1310 Garber's Church Rd. | Harrisonburg, VA 22801 | 540.433.8687  
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First Assembly of God Newsletter                                                                                                           June 2009
graphic of pen and quill

photo of Pastor Jeff Ferguson
 Summer is my favorite time of the year. It also is a busy time with vacations, rec leagues, and just trying to keep pace with the daily routine of life. I have discovered that I need to keep a calendar as a reminder of things that are taking place. With that thought in mind, I want to highlight some upcoming activities that will be taking place here at First Assembly during the months of June and July.
  • If you are graduating from high school or have already graduated from college this year, please call the church office and give us the name of the school you have graduated from. We will be honoring 2009 graduates during the morning service on June 7.
  • All youth who have registered for camp are reminded that we will be leaving for Youth Camp on Monday, June 15 at 10:15 a.m. Please arrive at the church a few minutes early so that we can be loaded and ready to go at the time mentioned. Also, you may want to bring money for lunch on the way to camp, because the first meal is not until 5:00 p.m.
  • On Saturday, June 20, there will be a benefit concert for Gracie Fulk at 6:30 p.m. Food will be served from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., and all proceeds will go to help with medical bills and other expenses. A freewill offering will be received. Check your church bulletin for further details.
  • On Sunday, June 21, we will be honoring all men 18 years of age and above as we celebrate Father’s Day. I encourage you to begin the day by attending church together as a family, and enjoy the day making lifelong memories.
  • We will be recognizing our children on Sunday, June 28 as we celebrate ‘Children’s Day.’ We will be showcasing the talents of our children that morning during the service, and we are asking that you prayerfully consider becoming a part of our ministry team, especially if you have a son or daughter between the ages of 4 - 11.
  • July kicks off with a ‘bang’ as we have a ‘Patriotic Salute’ on Sunday, July 5. We will be honoring all veterans, active military, policemen and firemen who have served our country and communities. Vacation Bible School will be held July 6 - 10 from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. We are looking for coaches and helpers to help out at this ‘Sports Camp.’ Please speak to Matt or Carla Regginello if you would be available to help.
  • July winds down with Kid’s Camp during the week of July 20 - 24. We will announce the time of departure as the time draws closer, so be sure to check your church bulletin for details.
  • Evangelist Rick Rockkind will be ministering in both services on Sunday, July 26. Rick is a gifted singer and anointed speaker that will both challenge and inspire you.
So, get your calendar and mark these dates. Let’s have a great summer together as a church family.

— Pastor Jeff
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATOR
NOTES

photo of business administrator Steve Parsons

 I recently had the opportunity to travel to Iowa to visit family and celebrate my mother’s 86th birthday. Wanting to experience something new I decided to make the trip by train. It is a relaxing and enjoyable way to see the country if you are not in a hurry. I met some interesting travelers, enjoyed the beauty of this great country God created, and did a lot of reading.

During the trip I reread the book Honor’s Reward by John Bevere, a book that we covered in one of our Wednesday night classes. The Bible tells us in Romans 13:1-2 that all authority comes from God. Romans 13:6-7, 1 Tim. 6:1, Eph. 6:2-3, and 1 Thess. 5:12-13 are some other scriptures that deal with honoring authority. Bevere states in his book “Civil authorities are appointed by God and are working for Him. In honoring them we honor Him who appointed them; God in turn will honor us.” We actually are laying up rewards in heaven by honoring those in authority.

So, if a Police officer pulls in behind you, do your thoughts automatically fall in line with the honor principle? What if that officer flips on the blue lights and pulls you over, are you having honoring thoughts then? According to God’s word we should be honoring them because their authority comes from God. By honoring those in authority we are honoring God and He will honor us in return.

My recent participation in the Citizen’s Police Academy, put on by the Harrisonburg Police Department, has given me a much greater appreciation for the work law enforcement officers do in providing for our safety. Thanks to the knowledge I gained in the Academy I have a much greater level of respect for the job these dedicated men and women do on a daily basis, and the potential dangers they face.

We are blessed to have three personnel from the HPD in our congregation. They are Captain Dan Claytor, the Administrative Bureau Commander, Evidence Clerk Debbie Claytor, and Patrol Officer Chris Loflin. I would encourage you to take a moment to thank these individuals for their efforts in making this a safe place to live. Whenever you come in contact with a law enforcement officer, or other civil authority, it would be good to thank them for what they do. You will be applying God’s honor principle.

To summarize this principle, Matt. 10:40 could be paraphrased as “He who honors My servant, honors Me, and he who honors Me, honors the Father.” The world would be a much better place if everybody consistently applied God’s honor principle.

— Steve Parsons
Chi Alpha campus ministries logo.

Picture of Pastor Stephanie Grant.

If you would like to learn more about our campus ministry, check out the Chi Alpha page.
 Greetings! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather. As this is my first entry in the Grapevine, I thought I would take a few lines and explain what Chi Alpha is. Chi Alpha is affiliated with the Assemblies of God as the national campus outreach. There are Chi Alpha groups in many areas such as Georgetown, VA Tech, and UVA. I am the campus staff leader for Chi Alpha here at James Madison University. We have small groups, services and outreach events that meet on campus during the school year. Even though we meet at JMU, students from any campus are welcome to come and join us. The JMU Chi Alpha students and I are very grateful to you as the congregation for making what we do (ministering to students) possible.

I also wanted to leave you with something for your heart. In times of uncertainty, recession in the economy, and war, it is easy to have a case of misplaced trust. I was reading during my time with God in 1 Corinthians 13:8, Love never fails. In 1 John 4:8 it tells us that ...God is love. In other words, we can be sure that God never fails. Huge barriers in our lives and in our relationship with God can be overcome when we realize that God is not a human. He is not a man that he should lie. He is perfect and without any of our human issues (no insecurity, anger, hurt, bitterness). We can trust God even in areas that humans have let us down because He is love and He never fails.

— Pastor Stephanie
 
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