Point of Grace Press February, 2016 - Amazon S3€¦ · Point of Grace Press February, 2016 From...
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Point of Grace Press Reaching the Community, Teaching the Word of God, and Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus! Point of Grace is a Christian congregation within the Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. (www.lcms.org) Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Point of Grace Press February, 2016 From the Pastor Dear Point of Grace, Grace and Peace! It might be hard to imagine that Lent is at hand. It feels to me like Christmas is barely over. But alas, Ash Wednesday is quickly nearing on February 10th! I'm sure you have heard and seen all about the pancake supper on the 9th. Please pray that all goes well with a wonderful turn-out for this outreach event. Outreach and giving to our community is part of our stewardship that we will be talking about for much of February and March. Come help out on the 9th, and certainly come eat some pan- cakes! Dotsi and I continually give God gracious thanks for His many blessings to us. PoG is certainly a primary blessing in our lives! You all are faithful and patient, having endured our trials becoming an LCMS pastor-team. You all are dedicated to PoG and care for its future. You want to see PoG thrive. That's why I can confidently ask you to make attendance at our education hour and worship service a top priority in your life. I truly believe God can speak to each of us through our being together in worship and education. We need that time to be with one another, not just for fellowship, but in learning together and worshiping together. We are strengthened together to meet life's challenges through church. I boldly ask you, especially this Lent season, to make attendance at education and worship a very top pri- ority for you. Please put Wednesday night at 7 pm starting February 10th, on your calendar and plan to attend our Lent Wednesday night services. Guest preachers from our Circuit will teach on the Places of the Passion of Jesus. Should be interesting!!! February 17-Ron Wiese (Messiah-Charlotte), Feb- ruary 24-Jeff Marquardt (Lake Norman-Denver), March 2-Fred Hoffman, March 9-Loyd Ginn (Centergrove-Kannapolis), March 16-Donald Anthony (Grace-Concord) Fred From the President Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. At Point of Grace, we have in front of us, several very busy months. Feb- ruary and March are especially packed with important activities. First is the outreach-centered service event of a free pancake supper on Tuesday, February 9, when we will be giving of ourselves and our resources to others in the congregation and the community. This event will be followed by Ash Wednesday (on the very next day). I hope you will consider helping at the pancake supper and then worshiping with us on Ash Wednesday. Also in February and March, as a congregation, we will participate in Bible studies and sermons centered around the topic of stewardship (Consecrated Steward Program, an LCMS-prepared study which has been used in many congregations in the U.S.). Dr. Ron Wiese, a retired pastor, now living in our circuit, will be our mentor and advisor, as the program is tailored for use at Point of Grace. Who is a good steward? What does the Bible have to say about steward- ship? We will learn a lot more about the answers to those questions in the next several weeks. Please turn to Page 2. Dates to Note February 5 Concert February 9 Pancake Supper February 10 Lenten Services begin Pancake Supper February 9th We will be holding an outreach Pancake Supper on Tues- day, February 9th from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. See the flyer on page 6. Mark your calendar! Flyers are available to invite folks. It’s free. (Donations welcome for reading ministry.) Bluegrass Concert February 5th Progressive bluegrass duo, My girl, My Whiskey and Me, will perform a free concert (A love offer- ing will be accepted.) at Point of Grace on Friday, February 5 at 8 pm. You will be amazed at this husband and wife duo, and will not hear a better Mandolin player within 500 miles! Please attend and invite some friends. This is a musical and fun outreach. Their Facebook page is mygirlmywhiskeyandme. Consecrated Stewards is a ministry of growth and commitment in which the people of God celebrate His gifts and grow in the joy of giving and serving. Consecrated Stewards is based on the Biblical principles of percentage-based, grace-motivated, sacrificial giving. It urges people to take a step forward in their stewardship life without pres- sure or legalism. It does not use gimmicks or fund-raising techniques. It emphasizes equal sacri- fice, not equal amounts. See page 3 for more about the Consecrated Stewards events to be held at Point of Grace.
Transcript of Point of Grace Press February, 2016 - Amazon S3€¦ · Point of Grace Press February, 2016 From...
Point of Grace Press
Reaching the Community, Teaching the Word of God, and
Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus!
Point of Grace is a Christian congregation within the Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. (www.lcms.org) Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
Point of Grace Press
Februar y, 2016
From the Pastor
Dear Point of Grace,
Grace and Peace! It might be hard to imagine that Lent is at hand. It feels to me like Christmas is barely over. But alas, Ash Wednesday is quickly nearing on February 10th! I'm sure you have heard and seen all about the pancake supper on the 9th. Please pray that all goes well with a wonderful turn-out for this outreach event. Outreach and giving to our community is part of our stewardship that we will be talking about for much of February and March. Come help out on the 9th, and certainly come eat some pan-cakes!
Dotsi and I continually give God gracious thanks for His many blessings to us. PoG is certainly a primary blessing in our lives! You all are faithful and patient, having endured our trials becoming an LCMS pastor-team. You all are dedicated to PoG and care for its future. You want to see PoG thrive. That's why I can confidently ask you to make attendance at our education hour and worship service a top priority in your life. I truly believe God can speak to each of us through our being together in worship and education. We need that time to be with one another, not just for fellowship, but in learning together and worshiping together. We are strengthened together to meet life's challenges through church. I boldly ask you, especially this Lent season, to make attendance at education and worship a very top pri-ority for you.
Please put Wednesday night at 7 pm starting February 10th, on your calendar and plan to attend our Lent Wednesday night services. Guest preachers from our Circuit will teach on the Places of the Passion of Jesus. Should be interesting!!! February 17-Ron Wiese (Messiah-Charlotte), Feb-ruary 24-Jeff Marquardt (Lake Norman-Denver), March 2-Fred Hoffman, March 9-Loyd Ginn (Centergrove-Kannapolis), March 16-Donald Anthony (Grace-Concord)
Fred
From the President
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. At Point of Grace, we have in front of us, several very busy months. Feb-ruary and March are especially packed with important activities. First is the outreach-centered service event of a free pancake supper on Tuesday, February 9, when we will be giving of ourselves and our resources to others in the congregation and the community. This event will be followed by Ash Wednesday (on the very next day). I hope you will consider helping at the pancake supper and then worshiping with us on Ash Wednesday. Also in February and March, as a congregation, we will participate in Bible studies and sermons centered around the topic of stewardship (Consecrated Steward Program, an LCMS-prepared study which has been used in many congregations in the U.S.). Dr. Ron Wiese, a retired pastor, now living in our circuit, will be our mentor and advisor, as the program is tailored for use at Point of Grace.
Who is a good steward? What does the Bible have to say about steward-ship? We will learn a lot more about the answers to those questions in the next several weeks. Please turn to Page 2.
Dates to Note
February 5 Concert February 9 Pancake Supper February 10 Lenten Services begin
Pancake Supper February 9th
We will be holding an outreach Pancake Supper on Tues-day, February 9th from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. See the flyer on page 6. Mark your calendar! Flyers are available to invite folks. It’s free.
(Donations welcome for reading ministry.)
Bluegrass Concert February 5th
Progressive bluegrass duo, My girl, My Whiskey and Me, will perform a free concert (A love offer-ing will be accepted.) at Point of Grace on Friday, February 5 at 8 pm. You will be amazed at this husband and wife duo, and will not hear a better Mandolin player within 500 miles! Please attend and invite some friends. This is a musical and fun outreach. Their Facebook page is mygirlmywhiskeyandme.
Consecrated Stewards is a ministry of growth and commitment in which the people of God celebrate His gifts and grow in the joy of giving and serving.
Consecrated Stewards is based on the Biblical principles of percentage-based, grace-motivated, sacrificial giving. It urges people to take a step forward in their stewardship life without pres-sure or legalism. It does not use gimmicks or fund-raising techniques. It emphasizes equal sacri-fice, not equal amounts. See page 3 for more about the Consecrated Stewards events to be held at Point of Grace.
Point of Grace Press
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Point of Grace Press February, 2016
Prayer Reminder
Please pray for your church! Those in need of prayer are listed on the bulletin insert each Sunday. Also, you could use your picture directory each week and pray for our members. Pray for protection, and health, and blessing for your fellow Point of Grace members. Also remember to pray for our country with the upcoming elections, for refugees, and for persecuted Christians. Opening a newspaper or hearing the daily news provides many topics to lift up to God and ask for His mercy
and intervention.
Letter from the President, continued
Christian financial expert, Howard Dayton (formerly with Crown Ministries), has stated that the Bible references money and possessions 2,350 times. That’s a lot! It’s more than Jesus talked about love and more that he talked about heaven and hell combined. It must be an important subject to Him. I suggest that is so because how we view money and possessions demonstrates the attitude of our heart. What do I mean by that? Let’s start with what is stated in Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Therefore, we don’t own anything; God owns everything. We are but stewards of what God gives us to possess and care for while we are on this earth. To learn more about Christian stewardship, I suggest you read Matt. 25:14-30, and Luke 19:11-27.
Being a good Christian steward is not only about money; it is also about our time, talents and thoughts. We need to consider how we are using all four resources for the benefit of the Lord and His people. In the Old Testament, all tribes of Israel, except Levi, were required to present three tithes; two yearly tithes of 10% each of agricultural produce and livestock, and a third tithe of 10% every three years of agri-cultural produce only. Therefore, the total tithing require-ment was 23.3% yearly. It is clear in the Scriptures that tith-ing such as that isn’t relevant today; however, if you want to follow the old practice, you are free to do so. Jesus, having been offered as a sacrificial Lamb to take away our sins by His death and resurrection, replaced the Aaronic priest-hood, abolishing the need for intermediaries to sacrifice animals to remove our sins. It is “grace giving” which is the new standard. Jesus spoke about this, as recorded in Luke 11:42a: “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give to God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and love of God.” New Testament teaching is all about giving to God out of love and in consid-eration for what His son, Jesus Christ, has done for us when He gave His life for all who through faith, believe in Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior.
So then, what is a guideline that a good Christian steward should give of his time, talent, treasures and thoughts? I submit that a person should pray to God about that and listen for His answer. We will someday have to make an accounting to Him. However, percentage giving is a good place to begin, aiming first toward a tithe (10%), with a view toward increasing that as the Lord provides and leads you. It is not God’s intent that anyone should be coerced or shamed by man into giving any specific amount, for we are not accountable to man, but to God.
On February 14, the Board of Trustees will have its next meeting, following the 11:00 am worship service. The Vot-ers Assembly will meet on Sunday, March 13, at 9:30 am. If you are a Communicant Member of Point of Grace, at least eighteen years of age, and are interested in becoming a member of the Voters Assembly, I urge you to consider attending the March 13, meeting.
In Christ’s service,
Bill Boyd
Wednesday Eve Lenten Services
During Lent our theme will be the Places of the Passion of Jesus. We will have guest preachers on Wednesday nights at 7 pm and Pastor Hoffman
will be speaking at four other churches.
The dates and topics are:
February 10 Ash Wednesday
—Pastor Hoffman
February 17 The Upper Room: A place of Service
-Pastor Weise
February 24 Gethsemane: A Place of Strength
-Pastor Marquardt
March 2 The Betrayal: A place of Eternal Love
- Pastor Hoffman
March 9 The Courtyard: A place of Renewal
- Pastor Ginn
March 16 The Trial: A place of God's Will
-Pastor Anthony
On January 17th members prayed over quilts made by Scraps of Love
quilters. The quilts will be given to homeless people in Salisbury.
Scraps of Love would like to thank the quilting ministry at Ascension Lutheran Church for their donation of fabric and other quilting supplies. While we are sad-dened that they have decided to disband their ministry, we are grateful for their generous donation. It will enable us to continue to help those in need by "Sharing
the love of Jesus in the warmth of a quilt."
Point of Grace Press
Sunday School News
Point of Grace Press February 2016
Adult Sunday School Classes—9:30 am
Bill Everett is leading a class on the book of Acts. Look at the experience of the early church and how it affects our lives today. (photo below)
On February 21, we will begin a four-week series on the commitment of being good stewards of all of God's blessings. Bill Everett will 'pause' his teaching on the book of Acts and lead us through a better understanding of being true stewards for these four Sundays. Pastor Hoffman will preach a series on receiving, managing, sharing and committing God's blessings in your own life. God has truly blessed us in many ways—seen and unseen, known and unknown. He asks that we recognize this and pass on these blessings to His kingdom in the church. I ask that you make every effort to attend the edu-cation hour at 9:30 am and Sunday worship at 11 am. Coffee is available!
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Happy Birthday!
Isaac Holmquist February 1
Val Tutt February 10
LynnEllen Lang February 18
(If we missed your birthday, please let Pastor know.)
Prayer Teams Each Sunday following the 11 am Worship Service, a Prayer Team is waiting at the back of the worship area to pray with you about any concerns, afflictions, or any other needs you may have. As a caring community, this is one of the ways we serve as the body of Christ. Feel welcome to bring your prayer needs before God during that time. If you are aware of a visitor who needs prayer, invite him or her for prayer after the service.
Wednesday Evenings
Each Wednesday at 7 pm we have an informal time of worship, Bible teaching by Pastor Hoffman, prayer, and celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is
informal and you can ask questions. Please join us as we bring our prayer concerns before God and pray for our church family and those in need.
Lenten services begin February 10th.
Happy Anniversary!
(If your anniversary is this month and not included here, please let Pastor
know.)
Men’s Saturday Bible Study
Pastor Gittner is leading a men’s Bible Study on the second and fourth Saturday mornings from 8 to 9:30 am at Point of Grace Church. We are studying the book of Revelation. Coffee is provided. All men are welcome. For more information, contact Pastor Gittner at 704-365-
1418.
Women’s Bible Study
The Word became Flesh-The Gospel of John
When: Tuesdays February 2 and 23 at 7 pm
Note Date Change this month!
Location: Church sanctuary
Leader: Joan Everett
Questions? Need a ride or carpool? Email Joan at:
All are welcome and bring a friend! PS: Along with your Bible you will need a notepad, enthusiasm and a love for the word. It's going to be a fun jour-
ney. Hope you can join us!
Consecrated Stewards Starts!
Consecrated Stewards is a grace-based, biblical stew-
ardship program designed to energize members in
their on-going giving. It is a four-week program de-
signed by stewardship leaders of the Lutheran
Church Missouri Synod that has been used in hun-
dreds of Missouri Synod churches around the nation
with amazing results. It uses Sunday morning Bible
studies and worship services to inspire and equip
congregational members to be better managers of
the gifts God has given them. Thousands of fellow
Lutheran Christians have enjoyed and benefited from
this Gospel-focused process. Point of Grace mem-
bers will have the opportunity beginning in February
to become participants of this process in "Growing
Christian Stewards." Watch for further details.
Check out our "picture board" by the coffee area-coming soon, which will tell the story of many of our ministries. These pictures will help you get a greater sense of all that PoG folks are involved with.
Point of Grace Press
Pastors, Elders, Deacons, and Staff
Pastor: Fred Hoffman (704) 305-0930 [email protected]
Pastor Emeritus: Bill Gittner (704) 365-1418 [email protected]
Pastoral Assistant: Bill Everett (845) 264-4363 [email protected]
Elder: Bill Everett (845) 264-4363 [email protected]
Elder: John Lang (704) 765-9200 [email protected]
Deacon: Dan Nelson (704) 746-9420 [email protected]
Deacon: Jon Ponivas (704) 723-6937 [email protected]
President: Bill Boyd (704) 784-9389 [email protected]
Vice President: Rick Stapula (704) 933-5194 [email protected]
Secretary: Gwen Faggart (704) 490-1834 [email protected]
Financial Secretary: Linda Stapula (704) 993-5194 [email protected]
Music Director: Alex Mauldin (704) 839-3903 [email protected]
Altar Guild: Dotsi Hoffman (704) 723-6688 [email protected]
Hospitality: Ann Satterfield (704) 792-9571 [email protected]
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29
February, 2016
Service 7 pm
Lenten
Service 7 pm
Ash
Wednesday
Service 7 pm
Sun.School 9:30 am
Worship 11 am
Sun-day School 9:30 am
Worship 11 am
Board of Trustees
Consecrated Stewards
begins
9:30 am Worship 11 am
Sun.School 9:30 am
Worship 11 am
Women’s Bible
Study 7 pm
Women’s Bible
Study 7 pm Note date
change!
Men’s Bible
Study 8 am
Scraps of Love Quilters 9 am
Scraps of Love Quilters 9 am
Scraps of Love Quilters 9 am
Scraps of Love Quilters 9 am
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Men’s Bible
Study 8 am
Quilting Ministries at Point of Grace
Scraps of Love meets on Saturday mornings at 9:00 am. We are still making kids quilts for the Cornelius Police Department, baby quilts for Cities4Life and large quilts for the homeless. If you know of someone who would feel the love and care of God by receiving a quilt, please ask Sue or Lois. For more information about Scraps of Love, contact Sue Tarnovich at [email protected]. If you would like to join in the quilt making effort, come on Saturday mornings. No previous experience is needed!
Pancake
Supper
Set-up 4 pm
5 – 6:30 pm
Concert 8 pm
Lenten
Service 7 pm
Presidents’
Day
Point of Grace Press
Point of Grace Service Schedule
February , 2016
Point of Grace Lutheran Church
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1505, Huntersville, NC 28070
Physical Address: 20700 N Main, Suite 104, Cornelius, NC 28031
Email Address: [email protected]
Website: www.pogchurch.net
Website for The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
www.lcms.org
Our Corporate Worship:
Sundays
9:30 am Bible Study
Children’s Sunday School
10:30 am Coffee and Fellowship
11:00 am Divine Worship Service Holy Communion
Lutheran Liturgical Blended
Wednesdays 7:00 pm - Holy Communion,
Bible teaching, singing, and praying.
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Altar Guild
Each Sunday the altar is prepared with the Bread and Wine for our 11 am Worship Service. If you are interested in helping with this part of our worship, please see Dotsi or email her at [email protected]. No experience is
necessary! She will show you how it is done.
www.PoGChurch.net
This is the website for Point of Grace. Find news about upcoming events, links to sermons, the newsletter, and LCMS articles, as well as photos and our serving schedule. You can refer friends, family and neighbors to the website to get more information about Point of Grace. Are you a face-
book user? Then like our page at www.facebook.com/pogcnc.
Date Offering Usher Prayer Team Hospitality Reader Altar
February 7 John Lang Boyds Sue Rick S. Sue
February 14 Bill Everett Hoffmans Paula Matt H Linda
February 21 Jon Ponivas Everetts Joan E. John Lang Sue
February 28 Dan Nelson Langs LynnEllen Bill Everett Linda
Emma and Adam Ponivas were confirmed on January 10th.
O Lord, throughout these forty days
You prayed and kept the fast;
Inspire repentance for our sin,
And free us from our past.
LSB 418
Point of Grace Press
FREE
Pancake Supper Dine in or Take out
“Fat” Tuesday
February 9, 2016 5:00 P.M – 6:30 P.M
Menu:
Pancakes, Sausage Patties
Beverages for dine in only
Donations Accepted for My Momma ’s Lap Reading Center
Point of Grace Church
20700 N. Main Street
Cornelius, NC 28031
www.pogchurch.net
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