Articles & Announcements
In His Grip – Dr. Chuck F. Betters
Dear Members and Friends of Glasgow Church:
We are gearing up for the fall, and I cannot tell you how excited I am about that. For the first time in many years we have a clear pathway forward for our Community Groups (aka, house churches). As we continue to plan for the fall, information will be coming at you. But it does no good if you do not take the time to read it. Often, I hear people say, “The staff does not communicate with us.” Nothing could be further from the truth. The written communiqués are numerous and often. Everything that is going on is there for you to read.
Someone recently told me that they had heard nothing about the decisions we made last year at the congregational meeting concerning the $3 million campaign. When I reminded them of the numerous articles and updates we (I and Chuck L.) have written over the past year, the response was “I guess I missed that.” Email newsletters are sent out every week and bulletins are distributed on Sundays. If you are not up to date, reason tells me that may very well be your own fault. So READ YOUR NEWSLETTERS.
Well, the same holds true for the fall program. We have Family Night starting up on Wednesday, September 8th. There will be a plethora of electives for the women and the men will continue to study with Bill Strickland. There are kids programs, sports and recreation programs, GCA and GCA Home School activities, special dinners, and much more.
On September 12th we will publicly launch Stone’s Throw with a great worship celebration and dinner that night at the Church. All three worship teams from all three campuses will participate. YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE DINNER…AND THIS COMING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th, IS THE DEADLINE. Additionally, at Glasgow and CenterPoint, we will launch the new sermon series on Jonah. Books will be distributed soon for that series. Everyone in the church will receive a copy with some outstanding material within. This series will last through the end of November. We will also launch the new Glasgow Church Community Group structure. If you are not in a Community Group there are many to choose from.
On September 26th, we will hold our annual meeting. But this year it will be a different meeting. That night we will also have a dinner for which you will need to register. That deadline is Sunday, September 19th.
There are some BRAND NEW kids programs that will start this fall as well. If you do not read what we publish you will not know about them. A Junior and Senior High Sunday school class is being planned along with some very exciting kids programs (see “Things Are Happening article) for the hour before the worship service. And, our “First Touch” team will launch a brand new registration and information system that will be unveiled in September – another of our high-tech efforts to streamline ministry. Soon you will see a new Information Center complete with kiosks for tracking attendance, registering for the nursery and Kids Church, as well as many other things. All information gathered will be secure and not made available to anyone outside of the office.
There is so much more I could write, but I realize that if I go too long you will not read this.
In His Grip,
PB
In His Grip – Dr. Chuck F. Betters
Dear Members and Friends of Glasgow Church:
Over the next four weeks, Chuck L. will have the privilege of preaching the Word of God to you. I will take advantage of this time to continue my work on the new fall series, “Stop! Turn Around!” based on the Book of Jonah. I will also be able to do something I rarely have the opportunity to do – visit the other campuses. This Sunday, we will be blessed to have a wonderful musical group known as “Calling Levi” to lead us in worship. This will be followed by the preaching of God’s Word from Chuck.
Next Sunday, I will be privileged to worship with our folks at the Centerpoint campus in Dover. There I will be have the sacred honor of ministering the Sacrament of Baptism to several families as well as to sit in on the preaching of God’s Word by Damon Cinaglia, the campus pastor at Centerpoint. Then, the week after that I will visit with our folks at Stone’s Throw and celebrate with them what God is doing below the canal.
On September 8th, all of our fall Family Night activities will resume, including the men’s Bible study led by Bill Strickland. His topic will be based on Colossians and will deal with the topic of developing a Christian world-view. All men are invited. You will not regret being there. Additionally, our women will be back in full gear with Bible studies on Wednesday mornings and evenings. The kids programs will also resume that night.
What I am very excited about is the brand new approach we will be taking with our Community Groups. Several new ones will be started up. A map will soon be posted in the narthex indicating where the Community Groups will be meeting. If you are interested in leading a Community Group, we will soon offer some training. With the new format, little training is needed. Most of what you will need to know will be included in the book you will receive, “Stop! Turn Around!” which is now being produced. In fact, all who attend the church will receive one of these books. All that remains is for each of you to make a commitment to attend one of our new or already established Community Groups.
Let’s begin now to pray for our fall program. Invite your friends and introduce them to the new Glasgow Church. Let’s grow together.
In His Grip,
PB
Get Ready for Junior High REACH Youth Group
Summer is always a great time to relax and take a break from the natural rhythms of the school year. In youth ministry, summer is also an opportunity to sit back, take a breath and re-evaluate some of the things that we do and why we do them. What can we tweak, what can we make better, how can we help “tweens” and teens grow and pursue a saving relationship with Jesus Christ? These are just a few questions that I have been mulling over the last few months. I have also had the opportunity to talk with several parents about their desires for their kids and youth ministry. As a result I have made some changes in the way we do 7th and 8th grade youth ministry. I would now like to take this opportunity to outline what those changes will be so that parents and 7th and 8th graders can be prepared, and hopefully be as excited as I am, about these changes. Meetings begin September 8th at 6:30 p.m. in The Loft.
–We will start the evening with various activities that will change each week. These activities will include games, songs, a short lesson, announcements, skits, etc.
–At 7:00 p.m. we will split the group between boys and girls for individual Bible studies.
–7th and 8th grade girls will be going to a Woman to Woman Bible study specifically targeted for them. The material, based on the books of Susan Hunt, examines biblical womanhood and will be reinforced by the wonderful ladies who will be leading this study. The girls will be encouraged to acquire the study journal, but it will not be required.
–The boys will be spending their time working through various materials that examine biblical manhood. I am very excited about the men who have stepped forward to be involved in mentoring our young men.
–At 8:00 p.m. the kids will come back together for time to be spent in the gym through the close of the evening.
This new format gives us a great opportunity to prepare our 7th and 8th grade boys and girls for the specific challenges they will face as they prepare for high school and grow into godly young men and women.
Outside of Wednesday nights, we will have opportunities for traditional youth group activity. Once a month on Friday nights we will be having large, “bring your friends” type events that will allow us to be both evangelistic and have fun. These may at times be combined with the senior high. There will be a master calendar for the year distributed (and available at www.GlasgowChurch.com) in the weeks ahead.
I look forward to the opportunity to assist in the nurture of our covenant kids and the friends they bring into the church. If you would like to help this coming year, please contact me, Randy Voight (rvoight@glasgowchurch.com), and we can discuss what that could look like.
In His Grip – Dr. Chuck F. Betters
Dear Members and Friends of Glasgow Church:
This Sunday marks the end of the sermon series “Heroes and Heretics.” We have taken a journey together. I must say that the challenge of doing this kind of series for me personally was intense. For years I have utilized an expository style of preaching, that is, moving through a book of the Bible one verse at a time. Selfishly speaking, I was the most blessed by this series given how much I learned and how such a plethora of material was left on the cutting floor. Our heritage as believers is rich with suffering and testing that came from within and from without the church.
This Sunday I hope to take a summary tour of what we have covered in the first 325 years of the Church’s history. I would also like to draw some parallels to the nearly 25 years of our own Church’s history. Certainly, the parallels will not be nearly as intense as the early Church’s struggles. But we too have a rich legacy and I would like to share that with you. So come prepared to take a walk down memory lane with me as we conclude this series.
Beginning in September, I will return to my favorite form of preaching as we walk through one of the most controversial books of the entire Bible, the Book of Jonah. I have entitled this new series “Stop! Turn Around!” Few of us realize how the decisions we make in a moment of angst will shape our entire future and even the futures of others who are impacted by our decisions. Jonah is about a sovereign God and a prophet who was disappointed in God. There is so much more to this series than meets the eye.
Jonah is not about a fish. It is about a man who had spiritual tunnel vision albeit with some very surprising motives. It is about his God who had prepared a miracle for him, a miracle he would have to experience by force and not by faith. There are two roads in life. One leads to Nineveh, centered in God’s will, to an appointed task no one else can complete in the same way we can. The other road leads to Tarshish, where God meets the gauntlets we throw down before Him with His own storm He hurls at us. There is no gentle road to Tarshish. People never fall up…they fall down.
So, let’s get the word out. This will be a series you will want to invite your un-churched and de-churched friends to experience. Our Community Groups will be geared up with a wealth of new material. Our First Touch team will be in place. We are poised to grow this fall. Glasgow Church will prove to be an exciting place to experience God’s presence.
In His Grip,
PB
Calling Levi Leading Worship on August 15th
CLICK ON PIC TO THE LEFT
We are pleased to announce that during the August 15th Sunday morning service we will be led in worship by national touring singing group Calling Levi. Calling Levi is a family group consisting of two sisters and their husbands. Whats even more exciting is that the girls grew up in the Bear area. Please look at this event as an opportunity to invite friends to this service. For a taste of what to expect, take a look at this video link from a conference where they performed.
For more information on Calling Levi or a sample of their music, please visit their website at www.CallingLevi.com
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In His Grip – Dr. Chuck F. Betters
Dear Members and Friends of Glasgow Church:
Do the words “First Touch” mean anything to you? This is a relatively new term we have deployed across all three of our campuses. Here is what is involved in “First Touch.” Whenever guests make their way into our church the statistics show that within the first ten minutes of their stay among us, they decide whether or not they will return for a second visit. The “First Touch” team is comprised of the people who help to direct that decision.
It starts with the people who direct traffic. Are they friendly? Do they smile? Are they attentive to the needs of the elderly, the mom who has her hands full with diaper bags and babies, the handicapped, the rain-soaked, etc.? Next are the greeters who welcome them, the ushers who direct them, the nursery workers who check-in their little ones and the information consultants. Finally, there are the people who welcome them to their row. Is the seat saved? Is there eye contact? Do they feel welcomed by the person they must sit next to or are they receiving the distinct message that they are bothersome to your comfort zone?
These and a whole variety of other questions and solutions are being addressed by our “First Touch” team under the leadership of Sharon Betters. Soon you will see wholesale changes in the way these matters are addressed in the narthex. Plans are maturing for the sanctuary renovations that will include some exciting changes in the way the narthex looks. In the fall, some temporary measures will be taken to direct the flow of traffic and information as we await those renovations. Some of those changes will involve new high tech systems. But there is no system that can replace true “Agape” love, that is, the love of Christ that flows through you. We are to be people who are hospitable to the stranger among us. “First Touch” is merely designed to make that process easier for all of us.
This coming Wednesday evening, from 6:30-8:30, all of the “First Touch” team will convene for a meeting with Sharon in order to outline how these changes will be implemented. We need more people to work as parking lot attendants, ushers (yes, we could really use women usherettes), greeters, security and much more. If this is something you would like to become a part of, send Sharon an email at sharbett@aol.com and tell her you would like to explore this further.
In His Grip,
PB
Dominican Team Care Packages
A team is going to the Jarabacoa Christian School in the Dominican Republic, August 7-15. They will be running Baseball and Soccer Camps (with a strong gospel emphasis) for boys ages 6 through high school and helping on a building project. The team wants to take “care packages” for the teachers and staff and school supplies…and they need your help. Please see the list below to see what item(s) you might be able to donate. All donations must be dropped off at the church no later than Wednesday, August 4th, at 12 Noon.
Allergy medicine
Ant/Roach bait traps
Band Aids and/or other medical kit supplies
Board games
Boxes of cereal
Boxes of paper clips
Boxes of tissues
Bug spray
Chalkboard chalk
Colored pencils
Construction paper
Cotton balls
Dish cloths
Dish towels
Dry Erase marker erasers
Dry Erase markers
Feminine Products
Imodium
Low consumption light bulbs
Markers
Neosporin-type ointment
Packs of Crayons
Packs of pencils
Packs of pens
Packs of toilet paper
Peanut butter
Play Doh
Playground balls (soccer, volleyball, basketball, Nerf balls, etc.)
Playing card games (i.e. UNO)
Preschool toys
Sidewalk chalk
Small storage containers
Snacks (granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, etc.)
Sponges
Staplers and staples
Stickers
Tylenol
Ziploc bags (gallon and quart sizes)
Worship Songs for Sunday, August 1, 2010
Click the link below to listen to some of the songs we are planning on doing for Sunday worship. We hope you can use these songs in personal worship and as preparation for Sunday morning.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GlasgowWorship#grid/user/2302755161CB5BA1
In His Grip – Dr. Chuck Betters
Dear Members and Friends of Glasgow Church:
Next Saturday, July 31st, Sharon and I will host close to 40 people who are in leadership roles in our Community Groups (former house church, aka Journey). What excites me about this is that it represents 100% leadership participation. There is a real wave of excitement for the fall programs at Glasgow Church. All of these programs are in the planning stages right now. They include all of the following:
- Community Groups – stay tuned. There will be more to report after the July 31st meeting.
- First Touch. This is the hour preceding worship from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. We are also planning some creative activities for your children during this time slot. As you know, Sunday school was restructured into a more comprehensive worship/Christian Education module for your children and our covenant kids – KIDS CHURCH during the 10:30 hour. In this context we hired “Miss Vicky,“ Vicky Mullen (missvicky@glasgowchurch.com ) as our new Children’s Coordinator. She is working hard to develop the very best in kids’ ministries for the fall.
- Wednesdays Family Night activities, Little WICS, Boys’ Brigade, as well as the Man to Man and Woman to Woman Bible studies. Our new WIC chair is Bev Lum. Our men’s instructor will be Mr. Bill Strickland.
- Sports and Recreation soccer league is in the full mode planning stage. Mr. Brian Cannelongo and Mr. Guy Cooper are heading up our sports and recreation programs.
- There is a great need for more worship team participation. We need choir members, instrumentalists, singers, etc. Talk to Chuck L. for details.
- Our youth ministry is in full swing. Talk to Randy Voight at rvoight@glasgowchurch.com.
- Mission strategy – the Session has recently adopted a brand new, revitalized plan for effectively taking the Gospel into the world. I believe this strategy will be the very best mission concept we have ever had in the history of this great church. Check out Chuck L’s report in this newsletter for an exciting update.
- The ChurchNExt campaign is gearing up for a fall launch. The design team has done an incredible job. The master site plan is crystallizing into a magnificent picture of where we might be ten years from now. The mission’s team has sent representatives to two third world sites with some incredible opportunities before us that could radically alter the spiritual journey of our entire congregation. The official launch of Stone’s Throw is right around the corner. Centerpoint continues to reach out into the Southern Kent Community.
There is so much more I could report to you, but this is sufficient for now to keep you in the loop of information. As usual, if you have questions give the church a call and Chuck L. would be more than happy to discuss these programs with you. Or you can email him at clbetters@glasgowchurch.com. If you are attending Stone’s Throw, all fall activities will be posted on the Glasgow web site (www.glasgowchurch.com) for your information, sign-up or participation.
In His Grip,
PB
Worship Songs for Sunday, July 25, 2010
Below you can listen to some of the songs we are planning on doing for Sunday worship. We hope you can use these songs in personal worship and as preparation for Sunday morning.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GlasgowWorship#grid/user/8138BBA622F6FB41