The RockSummer Issue 2017

OurYouth

AFRICAUPDATE!

Celebration ofFamily & Friends

A look at our upcoming celebration. Includes what the day is about and

how you can be involved.

SWYWPreview

FPU info

this issue is also available online

FIRSTMEN’SRETREATand how you can sign up

Plus:FINANCE TEAM UPDATE

In March, a team from Federated went to Kigoma, Tanzania to serve our missionaries, Harold & Coni at Hope of the Nations. The team consisted of Bryant Groenendyk, Linda Verhoef, Caitlyn Conway, Alicia Ruzich, Scott Van Veldhuizen, and myself. Everyone did great! Linda, being a nurse, went to different places with another nurse to help with medical issues the local people had. Caitlyn and Alicia taught school every day during the week and helped Coni. Bryant & Scott helped with manual labor needs and planted a garden at the school from which the kids have already eaten some of the food. I taught the book of Luke to the college students. The weather was very warm for Iowans in March and it rained every couple of days.

We also took a trip to Gombe Stream National Park by boat to see the monkeys on a Saturday. We had a great time even though we were caught in a storm at the park.

Going to Africa is a tough mission trip due to the travel and time change you experience, but well worth it. Thanks for your prayers! And my prayer is that more folks from Federated can go in the future.

FEDERATED’S QUARTERLY NEWSLETTERIt Was A Great Trip

Students planting seeds in the garden Scott & Bryant helped create.

by Pastor Steve

Celebration Day by Sonya Boot

Less than a month to go…. Can you believe it is almost June and time for another Friends and Family Celebration Day?

We have been busy planning for months to make this another great event and are so excited for this year’s event on June 11. We look forward to being able to welcome all your friends and family that will be joining us that day.

We have many goals and desires for this day but, our primary goal is to be a warm tender-hearted church to those who don’t have a church home or aren’t regular attendees of another church. And for them to feel welcomed and at home at Federated. Another very important goal for us is to celebrate our church family. To be able to get together outside of church and have fun and fellowship.

We also need you to volunteer. There are many different ways to volunteer whether it be manning a game for 45 minutes or bringing finger desserts. There are sign-up sheets in the foyer as well as a Sign-up Genius that can be accessed via the church’s website.

There are flyers on the table in the foyer to take and hand out to your friends and family or drop in the mail. We also have a Facebook page as well as a Facebook event page that you can send to anyone you would love to have join us on this special day.

We look forward to worshiping with you and celebrating you on June 11th!

We can’t make this day a success without you! We need you to pray for this day• that we have nice weather• great fellowship• we are able to be a blessing to others• the committee - that we are able to truly reflect the heart of Federated in our planning and celebration and bring all the glory to God.

The Youth Are NOT Our Future

by Nate Van WykThe youth are NOT the future of our church. That’s right…I said it. The youth of Federated are NOT the future of our church.

Now before you hunt me down or litter my lawn with plastic forks and toilet paper, hear me out. So often I hear people say, “The youth of our country are the future of the church” and I get it; I understand what they mean. I understand that they see the ‘potential’ in the young people and have high hopes and dreams for them. The problem I have with this statement is that it ignores what they are doing now. It assumes that our kids, in their current state, have something yet to achieve. It assumes that they will ‘someday’ become elders, pastors, worship leaders, etc., and it completely ignores what they are doing RIGHT NOW.

I’ve said from day one that being in this position has taught me so much, that these kids have taught me so much. I see so many great things that these kids are doing RIGHT NOW. I see kids acknowledging they are sinners and giving their lives to Christ. I see kids inviting their friends to youth group. I see kids that get together to discuss what’s going on in their lives and to pray for one another. I see kids leading worship and being involved in the various ministries of this church. I see kids daily being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Remember when Jesus chose his disciples? He didn’t seek out the prominent and powerful. He didn’t recruit wealthy businessmen or the most affluent members of society. Rather he chose fishermen, tax collectors, and even a zealous anti-government dude. He chose a bunch of teenagers and asked them to sell out for him for the next three years. I know I’m biased, but I believe that if Jesus were to come today and hand-pick his followers, the first place he would go is the youth group.

I know I don’t give them enough credit, and I know I probably don’t challenge them as strongly as I should, but our kids are amazing. Do they have it all figured out…nope. But then again, do any of us adults? I’m pretty sure that having it ‘figured out’ is what gets us in trouble in the first place!

Here’s the bottom line...

The youth of this church are selling out

for Jesus every day. They are

embracing what it means to be

Christ-followers. They are wrestling with what it means

to pursue Jesus, all while navigating the garbage that is the

culture they are growing up in. I ask you, if you haven’t already; invest in the

lives of these kids. Please don’t see them as ‘the up and comers’ or ‘our future leaders’. See them as the unique part of our church in the here and now. See Jesus using them in God’s Kingdom to change our world.

And again…from the bottom of my heart…thank you for your support and for allowing me to spend my days drinking coffee, eating ice cream, and never really wanting to grow up!

The Share What You Wear event is well underway again this year. It is scheduled for August 4th and 5th. These dates allow us to not compete with the start of school or the state fair. We had three early collection events to allow for people to donate while they were cleaning out their closets during the season changes. Full-time collections begin on June 1.

You may have noticed that the trailer came early this year. The purpose was to be able to accommodate donations from early collections and sorting events. In years past, we have always seemed to run out of children’s clothing first. This year we are trying to emphasize the need for children’s clothing. However, we will accept all gently-used clothing. Again this year, we will have, at least one sorting event during the summer months, where food and fellowship will be provided. We had a lot of fun at last year’s sorting event!

There will be more to come on the dates of this and other volunteer opportunities. We are looking forward

Share What You Wear by Randy Gabrielson

again to the generosity of those who volunteer their time, both before and during the event, and the blessings that will be bestowed onto those in need. Sign-ups for helping with the event will happen in late July. If you have suggestions for the event or preparation enhancements, or questions about the event, please feel free to discuss with one

First Annual Men’s Retreat by Joel Ruisch

We are excited to introduce our first annual FFC Men’s retreat coming this July to the Newton Christian Conference Center. It will be a time of fun, fellowship, and growth. Join us as we learn together what the Disciplines of a Godly Man should look like according to God’s Word. R. Kent Hughes says, “Discipline is everything! We will never get anywhere in life without discipline, be it in the arts, business, athletics, or academics. This is doubly so in spiritual matters. In other areas we may be able to claim some innate advantage. An athlete may be born with a strong body, a musician with perfect pitch, or an artist with an eye for perspective. But none of us can claim an innate spiritual advantage. In reality, we are all equally disadvantaged.” None of us naturally seeks after God. Therefore as those who receive His grace, discipline is everything!

The retreat will be Friday, July 21st - Saturday, July 22nd. The cost to attend is $40. Sign-up is located in the foyer.

of the committee members. The committee is as follows: Randy & Tracy Gabrielson, Gwen & Bernie Bresee, Krystal Huffman, Lisa Hick, Jona Paulson, Brad Flory, and Sabrina Cullinan.

”All believers were in one heart and mind... and shared everything they had.” Acts 4:32 God Bless!

About Financial Peace University

What is it?

Financial Peace University is a 9-week class in which the ‘students’ go through lessons from Dave Ramsey on how to manage money and pay off debt. At Federated 95 people have gone the class. The class is a wide variety of individuals all in different parts of their lives, for example, entrepreneurs, farmers, stay at home mothers, families, couples, singles, engineers, people starting jobs, and people close to retirement. The class also covers a wide variety of subjects: budgeting, paying off debt, purchases, insurance, retirement, college funding, real estate, and giving! The class starts by giving people an outline (Dave call’s them the baby steps).This outline is as follows: 1. $1,000 in an emergency fund 2. Pay off all debt with the debt snowball 3. 3 to 6 months expenses in savings 4. Invest 15% of income into Roth IRA’s and pre-tax retirement plans 5. College funding 6. Pay off your home early 7. Build wealth and give!

Why would I want to join?

The people who have come to class are just average Americans borrowing and working to survive. We’ve completed two classes with 95 people. Within our classes we have $1,349,331.99 in non-mortgage debt, this could be credit cards, student loans, medical bills, etc. There were 111 credit cards open and accounted for within our groups. Our class also has collectively $790,551.44 in available cash. These numbers show what all Americans are facing right now and how a class like Financial Peace University is needed and helpful. I’m excited to say the classes have paid off $149,551.87 of debt and saved $82,975 all within the 9-week course! Come see what a 9 week turn around brings your family!

Would you recommend this to a friend?

The class is great! Dave Ramsey does a fantastic job and I really enjoy the biblical approach he has in all his sessions. I financially have more peace because the class has taught me to know where my money is going, and that way I can see where I am over spending and make adjustments. The hardest part of the class is not applying Dave’s principles, but when looking at something in the store thinking, “what would Dave think?” and not buying something I wanted because either it doesn’t make sense

by Jeremy Pace

for the time being or I truly don’t need it and my money can better be used elsewhere. Thanks! Although there is no dramatic change in my debt level in this short of time (it took a while to accumulate the debt so it will take a bit to get out) I have paid off two or three smaller bills and will now apply more to the next bill. The class has given me clear direction on where to start and how to proceed. It is presented in such a way (baby steps) that one does not get overwhelmed with how to get started and how to stay on track. Dave has a good sense of humor and is very open and honest about the spot he used to be in. It helps to hear the stories of others as it gives hope.

What an awesome opportunity to get some Godly perspective on my wife and my finances. It has helped us to create a budget to pay off debt and overall

increased our communication on our finances, an area we have struggled in the past. I have already and will continue to strongly encourage others to go through this class. I paid off $72,000 which was our only car loan and 3 rental houses. Hope to pay off another $90,000 to $110,000 by the end of the year.

There are many resources from Dave Ramsey available online.

Also, keep an eye on our announcements and worship

folder for any upcoming Financial Peace University classes.

The following article is an excerpt from the new Finance Page on Federated’s website, which will be up online soon.

Did you know that Jesus actually spoke more about money while he was on earth than he did about love? Would it surprise you to know that 16 of his 38 parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions? In the gospels, one out of ten verses deal directly with the subject of money and the bible overall offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith and over 2000 verses on money and possessions. At FFC, we care more about where you are going than where you have been, and we believe that how you handle money and possessions is a significant part of maintaining a right relationship with Jesus and everyone else in your life. So, does Jesus care about money? We certainly think so.

Does Jesus Care about Money? by FFC Money Team

We think that he views us as caretakers, not owners. Our money and possessions are not our own, just as our body and soul belong to God, so do the material things of this world.

This can be a challenging topic, but obviously, Jesus wanted us to know how to live. So at FFC, we want to follow Jesus by bringing resources and opportunities to help us put money and possessions in their proper place. So, please explore the Finance page once it is available online and discover ways you can worship through tithing and giving,

discover opportunities to learn about money management and Jesus plan for our possessions and learn about how your giving can positively impact the overall mission of the church. If you ever have questions about any of these things please also feel free to reach out to one of the pastors or any member of the FFC Money team: Bruce Van Sant, Shannon Arthur, Phil Stravers, Jeremy Pace, and Tyler Klyn.

Additional information about church finances, including the current building debt can be found in our quarterly finance report located at the Welcome Center in the church foyer.

Summer Issue 2017

The Rock