District Celebrate Life, Jan 26-27, Kuyper College Winter Jam, Jan 7 at VanAndel Arena beginning

at 6:00 p.m. Cost is $15 at the door.

Children's Ministries Outreach Ministries

Through Hand2Hand, Sparta Naz is partnering with Ridgeview Elementary School to confidentially pack and distribute weekend backpacks of nutritious food to identified low income families during the school-year. If you’d like to help in this ministry, please sign up at spartanaz.org or at the Welcome Center. The following canned food item donations are needed during the month of January to feed 100 children.

Regular serving sizes: Spaghetti O’s, Applesauce Cups, Pop Tarts,

and Boxed Macaroni & Cheese (NO EXPIRED DATES)

January Schedule

January 3: Regular Awana Activities

January 10: Regular Awana Activities

January 17: Western Night—Wear your western gear! January 24: Regular Awana Activities

January 27: Pinewood Derby Car Work Day

(9-Noon in Gym)

January 31: Regular Awana Activities

All Senior Adults Breakfast!

When: Tuesday, January 2 at 9:00 a.m.

Where: Russ’ on Alpine (3531 Alpine Ave. NW)

Invite a friend or neighbor to join you for this time of

food and fellowship! All senior adults are welcome!

Senior Adult Ministries

The choir will begin our Easter music

on Sunday, January 14, at 4:30 p.m.

with a preview. Road to Calvary

walks us down the path as we follow

Jesus’ footsteps from Nazareth, across

the hills of Galilee, traversing the

Mount of Olives, and walking a

lifetime of steps towards Gethsemane.

Carrying the weight of our sins up Calvary’s hill, He

gave His life’s blood for the redemption of every

man, woman and child; there He established this

unimaginably beautiful truth for all people, for all

time … Calvary covers it all. Come join the Easter

choir this year to express our love for the Savior

who walked that road, died for our redemption, and

rose again that we might have life everlasting!!!

Worship Arts Ministries

THRIVE Student Ministries

ONLINE DIRECTORY

To view the directory from a web browser:

1) go to members.instantchurchdirectory.com and click on “First

time signing in? Create a login now”

2) Enter your email address (must match the one we have on file)

and create your own password (8 characters long, with 2 spe-

cial characters (capital letters, numbers or symbols))

3) You will receive an email from Instant Church Directory so

you can verify your email by clicking on the link. When you

click the link, it will open mebers.instantchurchdirectory.com

login page. This is the web address you will use to view the

directory on any computer.

Sparta Naz Church Directory

CHURCH DIRECTORY APP

1) Search “Instant Church Directory” at your app store.

2) Follow all instructions.

3) If no email is found, please contact the church office.

Please be sure to e-mail a current photo for the directory to the church office (spartanazarene@ gmail.com). It is always helpful to be able to match a face to a name and the church directory helps us all do exactly that.

NAZARENE NEIGHBOR

January Nuggets:

Visit a shut-in at home or in a facility. Have coffee

or hot cocoa while you have a conversation with them

Be the first person to Pass It Forward … Buy the next person in line their lunch, gas, groceries, etc.

Donate your old Christmas lights to North Kent Connect. They recycle them so it keeps the light strings out of the landfill and recycling them pro-vides funds to help with other services offered.

Missions

You can change the world one child at a time.

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries’ child sponsorship

program focuses on holistic child development,

encouraging children to grow in all areas of their lives:

physical, intellectual, emotional, relational, and spiritual.

Through sponsorship, for just $30 a month, children have

the opportunity to:

Grow up healthy.

Receive an education.

Gain confidence and social skills.

Develop spiritually

Pick up more information at the Missions bulletin board in the main hallway and change the world .

Returning in February … GROWTH TRACK is for every person that attends Sparta Naz. In four sessions, you will discover who we are, what we believe, and your place in the body of Christ. Whether you have been here for years or are newer worshipers at Sparta Naz, we are encouraging every person, youth through senior adults, to participate in this endeavor as we build relationships with each other and Become … Like Jesus. Session 101 – offered the 1st Sunday of the month Discovering Mission and Core Values of Sparta Naz Session 201 – offered the 2nd Sunday of the month Developing the Essential Disciplines of a Healthy Believer Session 301 – offered the 3rd Sunday of the month Discovering Your Place in the Body of Christ Session 401 – offered the 4th Sunday of every month Joining Sparta Nazarene’s Ministry Team– The sessions will be held following the Sunday morning services. Food and childcare will be provided. You might take Session 101 in one month, and another session in a following month. They do not all have to be taken in one month, but rather over a span of time that is convenient for your family and schedule. Session size is limited to 12. You may use the special Growth Track Notebook at the Welcome Center to reserve your spots in February, March, October and November.

MISSION Reading books

Thank you, everyone, for the great interest there

has been in reading the new Mission Books! If

you would like to have your own copy of these

books, the NMI Council wants you to know these

mission books are also available for 99¢ online

from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or iBooks on

iTunes.

You can also download a PDF copy and audio

copy of these books at www.NPH.com. In the

Search bar, type “2017 Mission Reading Books”.

Click on More Information/Related Products to

find a link to FREE PDF and FREE Audio

Mission Books.

Please let Sandy Guin know when you have read

or listened to a Mission Book, as she is tracking

the number of books read or listened to this

church year.

Keep up the great work on reading and listening

as you learn interesting information on the work

of Christ around the world!

Greeting Card Making Class

Ladies, come join us for a greeting card class in the Cove on Saturday, January 20 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. There is a cost of $10 for supplies to make 5 beautiful cards. Just bring your scissors and the rest will be furnished in your kit! Sign up and pre-pay at the Welcome Center by January 14. Class size is limited to the first 15 participants.

Women’s Ministries

PRESORTED

STANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

SPARTA, MI

Permit No. 67

665 13 Mile Road

Sparta, MI 49345

(616) 887-1169 www.spartanaz.org *Address Service Requested*

Thank You ...

Service Schedule

Sunday………………….. 9:15 am Sunday School for all ages

10:45 am Morning Worship

5:45 pm Thrive Student Youth Group

(7th—12th grades)

Wednesday……………. 6:45 pm AWANA( Toddler—6th grade)

7:00 pm Adult Bible Study & praise team

(Nursery available for all services)

2018

We would like to thank you for all of the cards,

gifts, acts of kindness, and especially your prayers

these last few weeks during Jerry’s heart surgery.

God has been faithful.

~Jerry and Ellen Mullen

To the Church Board and Congregation,

Thank you so very much for your generous gifts to

all of us this Christmas. We are privileged to serve

an exceptional church. Your continued love, prayers

and support encourages us year round. We serve a

wonderful Lord and church family!

~Pastoral and Office Staff

“Undeck the Halls!” Saturday, Jan 6 at 9 am We are in need of men and women to help take down the Christmas decorations. Please sign up at the Welcome Center if you are able to help. Thanks!

Thank you to the Gleaners for coordinating with our

Senior Adults and Children to put together food

boxes to help families in our area. A total of 14

boxes have been distributed!

Thank you for your support and prayers!! January

brings week #30 (of 42) of chemo treatments for

Zuri Obotte, Pastor Tim and Nancy’s granddaughter.

Sparta Naz is continuing

Treatment Bags full of snacks/

beverages, small toys and activities

to send to the family for those

days at the hospital. A list of

suggested items to donate are

available at the Welcome

Center. Items can be dropped off

in Pastor Sherri’s office for

delivery.

Come and hear our own men’s trio, ‘Stand As One’ as they bring us a concert of your favorites for our Gathering on January 14 at 6:00 p.m.

Seasons A Monthly Publication of

Volume 16 Number 1; January 2018

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

On Sunday, October 8th, Brian Harmon is coming to Sparta Naz to give us some creative tools for sharing our faith with others. During a combined teen and adult Sunday School class at 9:15, he will be teaching some very practical ways that we can have conversa-tions with people about the LORD including our neigh-bors, classmates and even our family members.

T

SERVICE CANCELLATIONS:

For cancellation information due to weather, please watch WZZM (13) or WOOD (8), or listen to radio stations WCSG (91.3) or WFUR (102.9) for details. Any cancellations will also be posted on Facebook and our church website (spartanaz.org) for your convenience.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prayer for Christian Unity

Community Service at Sparta United Methodist Church

January 22nd 6:00 p.m.

Baby Day & Sanctity of Life Sunday

On Sunday, January 14, we want to ‘show off’ our babies! Parents of children birth to 2 1/2 years of age, please meet at Lighthouse Bay at 10:30 a.m. to join in a parade through the Sanctuary. We will also have photo ops available and a small gift for your child.

Beginning in January 2018 and throughout the year, we will be focusing on 'Becoming … like

Jesus'. Isn't this each of our goal in the pursuit for holiness? Pastor will be bringing message series

on subjects such as Worship, Prayer, Total Surrender, Biblical Community, Sharing Your

Faith, and Serving God's Purposes, while walking us through scriptures that teach us how

to Become.

JANUARY MEETINGS & EVENTS:

1/2: Creative Worship Planning ……………… 9:30 a.m.

1/6: ‘Undeck the Halls’ ……...………………. 9:00 a.m.

1/8: Children’s Council ………………………. 6:30 p.m.

1/9: Finance and Personnel Team ……………. 6:00 p.m.

1/9: Church Board Meeting ………………...…7:00 p.m.

1/16: NMI Council ……………………………. 7:00 p.m.

1/18: Library Committee Work Day ……..…… 4:00 p.m.

1/20: Card Making Class …………..…… 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

1/23: Facilities and Grounds Team ………… … 6:00 p.m.

1/26 - 1/27: District Celebrate Life @ Kuyper College

1/27: AWANA Derby Day …………… 9:00 a.m. - Noon

1/29: Outreach Team………………………….. 6:30 p.m.