Journey of Faith Bible Study Lessons:
Jan. 21, 28 & Feb. 4, 11 & 18

Advance Commitment Gatherings:
January 23 & 24

Hospitality Reservation Calls:
February 4 through 9

Children’s Commitment Sunday:
February 25th through March 1

Announcement Celebration Sunday:
March 4

February 18 is going to be an exciting day in the life of our church family! Plan to join us at 10:30 a.m. for an incredible service of praise and inspiration. After worshipping and consecrating our gifts together in the morning worship service, our entire congregation is invited to a celebration of our calling and our future. A Celebration Banquet has been planned and will be provided at the Adams County Fairgrounds. There will be a brief program as a part of our special time together, and testimonies will be shared of how God has led and directed us on this “Journey of Faith”. Join us February 18 as we rejoice in our fellowship, our calling, and our future as a family of faith. To help us prepare food and festivities for these events, a member of the Hospitality Team will be calling after February 3 to confirm your attendance.

This past Sunday, January 21, the Inspirational Phase of our Journey of Faith program was launched. Leading up to this day were months or preparation by more than one hundred of our members in an effort to inform the congregation of the challenge before us. From this point forward, our church will devote itself to prayer, study, and worship. The personal testimony Pastor Dave shared on Sunday was a beautiful demonstration of how God desires to work in our lives through our faith. Throughout the Journey of Faith program, we will talk about sacrificial giving. We will focus on giving over-and-above current tithes and offerings, and we will explore the meaning and methods of personal sacrifice-which is what will be required if we are to achieve the need before us.

During the next four weeks, we encourage you to participate in the Bible study lessons, which will take place on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. We will be studying topics such as: prayerful decision-making, God’s will, and defining sacrifice and commitment Above all, these teachings will emphasize that your decision to give and specifically what you give, is between you and God. Remember, what God leads you to give over the next three years through Journey of Faith should not be in response to the church’s needs, but rather a reaction of gratitude and an expression of your living faith and testimony.

The ‘journey of faith’ we each experience will increase as we learn to not just believe in God, but to truly trust in God. During this process, please pray that God will guide our church and leave Christ’s imprint on individual hearts. Ask God to keep us on the path of obedience and trust. Pray that our Journey of Faith will focus our vision on the Creator’s work and keep us aware of our part in fulfilling it. Plan now to be in attendance each of the next four Sundays as the journey unfolds through God’s Word, ultimately leading us to our Commitment Sunday, February 18.

These are exciting times in the life of Lakeside Community Church! Although we are faced with the challenge of meeting the needs of our growing congregation, it is exciting to welcome the many new members we have gained and to watch God work in their lives and in our midst. It is amazing to feel the growth taking place in our individual walks with Christ as we take this Journey of Faith together.

Our family has encountered Christ here because faithful people in this church welcomed us and shared their faith with us. Our lives have been changed because of the way God worked through this church and its people to nurture us, teach us, and shape us. From day one, we have felt the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father extended to us through the friendships we have embraced here at Lakeside.

Our prayer is that God will work through our lives and our faith to bring others to Christ. We are asking, “What would You do through us, Lord? How would You use us to touch others in the way that You have touched our lives?” Although prayer has always been an important part of our faith, the recent loss of Doug’s job brought us to our knees and a deeper dependence on God. Through this difficult time, we made a recommitment to the deliberate decision to seek God’s will for every aspect of our lives, including issues concerning our finances.

We are excited and determined to seek God’s will for our lives, rather than our own. The Journey of Faith program has caused us to think more than ever about our level of sacrifice – to think about giving sacrificially of our money, as well as our time and talents. Our prayer is that when God does call upon us, we will obediently give what He asks of us. All of our blessings are from Him, and He calls us to give some of that ‘blessing’ back to His church – not just out of obedience, but also because, with hearts overflowing with His love, we can excitedly seek to live out His plan for our individual lives, as well as fulfilling His will for our church.

As we each seek God’s will for our Journey of Faith commitment, we cannot help but reflect upon the phrase “in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” God has richly blessed each of us with the family, life, health, friends, church family, our nation, and much, much more. God has blessed us by sending His only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us so we might have salvation and eternal life. God has blessed us with His never-ending love, not because of anything we ever did, but because of His great mercy and grace.
As we journey on in our walk with God, we will find that we can never “out give” God or repay Him for all He has done, and yet nothing opens heaven’s floodgate of blessings as much as praying and tithing. When our hearts are right with God, giving is a joy and a privilege that just naturally flows from a loving and grateful heart.
Someone once said, “Giving is a matter of the heart, not the pocketbook.” There is a deep joy in giving. Let’s make it our prayer that God will give each of us a humble, obedient servant’s heart as we seek His will.
As God continues to lead and direct each of us, may we always remember his many blessings, and give from a loving, grateful heart. To God be all the glory and honor for what will be accomplished for His kingdom through His people here at Lakeside Community Church.

As our congregation moves forward in our Journey of Faith program, we would like to hear from you. With so many people seeking to know God’s direction and God’s will for their lives, personal testimonials serve to encourage each of us as to how God is choosing to work. What is God saying to you? How are you being challenged? What has been revealed to you and in what ways? How has that been confirmed? These are questions we all must come to grips with through this process. Knowing that God is working in others lives will provide insights for everyone.
If your journey of faith has brought you to a new understanding or experience, would you take a moment to share how God is working in your life by completing the form, entitled “God Is At Work” located in the pew racks. Please complete the form and place it in the offering plate, or take the form home and return it by mail. You need not include your name. Such stories of God’s work in our midst will be a blessing to all of us!

The poster creations of several of our church’s young artists will be on display beginning Sunday, January 28. The Poster Festival provided a unique opportunity to teach these young lives the importance of becoming involved in God’s work. What a special way to ‘train up’ and celebrate the children in our church family!

If you would be interested in knowing more about how YOU can be involved at Lakeside Community Church, please contact Melinda Runcie at 463-6776.