I dare say we have all felt it. It’s a mixture between pure excitement and anticipation. You hear

footsteps or you see people run past your perfect spot. Every moment the seeker gets closer you try to control your breath and focus on not letting even the smallest muscle move. But finally, we all are eventually found in the game of Hide N’ Seek.I don’t know about you but as much as I loved not being found or being proud of my hiding skills, there always seemed to be a

little relief from being found. Think about it, the game isn’t called “Hide!” No, the seeking was important to our childhood adventures

of squeezing into closets, under beds, and into any perfect hiding spots. It was

important for those hiding to know that someone was seeking and

the opposite was true that the seeker needed to know that there were people to find. Does this sound anything like our relationship to God, or how about to others?Who knew that we could find such deep, foundational truth’s in a children’s game. I believe one of the greatest

joy’s given to youth pastors are the moments or teachings where different generations are melted together through

Hide N’ Seekby JJ Perry, Junior High Youth Pastor

biweekly weavings of the community at Madison Park Church of God—July 16, 2014

July—September Proceeds benefit Russia

Make a purchase at Holy Grounds and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Madison Park Church’s ongoing missions work in Russia.Come early or linger after the Sunday worship services to enjoy conversation and refreshments. Visit MadisonParkChurch.org to view the full menu.

Sundays, 8:30am-11:30amMasterCard, Visa and Discover accepted.

Worship ServicesSUNDAY9:00am - A blend of traditional and contemporary music, prayer, and teaching from God’s Word.10:45am - Features a praise band with distinctively modern edge and teaching from God’s Word.Classes are offered for all ages at 9:00am and 10:45am. For details, check out the Ministries Guide at MadisonParkChurch.org/ministries or pick up a copy at Grand Central.

Our hopes have been high for this Season of Active Waiting. On July 6, our church kicked off 6 weeks of intentionally positioning ourselves before the Lord, seeking and praying, waiting on him actively – pursuing God as a priority. Not an easy thing to do in the summer, and at the end of a holiday weekend! But God invited us, so we said “Yes!”The service was BLESSED! In the 9:00am service, the body joined together in a corporate time of prayer, and had a strong sense of the Holy Spirit moving in our midst. The 10:45am service ‘guest’ band had no idea about our Season of Active Waiting, yet the worship songs they chose for the day raised the theme high: “You are our one desire,” “Holy Spirit you are welcome here,’ “We want to be close to you.” God was obviously leading ahead of us all.Pastor Quashie preached a bullseye message on waiting in our personal lives and in our congregation’s search for a new pastor. He cautioned us to beware of the dangers that

lurk between the promise and the blessing, using the story of Abraham. Though God had promised Abraham a son, during the long 25 year wait, Abraham and Sarah doubted, and moved to Egypt out of fear and self preservation. A natural and understandable move, perhaps, but not what God intended to fulfill the promise. Pastor Quashie cautioned us not to leap ahead and choose a pastor out of fear or self preservation, but to hold out for the one God has chosen, that He will bring in the fullness of time. He also encouraged us against impatience, telling us that God is much more concerned about our holiness and commitment than our happiness and comfort. Lastly he warned against distrust. We tend to chase down alternatives and options when we think God has forgotten us, when we can’t see the process. Yet, we forget God’s track record, and need to place our utter confidence in Him. “Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father – there is no shadow of turning with Thee….”

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A Blessed Beginningby Lisa Bitar, Pastoral Search Committee Member

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The Fullness of Time: A season of active waitingSix-week series concluding August 10A season of active waiting upon God in a spirit of humility; giving Him our full attention, our full submission, our full worship.

Week Three, July 20-26: Bowing before a trustworthy GodJames 4:10—Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Our God loves us unconditionally, so we can submit ourselves to Him without reservation. Prayer and fasting help us to put ourselves aside and create space for God to speak tenderly and personally to each one of us.

•Prayerpoint:Pray for the whole body at Madison Park Church, including the pastors and volunteers. Pray that together, we will be a people that humble ourselvesandputGodfirstinallourways,thatHewillstrengthenandrenewusfor the great work He has laid before us.

•Prayerscripture:Lord, we worship you and bow down. We kneel before our Lord, our Maker, for You are our God. We are the people You watch over, the flock under Your care, and we believe in You.—Psalm 95:6-7

•Trythis:Each day this week, physically bow on your knee, even for just a minute, to greet the Lord as you begin your day.

Week Four, July 27-Aug 2: Letting Jesus wash usJohn 13: 8—And Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” The world is ever with us, like dirt on our feet. We need regular and frequent washing. Just like our bodies, or souls need regular washing, too.

•Prayerpoint:Ask God to show you where dirt has collected in your life, and then ask Him to wash it away so that your days can be clean and uncluttered by past mistakes and regrets.

•Prayerscripture:Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.—Matthew 6: 12 and 13.

•Trythis:Acknowledge the moments in each day when you need forgiveness, and extend undeserved grace to others. Make it a week of letting go.

•NOTE: Lighthouse Café is closed July 30 and August 6. You are encouraged you to break your fast with family or a small group of friends, and then come to the church for the prayer service at 6:30pm.

Racial Reconcilation PicnicSunday, August 17, begins at NoonJackson Park in AndersonEveryone is invited! Come be a part of an Anderson tradition.

For 13 years, pastors and churches in Madison County have come together in a Reconciliation Picnic at Jackson Park. Jesus prayed that all His followers would be one, united in heart and mind.

How can we be one if we don’t know each other? And how can we know each other if we never get together? Every summer a few thousand people, representing 20-30 congregations (and many from no congregation), black/white/hispanic, have done just that: get together to eat, enjoy music from our various traditions, and take another step infulfillingChrist’sprayer.

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News You Can UseLove and Respect Class: Wednesdays through July 23 from 6:30-8:00pm in Room 180. Experience marriage with God’s design. Develop peace, closeness and value. Instructors: Chris and Sharra Badgley. Contact: Paula Spear, Children’s Ministries Pastor.Summer Youth Camps: Indiana State Church of God Youth Camps hosts hundreds of children and teens each summer. Camp dates and registrations are available online for all camps:•Camp Challenge (gocampchallenge.com)

is located near Bedford, Indiana July 20-25: 3rd - 4th Grades

•YellowCreekLakeCamp (yclministries.org) is located in Silver Lake, Indiana near Warsaw July 21-25: 6th-8th Grades July 25-27: Family Camp and Campmeeting

Contact: Rhonda Hollingsworth, Administrative Assistant, Student and Children’s Ministries.Adult Baptism Class: Sunday, September 7 at 10:45am in Room 177. Persons who would like to be baptized are invited to meet for information and instruction. Those planning to share in the baptismal service on Sunday, August 10, please attend the class. Contact the Church Office to sign-up or stop by the table in The Commons on Sundays, July 20 and 27.Small Group for Older Adults: 2nd and 4th Mondays of each Month, 10:00-11:30am in the Hospitality Room. Older Adults are invited to enjoy scriptures and fellowship. Contact: Liz Macklin at (765) 649-9894.Bicycling Ministry: Tuesdays at 6:00pm, weather permitting, at the MPC parking lot. Bicyclists of all ages are invited to meet each Tuesday through October and ride from 6:00pm until dark. All skill levels and paces are welcome; no bicyclist will be left behind. Contact: Bruce Jones at (765) 278-9243.

Children’s MinistriesCamp Madison Park: Wednesdays, 6:30–8:00pm. All children in kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to Camp Madison Park! Kids will learn about the characteristics of God through interactive games, activities and Bible stories. Camp t-shirts will be available for purchase, too! Contact Shaiya Badgely at the Church Office.Planned Purity Seminar: Saturday, November 1, 9:00am–3:00pm in Crossroads Auditorium: Planned Purity shows how purity is formed in a life, beginning with the heart and including sexual purity at the appropriate stage. A simple concept called The Five Doors of the Heart can be applied when parenting young children, and also applies to adults pursuing purity themselves. A book resource will be available also. You won’t want to miss this event! Details, including registration costs, to come.

Student MinistriesALL-YOUTH Events:• J.O.Y.CookoutandGames:Thursday,

July 17 at Noon at the Mintons, 510 S 300 E in Anderson. Join with the Just Older Youth of MPC for a great inter generational afternoon of food and games.

IMPACT—Junior High Ministries: •Summer Focus—Like Water: Growing in

God. Sundays at 10:45am in Crossroads Auditorium; Wednesday Small Groups from 6:30-7:45pm in Room 176-178.

• Frozen Fridays - 7:00pm: Come connect and chill out! Friends and family invited! July 25 - Frazier’s

•Wednesday Night Pool Parties: July 16, 6:00-8:00pm - meet at the pool at the Phillips Home - 7692 S CR 25 E in Pendleton. Bring $1 for dinner and your bathing suit and towl.

IGNITE—Senior High Ministries: • SummerFocus—Worth It Series—

Luke 9:23-25: Freedom, Mission, Purity, Purpose. Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm in Crossroads Auditorium.

•Bible Studies: Sundays at 9:00am in Room 180; Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30pm at Williamson’s Home.

Opportunities to ServeBe The One…to change our lives! The kids are Madison Park Church have big dreams. They want to be pilots, teachers, and pastors. They could even be your doctor...

or President! Don’t you want them to know God before they do? YOU

can be the ONE! You can shape who they become and build

God’s Kingdom. They are WORTHtheINVESTMENT!VolunteersneededinNursery, Preschool, and Elementary. Contact: Ali Robinson, Early Childhood Coordinator.Connections Teams: Looking for ways to connect

at Madison Park? Serving on one of the Connections Teams

might be just the ticket! Check ‘em out:

•GreeterTeams• ParkingValetTeam

•LighthouseCaféServersandAttendants• InformationCenterTeam•HolyGroundCoffeeBarTeam•HospitalityHost/Hostess•AthleticsTeams

Contact: Pastor Shelly Stottlemyer at the Church Office.

Special Events Volunteer: Greeters, ushers, and product table volunteers are needed to serve at special events held at Madison Park. Contact: Marti Euneman, Volunteer Coordinator at the Church Office.

Family News To submit a threads announcement regarding a birth or death, please contact the Pastoral Care office at (765) 642-2000.

In Sympathy With:Dave and Kay DeLong on the loss of his brother-in-law, Gene Hamm on June 16.Joseph and Jennifer Steward and Jeremiah and Shannon Stewart on the loss of their grandmother, Joann Stewart on June 18.The Family of Pam Collins who passed away on June 18.Clark and Lynn Simpson on the loss of his sister, Brenda Grisamore on June 27.

Community and Ministry Partner News

Camp Hope: August 8-10 at Camp Kikthawenund in Anderson. A three-day, two-night grief camp for children and teens, ages 5-17, who have experienced the death of a loved one. Camp Hope offers young people the special support they need as they grieve and the opportunity to share their feelings within the safety of peer groups led by trained, caring adults and group leaders. SponsoredbySt.Vincent’sHospice.CaringAdult volunteers are needed. Contact: Mark Coffman at (765) 646-8179.

Linville Counseling: Linville Services Professional Counseling provides a kind, non-judgmental and honest atmosphere to develop personal emotional relational and mental potential. For more information, visit linvilleservices.com or call (765) 642-1853 to schedule an appointment.

Lighthouse Café

Enjoy a freshly prepared meal and mini-salad bar in The Commons: Wednesdays from 5:00pm until 6:30pm. Cost: Adults-$7, Children and students with ID-$5. Maximum of $25 up to 7 people, $5 per each additional person.

July 16: Barbecue Chicken Kids’ Option: Chicken legs

July 23: Chicken & Noodles Kids’ Option: Chicken & Noodles

July 30: LighthouseCaféisclosed.

Wednesday, September 17 at 6:00pm in the Hospitality Room

Explore Madison Park provides the essential information you need to know before calling Madison Park Church your church home. The class answers questions such as who we are, what we believe, and our church membership process in a relaxed, fun, and interactive format. You’ll meet others who are on the same journey as you and begin the process of getting connected. Find details or sign-up in the Hospitality Room or online at MadisonParkChurch.org. Contact: Shelly Stottlemyer, Pastor of Connection Ministries.

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Meds for Haiti A variety of medicine is needed

for a medical mission trip to Haiti in August with Dr. Mark Fulton’s

team.Thefivedayclinicwillneedthefollowing: multivitamins, acetaminaphin,

ibuprofen. antacids, saline eyedrops, antifungal cream, cortisone cream,

antibiotic cream, vaginal antifungal cream. NO Aspirin. Please give only the nine

items on the list, no other meds are needed at this time. Drop off items at

Grand Central in The Commons. Contact: Jacki Hudson at

(765) 425-7129.

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God’s truth. It doesn’t matter how old you are or whether you loved playing Hide N’ Seek, the basic need to be sought after, found, and known is something that God has put into all of us.The story of Jesus and Zacchaeus is a great example of how God is seeking to find anyone willing to hear his voice and respond. Zacchaeus didn’t find the best hiding place in that sycamore tree but he knew what to do when Jesus found him. In the story Zacchaeus not only welcomed Jesus to his home but responded to being found by Jesus, and made a commitment to reconcile his past sins. In Luke 19:7 it reads that people began to grumble, wondering why Jesus would ever find company, much less friendship with a sinner like Zacchaeus!Whether we mean to or not, we often bring our own measurements and judgments to God’s table. Many of the people who knew Zacchaeus knew that Jesus was not supposed to find him. The sad thing is that as followers of Jesus we sometimes find

ourselves in the crowd grumbling along with the people in this story. We have our own Zacchaeus’ in our lives that either have hurt us or our loved ones and therefore, we don’t always hope or think they deserve to be found.What the grumblers didn’t realize and what we must remember is that when we get frustrated with people being found by Jesus, we are literally getting frustrated with God’s whole salvation mission to the world! Just like the older brother in the prodigal son and the grumblers here in Zacchaeus’ story we all have had our grumbling moments but thankfully Jesus left no room for how he feels about finding the lost, For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10).While the illustration of playing Hide N’ Seek is a great tool to help us remember the emotions and excitement of being found, there is also the opposite of playing the seeker! Often times I had immense feelings of anticipation and even a little fear when I walked into a dark room seeking my friends who were hiding in dark corners. Thankfully, God does not want to hide but in fact wants us to find

him. If we can and are willing to push past the feelings of nervousness and anticipation when looking for God we will find joy just like in the children’s game, Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts (Psalm 119:2).The game of Hide N’ Seek is a simple game and therefore, the question that arises is equally simple for us when it comes to being found by God and seeking after Jesus, do we want to play the game? Do we want to have a relationship with God? Do we want to be found and do we have the heart of Christ that want’s others to be found as well.I pray that no matter our age, here at Madison Park, we would be a church that remembers our own salvation stories of being found and that we would be a community that finds great joy in others also being found by Jesus.Go and play some Hide N’ Seek in the name of Jesus Christ!

Share your thoughts on this article; visit the blog and leave a

comment at MadisonParkChurch.org.

So what can we do while we are waiting? PRAY for peace and patience. PRAY and FAST with the congregation. Did you know that many of our children are fasting with us? Some are doing full fasts, some giving up sweets and other important things. The junior high kids took a moment to dive under water at their last pool party, and pray for patience and trust in God…pretty creative, right? Or joining the 150 people who turned out for our first Wednesday prayer service together after breaking our fast with the best taco salad and jello cake we’ve ever eaten!

We can all do something to let the Lord know He holds first place in our lives, and that we are trusting Him for our next steps. Even as vacations unfold, and commitments continue, we can grab a connect card or go online to tune in with the prayer focus of the week. We can all bow our heads and hearts, and ask for the Lord to shape our church and our future. We hope you will join in with us in the coming weeks, and enjoy the blessing of waiting!

Employment Opportunity at Anderson University: •OfficeofVicePresidentforFinanceandTreasurerandVicePresidentforStudentAffairs: Administrative Assistant to providesupporttobothVicePresidentsandmanagegeneralofficeoperations.Full-Time (100% FTE) hourly position withfulluniversitybenefitpackage.

•OfficeofAlumniRelations:Administrative Assistant to the Alumni Director, Associate Director and Alumni Council President. Assist in preparing a variety of special events and manage generalofficeoperations.Full-time,12-month (100% FTE) hourly position with fulluniversitybenefitpackage.

Submit an application to the Assistant Director of Human Resources, Decker Hall Room 10, Anderson University, 1100 East 5th Street, Anderson, IN 46012, kayoung@anderson.edu. Persons with an application on file may call (765) 641-4132 to express an interest in this position.

Hide N’ Seek Continued from page 1

Community and Ministry Partner News

Continued from page 3

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A Blessed Beginning Continued from page 1

A Look Ahead:September 14 Baptism Services

9:00am and 10:45am

October 4 Retro Live Concert: The Beat Goes On 7:00pm – Main Auditorium

October 19-22 Retreat to the Cove/CBH Viewpoint Asheville, North Carolina. Featured guest, Buddy Greene. Registration details at CBHviewpoint.org.

November 1 Planned Purity Seminar 9:00am–3:00pm – Crossroads Auditorium