First Assembly of God Newsletter                                                                                                      August 2010

The following article was written by Leeland Mooring in OnCourse Magazine 2010
Spring/Summer edition. I found it to be very informative and hope that it will bless and encourage you.

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example..." 1 Timothy 4:12. I remember for the longest time I had the misconception that I needed a beard, gray hair and a bunch of life experience for God to really use me. I thought I needed to read
the Bible more and become really religious before I could be in a place for God to work through me. But what God looks for is not necessarily a wise older person or someone who is young and passionate. Age doesn't really matter to God.

What God deems as usable and what we view as perfect candidates are miles apart. We're
attracted to intelligence, eloquent speech, talent, beauty, and popularity. But God simply desires one thing, obedience. A lot of people seem to fit into a "perfect for the job" category, but when the Word of God puts them to the test, they fail. A relationship with God is not a talent show for everyone to see how awesome we are, but it is a mirror for others to look into and see the love of God.

Here are some ways Jesus described what a true follower looks like: "Then He said to them all: If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it'” Luke 9:23-24).

"As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.' He replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it" (Luke 11:27-28).

God wants you to know His love. He wants to show you who you are really meant to be, and
He wants to show you right now. If you are sick of the usual, tired of the mundane and ready to explode from boredom; if you're broken, imperfect, messed up and dysfunctional (which probably represents all of us in some way) you're a prime candidate.

Be encouraged! Seek after God with all your heart and you will find Him. When you do, you will be changed and in turn, you will change the world around you.

—Pastor Jeff

Your church leadership is keenly aware that your faithful support is what makes it possible to carryout the mission that God has given to us here at First Assembly of God. When it comes to managing the church finances our objective is to be above reproach and to operate from a position of complete integrity. One of the ways we ensure that is taking place is to periodically have our records reviewed by a Certified Public Accountant. This task was recently completed for us by CPA Ralph E. Kiser.

In his letter to the Board, Mr. Kiser stated “I have reviewed the statement of assets, liabilities, and net assets-cash basis of the First Assembly of God as of December 31, 2009 and the related statement of support, revenue and expenses-cash basis for the year then ended, in accordance with Statements for Accounting and Review Services issued by the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.” That sentence is a mouthful that basically says he checked to make sure that we are following good accounting principles in managing the church finances.

Mr. Kiser summarized his report by stating “Based on my review, I am not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the accompanying financial statements in order for them to be in conformity with the cash basis of accounting.” We were pleased, but not surprised, to receive this good report. It is a positive testimony to the diligence of our church Treasurer and the monthly financial reviews conducted by the Administrative Board.

Should you desire to read Mr. Kiser’s report, or have a question about the management of our church finances please feel free to contact me. I will be glad to share anything in our financial records except for confidential items such as individual giving reports, staff salaries, and benevolence fund recipients.

—Steve Parsons