May 31, 2009 – Maple Grove Stuff to Know

PENTECOST
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

INSTRUCTIONS FROM HEBREWS
The book of Hebrews is full of instructions to guide us in our walk with Jesus. Last week Hebrews 4:14-16 challenged us to hang in there during difficult moments.
This week we consider Hebrews 5:11 – 6:12. In moments of impressive immaturity, did anyone ever tell you to “grow up!”? It would be tragic if our children never grew up. It would be terrible if despite years of school, your children never learned anything. It would be disastrous if your gardens and farm fields never produced a crop, even though you planted good seeds and plants. How much more tragic it is, if believers in Jesus never mature in the faith. Today we are instructed to “go on to maturity” (6:1).
Today is Pentecost. God sent the Holy Spirit to the church aid in the believer’s spiritual maturity. God’s Spirit helps us remember and understand Jesus’ words (John 14:15-27), aids us in our devotional lives (John 16:13), and enables us to continue the ministry given to Jesus (Luke 4:16-21). God’s Spirit is necessary for us to grow up in the faith.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!
The following will graduate from Octorara High School on June 4: Ashley Fritz, Kacie Hershey, Cody King & Kelly King.
Robert Hershey graduated from Montana Wilderness School of the Bible on May 2.

WORSHIP AND MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES

X-TREME WORSHIP is Tuesday, June 2, 7:00 pm. The Open Door Worship Band will lead worship and Bill Blank will bring the message.

“MUSIC IN THE MEADOW” will be held July 12. Your help is needed for this fun and inspirational event. The next organizational meeting is May 31 at 12:00 pm. Contact Ken Umble for more information. Large potted plants are needed to decorate the stage. Contact Sue R if you are able to loan your plants.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

BROWSE AND BUY
The Maple Grove Library is a ministry of the Christian Education Commission. They will have a “Browse and Buy” event on May 31 and June 7 - 10. Mennonite Publishing Network will make their publications available in the foyer on these dates. Place orders and receive your books in time for summer vacation reading.

SUNDAY SCHOOL ELECTIVE
The Parenting Your Teenager Sunday School elective continues. The individual DVDs are placed in the church library after the class. Currently available are 1. Identity, 2. Turmoil, & 3. Rebellion. The last two classes are June 7 – Legacy and June 21 – Discipling Your Teenager. Join us in classroom #7.

Elementary Grade Sunday School teachers are needed for the fall. Contact Jen McGowan if you can serve in this way.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IS COMING SOON
VBS is June 14 - 18 this year. Get all the information and register at www.groupvbs.com/webtoybox.myvbs/MapleGroveVBS2009.

VBS will have a work night on June 3. The Relay for Life Committee will provide dinner ($5.50) at 5:30 pm and VBS preparation activities and volunteer training will follow.

FAMILY LIFE OPPORTUNITIES

CHURCH PICNIC
On Sunday, June 14, we will gather at West Sadsbury Township Park (on Moscow Road off Rt. 30). The Church service will begin at 10:00 am with special participation by the children of the church. A meal will follow our church service. Hot dogs will be provided. If your last name begins with A-K, bring a dessert; L-Z bring a salad.

Did you miss the Family Life Conference at the beginning of the month? A 3 CD set that includes all three sessions is available from the church office.

YOUTH MININSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

MYF (Mennonite Youth Fellowship) meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm. This is a time of fun and spiritual growth for youth in grades 9 to 12.

EVANGELISM AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

RELAY FOR LIFE is June 19-20. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. Walkers and sponsors are needed. See Tammie Bromley, Rana Watterson, or Amy Umble for more information. A chicken dinner fundraiser is Wednesday, June 3 at 5:30 pm.

PRAY FOR RENEWAL. Renewal Prayer Meetings are held every first and third Monday at 7:30 pm at the church. Join us in prayer for renewal as we prepare for renewal meetings in September.

RENEWAL SERVICES will be held September 20 - 23. Pray for renewal at Maple Grove. Dwayne Walton, director of the Parkesburg Point, is our evangelist.

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES OPPORTUNITIES

The Ladies Bible Study will meet 3 times in June, on Mondays June 1, June 22 and June 29. They meet at 7 pm at the home of Sue Eby.

The SEWING CIRCLE is collecting for MCC Newborn Kits. 6000 of these kits were sent to Iraq for families displaced by the war. More kits are needed. Find more information and a list of items needed at http://www.mcc.org/kits/newborn/.

100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The 100th Anniversary Celebration Committee will meet on Sunday, May 31 from 5 to 7 pm. Everyone willing to help is invited. Bring finger foods to share.

ETCETERA – CHURCH FAMILY COMMUNITY ITEMS

CONGRATULATIONS to Robert Hershey who was baptized on Wednesday, May 27. Robert will spend the summer as a counselor at Camp Sandy Cove (High View, WV) and enter the Montana Bible College (Bozeman, MT) in August.

CHEER ON OUR SOFTBALL TEAMS!
The Maple Grove Men’s team plays Faith Bible Church on Monday, June 1, and Shockers on Thursday, June 4. All games are at 7:00 pm at West Fallowfield Christian School.
The Maple Grove Women’s team plays on Tuesday, June 2, 6:45 pm at Highland Baptist Church field.

BAPTISM INSTRUCTION CLASS
A baptism instruction class will begin the week after VBS. The class is for anyone interested in learning the basics of the Christian Faith and preparing for baptism. It will be held one evening every week through the summer months. Baptism is August 30. Contact Pastor Steve for more information or to sign-up.

ELDER NOMINATIONS
A nomination box for elder is in the foyer. Our church constitution tells us that “Elders and Pastors shall have demonstrated that they possess the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.” In addition the following is stipulated: “The selection of Elder shall be a spiritual experience for the candidate and the congregation. Members are encouraged to share their conviction by nominating a candidate. Qualified persons receiving at least three nominations shall be considered as possible candidates. The final selection shall be processed by the Leadership Team and affirmed by the congregation with a 75% vote.”

PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
Nominations for the Pastoral Search Committee for Associate Pastor should also be placed in the box in the foyer. The PSC is made up of two elders and three members nominated by the congregation and appointed by the Leadership Team and Coordinating Body. Associate Pastor ministry descriptions were placed in mailboxes on May 3 and are available in the foyer.

WEDDING PHOTOS WANTED. Were you married after 1979? Your wedding photo is requested to be posted on the bulletin board in the foyer.

PHOTOS FOR CHURCH DIRECTORY
Sign up today to have your family's portrait taken on June 8, 9 & 10, from 3 PM to 8:55 PM. Sign up during the next 3 weeks on the sign-up sheet in the foyer or call the office for a time. Contact Missy King or RuthAnn Bruner with questions. Payment will be made upon delivery of the photos.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS!
Do you like to doodle? Can you express your Christian faith in a drawing? Starting in June we will create our own covers for the Sunday church news bulletins. We would like to have different pictures each week. Ideally, pictures should be black and white and about 4 ½ x 4 ½ inches. Larger artwork will be scanned and reduced to fit. Computer generated artwork is acceptable. Color drawings will be considered, but because of high costs of printing in color, we will only run them occasionally. Submit your artwork to Pastor Steve.

THE WIDER BODY OF CHRIST
(More information for most of these items is available on the bulletin board across from the mailboxes in the hallway)

The Open Bible Church is sponsoring an outdoor concert and family fun day on Saturday, June 20th. The “Summer Fest ‘09” will begin at 10 am and continue until dusk. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.

[please contact Pastor Steve Crane, pastorscrane@epix.net, if you see anything that needs to be corrected on this page]