One of my favorite heroes is Sadhu Sundar Singh, who was born into a wealthy, landowning Sikh family in India.  Sundar converted to Christianity as a teenager, and renounced his wealth to travel the roads as Jesus did, preaching the gospel.  Sundar and a friend were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains. The weather was bitterly cold and dangerous.  The two friends were caught unprepared in a snowstorm between two camps.  Their only hope was to make their way to the next camp as quickly as possible.  During this despserate rush, they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help this unfortunate traveler, but his companion refused, saying, “We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him.”

Sundar understood his friend’s reluctance but he could not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion made his farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great effort on his part, he bore the man on toward the next station, knowing the risk to his own life.

But this is the miracle of service!   At first traveling became more difficult for the Sudhar with the weight of the stranger on his shoulders, but gradually the heat from Singh’s body began to warm up the exhausted and unconscious half frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead – frozen by the cold.

So I think about our friends who are cleaning the church together.  Their service may begin as a chore, but it turns into satisfaction, service, and renewal.  Come see the miracle.  You’ll be amazed.

Emalie

Hickory Bend’s Vacation Bible School Theme for 2011 is:

SHAKE IT UP CAFÉ-

Register Here online or in person!

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation . . . – 2 Corinthians 5:17a

In this kid-friendly café full of chef’s hats and aprons, pots and pans, checkered tablecloths, and chalkboard menus, kids explore the Bible as a cookbook filled with recipes for living out God’s word. Through interactive lessons, that are easy for kids to apply to their lives today, boys and girls will celebrate biblical festivals that reveal ingredients for being a follower of God.

All Children and Adults are Welcome

Sunday July 24 through Thursday 28^th.

All family members and friends are invited to the Thursday final night Celebration and graduation program and meal.

5:30 light supper served

6:00 to 8:00 break out sections with puppet, music, story, mission, discovery, craft, and games for kids and an adult class following the same theme.

Our SHAKE IT UP CAFÉ Carry Out order:

Take the love of Jesus and share it with everyone.

Join us for four evenings of Shake it Up!  Where we learn to carry out God’s recipe!  We are trying something new at the request of our youth.  They would like to have their own VBS before the children’s VBS.  The youth have said that as much as they love working in VBS being on staff, they don’t want to miss any of the fun or the Bible stories!  Yes.  That’s what they said.  We will study the same Bible stories the children and adults will be studying, but these lessons are named at youth.  We will learn how to be ready for God’s call, give happily to God and others, believe in Jesus as God’s son, and remember Jesus’ life and teachings.  While we are learning, we will also be preparing for the children to come the following week.  God calls us to shake up our lives and follow Him!  Come learn with us how to carry out God’s recipe.

Dinner will be served at 5:15 from now on to help keep us on time for 6:00 Bible Study.

This week’s menu:

Lasagna

Salad

Bread

Desert

Tea, Water, Canned Drinks.

Also, we have a full music schedule for Wed. night rehersals to be prepared for Music Appreciation Sunday.

Here’s the schedule:

6:00 Bible Study

6:00 Bell choir

6:20 Band

6:40 choir

See you at church!

Cathy

Please come to our rescheduled council meeting immediately after worship, on April 18.  Everyone is welcome, and we have many exciting projects in the pipeline.  Your input is very important.  Come and throw in your two cents.

January 7                 The Apocalypse:  “What is it all about?”

“FIRES OF HELL, WATERS OF HOPE” A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION

January 14               The Speaker(s): “What was said and Who said it?”  Revelation  1

January 21               The Recipients:  “And you call yourselves Christians?”    Revelation 2-3