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Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Christians, from the very beginning, have always wrestled with at least two major questions. We find them addressed in Colossians 2:16-23, a most strategic section of Paul’s letter to the believers in the city of Colossae.
Question 1 is, how does one become a Christian in the first place?
Question 2 is, how does one go about living the kind of life that pleases God?
For simplicity’s sake, we might rephrase them this way:
What is the Gospel of Christ?
What is it to be a disciple of Christ?
These are the very issues that are under furious debate today, and this has been the case for two-thousand years! In fact, these were the very concerns that prompted the Apostle Paul to write this letter in the first place, and especially the verses that we will investigate this coming Lord’s Day.
As we work our way through this passage we will discover two competing answers to these questions. One is offered by the false-teachers of Colossae. The other is declared by the Apostle Paul.
As you prepare for worship, it would be very helpful for you to start back in Colossians 2:1 and read and meditate upon the whole chapter as a unit. The radically different and hopelessly irreconcilable answers to these two questions—those offered by the heretics, and those set forth by the Apostle Paul—will become most apparent.
Special Announcement for All Men
Our Men’s Every-Other Thursday Morning Bible Study will resume on Thursday, September 6th from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM at the Church in the Fellowship Area. All men and young men of the Church are invited, and guests are most welcome too! We will meet every-other Thursday morning through December 13th. If you would like to join us, bring your Bible and meet us on September 6th! And if you have any questions about this study please contact me.
I love you all, and it is a delight to pray for you always!
Mike
Upcoming Events:
September 4, 9 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast at Church House
September 4, 9 AM – Mother’s Morning Bible Study at Church
September 4, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Bible Study at Church
September 5, 10 AM – Women’s Morning Bible Study at Church
September 6, 6 AM – Men’s Bible Study at Church
September 6, 11:30 AM – Women’s Ministry Potluck Lunch and Timbers Edge Clubhouse
September 12, 6:30 PM – Parenting Small Groups
September 16, 12 PM – Second Sunday Fellowship Lunch
September 16, 4:30 PM – Youth Group at Church
September 18, 9 AM – Senior Fellows visit Larry’s Gun and Pawn
September 19, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
September 21, 6 PM – Women’s Ministry Fall Conference Day One
September 22, 9 AM – Women’s Ministry Fall Conference Day Two
September 23, 5 PM – Nursery Families Fellowship at Church House
Order of Worship:
You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here
If you’d like to sing the songs with your family beforehand, the songs for this week are:
To Thee I Come
Hark the Voice of Love and Mercy (It is Finished)
Fairest Lord Jesus – Hymn 170, vs 1-3
The Precious Blood
Announcements:
Summer Schedule: Christ Presbyterian is on Summer Schedule. There will be no Sunday School, and regularly scheduled bible studies for men, women, and youth are on hiatus. Fellowship will be each Sunday at 10 AM, with worship beginning at 10:30 AM. Regular weekly activities will resume the first full week of September, with Sunday School resuming on September 9.
Children’s Ministry: Please finalize registration for all of our young people for Sunday School which begins September 9th. If you have an infant to 12th grader, please fill out the form for each of your children so that I can begin working on class breakouts, room assignments and materials.
Also for our member mothers, please sign up to work/greet in the baby nursery this fall. Y’all know the drill. Visitors, we want you to come and be in worship so no need to sign up just yet 🙂
Finally, if you are a Sunday School teacher or volunteer with children/youth in any capacity and haven’t signed our new Child Protection Policy, please see Ashley Turnbull.
Helpful Links:
Infant to 12th Grade Registration Form
Parenting Small Groups Registration Form
Fall Programs 2018 Dates & Contact Info
New Members Meal: We have an opportunity to serve our visitors that have showed an interest in membership The next class is being offered September 9. We will be feeding them a meal after class and I am including a link below for help and food needs we have. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact S’ine Trent at 256-426-2980 or Pat Galecki at 256-244-0612. Thank you in advance for being willing to serve!
Alleluia Choir: Music activities for Second through Sixth graders begins on September 9, meeting Sundays from 4:00 – 4:45 pm in the Music Room of the Church House. Please register by sending names with this year’s grade levels to acbarts@hotmail.com by TODAY August 31 so that music materials will be ready on time.
Youth Group: We will meet again on Sunday, September 16th at the Church Fellowship Hall. The times will be from 4:30-6:30 pm and this will be for students ages 13-18 years of age. We ask that those who attend be at least 13 years of age due to the content of some of the discussions and the wide age range in the group.
Women’s Ministry: There are several upcoming Women’s Ministry events:
– The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is September 6 at 11:30 AM at the Timbers Edge clubhouse. Contact Pat Galecki (countrypat055@gmail.com) for more information.
– The Tuesday Morning Mom’s Bible Study will begin on September 4 from 9-11:30 AM at the church. Childcare will be provided. Contact Amy Schnorrenberg (amyschnorrenberg@icloud.com) for more information.
– The Tuesday Night Women’s Bible Study will begin on September 4 from 6-7:30 PM at the church. The topic is Jen Wilkin’s God of Creation, book and video series (books can be ordered through Lifeway.com website for $12.99). Contact Denise Scrip (denise.scrip@gmail.com) for more information.
– The Wednesday Morning Women’s Bible Study will begin on September 5 from 10-11:30 AM at the church. The topic is Jen Wilkin’s God of Creation, book and video series (books can be ordered through Lifeway.com website for $12.99). Contact Denise Scrip (denise.scrip@gmail.com) for more information.
– Only one week left to Sign up for the OPEN HEART+OPEN HOME. Women’s Conference. You won’t want to miss this opportunity for fun fellowship and inspiration focused on the art of hospitality You will learn all kinds of practical and very doable information that will enhance your ability to minister to your family and others.
Senior Fellows: On Tuesday, September 4 at 9:00 AM the Senior Fellows will enjoy breakfast, fellowship and a devotional at the Church House. Guests are welcome. Finally, on Tuesday, September 18, the Senior Fellows will visit Larry’s Gun and Pawn at 2405 Memorial Parkway SW for defensive training. We will arrive about 9 AM. Meet at the church at 8:15 if you want to carpool. Visitors are welcome Lunch will follow at about 11:30. For more information contact David O’Neil or Joe Sims.
Parenting Small Groups: 14 Gospel Principles
What?
Be sure to mark your calendars for this Fall’s parenting small group! We will use Paul Tripp’s 14 Gospel Principles of Parenting and cover an array of topics related to Gospel-centered parenting. The study and group discussion will center around how to be an ambassador for Christ to your children as you seek to faithful in your calling as a parent. Book purchases are not required, but are encouraged. As we will not cover all the book chapters during the Fall gatherings, owning the book will provide you an opportunity afterwards to continue your reading and thoughtful consideration of your calling as a parent. Hard copies can be purchased online for roughly $20, $12 for those who prefer Kindle reading. Please feel the latitude to contact Matthew Elliott in the event book purchases are out of your current family budgeting.
Who?
The small group is for anyone interested in issues related to raising children. Though the topic is on parenting, all of the church covenant community is encouraged to consider participating: nesters, empty nesters, single adults, and hopeful nesters, each have a role to play in nurturing our covenant children.
When?
Small groups will begin on Wednesday, September 12th! Concluding on Wednesday, October 24th, the groups will be each Wednesday night – the exception being October 10th, which is Fall break. The six meetings will begin around 6:30 and wrap up about 8pm.
Where?
The group(s) will be in CPC member’s homes. The locale, number of groups and group size will be determined upon the conclusion of sign-ups!
How?
To sign up, please follow the link: https://goo.gl/forms/
Other Info?
Childcare will be as needed, provided at the locate of each small group. In the event there are too many children for a particular location, CPC can financially assist those who might need to have childcare in their home during the time of the small group. Please discuss with your small group leader to arrange childcare.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Matthew Elliott: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.
Thank you!
Second Sunday Fellowship Lunch:
Starting Sept. 16th: Christ Pres. Second Sunday Fellowship Lunches
**because of the new member class on Sept. 9, meals begin on Sept. 16 (subsequent dates are the second Sunday of the month unless noted otherwise)
When: Immediately after worship ends, please join us for lunch!
Where: In and around the fellowship hall
Who: Everyone is invited to attend! A suggested donation of $5.00 per person/$20 max per family to help offset cost of food. Children under 5 and visitors eat free.
What: September menu: Loaded Baked Potato Bar/Drinks/Dessert
Please make plans to join us September 16th!
If interested in helping please contact: Denise & Jeff Brown niniandjb@gmail.com or 256-698-0475 call or text
Nursery Families Fellowship: There will be a fellowship event for families with children in the nursery on September 23 from 5 to 7 PM. For more information contact Norman Dean.
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Andy Trent, Debbie Hill, Suzanne Nimon, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Bereavement: Please be in prayer for Bill Cowley, whose sister Joyce died this week.
Expecting: Please pray for the Elliott family, expecting in September, and the Ely family, expecting in November.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).
Emails:
general inquiries: admin@
benevolence needs and prayer: deacons@
men’s ministry: men@
women’s ministry: women@
children’s ministry: children@
youth ministry: youth@
senior fellows: seniorfellows@
Address:
288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763