Help for Ukraine + Sunday Morning Resources
Rise of Christianity, written by Rodney Stark, is a book that describes the cities of the Greco-Roman Empire in the first centuries of Christianity. This was a time when horrible plagues caused tremendous suffering and death. Here’s a paraphrase of one eyewitness description of what the cities were like: “The doctors were quite incapable of treating the disease. As a result, people became afraid of visiting anyone. As a result, thousands of people died with no one to look after them. Indeed, there were many houses in which all the inhabitants perished through lack of attention.”
“The bodies of the dying were heaped one on top of another, and half-dead people could be seen staggering about in the streets. The catastrophe was so overwhelming people became indifferent and pushed those who were suffering away, even those in their family, in order to avoid the contagion – except for the Christians.”
“Most Christians during the plague showed unbounded love and loyalty… never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ.”
“Even though there were many different religions and competing philosophies, Christianity became so popular that eventually it overwhelmed and transformed the empire in the day.” According to author Rodney Stark, “When the cities were falling apart, Christians stayed there and took care of people, even at the cost of their own lives. Most people who survived the plagues only did so because of the care of their Christian neighbors… As a result, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ captured the attention of the entire Roman empire. By 300 A.D., most of the cities of the Roman Empire had become Christian.”
On Sunday, we talked about Unleashing Hope in Our Community. We looked at a letter God wrote to His people through the prophet Jeremiah as He instructed them to live in a way that would become the model for these early Christians. Even though they were suffering themselves, they were to plant roots, seek the common good for all the people, and trust God’s promises. I can’t help but sit here and reflect on the Ukrainian pastors and Christians who have stayed in harm’s way so they could compassionately be there. I’m moved deep in my soul to reflect on what God would want me to do if I were in their shoes. I pray that I would be someone who chose to stand in the gap to bring hope to the hopeless.
Let’s continue to pray for Ukraine and the war for their homeland. Let’s pray that God and peace will prevail. If you want to gather with other Followers of Jesus to pray for the conflict in Ukraine, there is a community prayer meeting at First Baptist Church on Ridge Road at 6:00pm on Sunday, March 20.
If you want to give financially to help alleviate some of the burden of the Ukrainian people, you can give to the Salvation Army, Convoy of Hope, or Samaritan’s Purse. These organizations are scrupulous in their efforts to make sure that your gifts reach those you intend to bless.
Here are some upcoming opportunities to SHARE LIFE, STRENGTHEN FAITH, SERVE OTHERS, and SPREAD HOPE to our family and community.
FAMILY FILM NIGHT – Friday, March 25, 5:30-7:00pm at the church in the Student’s Multi-Purpose Room. Bring your own picnic dinner. The movie begins at 6:00pm. We’ll be watching 'Twas The Night Before Easter by the VeggieTale gang.
EASTER EGG CANDY COLLECTION – After two years off because of COVID, we’re ready to bring our families and community together for an incredible Easter experience. We want to have over 12,000 eggs stuffed with candy for the Egg Hunt. Will you help by bringing candy to church? You can order online and have your candy shipped to the church if it's easier. Please make sure to order individually wrapped miniature candy. The deadline to receive candy is Wednesday, March 30 so we can get it stuffed in our plastic eggs. Join our team to help stuff those eggs on Wednesday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 6. Please check the website for more details.
The EASTER EGG HUNT is on Saturday, April 16. Come enjoy the greatest Easter Egg Hunt ever at Scotten Elementary School Field! There will be a FREE pancake breakfast before the hunt starting at 8:30am. The egg hunt begins at 9:00am, but come early to park and walk into the field area.
The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, March 25, from 8:00-10:30am. Please bring your non-perishable foods to the church, and we’ll make sure all the food gets delivered to Interfaith. This is a huge help to the resource-challenged in our community. We’re also receiving specific items to help Hospitality House. Here’s how you can find out what they most need. Just bring items from this list with your food donations.
MAN TIME – Saturday, March 26, 8:00-11:00am. Come enjoy a hearty breakfast, lots of laughs, and fun! Then hang out with us afterward to do some male bonding events like bowling, an adventure hike, or biking. The cost is $5 for breakfast. You need some man time!
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. We have two part-time jobs open right now for the person who not only wants to work but wants that work to make a difference in the lives of others. Here is the link to see the current job openings. If you’re interested in any of these positions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the person listed. We look forward to having you join our team of motivated servant leaders.
THIS SUNDAY, we continue our UNLEASHING HOPE series. In this series, we’re focusing on ways the Gospel message of Jesus can change our everyday lives. This week, we will focus on how the Gospel message of Jesus Christ has something to say about the quality of our marriages. We’ll consider Unleashing Hope for Your Marriage because solid marriages lead to solid families, and strengthens our community. As we said last week, we are to be the hope for our community. God has placed us here in this place and time to be His ambassadors and represent Him and speak His words of hope.
Here are the links you’ll need to prepare for Sunday’s Service:
Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,
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