Church Phone No.: (856)456-3364 Church Fax No.: (856)456-3812 District Website: www.chogeast.org National Website: www.chog.

org

Highland Park Church of God

Gods People on Gods Mission!

Pastor Bill e-mail: revwddilksjr@juno.com Office e-mail: highlandparkcog@yahoo.com Web Site: www.highlandparkcog.org

February 2012

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed
1 (Romans 1) 6:00 AM Wednesday Morning Prayer 6:30 PM FWAI

Thu
2 (Romans 2) 5:45 PM Rotary

Fri
3 (Romans 3) Noon Retirees Luncheon 7:00-9:00 PM Mens Basketball-MEC 10 (Romans 10) 7:00-9:00 PM Mens Basketball-MEC

Sat
4 (Romans 4) 10:00 AM DVPA Meeting

5 (Romans 5) 11:00 AM Communion

(Romans 6)

7 (Romans 7) 9:00 AM Mens Bible Study

8 (Romans 8) 6:00 AM Wednesday Morning Prayer 6:30 PM Kids Club/ Share the Word 15 (Romans 15) 6:00 AM Wednesday Morning Prayer No FWAI

(Romans 9)

11

(Romans 11)

5:45 PM Rotary

12 (Romans 12) 6:30 PM Trustees Meeting

13

(Romans 13)

14 (Romans 14) 6:30 PM Valentine Social at the Church Valentines Day

16 (Romans 16) 17 (Song of Songs 1) 18 (Song of Songs 2) 1:00 PM Ministerium 7:00-9:00 PM Mens 9:00 AM Mens Meeting Basketball-MEC Fellowship Breakfast Followed by Workday

19 (Song of Songs 3) 20 11:00 AM Tom Kumpel Speaking

(Song of Songs 4)

21 (Song of Songs 5) 22 (Song of Songs 6) 23 (Song of Songs 7) 24 (Song of Songs 8) 25 9:00 AM Mens Bible Lenten Service Details TBA 7:00-9:00 PM Mens Study 5:45 PM Rotary Basketball-MEC 6:30 PM Fat Tues. Pancake Social 28
(James 4)

(James 1)

26

(James 2)

27

(James 3)

29

(James 5)

9:30 AM Friendship Group at Gorman Manor

Lenten Service Details TBA

Monthly calendars are subject to change. Please feel free to contact the church office to confirm events.

February 2012

Dear Church Family and Friends, Several things have come together to inspire me to write this months newsletter article - from some very different sources. One source is the January chapter-a-day readings (Prov. 16:1 The Message) Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. The next source is James 4 (which is in next months readings but a personal favorite, so God brought it to mind). You dont know the first thing about tomorrow. Youre nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead make a habit to say, If the Master wills it and were still alive, well do this or that. As it is you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. (The Message) The third is from a Sunday School lesson about the life of Joseph from Genesis 45, I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But dont feel badly, dont blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me ahead of you to save lives. The final source is the Gaither song, Jesus Is Lord of All. Ive quit my struggles, contentment at last ~ Jesus is Lord of All. There are more verses and moments than I can possibly share that have further impressed me to share this liberating truth. How much we struggle, worry, fret, get frustrated, get angry or bitter depends on how deeply we embrace the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ surrounding our lives. When we place our hope, faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then our lives become joined with Gods greater plan for our lives. When we trust Jesus, God plans to bring blessing both into and through our lives. What should happen is that our lives become less about lifes circumstances and what others do to us and more about receiving from Gods hand what is needed for our growth as Gods plans for our good future. It is exactly this type of perspective that enabled Joseph to forgive his brothers, from his heart. Though he is cautious at first, he harbors no hatred or ill-will for them when he reveals his identity to them. Why? Because Joseph had embraced the fact that his life unfolded in accordance with Gods will and plan for it. When Mother Teresa was asked whether she ever questioned Gods love and goodness in the midst of all the human suffering she experienced in the slums of India, she simply replied, in essence, that she was too small to do that. She understood that Jesus Is Lord of All. Many of the struggles, problems, grudges, and difficulties surrounding our lives come from being too focused upon ourselves, our dreams, and our rights; and failing to acknowledge that all of the directions, destinations, and final decisions in our lives fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus determines what is best for our lives, what our needs are, what a good or bad thing for us to experience or to go through truly is. In our human limitedness, this is one of the hardest teachings for us to fully embrace. Paul says in Romans that confessing that Jesus is Lord is a vital part of our salvation in this life, and the next. Our peace comes from understanding that Jesus lovingly oversees and governs everything that happens in the life of those who place their faith and hope in God. (Cont)

(Cont) So what is keeping you from experiencing the rich joy, peace and contentment that God wants for your life, each and every day? Based upon my readings and understandings of Gods Word, I would offer that we each need to continually work on embracing and encouraging one another saying that Jesus Christ Is Lord of our lives and over our world. Take great encouragement in the fact that in a world filled with various difficulties and troubles that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33)! Now at the conclusion of this article, I ask that you read over and pray the words of this song:

Jesus Is Lord of All All my tomorrows, all my past, Jesus is Lord of all. Ive quit my struggles, contentment at last! Jesus is Lord of all. Chorus: King of kings, Lord of lords, Jesus is Lord of all; All my possessions and all my life, Jesus is Lord of all. All of my conflicts, all my thoughts, Jesus is Lord of all. His love wins the battles I could not have fought; Jesus is Lord of all. (Chorus) All of my longings, all my dreams, Jesus is Lord of all. All of my failures His power redeems; Jesus is Lord of all. (Chorus)
CCLI #571129 c. copyright 1973 by William J. Gaither. ARR ICS UBP William J. and Gloria Gaither

Resting in Him,

Pastor Bill

CALLING ALL KIDS TO PRAYER

There is something special being planned for our church family to take part in beginning the 29th of February and running through Easter. Mr. Kumpel will be sharing all about it very soon. When he does, I want all of you kids out there to know that you will be having something special to do as well. I know that you can probably tell what that will be by the heading of this article. But I also want you to know that what you will be doing is very important. So get ready kids. God is calling us ALL to take part. Mrs. R.

Adult Valentine Social

February 14, 6:30 PM At the Church
Catering by Linda Burns Catering

Cost: $10 Per Person

Come celebrate the holiday with your church family and friends!

Join together for an evening of food, fun and fellowship! This will be a wonderful evening for everyone! Please watch your bulletin for sign-up sheets that should be filled out and placed in the offering plate along with cash (in a marked envelope) or your check made payable to Highland Park Church of God and having Valentines Banquet in the memo slot. Please see Lynette with any questions.

Gems of Wisdom from Our Seniors Die young as late in life as possible! ~~Darlene Brown~~

Fat Tuesday Pancake Social

Tuesday, February 21 6:30 PM
Everyone is invited to the church to enjoy a pancake dinner. If you like, please bring your favorite pancake topping! This is your opportunity to be creative!

Faith With An Impact Wednesdays!

Faith With An Impact will meet on Wednesday evenings, February 1 and 8, with February 8 being Kids Club/Share the Word night. Please watch your bulletins for further details.

Kid's Club
"Beloved, let us love on another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7 ) February, as we all know, is the month when we all think of love. Hearts are everywhere and love songs are being played. Gifts are being purchased in an effort to help that special person in our lives to know how much we love them. However, I cannot think of any greater love being shown throughout history than the love God has shown to us. To sacrifice His Son whom He loved so deeply to enable all of us to find a way to Him is truly the "greatest love." I have a little challenge for all of the kids this month: If you can find a scripture that has the word love in it and recite it for me either on a Sunday morning or at the next Kid's Club meeting, I may just have a little something for you. However, if you are in a family with more than one child, your verses must all be different. Our next Kid's Club meeting is being planned for February 8th. Love you all! Mrs. Ritchie

Focus40 2012Challenges to IntroduceOther5to Christ Us

ByJoeAllison magine what would happen if f Ione thousand congregationsset aside forty days to pray for specific personsto give their lives to Jesus Christ. What would happen if they invited those people to worship and gave them an opportunity to commit their lives to Christ?Next year's Focus40 emphasiswill challengeus to find out. "Touching Hearts--Transforming Lives" is the theme of this forty-day period offasting and prayer,February z9-April8,2012.Its goal is to identify people who need the transforming power of Christ in their lives and to introduce them to the Savior.
Focus 40 will initiate a yearlong emphasis on revitalizing the church's fulfillment of the Great Commission. Planners ofthe event hope to enlist one thousand Church of God congregations in this effort. Randy Montgomery, chair of Transformational Team 3 planning Focus 40 believes that ifthat target is reached, we can lead twenty-five thousand people to decisions for Christ in 2012. Church of God congregations in North America will receive an information packet about next year's Focus Devotional guides, prayer calendars, sermon plans, and other planning resources will be available for free download from the CGM website by the end ofNovember. One of these will be the book Telling Oth-

ers:A WitnessingLifestyle,by Charles R. Shumate,who currently servesas president of Church Builders Plus. Shumatebelievesthe relational evangelism of Focus 40 can be highly effective becauseit "encouragesus to get out of a person'sface and stepinto their shoes.It demonstrates that our Christianwitness can have an attitude of sensitivity." He encouragesbelievers to adopt "Google search mode" to identify a peoplewho needChrist. He saysevery Christian should be a "lostologist," someonewho specializesin finding and helping people who are spirituallv lost. While the 2012event calls Christians around the world to pray and fast for the lost, "at some point, we must
do more than pray," saysRolland Dan-

enableus to shareour story of faith. The Next Stepsphase of Focus 40 presentshelpful ways to pray for the unchurched, build relationshipswith friends and acquaintances outside the faith, and learn how to become comfortable in sharing our story." The forrieth day before Easter 2OL2 falls on February 29, which is Leap Day. So this might be a good time to askyourself: What'sthemostimportdnt thing I couLd with an extra d.aynext do year?Imagine what would happen if you used it to introduce someoneto Christ. Jesus D. Joseph Allisonis an ordained minister who hasworked Christiarr in p ublishing r more than fo thirty years.He is curand

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Services at Anderson,

NCTVEMBER/DECEMBER r Communion 2011 TogetherI