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

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)

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Next Saturday, July 31^st, 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:

1. Community Groups – stay tuned. There will be more to report after the July 31^st meeting.
2. 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.
3. 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. 
4. 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.
5. There is a great need for more worship team participation. We need choir members, instrumentalists, singers, etc. Talk to Chuck L. for details.
6. Our youth ministry is in full swing. Talk to Randy Voight at rvoight@glasgowchurch.com.
7. 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.
8. 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

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This Sunday and next I will take a look at how the New Testament of our Bible developed. One of the questions you can count on coming from the unbeliever or the un-churched will go something like this – “How can you be so sure that the Bible is complete and that there are no other books that should have been included? Here are some questions I hope to address:

• What are the three tests for measuring the Canonicity of the New Testament books?
• Why do we Protestants recognize 27 New Testament books and only 27?
• Did a Church Council decide on which books to include as part of the Canon?
• Did the Holy Spirit drop the list from heaven?
• Did the twelve Apostles make the decision? If not, who did?
• How do we know for sure that the many other books written during that time do not also belong in the Canon?
• What are the books known as the Apocryphal books?
• Do you know why the Apocryphal writings are not included in Protestant Bibles but are part of the Catholic Bible?
• How early after Jesus’ ascension did the early Church recognize the Canonicity of each of the New Testament books?
• What is the concept of “from oral to written tradition?” 
• So what? How does knowing all of this affect my day to day life?

As we begin to wrap up the “Heroes and Heretics” sermon series over the summer we still must address such issues as “Church family life and worship in the early Church,” “Church Government in the Early Church,” and much more.  My prayer is that you have been challenged by this series and that you appreciate more your roots in ancient Christianity.

In His Grip,
PB

We have great facilities, faithful givers, a great vision for kingdom-building, Godly leaders and tons of land. We have simplified our programs to streamline the use of man-power. We have great plans for the fall. Our staffing is coming together. A new campus site has been launched – I could go on and on!

But something is missing; something we desperately need to start doing if we are to make a significant difference in others’ lives. We need stories, lots of stories, good old fashioned stories that speak to our worship. Let me explain. If the Gospel is anything, it is practical. By this I mean, if the proclamation of the Word and the worship of God is effective in your everyday life outside of Sunday mornings, then we all need to hear how. The word we have used in the past to describe this is “testimony.” But that word does not do justice to what I am asking you to provide. Jesus used stories to drive home His point. He vividly illustrated the life-changing power of His message with stories, real live stories of human beings trusting and believing in His precious promises.

So, I want to tell your story. Actually, I want you to tell your story. Not everyone can stand up in front of a large crowd and tell their story. Here is what I want to do. Send me an email at drbetters@glasgowchurch.com if you are interested in telling people how Jesus has or is making a difference in your life. Maybe you are going through some trial and want to glorify God through it. Maybe God has taught you a valuable lesson the hard way. Or, maybe you just want to tell everyone how much you love Him.

I will schedule you for a taping where we can sit and chat in our studio about the difference the Gospel has made in your life. Editing makes this REALLY easy. I am looking for the dramatic story as well as the not-so-dramatic story. I am looking for your story. We can help you tell that story. After all, this is the “so what” of the Gospel. This is the life of God’s people beyond Sunday.

In His Grip,
PB

We have been enjoying your children in Kids Church and are blessed to see our numbers growing each week.  We kindly ask that you remember to register your child(ren) each week in the narthex when you arrive.  This is important for us to help gain an accurate picture of how many children we are serving each week.  As part of a competition between the grades, we are also now charting the children’s attendance in the classroom and pre-registration helps us to avoid confusion in the class.  We register the children by their current grade, meaning the grade they have just completed.

In September, we will move all of the children at once up to the next grade level.  Please help us to make sure that your child is listed under the grade they have just completed. 

If you will need to leave the service early one Sunday, and will need to pull your child(ren) out of the Kids Church program before we are finished, we ask that you just let us know that when you register your child(ren), along with the approximate time you will be picking up your child(ren).

You have probably heard from your children some of what we’ve been doing up there!  Although we laugh a lot and are having a bunch of fun, I want you to be assured that it is ”fun with a purpose”, or what I like to call “serious fun”.  All of our contests, competitions, prizes, etc, are meant to inspire and motivate the children to be excited to come to church and help them to “tune in” to the lessons and scriptural truths that we are teaching.  Our program is very ambitious and requires significant adult help.  Please prayerfully consider becoming a part of one of our leadership teams.  I will be presenting more on this very soon.

Your sister and fellow worker in Christ,
Vicky Mullen
missvicky@glasgowchurch.com

Barbie is replacing Shirley Gassner who has served MARKINC Ministries faithfully first as a volunteer and then as Operations Manager.  Shirley’s presence in the MARKINC Ministries office has guaranteed excellent customer service, a highly organized office, and a tender, wise response to callers who needed more than a resource.  She has cultivated relationships with people across the country as a result of her willingness to not only meet the business needs of a caller but to often pray and share scriptures as they have trusted her with their emotional and spiritual needs.  Shirley sees every request for a MARKINC resource as an opportunity to connect with another on a personal level. Because of Shirley’s tenacity in cultivating a relationship with Pilgrim Radio, a Christian broadcasting outreach in the western United States, the sermons of Pastor Betters are often broadcast free of charge by this ministry.  These broadcasts result in numerous contacts from radio listeners hungry for solid scriptural teaching.  We applaud Shirley for her commitment to ministry and wish her well in her “second retirement.”  But retirement for Shirley hasn’t meant dropping out and we don’t expect it will this time. Don’t be surprised to see Shirley continuing to be involved in MARKINC Ministries as well as other avenues where she will continue to offer help and hope to hurting people.  And if she asks you to join her ministry team, say yes to the opportunity to enjoy the blessings of touching hearts for the glory of God.

Sharon W. Betters
Executive Director
www.markinc.org