Nash Direct Your
Dollars fundraising
program. There will be a
box for you to put them
in.
Questions??
See Beth VanProoyen
Dec. 18 - 6-7:30pm at church for Christmas Party
Christmas Poinsettias
Don't you love the beauty of Christmas decorations? If you would like to bring in a
poinsettia to decorate the altar, be sure to have it here by December 16. We will put
names in the bulletin on Dec. 24 & 25. If possible, choose gold or silver wrapping.
Your Name___________________________________
I'd like to list this in honor of ________________________________________________
I'd like to list this in memory of _________________________________________________
What would you like to do with plant after it's decorated our sanctuary?
______ I'd like this plant to go to one of our home-bound friends.
______I will pick up the poinsettia myself on Christmas Day
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPS
Please sign-up if you are willing to
help serve on Sunday mornings.
See Beth Simpson if you have any
questions or need to make a
change.
Greeters
Ushers (needed for Christmas Eve
also)
Readers
Acolytes
We will begin collecting
receipts from Spartan
Stores, including:
Leppinks, Karls, Village
Market, D&W and Family
Fare as part of the
Spartan Nash Direct Your
Dollars fundraising
program. There will be a
box for you to put them
in.
Questions??
See Beth VanProoyen
Dec. 18 - 6-7:30pm at church for Christmas Party
Christmas Poinsettias
Don't you love the beauty of Christmas decorations? If you would like to bring in a
poinsettia to decorate the altar, be sure to have it here by December 16. We will put
names in the bulletin on Dec. 24 & 25. If possible, choose gold or silver wrapping.
Your Name___________________________________
I'd like to list this in honor of ________________________________________________
I'd like to list this in memory of _________________________________________________
What would you like to do with plant after it's decorated our sanctuary?
______ I'd like this plant to go to one of our home-bound friends.
______I will pick up the poinsettia myself on Christmas Day
Christmas 2016
December 14th - Dinner and Caroling
Mill Creek Apartments South Building
6:00pm
December 18th - Celebration in new Sanctuary
Open House at the Poor House, 4-6pm
Youth Group Christmas party 6-7:30pm
Christmas Eve - 5:00pm and 11:00pm
Christmas Day - 10:00am Worship Service
Invite someone to church!
Christmas 2016
December 14th - Dinner and Caroling
Mill Creek Apartments South Building
6:00pm
December 18th - Celebration in new Sanctuary
Open House at the Poor House, 4-6pm
Youth Group Christmas party 6-7:30pm
Christmas Eve - 5:00pm and 11:00pm
Christmas Day - 10:00am Worship Service
Invite someone to church!
Silver & Gold
When I was a Girl Scout in my younger days I remember singing this
song "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is
gold. " I've been thinking about this recently as we've been in the midst
of extensive building renovations here at SCC.
It's been wonderful to see the many energetic servants who've spent
endless hours tearing up old carpet, moving furniture and painting
walls to prepare for beautiful changes within our building. My heart is
full of gratitude for everyone who is helping us make space for God to
do something wonderful, new and "silver" within us! Thank you!
I'm also thankful for the many devoted saints who’ve served so
faithfully in the past! Our dear friends of old, and “gold”, who helped to
build this church on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ! Many of these
friends can remember with great joy the day they boldly processed
from Church Street to Bridge Street because God had given them a
vision for growing His church in a new place in a new way. While there
was great excitement on that day, I know today can be difficult for our
friends who are seeing us change much of what they have come to
know and love about their home here at SCC; including the removal of
the lattice, and the move from pews to chairs.
It's been said that the hardest thing about change is loss. Loss of the
familiar, the known, the beloved. I have deep respect for our golden
friends who are willingly giving up something they have personally
loved because of the hope they have for the future of all. Dear friends,
please know while we're excited about silver times ahead, that we never
want to forget the golden days of our past! We love and need both
silver and gold! As it says in Haggai 2: 8 "The silver is mine and the
gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty"
With that in mind, as we move back into our “new” sanctuary on
Dec. 18th, we’ll intentionally take time to celebrate our faithful history.
To help us do this we're asking people to bring pictures of special
events that happened in the old sanctuary; particularly weddings,
Confirmation, Baptisms, etc into the office by Dec 13. We'd like to
use these in a slideshow and put some on the walls to help us remem-
ber these golden blessings. We know our present and our future bless-
ings are deeply rooted in our past! Like the Apostle Paul, I too “always
pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first
day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work
in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1: 5-6
Praise the Lord! We Are Rising With The Promises of God!
Pastor Becky
Silver & Gold
When I was a Girl Scout in my younger days I remember singing this
song "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is
gold. " I've been thinking about this recently as we've been in the midst
of extensive building renovations here at SCC.
It's been wonderful to see the many energetic servants who've spent
endless hours tearing up old carpet, moving furniture and painting
walls to prepare for beautiful changes within our building. My heart is
full of gratitude for everyone who is helping us make space for God to
do something wonderful, new and "silver" within us! Thank you!
I'm also thankful for the many devoted saints who’ve served so
faithfully in the past! Our dear friends of old, and “gold”, who helped to
build this church on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ! Many of these
friends can remember with great joy the day they boldly processed
from Church Street to Bridge Street because God had given them a
vision for growing His church in a new place in a new way. While there
was great excitement on that day, I know today can be difficult for our
friends who are seeing us change much of what they have come to
know and love about their home here at SCC; including the removal of
the lattice, and the move from pews to chairs.
It's been said that the hardest thing about change is loss. Loss of the
familiar, the known, the beloved. I have deep respect for our golden
friends who are willingly giving up something they have personally
loved because of the hope they have for the future of all. Dear friends,
please know while we're excited about silver times ahead, that we never
want to forget the golden days of our past! We love and need both
silver and gold! As it says in Haggai 2: 8 "The silver is mine and the
gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty"
With that in mind, as we move back into our “new” sanctuary on
Dec. 18th, we’ll intentionally take time to celebrate our faithful history.
To help us do this we're asking people to bring pictures of special
events that happened in the old sanctuary; particularly weddings,
Confirmation, Baptisms, etc into the office by Dec 13. We'd like to
use these in a slideshow and put some on the walls to help us remem-
ber these golden blessings. We know our present and our future bless-
ings are deeply rooted in our past! Like the Apostle Paul, I too “always
pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first
day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work
in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1: 5-6
Praise the Lord! We Are Rising With The Promises of God!
Pastor Becky
SPECIAL LOVE OFFERING
Supporting Friends In Need: The Benkert Family
Please be in prayer for Pastor Chad & Dana Benkert, who
serve at Federated Covenant Church in Dowagiac, as
their daughter, Kylie (age 20) died in car accident
Sunday evening. Kylie's boyfriend, Jaylen also died in
the accident .
Many of you met Pastor Chad at the Veritas workshop
and some of our Vitality Team got to know Chad better
through the Navigate conference, as their church is part
of the Great Lakes Navigate Triad. Pastor Chad is a
dedicated and faithful servant of the Lord.
Before Kylie's death our Church Council had been
exploring the possibility of sending some financial
assistance to this church as they have been unable to
pay Pastor Chad due to financial struggles. With the
news of Kylie's death we've felt an urgent need to send
Pastor Chad and his family both financial and prayer
support.
Consequently today we'll be taking a special offering for
the Benkert family. Checks can be written out to SCC
with Benkert Family in the memo and placed in the
regular offering plate. Checks and cash can also be
placed in a basket on the information table.
Thank you for keeping Pastor Chad, Dana, their son
Jeremy and the Federated Church family in your prayers
during this difficult time.
SPECIAL LOVE OFFERING
Supporting Friends In Need: The Benkert Family
Please be in prayer for Pastor Chad & Dana Benkert, who
serve at Federated Covenant Church in Dowagiac, as
their daughter, Kylie (age 20) died in car accident
Sunday evening. Kylie's boyfriend, Jaylen also died in
the accident .
Many of you met Pastor Chad at the Veritas workshop
and some of our Vitality Team got to know Chad better
through the Navigate conference, as their church is part
of the Great Lakes Navigate Triad. Pastor Chad is a
dedicated and faithful servant of the Lord.
Before Kylie's death our Church Council had been
exploring the possibility of sending some financial
assistance to this church as they have been unable to
pay Pastor Chad due to financial struggles. With the
news of Kylie's death we've felt an urgent need to send
Pastor Chad and his family both financial and prayer
support.
Consequently today we'll be taking a special offering for
the Benkert family. Checks can be written out to SCC
with Benkert Family in the memo and placed in the
regular offering plate. Checks and cash can also be
placed in a basket on the information table.
Thank you for keeping Pastor Chad, Dana, their son
Jeremy and the Federated Church family in your prayers
