Highland Lakes church of Christ

The Brewers in Africa

John and Tina Brewer will begin their journey home after almost 2 weeks in South Africa. We know they have represented our Lord and the goals of this congregation well. We look forward to their report when they return.

Please pray that John and Tina have a safe flight home.

Bible Class Workshop for Ladies

October 22, 2016 – 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.

All ladies are invited to attend a Bible Class Workshop hosted by the Southwest Church of Christ and World Video School. It will be a great opportunity to better prepare each of us to teach in the Bible class setting.

Check the bulletin board for more information.

Time Change… Not yet

Several people have asked about the time change, but we have a little while to wait. It will be Sunday, November 6th, at 2:00 a.m. We‘ll remind you of the change as it approaches.

Pantry Needs:

1-dozen size egg cartons. Toiletries such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, combs, hairbrushes, shampoo, etc.

Beautiful Footnotes

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 3 John 5-8 (ESV)

We have been blessed to support the spreading of the gospel in different works in different locations around the globe. Two efforts include the WBS and Gospel spreading in Nigeria, including our dear brother Sylvester Imogoh, and in various other parts of Africa including George Funk and the brethren in the Gospel Chariots Missions. In this report from George you will see that those two works are soon to be both working in Nigeria. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. For the elders, Ken D

Gospel Chariot Missions Third Quarter Report 2016

Hi Everyone,

Hope this finds you all doing well. It is October and no stopping time. It has been a wonderful year so far once again, and we give God the Glory, and you all the appreciation, for helping us serve God in this way. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please see below some of the happenings taking place this 3rd quarter. Hundreds and hundreds are being baptized into Christ every year and we cannot thank you enough.

The new Kenyan chariot is now up and running and, believe it or not, we have plans, Lord willing, of trying to build a new gospel chariot for Nigeria. Please pray for this new goal to build a new, big gospel chariot for Nigeria. There are 163 million people in Nigeria. Wow! Late September we flew a sales engineering manager from Nigeria to Kenya to measure up and see if we can build a gospel chariot in Nigeria and not export from South Africa.

Tom Opondo from Kenya e-mailed the following report: “Brother George. Sanyaolu, the Sales Engineering Manager, from ANAMCO completed his Kenyan assignment yesterday. In this way, border challenges and struggles will be reduced and the cost of chariots become affordable. Taxes will not eat big % of GCM funds. I took him to the airport this morning at 4:00 am. Prayers for safe flight home. Prayers for the church in Nigeria to be able to receive a chariot truck for evangelism. May the Lord bless George and all GCM supporters for sending him to Kenya. He has done a very good job. It was intensive work. Praying for good results for the brethren in Nigeria.”

Amen. Let’s all pray as we wait for a price on building a chariot in Nigeria. To God be the Glory. Thank You Lord.

In Him.  Love, Brother George Funk

ICE CREAM!!!!

Our annual Ice Cream and Dessert Fellowship will be THIS Wednesday, October 5th, following our devotional. Bring homemade ice cream (or store bought), brownies, toppings, brownies, desserts, brownies, cookies, brownies, etc. The food is great, but being together is the sweetest part of all.

EASTERN EUROPEAN MISSIONS

Million Dollar Sunday Contribution Results – Our contribution for Million Dollar Sunday to date is $2,187 with another $50 pledged. The elders decided to round up the amount, and sent a check for $2,500. The church here and worldwide is doing an amazing thing as we all work together to reach thousands of people – some that would never have been reached any other way. Thank you, Church for helping supply Bibles to those who are seeking the Word of God!

MEN’S PRAYER FELLOWSHIP

The next Men’s Prayer Fellowship will be THIS Saturday, October 8th, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the fellowship room.

A BIBLE CLASS WORKSHOP FOR LADIES – October 22, 2016 (9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.)

All ladies are invited to attend a Bible Class Workshop hosted by the Southwest Church of Christ and World Video School. It will be a great opportunity to better prepare each of us to teach in the Bible class setting.   See and hear dozens of methods, songs, and visuals. Discover the how and why of teaching all ages—nursery through adults. Learn how to apply Bible lessons properly and effectively.   Lunch will be provided, so we will need to register early to give them an accurate count. Please let Teri Winnett know if you are interested in attending.  Check the bulletin board for more information.

HELPING HANDS PANTRY NEWS

Pantry Needs: 1-dozen size egg cartons. Toiletries such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, combs, hairbrushes, shampoo, etc.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES

Exciting news from our beloved co-laborers, the Welches, in Cambodia.  Please keep them and the Cambodian brethren in thought and prayer.  For the elders, Ken D

11b …I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11b-13

Greetings brethren,

As always we plead to our Lord Jesus Christ that He bless you with greater and greater grace, peace, faith, hope and love. We are ever grateful for your sacrifice to Him, especially your constant prayers.

HUGE NEWS! Something incredibly profound has happened for us. Most of you have heard Sharon’s story of being abandoned and then adopted as a young child. She had been told that she had an older sister and brother and two younger sisters. Now, after nearly 50 years of separation Sharon has been able to find and connect with her birth siblings…well, most of them. We’re still trying to track down the rest and the leads keep trickling in. Sharon, in fact both of us, are overflowing with joy and love. What an amazing experience. It would be hard for any of us to imagine what Sharon is experiencing right now. To what could we compare this? We will declare praise to God that we see the Spirit all over this.

Therefore, Sharon will leave Cambodia on October 1 to visit a sister in Hayward, CA and then on to DFW to connect with other siblings, returning to Cambodia on November 9. We’re not sure how her trip will work out concerning visits to others. It’s truly in the mighty hands of God.

How can you help? We ask that you pray that God will use His servant, Sharon, as His vessel of grace, peace, compassion and gentleness to navigate this unique situation and bring peace and healing to lives that have been through much more than any of us have experienced…not that any of us are all that unstained…but we’re discovering that this family has been through so much. Sharon is uniquely equipped by God for this and we are confident Christ’s beautiful light will shine through her. Bless her with your fervent prayers.

OTHER NEWS: Since our last news we both received training to be professional coaches and have begun employing this new discipling skill to help others become more obedient to Jesus.

We attended the third of four weekend retreats called Refocusing Leaders that is helping us make the transitions in our ministries.

Also, we have begun meeting with a few of the other missionaries involved in disciple making to encourage and strengthen one another.

To that end, Dennis has been meeting with four (and sometimes more) Cambodian men to walk beside them as they/we seek the lost and nurture the church. Mark Hooper, these are the guys in whom I’m investing.

Finally, we recently hosted brethren from the South Pacific Bible College in Tauranga, New Zealand, and were truly blessed by their encouragements and fellowship. At the end of worship Mike Austin of SPBC said, ” I teach I & II Corinthians and have always wondered what a well-behaved Corinthian house church would look like…well this afternoon I experienced that in your home!”

There’s so much more to say but we’re trying to keep these updates brief.

READING:  The Way of the Heart, by Henri Nouwen

STUDYING:   Personally, Ephesians. With the church, Romans

MEMORIZING:   The verse at the top but in Khmer language, Philippians 4:11-13. Any suggestions for our next verses?

PRAYERS:   Sharon’s emotional and physical strength

Dennis’ meetings with the guys

The faith of the church in Cambodia

The hearts of the disciples to tell whatever they consider to be good news as they are going

Eternal love & blessings, Dennis & Sharon

EASTERN EUROPEAN MISSIONS MILLION DOLLAR SUNDAY IS TODAY!

Today is Million Dollar Sunday! We are taking up a special collection for Eastern European Mission to put Bibles in public schools in Ukraine, Croatia and Romania. We are also continuing to fulfill the enormous number of requests for Bibles in Arabic and Farsi for the Muslim refugees who have been flooding into Europe. The “good news” is, we don’t have to take the Bible to them. God has brought them to us. The refugees have been traveling right through the territories that EEM has been serving since 1961. Let’s make the best of this amazing opportunity! You can donate with cash or check now or online at milliondollarsunday.org/give.

FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES…

Have you ever wondered what an impact we’re making with Eastern European Mission? Below are comments from children that have been affected by the program.

A girl told them “I have read the Bible three times already.”

A boy said “This book is really something special.”

In a village, a mother and daughter quarreled about who would read the Bible first.

Please check the bulletin board at the building for more information

EEM STATISTICS AND EVENTS

By the end of 2016, more than 4 million students will have access to study the Bible in public schools in different countries in Eastern Europe. This is a tremendous number and one that EEM hopes to continue to see increase in the coming years!

EEM has been passionately working to fulfill requests for more than 100,000 Bibles in the Arabic and Farsi languages. Watch the event video at http://www.eem.org/events. You can also check out http://www.eemeurope.org/the-truth-always-comes-out to learn about the impact God’s Word is having.

FELLOWSHIP MEAL

Our Fall fellowship meal is today after morning service. We hope you will stay so we can get to know you better. Since it is fellowship Sunday, we will not have evening services.

HELPING HANDS PANTRY NEWS

Pantry Needs: Clean, no holes, plastic sacks. 1-dozen size egg cartons.

Also needed is toiletries such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, etc.

ICE CREAM!!!!!

Our annual Ice Cream and Dessert Fellowship will be Wednesday, October 5th, following our devotional. Bring homemade ice cream (or store bought), toppings, desserts, etc. The food is great, but being together is the sweetest part of all.

BIBLE CLASS WORKSHOP FOR LADIES

October 22, 2016 – 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.

All ladies are invited to attend a Bible Class Workshop hosted by the Southwest Church of Christ and World Video School. It will be a great opportunity to better prepare each of us to teach in the Bible class setting.

See and hear dozens of methods, songs, and visuals. Discover the how and why of teaching all ages—nursery through adults. Learn how to apply Bible lessons properly and effectively.

Lunch will be provided, so we will need to register early to give them an accurate count. Please let Teri Winnett know if you are interested in attending.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES

We are blessed as a congregation to be able to support those learning to preach the word in different parts of the world, like Comfort Mufunda, who is attending the South African Bible College. We are joyful to share a short report here from Comfort in regards to his recent activities.

“I thank God for this opportunity I have to study at SABC.

I really had a good time during my holidays. I stayed in the Durban starting from 25th June until 10th July. During my first week at Durban I worked with my home congregation and the following weekend from Friday to Sunday I was in the youth camp situated around Durban. It went very well I was so proud seeing some of the former SABC students delivering good lessons that really encouraged me to hang on to my studies.

Moved to Eastern Cape then where I worked with two congregations which are close to each other. We were doing door knocking. Every evening I organized Bible classes at my house. It went very well, the family were very impressed.

We really appreciate your support ma y God bless you abundantly.

Thank you so much brethren,

Comfort”

“Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” 2 John 12 (ESV)

The New Testament shows that those who wrote to others really preferred to be with those people face to face. That is shown to be true when we have had visits from fellow workers we support in various parts of the world. As our congregation has supported Comfort for the last year, the elders felt it would be a blessing to us to be able to have a face to face with our brethren at SABC. We are proud to be sending our Brother and Sister, John G. and Tina Brewer to South Africa next week as our ambassadors to attend the 50th Anniversary events of the South African Bible College, and among other things spend face to face time with Comfort Mufunda and other Christians there. We are joy filled to know how encouraging this can be for all of us. Please keep the Brewers in your prayers while they are gone and also continue to pray for Comfort and those at SABC.  For the elders, Ken D

WELCOME

Jackie McKee placed membership with us last Sunday night, September 18th. We are so blessed to have her in the family here at Highland Lakes. Directory information for Jackie is available from the church office.

HAPPY NEWS!

Congratulations to Jeff and Sabrina Smith on the birth of their baby girl, Scarlett Mae. She was born September 13th. She weighed 5 lbs 10 oz., and was 18 inches long. She was in the NICU at St. David’s with breathing difficulties, but went home Thursday.

She is the granddaughter of Sherry Sisco and the great-granddaughter of Lee and Carol Sisco, and the sister of Liam.

FELLOWSHIP MEAL

Hosts/hostesses for our fellowship meal next week: Bill and Mary K. Flanary; James and Vicky Williams; Myron and Janet Fietz. We hope you will stay and enjoy getting to know each other better.

LADIES DAY

 Southwest Church of Christ Ladies Day on Saturday, September 24, 8:30 a.m..

CHEROKEE ANNUAL AUCTION

The annual Cherokee Home for Children Auction is scheduled for Saturday, September 24th. Bidding begins at 9:00 a.m. There will be many items to bid on, and all proceeds go to help the children at the Home.

EASTERN EUROPEAN MISSIONS MILLION DOLLAR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

Next Sunday is Million Dollar Sunday! Join with Eastern European Mission (EEM) to put Bibles in more public schools in Ukraine, Croatia and Romania. Once funded, at the end of 2016, we will have provided Bibles in over 50% of Ukrainian schools.

EEM is also continuing to fulfill thousands of requests for Bibles in Arabic and Farsi for Muslim refugees from the Middle East. Let’s join together on Million Dollar Sunday to share God’s Word with these people. To learn more, visit milliondollarsunday.org.

ICE CREAM FELLOWSHIP

Our annual Ice Cream and Dessert Fellowship will be Wednesday, October 5th, following our devotional. Bring homemade ice cream (or store bought), toppings, desserts, etc. The food is great, but being together is the sweetest part of all.

HELPING HANDS PANTRY

A special thank you goes to David and Sheri Zoller for the many hours of work they put into the pantry. We also send a thank you to so many members that have worked so hard to make the pantry a success. It is a wonderful work, and we have helped many families in need.

PANTRY NEEDS: Clean, no holes plastic sacks and 1-dozen size egg cartons.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27 (ESV)

GOD IS CALLING. God has opened doors in Ukraine, Croatia and Romania to not just give the Bible, but to teach his Word to children in Public Schools. School leaders and administrators are requesting more Bibles and biblical literature from EEM – more of God’s Word shared to open hearts.

EEM IS RESPONDING. EEM has placed Bibles and biblical literature in front of over 4 million students, and it is not ready to stop. EEM is saying “YES” to this opportunity to fulfill “The Impossible Dream” of giving the Bible to people in their own language. This year EEM hopes to place Bibles and biblical literature in Ukraine, Romania and Croatia. If the goal is met, over 50% of Ukraine public schools will have Bibles provided by EEM.

HELP FULFILL THE CALL. “The Impossible Dream”– giving the Bible to people in their own language – is what EEM founding team member and missionary Gwen Hensley told his wife after witnessing the emptiness and despair of the people of Eastern Europe his first years in the mission field during the cold war. But Hensley knew then, as EEM knows now, that with God all things are possible. And with God’s help and yours on Million Dollar Sunday, we will turn the impossible dream into a reality in Eastern Europe.

REFUGEES ARE COMING. The conflict in the Middle East has forced hundreds of thousands of families to flee for their lives into Europe. Coming from a land dominated by Islam, God is moving these refugees into a land of “opportunity.” The refugee highway goes directly through the countries served by EEM since 1961, providing a perfect opportunity to share God’s Word.

BIBLES ARE PRINTING. In January 2016, EEM began responding to requests from churches and ministry partners for over 100,000 Bibles, printing Arabic and Farsi languages – the first time in EEM’s 55-year history to print these. As a reliable distributor of free Bibles to those seeking God’s Word, EEM is perfectly positioned to meet the enormous number of requests from people moving up the refugee highway into Eastern Europe.

TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY. This is a wonderful window of opportunity to freely share God’s truth with people from Islamic nations. The good news is we don’t have to take it to them – God has brought them to us. EEM, by faith, has said “YES” to this opportunity, but needs your help in fulfilling these requests for God’s Word.

HOW TO HELP. Our congregation will participate in a special contribution to support Eastern European Missions next Sunday, September 25th. We pray you will thoughtfully consider helping get God’s word to those seeking it.

For the elders, Ken D

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

 Corporate Meeting Sunday, September 18

 Southwest church of Christ Ladies Day Saturday, September 24

 Easter European Missions Million Dollar Sunday, Sunday, September 25

EASTERN EUROPEAN MISSIONS MILLION DOLAR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

Million Dollar Sunday is Eastern European Mission’s (EEM) premiere annual fund-raising effort to help directly fund special pro-jects and opportunities to share God’s word. On September 25, EEM is asking for your help to put more Bibles in more public schools and more countries — in Ukraine, Croatia and Romania — as well as fulfill over 100,000 requests for Bibles for Muslim refugees who have been flooding into Eastern Europe from the Middle East.  We will have a special contribution on the 25th. Be prayerful and generous about this great opportunity.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES

”And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people…” Isaiah 6:8-9 ESV

This summer many of you had the opportunity to meet Benjamin Crommedy when he visited with us. Ben is the young man whom our congregation is supporting as a student at the Sunset International Bible Institute Bachelor of Biblical Studies program in Lubbock, TX, August 2016 – May 2018. What follows is from Ben, so please be mindful of him in thought and prayer as he works to prepares himself to better serve our God. For the elders, Ken D

“I was raised in the churches of Christ and have been active in my home congregation, (Hillcrest church of Christ, Arlington, TX) by leading our worship, teaching Bible classes (kids, teens and young adults), and preaching the occasional sermon. I have applied myself to studying church Music and worship leading and I am a 2014 graduate of the Texas singing School.

I have always been intrigued about studying God’s word more deeply, but in the last year I had the opportunity to be a mentor for a young man in our congregation. The congregation has seen notable progress and improvement in his spirituality and maturity.

This touched something within me and I began to consider what God could do through my life, if I gave myself over to ministry. After much prayer and counseling with my shepherds, preacher and friends, I decided to enter a ministry training program (SIBI).

Previously I might not have considered this as a vocation for my life, however, now I want to place my life and future in God’s capable hands in a very real and tangible way. I do not know what specific area of ministry I hope to pursue at this time, but I want to be ready to answer His call.   Ben Crommedy

WELL DONE CHURCH!!!

THE ANNUAL BREAKFAST GIVEN FOR AREA TEACHERS, SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. WE FED 55 MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

LADIES BIBLE CLASS ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH

SALAD LUNCHEON AFTER CLASS

Ladies, please spread the word! Our Ladies Bible class will resume Wednesday, September 14th at 10:00 a.m. in the fellowship room. Our new study will begin with the book of Philippians A study guide will be distributed that day. Mary Kay Flanary will be our teacher.

This gathering affords a wonderful opportunity for study and fellowship. All ladies are invited to attend. Encourage all your lady friends who enjoy good, friendly Bible study to come study with us.

Bring your favorite salad. A luncheon will begin at the end of class, usually about 11:00 am.

If you have questions about the study, please contact Norma Bryan, Gail Darnell, Mary Kay Flanary, Leana Futrell, Brenda Miller, or Evelyn Moore.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

 Corporate Meeting Sunday, September 18

 Easter European Missions Sunday, September 25

 Million Dollar Sunday , September 25

BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. “ Luke 1:38

The following is from our fellow workers, Dennis and Sharon, in Cambodia. Remember them in prayer.  For the elders, Ken D

Greetings brethren,

Grace, peace, faith, hope and love in Christ Jesus our Lord. We pray the Lord is blessing you with all of these and more. Thank you for the various ways you support our work, especially your prayers.

While in the States we shared with many of you what were our goals for the coming months.

*Becoming more tightly joined to the true vine after months/years of busyness that left us spiritually malnourished;

*Becoming better listeners of Khmer street language;

*Becoming better tellers of God’s Word in story form for this oral culture;

*Becoming better at discipling others through coaching;

*Becoming healthier through diet and exercise;

*Meeting heads of households with whom to start a relationship;

*Finding a new house to rent in a more traditional Cambodian community.

Our news below includes how we have recently been working on some of these.

NEWS – We’ve made several trips to other neighborhoods in the city looking for the right combinations of factors. We have already identified a couple of good possibilities. We’ll spend more time in them and others to get a better feel of the Spirit’s moving in each place. Much prayer is required.

Many of you will recall that while in the States on our furlough and reporting trip Dennis made a side trip to Atlanta to receive training in Christian Coaching, a powerful tool that helps others fulfill their goals and sort through struggles, especially concerning obedience to Jesus. We have already seen how powerful this tool is for ministering to others. Therefore, Sharon wants to receive coaching training to use in ministering to those around her too. We’re excited to announce that we leave on Saturday for a week-long, intensive, solution-focused coach training in Bali, Indonesia (no time for doing the tourist stuff this trip). This is an opportunity that fell into our laps causing us to praise God for what appears to us to be His gracious hand at work in preparing the road and providing opportunity.

PRAISE/PRAYER REQUEST – Please join our praise for the blessing of attending this coaching training! Also, training like this is usually very fast-paced, so please pray that we absorb all the instruction in practical application to our specific ministry needs; and, that others taking the training who may not yet know Jesus will be drawn to His light and love through our example among them.

Please pray that we will meet just the right persons who will be willing to share what they’re discovering about Jesus to their families and friends.

We’re memorizing our favorite Scriptures in Khmer language to encourage one another. We’ve tackled Exodus 34:5-8. Now, we’re working on Romans 5:1-5

We pray that God enriches your life with many more spiritual blessings. We really cherish how Paul reminds us of these blessings in Ephesians 1:3-14. Have you ever read that passage from an easy-to-read version or The Message?

Please continue to pray…

Love & eternal blessings, Dennis & Sharon