Christian Halloween??
25 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
This is the first post in a series of “Understanding the Origins”
Understanding the Origins…Halloween
This is undoubtedly more misunderstood than any other holiday event. It has become important to our family to remove secular aspects out of Christian holidays. Although this can be challenging, we must make a biblical stance, do our research, and look for ways to put Christ back into commercialized holidays. This is the most appropriate time of year to begin thinking about this issue….with some of the most important Christian holidays right around the corner.
Halloween can appear to be nothing more than a pagan event over exaggerated by neighbors as well as candy and costume manufacturers and big box retailers, but the word Halloween is a blending of All Hallows Eve, referring to the night before All Saints Day. Hallow means“holy”and this day was actually intended to be a righteous opportunity purposed in history past to commemorate old saints. I encourage you to carefully examine the history of Halloween. Halloween is tied directly to All Saints Day celebrated on November 1 of each year to commemorate the old saints who have passed on. These “saints” were heroes and martyrs for the Christian Faith.
We understand that much of Halloween has been manipulated and “tricked” by the secular commercialization and much of what happens on Halloween is far from spiritual. We must remember, however, that we should conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ as we are told in Philippians 1:27.
Christian Halloween and All Saints Day come together in purposeful unity as the one protects and covers the other. It is a time for the Gospel to devour the ghouls. Check out the links I have added to research Halloween with your own family!
Get into the Holiday Spirit…..Operation Christmas Child
05 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
PRAY. GIVE. GET INVOLVED….that’s their motto, and it should be ours too!! The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This Sunday, the 9th of October, All Saints will launch Operation Christmas Child. We will begin in our Sunday School classes with a wonderful video, and then we will have a table upstairs. Please come by the table and pick up your box! Deadline to turn in boxes is November 13th. We hope you will help us make this a great success! For more information, please contact Jessica Greiner or Connie Berger.
Wisdom vs. Temptation
21 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
We all make choices everyday – thousands of them. Most of them may seem insignificant, but in the end, they all matter. Everything matters because everything we do and don’t do affects everything else. Making wise choices should be a daily goal of all Christians and the book of Proverbs is the perfect instruction book for “wisdom”. Every believer must learn to stand alone against evil and for truth.
Last week, as we read through the first seven chapters of Proverbs, we are given relevant instructions on how to apply God’s wisdom in our lives. Solomon calls out and encourages us to embrace it, describing the moral benefits of wisdom and pointing out that God’s wisdom is supreme. As James describes, temptation is both personal and universal. “Each one” of us – even the most spiritually mature – experiences temptation. It’s all around us…..magazines, television, movies, music, billboards and on and on with many other categories of worldly influenced temptation. How can we ourselves combat the world’s seducing messages of temptation? How can we teach our children to fight against temptation and seek to stand up for the truth? The answer lies in the WORD. The living WORD, sitting on all our coffee tables and nightstands….filled with endless practical ways to make better choices and glorify God in the process. This powerful book that we all take for granted, gives us all the necessary skills in order to implement more Godly attributes in our lives and in our choices. We all make choices and our choices add up. What will your choices add up to today? At the end of the day, can you measure them against God’s WORD and choose wisdom over temptation?
Just as our High School students were challenged, I encourage you to read a Proverb a day! Stay connected with the WORD and seek out truth and wisdom in your everyday life!!!
Check out the You Version link to the right. It’s a great application tool to read or listen to the bible wherever you are. The NIV version has a wonderful dramatic audio version. You can use You Version on your home computer or download it as an app for your phone.
Set your alarm clocks…breakfast is on!!
08 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
Set your alarm clocks!!! Our Discipleship Sunday School program is starting up on September 11th. We will have three classes all starting at 9:15 AM…..but first we’ll enjoy a light breakfast together!
- Kindergarten – 4th grade: Taught by Dave & Jessica Greiner
- Grades 5th – 7th: Taught by Bill Valentine, assisted by Gaynair Hamilton
- Grades 8th – 12th: Taught by Scott & Sally Simon
We are 
so excited to launch this new program. We will offer spiritually enriching classes that are God-centered, Bible based, age appropriate…and most importantly, will aim at helping students apply Biblical truths to everyday life! If you are interested in finding out more information about our curriculum, please click on the link to the right.
The Power of the Home
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
As I poured through an article by Kevin Spratt on the Power of the Home, it rang close to my heart. I was struck by his statement, “The power of the home lies in a husband following Christ to lead his family to fulfill the Great Commission.” This has become ever so important in today’s society. The premiere of the movie “Courageous” will be the most powerful movie produced in a very long time. I wish every dad in America had the opportunity to see this movie and have the “boost” they deserve, to grip honor by the handles and bring it back into every American home. It’s not just dads, however, that need the courage to raise families in God-honoring ways…..it’s mom’s too!! The Bible tells us that we must live in the world, but not be of the world (1 John 2: 15). Families in this day and age must be courageous and stand firm in their faith, husbands and wives uniting together to bring God back to EVERY aspect of the home.
Men are invited to join us for a day they will never forget:
“Courageous” Movie Outing
Friday, September 30th
See Dave Greiner to register
Fall Youth Kick-off
30 Aug 2011 1 Comment
All youth grades 6 and up are invited to join us for our Fall Youth Kick-off!!!
September 10th
Food & Games start at 3:30 PM in the MPR
High School will be departing for Cosmic Bowling at Junction Lanes @ 5:00 PM
Middle School will remain in the MPR for “Servant Saturday” – cooking for our parish members is on the agenda.
