Irene Andrews

Irene Andrews went home to be with her Lord on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 20th.  A memorial service will be held at our church Saturday, July 30th at 11:00 AM with lunch following.

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (7/24/16)

Scripture
Romans 12:1-13 (ESV)  

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. [3] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. [4] For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, [5] so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. [9] Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. [10] Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. [11] Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. [12] Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. [13] Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Questions for Reflection
1. What influences have significantly shaped your life?
2. What is the most reasonable response to God’s great mercy? (12:1-2)
3. How is the Christian to be different from unbelieving people? (12:2)
4. How should the mind of a Christian be changed? (12:2)
5. What are the gifts of God? (12:6-8)
6. How should each person use his or her gifts? (12:6-8)
7. What is genuine love like? (12:9, 13, 18-21)
8. How can a Christian learn to love others as God loves them?
9. In what ways is Christian love more than emotion?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (7/17/16)

Scripture
2 Cor. 8:1-15 (ESV)  

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, [2] for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. [3] For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, [4] begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— [5] and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. [6] Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. [7] But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you— see that you excel in this act of grace also. 

[8] I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. [9] For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. [10] And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. [11] So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. [12] For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. [13] I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness  

[14] your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. [15] As it is written, "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack." 

Questions for Reflection
1. What is your idea of generosity?
2. What example of generosity have you seen recently?
3. Out of what circumstances did the Macedonian Christians give? (8:2)
4. What attitude did the Macedonians have in their giving? (8:3-4)
5. What three things did the Macedonian Christians do that impressed Paul? (8:3-5)
6. What is it about a gift to the Lord that makes it acceptable? (8:12)
7. What end does God want our charitable giving to achieve? (8:13)
8. How can joy lead to generosity, even when a person lives in poverty?
9. How are you challenged by Paul’s discussion of generosity?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (7/10/16)

Scripture
2 Cor. 8:1-15 (ESV)  

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, [2] for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. [3] For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, [4] begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— [5] and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. [6] Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. [7] But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you— see that you excel in this act of grace also. 

[8] I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. [9] For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. [10] And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. [11] So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. [12] For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. [13] I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness  

[14] your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. [15] As it is written, "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack." 

Questions for Reflection
1. What is your idea of generosity?
2. What example of generosity have you seen recently?
3. Out of what circumstances did the Macedonian Christians give? (8:2)
4. What attitude did the Macedonians have in their giving? (8:3-4)
5. What three things did the Macedonian Christians do that impressed Paul? (8:3-5)
6. What is it about a gift to the Lord that makes it acceptable? (8:12)
7. What end does God want our charitable giving to achieve? (8:13)
8. How can joy lead to generosity, even when a person lives in poverty?
9. How are you challenged by Paul’s discussion of generosity?

VBS & Summer Lunch Mission

All Church One Day VBS 
Saturday, July 16th 
Curt and Jennifer Kneese’s river front with a picnic dinner. 

This is for All Ages – Adults, too! 

Summer Lunch Mission feeding the children.  
We are responsible for the Week of July 18-22. 
We will need 4 volunteers each day.

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (7/3/16)

Scripture
2 Cor. 7:2-16 (ESV)  

Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.  [3] I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.  [4] I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. 

[5] For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn— fighting without and fear within.  [6] But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,  [7] and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.  [8] For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.  [9] As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 

[10] For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.  [11] For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.  [12] So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.  [13] Therefore we are comforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.  [14] For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true.  [15] And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.  [16] I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you. 

Questions for Reflection
1. When has a friend ever disappointed you?
2. What is it like to have a loyal and faithful friend?
3. When was a time you had to confront a friend?
4. Why did Paul not condemn the Corinthians? (7:2-3)
5. Why did Paul have to defend himself again to the Corinthians? (7:2-4)
6. Why did Paul have such great confidence in the Corinthian Christians? (7:4)
7. How did God comfort Paul? (7:6-7)
8. What was the cause of the sorrow felt by the Corinthians? (7:8)
9. Why did Paul change his feelings about sending his “tearful letter”? (7:8-9)
10. What relationship is there between adversity and spiritual growth?