Pastor’s Pen 2

Worship Opportunities 3

Bible Studies/ Prayer Concerns 4

Session Highlights 5

Operation Christmas Child 6-7

National Day of Prayer 8-9

Prayer Meeting 10

Inside this issue:

Page 1

Mission Partner Preaching on October 29th

October 18th - Seniors Afternoon Out

- 1:30 pm

October 29th - Operation Christmas

Child Bake Sale - 12:15—?

The Mission to the USA program of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is coordinated by our denomination’s Synod of the Covenant. Each fall the Synod invites church leaders to spend three weeks in the United States. International partner denominations often send pastors. Each of the Mission Partners is hosted by a local congregation in the Synod.

Rev. Sendjaja is a pastor of Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI - the Indo-nesian Christian Church). For about 14 years, he served in GKI Samanhudi, Jakarta. In July 2015, he was assigned to be a lecturer at Duta Wacana Christian University, Yogyakarta. His wife, Debora Inri-ani Simatupang, works at Binawarga GKI, a company training and publishing books for churches. She is a woman from the Batak ethnic group, one of the major ethnic groups in Indonesia. Rev. Sendjaja is a Chinese-Peranakan, more precisely a mixture of ethnic Chinese and Sundanese. He and his wife have two children, Aurelie Ronauli Send-jaja (age 14) and Anselmus Amadeus Sendjaja (age 13). They are studying in secondary school in Jakarta.

Rev. Sendjaja writes, “I thank God for the time to preach and teach in your congregation in Ohio. Indeed, I will learn a lot from you and your

congregation. I am delighted to be able to share my stories and thoughts about the lives of the disci-ples of Christ in the context of Indo-nesian society in which they are plu-ral in cultures and religions. I am sure this experience working with the PC(USA) MUSA program will be a blessing for us together.” Please join us on the 29

th and welcome our

brother in Christ from Indonesia.

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Pastor’s Pen

Dear Members and Friends of

The Vine Fellowship Church:

My wife, Margaret, loves to watch the Food Network and is a fan of Ina Garten

and Bobby Flay. Whenever she has a hankering for a particular meal she goes

on-line and pulls up the recipe and whips the meal out. I am not a cook and never

have been. I love to grill and, if push came to shove, I could survive on my own

cooking. Thinking of recipes…. Here is a question to consider- what recipe are you

following in your life? And how has that recipe been working out for you? Do you

find yourself fulfilled; happy; content? Is

your life filled with wonderful flavors that are satisfying or is life more on the, well,

bland side and you know something is missing? Is life providing for you fresh,

new opportunities on a regular basis or is one day just like all the others and you

seem to be fixed on a diet of “leftovers”?

During October and November, we will be looking at Apostle Paul’s letter to the

Philippians to see what ingredients that

went into the JOY that Paul experienced. And once we discover the

ingredients, we will seek to apply it to our daily lives so that we, too, can experience

JOY.

I don’t know about you, but with all that is

happening in our community, our country, the world, don’t you agree, that we need

some JOY in our lives? Jesus, speaking to His disciples in the Upper Room spoke on

this very topic when he said in John 15:11, I have told you this so that MY joy

may be in you and that your joy may be

complete.” We also read what Jesus said in John 16:24, “Until now you have not

asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be

complete”. And then in John 17:13 Jesus said, “I am coming to you now, but I say

these things while I am still in the world so that they may have the full measure of

My joy within them.”

Jesus is the basis for the Joy that Paul

experienced. So, join me as we open up Paul’s letter to the Philippian followers of

Jesus and find out the ingredients to Paul’s recipe for joy. Heaven knows, we

certainly need a little more joy in the

world and in our lives, right?

Yours in Christ and on the Journey together,

Sunday, October 1st Communion Sunday

11:00 a.m. Worship Service

Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon: “Joyful Prayer”

(A sermon series: Putting Joy in Your Life- a Study of Philippians)

Sunday, October 8th

11:00 a.m. Worship Service

Scripture: Philippians 1:12-20

Sermon: “Joyful Praise”

(A sermon series: Putting Joy in Your Life- a Study of Philippians)

Sunday, October 15th

11:00 A.M. Worship Service

Scripture: Philippians 1:21-30

Sermon: “Joyful Purpose”

(A sermon series: Putting Joy in Your Life- a Study of Philippians)

Sunday, October 22nd

11:00 A.M. Worship Service

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon: “Partnering in Joy”

(A sermon series: Putting Joy in Your Life- a Study of Philippians)

Sunday, October 29th Reformation Sunday/Mission Partner from

Indonesia, Rev. Hendri Mulyana Sendjaja/

5th Sunday of the Month Lunch following

11:00 am - Worship

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Worship Opportunities

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Sympathy of the congregation is extended to Carolyn Cook on the death of her hus-

band Ray. Ray died on September 1, 2017.

Evening Circle

Evening Circle will resume in September at a

date to be announced.

Tuesday Club

Tuesday Club will be meeting on October 11th

at 12:30 pm at the Akron Family Restaurant

on West Market Street. Please contact Rita

Vincent if you have any questions.

ISSUE 12 VOL. 17

Bible Studies and Fellowship Opportunities

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WNGs “They that have hope in the Lord shall renew their

strength… They shall mount up with wings of ea-

gles.” Isaiah 40:31

Women of the church are invited to participate in the

Wednesday Night Intergenerational Caring group at

7:00 pm. Contact Pat Franklin if you have questions.

Men’s Thursday Morning

Bible Study

Every Thursday morning a group of men of all

ages meet together either at Panera Bread in

Montrose or at the HUB at 6:30 am for Bible

study and fellowship. If you would like to join

this study, please contact Tony Miller @

330-825-9254.

Women’s Bible Review Fellowship

Women's Bible Review Fellowship, Please see Suzanne Gidson for this month’s Women’s Bible

Review@ gibsongirlmanor@yahoo.com or text/call 330.322.7966.

Prayer Concerns

Pray for our military: Paul Jones - Air Force, Alex Morgan - Marines

Please continue to pray for: J.C. Crawford, Evelyn Bell, Hope Everhart, Frank Weaver, Helen

& Don Harrod, Arnold Ruppert, Nancy Smith, Peg Danko, Nancy Dunaway, David Cook,

Linda Flanagan, Flood victims in the USA and recent victims of Hurricane Harvey. Unrest and

killings in our country and around the world, Racial reconciliation, Refugee crisis around the

world, Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Ministry, Syrian Refugee Educational Initiative,

The Middle East, Local Missions: Love Akron and World Relief Akron, Missionary: Mark

Hare - Haiti & the Dominican Republic, World Relief Akron, The Persecuted Church, The

PCUSA, President Trump and elected officials.

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.

Senior Afternoon Out

Wednesday - October 18, 2017

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

The HUB Community Center is located at 3676 Community Lane

Copley, OH. 44321 (off S. Cleveland-Massillon Road)

330- 576-6608

Joseph McCorvey, Outreach Specialist for the Summit County Office of Consumer Affairs, will be speaking to the Copley Seniors. The presentation is entitled 'How To Spot & Stop A Scam.' The hour long presentation will cover old and new scams; financial scams including the recent Equifax credit reports breach; and other pertinent information. Information about the Office of Consumer Affairs will also be covered. Handouts will be given to all in atten-dance.

Please sign up on our website at www.thehubcopley.com or call 330.576.6608 to leave a reservation message. This group is sponsored by The Vine Fellowship Church in Copley.

September Session Highlights

The Session ratified the email vote taken August 29-31 (which

passed) to redirect the special collection on Sunday, September 10th that

was to be put in the Faith, Hope and Love Fund to the Presbyterian Disas-

ter Assistance program to aid the Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas and the surrounding areas. The Worship Team reported that we will be hosting Mission Partner,

Pastor Hendri Mulyana Sendjaja from Indonesia on Sunday, October 29th. Pastor Sendjaja will be preaching, followed by our 5th Sunday of the

month luncheon. The Community Ministry/Mission Team reported that the Inside/Out

Water pARTy sponsored by the Art Museum and the HUB Community Cen-

ter on Saturday, August 26thattracted some 130 people and was a huge

success. Eastminster Presbytery is sponsoring Disciplefest 2017 on Saturday,

October 21st at the Canfield Presbyterian Church. Contact Edie English if

you would like more information. The Vine Fellowship Seniors Team is hosting the 3rd Wednesday of

each month a “Senior Afternoon Out from 1:30-3:30 p.m. for seniors

in the greater Copley area.

ISS U E 1 , V OLU ME 1 Page 6

Operation Christmas Items Needed

Last year The Vine Fellowship Church sent over 120 shoe boxes full of fun items to children

all over the world. This year we would like to do the same. Below is a list of items that we

have already collected and what we need to fill another 120+ shoe boex again this year.

The items in blue is the amount that we have already collected. The items in red are

items that we still need. All donations can be dropped off at the Hub and put into the toy

chest in the front entry way. Thank you to all who have already donated. We will be filling

the shoe boxes on November 4, 2017 at the Hub. Save the date!!!!!!

Sticker sheets - have 38 sheets - need 92 sheets

T-shirts - have 7 - need 113 (Small, Medium or Large)

Socks - have 16 pairs - need 104 pair

Pencils—have 267 - need 453 (6 pencils per box)

Pencil Sharpener - have 42 - need 78 (6 pens per box)

Pens - have 112 - need 608

Crayons - have 21 boxes - need 99 boxes

Coloring Books - have 4 - need 116

Wash Clothes - have 28 - need 92

Soap - have 14 - need 106 (Please put soap in zip lock bag)

Tooth Brush - have 46 - need 74 (Individual pack please)

Girls Toys - have 9 - need 111 more

Boys Toys - have 22 - need 98 more

Brushes - have 40 - need 80

Hair Accessories - have 10 - need 50

Medium Sized Stuffed Animals - have 57 - need 63

Notebooks - have 15 - need 105

Shoe Boxes - we are always in need of shoe boxes!

As most of you have noticed, the amount needed to ship the

shoeboxes has increased. To help defer this amount needed,

the Community Mission and Ministry team and Session has

agreed to have a bake sale on October 29th during the meal.

We are looking for 4 or 5 people who would be willing to bake

a couple dozen cookies or 2 or 3 pies to be sold. If you are

willing to help with the baking, please contact Ann McCord

Operation Christmas Child Bake Sale

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Operation Christmas Child Testimony

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Need some autumn decorations? Come to a

Ukranian Egg Decorating class at The HUB on

October 28!

I remember walking every day to school when I was young. Most of the time I went without any lunch be-cause my parents couldn’t afford to feed all of us a lunch. I was one of seven children, and we lived in a very poor area of Burkina Faso. It was hard to even earn enough money for food, and nobody had money for gifts at Christmas. My parents did not buy things like toys or even many books to read. When I received my first gift, it was in an Operation

Christmas Child shoebox, and it was a real blessing for me. We also listened to a presenta-tion of the Gospel, and I received a copy of the Greatest Gift booklet. Though I had already accepted Christ a couple years earlier and grown up in church, I was excited to read that book over and over to learn more about Him. I couldn’t wait to see what was inside my shoebox, but I also looked forward to what God was going to do in my life.

We did not open our boxes at the event. We wanted to share the experience with our family. When I got home I opened the box up and saw all those wonderful gifts. There were toys and books, and what I especially enjoyed was my yo-yo. It was a special yo-yo, because at night it would just light up my dark neighborhood. I wasn’t just excited about having new toys and new things, though. I was also excited be-cause I was surprised to receive a gift from people I didn’t know and might never meet. Hon-estly, I had never received a gift in my life, and I never expected it. So, when Operation Christmas Child told me that people from the other side of the world cared about me, it helped me to experience even more thankfulness for God’s faithfulness toward me. Who would ever think that God would use a simple light-up yo-yo in a shoebox to remind me of His love? I think back to that Saturday morning and to all the ways God has continued to be faithful to me since then. God has even used me to share His love with oth-ers in my country.

A CALL TO PRAY FROM THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER TASK FORCE

UNIFIED PREVAILING PRAYER FOR THE NEXT GREAT MOVE OF GOD IN AMERICA

The entire church of Jesus Christ in our nation needs to convictionally come together in unified prevail-

ing prayer for the next great move of God in America. There is no greater need in America. What will

it take to wake us up, die to ourselves, and come together under the banner of the cross?

There is no great movement of God that has ever occurred that does not begin with the extraordi-nary prayer of God’s people. Regardless of our denominational identity or independence, the time is

now for us to come together before God in clear agreement, visible union, and extraordinary prayer for the

next great move of God that will catapult us into reaching the world with the life-changing message of the gos-

pel of Jesus Christ. I believe that unified prevailing prayer will lead to these results.

Learn from History

Jonathan Edwards was a man who believed in the absolute sovereignty of God. As a catalyst for Amer-

ica’s first and second Great Awakenings, Edwards called upon God’s people to act. He believed God

would listen to the promptings of His people. Edwards called for prayer and fasting, both in secret and

with one another.

George Whitfield was used by God to shake America. His powerful preaching of the need to be born

again was used by the Lord to bring thousands to Christ. God used both Whitfield and Edwards in a

supernatural way in the mid-1700s.

In the early 1800s, the second Great Awakening occurred, and God used men like Charles Grandison

Finney, Timothy Dwight, and others to become instrumental preachers of the gospel.

In 1857-1858, Jeremiah Lanphier was a layman who had a burden to pray. Eventually, thousands were

praying daily for a mighty move of God in the land, and our God shook America. In a two-year period,

1 million Americans came to Christ and another 1 million converted to Christ in Great Britain and Ire-

land. The church was revived and the fires of evangelism burned brightly. Missions exploded with the

Student Volunteer Movement, where 20,000 young people surrendered their lives to missions.

God used these great movements of God to further impact leaders like Charles Haddon Spurgeon, D.L.

Moody, and William Booth. These men and others were shaking the world for Christ.

Sadly, it has been since the Jesus Movement of the 1960s - early 1970s since we have seen such a

movement of God upon our land. Churches were exploding in size as thousands were saved and many

were called into gospel ministry.

In each of these great movements of God, unified prevailing prayer was occurring.

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National Day of Prayer

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V OLU ME 1, ISS UE 1 Page 9

Prevail in Unified Prayer

If the churches and spiritual leaders of America cannot unify around the need to pray for the next great

move of God in America, then we need to repent of our pride and our personal preferences. Stop ig-

noring history! Learn from it! Take action to pray for spiritual awakening in a compelling way that is

unified around the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. James 5:16 (CSB) says, “The prayer of a right-

eous person is very powerful in its effect.” This is prevailing prayer. This is what the Church must

learn to do together.

Regardless of what we see with our human eyes, we must be faithful to cry out to God in our despera-

tion, appealing to Him with all we have. God, we cry out to You with all we have and are: Wake up

Your church in America! By Your grace give us the next great move of God in our nation.

The world is growing desperate for answers to everything going on today. The church must grow des-

perate for God to usher in the next great move of God in America!

Three Actions to Take Beginning Today

1. Pray Extraordinarily: This means praying for spiritual awakening even more than you have been.

Create ways to unite with other people, leaders, and churches in prevailing prayer for spiritual awaken-

ing in America.

2. Awakening Brings Evangelization: Billy Graham asked the question, “Can Revival

Come?” He believed firmly that, “An awakening can bring about evangelization of the world in our

generation.”1 While denominations and churches try to fix their lack of genuine evangelism, they need

to realize that a true spiritual awakening is the ultimate answer to this problem. While we must equip

others and practice evangelism personally, we need to believe that God can do more in a moment than

we can do in a lifetime. This is why we must prevail in unified prayer for spiritual awakening.

3. Maximize Prayer and Minimize the Rest: As we maximize the need for unified prevailing

prayer for the next Great Awakening, we need to minimize the rest. It is a call to understand

that only God is the One who can change the hearts of Americans from the inside out. While we work

with our hands to make a difference in every way in this world, we bow our knees to the One who can

change everything immediately.

We Can Do This

We, the churches and spiritual leaders in America, can humble ourselves and unify in prevailing prayer

for the next great move of God in America. We can come together in clear agreement that this is our

greatest need. We can become a visible union, standing together in prayer. We can pray more than ever

before, and practice extraordinary prayer for the next great move of God in America that will catapult

the message of the gospel nationally and internationally. We can believe God in faith that He alone is

able to do it! I believe God can do it. I am trusting God to do it.

Keep your perspective: Our greatest need in America is the next great move of God.

Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray,

Ronnie W. Floyd

President, National Day of Prayer

As a caring Christian community, The Vine Fellowship Church welcomes all people as we proclaim, witness and teach

the good news of Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and service

T HE VINE FELLOWSHI P CHURCH

The Vine Fellowship Church

Sunday School begins at 9:30 am

Traditions Worship begins at 11:00 am

Mark T. Ruppert - Pastor

Charles Kobb II - Director of Music Ministry

Denise Negowski - HUB Coordinator

Kay Belser - Pianist

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

tvfcopley@gmail.com

www.thevinefellowshipcopley.org

Plain English

The Bible is daily bread, not an occasional piece of cake!

This month’s

p r a y e r

meeting will

be October

10th from

6:30 - 7:30 pm

at the HUB.

The Vine Fellowship Church

3676 Community Lane

Copley, OH 44321

Phone: 330-576-6608

Prayer Meeting