From the Pastor's Pen..."The Forgotten Gift" Pastor Paul's Paragraphs Kid's Korner with Pastor Greg
Donate Poinsettias "Toys for Tots" "Then Jesus Came" A Christmas Musical "The First Leon" Grace Christian Academy "Immanuel: God With Us" Grace Christian Preschool
Recently my wife and I made plans to meet our granddaughter in Chico for a late breakfast. The primary purpose of the meeting was to give her a special birthday gift that my wife had been putting together for several years. The gift was a picture album of Nichole's life from infancy through eighteen.
After eating and “talk time”, my wife asked me if I would bring the gift in from the car. I was happy to do this as we were all excited about this surprise. I went to the car, looked around and realized there was no gift anywhere in sight. As I walked back into the restaurant empty handed, needless to say my wife and granddaughter were puzzled. I was too.
To make a long, sad story short, that morning as my wife and I walked out the door of our home to our car, she mentioned to me, “There is Nichole's gift on the dryer.” She assumed I would pick it up. Guess what??? I didn't and it was forgotten.
Aren't we glad that God did not forget His special gift to us that was in the making since the beginning of time? There would be no celebration of Christ's birth. There would be no gift of forgiveness. There would be no peace of mind. There would be no promise of eternal life in heaven. There would be no hope of resurrection.
Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me.
Died that I might live on high,
Lives that I may never die.
What a gift! It doesn't get any better than that. By the way, Nichole did get her picture album and we all shared in the “delayed” gift.
Pastor Kuns
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WOW...what a ride!!! This 40 Days of Purpose spiritual growth campaign has sure been exciting. The Lord has been at work in my life. It has been such a blessing to me to hear what the Lord is doing in the individual lives of our church members and their acquaintances.
So many have said, “This is just what I needed.” Our goal and prayer even before the onset of the campaign has always been to see people excited about their own individual walk with the Lord. It has further been our desire to see people excited about sharing Christ with others and using their influence for God's glory.
WOW - that is exactly what is happening! Praise the Lord! To God be the glory, great things He has done! God's desire is to do a work IN me and then to carry out His eternal plan THROUGH me. That is my privilege - that is my responsibility.
Hmmm....and now it is almost Christmas. What a fantastic time of year to share Christ while many of my neighbors are already thinking about the birth of Christ. Here at Grace we have several opportunities to share Christ this Christmas: school programs, choir cantata, Sunday services, a Christmas Eve service, etc. There are also many personal opportunities to share Christ.
As we learned on Sunday, November 16, my fifth purpose in life is to SHARE THE GOOD NEWS. That is my privilege, that is my responsibility and that is my reward.
May this Christmas be a joyous one for you and your family. Merry Christmas to you all from the Radobenkos.
Pastor Paul
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Consider small things. There are many things that have value in this world, regardless of their size. Sometimes the smallest packages can hold the most exquisite gifts. 10 years ago this month, Tracy and I became husband and wife. On the fourth finger of her left hand is a ring. It’s not very large, it’s not very expensive, but it’s a symbol of our covenant with each other - to be true to each other until death parts us. A small thing? Yes. Insignificant? Far from it.
Isn’t that what the Christmas story is all about? A baby, born in a stable, announced only to shepherds, unnoticed by the hustle and bustle of a town in the midst of a tax-collecting census. Who knows how many other children were born there that week or even that night? Perhaps future politicians, doctors or religious leaders. But what went unnoticed in that stable 2,000 years ago is one of the most significant moments in human history. A small thing? Yes. Insignificant? Far from it.
The story of the birth of our Lord has always been an account I have never gotten tired of. I’m amazed at its complexity and its simplicity. I’m awed by how majestic it is and how ordinary it is. I’m struck by the intimacy of animals in a stable and the grandeur of angels on a hillside sky. Mostly, I’m moved by the paradox of it all - God becomes man to redeem man back to God. And this spectacular moment? This ripping of the veil between God and His creation? By and large, it went unnoticed. I love this story because it has God’s fingerprints all over it. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. He told this story in His way, at His time. A small thing? Yes. Insignificant? Far from it.
So how about our kids? Sometimes they’re noisy and sometimes they get in the way. Sometimes we lose our patience with them and sometimes we don’t understand where they’re coming from. But our children are a precious resource and yet they often go unnoticed. They are the church and the nation of tomorrow. What better investment could we make than in the lives of our children? A small thing? Yes. Insignificant? Far from it.
Pastor Greg
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Once again this year, Grace Baptist Church would like to give you the opportunity to remember a loved one or special friend this Christmas season by purchasing a poinsettia in their memory or in their honor. These plants will be used as part of the church decorations. Because of the planned arrangement for these plants and the need that they all be the same size, the church will be purchasing the poinsettias.
A listing of those donating poinsettias and for whom they were donated will be published in the December 21 bulletin. You will also have the opportunity to take your poinsettias after the morning service on December 21.
If you would like to be a part of this special remembrance, please
print this form (click here)
and send $9.00 for each poinsettia you would like to donate to the church office by Sunday, December 14. Questions? Contact Lori Rohleder.
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We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys
for children 17 and under.
This program is in conjunction with the Yuba & Sutter Counties "Toys for Tots" program.
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Sunday, December 14
6:00 PM
No Admission Charge - Free Will Offering
Call 673-6847 for more information.
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Thursday, December 11
7:00 PM in the Church Auditorium
In this charming musical you will see the Christmas story through the eyes of Leon. You see, Leon is...special. Ever since he discovered that his name spelled backwards is Noel, he's felt called to tell the world the true meaning of Christmas. But when he tries out for every role in the annual pageant, he finds that he's the only one who doesn't get a part. Rejected. Now Leon understands better than anyone how Mary and Joseph must have felt when they heard the words, “No room” that night in Bethlehem. Without really trying to, however, Leon does uncover the true meaning of Christmas when he identifies the real Star of Bethlehem.
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Friday, December 19
7:00 PM in the Church Auditorium
Come be blessed with singing and a play of God coming to earth when He sent Jesus! Your hearts will be overjoyed at this Christmas season.
Matthew 1:23
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Donors must deliver or mail (and postmark) checks on or before December 31 in order to claim a charitable contribution deduction for 2003. Checks that are placed in the church offering on the first Sunday in 2004 will not qualify for a charitable contribution deduction in 2003, even if the check is predated to 2003 or is actually written in 2003. However, checks that are written, mailed and postmarked in 2003 will be deductible in 2003 though they are not received by the church until 2004.
To ensure the deductibility of your church contributions, please do not file your 2003 income tax return until you have received a written acknowledgement of your contributions from the church. Some of your contributions may not be tax-deductible if you file your tax return before receiving a written acknowledgement from the church.
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December 2003