Church 1-3-10

Sunday School was a time of decisions.  The format of the class was not presented to us.  We under the direction of Jay Adams made decisions today to lay out the nature of the class.  We have decided to start the class at 9AM because starting at 9:30AM never gave enough time.  We also decided to start in the book of Genesis and continue on through the Bible.  Suggestions have been made for a class name.  Next Sunday we will vote on the suggestions and go from there.

There is a call for volunteers to assist with communion.  There is a memorial service pending for Joy Messer.  Gayle Hamner brought a thankyou from Carl Henry, thanking the pastor for the memorial service and message.  It was cold yesterday but still nice because the sun was shinning.  The Winegearts let us know they miss being in church and love us all.  At SOSU, Zach Backues made the president’s honor roll.  Chris & Mary McEowell took over the new children’s Sunday School.

Michelle Bryan opened the morning service by bringing in the lights.  The choir presented a special of, “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore.”  Frank Luna did a solo part in spanish.  The pastor brought a message, “Now I See,” from Matt. 2:1-12.  Joe Craven, Jena Craven, Raylee Woodward, and Beverly Riley assisted with Communion. 

Later we had Bible study at 6PM.  This finished up the study on intercessory prayer.  Generally comments were good on it.  Betty Hand said it was a little difficult for her.

Wednesday we will have the “No Strings Attached Dinner,” at 5-7PM, and about 6:15PM we will have the Prayer Circle.  I saw the pastor trimming down the candles for the Prayer Circle.  I believe he is going to be fired up for prayer.  It is good, just think one little match can start a forest fire.  I believe at the Prayer Circle the pastor is going to be that little match.  Next Sunday we will have Sunday Schoool at 9AM and morning services at 10:30AM.  That evening we will have Vision Committee meeting at 5PM.  The next Sunday, January 17, we will have morning services, at 10:30AM, with the puppets there for the youth moment.  And after the service we will have a potluck dinner.

Tell Them God Did It

“He brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.”  Acts 7:36

This verse is part of Stephen’s defense.  A large part of the defense is about the exodus.  Notice Stephen says Moses brought them out and did miracles during the exodus.  In truth it was God who brought them out and did the miracles.  Moses is just a representative of God to the Hebrews.  It was God who commanded Moses to go back to Egypt and bring the Hebrews to the promised land.  (Ex. 3:10; Ex. 33:1)  It is not strange to say and hear people talk in the same sense as Stephen.  We say the Hebrews took the promised land, when actually it was given to them by God.  We say Isaiah gave us a very important prophesy, when actually the prophecy is from God.

Sons and Daughters are very important for our survival.  They will be the ones who will replace us as we come to the point where we are unable do as we were before.  We all get old and die and it is our children who take over from us.  For the Hebrews this is very important during the exodus.  During the time of their wandering in the wilderness, all the adults who were alive in Egypt  will be dead when they go into the promised land.  Only Joshua and Caleb would be the only two adults who came out of Egypt and entered the promised land. 

Thc adults that were in Egypt will all die.  What happened in Egypt will only be in the memory of the children.  We need to remember there was very little information recorded.  Nearly all the past events the children know, will have been passed down to them from their parents by the spoken word.  The Lord is going to make sure the Hebrews of the future know the true facts of what happened.  What happened is not to be forgotten.  The parents are to teach their children it was the Lord who brought them out of Egypt and took them into the promised land.  (Deut. 6:21, 23)

The covenant God made with the Hebrews had a problem.  The problem was not with God or the covenant.  The problem was with the Hebrews.  They always failed to live up to the covenant.  (Heb. 8:9)  The mass of the Hebrews did not recognize what the ones God sent to them were.  Moses and Aaron were told by God to take the staff before Pharoah and change it into a snake.  (Ex.7:8, 9)  They went to Pharoah and performed the miracle.  God was the one who changed the rod into a snake.  But when the Hebrews saw and heard this, they saw it being done by Moses.  God is the one who did all the miracles in Egypt.  (Deut. 6:22)  And like with the serpent they again saw it as being done by Moses.  (Ex. 5:21)  Moses and Aaron were sent to show the miracles.  Moses and Aaron did not do the miracles, God did them.  (Ps. 105:27) 

Never again would the exodus be repeated.  Future generations would have to be told to know what had happened.  (Deut. 6:21, 23)  And God insured it would be told truthfully.

There are many today who say if there is a God show me a miracle.  And they will not believe unless they do see a miracle.  (Jn. 4:48)  But there are those who have an open heart and will believe.  But who will tell our them, there is a God, unless we do.  Who will tell our children, we have a God who does miracles, unless we do.  Who will tell our children, the miracle of life is in the Lord, unless we do.

PRAYER

Dear Lord,  thank you for the people who told me about the Lord.  Without them I would not know you.  Thankyou for my parents who passed on to me their faith.  Help me to take hold of this and tell others about you.  It is hard to tell others of the miracle on Calvary.  Give me the strength to do this.  Help me in some way that I might pass on to others, my love of and faith in you, I possess.  Help me for I ask it in the name of Christ.  Amen.

Memory verse

“And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”  Ex. 12:41

Church Launches ‘Voice of Hope’ Radio in Cote d’Ivoire

 
Lydie Acquah and Bishop Benjamin Boni pray in the studio of the new United Methodist radio station in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. UMNS photos by Ginny Underwood.

By Tim Tanton*
Dec. 28, 2009 | ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (UMNS)

People in this West African country are receiving messages of hope along with information to enhance their lives through a new radio station launched by The United Methodist Church.

The station, Radio Methos (101.6 FM), began test transmissions during the Christmas holidays, and Bishop Benjamin Boni, who leads the denomination’s Côte d’Ivoire Conference, will address listeners on New Year’s Day.

Described by the church as “The Voice of Hope,” the station first hit the airwaves Dec. 20 with a test broadcast of songs in French.

Acquah, director of the new 101.6 FM station, demonstrates the production studio equipment.

“Glory to God,” said Edouard Okoué, coordinator of the church’s radio project, as he listened to the music through a cell phone. The phone was passed around a group of United Methodists gathered at Okoué’s home.

It was an emotional moment, as members of the group laughed with delight or simply smiled through eyes brimming with tears.

Lydie Acquah, hired as station director in November, described her feeling upon hearing the broadcast in one word: “Joy.”

A longer transmission followed on Dec. 24 with a Christmas Eve worship service, greetings recorded by church leaders, and music. The test ended the following day and was scheduled to resume Dec. 28.

A hard road

“The dream has become a reality,” Boni said in an interview. The radio station will be a way to educate and transform people, and to spread the good news of Jesus Christ across the country, he said.

When he speaks on Jan. 1, he is going to give thanks for all that God has done in 2009 and commit the radio project into his hands, he said.

The launch is a milestone in a process that began 18 months ago with conversations involving the radio station’s four partners – the Côte d’Ivoire Conference, the Texas Annual (regional) Conference, United Methodist Communications and the denomination’s Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Bishop Boni tries out the equipment at the new station, ‘The Voice of Hope.”

The journey has been “very hard,” Okoué said. An auditor at an accounting firm, he has given many hours each week in volunteer time to helping make the station a reality.

Though the equipment installation is complete, construction of the building is still under way. The station is housed behind Jubilee United Methodist Church in Abidjan – the church where the Christmas Eve broadcast originated.

The station will be the church’s biggest communications asset, enabling it to reach villages that otherwise would be inaccessible, said Sam Koffi, an assistant to Boni. “Communication is the key no matter what you do.”

The country is trying to reunify after a long crisis, marked by a five-year war that ended with peace agreements in 2007. The crisis has left people tired and without hope, Koffi said. “The most critical thing this radio is going to focus on is bringing people hope” through health and education programs, he said.

Rebuilding the country

Acquah sees opportunities for disseminating information about topics as diverse as health, agriculture, poverty and the electoral process. She also wants to reach out to youth and women, who are often most affected by poverty.

“My vision is simple but a very strong one,” she said, speaking in French. “…Because of what we suffered during the war, the radio station has both a vision to evangelize and also to work for a rebuilding of a new Côte d’Ivoire.”

The presidential election, expected to occur in February or March, will be an important moment for the country. The radio station will broadcast messages of peace, reconciliation and the importance of accepting the election result, Acquah said.

Stamping out diseases of poverty is a focus for The United Methodist Church, and Acquah said the radio station will sensitize people to the causes of malaria, one of the worst killers of African children. “The radio’s going to be extremely important in information sharing with respect to waging the war against malaria.”

She also noted that the church operates medical ministries and schools and is active in addressing social issues, yet doesn’t talk much about itself. “We have a very exciting Methodist community but one that was somewhat introverted, so the radio station is an opportunity to render this community extroverted.” The church has about 700,000 members in Côte d’Ivoire.

Messages played Dec. 24-25 included greetings from Boni; Bishop Janice Huie, leader of the Texas Conference; the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications; and the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, top staff executive of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The partners will dedicate the station in March.

The station is encouraging supporters to leave a message by Jan. 1 to be broadcast on air. The message – a scriptural passage, inspirational quote, personal testimony or comment – can be recorded by calling 1-800-251-4091.

More information on the station is available at www.amplifyhope.org.

*Tanton is Media Group director for United Methodist Communications.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Video

“Song of thanks, expressions of joy”

Related Articles

Church pursues radio to reach across Côte d’Ivoire

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Resources

Amplify Hope

Eglise Methodiste Unie Côte d’Ivoire

12-30-09 Afternoon

It is the next to the last day of the year 2009.  I have been thinking about whether 2009 was a good or bad year.  After thinking about it I have come to the conclusion it is like all other years.  There is both good and bad in 2009.  The things we possess are of a temporary nature.  We have a home but it could be destroyed in an instant by a tornado.  We could be sick but it might be healed.  Things like these are not the important things in our life.  What is important to one is not important to another and visa versa.  The things important are what we carry in our bag from year to year.  The things in our bag can make us happy, sad, joyous, melancholy, and etc.  In our bag is things such as faith, belief, love, and etc.  These are the things which cause us to look at our situation and decide whether it is good or bad.  As I look back over the last year I see my bag has become fuller.  My faith and belief is at an all time high. 

as I look back over the last year there are many things I have found to give thanks for.  Each time I give thanks I find there are things I have forgot to put on the list.  I could end up giving thanks all year for the good things last year. 

Mama Rose has been put back on insulin.  Monday morning I became very scared.  There has been difficulty getting the level of dosage correct.  This is always true when someone starts taking insulin.  I was in the computer room when she woke up.  Her blood sugar was very low.  She called me but I could not hear her.  She knew she was in trouble, so she got up and tied to make it back to where I was.  When she left the kitchen the low blood sugar got her and she passed out.  She fell down on a frying pan which made her side sore.  But much more terrrible when she went down she went forward, face first.  She hit the floor with her face.  Luckily it only gave her a bloody nose and a sore nose and eyes.  But I heard her fall and went to see what had happened.  When I saw her I was very shook up.  The fall had woke her up.  I got her a couple of glucose tablets and a damp cloth for her head.  In a few minutes she was bac to normal with no major injuries.  I believe my heart was hurt more than she was physically. 

Monday I have to be back in school.  I look forward to it and dread it both.  I am determined I am going to succeed.  I have been using my Christmas break time to study.  I got some more study time I did not expect.  We were going up to Angel’s, my daughter, place for Christmas.  But the storms we had here shut it down.  When we got ready to go they had shut down most of the highways.  We will have to mail Nicholas his present.  Today at work Rose is rying to get a box we can put it in. 

It is almost time to start getting ready to go to the “No Strings Attached Dinner.”  I do not know what is being served this evening, but it will be good.  I will be at the front door to welcome you.  I will say a prayer for you, say one for me.  God Bless.

So Much for so Little

“Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:”  Ps. 95:10

We have here a very potent verse.  Ps. 95 was sung antiphonally, or I should say it was sung in a responsive form.  The division of the two parts is in the seventh verse where the voice changes.  The people would sing the first part where we are the ones talking.  Then the priest would respond in the second part where God is addressing the people.  In v. 10 God is telling them I was disgusted with you for forty years (this is the forty years of the exodus).   And he continues to tell them that they did this because of a heart problem. 

It is very obvious when the Bible speaks of the heart, it is not the physical heart which pumps the blood through our veins.  In the bible the heart is the center of the human spirit.  It is speaking of our attitude.  this is the place where all our emotions, thoughts, motivations, courage, and actions spring from.

Disgust is a result of unfulfilled expectation.  There is a non-associative disgust, where one becomes disgusted with someone whom there is no relationship.  For example there is a celebrity who leads a very immoral life and we become disgusted with them.  We have never personally met them but we have become disgusted by their lifestyle.  Then there is the associative type of disgust.  This is where we know someone and have done some things for them.  In return we expect certain things from them.  This is the type of disgust we are observing here.  God has done things for the Hebrews and in return he expects certain things.  The Hebrews have failed to return to the Lord what is expected, and he has become disgusted with them.  Let us now look at some things the Lord did during the 40 years, for the Hebrews. 

When the Hebrews left Egypt God led the people.  The shortest path to the promised land would have been by the regular trade routes along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  But the coastal areas were occupied by the Philistines.  The Lord led them further south along the wilderness adjoining the Red Sea, so they would not have to face the militaristic Philistines.  (Ex. 13:17, 18)  Throughout the exodus God would continue to lead and keep the Hebrews. 

God did not limit his actions with the Hebrews just to being a guide.  The Lord was active in their daily activities.  The Lord laid out how they would form up when they traveled, who would be up front, in back, on the right, and etc.  (Num. 10:14-29)  He laid out how they would camp, who would camp in what position and so forth.  He also appointed who their leaders were.  (Num. 2:1-34)

The Lord God led them through all the dangers of the wilderness and provided for them.  (Deut. 8:15)  It would not have taken very long to go straight to the promised land but the Hebrews rebelled.  Because of this rebellion they had to wander 40 more years in the wilderness. The Lord was with them during this 40 years.  The 40 years were not an act of vengeance.  The years served a purpose.  First, it is obvious the 40 years were a punishment.  (Num. 14:33,34)  The 40 years in the wilderness also humbled and tested them.  They were tested so the Lord could know what was in their heart, and if they would follow his commandments.  (Deut. 8:2)  And he led them in the wilderness to teach them they did not live by bread alone, but by every word the Lord utters.  (Deut. 8:3)  There are many other things he did for them in the wilderness but we will not continue into them at this time. 

The Lord did so much for the Hebrews and only asked in return they obey him.  But they did not.  Because they had an attitude problem they caused the Lord to be disgusted with them.  I look around today and see all the Lord has done for us, and realize he asks only for us to believe and have faith.  For so much he asks just a little.  We have an attitude problem and have failed.  Is the Lord disgusted with us?  You are the only one who can answer the question for yourself. 

PRAYER

Dear Lord, you have done so much for me.  I thank you for all you have done, but I do not have enough words to thank you enough.  All you ask of me is to believe and have faith.  but because of my heart condition sometimes I get weak.  Help me through the times of my weakness to continue believing and being faithful.  Father hear my prayers for I ask this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Memory verse

“He brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.”  Acts 7:36