An old African proverb states, “It takes a village.” But, God says it better in 1 Corinthi-ans 12:17-20, 27. “If the

whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in

fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts but one body…now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

Diverse skills, gifts, backgrounds, and personalities created a MACC team where so many contributed to the opening of our new church

home. I’ve always believed that any-thing of significance we accomplish takes a team. My dream and prayer is to continue in this team spirit as we love, serve, and minister to one another. One of my mentors pound-ed into me, “It is amazing what can be accomplished for the Lord when

we don’t care who gets the credit.” The list would be too extensive to name everyone who has assisted in the development of the MACC cam-pus. You selflessly gave your time, talents, and treasures to bring this dream God planted in us to comple-tion. But the truth is, we have only just begun.

God has brought us together for such a time as this. I am excited about the future. We continue in-

“...now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

vesting in our four pillars, chil-dren’s ministry, student ministry, life groups, and the worship of our Lord and Savior every Sunday morning. Our vision has expanded to include missions, sports, and Celebrate Re-covery. The goal of our campus is that our church would be open

everyday of the week for people to shepherd, care, and pray for people; a place where every event makes Jesus the hero. My mantra has al-ways been we may doze but we never close.

Get excited! God is moving!

I love this church!

Lew

Letter from Pastor Lew

SUMMERTIME SMILES!

Telling God NO

The fall is always a time for transi-tions. The summer is over, students are back in school, there aren’t any vacations to look forward to, not to mention the awesome transition

our church has just gone through as we’ve moved to our new building! Are you making any transi-tions this fall? Several months ago while listen-ing to Ronnie Floyd, the pastor of Cross Church in Arkansas, I learned an important lesson about transitions that I want to share with you.

During your transitions, I want to encourage you to tell God that you aren’t going without him. Refuse to go through your life without the presence of God.

In the book of Exodus, Moses and the Israelites were in an incredible transition. For centuries, they had been enslaved in Egypt, but God was finally bringing them out of slavery and into the Promised Land. Unfortunately, the Israelites weren’t as amazed as they should have been, and had been walking in disobedience to God dur-ing their transition.

Whenever we find ourselves in a period of tran-sition, we can allow ourselves to slide away from God, or we can renew our commitment to living life with an awareness of God’s presence.

Because of the Israelite’s sinful disobedience, God had decided to send the Israelites into their new land on their own, without his presence and protection (Exodus 33:3). Moses told God no.He refused to go into the Promised Land with-out God’s presence, and said to God, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). In other words, Moses says to God, “If you’re not going, I’m not going.” Moses told God no.

God’s presence should be a distinguishing mark on God’s people. Moses knew that, and was de-termined to have that mark placed upon himself and his people. God answered Moses’ prayer and

promised to lead Moses and the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses refused to go through life without the presence of God. Will you?

Pursue God’s presence in every area of your life. Moses refused to experience a nice, comfortable life in the Promised Land if God wasn’t coming. Are you willing to make sacrifices to know God?

We cannot use our lack of awareness of God’s presence as an excuse to be inactive in home, church, and work. Rather, we should relent-lessly pursue an awareness of God’s presence, so that we never have to go about life without him. Here are two strategies to turn your lifeless Christianity into a living relationship with Jesus.

God’s presence is made known to us through his Word, the Bible. Are you committed to reading your Bible every day? When you do read your

Bible, how much do you actually think about what you’ve read? Try reading the Word in the morning, and then reflect on what you’ve read throughout the day. Throughout the day, set two or three alarms on your phone to remind you to think about what you learned that morning as you go about your day.

Text messages allow us to stay in touch with people we care about through a lot of short mes-sages. What would happen if we talked to God this way?

Offer text message prayers to God throughout your day at work. “God, the work that I’m do-ing is for you.” “Holy Spirit, please give me pa-tience.” “Jesus, thank you for your presence.”Your prayer life doesn’t have to be exclusively made up of long periods on your knees. Speak to God with a one-sentence prayer as you walk from your car to the door, from your desk to the

bathroom, or in the moments before a meeting begins. Take advantage of every idle moment by practicing prayer.

Just like Moses, we should refuse to go through life without God’s presence. No matter what activity is occupying your time, refuse to do it without God. Make Moses’ words your contin-ued prayer, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).

If you have put your faith in Jesus, you can rest assured that you will know the comfort of God’s presence, because we are his people. God re-sponded favorably to Moses’ prayer, and prom-ised his presence to the Israelites: “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

If Jesus is your savior, than he is also your con-stant friend. His cross made us his covenant people, and his presence always goes with his people.

“If You’re not going, I’m not going.”

- Devotional by Doug Hanna, youth leader at MACC, currently studying to be a pastor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

-Written by Bill Craig, Missions, Sports, and Outreach Pastor at MACC

Here are a few albums that I have really been enjoying lately. Hopefully, you will too! - Written by Brendan MacBride Technical Director

Switchfoot - Fading WestI have grown up listening Switchfoot, and they have grown a ton over the past 18 years of being a band. During that time, they have released nine studio albums. Even if you aren’t

aware of it, I am sure you have heard one of their songs at one time or another. After winning Grammys, having their songs in major mo-tion pictures, and releasing that many albums, you would think that their music would become dull at some point. Admittedly, I wouldn’t call myself a Switchfoot super fan, but Fading West reminds me of when I first heard their first major release, The Beautiful Letdown. This record is a whole new Switchfoot that you won’t find anywhere else. The sound of this record has more of an indie rock feel to it. If you haven’t gotten into a Switchfoot album lately, I suggest checking out this one. There is even a documentary they made along with the album that you can watch on Neftlix.Favorite Tracks: Love Alone is Worth The Fight, When We Come Alive, All Or Nothing At All

Brady Toops - I heard a lot about Brady Toops online but never really listened to his record until I heard he was touring with one of my favorite singer/songwriters, John Mark McMillan. Once I heard he was touring with McMillan, I knew I had to check out his self-titled album. If you enjoy McMillan, Kings Kaleidoscope, or NEEDTOBREATHE, you will be right at home with this record. One thing I have noticed about Toops’ album is that it has a special subdued, warm feel to the record as a whole that is very unique. I love the choir that backs up Toops on track 8, “Soon and Very Soon.”Favorite Tracks: By The River, Golden Bell, O For Grace

Ellie Holcomb - As Sure As The SunThe debut album from Ellie Holcomb is a great example of folk-pop that is full of charm and honesty. If you enjoy All Sons And Daughters, Regina Spektor, or Ingrid Michaelson, you should definitely give As Sure As The Sun a listen. From upbeat songs like The Broken Beautiful, to dialed-down acoustic tunes such as I Want To Be Free, Holcomb’s first full-length album never becomes stale. Holcomb’s vocals on the record are very delicate and pull you into the lyrics instead of drawing attention to her voice. Also, Holcomb has an acoustic EP With You Now, that is very good as well if you enjoy this album.Favorite Tracks: Marvelous Light, The Broken Beautiful, Songs Of Deliverance

In David Platt’s book Follow Me, his goal, according to Platt is, “to move from what we let go of to whom we hold on to. I want to explore not only the gravity of what we must forsake in this world, but also the greatness of the one we follow in this world. I want to expose what it means to die to ourselves and to live in Christ.”

He goes on to further write, “I am convinced that when we take a serious look at what Jesus really meant when he said, “Follow me,” we will discover that there is far more pleasure to be experienced in him, inde-scribably greater power to be realized with him, and a much higher purpose to be accomplished for him than anything else this world has to offer. And as a result, we will all—every single Christian—eagerly, willingly, and gladly lose our lives to know and pro-claim Christ, for this is simply what it means to follow him.”

Churches, small groups, homes, and mission fields are filled with scores of those who profess a faith in Jesus Christ but are not really following. What they say is that they are living in the light, but what they are re-ally living in is darkness (1 John 2:9). Platt wants his readers to be radical in their Christian commitment and covenant, as well as ensure they have left behind the frills and spoils of superficial religion for the joy of supernatural regeneration. In his book, Platt reveals how God, through the work of sanctification, trans-forms our minds, our wills, and our hearts. Follow Me is a brief theology of living the Christian mission. It is the foundation for cultivating a Christiocentric world view that is displayed by our orthopraxy every day and every where.

Platt has the reader ask:• How will I fill my mind with truth?• How will I fuel my affections for God?• How will I share God’s love as a witness in the

world?• How will I show God’s love as a member of a

church?• How will I spread God’s glory among all

people?• How will I make disciple makers among a few

people?

He then expands on these questions by engaging and challenging us to do one thing well, following Christ. This also makes a great small group study that will al-low groups to grow and follow Christ together.

It has been a great summer for our sports missions projects. We hosted 13 different sports camps, with 90 volunteers and hundreds of children, 2 years old to 5th grade, hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, while de-veloping athletic skills and promoting healthy lifestyles. We designed the camps this year to encourage children to try sports that they may not have experienced before, and we have had a phenomenal response. We also designed it to be financially friendly for families both inside and outside of MACC. In fact, we gave away over 50 scholarships to families and chil-dren this summer. What a blessing to be able to do this! It goes a long way in helping promote friends becoming family.

This fall, we will be launching TFL, To-tally Fit Life, to promote healthy life-styles for the family. We will also be offering speed classes for kids in 1st to 5th grade to help with speed, con-ditioning, and cardio. Both of these are great next steps for you and your children to live healthier, stronger, and longer together.

Contact Pastor Bill Craig, bill.craig@themacc.org or the MACC office, (410) 451-5110, if you are interest-ed in participating in our Sports Min-istry or finding out more about these and other sports mission projects.

Jonathan Bellamy, Age 10 - My favorite part was water day. At KiCK, I learned that you can become a hero with the power of God.

Olivia Bellamy, age 7 - My favorite part was snacks and group time together in the big room where we learned about God. I learned that Jesus can do anything.

Adaleia Cross, age 5 - My favorite parts of KiCK were the crafts, the obstacle course, and the song “Big and Small, He Loves Us All”. We learned about Heroes. They take action and save the day. God is our Hero.

Jennifer Osterhouse, Creation Station volunteer with K-2nd grade - First of all, I’d like to say that I had a blast serving at KiCK. Everyone at MACC is so nice and welcoming, and the kids were so fun to work with!My favorite part was helping the kids with their crafts. It is just so neat to see how creative they were with their crafts each day. It was really interesting to see the difference in the age groups too, as the level of complexity and creativity in their projects changed from the younger to the older kids.I think my favorite thing I heard at KiCK was on Thursday. I was working with two boys on their cross craft and the one boy said, “I think my favorite part about this week was making new friendships.” The other boy said, “Yeah, that was mine too!” They were talking about how they didn’t know each other that well at the beginning of the week and that by Thursday they had made some good friends. It was very meaningful and cute. It was a definite testament to the atmosphere that was created at KiCK.

Jill Spann, Snack Room volunteer - My favorite part of KiCK (and it is always my favorite part) is watching the kids sing and dance. My favorite moment was reading the prayer requests written by the kids after Pastor Lew shared about being adopted by Jesus. Many prayer requests were for themselves to be adopted or giving thanks that they were adopted.

Bill Hatzfeld - My favorite part of KiCK was teaching about David. Watching the kids (and leaders) attempt to build a tall tower was really cool. Seeing how tall Goliath was, the kids really enjoyed.

My favorite moment was hearing the kindergarten kids tell me that they have been praying for my finger to get better. That was very nice. Also, the adults on the water slide, is always a great memory. Go Julie and Krystal!

Lisa Leitch, Children’s Ministry Director - My favorite part of KiCK was walking around and watch-ing God work through so many people! At the end of the first night of KiCK, a 5th-grade girl pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket, and with a shocked look on her face said, “This is the longest I’ve ever gone without checking my phone!” Good job KiCK team!

KiCK memories from Heros, BIG and small

Our Family - Get to know our staff and elders each issue!Tell us something random about yourself that peo-ple might not know ? I played ice hockey for 15 years and started at an early age. I played on travel teams and played all over the east coast and in Canada. Also, I played guitar in a band for a couple of years and we toured all over the country. That was two ran-dom things you might not have known! So, you got lucky this time.

Give us an idea of what a typical work week looks like for you. A typical work week for me is designing graphics, filming and editing videos, updating and designing assets for our website, planning creative ef-forts for our next sermon series, taking photos, pro-gramming lights, and a whole ton of other creative and technical arts here at MACC. I spend all my time at MACC creating media and environments that aid in pointing people to Jesus when they come through our doors.

Name three of your favorite things. My 3 favorite things, huh? Well, if I was stuck on a desert island with only three things I would bring along a film camera, some sort of instrument and some good cof-fee. I love taking pictures, whether that be through photography or video, and I love capturing a moment in time. It would be a film camera because then I wouldn’t have to worry about batteries. Also, I’d bring a guitar or some kind of instrument because I love music. It gives us a way to be creative and respond to

What do you enjoy the most about serving as an elder? I enjoy serving the Lord in any capacity. Being an elder has provided new opportunities to serve the MACC family and support the great church staff that we have. I enjoy spending time with the many friends Cindy and I have at the MACC. You certainly don’t have to be an elder to be involved in a life group, but I really enjoy this aspect of our church. It is a great way to meet new folks, to grow spiritually, and to support each other through the challenges that life brings.

Tell us something random about yourself that people might not know. I served in the submarine force and retired from the Navy in 2003. While serving as en-gineering officer on the USS FINBACK, we had port calls in two countries that I always wanted to visit. During a Mediterranean deployment, we pulled in to Brest, France and I took a train to Paris for a few days. Then we had a port call in Haifa, Israel and I was able to tour the Holy Land. Two wonderful places that I will always remember. Share with us about your career and family. I currently work as a systems engineer for KeyW which is an IT company. I serve as an integration and test lead for a group that tests and deploys hardware and software products. My wife Cindy and I have been married for 31 years. We have three adult children, Scott who is 29 and engaged, Kim who is 28, and Jeff who is 25 and was just married by Pastor Lew in June.

Name three of your favorite things. Spending time with my family and friends, watching and playing sports, and church setup and take down. Hawaiian pizza (ham and pineapple) is a close fourth on my list of favorite things. Favorite Scripture and why: Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

There is great peace in knowing that we can turn our cares and concerns over to God and that he will protect our hearts and minds in Jesus.

Fred Forney, Elder at MACC for two years

God’s creation worshipping through song. But I guess I could just use my voice to do that without an instru-ment thus giving me an extra item to bring, in which case I could actually bring some film to put into that camera. Lastly, I would bring some coffee to keep me feeling good and energized. Hopefully that island has a roastery that roasts fresh single origin coffee beans. This all depends on if I actually get a choice of what to bring when I get deserted on said island.

Tell us about your family. I am married to the most stunningly beautiful and amazingly, smart girl in the world, Lydia MacBride, who edits this newsletter so she might see this. We met in college through mutual friends and have been married for almost 3 years now. We both work at MACC full time. We both grew up in southern Anne Arundel County. I have one older brother Devin, who lives in Ellicot City with his wife Jessie. They have two kids, Keira and Dylan. My par-ents live in Harwood and are both retired.

Favorite Scripture and why: John 3:30, “He must become greater, I must become less.” It is so simple yet it is so profound to me. Even though everything tells us that “I” must become greater, John is saying, “no we as servants must become less visible,” so that we might glorify God in serving Him. He MUST be-come greater in our lives so that our eyes and our ears are set on Him. This is a simple reminder that I need to hear each and every day.

Brendan MacBride, Technical Director, working at MACC since 2009

Parents! Want to know what your kids will be learning about this September?

Club House Kids - Have you ever walked through your local grocery store and noticed the potential just sitting on the shelves?You can head down one aisle and discover spices from around the world. Over in the produce stands, you can find the ripest apples, cartons of blueberries, may-be even some obscure dragon fruit. Not to mention all of the staples on another aisle: flour, sugar, eggs, and milk.

Incredible ingredients that will sit there and go bad unless someone takes them home and creates some-thing delicious.

You can speculate all day about the potential in that grocery store, but until there is some type of response to what you believe can really happen, it’s just potential. In other words, with the right kind of response, faith in a process I can’t fully understand, and a big mess of dishes, those ingredients could turn into warm, sticky-sweet, apple cobbler goodness. But if those ingredients just sit there, even though they have incredible po-tential, the flour will just stay powdery and tasteless. The butter will soften. And those apples will turn brown. In fact, if you do nothing, they will lose their potential and turn into something that just makes your trash smell bad.

Think about someone’s life, with all of the God-given, God-created ingre-dients. You have time, talents, opportunities, words, and resources. The point is, we can choose to either respond to what God has given us or we can ignore it. One of the most powerful things leaders and parents can do is to inspire their children to trust that God can do amazing things through the abilities He’s given them. Kids should grow up knowing that their faith in God’s ability to do that, can profoundly affect how they view and respond to their unique potential.

That’s why we’re taking September to look more closely at what the Bible has to say about responsibil-ity. We define responsibility as: Showing you can be trusted by what you say and do.

In Week 1, we head back to the garden of Eden where God created Adam and Eve and gave them their First Job. Through passages in Genesis 1 and 2, we’ll see how they were put in charge of the entire world. They took responsibility and began to cultivate the earth.

Our Bottom Line is: Show you can be trusted by tak-ing care of what God has made. The first job God gave to Adam and Eve was a task that we can continue today.

In Week 2, we’ll look at 1 Kings 19:16-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-15. Elijah was nearing the end of his work as God’s prophet. God chose Elisha to carry on the work. But first, Elisha had some things to learn.

Our Bottom Line is: Show you can be trusted to lead by learning how to follow. We all want to lead, but we need to learn from our leaders before we can be in charge.

In Week 3, we’ll hear from one of Jesus’ parables in Matthew 21:28-32. In the Parable of the Two Sons, a father asked his sons to do some work. One said “yes” but didn’t follow through with his actions. The other said “no” at first, but ended up completing the job anyway. We’ll discover that it’s important to do what you say you will.

Our Bottom Line is: Show you can be trusted by what you do. You can’t just say you’ll do something; you actually have to do it.

In Week 4, we’ll look at another of Je-sus’ parables found in Matthew 25:14-29a. In the Parable of the Talents, a business owner went on a trip and put three guys in charge of some money. Each one did something different, but only two of them were found faithful and given more responsibility.

Our Bottom Line is: Show you can be trusted with more by taking care of what you have. If you want more re-sponsibility, show that you can be re-

anEXCITING FALL to come!

CHILDREN’S ministry

2485 Davidsonville Rd, Gambrills MD 21054

office@themacc.org

(410) 451-5110

EVENTS,LIFE GROUPS,NEWS & MORE

sundayservices9:15 & 11 AM

sponsible with what you already have.

Our memory verse this month is Luke 16:10a, “Who-ever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (NIV) When we show responsibility with the little things, there’s a good chance we’ll have opportunity for greater responsibility in the future.

God has created everyone with potential: talents, time, resources, opportunities. And we can either re-spond to God with our abilities in a way that hon-ors Him, or we can waste what He has given. Think about the word responsibility. It really breaks down into how you respond with your abilities. And we want children to not only understand how to respond to the ability that God’s given them, but also how to respond to God’s ability to work through them to change the world around them. By Dan Scott ©2014 The re-Think Group. All rights reserved. www.ThinkOrange.com *Used by permission.

Tree House Kids - How often do we throw out the words, “I’ve got it”? More often than we’ve actually got it, I would think. You know who’s actually “got it”? God’s got it. He is everywhere and has power over everything. That’s what we want our preschoolers to learn this month. No matter what’s going on, God’s got it. Our verse for September is Joshua 1:9 “God is with you wherever you go.”

Parent Cues - We are so excited to have your child for an hour (or two) on Sunday mornings, but we don’t want to hog all of the fun! Our goal at MACC Kids is to combine the light of the church with the love of the family, so please don’t miss out on this opportunity to invest in your child’s spiritual walk. Parent Cues are emailed once a month, posted on our MACC Kids facebook page, and can be easily downloaded to your smart phone. Parent Cues provide you with fun ways to re-inforce the lessons, verses, and Bible stories your kids are being taught on Sunday mornings.

Serve in MACC Kids - Are you interested in getting plugged into MACC Kids but not sure where or how? Go to www.themacc.org/childrensecurity and look over our volunteer in-formation form. All of the possibilities are listed! If you find an area that sounds good for you, simply fill out the form online and click submit! If you have any questions, please email children@themacc.org.

There will also be Nursery & Preschool Volunteer Training on Saturday, August 30, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Please email sheila@themacc.org to RSVP and for more information.

REVO STUDENT ministry

Unstoppable is a five-week series about Jesus throughout the Old Testament. The entire Bible is the story of Je-sus, not just the New Testament. Join us as we dig into a variety of stories in the Old Testament that reveal Jesus and His unstoppable mission to save the lost.

Jesus himself shared passages of the Old Testament with His followers to teach and encourage them.“And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:25-27

This five-week series will begin September 5 for middle school REVO Nights and September 7 for high school REVO Nights. Here is a breakdown of the series:

Sept. 5 and 7 - Snakes on a Pole, Numbers 21:6-9,A picture of God’s forgiveness and our redemption

Sept. 12 and 14 - Battle Plan, Joshua 5:13-6:6,Joshua hears Jesus’ plan for attack

Sept. 19 and 21 - Here Comes the Boom, Genesis 32:24-30, Jacob wrestles with Jesus

Sept. 26 and 28 - Bad Grandma, Joshua 2-6The story of Jesus’ great-great-etc. grandma, Rahab, her faith, and transformation.

Oct. 3 and 5 - Our Hero’s Song, Psalm 22Song of our Savior’s death

stay connected with revoREVO Student Ministry offers a variety of ways to stay connected for parents and students. Parents can receive weekly emails about the ministry, youth group topics, upcoming events, helpful parenting articles and more. Contact lydia@themacc.org to sign up for the email list.

Students and parents, like xREVOx on Facebook and follow xrevoxstudents on Instagram. Feel free to con-tact lydia@themacc.org or joe@themacc.org with any questions.

Letters to My Teenage-SelfIn October, we will begin a series, titled Letters to my Teenage-Self. We will be asking parents and youth leaders to share about what they would have loved to know when they were teens.

Looking back, we all have lessons we learned from, experiences we could have done without, and times when God was shaping us. Our lives are stories our Creator is writing, and they need to be shared. Our prayer is that these letters shared will be messages of God’s hope, redemption, grace, and unfailing love. Pray that our students’ hearts will be open to God and His story He is writing in each of us.

student life groupsOur student ministry team is excited for life groups to start this fall. We offer life groups for middle school and high school boys and girls. Check out the Life Group Sign Up Fair after Sunday services on Septem-ber 14 to sign up. We will also be having Life Group Sign Ups at REVO Nights, Fridays 7-9 p.m. for mid-dle school and Sundays, 7-9 p.m. for high school.

Life groups provide students with the opportunity to dig deeper into God’s Word with their youth leaders, growing friendships with others their age and growing spiritually with Jesus.

Middle School Conference, Ocean City, November 21-23, $125Sign-up coming soon! Contact lydia@themacc.org. worship music, Christian speakers, crazy activities,

beach and boardwalk, great memories, and much more

ALIVEMOTHERS of PRESCHOOLERS

Fall Kick-OffMACC MOPS is ready to kick off the 2014-15 year! The steering committee has a great fall semester planned and encourage all mothers (expecting through those with kindergartners) to join us.

MOPS is designed to encourage, equip, and develop every mother of preschool-ers to realize her potential as a woman, mother, and leader in the name of Je-sus Christ. This year’s theme is Be You, Bravely, and will encourage us to live deeply and choose the extraordinary!

Our first meeting will be September 5 at the new church building from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Registration is now open! For more information, please contact Amber Kyler at maccmops@gmail.com

Get Involved with MOPS!We are looking for kind and loving people to care for the children of the moms who come to MOPS. Over half our moms and their children get their only exposure to Jesus, prayer, Bible stories, and more at these meetings. This is a very exciting ministry! For more infor-mation or to sign up as a caregiver, please contact Sarah Mathews at macc.moppets@gmail.com.

Fall Meeting Schedule:

September 5 and 19

October 10 and 24

November 7 and 21

December 5 and 19

ALIVEThe Pier, a new young adult ministry, will be form-ing. This ministry will begin in September. The Pier is for those who are between the ages of 18 and 35. Often, young adults feel lost in church families. We know that God passionately loves them and has an unbelievable purpose in mind for each person. Our mission is to help guide young adults to love God with their whole hearts, to love others with a strong and pure love and to serve with a zealous and self-sacrificing spirit. Our first event will be held at our church building on Saturday, September 13 at 6 p.m. We will share a meal together starting at 6. Beginning at 6:45, we will share the vision for the ministry, followed by games to help the group get to know each other. Feel free to bring your favorite dish to share and to invite those who you think are interested in joining The Pier. Contact David or Erin Godwin with any questions at david@themacc.org or eringodwin33@gmail.com.

the PIER

New Commandment is a ministry where the love of Christ truly comes alive as the men in the church come together to serve the widows and elderly, as well as the wives of those in the church whose husbands are currently deployed. We meet at our new church home on the third Saturday of every month at 8 a.m.

NEW COMMANDMENT

We begin our meeting with a brief time of Scripture reading and prayer before mobilizing into teams to head out to different locations of need. Our purpose is to be the hands and feet of Christ as we assist with projects for the care receivers. If you are interested in getting involved, know anyone who would benefit from this ministry, or have any questions, please con-tact David Godwin, david@themacc.org or call the church office.

“Let our people learn to engage in good deeds, to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful” Titus 3:14

WOMEN’S ministryThe women’s ministry team is gearing up for a great fall season full of amazing Bible studies and our an-nual fall dinner in October.

Make sure to stop by our table at the Life Group Sign Fair, Sunday September 14, to sign up for Thursday morning and evening Bible Studies (separate groups studying the same topic.)

Thursday Bible Study will be starting back up on Sep-tember 18, and will be meeting in the morning, 9:15 to 11 a.m., and evening, 7 to 8:30 p.m. We will be exploring 1 Samuel and how God uses people who are obedient to His calling. Our key verse is 1 Samuel 16:7b, “...for the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” What we learn that day, Diane Vreeland will

be capturing the same stories and teaching them to our children. Booklets with homework will be avail-able for $5 starting on September 14.

On Monday, October 6, we will be hosting our an-nual fall dinner at the new church building. The Start of Something New is all about the changes as women we want to make in our spiritual, personal, and family life in the coming year. Zoe Elmore will be sharing her story about how God has been leading her through a new chapter in her own life. The night will be full of good food, fellowship, worship, and be a time to renew your spirit. The cost of the dinner is $25.

If your heart is pushing you to serve, we have many great opportunities for you to get involved. Please contact Cindy Haycock for more details at cindyhaycock@yahoo.com

Zoe Elmore

We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God’s ways of handling money. Through video teaching, class dis-cussions, and interactive small group activities, FPU presents biblical and practical steps to get from where you are to where you’ve dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!FPU classes meet for about an hour and a half each week for nine weeks.

The next two MACC FPU classes will start in Septem-ber. Sign up for classes at the Life Group Sign Up Fair after Sunday services on September 14.

Celebrate Recovery has moved to Friday nights. Same ministry, same principles, same grace, same Jesus, just a different night.

The purpose of our Celebrate Recovery ministry is to fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power in our lives through the 8 Recovery Principles. This experience allows us to be changed. By working and applying these Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy, and most importantly, a stronger person-al relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program, we discover our personal, lov-ing, and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ, the one and only true Higher Power.

Special Event - Join us September 12 for a pot-luck dinner. Cathy Dent will be sharing her testimo-ny. Dinner starts at 6 p.m., and worship will follow at 7 p.m.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are com-forted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

Celebrate Recovery is hosting an 8-Week Study on The Beatitudes from Matthew 5, the foundational principles for Celebrate Recovery. Happiness is a choice, and you can choose it, one choice at a time!

Here is a breakdown of the study:1 - Admitting Need - The Reality Choice2 - Getting Help - The Hope Choice3 - Letting Go - The Commitment Choice4 - Coming Clean - The Housecleaning Choice5 - Making Changes - The Transformation Choice 6 - Repairing Relationships - The Relationship Choice7 - Maintaining Momentum - The Maintenance Choice8 - Recycling Pain - The Sharing Choice

Make the first choice. Sign up for the study at the Life Group Sign Up Fair after Sunday services on Septem-ber 14.

“Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor...” Matthew 5:8

Why should I serve on a ministry team? Two reasons we should serve: 1) to glorify God 2) to edify others

How does serving glorify God? Serving is a form of worship, and worship glorifies God.

Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God sup-plies; so that in all things God may be glori-

fied through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.

1 Peter 4:11

How does serving edify others?Serving “builds up” the church.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to pre-pare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Ephesians 4:11-12

Where should I serve?One of the greatest and easiest ways to begin your ministry journey is to serve where there is a need in the church. Volunteer in an area and begin making relationships with other MACC family members.

Where am I needed?Some of our greatest needs could be our Sunday morning teams. This would be our ushers, greet-ers, hosts, parking, or kids check-in. Most of these teams offer opportunities to serve once a month. For more information on any of these areas, email us at office@themacc.org

There will be a Wednesday class from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be no childcare. The class coordinator for Wednesdays is Michele Sturlaugson. For more infor-mation and to register, visit: daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/org/24048/class/261022/atid/l_mi

There will also be a Sunday class from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Childcare is provided. The class coordina-tor for Sundays is Mitch Ekstrom. For more informa-tion and to register, visit: daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/org/24048/class/259284/atid/l_miYou can also contact the church office, office@themacc.org.

FINANCIAL peace UNIVERSITY

India Missions Trip - We have a missions team traveling to India in Novem-ber to work with the Lal family. The Lal’s are church planters and have planted over 350 churches in India. Some in our group will be working with the Lals to train women who are becoming beauticians and men who are learning trades to serve on the mission field. In church planting, it is crucial to have a plan in place to assist the planters and missionaries to become self-supportive and develop a model that can be replicat-ed. Teaching trades and providing new business loans are some ways we can help make this happen.

Our team will also be running Bible and sports camps. They will also be working with children in a school run by the Lals that minister to children from the slums of India. About one in six Indian city resi-dents lives in an urban slum with unsanitary condi-tions that are unfit for human habitation.

The slums are habitations of hopelessness. Hopeless-ness carries through their religion. Imagine that you believe you have to live multiple lives over and over again serving tens of thousands of different gods, never knowing if you will ever find favor from one of them so that your soul can finally escape the confines of its human body. Over 80% of the population of India is Hindu. Hinduism is a part of the culture of the people of India. It dominates through the cultural norms and traditions that weave through daily life and rituals.

Although it is not illegal to share your faith in India, it is not encouraged. On June 16, a church at Seh-kari Nagar, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, was attacked by activists of a Hindu extremist group, Bajrang Dal. In another incident, the Gunti family whom we also support in India, had two of their mission teams ar-rested for transporting children to and from VBS. They were accused of proselytizing minors.

Here is how you can partner with us: pray for God to prepare the field and ground in India for us. Pray for preordained opportunities to build relationships and share the Gospel. Pray for protection for us as we go into a new culture that can be dangerous.

Missions Concert - There will be a Missions Concert, Saturday, Septem-ber 20, to help raise money for MACC Missions. We have numerous local and global projects planned for 2015. There’s no time like the present to get involved and join in missions with us.

Missions Perspectives Class - You can also sign up for our spring Perspectives class. It is one of the best ways to become aware of missions and learn why God has designed and raised us up to be His church.

Get Involved with Missions - For more information about missions at MACC, have questions about how to serve locally and/or globally, or want to find out how to support our missionaries and missions teams contact Pastor Bill Craig, bill.craig@themacc.org.

macc MISSIONS

What were some of the projects your team worked on? We worked on the pastors home installing tile flooring in the bathroom, laminate flooring in the living area, as well as yard work: cleaning, pruning, mowing, and gardening. We moved and renovated the church play ground and built a new picnic shelter.

Favorite memories from the trip? Fred Forney break-ing into the church through a window because we lost the key. Hatzfields delivering flyers and being chased down by a woman who thought they were up to no good. The building projects are also favorite memo-ries. Also, the baptism of three people, one was a team member who went on the trip from MACC, Conner Wallace, and two new Christians from the church we were serving, was a favorite memory. The VBS and working with the children was also memorable.

How do you believe Jesus was shared by your team to the people of West VA? The children at VBS heard the Gospel through the stories, crafts, and the practi-cal love displayed through our team. The church saw the love of the body of Christ displayed and what the body of Christ can do when there is a vision to live out mission together. Each night we shared stories during our devotional time and it was during that time when Conner received Christ as his Lord and Savior.

How did the team experience Jesus? We experience Christ when He comes into our life as a friend and leaves us in Himself as a family making us coheirs in Christ. Thirty missionaries, who didn’t know one an-

other beyond a few casual friendships, became family that week. In this way, we modeled the redemptive story and MACC’s mission.

How was this trip different from other missions trips? Talk about the idea of a family trip! As I said in my former answer, it felt very much like a big family. When you live in tents and eat out of tin cups, roast marshmallows, and wait in line for showers and bath-rooms, transparency isn’t a hard thing to accomplish. Imagine a home of 30 people with two bathrooms, waking up early every morning, and getting to bed late exhausted.

Is there plans for more family missions trips? Yes, there will be more family missions opportunities. We won’t use the term trip in our missions in the future because it’s more than a trip. It is designed to intro-duce the family to a missional lifestyle. God wants the family on mission for Him, and this is an opportunity to live out this call. It also encourages families to re-turn home and continue living out this missional life in their own community.

Anything else on your heart that you want to share about the trip? On mission, you want to be so ex-hausted at the end of the day that you can’t wait to go to sleep, but you are so excited for what the next day is going to bring that you can’t get to sleep. This is the daily experience we should have when we live for Jesus demonstrating the power and love of His gospel.

Pastor Bill Craig, missions and sports pastor, shared with us his memories from the family missions trip.

Memories from West Virginia...