Issue 25 Volume 12 - Week of June 22, 2014

From Dr. Jim Weldon, Jr.

Dear FIPC Church Family,

I love learning! I am constantly learning new things about everything I can. I ran across the following article that I found amazing:

Why Young People Abandon the Faith

by Derek Melleby

College transition is a hot topic in youth ministry circles. More and more parents and churches are recognizing that students are not prepared for the challenges that college often brings. Anecdotal evidence is easy to find. There are many stories of students who have grown up in the church, have made commitments to follow Jesus, but have walked away from the faith during the college years.

There have been numerous research projects that support these stories as well, making a strong case that the college years have not been good to those raised in the Christian faith. The research is important and worth reading to be sure, but I'm not sure it matters all that much. We can debate the statistics, trying to convince ourselves that it is not as bad as some say it is, or tell personal stories to make it seem even worse; or we can recognize that the challenge for students to make the faith their own is a perennial one.

The challenge will always be with us. As the writer of Ecclesiastes suggests: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." This verse gives perspective.

In all times and in all places, at some point, young people have to take ownership of their faith. This is not new. I was reminded of this recently when I read Real Christianity by William Wilberforce, the member of the British Parliament who worked to abolish slavery. Written in 1797, Wilberforce makes keen observations about why young people often walk away from the faith...

Wilberforce perceptively describes the process by which young people walk away from the faith. His hypothetical scenario may not be true for everyone who leaves the faith, but I think his words offer four "timeless" truths concerning those who walk away. Being attentive to these areas can help us as we prepare students for the challenges ahead.

First, students who walk away from the faith succumb to temptations they haven't faced before.
Second, students who walk away from the faith didn't learn to think.
Third, students who walk away from the faith are consumed with the demands of making a living and the desire for success.
Fourth, students who walk away from the faith see right through the charade of those who profess the faith but don't live the life.

Click on this Why Young People Abandon the Faith article link to read the full article and tell me what you think.

As my wife always reminds me, we have only 18 years to prepare our children for "life out there." Make every moment count. You cannot start this preparation too early. Pray with and for your children. Do family devotions. Start now, no matter how young or old they are. They will resist and complain, but be resolute! You are planting seeds which will blossom and bloom one day. You are your children's most important spiritual teacher. Many a child avoided untold heartache by the prayers and teaching from their parents.

Remember, God is good, all the time!

Grace and peace be with you,

Jim Weldon

Church Celebrations

Cubs Take Over FIPC Campus

We are hosting our first ever Cub Camp this week at FIPC. Our campus is filled with lions and tigers and bears...Oh, my!!

Church Announcements

Blackboard writings A good example is the best sermon

Upcoming Messages

Don't miss out on the important messages that FIPC has planned this summer:

June 29 - Pastor Jim Weldon - The Truth About and Problem with Pornography. James 1:2-18

July 6 - Pastor Greg Cruice - To be announced

July 13 - Pastor Greg Cruice - To be announced

July 20 - Pastor Jim Weldon - Using Scripture to Resist Temptation. 1 Cor. 10:13, 1 Peter 5:5-11

July 27 - Pastor Jim Weldon - Building a Christ Centered Home. Deuteronomy 6:5-9

August 3 - Pastor Greg Cruice - To be announced

August 10 - Pastor Jim Weldon - The Power of Living By and Acting in Faith. Judges 6:12-16

August 17 - Pastor Jim Weldon - Our culture tries to tell us who we are, but Jesus Christ gives us our true identity. Daniel 1:1-20

August 24 - Pastor Jim Weldon - Being a Light in a Dark World. Daniel 2

August 31 - Mike Horst -To be announced

Pastor Jim invites conversation on the topics before the scheduled Sunday.

Congregational Meeting

Sunday, June 29

There will be a brief congregational meeting immediately following worship. The purpose of this meeting is to elect the 2014-2015 Nominating Committee.

Family Freedom Fest Concert

Wednesday, July 2 @ 7:00 pm

Come see our worship team participate in a patriotic concert at Mandarin Presbyterian Church. Live patriotic music and a special salute to the members of our armed forces.

Free fun for the entire family!

Supplies Needed for Summer Camps

We are looking for used soccer balls, basketballs, and footballs to use for the Sports Camp. All campers will be asked to bring their own balls, but we would like to have some available for those that might not have one or lose one at camp. We will have bins to collect the equipment in the Gathering Area of the Worship Building through July 20th.

There will also be a display asking for snack items to donate to the Sports Camp. We need Goldfish, crackers, Capri Sun type drinks, and other food items. Look for the display in the Gathering Area of the Worship Building.

Jacksonville Suns Family Faith Games

Join the Jacksonville Suns and 91.7 The Promise for a day or night of faith, fellowship, family, and fun (and baseball too)!

Family Faith Days:

June 22 and July 6--featuring a Postgame concert with Tiffany Coburn and other local churches. Both games begin at 3:05 pm.

Family Faith Night:

August 29--Jason Crabb performs live on stage. Fireworks will light up the Jacksonville sky in the best fireworks show in town. Game begins at 7:05 pm.

For more detailed information and to purchase tickets visit www.jaxsuns.com.

Adult Ministries

Christian Growth Classes

August Date TBA

Worship Building

We would love for you to join the church and continue your discipleship journey by partaking in one of these classes. If you are interested in joining the church or attending one of the classes, please contact Director of Membership

Sara Dryden.

Save The Date!

Watch for details coming soon.

Youth Ministries

FUEL Jr. High Lock-In

Friday, June 27

7:00 pm-7:00 am

Youth House

This Lock-In is for youth who will be 7th and 8th graders for the 2014-2015 school year. Games, bonfire, movies, and much more. Invite a friend!

Children's Ministries

2 New Summer Camp Opportunities!

Cost: $50 (for early registration)

Fleming Island Presbyterian Church is proud to introduce a new summer camp opportunity for children grades K-6. Think VBS with a sports camp concentration! Kids will learn about their sport (soccer, lacrosse, basketball, flag football, or cheerleading), as well as learning about having faith in Jesus Christ. Price is $50 for early registration, before June 1st. After this date, it will increase to $65.

We need volunteers!

Please contact Carissa Hogan, if you are interested in helping out with this camp. Register online now.

In This Issue

Church Celebrations

Church Announcements

Adult Ministries

Youth Ministries

Children's Ministries

Thank You

Thanks and Prayer Requests

This Week's Funny

This Week's Devotional

FIPC Calendar

A Record of Our Faithfulness

FIPC is a member supported church.

We do not receive any outside funding. Everything we do is made possible through your faithful giving.

Attendance:

06/22/14 = 150

Ministry & Building Fund Offerings:

06/22/14 = $7,181.00

(2014 weekly need = $10,048)

Offering envelopes are available in the church bulletin for cash offerings. The envelopes are not necessary for checks. If you ever have any questions about FIPC finances, please contact our CFO & Church Administrator, Dawn Vanderpool, at the church office at (904) 269-2412 ext. 701.

Sunday Worship

Worship Service is held every Sunday morning
10:00 AM

Attire is casual. It is an uplifting, come as you are service.

God never intended for us to go it alone!

We want to help you find the Small Group where you can you grow in your faith and have some fun doing it!

ChristLife - Senior High Youth

Fuel - Jr. High Youth Group

ROCK / Children

Thank You Notes

Thanks to:

The Hospitality Team for Sunday morning refreshments!

The counting team for your continued service to your church!

Our Awesome Worship Band!

Those who helped usher/greet last Sunday!

Our Children's Ministry Volunteers!

Our Youth Ministry Team!

Announcements

Announcements for the e-newsletter, power point slide show during worship, and web site should be emailed to Dawn Vanderpool by 9 am on Mondays.

Announcements for the bulletin should be emailed to Sara Dryden by 10 am on Tuesdays.

Christian Counseling Center

A ministry of Fleming Island Presbyterian Church, The Christian Counseling Center of FIPC is an outreach of the church to our community.

Church Staff

If you would like to contact a church staff member please go to our website.

Facebook

Check out our Facebook page! It's a great way to add photos of events and stay in contact with your church.

Quick Links

Register Now

News

Related Topics

More On Us

Thanks and Prayer Requests

Praise / Thanks:

To God for all the new families He is bringing to us.
To God for blessing us abundantly.
To God for His Word revealed to us in the Bible.
To God for all those who work so hard behind the scenes.
To God for our Hospitality Ministry.
To God for our Sunday School Team.
To God for our Youth Group Leaders.
To God for our Great Worship Band and AV Team.
To God for all those folks who pray each day for FIPC.

Praise from the Welcome Cards:

For a family that is always there, regardless; for friends from church that are always there to help.
Awesome service Mike!
Carissa always does a great children's message. Great sermon by Mike, love your energy when you speak.
Praise band and their beautiful singing; Mike Horst, great sermon.
For the doctors at Mayo Clinic during my stay in the Mayo Hospital.
Mike, awesome sermon.
Thank you God for such a wonderful church family and small groups.
Awesome message!
Celebrating Emma's Adoption Day today (Sunday).

Prayer Requests:

For our community.
For our church's growth in spirit, connections, and number.
For those who do not know Christ.
For our Church's Pastor and Staff.
The grace to live out our faith.
For our FIPC Pastor, Staff, Elders, Deacons and their families.
For families and individuals who are hurting.
For the PCUSA and FIPC's response to the changes. For our Denominational Relations Committee.
Jason Hersperger, deployed to Bahrain.
Martha and James Williams, health.
Faircloth family.
Sydney Ward.

Prayers from the Welcome Cards:

James Williams in Cypress Village at Mayo for rehab.
Altheda L. at The Terrace.
Chris and Evan in Orlando; church leaders, our country to be strong again.
For the removal of the stronghold that has a hold on the church. For a dramatic revival to Jesus and the Word of God.
Suzanne S., health, on dialysis; Smith kids, adjusting to a blended family.
A safe and infection free surgery for myself on June 27.
For protection and guidance; for healing and peace for 2 friends fighting cancer, Lucy and Kathy.
For Hennessey while he is in the psych hospital and for Sydney with her MS.
Ruth P., hip replacement rehab.
Shannon, Robert, Desiree, Jerry, Lorraine, Lou.
Keep my sister Mary in your prayers, she lost her son on Monday.
Please pray for God's guidance in the lives and future of the Santiago family.
My dad, skin cancer and spot on lung.
For Brittany and Josh to always remember all things are possible through Christ.
School; son's attitude; my attitude; unspoken family prayers.
Business direction; Frank, just want to follow Christ's direction.
Elizabeth.

This Week's Funny

Don't forget to sign up for the Jr. High Lock-In this Friday night, June 27, from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. Interested in being a chaperon for the Lock-In or helping out with our Jr. High ministry? Don't let this cartoon scare you off. Contact our Director of Worship and Youth Ministries, Mike Horst, to volunteer.

Need help managing your stress? Check out this week's helpful devotional box below.

This Week's Devotional

"Stress Management Step 1: Don't Worry!"

by Rick Warren

PurposeDriven.com

This Week's Devotional

"Don't worry about anything."

(Philippians 4:6 NLT)

The number one source of stress in your life is not work. It's worry. Work doesn't keep you up at night; worry does.

God is very clear in the Bible what he thinks about worry. Philippians 4:6 says, "Don't worry about anything" (NLT).

Why do you need to let go of your worry?

Worry is unreasonable for a couple of reasons. First, worry exaggerates the problem. Have you noticed if somebody says something bad about you, the more you think about it, the bigger it gets? Second, worry doesn't work. To worry about something you can't change is useless. And to worry about something you can change is stupid. Just go change it!

Worry is unnatural. There are no born worriers. You might think you are, but you're not. Worry is something you learned. Since worry is unnatural, it's also unhealthy. Your body wasn't designed to handle worry. When people say, "I'm worried sick," they're telling the truth. Doctors say a lot of people could leave the hospital today if they knew how to get rid of guilt, resentment, and worry. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body" (NLT).

Worry is unhelpful. Worry cannot change the past, and worry cannot control the future. All it does is mess up today. The only thing that worry changes is you. It makes you miserable! It's never solved a problem. It's unhelpful.

Worry is unnecessary. God made you, he created you, he saved you, and he put his Spirit in you. Don't you think he's going to take care of your needs? There's no need to worry.

The first step in stress management is to refuse to worry about anything. Why? Because it's unreasonable, unnatural, unhelpful, and unnecessary.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, "You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern" (AMP).

God personally cares about you and for your needs. You know all those things you're stressing, anxious, and worried about? Let it go. Give it to God.

Fleming Island Presbyterian Church 1743 County Road 220 Fleming Island, FL 32003 904-269-2412 www.myFIPC.org Directions