| Christmas and New Year's Eve Services |
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Christmas Eve
December 25
One service at 6:30p.m.
(Nursery provided)
Saturday
December 26
No worship service
Sunday
December 27
One service at 10:30 a.m
Thursday
December 31
New Year's Eve Communion Svc. 6:30p.m.
(No Nursery) |
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Orange? Why is this color so prominent within construction, advertising, and hunting and even in modern design? We believe that it is the boldness it offers when used amid other various colors, or the attention it draws to a subject. Think about how hunters use it in the woods so that they are not mistakenly shot, or construction workers to let you know of their presence when working on road projects. Orange is an attention getter and one that has the power to direct. . . Read More
Nursery News
Children's Newsletter
Youth Newsletter
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| Featured Article |
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Februry 19 - 21, 2010
Come join us for:
Missionary Guests from around our community and around the world.
Special worship celebrations
Village Day revisited!!
Come take the missions journey with us!
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| Seasons Greetings from The Family Church |
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A Word from Max
Can you believe the Christmas season is upon us? I know that for many of you 2009 has been a year of challenges and hardships brought on by a bad economy and the many associated issues. One of my favorite Biblical expressions is "it came to pass..."! And all things do. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Everything else comes to pass! 2009 is swiftly passing and the joy and hope and love and light that we celebrate as we think of our Lord born in that manger are just what we need as we look forward to better days ahead.
A recent study concluded that Americans spent almost 450 BILLION dollars on Christmas last year. That's BILLION with a "B"! It is so hard to imagine that spending like this is what the Lord had in mind when He sent His Son. And so much of the spending was done with a sense of obligation and so many gifts were both given and received grudgingly. This year, for many, the pressure to spend money they don't have buying gifts that people don't need or want is going to create hardships and undue stress in people's lives. So I want to offer a suggestion: Just say "No!"
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Whispers in the Dark
Scripture - II Corinthians 9:7, 10-11 - "Each person should do as he has decided in his heart - not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness, as you are enriched in every way for all generosity which produces thanksgiving to God through us."
Observation - This giving business is serious stuff to Paul. He devotes a good deal of this entire letter to the issue of giving. In this verse, Paul reminds us that it isn't about the amount but the condition of our heart and what we have "decided" to do that concerns God. The challenge is to do what we have felt prompted by God in our hearts to do...no more and no less. The challenge is to follow through with these commitments even when later competing claims and desires come along. In verses 10 and 11 Paul gets at the heart of the matter. It comes down to trust in God to provide. It is God, after all, who has given us what we have, and Paul suggests that if we are sowing seeds of generosity God will multiply not only our blessings but also the seed and our righteousness. As King David said in his memorable Psalm..."We shall not want."
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Brain, Specialized Supercomputer
By Stephen F. Larner, PhD
Science amasses new examples of design in nature daily, but there is one so powerful, so convincing, that it almost seems unfair to challenge evolution with it. It is our brain, the greatest concentration of chemo-neurological order and complexity in the physical universe. It is a video camera, a library, a computer and a communication center, all in one. As neuroscientists like me continue to research the human brain a detailed picture is slowly emerging, its origin seems entirely beyond comprehension from a naturalistic point of view. There is remarkable purpose and interdependence within the brain, every part works for the benefit of the whole. Yet its features are not totally understood.
Brain Description: The adult brain weighs about three pounds, yet it handles the information of 1,000 supercomputers. The fundamental unit within the brain is the neuron, or nerve cell (Figure 1 Above). Each cell contains a nucleus and branching fibers called dendrites and axons. When a cell "fires" it sends electrochemical impulses along its axons to neighboring neurons.
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Worship Through Creative Arts with Larry Carpenter
This is a great time at the end of the year to reflect on the many blessings that God has given us. Also true of the funny things, like driving my truck in Gainesville listening to Christmas carols with the a/c on...very weird for me after living in Colorado. But life is really good - sometimes strange but good!
To everyone involved in the Family Church worship and arts program I want to say thank you for your contribution of time and talent. We've all seen God touch lives and reach more of our community though our weekend worship services and I feel very blessed to be a part of it. I believe God has more up his sleeve for us in 2010. Happy Holidays and God bless you all and your families as we celebrate the season and move into the New Year!
Come join us as we grow,
Larry |
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Women's Ministry - New Mother's Group
by Kristy Sutton
"Now to him, who is ABLE to do more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and Jesus Christ to all generations forever and ever, amen!"
For over a year now, God has been nudging me to step out in faith and begin a group to nurture other moms, right where they are. With no need to do "homework" or feel pressured about being prepared for another class or lesson, I wanted to create an environment where EVERY mother could be encouraged and loved... coming just as they were (even if it meant 2 days without a shower in their sweatpants!) Full of excitement and fully motivation to see this dream become reality, we had our first official mommy time meeting in April. With 7 moms sitting around in a circle, sipping coffee and sharing moments ranging from chaos and crisis to sheer joy and triumph, I could see this was the start of something very GOOD!
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Focus on the Family Groups 
As we sat in the A Puente Casa Culta near Agua Muerta in the most western part of the Pinar Del Rio province in Cuba, Pastor Osmany was nervous but exuberant. Nervous about the possibilities of partnership with the visitors de Norte Americano (Kent Young, Scott Hammond and me) and excited to let us know that he (26 years old) was planning to be a grandfather... rather his house church (casa culta) which had already birthed three other churches in adjoining towns. Pastor Osmany (a farmer by trade) continues to mentor the new pastors and is excited that one of the new church families will soon birth a Casa Culta of it's own. Hmmm, so this is what surrender to the will of God looks like. It's amazing what a little desperation will accomplish. It reminded me of September 11, 2001 in the states. The churches were full, the prayers were fervent, and God was our hope. Osmany and the other nine (9) pastors that we met on this short term mission trip live in this type of reliance on God every day. Sadly in the states, with the arrival of September 18 and September 25, the comfort level began to empty the churches.
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On The Homefront with Connie Reid
My daughter will be coming home for Christmas from Australia and looking forward to the familiar decorations and traditions of our family at this time of year. I have kept all the ornaments our children made at school, in scouts, etc. and display them on our Christmas tree. One of her ornaments she made had gotten so badly worn I threw it away a few years ago thinking it would not be missed. She immediately asked where it was after examining the tree. Take time to make some simple decorations together as a family this season.
Pinecones, glue, glitter and a pretty ribbon are a simple project. The inexpensive "stained glass" ornaments available at stores like JoAnn Fabric are easy to make and fun for all ages. Two wooden clothespins glued head to head with the tines going in opposite directions, turns into a reindeer with two plastic "googley" eyes, a small red fuzz ball nose, a small felt cloth saddle, and a fuzz ball tail. Glue on a ribbon for hanging.
Here is a recipe from Hjordis Owens you might want to try this Christmas.
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Check out our website at www.thefamilychurch.net
for information including:
Service Dates and Times
Weekly Calendar
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Daily Bible Readings
and/or
Listen to Sermons and great praise music and more!
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