Hi geneva family.

We have finished our first day at our work sites. We have hard working kids who truly love to serve. We played with underpriveleged kids, we sorted food at the salv army, we worked in a hispanic community with homeless kids. After dinner we journeyed to the museum made famous by rocky and we all ran the steps (see pictures). What a thrill to turn and see the view from tjhe top looking into downtown Philly. It is a great community with a diverse culture and it appears we will be seeing many different areas this week. We will keep in touch with news and pictures. Had Philly's famous "watta-ice" today! Tomorrow its cheesesteak time!

Blessings,

The Senior High Mission Team

Senior High Mission Trip
Day One

We arrived in philly around 6:15 pm. Praise God for safe healthy travel. We had no problems getting here. We had dinner and a time of worship and had a chance to meet the other churches. Tonight we closed with a group meeting with the kids to prepare for our work tomorrow. The theme for this week is trying to embrace being free from the stuff that enslaves us. We will keep you posted. We are weary from the travel but excited to start work tomorrow am. Pray for strength and patience.

worship preview

Dear Saints:   Tomorrow night is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, which means that Red Wings'  coach Mike Babcock and Penguins' coach Dan Bylsma are doing all they can to get their teams ready to play.  Adjustments are being made, strategies are being fine-tuned, edges are being sought.  A coach's job, of course, is to do all that can be done to get his or her team to the highest level of performance.     This Sunday we will reflect on some coaching that is offered by the apostle Paul.  His goal, as you can guess, isn't to generate success by a sports team, but by a team assembled by God in the city of Corinth.  For this team, known as the body of Christ, success doesn't mean getting the puck into a net, but something much more difficult--getting the love of Christ into people's lives.    In the Scripture we will focus on a situation that has arisen in the church that requires the apostle's attention.  In ancient Greece, animals were sacrificed to the Greek gods and the meat was then sold in the marketplace.  Some people believed that eating such meat was an offense against the true God.  Others believed that since these gods weren't real, there was no inherent problem eating the meat used in these rituals.  So, Paul is asked, is it okay to partake of this meat or not?   In I Corinthians 8:1-13, Paul answers the question in a way that points the church to the way of Christ, not only in this situation, but in all situations.  We shall see that in a culture far different from ancient Greece, Paul's words point to some principles that can guide us as we navigate our way through the complexities and challenges we face.   To prepare for worship, I ask you to read the Corinthian passage (included below) and to ponder these questions:  what are the competing principles at work in this situation?  what does Paul say is the relationship between knowledge and love?  how would Paul define freedom?  in what ways would his views and our modern views of freedom be at odds?  in what situations do you face does Paul's teaching provide guidance?  what would taking his advice look like in these situations?   We will also be blessing our 2009 graduates this Sunday.  So come and join in the celebration!   In Christ,   Bryan   Food Sacrificed to Idols  1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.  4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.  7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.  9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

worship preview

Dear Saints: There's a message on our church sign advertising this Saturday's youth car wash from 9 am until 1 pm. The hope, of course, is that people who have dirty cars will decide to get their cars cleaned and then make a donation to our youth who are trying to raise support for their mission trips. While cleaning dirty cars is a worthwhile and admirable task, I was thinking that a church is meant to be a place where people get their hearts cleaned and their spirits washed. Indeed, every Sunday morning is meant to be a time when we bring our dirtied lives into God's presence and invite Him to take the spiritual grime off our souls. Through such cleansing, we become able to offer again the sweet fragrance of life that Christ offers. This Sunday, we will be reflecting on how the Holy Spirit offers this priceless gift of making us more alive and free and holy in Christ. We will focus specifically on a couple of Scriptures:John 3:1-21 and Romans 8:12-17, which are included below. In regards to the John passage, you might ask yourself these questions: what is the Spirit's role in making us alive in Christ? what specifically does the Spirit do? why does Jesus use the image of a "second birth" to describe this process? in what ways have you experienced the truth of what Jesus is sharing? In regards to the Romans passage, you might reflect on what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. How are you experiencing that leading now? What truth about about God and/or about yourself is being offered at this point in your life? We will also be celebrating the sacrament of communion together this Sunday. I ask you to prepare yourself to worship God by being in prayer for our gathering. In Christ, Bryan John 3 Jesus Teaches Nicodemus 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.a]">" 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritb]"> gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'Youc]"> must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.d]"> 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.e]"> 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,f]"> that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.g]"> 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." Romans 8:12-17 (New International Version) 12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.a]"> And by him we cry, "Abba,b]"> Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.