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May 27th 2015COMMUNITYFREE CHURCH WEEKLY

Wow! I dont know about you, but I was so blessed to have had a chance to attend so many graduation celebrations and hear what God is doing in the lives of our great young men and women! Here is a quick update:

Justin Reed is attending ISU in the fall majoring in history with the plan to teach history.

Isaac Ekberg is attending Parkland in the Fall

Lane Shafer is attend Illinois Wesleyan in the fall majoring in biology and looking at something within the medical profession in he future.

Mallory Bauer is still undecided between attending Olivette University and ISU as both have great Special Education teaching programs.

Each one of these Graduates heading off to University this next year need our prayer. Ask the Lord to stretch, bless, and grow them for His glory. Also pray for the ways that we can be a great encouragement to them.

Changing the World Locally and Globally!

June 3rd at 7:15pmAre you interested

(and is God calling you) to help us encourage our missionaries and

look at new ways we can reach out and make a dierence through of

the power of the gospel?

Come out Wednesday night and join the Missions Team!

MISSIO NS MEETING

Tuesday 5/26 Community Groups Schifo Home 6:00pm Wright Home 7:00pm

Wednesday 5/27 Youth Ministry 6:00pm

Just Do Something 7:00-8:00pm

With Rob and Michelle Shafer at church

Elders Meeting 7:30pm (Rescheduled) Thursday 5/28 Parking Lot Prayer 7:00-7:20am Worship Practice 7:30pm

Saturday 5/30 Act Like Men 7:00am Basketball 8:30am Sunday 5/31 Christian Education 9:30am Childrens Sunday School 9:30-10:30am

Childrens Church 10:45am Worship Service 10:45am

Monday 6/1 Church Office closed Martial Arts 6:00pm

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Whats Happening This Week at Your Church?

Prayer Before Work?Weekly we are going to have an open time of prayer in the parking lot of CEFCM, Thursdays from 7:00am-7:20am. Stop by on your way to work and join in as we seek God together. This will be an open invite to ALL who call on the name of the Lord Joel 2:32, Romans 10:17 (ESV)

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (ESV)

We Must Abide in Christ for our

Prayer-life.May God open our eyes to see what the holy ministry of intercession is to which, as His royal priesthood, we have been set apart. May He give us a large and strong heart to believe what mighty influence our prayers can exert. And may all fear as to our being able to fulfill our vocation vanish as we see Jesus, living ever to pray, living in us to pray, and standing surety for our prayer-life.

Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things! ~Andrew Murray

DO YOU LIKE TO READ? DO YOU ORDER BOOKS AND OTHER THINGS FROM AMAZON.COM?DO YOU WANT THE CHURCH TO BENEFIT FROM YOUR PURCHASES?

When you shop on Amazon.com you can select your church, Community Free Church of Mahomet, as a beneficiary of a percentage of what is spent on your purchase. This is a free way that your church can be blessed to the work of the gospel.

How does AmazonSmile work?When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. In order to browse or shop at AmazonSmile, customers must first select a charitable organization. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the customers selected charitable organization.

Connecting in Better WaysIn 2 weeks we will begin to launch a smartphone text message alert system. In the past we have as a church always had trouble letting everyone know if there is a emergency or weather related cancellations. Going forward there will be a 3 hour window prior to services where we will make a decision regarding cancellations, and then send out a text message to all members and attenders. If you are not a smartphone user, or do not have access to texting, please let us know and we will add you to our physical call list. **Only the church secretary and Pastor will have access to this alert system.

Want to stay connected to Your church while on the go?

On your mobile browser type in: communityfreechurch.com

Then save that page to the home screen and your phone will access the mobile site every time you click the icon. From here you can call, email, access maps, weather, register for events, and connect to the ministries of the church!

Protecting your Family OnlineMore and more kids are on the internet. As schools are teaching kids to use the web as a resource, what they are not doing is protecting them against what they may find there. If we dont step up, and take steps to protect them, it will not be if, but when we they find those dark corners on the web. Grab a copy of the Covenant Eyes Guide to Protecting Your Family, as well as information to help you select the best program to safe guard the WHOLE family - in the church foyer.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

I believe that as we look at Deuteronomy 6:4-9 that Moses, inspired by the Spirit of God, lays out 4 steps that every parent, grandparent, or person of influence must employ concerning the Word.

First is the personal priority.As parents we must start with ourselves. We must be the people God has intended us to be. To take Him in the utmost seriousness, but ourselves far less seriously. To discover the richness of God's presence in our own lives before hoping to entrust this to our children.

Second, personal responsibility."And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently"Moses says that "first" these words must be upon our hearts, before you can share it with diligence to your children.

Teaching our children isn't an option, but a command. The reason so many of us struggle to do this is because a teacher must also be a student (Read Luke 6:40). Therefore, we must ply ourselves to the task of learning before teaching so that we might teach.

How are these words resting in your heart today?Do you desire a passion and zeal for God in your children, but youyourself are struggling?It is so important to ask these questions of ourselves because a Christian must look inward to look upward.Third, is the day to day reality.

"You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."Moses doesn't limit the impact and expression of faith to church or Bible study, but to all of life. In fact he mentions the employment of the word: "when you sit", "when you are walking along", and "when you lay down and when you rise". (Coincidently this is the verse I employ to say how important "pillow talk" and pillow prayer is for couples.)

Teaching your children and those around you about God ever starts, and never stops.It is part and parcel of moment of every day.

Lastly, is the signs of authority.Moses commands us to bind these words to our foreheads, and hands, and on the fronts of our homes. In a very physical sense Moses is referring to the Phylacteries (small box wore on the forehead), the Teffelin (leather cord wrapped on the arm), and the Mezuzah (small box containing Deuteronomy 8 on the doors of Jewish homes).

In a much bigger sense Moses is saying that by placing these, or other signs of your faith at the forefront, you are giving a sign as to your authority. This morning I need to take our mower in to get fixed. I am not just randomly dropping it off anywhere, but to Mid-Valley who has a sign out front that lets me know they are "mower specialists". They have advertised their authority to do the job.

Ourauthoritycomes from verses 1-2 in our loving Godsupremely, andthen we advertiseit by loving others sacrificially. In the Hebrew the idea is "hutzvah", or out of your "muchness". So then the question is: If we have loved with some, but not much, thenhow can we hope for the word we proclaim to be believed by a watching world, let alone our children?

"Heavenly Father, we ask that you would strengthen us to look inward, stir in us a passion through repentance that would drive us outward. We pray that through You we can lead our children, grandchildren, and all those we have influence over towards You. Father, help us to magnify your love and grace in authentic ways by Your word - In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Have a great day with Jesus,

On Sunday, April 25, as many Christians gathered in church buildings and other Nepalese opened their shops and tended their flocks, the ground began to shake violently. The earthquake, with its epicenter in the Himalayas, killed over 8,000 people. Immediately after the earthquake, Open Doors sent in a relief team to visit the affected Christians to bring them what they needed most: food and encouragement. The Open Doors team quickly discovered that the Nepalese Christians are being discriminated against because of their faith. Nepal, which has been a Hindu kingdom in the past, has a Christian minority of approximately 1.4 percent. With the rising influence of Hindu extremism in India, life is becoming difficult for Christians in Nepal, especially after the earthquake. I saw my wife standing shocked, her eyes red. She was tightly holding our two sons close to her. I tried to pull all three of them to safety, but the roof of the building fell, killing all three of them instantly. said Suresh Shreshtha, leader of the Alpha Church in Sindupalchok. Suresh lost his entire family. Sixty-three people were present in his church when the earthquake struck. The building was two stories high and the service was being held on the ground floor. As the building swayed uncontrollably in the earthquake, people ran toward the door in an attempt to save their lives. Bricks and wooden logs from the roof and walls had started falling when Suresh began to search for his family in the crowd. He spotted his youngest son, Samarpan, 5, on the floor. He rushed and picked up the little boy in his arms, only to find him dead. His head was bleeding. When I held him close to me I realized he was already dead. I hugged and kissed him with tears and handed him over to somebody outside the church building, Suresh told the Open Doors staff. Sureshs house was also completely destroyed in the earthquake. In fact, 23 families of Alpha Church lost their houses in the earthquake and are living in tents outside the church. Apart from Sureshs family, two more dead people were pulled from the rubble that day while two dead bodies remain buried. There are two bodies still in the heap of rubble which we were unable to pull out, mentions Suresh. The church premises have a bad odor because of the dead bodies. Sitaram Shreshtha, Sureshs brother, added, We requested help from government officials many times to help us remove the dead bodies from the rubble, but no one has come to date. They ignore us because we are Christians.

In fact, the whole village discriminates against us because of our faith. People in the village accuse this Christian community of luring people to the Christian faith.The non-Christian villagers protested and threw stones at the church members when they tried to camp in the vacant fields nearby, he continues. They had to camp on the church premises despite the odor. Open Doors staff visited Suresh and the Alpha Church members a week after the incident. Amazingly, despite the recent tragedy he had suffered, Suresh could be seen comforting other believers, reminding them of the hope they have in Christ. However, when sharing his agony with an Open Doors staff worker, he was almost in tears. This loss is too difficult for me to bear, he said. I cannot express the pain I have felt. However, the Lord has comforted me. A few days before the incident, the Lord spoke to me through his Word and told me that I would undergo great suffering, but He promised to wipe away all my tears. When I remembered this, I felt His peace. Despite the difficulties in the country, it was astonishing to discover how Christianity has grown in recent years. Many villages in the interior parts of the country are home to thousands of Christians. No vehicles can reach these villages. Open Doors visited some of these villages and provided them with aid, but there are many distant villages that can be reached only if one walks for two to three days. They are located in hilly regions and there are no roads connecting them. Landslides have made them all the more unreachable.There are numerous Christians in Nepal that are not receiving aid because they are discriminated against and often reside in villages which are very remote and difficult to reach. In such scenarios, prayer is the greatest support we can give them. Open Doors USA

Nepal

After much prayer, the Elders and Deacons feel that not only has the Lord said YES to AWANA for 2015/2016, but He has provided some pretty neat confirmations along the way.

Therefore, this year we are going to lay our hands on thiscalling like we never have in my almost 4 years at CEFCM.Joyfully, we will press on as a church in faith that God will provide every volunteer, financial, and logistical need for the coming year.

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing Gods vision for AWANA for the coming year. We hope that you will get excited about the big and small ways you can help in reaching kids. This may involve getting out of our comfort zone and into the community to let families and kids know that there is a great place to learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But dont worry, we have already lined up an official AWANA training on August 2nd, so you are equipped to serve!

What can you do now?

Pray for the AWANA committee planning for the next years program. Pray for how God might use you to help make AWANA amazing! Pray that God would prepare hearts to answer the call to serve.Pray for boldness in going out into the community to share about AWANA. Pray that God would open doors to reach kids who have never heard the Gospel. Pray for wisdom, clarity, and direction for the AWANA committee.

Are you interested in helping with AWANA? Email Michelle Shafer: shafer5@mchsi.com

Weekly Bible Reading

May 26th 2 Corinthians 1 May 30th 2 Corinthians 5May 27th 2 Corinthians 2 June 1st 2 Corinthians 6May 28th 2 Corinthians 3 June 2nd 2 Corinthians 7May 29th 2 Corinthians 4 June 3rd 2 Corinthians 8

Each of the movements Hebrews 11 is marked by the phrase by faith. What we learn as we read each verse weekly, is that the people of God live by faith at every turn. What we notice is the events dont always appear to bless them, but they, by faith, serve as a blessing in Gods bigger plan. Likewise, you are a blessing in His greater purposes.

Read Hebrews 11:25. Moses it tells us, chose to be mistreated; persecuted if you like, rather than to be given over to sin. In our day Christians are routinely mistreated for their beliefs because they choose to not make friends (Read Psalm 1:1-2) with sin. Like Moses we need to understand that the passing pleasures of sin, no matter how good they appear, are not worth trading in the sustaining Joy of the Lord. What is robbing you of joy? Ask the Lord redeem you in that place and to sustain you with lasting Joy!

WHATS UP WITH

PRAY RIGHT NOW!

Join Tasha Schifo this summer as she launches into an 8 week study on Biblical Womanhood through True Woman 101: Divine Design On Wednesdays: June 10th ,17th, 24th and July 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd from 8:30am-10:00am.

In this study, Mary A. Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss share the key fundamentals of biblical womanhood. Each week includes five individual lessons leading to a group time of sharing and digging deeper into Gods Word.

If youre tired of the worlds cheap imitations and knock-offs - or if youre tired of clichd advice, shallow caricatures - then this foundational teaching and insight from Gods Word is for you!

Thousands of women are tossing the worlds brand of womanhood and joining a quiet counter-revolution... Biblical Womanhood!

Find out why...

Email Tasha at tschifo@gmail.com orcall her at 309-857-2693 to sign up for this study.

The cost will be: $15 for the book, and there will be child-care available at a cost of $2 per week, per child.

Starting Sunday, June 7th, with Pastor Jason:We are going to be looking at some of the toughest issues Christians are facing: Marriage, Poverty, Racism, Sex Slavery, Persecution, Abortion, Pornography, and Orphans.

This will be a high discussion group, as we read and wrestle these hard issues with truth and grace together.

Cost is $20 for 10 weeks

New Sunday AM Christian Education Classes:

Starting Sunday, June 7th, with Jim Sackett:

God doesn't demand hectic church programs and frenetic schedules; he only wants his people to know him more intimately, says top-selling author D. A. Carson.prayer.

Cost is $12 for 10 weeks

The apostle Paul found that spiritual closeness in his own fellowship with the Father. By following Paul's example, we can do the same. This study calls believers to reject superficiality, and revolutionize their lives by embracing a God-guided approach to prayer.

Sign up for a class today by emailing: communityfreechurchofmahomet@gmail.com