The Big Rip-Off

No doubt you have heard about our little situation last week. Some not-so-nice people came to our church Friday night, and tore apart two of our air conditioning units for the copper inside. They caused thousands of dollars of damage, to get at best $50 at the scrap dealer.

Our first thought might be "how could somone rip off a church? To steal from the Lord's house?" But after the anger wears off, we are left with the cleanup; putting things back together again, and installing some security (fencing and video cameras) to fend off the next set of thieves.

In a way, this is a picture of the world we live in. The bible tells us that our adversary is a thief and a destroyer. He goes around looking for opportunities to rip us off! He destroys everything he touches. Unfortunately we often give him the opportunities that he seeks, leaving our lives unguarded. Then after he rips us off, we have to clean up the mess, and hopefully we learn and install some additional security measures.

But our security is not fences and video survellance. We are to remain guarded against our enemy by:

• Being obedient to God's word
• Worshiping Him in spirit and truth
• Remaining close to the congregation in fellowship and accountability
• Seeking His face in prayer and thanksgiving
  

As we study the book of Judges on Wednesday nights, we can see the long-term ramifications of drifting away from the Lord. The picture is not a pretty one! The encouragement is "be watchful, be prayerful, and be worshipful!"


Till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Back from our little respite

Greetings saints in the Lord!

Whew! Our family has been back from vacation only a few days, and it seems like a month of stuff has happened! We had a great time of rest and relaxation last week, and now we are back and ready to go back about the business of the Lord! Let me share just a few things with you…

Barbara Dickson
Most of you know that one of our dear saints, Barbara Dickson, went to be with the Lord last week. Barbara lived a very full life, which included a tragic accident four and one-half years ago that almost cost her life. Through the miraculous intervention of the Lord, Barbara recovered and has been cared for by her family. Barbara went home peacefully last Friday night at Cape Fear Hospice, surrounded by her family. There will be a memorial service here at the chapel on Saturday, June 21^st, 11 am.

Children’s Ministry
With the departure of our dear brother and servant Kevin, who faithfully oversaw the Children’s Ministry for the last year, we are in a place of transition in the ministry. My wife Tammy has assumed the overseer role of the ministry. Please keep the ministry in prayer as we make the transition in leadership. For those who serve and have children in the ministry, there will not be any drastic changes. We are planning a teacher training meeting in August to prepare all teachers and workers for the fall.

Holy Grounds
You may be wondering what is going on with the coffee shop venture next door, Holy Grounds. We the leadership have been in prayer for the last month over how to proceed with that venture. Given the financial slowdown that we experienced in the early part of the year, we were considering if the Lord was leading us in a different direction. Last week we came to the decision that we need to move forward with completing the renovation of the space, and use it for the Youth Ministry (Jr & Sr High). This will allow us to free up classroom space in the main building for other children’s classes that are getting crowded. At some point in the future, if the Lord provides, we can open the space for a coffee shop, however at the moment we do not have the financial recourses to complete the coffee shop part of the project. We welcome your prayers, as well as your giving gifts towards the completion of the project.

New Studies
We are starting up two new studies in the bible. Yesterday we opened the book of Judges, which will be our mid-week study for the next few months. Judges is an incredible study of the sinful nature of man, and the merciful nature of God! Also, this Sunday we start a new book; The Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is an awesome account of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the cool messages of Judges is “no matter what man does, God is still on the throne!” This is something that we must remember through all things – the blessings of life, and the trials of life. There is a God, He loves and cares for you, and He will work in your life…. IF you will seek His face!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay