Volume 61, Issue 10 first word October 2014 igniting passion . . . restoring GodвЂ™s ideal International Christmas: The Gift that Gives Twice Honor those loved ones in your life who have everything they need with a Missions gift in their name. This gift will fill important needs around the world as it honors your loved one. Simply choose from our missionariesвЂ™ wish lists (below) and donate money for the gift in the name of your loved one. You will receive a gift card to present to the person whom you are honoring, and the missionaries will use your donation to change lives for Christ. WeвЂ™ll be in the St Joseph campus Gathering Area on two Sundays in November (Nov 2 & 9) or stop by the church office before that date to purchase your gift. Checks should be made out to вЂњFirst Church of GodвЂќ with the gift #/country name on the memo line. A mission gift card truly is a gift that gives twice as it changes lives all over the world! MISSIONARIESвЂ™ WISH LISTS HAITI School of BlessingsвЂ” Vocational Training Gift #1 / $50 + Materials needed for sewing classes to make bags for sale Gift #2/$20 Sponsor student to attend one semester of vocational training LEBANON Camille Melki, Heart for Lebanon Gift #3 /$60 Feed refugee family of 6 for a month (H4L feeds 2,300 families) Gift #4/$25 Hope on Wheels mobile brings ChristвЂ™s love to refugee children through drama, songs, and games. MALAWI PARAGUAY Tim & Josie Vickey COG Pastor Emmanuel Partner Churches, COG Gift #5/$50 + Buy bicycles for pastors to do evangelism and visitations Gift #7/$25-$50 TimothyвЂ™s School: Supplies & furniture for new 1st Grade classroom Gift #6/ $30 Chichewa Study Bible for a pastor attending the Bible training program RESTORING GODвЂ™S IDEAL Gift #8/$15 Bibles & plastic chairs for 2015 FCOG вЂњTriunfo 43вЂќ Church building project. 2 Introducing... Volunteer-of-the-Month We love our volunteers at First Church, because we really could not fulfill our mission without you! SERVING is a big part of the DNA of First Church, and each and every volunteer personifies that value in a real way, whether you are teaching a Sunday morning class or serving soup in the community. In truth, we could not have the impact that we have on our congregation and in our community without our volunteers. Each volunteer truly is the hands and feet of Jesus. We want to show our appreciation. And since we havenвЂ™t room to list each of you here, we will choose one volunteer each month for their significant contribution and participation. This month, we give a high-5 and a вЂњMANY THANKSвЂќ to Jeff Beam. OCTOBER VOLUNTEER: Jeff Beam Campus Home: First Church of God - St. Joseph Jeff currently serves as a sound technician in the Sanctuary. Jeff has spent countless hours behind the scenes, assisting us with the purchase and installation of our audio/ video systems in the worship and KidZone spaces at all of our campuses. Fun Fact: Jeff owns a 1942 вЂњWillysвЂќ Jeep. This month, our Volunteer-of-the-Month is Jeff Beam. Next month, it could be you! Community Cafe OCT 15 - Meatloaf OCT 22 - Chicken Pot Pie OCT 29 - Taco Bar NOV 5 - Pork Loin Roast NOV 12 - Beef TipsвЂ™n Noodles Wednesdays 5:00 - 6:15pm Enjoy a healthy, home-cooked meal with your church family at our St. Joseph campus. Each meal includes salad bar, entree, vegetable, drink and dessert. $6/adults; $3/kids (P.S. We also have hotdogs and pizza on the menu.) ANNOUNCEMENTS VOLLEYBALL High school-age & up play volleyball Thursdays, 6:30-8:30pm, at our St. Joseph campus. No skills needed, weвЂ™re just having fun. Join us! FIRST-GRADERS RECEIVE BIBLES In our effort to help children GROW in Christ, first-graders will receive a Bible to use as they begin to read. Bibles will be handed out the weekend of October 18/19 at all campuses. WOMEN OF THE CHURCH OF GOD WCG meets the first Tuesday of each month for a missional devotional and connections. All women are welcome. The next meeting is Tuesday, November 4, 1:00pm, in room 5. Jeanne Hayden will present a program on Children of Promise. All women are invited to attend. World Community Day is Friday, November 7, at Union Memorial AME Church. First Church is co-host for this event. BOOK GROUP Our Book Group meets 2nd Mondays, 1-2:30pm, in the Heritage Room of our SJ campus to discuss books. Contact Terri Swanson (369.5982eves) or Norma Turner (463.5054) to learn our current read. GRIEFSHARE If youвЂ™ve recently suffered the loss of a loved one, get support and encouragement at our grief support group, Wednesdays, 6:30pm, in the Heritage Room of our St. Joseph campus. DIVORCECARE You donвЂ™t have to go through divorce alone. Our DivorceCare support group meets Tuesdays at 6:30pm in the Heritage Room of our St. Joseph campus (enter thru green awning). 3 Prime Time Harvest Dinner Adults 60+ years meet at noon (12:00pm) in the cafe of First Church - St. Joseph on October 24, for a dinner of roast turkey w/cranberry & walnut stuffing, cranberry sauce, Waldorf salad, mashed potatoes & gravy, candied sweet potatoes, corn casserole, corn muffins, and pumpkin, cherry, and berry pies. Chuck Nelson from Sarett Nature Center will be our featured speaker. YouвЂ™ll be entertained by his humor and amazed at his knowledge of Sarett Nature Center. Cost is $12/person. Register by Sunday, October 19. This is a great way for adults over 60 to connect with other adults. Bring a friend; they wonвЂ™t be disappointed. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIME TIME MINISTRY (FOR ALL ADULTS 60+ YEARS EVENTS / CLASSES / ACTIVIITES ON OUR WEBSITE. Festival of Praise Oct 26 A Church of God hymn sing will be held at First Church - St. Joseph campus, on Sunday, October 26, 6pm. Tim & Kim Bagby will lead this area hymn sing. It will be a wonderful time of worship and praise that you will not want to miss. Prime Timers will host refreshments after the sing. Please join us! SaturdayВ serviceВ (oneВ secпїЅon)В Warner Camp Paint Day Re-scheduled SaturdayВ serviceВ (oneВ secпїЅon Our inter-generational paint day at Warner Camp was cancelled due to rain. It has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 25. ItвЂ™s easy to get connected! Just п¬Ѓnd your Section Leader after any service ItвЂ™sВ easy!В IntroduceВ yourselfВ toВ yourВ secпїЅonВ leader.В YouВ canВ spotВ him/herВ В (theyвЂ™re the one wearing the lanyard, waiting to greet cofwearingВ В aВ lanyardВ atВ theВ backВ ofВ yourВ secпїЅonВ welcomingВ youВ you withВ with coп¬Ђee.В TheВ secпїЅonВ leaderВ canВ В introduceВ youВ toВ others,В answerВ yourВ quesпїЅons,В confee). Your Section Leader can answer your questions, connect you with yournectВ youВ withВ yourВ interests,В andВ sendВ youВ emailВ updatesВ onВ acпїЅviпїЅes.В interests, and keep you informed of upcoming events/activities. WeвЂ™ll from our St. Joseph campus ItвЂ™sВ carpool easy!В IntroduceВ yourselfВ toВ yourВ secпїЅonВ parking leader.В YouВ canВ spot lotwearingВ at 8am, and will begin painting the historic В aВ lanyardВ atВ theВ backВ ofВ yourВ secпїЅonВ welcomingВ youВ wit chapel at Warner Camp by 9am. TheВ secпїЅonВ leaderВ canВ В introduceВ youВ toВ others,В answerВ yourВ quesпїЅ nectВ youВ withВ yourВ interests,В andВ sendВ youВ emailВ updatesВ onВ acпїЅviпїЅ Young and old are invited to join us! 4 What About our Blood Pressure Clinics? Most months, a Blood Pressure Clinic is held at each of our campuses. Monitoring oneвЂ™s blood pressure is important because poorly managed blood pressure can lead to many other health complications and even a stroke. High Blood pressure, or known in the medical world as Hypertension, is often called the silent killer because most of the time there are no symptoms associated with it. Below is a short educational piece explaining further what blood pressure is and how to interpret those numbers the doctor gives you. Watch the bulletin for the day and time of the next Blood Pressure Clinic and come have yours checked! it very important to take any medicines your Doctor has prescribed for you, even if you feel fine. High blood pressure can be a dangerous disease because there are no clear symptoms associated with it, and it can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. Other things you can do for your blood pressure include: What do my Blood Pressure numbers really mean? Blood pressure is reported in two numbers such as 120/80. The top number (systolic blood pressure) refers to the pressure caused by the beating of the heart and exerted on the walls of the arteries. The lower number (diastolic blood pressure) refers to the pressure that continues in the arteries when the heart is resting. Optimal/Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. What is high Blood Pressure (Hypertension)? Prehypertension is 120/80 -139/89, Hypertension Stage 1 is 140/90 вЂ“ 159/99, and Hypertension Stage 2 is 160/100 179/109 or higher for adults. yy yy yy yy yy (1) lose weight if you are overweight (2) reduce your intake of salt (3) stop smoking (4)develop and follow a planned regular exercise program (after talking with your Doctor) (5) use relaxation and stress management strategies. Our faith life is an important part of healthy living. There are few stress reduction strategies more effective than leaving our problems at the cross, and living our days hand in hand with Christ. For questions or more information, feel free to contact me. Beth Fiskars RN/BSN, Parish Nurse. 269-944-9527 or beth.f@ myfirstchurch.com What are the symptoms of high Blood Pressure? NONE. High blood pressure has no clear symptoms. This is why it is so important to have your blood pressure checked frequently! Blood Pressure Clinics Check your weekend bulletin for November dates. What causes high Blood Pressure? The cause of high blood pressure is unknown 90-95% of the time. This is called Primary hypertension. Secondary hypertension results from a cause that can be identified. Common causes include heart and kidney disease. Lakeland Flu Vaccine Clinics St. Joseph campus: Sunday, Oct. 12, 10:30-11am in room 6 Benton Heights campus: Oct. 19, following service Stevensville campus: Sunday, Oct. 26, following service I have high Blood Pressure, so what now? High blood pressure can be controlled in most cases with a variety of medicines and lifestyle adjustments. It is important to be confident that the plan you work out with your Doctor will help you. This also means that is If you would like to reserve a vaccine, call (269.94409527) or email Beth ([email protected]). Must be 18 years or older. INFO NEEDED: Name, Date of birth, phone. If you are a Medicare client, a copy of your card will be needed; that copy may be made the day of the clinic. Private pay is $30/vaccine 5 Heart for Lebanon Reports on ISIS Effect Many of us are following the news of airstrikes on ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. Those news updates are followed by field reports on the effects these strikes have on innocent civilians and on limiting the terrorist activities of the targeted groups. Without field reports, news and updates are limited and incomplete. Today, I want to share with you a different field report, one that comes straight from our various teams in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the south of Lebanon. Heart for Lebanon is strategically placed in three regions in our country that gives us a unique perspective on ministry opportunities and an ability to respond to crises first hand. For eight straight days, demonstrators have blocked many roads in Lebanon. The nation is divided among supporters of the airstrikes and those who oppose such actions. The main highways are all closed. Traveling from one part of the country to the next is a risky task. Such risks have hindered aid delivery to many refugee communities and to locals in great need. The influx of refugees coming from Syria and Iraq continues but the ability to provide adequate humanitarian response is limited. This is not the case with H4L. Our field reports show how blessed we are to have three strategically located teams. In the last two weeks alone, the Beirut team has added 235 new Christian Iraqi families to our various ministries. New Bible study groups are forming to reach out with emotional and spiritual care to people who are hurting. Our non-formal education program in Beirut has doubled in student enrollment. The same is true in the Bekaa Valley and in the South of Lebanon. More Syrian refugee families are being served. Our warehouses in both locations are operating at full capacity and our assessment teams are spending additional hours every day visiting, encouraging, and registering more families. Again, more Bible study groups are forming in those regions as well. Friends, by your generosity you have helped H4L be ready and able to respond to increased humanitarian crises in our country and have helped us invest the needed resources to raise the capacity of our teams, both in staffing and in training. Your strategic partnership with H4L has placed us in a position to love on and serve those who have been badly affected by the regional wars and the terrorist attacks in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. All field reports by news agencies indicate the sad, but true, fact that the war on terror is a long and hard path. Yet, our Lord has His very different field reports. The field reports of the Kingdom indicate that we serve an awesome God! We serve a loving, caring, compassionate God. Heart for Lebanon is a small part of a much larger work in our region and God is at work through His people. Thank you for strategically investing in H4L. Thank you for strategically placing us in a position to be His messengers of peace and His loving agents to a broken world. Tom Atema, COO (NOTE: This was written on behalf of H4L Director Camille Melki who has sporadic e-mail service. Camille hadВ to cancel his visit to First Church, due to hisВ vehicle broken into and losing his passport, among much else.В Please pray for Camille and his ministry.) Are you in pursuit of more from God? Join us for our October sermon series. 6 Become Part of a Caregiving Community From Shirley, Hackney, Stephen Ministry leaderвЂ” your church with your gifts of caring and mercy? When was the last time someone really listened to you? IвЂ™m talking about the undistracted, full-attention kind of listening? ThatвЂ™s one of the key ways Stephen Ministers care for others. Stephen ministers will be in the St. Joseph Gathering Area the weekend of October 11/12. If you have been sensing GodвЂ™s calling to serve in this way, pick up a Stephen Ministry Job Description, Application, and Training Schedule at the kiosk in the St. Joseph Gathering Area that weekend. If you unable to get an application, contact Pastor Bob Confer at [email protected] or 269.983.1524. He will see that you receive one and answer any questions you may have My favorite part of being a Stephen Minister is seeing the blessing I can be in someoneвЂ™s life. I visit once a week and spend time listening, caring and focusing on their needs. ItвЂ™s only an hour a week, but IвЂ™m always amazed by what God can do in a relatively short period of time. Who in your life can you request help from at any given time? Is there a friend, a spouse, a pastor? Maybe a counselor, a coach, one of your neighbors? The bottom line is, we need people in our lives that can support us. about Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministers provide the Christ-centered care for those who are making that long journey through the valley of a life crisis. Is this the act of caring support that you would like to be trained to provide? Will you bless God creates each of us with a purpose, and IвЂ™ve found mine in Stephen Ministry. Completed applications should be returned to Pastor Confer by October 26. 7 Middle School Hayride Bring a friend and have a fun fall night at Five Pines on Wednesday, October 29, 6:30-8:30pm. WeвЂ™ll meet at Five Pines. Cost is just $5. WeвЂ™ll enjoy hot dogs, hot chocolate, hayride, games, and more! Hayride @ 5 Pines OCT 29 6:30-8:30 High School students have fun п¬Ѓghting evil. Thursday, Oct 30 - 7-9pm $85. Must be registered by Nov 13. Find us on Facebook: FirstChurchStJoseph | FirstChurchBentonHts | FirstChurchStevensville FIRST CHURCH OF GOD 3 LOCATIONS SJ CAMPUS / CHURCH OFFICE 2627 Niles Ave, St. Joseph, MI 49085 SERVICES: Saturdays at 6pm Sundays at 9:30 & 11am OFFICE HOURS M-Th, 8-4:30 269.983.1524 Receptionist: Jennifer Robbins INFO: [email protected] myfirstchurch.com BENTON HEIGHTS CAMPUS 990 N. Euclid Avenue SERVICES: Sundays at 11am STEVENSVILLE CAMPUS 5767 Red Arrow Hwy SERVICES: Sundays at 10:30am follow us on Twitter: @FirstChurchGod Staff (phone extensions in parentheses) Lead Pastor Rev. David Colp (x34) Executive Administrator Rev. Greg Gordon (x12) Students Rev. Chris Spitters (x18) Rev. Caleb Weeks (x56, HS pastor) Rev. Alex Weeks (x26, MS director) Groups / Classes / Women Rev. Bill Shepard (x50) Sandy Mason (x22) Brenda McKey (x38) Adults 45+ / Pastoral Care Worship & Assimilation Young Adults & Worship Parish Nurse Stevensville Campus Outreach BH Campus Communications Children & Families Rev. Bob Confer (x14) Rev. Dan Deitrich (x19) Rev. Chris Spitters (x18) - Pastor Rev. Jake Seaton (x35) - Worship Rev. Kevin Perthuis (x32) - Pastor Rev. Chad Harlan (x23) Beth Fiskars, RN, BSN (x40) Web Designer / E-news Julie Beam ([email protected]) Advisory Council Jim Bolton Larry Holben Aaron Youngstedt Jim Spear Rajean Alexander Gary Bolin Dave Eichberg Arden Bradley Susan Cundiff Rev. Rolland Daniels Mitzi Tompkins Greg Gordon and David Colp 2017 2017 2017 2017 2016 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 Jenny Fry (x39) Chris Britton (x37) Teresa Smithers (x55) FIRST WORD EDITOR: Teresa Smithers (teresa.s@myп¬Ѓrstchurch.com) DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES: First Friday of each month igniting passion . . . restoring GodвЂ™s ideal The Salsa Ladies do it Again: Showing us how Self-Sufficiency and Community Work Together to Get Things Done EDITORвЂ™S NOTE: Last year you read about this fantastic group of women from our Benton Heights campus who-faced with the challenge of purchasing school supplies for their children--took the problem into their own hands and used their talents to make and sell salsa and chips, using produce from our own BH campus community garden as some of the ingredients. This year, they decided to do it again, only going a step further... By Melanie Mannix Using tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro from our community garden, we met at our Benton Heights campus to make the chips and salsa, then took the jars of salsa and bags of chips to Harbor Market. We made $350 at the market! Thank You! Many thanks to all who donated to our recent household product drive for our Friends & Neighbors Network. As you can see (right), we received a lot of practical and great household and personal care products for our FANN families to use! We also thank the Prime Timers for their vision to lead this drive. May God bless. After market day, the ladies continued to sell to their neighbors and to friends on Facebook. A very generous donation from a family who attends the Stevensville campus provided several folders, crayons, and paper for school students. Hull International (the school we have adopted) heard about us selling the salsa and some of the teachers wanted to support the effort, as well. We made 91 jars of salsa, and served eight families. In the end, thanks to hard work and a lot of community support, we were able to provide 35 students with a $20 gift card to Wal-Mart, as well as most of their school supplies. This was a wonderful display of families working together to support and encourage their children (and the community!) to work together for a greater cause. It was not an easy task and at times we were discouraged, but God was faithful and all that participated were greatly blessed. I want to give a big thanks to two ladies that coordinated this wonderful ministry to the community in Benton Heights. Thank you, Becky Shaffer and Jocelyn Pedrozo!