APOSTLES LIFE c TABLE OF CONTENTS

03COLLEGECollege-Age Fellowship Presents Evensong

PAGE 04DR. YOUSSEFOne Nation Under God?

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06LEADING THE WAYBiblical Faith at a Crossroads

PAGE 08STSSTS Mission Testimonies

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10TESTIMONYA Testimony of God’s Work By Susan Scott

PAGE 12THE PATHMentoring from the Heart

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14WOMEN’S MINISTRYWidow’s Network& Christmas In July

PAGE 15SINGLE HEARTS FOR CHRISTA Testimony by Stacy Stubbs

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16SMALL GROUPS

PAGE 18APOSTLES @ FIVE

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TOC

Ilove old hymns. at might sound like a dangerous ad-mission from one who works with college students andhigh school seniors. You might be surprised, however,

to discover that many college students appreciate the qual-ity of vintage hymns and forms of worship. In fact, it is soprevalent that there is actually a term for this worship pref-erence. It is called “Ancient-Modern Worship.” It reflectsan interest in the beauty of old styles mixed with the bestof modern worship. It is a generation that likes to see theold made new.

Years ago, I thumbed through a hymnal to discover asection of hymns with which I was unfamiliar. ey werelabeled simply, “Evening.” What I discovered was thatthese hymns were written particularly for an eveningprayer service. I was immediately struck by the beauty ofthe concept of returning on Sunday at the close of day andsurrendering the week to come to the Lord. I found it es-pecially beautiful, considering the stress we encounter inthe ordinary routine of the week.

Daily life tends to rob us of a sense of the eternal majestyof God. e little aggravations and the big disappoint-ments of living in a fallen world build to a swellingcrescendo that deafens us to the Spirit’s whispers. e heartis weighed down by the burden of life and eyes shi fromthe realities of heaven to thoughts of mere subsistence.at is why, in worship, we come to refuel, refocus, and re-calibrate our lives to God’s agenda. e music transportsus, the Word informs us, and in prayer we unload the bur-dens of our heart and trade them for Christ’s Cross; a bur-den the Lord says is light. Yet it is only light if we trust inthe strength He provides and we only have that strengthwhen we seek Him. e intention of the old eveningprayer services was to focus us on that strength in Christ.

In the hymn Abide with Me: Fast Falls the Even-tide, this concept of laying it all at the Cross and fixingour focus on Him takes center stage. “Hold thou thycross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom,and point me to the skies: heaven’s morning breaks, andearth’s vain shadows flee: in life, in death, O Lord, abidewith me.” Evening is used as a metaphor for death and thedarkness of the sin-ravaged world and in that context we“rest” in Christ and the riches of His mercy and grace. Ourhearts are recalibrated to His purpose for us, understand-ing we are salt and light in the world.

Evensong was the name of the Anglican service ofevening prayer. e name has a stunning beauty all of itsown; though darkness approaches, yet we will sing of ourRedeemer because He will come to deliver us. is fallCollege-Age Fellowship will seek to draw on the old Even-song service. While it won’t follow the old Anglican serviceformat, it will expand on its concept. Evensong will be atime for college students to come together for praise, prayerand small group conversation that is centered on a shortdevotional thought. It will be a time where we seek Spiri-tual renewal and reorient our focus on Christ as we facethe challenge of living for Christ.

Evensong is designed to complement the hearing of theWord at the Apostles at 5 evening service. We will gatherat 6:45 p.m. for refreshments and fellowship and begin ourtime of praise at 7 p.m. in the new STS Lo. If you are acollege student or know a college student who is movingto the area, tell them about the Apostles at 5 evening serviceand the Evensong college fellowship time at 6:45 p.m. Youcan direct them to Apostles.org/college or they can emailme at zcarden@apostles.org. Evensong begins on Sundaynight, September 9.

APOSTLES LIFE c COLLEGE

Fall c 3 c 2012

Like the frog in lukewarm water—unaware that thewater is boiling until it is too late to leap out—we, too,may be in more danger than we realize. When more than3,000 babies are aborted every day, the Bible and the TenCommandments are removed from the classroom, andprayer in the school is forbidden, it is time to assess wherewe are as a nation.

Psalm 33:12 states: “Blessed is the nation whose Godis the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

We should ask ourselves, however, whether the Lordis still America’s God—or, like the children of Israel, arewe now pursuing other gods? Although our Founding

Fathers based America’s important documents—such asthe Declaration of Independence—on Christianity andthe Bible, through indifference, ignorance, and neglectof biblical principles, we are in danger of losing our pre-cious freedoms. However, it is still possible to reclaim

what we’ve already lost if God’s people willawake and rise up.

As an immigrant—now a naturalized citi-zen—to this great country, I would like to sharesome of my concerns for America. I have come tolove America and its rich heritage. is country meansso much to me because of the persecution I experiencedin my birth country of Egypt. I know firsthand what it islike to be persecuted for one’s faith, and I understand theprocess that takes place in a country to get to that point.When I observe these telltale signs rising everywhere inour country, it causes me great alarm.

Imagine with me the following scenario. Due to mykindness and hospitality, I decide one day to bring a

young man into our house. He needs food, shelter, and ajob—all of which we gladly provide for him. He alsoneeds an identity, so we let him use our family name—

I s America still the land of the free and the home of the brave? Or is our na-tion dangerously adri on a sea of complacency and immorality? Too oenwe are content to think only of our families and ourselves, and ignore the

world around us.

It is time for us to become fully aware of the path our beloved country is following. ere are reasons why we are experiencing so many problems as a

nation. We have turned away from God’s protection and blessing.” “

From the desk of Dr. Michael Youssef

Fall c 4 c 2012

giving him all the privileges and responsibilities of beingin our family.

Aer a few years, the young man decides he doesn’t likethe arrangement of the furniture, so he rearranges it with-out regard to the rest of the family. en, over our vigorousprotests, he decides that family devotions are offensive tohim, so he insists that our family must stop praying to-gether. Moreover, he decides that having too many Biblesin the home is offensive to him, so he takes the Bibles away.

Finally, he tells me, “If you ever talk about your reli-gious views publicly, I will have to take you to court be-

cause I find your views offensive.” His attitude isreflected as follows, “You brought me into

your family, you gave me all of the privi-leges and legal rights of being a member

of the family. erefore, you have lostyour rights to continue living your

biblical and moral lifestyle becauseI don’t like it.”

He continues by saying, “I maybe one of seven in this house, butbecause I believe that your beliefsystem is out of date, I demandthat you be silenced while I pil-lage and reinterpret your faith foryou. I demand that you accept mynew understanding of the founda-

tional principles of your life.”You are probably thinking, I can’t

imagine a worse nightmare for my lifeand for my family’s life than that.But something much like that has been

happening in our own country of late. Frommy past, I know what it is to grow up in a fam-

ily that has been subjected to socialism. I know,too, what it is like to lose family property. In the 1960s,

family and friends lost everything they had worked forbecause the government seized their property and pos-sessions. e argument, of course, was that the govern-ment knew how to handle these businesses better. Wewere told that it was only getting the rich “to pay their fairshare.”

L et me caution you that these same things have beenhappening in America for the past several years. It is

time for us to become fully aware of the path our belovedcountry is following. ere are reasons why we are expe-riencing so many problems as a nation. We have turnedaway from God’s protection and blessing.

Please continue to join me in praying for God’smercy for America as we approach the Novemberelections.

APOSTLES LIFE c DR. YOUSSEF

Fall c 5 c 2012

From her biblical roots to her religious free-doms, America has long enjoyed the blessingsof Almighty God. Yet, many American Chris-tians take their faith for granted.

In a country where citizens can freely share their re-ligious convictions, many remain quiet as secularismand humanism creep into mainline churches, wateringdown the Gospel message.

While nearly 80 percent of Americans consider them-selves Christians, surveys reveal that many of them arecultural Christians who do not follow the basic tenantsof the Christian faith. In recent years, nearly half of alladults have either changed or abandoned the religious

or denominational affiliation of their childhood. Although social and cultural influences are negatively

affecting the church in America, many people are stillyearning for Truth. Unfortunately, many Christians hes-itate to share the Gospel because they have never expe-rienced the power of the Gospel themselves.

In a recent Pew survey, over 54 percent of Americanevangelical Protestants said they believed people outsideof the Christian faith could go to heaven. As the Amer-ican church focuses less on teaching uncompromisedbiblical Truth and more on tolerance and social aware-ness, the central core of the Gospel, that Jesus is the onlyway to heaven, is being stripped away.

“Our nation is adri morally, spiritually, economically, and politically. Currently, ournation is on the high seas without a rudder or a compass and those of us who know theLord Jesus Christ as our only anchor must now, more than ever, plead for Him to savethis great nation by saving her people. If you are not burdened to pray for America, youhave buried your head in the sand.”

Michael YoussefGod Save America 2012

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With the country’s spirituality at a crossroads, manyunbelievers and “cultural Christians” are trying to teardown the country’s spiritual heritage. Christianchurches must return to teaching biblical Truth and in-dividual Christians must step up and speak the Truth inlove to the culture around them.

e Church of e Apostles is taking a stand everyday for biblical Truth in America through Leading eWay, Dr. Youssef ’s multi-media, international Biblicalteaching ministry. rough radio, television, the Inter-net, and popular social media sites, Leading e Way ispassionately proclaiming the message of the Cross, theinerrancy and relevance of the Word of God, and howto live a life of faith. People need to hear the Truth aboutwho God is and what He has done for us. Christiansneed affirmation in their call to witness to the unbeliev-ers in their lives.

With more than 2,814 radio and television programsaired in the United States each week through Leading eWay, millions of Americans are hearing the uncompro-mised Word of God. rough these broadcasts, people

have accepted Christ for the first time, while others havebeen strengthened in their faith and encouraged to reachout to others for Christ. Also, as more churches turn awayfrom Biblical Truth, Leading e Way has become a dailyencouragement to Bible-believing Christians to staystrong, and we oen hear from people from across thecountry who say that Michael Youssef is their pastor, too.

Some, like this Leading e Way viewer from Ohio,share how the teaching blesses them and encouragesthem to share with others:

I want to thank you for your program on TBN.You have been such a blessing to me by watching

your programs. You tell the truth and you don’t compro-mise. We need more preachers today who will teach truthand not compromise in our world today. So many preach-ers don’t even teach against sin. Most will just preach mes-sages that tickle a person’s ear…. ere are so many souls

to be reached in our world…. I pray that God will richlybless you and your ministry as you reach the lost for Jesus.God bless you and thank you once again for your faith-fulness and preaching the Word of God.

Others share how they are able to use the ministry toreach the nations with the Gospel. A partner from Mon-tana wrote:

ank you for being my voice of Christ to those Iwill never meet.... I truly believe Leading e Way

fits and fulfills the Truth of the Lord and His Word…. Iwant to thank you for your prayers regarding a clearer vi-sion and God using my discontentment to motivate metoward godly change. God is amazing!

America has historically been a beacon of Gospelhope to the world, but we are at a dangerous crossroads.As we approach a critical election that will impact thefuture of our nation, Dr. Youssef has called Bible-believ-ing Americans to join him in praying for God to save

America. In addition to those who have committed topray for the nation through God Save America in thischurch, there are tens of thousands who have also com-mitted through Leading e Way to unite with us inprayers for God’s mercy upon our nation.

ank you for your partnership in this great ministry.e Church of e Apostles is having a spiritual impactin this nation as we passionately proclaim uncompro-mising Truth through the ministry of Leading e Way.

if you would like more information or desire to partnerdirectly with Leading e Way, please contact us at:

LeadInG The Way2 PO Box 20100 | Atlanta, GA 30325* www.leadingtheway.org% Phone: 404-841-0100+ Email: giving@leadingtheway.org

With the country’s spirituality at a crossroads, many unbelievers and “culturalChristians” are trying to tear down the country’s spiritual heritage. Christianchurches must return to teaching biblical Truth and individual Christians muststep up and speak the Truth in love to the culture around them.

APOSTLES LIFE c LEADING THE WAY

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“Fall c 7 c 2012

APOSTLES LIFE c STS

Fall c 8 c 2012

APOSTLES LIFE c STS

Fall c 9 c 2012

he human race has an uncanny strength about it. In theUnited States, for example, we stand in a rich traditionof people who simply have not understood the meaningof words such as “quit” or “impossible.” From settlingthe frontier to planting a flag on the moon, we have

laughed at the seemingly impossible.

The self-reliant, self-determining strength of human-ity is staggering. It becomes, however, an insur-mountable stumbling block the moment we turn

our face to the heavens. Susan Scott has learned this lesson well. e oldest of

four children, no one needed to teach strength to Susan:“Being the first-born of my siblings,” she explains, “I

had always been a ‘take charge’ sort of person—prettybossy and controlling.”

roughout her life, however, God has been reshapingSusan. Born into a family with heavyRoman Catholic roots, Susan recalls howher father insisted that she and her sib-lings be raised in the Protestant church.Susan remembers committing her life toJesus at the age of ten during a revivalservice. And reflecting on that conver-sion, she can see that God has beenteaching her the strength of surrender.

Like most of the worthwhile lessonsGod teaches, the call to surrender didn’tcome easily or efficiently. It came through struggle. Shestruggled through trusting God with bringing her a hus-band. Aer that the struggle looked like trusting Godthrough infertility. en the struggle became how (andwhen!) God would provide children. en the struggle totrust God with their salvation. Most recently the struggleto trust God with decades-long relationships rocked by de-ceit and spite. And on and on it goes.

e struggles in our lives continue to go on.But it was here—in the middle of her struggles—that

Susan learned one of the most important lessons of her

life. She began finding riches in her life with God: “e trials gave me a perspective I never would have

understood without them,” says Susan. “e trials droveme to seek His face when His hands seemed to be with-holding what I wanted.”

She began to recognize the difference between trustingin God’s gis and trusting in the heart of the Giver, totrust that this Giver truly is ruling the universe, and tolearn to surrender her life to His care, especially when thegis were not what she wanted. To value the Giver’s pres-

ence—not his presents—above all else.“I discovered that His ‘will for my

life’ is that I enjoy a deep and rich rela-tionship with Him,” explains Susan.“He wants me to seek His face, not Hishands. I am beginning to understandthat the delight of what His handsmight give me is nothing compared tothe love relationship He offers to sharewith me—the sharing of Himself.”

Self-reliant, self-determined strengthis an insurmountable stumbling block because until we’rerid of it, we’ll never actually turn our face to the heavens.

But Susan has begun to trust that God invites us into adifferent kind of strength. A strength in weakness. A strengthin trusting that God is working all things for the good ofthose who love him. (Rom 8:28) at His face can be seenthrough His crucified and resurrected Son. (Jn 1:18) and thateternal pleasures are in His right hand. (Ps 16:11)at Hispower is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor 12:9).

Just ask her about it. Susan is learning the strength ofsurrender.

“Self-reliant, self-determined strength

is an insurmountable stumbling block because

until we’re rid of it, we’ll never actually turnour face to the heavens.”

T h e S T o ry o f

S u S a n S co T T

Fall c 11 c 2012

I had never given mentoring athought until six years ago whenmy friend Gerald Lambert

handed me a book called e Heartof Mentoring by David Stoddard. Iread the book and was intrigued bythe relational approach of an olderguy sharing his life experiences witha younger man confronting thetwists and turns of life’s path. Myfirst thought was, “Boy, would I likea guy like that in my life.” I was in mymid 50s at the time and didn’t thinkI was the older guy that could share.I just didn’t think I had anything thatgreat that would be helpful to some-one else. Aer all, I had made plentyof mistakes and didn’t accept Christinto my life until I was 51 years old.But aer meeting for a year withDave, Gerald, and a few others, Godbrought me to understand that myfailures were as valuable as my suc-cesses. I certainly knew the conse-quences of some bad decisions. e

Path ministry was born out of thosemeetings and is now a source for fa-cilitating mentoring partnershipsand training mentors in the mentor-ing process.

e need for mentors is great.Anson Ramsey, who has been meet-ing with young men for many years,was attracted to the ministry. He was

encouraged by the relational ap-proach used by e Path. As Ansonsays, “I liked the idea of mentoring asa process, not a program. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t apply to peo-ple.” Anson knows well some of thethings that block men from wantingto share their lives through mentor-ing. “Men in general are loath to ex-pose themselves, fearing somethingwill be perceived as failure. It’s not

easy for men to be transparent. It’snot what the world rewards.” ePath training stresses the value inyour experiences and this value is re-alized through being transparent.Young men don’t need perfect men-tors. ey want someone who is realand understands what they are goingthrough. Anson shares, “Some men

don’t think they are worthy to be amentor but the truth is, God hasmade us worthy through Christ. Hegave us the life experience to share.”And then again there is the proverbialexcuse, “I don’t have time.” Ansonand I have found that you will get asmuch out of a mentoring partnershipas you invest and soon you will bescheduling around your partnermeetings.

“Sharing your life with another is not only rewarding but potentially life changing...

Before I got involved in mentoring I was very self-centered even as a Christian. By

calling me to this ministry God made that character flaw very clear to me.

Fall c 12 c 2012

e Path is all about walking side by side with a mentoring partner.Anson says, “It’s more about listening than giving advice.” And he is right.I usually find myself listening, empathizing, sharing my own experience,referencing Scriptures, and praying for my partners. We actually pray foreach other and I find comfort in their prayers. It's pretty simple: just beyourself, willing to share and God will lead you through the process.

Sharing your life with another is not only rewarding but potentially lifechanging. Anson recalls, “Before I got involved in mentoring I was veryself-centered even as a Christian. By calling me to this ministry God madethat character flaw very clear to me. He gave me a way to change that andhelp young men at the same time. It has been a transforming experience.”I understand what Anson means. I was very reluctant to answer God’scall. Now I value every minute with my mentoring partners.

e Heart of Mentoring by David Stoddard is soundly based in biblicalprinciples. Dave presents the concept of “Living is about giving” which isparamount to one’s being an effective mentor. Jesus is the best example ofof someone giving his life for another. Not only did He die for us but Helived for us, walking with His disciples, sharing the Kingdom of God, andgiving of Himself completely. As mentors we try in a small way to answer

God’s call for us to be imitators of Christ.is fall e Path ministry will be conducting a seminar on the“e Ten Principles of Mentoring from the Heart.” We invite

any man seeking God’s will for his life to attend the classesand learn more about what this could mean for you.

Please check the Sunday bulletin for dates and times.

Christmas In July

Widow’s Networkclosely at the signature on many ofthe paintings in our church. ere arewriters, cooks, teachers, sewers, quil-ters, decorators, experienced travel-ers, and prayer warriors just to namea few gis among these ladies.

If you need prayer, I would suggestthat you ask these ladies to pray foryou as they receive high favor from theLord. He is “a defender of widows”(Psalm 68:5). ey oen mention thatthe Lord is their husband now!

Six months out of the year, theseladies meet for lunch on the first Sun-day of each month in e Commons.In December, there is a special Christ-mas luncheon held at the Swan CoachHouse. e time together is oensprinkled with fun, laughter, andGodly inspiration.

ere are currently 50 widows on

the roster and each woman professesa deep love for her Lord. If youwould like to join this group, pleasecontact Marion Sharp.

Our next luncheon will be on Sun-day, October 7, in the Commons im-mediately following the service. Welook forward to seeing you there!

“e LORD watches over the for-eigner and sustains the fatherless andthe widow” Psalm 146:9.

The Widow’s Network is a“network” of the most giedladies in the church. Not

only are these ladies strong in theLord with spiritual maturity thatblesses all who meet them, but theyalso have hidden talents that are notoen declared!

ere are several talented artists inthe group. Some who are expertswith the paint brush but would neverdeclare they are professional! Look

The annual Christmas TeaTable Hostess Luncheon washeld on Sunday, July 22, with

50 special women in attendance.Why are these women so special? Be-cause each year, these ladies pour theirhearts into decorating a ChristmasTea table, complete with china,teapots, and magnificent centerpieces.Each year the tables are picture per-fect!

As the ladies decorate their tables,they desire for God to receive theglory. ey pray over all the detailsand oen have a Scripture repre-sented throughout the theme of thetable.

For the second year, there will be

WIDOW’S NETWORK

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

i n f or M at ion

sunday, october 7e commons

contact Marion Sharp% 404/261-7004* memum@bellsouth.net.

grateful to the women who decoratea table each year. Occasionally, ateam of women will decorate two ormore tables which are amazing! Weappreciate all the time, effort, andthought given to each table, not tomention all the china carried in!

If you would like to use your chinaand decorating talents to decorate atable this year, please contact us.

We know that you will be blessed!

two teas. A brunch tea will be heldon Saturday, December 1, at 11:30a.m. and the candlelight dinner teawill be held on Friday, December 7 at6:30 p.m.

e Women’s Ministry is very

i n f or M at ion

BrunchDecember 1 • 11:30 a.m.

DinnerDecember 7 • 6:30 p.m.

contact Carola Wangeci* cwangeci@apostles.org

APOSTLES LIFE c WOMEN’S MINISTRY

Fall c 14 c 2012

Single Hearts For Christ

I am so proud and blessed to be a part of the new SingleHearts Ministry at Apostles. Although I’ve been an Apos-tles member for many years and “know” a lot of people,this group has introduced me to at least 30 new sisters inChrist, and THIS single heart is better for it. Let me ex-plain.

As a 53-year-old divorced, (mostly) empty-nester, I feltlike I didn’t fit the description of a typical Apostles mem-ber. I’m single, but I used to be married, so I’m not exactlyone or the other. I have children, so technically I’m a“family,” but since my boys are (mostly) grown and gone,I’m really a party of one. Where do I fit in? Enter the Sin-gle Hearts Ministry, or, as I lovingly refer to it to my(mostly) grown sons, the Single Old Broads Group. (I canhear some of my sisters snorting, “Speak for yourself!”)

e only membership requirement for this group is thatyou must be female (sorry guys) and at least 40, thoughwe waived that requirement this summer during ourTuesday evening Bible study: we had both singles andmarried gals in their 20s and 30s—and we didn’t scarethem off!

So what is this ministry all about? Fellowship, FUN,spiritual growth, and service. Our mainstay is one once-a-month (4th Sunday Lunch Bunch) lunch aer church.

Single Hearts for Christ is a women’s fellowshipthat brings single Christian women together toenjoy, enrich, and support one another. What

better place to be than with a group where people knowyou, pray for you, and encourage you in your faith? Aswe see it, every single, divorced, and widowed womanhas different needs, worries, hopes, and dreams. But itis certain that each one offers a plethora of experiences,perspectives, challenges, and gis. In Christ, we haveall that we need for life and ministry. If you are 40 yearsold or beyond, and looking to connect with other Chris-tian women, we have an open invitation for you. Ourgoal is to provide a secure place for you to grow inChrist and to establish friendships with other singlewomen at e Church of e Apostles. Come join us!

We’ve been to Carrabbas , Cinco, South City Kitchen, andFigo so far, and the attendance has ranged from 15 to 35.At every lunch, although I sit by at least one person I al-ready know, I always get to know at least 2-3 I didn’tknow, so it becomes an ever-broadening circle of friends.

Early in the summer the group hosted a Game Night…on a Saturday aernoon. I wasn’t there, but the retellingof the aernoon’s events had us all rolling with laughter.Apparently it involved teams and some amateur actingand…you get the picture.

But the real blessing is that the Holy Spirit is workingthrough all these friendships and experiences to energizeour spirits to serve our Living God, build each other upin Christ, and share His Love with other sisters. e Sin-gle Hearts Ministry will begin this fall to serve My Sister’sHouse, an Atlanta Union Mission residence for homelesswomen and children. Our initial objectives are twofold:to sponsor periodic collections of tangible goods neededby the residents, and to periodically host parties for theresidents to bring a little laughter, hope, and love towomen whose lives have, at the present time, fallen apart.ey need what we have (Christ!) to make it through thisdark time in their lives. Funny, so do we. Maybe that’swhat the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us!

SINGLE HEARTS FOR CHRIST

i n f or M at ion

contact Jan Blakeslee* jblakeslee@apostles.org+ apostles.org/women/singlehearts

A Single Hearts Testimony by Stacy Stubbs

APOSTLES LIFE c WOMEN’S MINISTRY

Fall c 15 c 2012

In Tolkein’s e Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins saysto young Frodo, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo,going out of your door. You step into the Road, and

if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where youmight be swept off to.”

Soon Frodo begins a life-changing journey with eightothers, known as “the fellowship of the ring.” You probablyknow the rest of the story. Tolkein’s unlikely group of Hob-bits, Elves, Men, Dwarves, and a Wizard came together overa common bond and experienced uncommon adventure.

About 20 years ago, my wife Helen and I began our ownadventure into the world of small groups. And while whatwe commonly call “fellowship” has been one of the bene-fits, there’s been so much more.

True, we also dig deep into God’s Word, but it’s evenmore than that. We’ve done life together. We’ve becomelike family. We oen wonder how such a diverse groupcould be brought together and become such. We’ve trulygrown to love one another, deeply.

Like Frodo and his companions, our Apostles smallgroup has stepped “into the Road” and we have beenamazed and delighted, joyful and sorrowful, terrified andglorified, foolish and wise, healthy and sick, and muchmore. We have been there with and for one another.

Earlier this year, Helen had become quite ill late in theday with a virus. It hit fast and hard. During the night shejumped out of bed feeling sick at her stomach. e combi-nation of flu, fever, and rising very quickly from the bedcaused her to faint. e first point of contact with the hard-wood floor of our bedroom was the back of her head. Shedidn’t know where she was.

My first thought was, “time to go to the ER!” My secondthought was, “if I take her to the ER in only her nightgownand she survives, she’ll kill me!” What’s the proper attirefor a lady on the way to the ER? en she couldn’t remem-ber that our son was away at college. Never mind thewardrobe, here’s your robe and slippers. Let’s go!

Shortly aer arriving in the ER, Helen was taken to have

an MRI. I had been praying but I suddenly felt alone. Ialso felt scared. Who could I call? Tim Coefield, a memberof our “fellowship” came to mind. Can I call him at 3:00a.m.? Sure, why not?

Tim answered the phone, “John, how can I help you?” “We’re in the ER . . . Helen hit her head,” I managed to

say. “She’s getting an MRI, and I need a prayer partner.”“Bow your head, John. I’ve got this.” rough my tears, I listened and agreed as Tim prayed.Within 30 minutes of that much-needed phone call, Tim

walked into the ER.“It’s the middle of the night,” I exclaimed. “You didn’t

have to come down here.”“I didn’t have to,” Tim responded, “but this is what we

do. How’s Helen?”Helen was ultimately fine. She had a concussion but no

severe or permanent damage.Our group, however, had become even more of a fellow-

ship, a family. is was just one of many impactful times.Several years ago a couple in our group got divorced. It

was a tragedy. e fact that it was two followers of JesusChrist made it even more tragic. e details aren’t germaneto the story except that there was plenty to pray about.

And pray we did. Just before they le our group the hus-band asked us to pray especially for reconciliation for them.e ink on the divorce documents was not yet dry and thisguy is asking for reconciliation prayers! We continued topray for them.

Two years later, Helen and I were privileged to attendtheir second wedding, to one another, in their backyardwith their children in the wedding. It was a glorious dayas God demonstrated His mercy, grace, and healing.

Genuine fellowship is a lot like a family, without theextra dysfunction. Susan, Tim’s wife, says, “My small groupreally is my church. I look forward to going every week. IfI ever need anything, I know I can always count on thewomen in my small group.”

“Our group is a safe place,” Susan adds. “It’s one place

Fall c 16 c 2012

by John horton

that I can share my struggles, without fear of judgment.”  Dottie Page calls our small group her “family in Atlanta.”

She is from Mississippi where most of her family still lives. Helen calls the people who’ve been part of our group

over the years “truly my best friends. I know that theywould do anything for me, and they love me for who I am.”

On this “Road” (life), our group has seen a lot of whatlife brings that you don’t get to see with 2,000 of your closestfriends in the sanctuary on a Sunday morning.

A couple in our group had a young daughter and des-perately wanted a second child. It was just not happening.We consistently covered them in prayer, but aer monthsand months still nothing changed.

Finally a doctor announced a diagnosis of cervical can-cer. “You’ll have to have a hysterectomy and probably somechemo, soon.”

“No, I’m going to have a second child. God has told me,”our group member told her physician.

e doctor predicted death, not another birth. ank-fully he was wrong. Some time later, that doctor was in-troduced to the couple’s second daughter and said, “I don’tknow how that was possible.”

“We do,” they told the doctor. “Would you like to hearabout it?”

Of course, most of our small group life takes place in aliving room, not a hospital.

“When we’re together in small group, I just love the at-mosphere. It’s an environment of interaction on such apersonal level,” says Tim.

“I love Sunday morning and the worship and teachingat church. But there’s something about being in a home,where we can talk about what’s going on with everyone’s

life situations — family stuff, job stuff, children and grand-children — you know, real life.”

Tim recalls, “Susan and I had been married lessthan four months when we joined the small group. Eventhough we were new to Apostles, there was an immediateconnection on our first visit. We felt comfortable and ac-cepted.”

“Not long aer we joined, I lost my job,” Tim ex-plains. “is was an extremely difficult time for us.  egroup prayed for me consistently and was always so en-couraging to me. It was the support I needed.”

When a group has common purpose, it develops themuscles of longevity. Christ brought us together. It has al-ways been His group and through Him we are bound to-gether.

We’ve studied many books of the Bible. But it’s not justbeen getting to know more about God. We’ve gotten toknow Him more intimately as we’ve trusted Him and

sought to apply the truths that we’ve learned together.David, a group member, says that he appreciates “the op-

portunity to study scripture with a cross section of ourchurch — to share thoughts, ideas, and insights amongpeople with different life experiences and perspectives.”

Together, we have experienced births and deaths, hiringsand firings, losses and gains, divorce and marriage, peaceand turmoil, and lots of family.

We’ve sought God’s Word, prayed together (a lot), servedone another, developed trust, laughed together (a lot), nur-tured one another’s faith, learned to love better, and grownin our walks with Christ.

All this is vital to living life. Bilbo must have been right:“there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

APOSTLES LIFE c SMALL GROUPS

When a group has

common purpose, it

develops the muscles

of longevity. Christ

brought us together.

It has always been His

group and through

Him we are bound

together.”

“

Fall c 17 c 2012

As members of the team discussed how to providesomething different in the evening, an idea emerged. Whatif it became a service that created a space for youngermembers of our congregation? What if we created a serv-ice not limited to, but specially geared toward theseyounger people? ough e Church of e Apostles hasseparate ministries to college students, young adults, andyoung families, what if they were brought together for aunique time of worship? e idea continued to develop tothe point where Jonathan Youssef ’s name was offered asthe preacher for the service. In one of those momentswhen you sense the Spirit move, the ministry team mem-bers present all agreed it was a wonderful idea. However,they would need to approach both Dr. Youssef andJonathan, neither of whom were present at the meeting.

“When I was asked if I would be willing to take on thetask of preaching on a weekly basis,” Jonathan recalls, “Iknew that this was from the Lord. I still took the time topray and ask God if this was what He wanted. ere areobstacles that come with this responsibility, but I knewthat they would be worth it if God was in it. I did not wantto miss the opportunity to serve.”

e Apostles at 5 (or A5) service began on August 5,with Jonathan choosing to start a series in Acts. He says,“As I thought of the opportunity to preach regularly at eChurch of e Apostles, I began to think about what itmeans to be an apostle or a “sent one.” Since this was thebeginning of a ministry, I felt like a study of the book ofActs was most fitting. Together we will look at the obsta-cles the Apostles and disciples faced as they attempted totake the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, just as we arecommanded to do.”

With a cross section of ages represented on the openingevening, Jonathan has hopes the Lord will grow this smallgroup of people into a unique worship experience for thenext generation:

“I know we are a small group now, but Lord willing, thisministry will grow and include students, young adults,young married couples, young families, and anyone whowants to be used of God to be encouraged before they goback to school or work and be a disciple, a representative,and an ambassador for Jesus Christ.”

Tyler Jones, one of the students that the A5 service isdesigned to target, had good things to say of his experi-ence of the service. “I like the small church feel in a big

Speaking recently of the new Apostles at 5 service,Dr. Michael Youssef said, “For a long time we’vetalked about, in the leadership of the church, that

we are not going to be a one generation church. So if youwant to see the next generation, come at 5.” Following thisannouncement, Dr. Youssef immediately entered a timeof baptism of new babies born to members of the churchbody. e statement and the act of baptism together werestriking. It was a reminder that we bear a responsibilitynot only as parents but as the church to reach out to andteach a new generation about Christ. It is also answers thequestion: Why Apostles at 5?

It all began with a realization that the evening servicecould be something more than it was. Jonathan Youssefexplains, “A number of months ago, the ministry team dis-cussed the format of the 5:30 p.m. service at Apostles. Atthat time it was live music and a replaying of the 10:30 a.m.service from earlier that day. Attendance hovered around10-30 people.”

Fall c 18 c 2012

church, and that it's a lot more relaxed and laid back,” henoted. “Jonathan is very engaging and entertaining whichkeeps your interest. Also, his messages so far have beenperfectly relevant to things going on in my life.”

“I personally love this series he’s doing,” Amy Peacock,a college senior, offered. “ey’ve been very clear, chal-lenging messages and I know that I'm not alone in feelingthis way. I honestly love the extra service, because it ismore time for fellowship, worship, and learning.”

e A5 service functions as more than just an eveningservice. It provides a generational bridge. It is a placewhere the unchanging truths of the Gospel can be spokenin the language of a generation whose worship preferenceshave changed from those of the previous generation.ough styles have changed, Christ’s mission for this gen-eration is the same as that first generation who bore wit-ness to the risen Lord. In his first message, Jonathanpoints to this unchanging truth:

“We, too, are commanded to take the Gospel toJerusalem (home), Judea and Samaria (surroundingareas) and to the ends of the earth (self-ex-planatory). Our first sermon had threepoints: Know the Message, See theMission field, and have the rightMotive. is is what the churchshould know, see, and do today,and that is why these messagesare so pertinent to us now.”

Toward that end, we pray that God will continue togather the next generation. at they might preserve themission of e Church of e Apostles which is the mis-sion the Lord le to us: Reaching the Lost and Equippingthe Saints for the Work of Ministry.

e Apostles at Five service meets on Sunday eveningsat 5 p.m. in the Ayoub Memorial Chapel.

We encourage you to tell your friends about this newministry and come visit Apostles at 5.

APOSTLES LIFE c APOSTLES @ FIVE

How to Contact UsPhone: 404.842.0200

fax: 404.266.0656email: apostles@apostles.org

Web: www.apostles.org

Worshipsunday

e Gathering of the Body 9:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

sunday evening5:00 p.m.

Wednesday hour of Power6:15 p.m.

Discipleshipsunday

9:00 a.m.

Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef

1781 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30309Phone: 404.841.0100

order: 1.800.337.5323Web: www.leadingtheway.org