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December 2013

NEWSLETTER

SHERWOOD CHURCH www.sherwoodchurch.ca

In this Issue: Matt’s Chat ............................ 2

Weekly Activities ..................... 3

Church & Community Events .......... 3

Donations appreciated but ............ 3

Flowers for Dorothy .................. 3

Down Home Christmas Concert ....... 4

Mission of the Month ................. 5

Muffin Morning ........................ 5

Travelling Pot Luck .................... 5

Cousin Matty (Christmas Eve) ........ 6

PJD Christmas Concert ............... 6

Night Light Play ....................... 6

Christmas Shoebox Photos ............ 7

PJD & Lois Carew in Concert ......... 7

Best Christmas Videos for kids ...... 7

Oasis Road Travel Guide .............. 8

Servers’ Schedule ..................... 12

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You never stop learning. I got my hair cut last week and my barber told me where his trade originated from. The word “barber” comes from a Latin word that means “cutter.” But it’s not the kind of cutting you would think. It didn’t come from cutting hair. It came from a practice they did called bloodletting where they cut the wrists of people. Sounds weird, I know. Years ago, when medicine was still in its infancy, the belief was held that all sickness was in the blood. If you were sick, you had bad blood. The sicker you were, the more bad blood you had. So the thought was, if you get rid of the bad blood, you will feel better. So these barbers would travel around and find people who were ill, they would lay them out in their chair, slice open their wrists and let as much bad blood flow out as possible. The barber pole and its swirling colors actually have a meaning. The blue stripe represented the bad blood in the veins. The red one was the good blood in the arteries, and the white was the bandage that was put on the patients’ wrists after the procedure to stop the bleeding. There is more disgusting information about leeches, but I’ll spare you the details. Needless to say, these barbers lost a lot of patients and likely that is why they switched to cutting hair instead of wrists.

Things are always changing. As we learn and grow, we change and adapt to do things better. Physicians in the past used to perform surgery without anesthetic. Imagine having your stomach cut into with only a shot of whiskey to dull the pain. Today, many operations are done without the use of scalpels. An MRI maps out the details. The doctor feeds it into a computer. A technician hits enter and a laser beam invisibly and non-invasively fixes you up without a drop of blood being shed.

Blood was required by God to pay for the price of sin. Why the need for such brutality, some ask. Why did a God of love demand blood to be spilled? Well think about it - why do we demand justice when someone commits a crime? If a man broke into your home and stole some of your most precious belongings, if the police caught him, you would want

him to pay for his offence, correct? What about if he hurt someone in your family? He punched your spouse trying to escape quickly. You’d be angry and upset about that, wouldn’t you? What if, perish the thought, that man shot and killed your child? When he went to trial, would you be okay if he was able to jump through some legal loophole and got away with it? Of course not. You would want him to pay for what he did.

God is the same way. He is completely holy and just. No level of sin or evil can he simply overlook. Whether it’s murder or gossip, God cannot stand any of it. We deserve to be punished for our crimes. But thankfully, he is a God of love. And he loved us enough to send his own Son to take our place and pay for our crimes. The blood of Jesus was shed so that you and I could walk free.

Matt’s Chat

“ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Colossian 1: 19-20

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OTHER WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES

Monday Night Ladies Group meets at 7:00 pm in the church lounge Supporting one another in developing a healthy lifestyle.

Tuesday Night Prayer Gathering meets 6:00 – 7:00 pm in the lounge. Gather and pray with us every Tuesday night. We will be praying for health

concerns, the church body, outreach and more. We also encourage all those who are unable to attend to pray on Tuesday when you are able.

Ladies Wednesday morning Bible Study at 10 am: in the church lounge Studying the book called “The Bait of Satan: Living free from the deadly trap of offense”.

Oxygen (Youth Group) Wednesday evenings 6:30 – 8:30 pm Led by Mark Nelson

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR 2015 Event Date Time

Canoe Cove Christian Camp – Annual Meeting Sunday, Nov. 29 3:00 pm

Down Home Christmas – Cross Roads Christian Church Sunday, Nov. 29 2:00 pm

“Night Light” - A Christmas Musical Play for World Vision By New Glasgow Christian Church

Dec. 5 & Dec. 6 7:30 pm

Muffin Morning Sunday, Dec. 6 9:00 am

Cross Roads Christian Church – potluck meal Sunday, Dec. 6 After the service

Precious Jewels Daycare Christmas Concert Dec. 10 5:30 pm

Sherwood Church Christmas Eve Service Dec. 24 6:00 pm

No Sunday School classes Dec. 27 & Jan. 3

Shortened King’s Kids – downstairs for sermon time only Dec. 27 & Jan. 3

FLOWERS FOR DOROTHY NICHOLSON

Thank you for serving so faithfully week after week for many

years preparing the communion table. You are a good and

faithful servant and a true daughter of God as well as being a

great example to the rest of us.

And a thank you to Merrill Carew for stepping up and filling her shoes.

Donations appreciated but…

The church office would appreciate being notified of any donations whether furniture, electronic

goods, clothing, or foods or any other items before actually bringing it to the building. We hope that

by being notified before delivery of items, it can be determined whether the items will be of use in

the building. This process will minimize food being thrown out because it is beyond the due date

(nobody knew it was there); reduce the sorting work and disposal fees for any items not suitable for

reuse or that have outgrown their usefulness and/or cannot be re-purposed; and besides, it will make

God’s house look less junky. Thank you from the bottom of the hearts of all those who keep trying to

sort, clean and keep the building looking nice.

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the progressive dinner.

Mission of the Month - December

Man of Peace Development

TRAVELLING POT LUCK DINNER (A night out for adults)

Deck the Halls with fellowship and food.

Join us on Saturday, December 12 beginning at 5:30 pm with appetizers followed by

main course at hosting homes. Desserts will be served in the church fellowship hall.

Sign up on the bulletin board in the foyer to ensure your seat is reserved!

Call Penny Carew at 621-2359 or Marg Weeks at 368-1125

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Enjoy the delightful sweet sounds of children celebrating the Christmas Season!

“Night Light” A Christmas Musical Play for World Vision

The New Glasgow Christmas Choir will present the musical play “Night Light” on

Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the New Glasgow Christian Church

Journey back to Bethlehem and enjoy this humorous retelling of the Christmas story. The church is located opposite the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers on Route 258 in New Glasgow. Admission is free but the choir hopes to raise enough money through donations to send a stable full of animals to a World Vision village.

Precious Jewels Daycare

Christmas Concert

Thursday, December 10

5:30 pm

Christmas Eve

Service

December 24

At 6 pm

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CHECK OUT BEST CHRISTMAS VIDEOS

FOR KIDS at RIGHT NOW MEDIA http://www.rightnowmedia.org/

A huge thank you to all those in our

church family who put together and

donated 54 shoeboxes this year.

5,235 shoeboxes are leaving PEI this

month. That is a 24% increase over

last year’s total of 4,219.

See the map where shoeboxes will

be sent. The Ukraine was a special

emphasis this year.

And a special thank you to Ellen

Arsenault for coordinating this event

again this year.

Lois Carew showing the daycare children the

inner workings of a piano and then playing and

singing songs with them. Way to go, Lois!! Sophie and Kyla were so excited to help load

the 54 Christmas shoeboxes into Ellen’s car

for delivery to the distribution centre. Way

to go girls!!

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The Oasis Road Travel Guide for the Book of Acts

Luke wants his readers to connect his first book about the ministry of Jesus with this second book about the history of the church so Luke begins the book of Acts by stating again the essential facts about the death and resurrection of Jesus stressing his many convincing appearances over a period of 40 days (1:3). During this time Jesus spoke to his apostles about the kingdom of God and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem until they had received the gift that his Father had promised (1:4-5). After giving them instructions for their mission (1:8), Jesus was taken up into heaven (1:9-11). Luke tells us how Jesus clothed the apostles "with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) by pouring out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4; 31-33). This miracle enabled the apostles to speak in other languages and they preached the good news about salvation thru Jesus the Messiah for the very first time to a large crowd of people from many different nations (Acts 2:5-11). Three thousand people responded to this message by repenting of their sins and being baptized (Acts 2:37-41). The Lord Jesus was building his assembly or community as he had promised (Matthew 16:16-18). The book of Acts describes the spread of the faith and the growth of the Lord's church in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). The first 12 chapters of Acts focus on the apostle Peter and his work for the Lord Jesus in the land of Israel. The remaining 16 chapters focus on the apostle Paul and his work taking this life giving message to the leading cities of the ancient world. Paul travelled widely on 3 great journeys (Acts 13-14; 16-18; 19-20) over a period of about 11 years from around 46 to 57 AD. These missionary journeys ended when Paul was arrested at the temple in Jerusalem because of false accusations that caused a riot (21:26-36). Paul was taken secretly at night to Caesarea by an armed guard to keep him safe from a group of conspirators who wanted to kill him (23:11-15). Paul was held as a prisoner in Caesarea for more than 2 years (24:27) until he finally appealed to Caesar (25:10-12). The book of Acts closes with the apostle Paul in the city of Rome waiting another 2 years for the emperor to hear his case and make a decision. Paul used this time to teach all of his visitors about the kingdom of God and the Messiah (28:30-31). The book of Acts is extremely important because of the history that it documents and the insights that it reveals concerning the priorities and practices of the early church: the unique qualifications of an apostle (Acts 1:15-26); the spiritual and social life of the disciples in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47); the generosity of the believers to those who were in need (Acts 4:32-35); several detailed examples of conversion (Acts 2, 8, 9, 10-11, 16 and 18); selecting leaders to take care of physical needs among the disciples (Acts 6:1-6); the origin of the name Christian to describe the disciples of Jesus (Acts 11:19-26); the importance to God of reaching people who live in other areas (Acts 13:1-3); selecting leaders to take care of spiritual needs in the churches (Acts 14:21-23).

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The Oasis Road Travel Guide for Galatians and Ephesians

Galatians is a letter written by the apostle Paul around 49 AD. Galatia was a province of the ancient Roman empire. It was located in the geographical area that we identify in our modern world as the country of Turkey. Paul had preached the good news about Jesus to the people living in the leading cities of this region during his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). Many Jews and Gentiles responded in faith and became disciples. Elders were appointed as leaders to provide the ongoing teaching and spiritual care that these young churches would need (Acts 14:23). A controversy arose in the early church about whether it was necessary for Gentiles to keep the law of Moses in order to be saved (Acts 15:1-5). A conference was held in Jerusalem with the apostles and the elders of the church to resolve this important issue. These respected and trusted leaders were all agreed that it was not necessary for Gentiles to live like Jews in order for them to be accepted by God and forgiven of their sins. Some Jewish believers found it difficult to accept this gracious decision and they continued to agitate the issue among the Gentile churches. Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia to overcome the spreading influence of this false teaching. Paul strongly defended the good news (1:6-9) and asserted that a person is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus the Messiah (2:15-16). Paul emphasized the importance of our freedom in Christ (5:1 and 13) but also stressed the need for us to walk by the Spirit (5:16) and be led by the Spirit (5:18) and to keep in step with the Spirit (5:25). When we respond to the Holy Spirit in this way, the fruit of the Spirit will blossom and grow in our lives (5:22-23). The letter that we call Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul around 61 AD. Paul had preached the good news in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-10) for more than 2 years during his third missionary journey. Ephesus was the leading city in the Roman province of Asia and the good news about the Messiah soon spread from there to other towns throughout the whole province. Paul may have sent this letter to the church in Ephesus with instructions that they should circulate it among all of the other churches in Asia because it does not contain any personal greetings as most of his other letters do. This letter to the Ephesians has a simple structure: the first half (1-3) is doctrinal and the second half (4-6) is practical. Paul begins by praising God for his plan to unite all things in heaven and earth under the Messiah (1:9-10) especially Jews and Gentiles who have put their hope and faith in him (1:11-14). Paul then emphasizes that God has saved us by grace thru faith in the Messiah (2:4-9) whose purpose was to bring Jews and Gentiles together as one people by reconciling them both to God and then to each other (2:14-16). Paul stresses the need for unity in the church (4:1-6); love and respect in relationships between husbands and wives (5:22-33); and the armor of God for spiritual warfare so that we can stand against the attacks of the devil (6:10-20).

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The Oasis Road Travel Guide for Philippians and Colossians

The city of Philippi is very important in the history of the church because it was the first place in Europe where the good news was proclaimed. Philippi was the capitol of the Roman province of Macedonia and became a Roman colony after a decisive battle that happened in 42 BC which marked a change in the government of Rome from a republic to an empire. Many veterans of the Roman army settled in Philippi because of its status as a Roman colony which meant that all of its citizens were considered to be Romans and the city was exempt from paying tribute taxes to Rome. The citizens of Philippi were also free to make their own laws in the same way as any city located in Italy. Paul travelled to Philippi on his second missionary journey and preached the good news to the people living there (Acts 16:6-12). A business woman by the name of Lydia and the members of her household were the first people to trust in the Lord (16:13-15). After many days (16:16-18) Paul and Silas were thrown into prison because Paul had cast a demon out of a slave girl who made money for her owners by telling fortunes. This situation developed into an opportunity for them to share the good news about Jesus with the jailer and his family, all of whom believed and were baptized (16:31-34). Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians around 10 years after these events while he was a prisoner once again, this time at Rome from 60-62 AD. Paul wanted to thank them for their faithful partnership in his ministry over the years (1:3-5; 4:14-18). Paul's tone in this letter is very positive as he writes about joy and rejoicing at least 15 times! Great passages include: 2:5-11 which describes the incarnation and exaltation of Jesus and 3:7-11 which describes the surpassing value of knowing the Messiah as our Lord. The city of Colosse was located in the Roman province of Asia about 100 miles east of Ephesus and about 10 miles south of Laodicea. The apostle Paul had never visited Colosse but a man named Epaphras who was from there became a disciple, most likely when Paul was working in Ephesus. Some time after his own conversion, Epaphras shared the good news with the people in his hometown and the church in Colosse was the fruit resulting from his ministry (Colossians 1:7; 4:12-13). Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians when he was a prisoner in Rome (60-62 AD). False teachings from both Jewish legalism and Greek mysticism were causing problems by devaluing the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul deals with these issues directly by stating that the Messiah is supreme over all of creation (1:15-17) and over all things relating to the church (1:18-20). Paul explains to them that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Messiah (2:2-3) and he expresses repeatedly his hope that no one will deceive them with persuasive arguments (2:4) or hollow philosophy (2:8). Paul urges his readers to set their hearts and minds on things above where Messiah is seated at the right hand of God (3:1-4). Paul concludes with practical instructions for holy living (3:5-11); church unity (3:12-17); families (3:18-21) and prayer (4:2-6).

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THE OASIS ROAD *

Spiritual Rest and Refreshment

as You Walk by Faith thru the Adventures of Life!

Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1

Luke 1 Luke 6 Luke 11 Luke 16 Luke 21

Luke 2 Luke 7 Luke 12 Luke 17 Luke 22

Luke 3 Luke 8 Luke 13 Luke 18 Luke 23

Luke 4 Luke 9 Luke 14 Luke 19 Luke 24

Luke 5 Luke 10 Luke 15 Luke 20 Acts 1

Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29 Dec. 6

Acts 2 Acts 7 Acts 12 Acts 17 Acts 22

Acts 3 Acts 8 Acts 13 Acts 18 Acts 23

Acts 4 Acts 9 Acts 14 Acts 19 Acts 24

Acts 5 Acts 10 Acts 15 Acts 20 Acts 25

Acts 6 Acts 11 Acts 16 Acts 21 Acts 26

Dec. 13 Dec. 20 Dec. 27 Jan. 3 Jan. 10

Acts 27 Galatians 4 Ephesians 3 Philippians 2 Colossians 3

Acts 28 Galatians 5 Ephesians 4 Philippians 3 Colossians 4

Galatians 1 Galatians 6 Ephesians 5 Philippians 4 Mark 1

Galatians 2 Ephesians 1 Ephesians 6 Colossians 1 Mark 2

Galatians 3 Ephesians 2 Philippians 1 Colossians 2 Mark 3

Jan. 17 Jan. 24 Jan. 31 Feb. 7 Feb. 14

Mark 4 Mark 9 Mark 14 1 Thessalonians 3 2 Thessalonians 3

Mark 5 Mark 10 Mark 15 1 Thessalonians 4 1 Timothy 1

Mark 6 Mark 11 Mark 16 1 Thessalonians 5 1 Timothy 2

Mark 7 Mark 12 1 Thessalonians 1 2 Thessalonians 1 1 Timothy 3

Mark 8 Mark 13 1 Thessalonians 2 2 Thessalonians 2 1 Timothy 4

Feb. 21 Feb. 28 March 6 March 13 March 20

1 Timothy 5 2 Timothy 4 Matthew 1 Matthew 6 Matthew 11

1 Timothy 6 Titus 1 Matthew 2 Matthew 7 Matthew 12

2 Timothy 1 Titus 2 Matthew 3 Matthew 8 Matthew 13

2 Timothy 2 Titus 3 Matthew 4 Matthew 9 Matthew 14

2 Timothy 3 Philemon Matthew 5 Matthew 10 Matthew 15

March 27

Matthew 16 Matthew 17 Matthew 18 Matthew 19 Matthew 20

* This Part of the Oasis Road will Take You on A Journey thru the New Testament

1 Chapter / Day for 5 Days / Week for 1 Year

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SHERWOOD CHURCH – SUNDAY MORNINGS IN DECEMBER

If for any reason you need to cancel or switch weeks, you may make arrangements for a replacement for yourself. Please also contact the church office by phone 892-7958 or by email to

mcgonnell.matt@gmail.com or sherwoodchurch.office@gmail.com

Thank you for your service!

Welcome Hosts Ushers / Information

6 David & Denise Rancourt 6 Friend Herring / Mike Murphy

13 Jacquie Laird 13 Paul Stevenson / Joel MacNeill

20 John & Trina Paquet 20 James Nicholson / Stephen Lewis

27 Philip & Liz Burt 27 Mike Murphy / Ron Doyle

Presiding Assisting Servers for the Month

6 Josh Stevenson

626-6255

Harley McCarville

626-7490

Stephen Lewis (C) 394-2134

13 Allison Weeks

368-1125

Philip Burt

892-8414

John MacLauchlan 676-2982

20 David Rancourt

367-1677

Joel MacNeill

368-9373

Joe Rowledge 894-9480

27 John Herring

367-5427

Tom Starr

569-3691

Merrill Carew 964-3106

Jacques Rancourt 368-5519

James Nicholson 566-1134

Soundbooth Nursery

6 Philip Burt 6 Evelyn Stevenson

13 Harley McCarville 13 Peggy Jo Myers

20 Philip Burt 20 Pansy Webster

27 Garnet Taylor 27 Jacquie Laird

Morning Prayer Building Close / Lock Up

6 Paul Stevenson 569-5880 6 John Herring

13 Linda Nicholson 566-1134 13 Brenda Boyle

20 Joel MacNeill 368-9373 20 Jamie Carew

27 Tom Starr 569-3691 27 David Rancourt

Junior Church Shut-In Communion - December

6 Lynette Chandler Paul & Lorna Stevenson

13 Lorna Stevenson

20 Victoria Cameron Coffee Corner - December

27 Carolyn Stevenson Friend Herring / Stephen & Colby Lewis