Extreme Makeover: Church Edition

Catch a first-look NOW of the

never up-coming episode.

Later, come by and check it out for yourself... in person!

Helping Hands Christmas Needs

We are doing our part to assist Helping Hands

in providing Christmas baskets to our community.

We are looking to collect 63 bottles of cooking oil (48oz).

There is also a list of children's names in need of gifts

for Christmas.  See Jen Patton to pick up tags.

All items need to be turned in to the church office

by December 2nd.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light, 

For rest and shelter of the night, 

For health and food, 

For love and friends, 

For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Illuminate - Youth Group News

Variety Show/Dinner
December 1st, 6:00-8:00pm
Mark you calendar and plan to join us for a fun evening.  See any youth group member or Pastor Marty to purchase tickets.  Childcare is provided!

Youth Volunteers (Fundraiser)
The youth group is raising money for the youth convention in December.  They are looking for yards to rake or jobs to do around your place on a donation basis.  See Pastor Marty to schedule a time and job.

iFollow Youth Convention
December 28-31 in Louisville, KY
Registration Deadline - November 25

Two Service Preparations

As the staff and leadership begin to prepare for our multiple services beginning in January 2013, we'd like to ask you a few questions to glean your input and insights...

Topic: Sunday School
Currently, we only have about 45-50% of our church attendees attending Sunday School.

1.  Could you please share with us what we can do to make Sunday School more appealing to you and your family?

2.  What are topics that you would you be interested in learning about in a Sunday School class?

3.  Who are some individuals you believe should be teaching a Sunday School class?

Topic: Hospitality Team

1.  When you walk into a new building/business/place, what makes you feel welcomed?

2.  Who are some of the "most friendly" people attending Fairmount Wesleyan?

3.  If a new family entered the church on a Sunday morning, would you be willing to greet them, introduce them to others, take them to class or sit with them in the sanctuary?

4.  Would you be interested in helping follow up on visitors and absentees from the church?

Topic: New Service Times
As we begin multiple services...

1.  Would you be okay if we extended our morning worship service 10 or 15 minutes longer?

Topic: Prayer

1.  As we continue to seek the Lord's will for our church, will you commit to pray on a regular basis for our leadership, decisions and the ministry of the church?

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions...  We appreciate your opinions.

Remembering...

Whether they fought in Salerno or Samarra, Heartbreak Ridge or Helmand, Khe Sanh or the Korengal, 
our veterans are part of an unbroken chain of men and women who have served our country with 
honor and distinction.  On Veterans Day, we show them our deepest thanks.  Their sacrifices have helped 
secure more than two centuries of American progress, and their legacy affirms that no matter what 
confronts us or what trials we face, there is no challenge we cannot overcome, and our best days are still 
ahead.
This year, we marked the 200th  anniversary of the War of  1812.  We began to commemorate the 
50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.  We welcomed our veterans back home from Iraq, and we continued to wind down operations in Afghanistan.  These milestones remind us that, though much has 
changed since Americans first took up arms to advance freedom’s cause, the spirit that moved our forebears is the same spirit that has defined each generation of our service members.  Our men and women 
in uniform have taught us about strength, duty, devotion, resolve—cornerstones of a commitment to 
protect and defend that has kept our country safe for over 200 years.  In war and in peace, their service 
has been selfless and their accomplishments have been extraordinary.
Even after our veterans take off the uniform, they never stop serving.  Many apply the skills and experience they developed on the battlefield to a life of service here at home.  They take on roles in their communities as doctors and police officers, engineers and entrepreneurs, mothers and fathers.  As a grateful 
Nation, it is our task to make that transition possible—to ensure our returning heroes can share in the 
opportunities they have given so much to defend.  The freedoms we cherish endure because of their 
service and sacrifice, and our country must strive to honor our veterans by fulfilling our responsibilities 
to them and upholding the sacred trust we share with all who have served.
On days like this, we are called to reflect on immeasurable burdens that have been borne by so few.  We 
pay tribute to our wounded, our missing, our fallen, and their families—men and women who have 
known the true costs of conflict and deserve our deepest respect, now and forever.  We also remember 
that our commitments to those who have served are commitments we must honor not only on Veterans 
Day, but every day.  As we do so, let us reaffirm our promise that when our troops finish their tours 
of duty, they come home to an America that gives them the benefits they have earned, the care they 
deserve, and the fullest opportunity to keep their families strong and our country moving forward.
With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service members have made to the cause of 
peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of 
each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation’s veterans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2012, as Veterans Day.  I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to participate in patriotic activities in their 
communities.  I  call on all Americans, including civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, 
schools, and communities to support this day with commemorative expressions and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of November, in the year of our 
Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

WE WILL NEVER FORGET
We want to thank you again tomorrow...
20% off  and a FREE CUP OF COFFEE to all Veterans and active military.

Monday, November 12, 2012

9am to 8pm

at Tree of Life Bookstore

3700 South Western Avenue

Marion IN 46953

A Great Night with Chonda

Fairmount Wesleyan ladies and friends had an awesome time at the Chonda Pierce concert last night in Anderson! It was hilarious!

Here are some Chonda quotes:

- "You young girls... you know that boy you can't live without?  Give it a few years and you'll slap him just for walking by."

- "If you can't get your kids out of the room to do what you want, start makin' out with their daddy on the couch.  They'll leave the room AND throw up in their mouth."

Praying for the Persecuted - Reminder 5

That they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus so that they will rejoice even more when Christ is revealed

Hebrews 10:34 “…accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.”

Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

I Peter 4:13 “but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”

Praying for the Persecuted - Reminder 4

That they would love Christ's appearing all the more

2 Timothy 4:5-8 “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Hebrews 11:35 “…others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection”.

Praying for the Persecuted - Reminder 3

That they will see God's grace as sufficient and God's power perfected in their weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Praying for the Persecuted - Reminder 2

That God would give them the right words and that they would fearlessly make Christ known

Here Paul tells how to pray for him when he was suffering for Christ in jail—notice his prayer was not for release.

Ephesians 6:19-20 “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

Colossians 4:2-4 “Devote yourselves to prayer… praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

[See Open Door's Effective Evangelism section]

Baptism Video from Family of God Sunday

This video was put together by Jared Powell (Cabin14 Films) to show before the three baptisms on Family of God Sunday.  This Sunday was an opportunity for Child Dedication, Baptism, New Membership and Communion.  It was a unique and very moving day.  We're already preparing and planning for more!

Praying for the Persecuted - Reminder 1

For their physical protection and deliverance.

Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”

Philippians 1:19 “For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance (from jail) through your prayers.”

Philemon 22 “I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to you (from jail)”

Romans 15:30-31 “Now I urge you, brethren… to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea”.

God predicted persecution:

Acts 20:23-24 “the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course”

And the suffering came:

Acts 21:30-31 “And all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together; and taking hold of Paul, they dragged him out of the temple; and… were seeking to kill him.”

You Have My Vote

"Speaking of Romney, I read that his campaign has raised $10 million in California over the last two days. One million was from a fundraiser while $9 million was from Romney checking a pocket in some old khakis."  - Jimmy Fallon

"President Obama is coming under criticism now for not meeting with his jobs council. He hasn't met with his jobs council in over six months. You know the reason Obama hasn't met with his job council in six months? They're all out looking for jobs."  - Jay Leno

Ooooo burn! And by burn I mean this year's election has a lot of temperatures rising around the country - wouldn't you agree? People on both sides of the political aisle are hashing and bashing about with bitter banter and bellicose babble.

And whether you're hoping for the next presidency to look like Romney-style or Obamanation (or maybe you don't care?), there is reason to celebrate the fact that we live in a country whose form of government is rooted in democracy. The freedom to voice our opinions and vote in our election process was paid for with the blood of our Continental soldiers over 200 years ago.

But even more importantly, this is a good season to be reminded that your freedom to choose Christ was also purchased with blood. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you 2000 years ago. Scripture says it this way:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, "by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

And once you trust in Christ and choose to accept His free gift of salvation that He purchased through His death and resurrection, you become a "citizen" of a different sort. 1 Peter 2:9 puts it like this:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

You've been called from darkness into light so that you may declare His praises! And as part of this "holy nation, "you've been divinely appointed to serve in a very important capacity. The job description for your position is very clear.

So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ(2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

How incredibly cool is this? We get to be ambassadors for THE Cause of Christ! This divinely appointed responsibility needs to be the most important part of our lives, because eternal lives depend on it.

Sure, it's a pretty big deal when we elect a new president. But we'll do it again in four years, then eight years, and so on. In the meantime, remember that you serve at the pleasure of someone far more powerful than the President of the United States - God Himself has called on you to be His ambassador for the gospel. Whether you lean left or right becomes a much lesser deal when you compare it to the fact that you are first and foremost a citizen of Heaven representing Christ on earth.

So now that you know you've been granted this awesome responsibility, what will be your first official act? Praying for your friends? Sharing your journey to salvation? Giving your time and resources to the less fortunate as you share Jesus' message of grace with them?

Whatever you decide to do in the power of the Holy Spirit for God's glory - you certainly have my vote!

Who's in for an extra hour of sleep?

When does the time change in 2012?  This early Sunday morning at 2 a.m. - officially, but we'll let you change your clock right before you go to bed.  You can thank us at church after your extra hour of sleep.  (Disclaimer: It's not really extra.  It was stolen from you in the spring, but we're only taking credit for the one given back.  Blame the government or some shady group like the Illuminati for the other one.)  Just to clarify what this really means is that the clocks fall back one hour in the Autumn or 2 a.m. Sunday morning becomes 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

Fall-Back One Hour

November 4th, 2012 at 2 a.m.