Dear Friends,
My family and I have a treat in store for us this weekend. My sister-in-law Faith will visit us and will be here for Sunday morning worship. Please join us in worship, and while you’re here — stop and say, “Hi!” to Faith. Stan and Faith’s mission, Asian Access, recently entered into a strategic partnership with SIM USA. Their responsibilities will remain the same, but SIM will handle recruitment, training, and financial accounting for Asian Acess (A2). A2 will be free to engage the Asian culture and the Asian church for Christ.
This Sunday, January 15, 2012, falls on the Martin Luther King weekend. Former WBZ-TV news anchor Liz Walker will be the featured speaker at the MLK Service of Remembrance at the Federated Church of Hyannis, 320 Main Street, at 3 PM.
More than a year ago, we made a decision to be a church that takes seriously the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ to serve Him and to call the Upper Cape community to worship Him as Lord. We formally accepted the fresh vision God gave us, and we received our mission to reveal the saving love of Jesus Christ as a Safe Harbor.
To prepare us for Covenant Member Sunday on January 29, we will engage in a review of some basic discipleship material between now and then. These are truths we never outgrow, and also never really master — which means we all will benefit from these studies. It is a Biblical mandate for the church to teach the basic truths of the Christian life so we are always learning and always seeking to defeat our sinful natures, depending on God’s grace to lead us to maturity. Our scripture references will come from a variety of places throughout the Bible, so please bring your own Bible and dig deep with us this week!
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This Week @ Pocasset Baptist Church
Sunday, January 15
- 7:00 P.M. We will lead worship at Cape Cod Senior Residences. Please come out and support us!
Tuesday, January 17
- 7:30 P.M. Our Men’s Ministry meets in the Alpha Room as we offer encouragement, Bible study, and prayer for men. This week, we’ll study Psalm 103.
Thursday, January 19
- 7:30 P.M. Our ministry to the families of Primary Purpose. Samantha Mahony, Zoe Janicki, Mike and Dana Pruett will be on hand to care for the kids. Thank you!
Upcoming
- Timber Leech will be headed to Japan for his winter mission trip early next month. Before he leaves, we’ll have an opportunity to hear his vision for what he’ll be doing.
- Dereck and Lea Plante are asking for prayer as they serve in Cambodia. They are seeing a heightened level of spiritual warfare, and need an increase in prayer support.
- On January 22, we will receive an offering to help Casey Clough with the expense of his Holy Land Tour with Zion Bible College. Please pray for him to reach his goal, and then let’s do what we can to help him!
- The next Cape Cod regional prayer meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 25 at 6:30 at Gateway Christian Center on Route 28 in Cotuit.
- Our Covenant Member Sunday is January 29.
- A Cape Vision Sunday for our church is set for February 5.
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Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. — 2 Corinthians 1:12
People certainly do not expect holiness and sincerity these days. Long experience has prepared them for sarcasm and hostility. If we operate according to worldly wisdom — which prompts us to “look out for Number One” — no one will be surprised. Most likely, no one will even notice.
Imagine co-workers’ surprise when, instead of becoming defensive, someone confesses a mistake and apologizes sincerely. Imagine a family member’s surprise when they’re listened to with respect and sympathy rather than ridicule and impatience.
Now imagine the world’s surprise when all Christians behave this way!
Jesus modeled patience, kindness, sincerity, holiness, and great listening skills. Isn’t that what we should be modeling? And, best of all, wouldn’t that make everywhere we go a holy place?
In His Precious Name,
Laura
