Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend. Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour before you go to bed this Saturday night so you'll be on time for church on Sunday!

Cookie Bake Sponsored by Women's Ministry
December 4 is the 1st annual Cookie Bake at the Church. The bake starts is 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Everyone can bring 1-2 of your favorite recipes, extra bowls, measuring cups, spoons, baking sheets, and the supplies to make your cookies. We will put these together and bake as many as we can. These cookies are going to be used as gifts throughout the month of December. We will be sharing these cookies with the staff at Stafford, shut ins and anyone else you think would like a gift of cookies. I would like to get a sign up sheet of how many will be joining us on Saturday Dec 4. Please let me know if you are planning on being at the cookie bake. If you can't afford to buy the supplies for making cookies, let me know. I am putting together supplies and recipes for those who can't afford the supplies. If you have questions please contact Pami Hanson at 206-406-5115 or at my e-mail pumi7864@yahoo.com. Thanks

January 15th "Women Together" Kick off
We are going to have once a month "Women Together" group starting in January: a women's breakfast prayer group every 3rd Saturday from January through May. We will meet at the church fellowship hall for a light breakfast, devotions, words of testimonies and prayer with the focus being on our Missionaries around the world. Mark your calendars and come join us January 15 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am.

May 2011
Planning has begun for the Spring Retreat. It will be the weekend after Mother's Day this year. We will not be going to Oak Harbor as in the past and the cost will be a little more this year. I am trying to get the word out so we can save our money and find ways to get the ladies to this retreat. It has been a real blessing in my life and would encourage you to consider this retreat. The cost this year will be approximately $90.00. If you have questions come see me.

-- Pami Hanson

Please remember to pray for Pastor Clio, who will be traveling this week to Asia as part of his ministry as Advent Christian General Conference Asia/Pacific Area Director. Pray for protection, health and wisdom as he helps our national workers continue to build up God's Kingdom in their lands.


Dear Ones in the Lord,

Over the past few years my next door neighbor Wayne and I have become good friends.  We meet together sometimes in the early morning at a local coffee shop.  We did that this morning.  As I think of this I am reminded of a quotation regarding prayer that I read many years ago.  The writer said, "If we don't ever talk with our Lord we might as well admit that we don't like him very much."

Prayer is "talking with our Lord".  It is a conversation.  It is not just our giving Him a "needs list" and walking away.  It is talking and listening.  The story is told of Dwight L. Moody as a young man, that he decided he would be totally committed to God, and that he would pray every day.  He did this religiously, every day praying to his Lord.  After a short while he became frustrated because he did not see answers in his own life.  One day while praying he asked God why he was not seeing results, and the Lord said to him, "You are doing all the talking, you need to read my Word and listen to me."

The longer I live I am becoming more and more convinced that the most important part of prayer is listening to the Lord.  I remember hearing E. Stanley Jones say that he was in the habit of every morning going to his "listening post" where he would share with the Lord what was on his heart and listen to what Jesus had to say to him.  At one point in my pastoral ministry I remember asking the Lord why I was not receiving more guidance regarding what I should be doing.  He responded by saying, "until you put into practice what I am telling you through my Word, why should I tell you more?"

If we look at the Lord's prayer which Jesus gave His disciples we discover that prayer is not so much our telling the Lord our wants and needs, but in discovering His will for our lives and how we can be united with Him in His Kingdom work.  When we are honest with ourselves we have to admit that much of what we want from Him is not related to His Kingdom, but comes from our selfishness.  James says, "When you ask you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:3).  Peter Taylor Forsyth says in his book The Soul of Prayer, "Our true prayers are our daydreams."  He is saying that we can easily lie to God by saying to Him what we think He wants to hear, but all the while we really want something else.

Forsyth says in another place, "To begin the day with prayer is but a formality unless it go on in prayer, unless for the rest of it we pray in deed what we began in word.  While prayer is the day's best beginning it must nor be like the handsome title-page of a worthless book".

God bless you!!!

Love in Him,
Pastor Clio

Greetings,

God continues to amaze me!

Last week I emailed the Chamber of Commerce to see what generally happens in Sedro-Woolley during the Christmas holidays and to find out how we could help. The director stopped by the church to talk about it...

First of all, the whole town becomes a Christmas village! The church is on the main street and a central part of what happens.

Secondly, when we started to talk about ways we could help...she had great plans! Including hospitality for the parade that kicks off the celebration, helping with all the chamber's functions during the season and on and on!

Third, the director asked if we would be willing to serve on the Chamber Board...!

Finally, this morning I met with the holiday planning committee, so we could see what was happening. The president of the local Lion's club was there. During the meeting the church and youth center's plans came up. The Lion's Club guy, Len, mentioned that they had already discussed the project as a board and are "committed" to our success! Also, when he heard that we were having to deal with some parking questions, he volunteered to go through the town Sunday morning and take pictures of all the parking that was available...which is a lot!

Praise the Lord!

Prayer needs...
...Favor with the planner to get the parking question managed, so that the permits will be released and we won't loose time in the building process.
...Continued partnership with the city and business communities
...Ryan and Elizabeth's trip out next week. We are praising the Lord for working out the moving van scenario. One of Ryan's deacons will be driving out with them, facilitating the use of a rental truck. This came as an answer to prayer when the company that we had contracted with for the move decided not to honor their original contract and wanted to charge well over double what they had agreed to!!! It is good that the Lord is in control!
...My older son, RJ, who is a journeyman carpenter has been laid off from work; during the time he is laid off he will be working at SWCF; which is awesome for the building process.
...For all those that are working on site and more importantly for what the Lord is doing in relationship with SW

Thanks for praying,
Rick

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Greetings,

The Rileys are heading this way, after a challenging start because of a bad transmission in their moving van! Yes, they did have to unload everything into another van! (The rental company did provide helpers to make the transition though) Ever buy something in styrofoam and try to get it back into the packing?...thought of Ryan trying to get everything back into the second moving van! As of this morning they were in Kansas City, MO...heading West! Keep them in your prayers!

Praise:
During the second planning meeting for the Christmas holidays with the Chamber of Commerce, we offered SWCF's help in any way that we could. We mentioned that we had a musical we would like to share at some point, if it would fit in. The first question, is there a lot of Christian music, "yes"; the response from the chamber director, "Good, I like a little more Christ in Christmas!"

We have had so many people offer their help, both in building and volunteering to be on-site...incredible.

My older son, RJ, has been on-site this week. He is a carpenter and his skill has been a huge help. Along with a couple young men that are in between jobs; a lot of work has been accomplished.

Riley's home is a great place for ministry...nice living room, big yard, great neighborhood, close to the church!

Prayer:
...Resolution of the parking issue.
...Relationships with members of the community
...wisdom at this stage of planning for the beginning of the next season of ministry
...Ryan and Elizabeth's connection into the community
...community dinner coming in a couple weeks
...one of the realtors that we have been working with needs prayer for her brother who has cancer and close to death...he is not yet a believer

Thanks for praying,
Rick

Good news! We have been praying for Armando, the grandson of Luanne Cisneros, for a successful reconstruction surgery on his face and head. The surgery was successful and he has been home for several days. He is getting return of his speech and is able to walk now with a cane. Let us continue to pray for continued progress toward recovery.

A big THANK YOU to everyone for contributing socks to the "Sock It To Homelessness" campaign for Operation Nightwatch. We collected 225 pair of socks toward our goal of 250 pair. For the Sunday October 10 target date, ONW collected over 7,000 pairs toward the overall goal of 20,000. It is very typical for the socks to continue coming in, so the 20,000 goal is still within reach. Again, many thanks to the generous folks at West Valley.

The next men's breakfast is on Friday, November 5. We will be doing a study of Proverbs - please join us!

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