God Wants to Speak to You

Truth:  The words of God have great power to create, comfort, direct the present and shape the future.  The good news is that God is by nature good and not evil.  He wants to bless you, to speak good things into your life and reveal His heart and nature to you. Listen and discover Him.

Scripture:  “The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.” 1 Sam 3:1 NIV

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I will still my heart and quiet my mind today so that You can fill it with Your goodness and revelation.  I know that You want to reveal Your plans to those who will listen and desire to their path straight.  Help me to listen and obey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It ALL starts on Sunday…

Calling ALL kids Ages 4-Rising 6th Graders…

Just a reminder to you that “Hometown Nazareth” starts this SUNDAY, June 26 at 5PM. It will continue on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights at 6PM. Come be a part of this amazing 4 night event.

Register Here: https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/hl/greenbriervbs2011/gpgs/Home.aspx

 

God is the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe

Truth:  God is the expert in taking things that don’t fit, are broken and not even formed and making them into something beautiful. He brought order from chaos and created the heavens and the earth.  As the God of order who is in charge of everything, life works best when you and I follow the structures that He has put in place in the family, the church, the workplace and in the government.

Scripture:  “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1

Prayer:  Eternal Creator, I trust You today.  You created the earth and everything in it.  You have ordered my days, designed my present and can see my future.  Help me to follow the good and righteous plan that you have put before me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

3 Events this Weekend

Please put these events on your to do list for this holiday weekend:

Good Friday Service, Friday, April 22 at 6:00PM.

Easter Eggstravaganza, Refreshments, Puppet Show, Prizes and More, Saturday, April 23 at 10:00AM.

Easter Services, Sunday, April 24 at 9:00AM and 11:00AM.

Global Mission Trips 2011

Here are the Global Mission Trips we are taking in 2011:

MFuge @ Greenville, SC
July 25-30
Cost: $500
Leader: Kelly Neklason

At MFuge you can roll your sleeves up and get ready to jump right into ministry…our highly tranied FUGE staffers will take care of the details and facilitate the planning for each day. You and your students will get to invest your time and energy into a variety of mission projects (choose between Children’s Ministry, Games & Rec, Social Ministry, Creative Ministry or Painting, Construction, Yardwork). During the day your students will be challenged and stretched as individuals; in the evenings, you’ll have an opportunity to build group unity over dinner, worship, fellowships and Church Group Devotions.

Special Note: There must be 1 adult for every 5 kids

The cost includes all food, transportation, and lodging.

YWAM London
August 18-28
Cost: $1600
Leader: Curtis Williams

Rich teaching and testimony, fervent intercession & worship, practical evangelism and prophetic acts using the arts…

Calling the Church to come together and reach out to the hundreds, thousands of people coming to this one place at this time.

The BONES mission camp gives you the opportunity to join with others in preparing to make an impact at the Notting Hill Carnival. Specifically designed to equip you with tools, ignite you with passion and love for God and people and give you an opportunity to reach out and be part of transforming lives.

Throughout the 10 days before the Carnival there will be dedicated times of teaching, intercession, worship, evangelism and prophetic acts using the arts all in preparation for the 2 final days of Carnival where there will be different opportunities to serve and volunteer during the Carnival itself.

We use the facilities of Notting Hill Community Church and Westbourne Grove Church. The former is the church where the majority of our YWAM base attends on a Sunday and the latter we work with throughout the year, aiding them in any community projects they need.

We have a great need for musicians, for our worship times, for on the street evangelism and in the carnival itself. Music attracts a lot of attention which is unfortunately not something we’ve been able to utilize to the fullest due to a lack of musicians so we would find many ways for those in your group to be useful.

The cost covers all the food, showers and the accommodations (sleeping bags or air mattress and bedding are required as we will be on church floors).

Nepali Rescue Project
w/ KI Nepal (Ramesh)
November 18-26
Focus: Equipping and Training
Leaders: Becky and Eric Watt
Cost: $2500

The team will fly to Kathmandu, Nepal and then on to a central Nepal city to experience first hand the ministry of interdiction, counseling, care, restoration and equipping of girls rescued from human trafficking.

A special conference will also be held to help teach and equip women ministering to these girls. Topics will include Identity in Christ, Basic Discipleship and Spiritual Formation.

The cost includes airfare, food, lodging and transportation.

YWAM Dominican Republic
Homes of Hope
July 8-14
Focus: Construction, Evangelism
Leaders: Curtis Williams and John Ruane
Cost: $1500

The team will build a Home of Hope house for a family in need. We fly into Santa Domingo and then travel 2 hours into the interior of the Island. A family will be pre-selected to receive a Home of Hope.

The construction of the home takes 4 days. It is half cinder block and half wood structure. We will also install furniture and appliances. YWAM uses the Homes of Hope primarily for an in road into a new community. Our team will be one of the first to build a Home of Hope in the Dominican Republic.

The cost includes airfare, food, lodging and transportation.

Thailand
July 2011
Focus: Orphan Care, Evangelism
Leaders: Curtis Williams
Dates: Mid to Late July
Cost: $2800

The team will join Tess and Tyson Bush as they minister at the Hope House Children’s home – play sports, games, teach, and share the Bible. We also travel to remote mountain tribal villages to pray for the sick and share the Gospel.

Hope House Children’s Home is located in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the kids who come to Hope House Children’s Home were living below the poverty line in remote villages in the highlands of Thailand. They are either abandoned or neglected and have no access to an education. These young children in Thailand are at risk of being sold into prostitution or child labor. Hope House rescues these children from this sad fate by providing them with a place that they can call home. Currently Hope House Children’s Home educates, feeds and clothes 45 destitute children from the surrounding mountain areas.

Tourist days may include going to an elephant camp, tiger camp, temple prayer walk, handicraft villages, and visiting the mall.

The cost includes airfare, food, lodging and transportation.

If you need more information, please contact the Church Office at 757.819.1070. Thank you!

Discover Greenbrier

Please consider this as an official invitation to our “Discover Greenbrier Class” this Saturday morning, January 22nd, at 9:00 AM.  Child care and a Continental Breakfast will be provided.

We have planned a special time to “unpack” for you the who and the what of Greenbrier Church and have designed a special session to help you find your ‘fit’ in the Body of Christ.

We hope that you will be able to join us!  Please RSVP to Connie Brew at conniebrew@greenbrierchurch.com or call the church office at 819-1070 and express your interest to Karen Lohman by Thursday January 20 to reserve your spot.

May the Lord continue to pour out His blessings on you and your family!

In His Service,
Pastor Curtis Williams
Associate Pastor

P.S. The next Discover Greenbrier Class will be held on May 21.

Who are the “Invisibles” in your life?

 

 

We are excited about what 2011 holds for the youth in our CrosStone group.  It is amazing to watch these kids continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord and are thrilled to have so many awesome kids meet weekly for praise and worship, teaching, and fellowship with peers.  We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with parents in helping their children establish their lives on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. 

For the month of January, we are teaching a series entitled “The Invisibles.”  The following is an overview of the weekly sessions.  

THE INVISIBLES:

We are surrounded by the invisibles. These are people who simply want to know someone cares, someone notices—people who want to know God cares. Some of us would even say we feel that way—invisible to an entire world, daily passing us by. Whether that feeling is a familiar one or not, the reality is that each one of us has felt invisible at one point or another. But we didn’t stay that way. God saw us. He sees the invisibles. And because God took notice of us, we are able to open our eyes to see those around us.

Session One: Can You See Me? (January 12)

Last week at CrosStone, we taught our first lesson in this series, entitled ”Can You See Me?”  We talked abouth how sometimes you can stand in a room or walk down a hallway or sit in a chair and no one notices you. It’s not that you have some type of special ability that makes you invisible—people just don’t see you. They know nothing about you—nor do they seem to want to know anything about you. It’s like you’re not even there, even when you are physically in the room. You’re invisible. The good news is Jesus sees invisible people—even those who never realized they were invisible.

Session One Parent Cue: Describe a time when you felt invisible.

Session Two: In Focus (January 19)

Some people go unnoticed. There are people in the background of our lives we never see. Maybe it’s the guy at the gas station or the girl at the coffee shop. Maybe it’s the girl sitting in the lunchroom, or the guy hanging out in the back of the youth room. There are people all around us who we treat as invisible. But because of how God has seen us, because of what we’ve experienced personally, our vision is changed. How can we begin to see the people in our lives every day that may normally go overlooked? How can we see the people halfway around the world that go unnoticed? What can we do to bring those around us in focus?

Session Two Parent Cue: Who are some people that are consistently in the background scenery of your everyday life?

Session Three: Seeing Beyond the Seen (January 26)

Sometimes what we really want isn’t what we are asking for. Sometimes what we really need is invisible to us. Thankfully Jesus sees us, really sees us. He sees the obvious physical needs and the more subtle spiritual ones too. And not only does He see them, He cares enough to do something about them both. When it comes to reaching out to the invisibles, when we provide friendship, water, help—sometimes it just isn’t enough. There’s a deeper, spiritual need that can only be met through Jesus Christ. And because of that, we do both—we help with the physical need but point them to Jesus Christ for the spiritual one.

Session Three Parent Cue: Identify someone who is invisible in each of your worlds. What do does he or she need? How can you help with that need? How can you also point them to Jesus Christ?

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Back by popular demand is the Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser!  On Saturday, February 19th, the CrosStone Youth and their parents will be hosting this great event at the Applebee’s Restaurant on Battlefield Boulevard.  We will raise funds to be used by our youth for either the Fall Retreat or a missions trip sponsored by Greenbrier Church.  You’ll be hearing more details in the weeks to come, but mark your calendars!

An Italian Christmas at CrosStone

CrosStone will be celebrating Christmas this year with an Italian flair.  We invite all 6th through 8th grade students of Greenbrier Church to attend our Italian Christmas Dinner Party on Wednesday, Decemer 15, 2010 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.  In true Italian tradition, there will be lots of food,  fun and festivities as we explore the Christmas traditions of Italy! 

Dress in your Christmas finery and be sure to bring a hearty appetite and a $5 gift for the gift exchange. 

Call Jeff or Debbie Carlucci (546-1067) for more information.

Bethlehemy Stuff Needed

We are in need of marketplace supplies to add to the authenticity of Bethlehem. If you can donate the use of your supplies we will get them back to you after the event. Please bring the item to church with you tomorrow, December 5 or drop them off on Monday at the office. Thanks for helping to make this event a night to remember! Please make sure you CLEARLY LABEL your items with YOUR NAME.

Dyes Shop: Cloth strips, yarn, wool skein, natural fiber rugs, pretty glass bottles, berries, colored sand, carafes; red, blue and purple colors; loom and weaving materials; spinning wheel, large wooden bowl, large spoon, thongs, rough materials to use to illustrate dyeing cloth or yarn – berries, onion skins., shells. (In ancient times purple and blue dyes derived from snails were so rare and sought after that they were literally worth their weight in gold. These precious dyes colored the robes of the kings and princes of Media, Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome. To wear them was to be identified with royalty.)

Perfume/Spice Kiosk: Oils, pretty bottles, fresh and dried herbs, incense, cinnamon sticks, seeds, mortar to grind, bowls, wire sieve, frankincense, myrrh.

Grain Mill/ Bakery: Yeast dough for children to touch, large wooden bowls, wooden spoons, kitchen tools, rough materials-flour, salt, whole grains, barley, millet, mortar to grind grains, eggs, milk bucket. Flat bread, bread loafs, muslin fabric.

Tannery: Animal skins, pliable leather; tools, punches, scissors, Items to illustrate: the leather into sandals, trimmings for chariots, coverings of chairs, decorations for harps, sarcophagi, etc

Candle-Making: Travelers will all be given a candle in which to proceed to the manger area. Candles, paraffin and beeswax, olive oil, lanterns, oil lamps, wicks, dipping candle rack could be made. See photo in links. The shop focus will be “light”.

Toy Making: Balls, Wooden checker gameboard, Wooden Doll bed, Wooden horse, Wooden animals, Metal or wooden Rattles, Tops & Marbles.

Farmer’s Market: Honey, olives, dates, figs, almonds, pomegranates, grains- barley, onions, lentils, chick peas, baskets, cloth squares for drapes, carafes, grapes, bread.

Pottery: Moldable clay, red clay, clayware, baskets, a “fire pit”/kiln made out a large box, makeshift wheel from a lazy Susan, plywood, wooden bowl, rags, and bricks.

Carpenter’s Shop: Tools-rough saws, hand saw, rough lumber, include items they would make in this shop -“shepherds rod”, wooden animal prods, and poles, wooden wheels.

Musical Instrument Kiosk: Harp, tambourine, lute, wooden pipes, bells, trumpet/rams horn/ shofar.

Metal Works: Old Tools, anvil, bellows, metals, tin foil

Thank YOU !

God Responds to Faithful Obedience

Truth:  When the power of God is clearly communicated His love, mercy and justice offer an eternal lasting hope that cannot be found anywhere else.  When Jonah declared the greatness of God to Nineveh, the city believed God and was changed.  When You follow God, He will make a way for you.

Scripture: “The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth [as an act of repentance].” Jonah 3:5

Prayer:  God of Forgiveness, You are faithful and filled with love toward me. Thank You for responding to my heart, and for always rewarding me for my attempts to follow You wholeheartedly.  Help me today to seek You and to be known as a follower of the one true God.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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