Associate Pastor Matt Royston

This year, we as a community, are re-dedicating ourselves to Stewardship.

I am thinking about the first Economics class I took back at the University of Montana when I was a sophomore.  I had just changed my major from Forestry to Business.  I was sitting in one of the huge lecture halls.  As is true with most subjects, we were spending the first few classes simply trying to get our heads around the jargon of the subject. 

Contact information: ext. 225 or mroyston@chapelbythelake.org

 Write a check made out to World Vision and give it to Jessica, or visit our online fundraising page at: http://youth.worldvision.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=7331

• New class coming, -- Wednesday Nights
• Fight Back with Joy  -- Women Only - Sunday School
• God the Creator - Bud Morris - Sunday School

Would you be interested in leading a Sunday School class?  Send a note to Matt Royston

Registration for signing up for the retreat is available at the new "information center".  This annual event, sponsored by Christ Community Ministries, has been ongoing since 2005 and currently involves leaders from seven churches.  Christ-centered, the retreat revolves around four testimonies demonstrating how Christ has transformed the lives of men in our community.

If you desire more information, feel free to contact Eric Niewoehner @ 523-1910 or send a note to  Juneau_men@wordretreat.org

Weekend of May 16th or 23rd TBD shortly

This "retreat" is actually an advance.  Men are being called to journey across the Lynn Canal to help our brothers in Haines and Skagway prepare Rainbow Camp for the summer.  This will be a great opportunity for men at Chapel to bond with our covenant partners in those communities.  Top of the list will be the construction of a zip line!  

The camp can hold up to 50 campers, so there is plenty of room.  Let Adam know if you are interested.  There will be some costs (ferry and food).  Probably wouldn't hurt to have men of multiple talents along on the trip such as cooking, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and (cough) housecleaning.  Stay tuned for more details.

Believe it or not, every effort will be made to update our new website (woohoo!).  Be sure to check out the site for added details.  Adult Ministry Website

Easter Special Offering 2015

Our Easter Special Offering will focus on the work of our mission partners in South Sudan.  For the last 8 years Chapel by the Lake has been working with the Faith Evangelical Baptist Church (FEBAC) in South Sudan.  Our major recent financial commitment has been to support Pastor Jeremiah Deng Akol during his studies at Scott Theological College, in Kenya.  We have sent additional gifts this year due to the desperate conditions prevailing there at present.

Pastor Jeremiah's path to becoming a student is not one we might imagine; born into a non-Christian family, he became a believer at 12 years old, and then started a church in his village.  His evangelizing in the village drew the opposition of local witch doctors, who eventually arranged for Jeremiah and his older brother to be arrested, conscripted into the rebel army, and forced to fight in the civil war.  After being released from the army, he and his brother co

ntinued to lead the local church, planting 27 churches in the area. 

Thanks to Chapel by the Lake, Jeremiah has been able to attend college for the last three years, no small task when it involves bringing his whole family from South Sudan and taking care of them in Kenya.  His family includes his own 6 children and 6 others, orphaned when his brother died.  Nor is Jeremiah just a student.  While in Kenya he pastors a church of S. Sudanese refugees and he also makes trips back into South Sudan to help with relief efforts among Internally Displaced People (IDP's).

 South Sudan is a country that was born, just 2 years ago, after decades of civil war with Sudan.  The Muslim/Arab north separated from the African ethnic tribes of the south, where Christianity has been growing dramatically amongst the traditionally animistic peoples.  Their suffering has continued though, as ancient ethnic conflicts have erupted, pitting farmers against nomadic pastoralists, Dinka against Nuer, with various leaders and militias vying for power and control within the new country.  As is always the case, the poor and powerless, the aged, women and children suffer the most.  They live in terror of attack, are driven from their homes, assaulted by rival groups, and forced to walk days to find safety.  Once again they find themselves in refugee or IDP camps, thousands of people with no way to grow their own food, having lost all their possessions, with minimal shelter, clean water or sanitation.

 In the past year, we have sent additional donations so that FEBAC can procure and deliver  relief supplies,distribute clothing and bedding, and drill a borehole for clean drinking water in one of the IDP camps.    Pastor Jeremiah, along with the General Secretary of FEBAC, Saphano Riak Chol, and other FEBAC pastors, has travelled into war-torn areas to bring relief, to bring hope, to bring good news, and to encourage the churches.   Their most recent journey, by road, was through wild country where the presence of bandits made it necessary for them to travel in convoy, with armed guards for protection.

We want to be able to continue to help our FEBAC partners to be

 the expression of God's love and care to these desperate people.  These pastors are putting themselves into difficult and dangerous positions to help their church members and others who do not yet know the love of Christ.  The church stands as the one beacon of hope in this hurting country.  Please give freely into the special offering to be taken up during our Easter services as a way of standing with these brave people.

                       Rob and Tisa Becker                                            04/08

                              Ronald and Jeanne Josephson                             04/16

                              Gary and Wendy Hogins                                       04/16

                              Mikael and Ariana Anderson                                  04/17

                              Wesley Parker                                                        04/20

                              David and Dona Eley                                              04/21

                              Bud and Martha Morris                                           04/22

                              Robert Martin                                                          04/27

                              Thomas and Alice Branton                                     04/29