by Helena Villarreal

As I write this, we are eight hours into a new year. Resolutions come to mind. Many of us will have made resolutions in regard to things like physical fitness, finances, and career goals. But, have you ever considered setting goals in regard to your walk with Jesus Christ? Following Christ does not come easily. It must be done on purpose. Setting attainable goals in our Christian lives will not only improve our own spiritual health- it will improve the health of our families, communities, and our church. God’s Word is inspirational. Here are five possibilities.

Matthew 5:9 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. The only way to lasting peace is through Jesus Christ. Ask God each day to assist you in making peace. It is no secret that some of the meetings and interactions that take place at First Reformed Church have not inspired peace. I have personally left congregational meetings filled with hopelessness, anxiety, and sadness. But, that is because I have momentarily lost my focus on the fact that God is sovereign. He can use this time of uncertainty in our church for His ultimate plan. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing is beyond His Power. Just acknowledging that fact floods me with peace. There are concrete actions that I take. I intentionally respond to anger with calmness. This is new for me. I used to default to another person’s anger at a church meeting with my own self-righteous anger. Now, I listen more often. I even silently pray for unity to be restored during contentious meetings.

John 8:31 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” How are we to abide in His Word? One definition of abide is to accept. Another is to live or dwell in. There is simply no way to be a disciple of Jesus without knowing His Word. The only way to do that is to read it and then obey it. There are numerous ways to read the Bible. I use the Bible app and each day listen to an audio clip of verses that are part of a two-year plan to read through the entire Bible. More importantly, I obey. For example, I forgive and ask for forgiveness because walking with Christ demands obedience. I hear Christians say that they don’t have time to read the Bible. But, if you have time to shower, brush your teeth, and get dressed- you have time to read the Bible! During small group, Cheryl shared with us that she wouldn’t allow herself to eat until she had read her Bible. I link it to getting ready for my day.

January - 2020 - February

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Stand firm. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. If you have taught any classes at our church, you quickly notice something. The first class you teach is full of people. By the end of the class, there are usually one or two faithful attendees left. This used to distress me. I saw it as a reflection on my ability to teach. And, this happens in all age groups. But, it is very important to give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. Even when two people show up for a class, it is just as important to pour my efforts into class. The work you engage in outside of work is also critical. Before heading into the Vollrath HWC, I pray this prayer. “God, go before me. Open my eyes to help whoever You send my way today. Strengthen my hands for Your Work.”

2 Corinthians 4: 9-11 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. A very important way to reveal the life of Jesus in our body is to die to ourselves. What does this entail? This means to put the needs of our pastor and our fellow church members and attendees before our own desires. This may be the hardest resolution. But, this is done by expecting nothing at church but to serve. Rather than complaining about the absence of things that you want at First Reformed Church, ask God to open your eyes to join in and serve in all the ways that He is working. David, Michael, and I joined a small group. We laugh. We cry. We “let our hair down” and encourage one another in concrete ways to grow in Christ. Facilitate a class if no one else volunteers. Join in any of the prayer groups taking place. Prayer is where the real power and change takes place. This is where Satan is soundly defeated. Intentionally put others first. Put yourself last.

2 Corinthians 6:9-11 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. We are commanded by God to rejoice! Complaining, gossiping, and speaking words of hopelessness in regard to the future of our church is wrong. It is not acceptable in God’s eyes and does damage to His Bride, the church. He takes this very seriously. It simply must stop because the Great Commission cannot happen when we engage in this behavior. These behaviors are every bit as destructive as sexual immorality and witchcraft according to the Bible. I wince when I look back at how I used to engage in gossip in our community. I have torn down our pastors and leadership without reservation. I have asked God for forgiveness and the moral courage to do my part to stop it. A concrete way that I have stopped it is by being proactive. I start conversations with fellow church members by asking what God did in their lives this week. I always engage in what I call “good gossip” during the week. I’ve been known to tell complete strangers about Pastor Chris and First Reformed Church and all of the great things God is doing through us. I was taken aback several months ago when I introduced myself to someone, telling him that my family attended First Reformed Cedar Grove. He jokingly stated that the four of us were probably the only ones left. My heart began to pound. Frankly, I was angry. But, I calmly stated that my family was staying. First Reformed Church was following Christ. I asked him if he thought that was the most important thing. He agreed. In the past, I may have joined in and torn down our church. Thanks be to God, I now have the moral courage to defend His Church. If I have a problem with someone, I either let it go or only approach that particular person for resolution. Then, I forget it. And, I accept each person with his or her unique attributes and personality.

My prayers for the next year are that you would set your own resolutions that would help you to follow Christ much more closely. This is not easy or comfortable. It may mean having hard conversations with each other. But, to God be the Glory, we have the same power that resurrected the dead living in us! Wow! That only fills me with peace, gives me a hunger for His Word, helps me serve fully, die to myself, and rejoice! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us.

February March

02 Jason & Jodi Jones family 01 Gene & Joan Dana

09 Brian & Karen Klos 08 Steve & Linda Meinen

16 Dennis & Sandy LeClair 15 Mark & Judi O’Connell

23 Mark & Betty Lorge 22 John & Kathi Poplar family

29 Eric & Joan Chvosta Sanders

April

05 Jeff & Aileen Starr

12 Randy & Linda Walvoord

19 Dale & Betsy Theune

26 Jack & Becky Dulmes family

February

01 Leila Hartmann

Michael Prinsen

04 Gracin Reed

05 Ashley Navis

Marion Prinsen 90

06 Tracy Spriggs

07 Anna Mae Berend

08 Logan Navis

09 JoAnn TenPas 87

10 Owen Teunissen

13 Andrea Scholten

14 Lorraine Huibregtse 91

16 John Prinsen

Jeff Starr

Carl TenPas 88

17 Eric Veldhorst

20 Gene Dana

Jonathan Walvoord

26 Daniel Hartmann

Jack Krause

27 Lowell Kappers 84

28 Cheryl Reha

March

01 Reese Hinze

02 Shirley Claussen

Marilyn Sandee

03 Brian Hopeman

Eli Kaat

Brandon Wieberdink

05 Jaiden Jones

06 Erwin Claussen

09 Darlene TeStroete

Gloria TeStroete 93

11 Jody Kaat

12 Matthew Rubsam

Eric Sanders

14 Ashley Hinze

John Poplar

15 Greg Navis

Roger TeStroete

17 Malachi Lukens

18 Gail Biederwolf

23 Michael Villarreal

24 Rosemary DeMaster

Jeremy Spriggs

25 Ivy Ray

Matthew Risch

Jerry Schwartz 84

28 Lisa Claussen

31 Tessa Krause

Jamie Prinsen

Thank you very much for helping 28 families in the CGBSD schools with gifts,

fulfilling two needs and one want for each truly needy student here. Being a

part of this, with four other churches from Cedar Grove and Belgium is a very

real blessing that is unique to our community. Many Children will be blessed by your giving, above and beyond what was asked. A family

devotional by Max Lucado was given to each family. The genuine thanks and

relief from parents were expressed when they picked up the wrapped gifts on

Saturday, December 14th. Thank you also to the volunteers from our church that helped to wrap the 200

plus gifts on Friday, December 13th. This was accomplished in less than two

hours. It truly was a blessed event!

Thank you for the Poinsettia and the

Christmas cards.

Pearl Hilbelink

Thank you so much for all the

beautiful Christmas cards and

thoughtful messages. For the flower;

to the kind people from First

Reformed Church who had a hand in

delivering all of these heart-warming

things to our shut-ins. So very much

appreciated.

Carolyn Kappers

Dear Church Family,

Thank you for all the prayers,

cards, hugs, calls and gifts

received while

Dawn and Erwin were ill.

Thank you for the beautiful

poinsettia for Christmas. All

was very much appreciated.

Please continue to keep us in

your prayers.

Dawn Claussen

Erwin and Shirley Claussen

Thank you for the Poinsettia and Christmas cards. I appreciate all

of them.

Lillian Veldboom

Thank you to the church for the

Poinsettia, and to all those who were

ministers of grace by sending

Christmas Cards.

Marion DeRuyter

Thank you for the Poinsettia

and Christmas cards.

Paul Nyhof

Thank you to everyone who rang the bell and donated for the Salvation Army at the Piggly Wiggly. The funds raised will be used for the Salvation Army projects in Sheboygan County.

CHECK IT OUT!

NEW ARRIVALS AT THE CHURCH LIBRARY!

ADULTS: 1. Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace. A former homicide detective investigates the claims of the Gospels.

2. King's Shadow by Angela Hunt. Two women struggle to survive in Herod the Great's tumultuous court, where no one is trustworthy and no one is safe.

3. Paul, Apostle of Christ by Angela Hunt. Luke, as a friend and physician, risks his life every time he ventures into the city of Rome to visit Paul, held captive in Nero's bleakest prison cell.

4. The Stones Of My Accusers by Tracy Groot. Two men searching for a woman. One many to confront her, and the other to show her mercy.

5. The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis. Can the Millers find a way forward through the

turmoil to a place of forgiveness and acceptance?

6. The Timepiece by Beverly Lewis. Can God make something good come out of the mistakes of the past?

7. The Caregiver #1 by Shelley Shepard Gray. Wounded hearts find hope and healing in the Amish village of Jacob's Crossing.

8. The Protector #2 by Shelley Shepard Gray. When her mother passes away, Ella's forced to auction off her family's farm.

9. The Survivor #3 by Shelley Shepard Gray. Mattie has faced more in her twenty-three years than she ever imagined possible.

10. How The Lights Get In by Jolina Petersheim. When Ruth Neufeld's husband and father-in-law are killed, she travels to Wisconsin to bury her husband.

11. One More River To Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick. In 1844, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri hoping to be the first wagons into California.

12. Then Sings My Soul by Amy Sorrells. At age 94, time is running out for any hope that Jakob can be free from his burden of guilt.

13. Unplanned by Abby Johnson. As director of a Planned Parenthood clinic, Abby decides to walk across the road to join the Coalition for Life.

PLUS Four new Christian movie DVDs: Mom's Night Out, Gods Not Dead 2, Unplanned, and To Joey With Love.

CHILDREN: 47 new books! 1. Including 13 books for older elementary students from Answers in Genesis and Cold Case for Christianity!

2. Five Play and Learn Sets for our younger kiddos: David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lions, Jonah and the Whale, Feeding the 5000, and Jesus and His Disciples!

PARENTING RESOURCES: New books that deal with the difficult but important conversations we must have with our preteens to prepare them for difficult situations as teens and young adults.

Come meet the newest members of our Library!

Come see the old

and new treasures

we have in our

library!

13+ NEW BOOKS

FOR GROWN UPS!

47 NEW

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

4 NEW DVDS!

5 NEW PLAY AND

LEARN SETS FOR THE

KIDS

BIBLE ACTIVITY

PACKS FOR KIDS

CHILDREN &

FAMILY MEDIA

RESOURCES

Information on Answers

in Genesis, Casemakers

Academy, Focus on the

Family, What's in the

Bible, Superbook,

Owlegories, Veggie

Tales, and Pureflix

FAMILY

MINISTRY

RESOURCES

Information on Voice of

the Martyrs,

Compassion, and Reece's

Rainbow

SPIRITUAL

HEALH RESOURCES

Spiritual Health

Evaluations and Spiritual

Gifts Assessments

Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true, whatever is

noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is

lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or

praiseworthy—think about such

things.

Philippians 4:8

EVANGELISM

RESOURCES

Information about why

we should evangelize,

how to evangelize, and

who we should

evangelize.

GREATER CHURCH

HISTORY: FROM ACTS

TO THE PRESENT

OUR CHURCH

HISTORY

WALK THROUGH

THE BIBLE IN ONE

YEAR FOR KIDS AND

PARENTS!

Each week a different

Bible Story will be

showcased using colorful

flannel graphs. There

will also be a coloring

page available for kids

to take home.

LADIES BOOK

CLUB

We meet again on 2-17!

42 Seconds by Carl

Medearis.

LITTLE

SHEPHERD MONTHLY

STORY TIME

In December we talked

about "Jesus is the

Reason for the Season"

This month we will be

talk "God Made You

SNOW Special"

SWEET READS

READING PROGRAM

AGES 3-13: For every 5

books read or movies

watched from OUR

CHURCH LIBRARY, you

will receive a coupon for

a FREE sweet treat!

DISCIPLESHIP

DOLLARS READING

PROGRAM FOR AGES

14-100: For every 5

books read or movies

watched from OUR

CHURCH LIBRARY, the

Library will donate $1 to

one of our Church's

missions.

WALL OF

WONDERS: SHARE

WHAT GOD'S DOING

IN YOUR LIFE!

On the chalkboard wall,

jot down something

amazing you see God

doing in your life! Bless

and be blessed!

But store up for yourselves

treasures in heaven, where

moths and vermin do not

destroy, and where thieves do

not break in and steal. 21 For

where your treasure is, there

your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:20-21

On Monday, March 2nd the

Northwestern College

A cappella Choir

will give a concert here at

First Reformed Church.

They will be arriving at 4:00 for rehearsal at 4:30. We will feed

them Dinner here at the church. Be sure to come and hear them

for their concert at 7:00pm.

They will be coming with approximately 42 members who will need

a place to sleep that night. Please consider taking in 2, 4 or more

if you can, to spend time in your home after the concert. They will

need to be back at the church with breakfast eaten and lunch in

hand at 8:45am. If you are willing to take in a few members sign

up at the information counter or contact Cheryl or Kaye.

“Cornhole for Seniors”

for men and women at 1:00pm on

Wednesdays here at First Reformed

Church. Invite your friends.

Questions call John Navis

920-980-6441.

Ladies Book Club: Time to read again! This time we will be

reading “42 Seconds: The Jesus Model

for Everyday Interactions” by Carl

Medearis. We’ll meet on Monday,

February 17 at 6:30. There are

questions at the end of each of the 4

sections that we will use for discussion.

Remember to write your answers on a

separate sheet of paper. Sign up at the

info counter or let Mary Lavey (920-

668-8302) know if you would like a book.

Make sure you read the Introduction

too. This is a great book!

Church Ministry Contacts Elders Deacons

Administration Roger TeStroete Kevin Hopeman

Contact: Roger TeStroete 920-564-3801

Congregational Life Dale Theune Nate Hinze

Contact: Dale Theune 920-627-5814

(Connect & Care with Compassion) Contact: Joan Dana

920-918-7785

Discipleship Andrew Lavey David Villarreal

Contact: Andrew Lavey 920-668-8302

Missions Lloyd TerMaat Dan Teunissen

Contact: Lloyd TerMaat 920-980-5798

Property Mark Hopeman Kevin Hopeman

Contact: Kevin Hopeman 920-668-8173

Worship Mark Huenink Jeff Starr

Contact: Mark Huenink 920- 627-6923

Little Shephard’s Inn Board Roger TeStroete Jason Jacoby

237 S. Main Street P.O. Box 319 Cedar Grove, WI 53013 Phone: 920-668-6261 Website: firstreformedcg.com

Missions We Support ➢ Pastor Simon Muntolol

RCA Missions – Kenya ➢ Bob Abel – RCA

Remembering Nhu ➢ Todd & Darlene Voskuil

JAARS/Wycliffe – North Carolina

➢ Words of Hope Uganda Challenge

➢ God’s Kidz in the Hood Milwaukee

➢ The Faithful Workers of Adullam – Milwaukee

➢ Kelsey (TeBeest) Corpas World Team – Spain

➢ Alex Holle InterVarsity @ Carroll University ➢ Beautiful Response – Haiti

➢ RAJ Ministries ➢ Camp Daniel ➢ Jen DeMaster

Mid-East Missions ➢ Pastor Esperanza Dominican Republic

➢ Ongoing Mission Projects

Chris Schaefer – Senior Pastor Phone: 920-668-7024 / 219-863-8037 email: pastorchris220@gmail.com

Cheryl Schaefer – Ministry Assistant email: cheryl@firstreformedcg.com Kaye Ebbers – Office Administrator email: kaye@firstreformedcg.com Patti Hinze – Financial Administrator email: patti@firstreformedcg.com

First Reformed Church Cedar Grove, WI

Sunday Morning Worship Services on Access Channel 20

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 9:00 & 11:00am

1:00-3:00-5:00-7:00 & 9:00pm