Sermon Preview:
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
We are all well aware of the fact that the word “love” is an incredibly flexible term, used in a number of popular contexts, and injected with a variety of diverse meanings and implications. Equally obvious to most Christians, this word is prominent in the Bible, and forms the very core of the message of redemption: “ For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son. . . .”
Scripture has much to tell us about “love” in terms of what it is, where it comes from, who it’s for, and what it does. One place where this blessed word is set forth so beautifully is in Romans 12:9-13. In these inspired verses of Holy Scripture, Paul presents a long list of defining characteristics of “ love” that is “ genuine” (v. 1), each enunciated in the form of an exhortation.
For the sake of simplicity, we might outline the passage this way:
Genuine love is:
- Discerning (v. 9)
- Discriminating (v. 10)
- Self-Denying (v. 10)
- Energetic (v. 11)
- Joyous and Prayerful in Affliction (v. 12)
- Generous and Hospitable (v. 13)
This coming Sunday, we will begin our examination of these six attributes of authentic Christian love. Our focus this week will be upon the first two of these beautiful traits: love’s ability to discern, and its discriminating nature.
I can’t wait to open our Father’s Word with you!
All my love, always,
Mike
PS: I want to express our gratitude to all those who made last week’s Favorite Hymn Fellowship such a wonderful and edifying time! We appreciate Jeff and Denise Brown, Carol Bart, D. J. Alhorn, and all of those who brought ice-cream! Thank you so much, and we look forward to another night of singing and fellowship very soon!
Announcements:
Summer Worship Time Change:
Continuing throughout the summer, Sunday worship will begin at 9:30 AM in the Sanctuary. At 9 a.m. we have our coffee, snack and fellowship time just off the Narthex. We are serving special snacks to the children in the fellowship room at the same time. Parents, please encourage your children to enjoy their snacks where they are served.
Friday Night Fellowship:
We will have our final Friday fellowship event of the summer tonight, Friday, July 30th from 5:30 – 7:30 at the church house. The fellowship is open to all ages and has been a sweet casual time to spend with one another. Please sign up using the link below so we make sure we have enough food for those attending. We will have chicken tenders as our main dish and group games for our youth.
30 July Friday Fellowship Sign Up Link
Parenting Conference:
We want to invite you to our Fall parenting conference, Faithful Parenting in the Digital Age. Undoubtedly, all Christian parents in the modern era must wrestle with questions of technology, screens, explicit material, and the subtle and overt influences that vie for the hearts of their children. This conference targets issues and questions associated with parenting in an age of technology and considers the faithful response of parents who desire to train their children in Christian maturity. Registration begins Thursday, July 15th and ends Friday, August 13th. Please consider joining us for this important time together!
Our speaker is Dr. John Perritt, Director of Resources for Reformed Youth Ministries. John (MDiv RTS ’09 & DMin SBTS ’16) served in youth ministry at Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church for over 12 years. Prior to that, he served in youth ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, MS. He published Your Days Are Numbered (2016), What Would Judas Do? (2017), Time Out! The Gift or god of Youth Sports (2018), Bible 101: Living, Loving & Learning God’s Word (2018), Insecure: Fighting Our Lesser Fears with a Greater One (2019), and Mark: How Jesus Changes Everything (2019). He also serves as the host of RYM’s The Local Youth Worker and co-host for Parenting Today. He and his wife, Ashleigh, have five children and live in Ridgeland, MS.
Here are the conference details and registration information:
Where: Christ Presbyterian Church
When: Friday Evening and Saturday Morning, August 20th and 21st
Childcare: Alongside the conference for parents, we will have nurseries available for young children as well as a Bible club through the age of 12. These childcare times include all sessions of the conference but not the Friday evening dinner or Saturday morning family worship and breakfast. Please indicate on the registration form names, ages, and grades of the children that will be participating.
Cost: The cost of the conference is free. For those joining us at the meals, we do encourage a donation to help offset the cost of food. $10 for adults or $30 for families is recommended.
Registration: You may register for this event by clicking here.
Meals: We will have a Friday night dinner (Tazikis) and a grab-n-go Saturday morning breakfast with family worship. You may donate to the cost of food by clicking here and selecting the “Parenting Conference” tab on the drop-down menu.
Sessions: There will be two primary sessions, Friday night and Saturday morning. Additionally, we will have two breakout session options on Saturday morning. These are “Parenting Priorities: What’s my marriage got to do with it?” and “A Vision for Family Discipleship” Please indicate your breakout session selection preference on the registration form.
Who: Are you interested in inviting friends or family that might be interested in these parenting topics? We would encourage you to invite them to register on the link provided. We look forward to an opportunity to reach out to families who are interested in the conference material as well as opportunities to reach out to families who do not have a church home!
Schedule
Friday Evening
5:30-6:30 – Dinner (Tazikis)
6:45-8:00 – Session I & Q/A
Saturday Morning
8:00 – Breakfast Starts
8:20-8:45 – Family Worship and Breakfast
9:00-9:45 – Breakout Sessions
10:00-11:00 – Session II & Q/A
Questions: Please contact Matthew Elliott at matthew@christpreshamptoncove.
Psummer Psalms:
Summer is going by quickly, so don’t forget about our Psummer Psalms event scheduled for Sunday, August 15th! The format is simple: pick a Psalm, memorize it, and recite it. You can do this as an individual or as a family or group. The invitation to attend is for the entire church, even if you are not reciting a Psalm. A few coordinating details:
When: Sunday, August 15th, at 4:30 pm. We will have a pizza dinner at 5:30 pm in the fellowship hall, or immediately following the recital.
Where: Church sanctuary
I’ve heard from a few of you that are planning to participate, but I have a feeling there are others busy memorizing a Psalm. We only have about three weeks left, which is still plenty of time to memorize a Psalm!
Important: If you are planning to participate or attend, please send an email to schnorrenberg@gmail.com
Reciting a Psalm? Yes or no.
Which one(s)?
How many in your party plan to eat pizza?
Youth Group:
Youth GeoCaching Scavenger Hunt — And Pizza
On Sunday evening, August 29th, we wanted to invite the youth out to the church grounds for a fun night of food, games, and geocaching … with prizes. We will serve the traditional youth favorite for dinner. A reminder of the fellowship will come out the week before!
Additional Help for the Fall
We are looking forward to starting youth group again this Fall on Sunday evenings! Due to the number of junior high youth (plus additional incoming students), we are needing some assistance with junior high students on Sunday evenings during the teaching time (no teaching required on your part). If you are willing to sit in with the class once or twice during the semester, let me know as we begin to look at schedules for the Fall semester.
Children’s Ministry:
A note from Amanda, our Nursery Coordinator:
First, a huge thank you to those you have volunteered in our nursery during Sunday worship over the past couple of months. It has been a great blessing to our children, nursery staff, and families.
I have created a new sign up extending through the summer months so please click on the link below if you would like to help in the nursery in the coming weeks. Don’t forget our new worship schedule this summer! Since service begins at 9:30, we ask that you arrive in the nursery at 9:15 to help welcome our children in. More details can be viewed on the sign up page.
https://www.signupgenius.com/
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to Amanda Dean or Ashley Turnbull. It has been such a blessing as a parent to see our church as a whole lovingly take part in helping raise our children in a way that points them to their Creator. Thank you all!
Love,
Amanda Dean
Senior Fellows:
On Tuesday, August 3 at 9:00 AM the Senior Fellows will enjoy breakfast, fellowship and a devotional at the Church. Guests are welcome.
Women’s Ministry:
Monthly Lunch: Our next monthly luncheon will be on August 5 beginning at 11:30 at the Timbers Edge Clubhouse located at 1 Timbers Main, Brownsboro. It’s potluck – feel free to bring a dish or just yourself.
Wednesday Summer Fellowships: Make plans to join other ladies in the church for fellowship throughout the summer. Our goal is to connect across generational lines and encourage one another. All ages welcome! Groups will meet on Wednesdays at 10:00 am at Sharon Daughtry’s (5726 Jones Valley Drive, Huntsville 35802) as well as at 6 pm at Panera Bread on Airport Road. Contact Denise for more information.
Career/Singles:
The weekly bible study and fellowship for career/singles meets at 5:30 PM Sunday evenings at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry.
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Dave Angotti, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, and Elizabeth Holton.
Expecting: Please pray for the Prinzingers, expecting in November.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); Amos and Jessica Williams (RUF at Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); Gannon Miles (seminary student); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.
Online Donations:
If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link:
Emails:
general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org
Address:
288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763