online newsletter march 2010

I’ve decided that March is a rather ambivalent month. On

the one hand, winter has been hanging around long enough, and there is a weariness that sets in while we wait for spring to arrive. We’re tired of shoveling snow, and dirty automobiles, and layers of clothing, and unsure footing when we venture outside. We find ourselves longing for the “land of the snowbirds.”

But on the other hand, have you noticed that daylight is arriving earlier and lasting later in the day? That means that spring can’t be too far off. And with spring will come the crocuses and the hyacinths and the tulips and the trees will start showing some buds of life. The snow will start melting away, the daylight will keep getting longer, and signs of life will begin to emerge in interesting places. In addition to that, there is

the excitement of the winter sports coming down to tournament time, and that’s true for both high school and college athletics. And that provides a nice respite from the white of winter.

So, will I choose to be pessimistic or optimistic? Will my focus be on the negative or the positive? Will my mind be attentive to the drudgery of the past or the anticipation of the future? Those are choices we all make, and they are important because they determine whether we are a pleasant or unpleasant person to be around.

I would suggest that we all ask ourselves these questions: Do people like me? Am I a pleasant and enjoyable person to be around? Or do people look for a place to hide when they see me coming? Do I tend to be a person who sees the cup as “half full” or “half empty”?

Why are these questions important? I believe, as followers of Jesus Christ, that our lives should reflect His life. As I read through the Gospels, I am always amazed at how people were drawn to Jesus. And it wasn’t just one socio-economic grouping of society that sought Him out. He appealed to the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the powerful and the weak, the Jew and the Gentile, the men and the women. There was something about Him that drew people in. All kinds of people just enjoyed being in His presence. Are we that kind of person? I hope so. I pray that there will be so much of Christ that reflects out of our lives that people will take notice. And when that happens, we will have the wonderful opportunity to “give a reason for the hope that is within us,” as the Scripture says.

So, as we go through this month of March, keep reminding yourself, “Yes, it’s March, but Easter’s comin’!” And let that joy reflect from your daily living. On a different note, it is exciting to see the many new faces that keep adding to the family here at CLF. I often hear someone say, “I went to a different service than I normally go to, and I saw so many people I didn’t know!” That’s not a bad problem. But it does present a challenge to keep putting names with faces. So, we have a solution that will help us all. In the month of April we will be taking photographs that will be part of a new church directory. We have teamed up with Lifetouch to put together a professional piece that will help all of us get better acquainted. Here’s what we need from all of you. During the month of March everyone in our church family will be given an opportunity to sign up for your picture to be professionally taken. It will not cost you to have your

Senior Pastor’s Column

picture taken, but every person who participates will receive a complimentary 8 X 10 portrait and a church directory. You will have an opportunity to purchase additional portraits, if you so desire. The portrait will obviously be a keepsake for you, and we will all benefit by receiving the directory of the church family.

I sincerely hope you will choose to be part of this project. We have a couple of newer staff members that are anxiously awaiting this directory, so that they can connect faces with names. And I know that many of you feel likewise. So, be watching for the opportunities to start making appointments to have your portrait taken. The dates set aside for this endeavor are the first two weeks of April. Thanks for your help in this project. I look forward to seeing your face in the directory. But I hope to see your face many times before that, as we gather together as a church family to celebrate the goodness of God in our lives.

Leadership Retreat CLF Leaders joined together in January at Camp Alex-ander for the annual Leadership Retreat. This year our theme was TEAM - Better Together. On Friday evening we had a refreshing time of worship in front of the fireplace. After a wonderful breakfast on Saturday morning, we were in-

spired and chal-lenged through mini-messages using clips from

the movie Miracle, about the US Olympic hockey team that came home with the gold in 1980. The coach chose his players carefully – getting the right people on board- not necessarily the star players. We were reminded to think about the fact that Jesus also chooses “unlikely play-ers for such a time as this,” and turns us into His team to accomplish all He is calling us to do.

We also worked together on a values exercise to iden-tify the constant, passionate and core philosophy that drives "who we want to be" as a church, and "how we do ministry" here at CLF. It was fun and energizing to be part of the process, and we are looking forward to future op-portunities to interact as leaders.

March Golden Gems M‐ajor changes in the weather

A‐rriving each day, winter and summer together

R‐aging winds, then sunshine

C‐omes to chase them away just in time!

H‐appiness! It’s springtime!

“for lo, winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth: the time of the sing‐ing of the birds is come..” ‐Song of Solomon 2:11,12

We are ready for spring after a cold windy winter. At times winter is very unpleasant, but to those of us who are not obligated to go out often, it has not been too uncomfortable. It was a time to reflect on our many blessings: a warm home, plenty of food, books, hobbies and friends and loved ones.

We can look forward to a pleasant springtime, when nature is preparing an awaken from her win‐ter slumber. Earth is coming to life after a time of lying dormant. Spring is a beautiful rejuvenating time of the year. It is “green‐up time”, as the peo‐ple in the Ozarks call it.

The cycle of changing seasons reminds us that life does not end‐it continues in another form.

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, a day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

There is beauty all around us if we will LOOK and SEE! As the March winds sweep away the debris of winter, we should allow God to send a clean wind through out hearts to sweep away unwanted trash; bad thoughts, disap‐

pointments, anger grief and sorrow. It is House and Heart cleaning time. We have to decide what to keep and what to discard.

“God keep a clean wind blowing through my heart.”

Senior Adult Bible Fellowship

Thursdays 12:45 to 2pm, At CLF

Beginning March 4th

Senior Adult 4th annual

Souper Soup Day!! Thursday, March 25th, Noon‐1:30

Over 12 different soups!

Special Guest Louie Boucher (boo‐shay)

Invite a friend and sign‐up by calling the church office, 887‐3565

Buddy Barrel is the kids’ official mascot for BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge). Every weekend in Kids Church, kids give offer-ings that go directly to BGMC. Last year dur-ing the month of March we let adults get in on the fun of saving their change in what we called “Lost change for lost souls” What a great success it was. In kids church the kids had their own chal-lenge to see if they could raise more change than the adults. Total giving for 2009 was $2,800!

On Thursday, February 4th, at 3:30pm, David Boyd, the national BGMC director, took the “BGMC Polar Plunge” in the icy wa-ters of Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mis-souri. Last year, Boyd put out a challenge to the nation that if they raised six million dol-lars (an all-time high) for Buddy’s 60th Birthday/Anniversary, then he would take the plunge. The nation rallied, and $6,042,000.00 was raised for BGMC in order to help our missionaries around the world.

When Boyd presented the national challenge, many district BGMC directors around the nation also set goals for their districts. They too were will-

ing to take the “plunge” if their district goal was met. Five districts met their goals and their directors became eligible including Mark Kilcoyne from the Wisconsin Northern Michigan District . On the day of the “plunge”, the weather was rain, sleet, and snow flurries. The major snow

held back, and the plunge took place despite the rain, sleet, and frigid tem-peratures. Everyone sur-vived the plunge and said it was an “invigorating experience.” Jay Risner even made up a song while he sat in the ice cold water. All the partici-pants were given a soft,

black robe with the BGMC emblem embroidered on it as a memento of this historic occasion.

BGMC wants to say a BIG thank you to all the kids, adults, children’s pastors, children’s workers, and BGMC coordinators who worked so hard in their churches to raise funds and for making 2009 a year to re-member by breaking the six million

dollar mark! During the month of March BGMC boxes will again be available for those wishing to help bless this ministry with their change.

Once again, thanks for all you do to touch people around the world through

your giving to BGMC!!

BUDDY BARREL TAKES THE PLUNGE!!

4th Annual Community Care Day

March 20th , 10:00am‐2:30pm

at Lincoln High School Volunteer at the South Wood County Community Care Day at Lincoln High School. This event will feature many complimentary services for the day and will target the populations needing assistance in the Wisconsin Rapids area. This will be a great opportunity to reach out and inform this population of programs, services and ministries available in our community.

Volunteers are needed in the following areas:

•Client advocate‐a client advocate is assigned a client at the registration table. Advocates spend time talking to the client, help them prioritize what services they need and then escort them through the day.

•Client registration‐a client registration volunteer registers clients at the registration table. Time commitment is at least one hour.

•Room Host‐a room host stands at the door of the room providing clients with a service. They control the sign‐up sheet for the service provided in the room and communicate the status of the room to the event coordinators.

• Runner/Room—a runner /helper helps give and receive information between the various service rooms and the event coordinators.

•Food Service– volunteers in this area will be responsible for working in the cafeteria while lunch is being served.

•Greeter‐a greeter will be the first person clients meet when they come to the event. This volunteer will warmly greet the clients and direct them to the nearby registration table.

•Event Set‐up or Tear down‐volunteers in this area will help setup tables, etc. and return the venue to its original state following the event. Time commitment is two hours before or after the event.

If you are interested in being a part of this community event, call 570‐0119 or email [email protected]

600

7th

Stre

et, P

O Bo

x 40

Po

rt Ed

ward

s, W

I 54

469

Phon

e: 7

15-8

87-3

565

Fax:

715-

887-

3575

NO

N—

PRO

FIT

O

RGA

NIZ

ATI

ON

U.S

. PO

STA

GE

PAID

PE

RM

IT #

14

PORT

ED

WA

RDS,

W

ISC

ON

SIN

, 544

69

RE

TUR

N S

ERV

ICE

REQ

UES

TED

Pinewood Derby ................March 6

Winter Blitz.................March 12-14

Daylight Savings ...............March 14

Royal Ranger District Leaders

Conference .................March 19-20

Community Care Day .......March 20

Men In Action Trap Shoot .March 27

Easter Services................April 3 & 4

LifeTouch Photos ...April 6-10, 13-16

Beth Moore Simulcast......... April 24

Ch

ri

st

ia

n

Li

fe

F

el

lo

ws

hi

p