Reverend Greg Rickey, D.S.

 

MOVING MINISTERS & MATES

Please pray with your District Superintendent Greg Rickey as he meets with the church boards and they seek a new pastor and for all who are in the midst of change.

AL NAZARENE CAMPMEETING JULY 7-12

Sponsored by the Alabama North and Alabama South Districts Church of the Nazarene

Rev. N. Greg Rickey, AL North D.S. & Dr. Mark Berry, AL South D.S.

Music Evangelist The Beaty Family

Choir Rehearsal each night @ 7:00 P.M.

Children's Activities with Carl & Marty Eby @ 10 A.M. & 7:30 P.M.

PREACHING SCHEDULE

Tuesday P.M.............................Rev. David Galimore

Wednesday A.M........................Rev. David Galimore

Wednesday P.M............................Dr. James H. Diehl

Thursday A.M................................Dr. James H. Diehl

Friday A.M...................................Rev. David Galimore

Friday P.M. (YOUTH NIGHT)...Rev. David Galimore

Saturday A.M.................................Dr. James H. Diehl

Saturday P.M.................................Dr. James H. Diehl

Sunday A.M................................Rev. David Galimore

Sunday P.M...................................Dr. James H. Diehl

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES

Begins Tuesday, July 7th...............................7:30 P.M.

Daily Services.................................10 A.M. & 7:30 P.M.

Morning Prayer & Praise................................7:30 A.M.

Bible Study....................................................9:00 A.M.

Sunday, July 12th

Sunday School..................................9:30 A.M.

Morning Service..............................10:30 A.M.

Closing Service.................................4:00 P.M.

 Lodging

Lodge Room...........................$45 pernight

Dormitories.............................$12 per night

RV Parking..............................$20 per night

Meals

Breakfast...............$6 ($5 for seniors 65+) $4.50 under 12 ; Age 2 and under FREE)

Lunch.......................$7.00 ($6 for seniors 65+; $5.50 under 12; 2 and under FREE)

Dinner.................$8.00 ($7.00 for seniors 65+; $6.50 under 12; 2 and under FREE)

RV Reservations

(205) 668-6893

(205) 5045-5401

Dan Ventling, Executive Camp Director

Jeri Ventling, Assistant Camp Director & Scheduling

LOCATION:  521 Highway 304* Calera, Alabama 35040* I-65 (Exit 231)

Email:  rollinghillscamp.com * Website: www.rollinghillscamp.org

Phone: (205) 668-1168

SINGLE ADULT EVENTS

 

Hello from the Single Adult Ministries Department for the North Alabama District!� Outreach and upreach continue in this vital ministry and we are so excited to see God at work among His people!

�Attention all Single Adults ages 18 and over!!!

A WORD FROM SDMI CHAIRMAN - Michael Johnson

What an exciting day to be in ministry for the Lord!

Indeed, I hear all the time the statement "there has never been a more difficult time to be in ministry," but why is that?  Is it because of the decaying moral fabric of society?  Or is it because of the "signs of the times" ?  All too often, I believe I hear people speak of the difficulties of ministry as a cop-out.  If society around us is falling apart, then what better place to infuse the healing of Christ.  If the moral fabric  of society isn't what it used to be, what better opportunity to demonstrate the holiness of Christ and its transformational power.

No, I would insist that there have not been better days than these because the soil is ready for the seed of the Word of God to be planted.  If times are difficult, perhaps we should look at ourselves and ask, "Am I being all that God has called and empowered me to be?"

What a great day to be in the service to the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Let us covenant together that this will be a year of discipleship.  A year of planting the seed of the Word of God.  A year of watering that which has been planted and harvesting what God has prepared.

The Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries International (SDMI) of the Church of the Nazarene are the perfect tools to tell people about the love of Jesus.

Sunday school keeps the Word of God in focus, it promotes Christian fellowship, it tends to maturing the character of Christians and is a built in tool for following up on the absentees and visitors!

Don't miss this church treasure which has unlimited potential to make disciples that make disciples!

New SDMI District Resources

If you made it to IMPROVE YOUR SERVE in January, you heard about some upcoming resources we want to make available to the local church Sunday School. 

The following is a list of new resources we are working on:

• District Lending Library
• Curriculum Scholarships
• Downloadable Teacher Training
• www.alabamanorthsdmi.com

If you have any suggestions or any contributions to make to these things please get in rouch with someone from the district SDMI Council.

Please also remember to check out all fhe FREE resources at:  www.sdmi.nazarene.org

 GENERAL INFORMATION:

...Children's Quizzing wants to continue indefinitely on the second Saturday of the month except for the last session which will need to be determined by outcome of quizzing and announced separately.

•   Adult Ministries Council, June 13 @ 12:30 pm Baxter's Steak House, Hwy 157 in Cullman
•   Women's Retreat , September 18-20, 2009 @ Shocco Springs Conference Center with Kathy Slamp as keynote speaker and Renee Martin  back as singer and music.   Contact Paulette Woods for additional information @ 205-503-3726 or 205-655-3082.

VISION FOR LEADERSHIP

VISION FOR LEADERSHIP To lead is to envision—to see beyond, to capture the future and communicate it in the present, to inspire those lost in mediocrity to dare to dream of new horizons. Leaders must see beyond the practical and obtainable. They must envision the idealistic and the unimaginable. After all, the power of Pentecost is available to them by cleansing faith in the Atonement. Joel the prophet voiced God’s promise, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days (Joel 2:28-29 NIV).” The end result may not be exactly what they dreamed. However the outcome will surely be greater than if they had never dared to dream. The Proverb writer reminds us that without a vision people perish or cast off restraint. The dejected Hebrew slaves could not see beyond the straw and slime pits. But God knew His plan for them—deliverance, prosperity, and joy. He gave them a human leader who had been taught to dream alongside the obelisks and pyramids of Egypt. And to guide Moses, God sent the cloud and fire, an invitation to follow both in times of bright revelation and in days of hazy perception. God’s men were often called seers—they had spiritual insight and “big picture” vision. Those who would lead in the church today should seek their mantle—dream their dreams, and claim their promises as their own. – Louie Bustle, Global Mission Director

A Noteworthy Leadership Quote: “Mission is the picture frame, vision is the photograph of God’s future for his children.” — Louie E. Bustle

Book of the Month Recommendation: The Inspirational Speaker's Resource: Tools for Reaching Your Audience Every Time by Stan Toler - $13.99. The impact of the vision you have from God will never be felt until you can communicate it to others. This book of resources will prove to be invaluable to you as you dream God’s dream and you endeavor to communicate that vision to the people whom His has entrusted you to lead. Click on the following link to order this book from nph.com.

RATTLED BY THE ECONOMY? by John R. Swaim

The news media could rattle our faith except for three things. I'll get back to those. Before I do, though, there are some other things that need to be said.

None of us could have fully predicted the speed and severity with which unsettling economic news would capture the airwaves, the internet, the coffee shop and even our own supper tables. Without question these are unprecedented days.

While we may be surprised at the suddenness with which troublesome economic events have unfolded in recent months, we should not be surprised that they are occurring. Our current difficulties are nothing more than the principle of sowing and reaping being played out before our very eyes. There is some real trouble to be worked through in the marketplace and it would be silly to claim otherwise. It would be equally silly to think that periodic economic corrections are not a normal part of the business cycle. In general, the longer the time between corrections, the more significant and extended they are. So, we have a ways to go.

But friends, contrary to the messages we are bombarded with every day, the sky is not falling. Here are a few random thoughts for your consideration and to balance your perspective; some of these are economic, and some are not.
 

• Americans in general are being far more careful with their money than they have been in years. That speaks to better stewardship.
• Government statistics show that personal savings rates nation-wide are as high now as they have been since at least 2004. That speaks to a recovery of the important discipline of thrift.
• At this writing over 93% of Kentuckians who want to work are working, and many appreciate their jobs more than ever. That speaks to a spirit of humble gratitude.
• Also at this writing, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline in Kentucky is $1.65. Marilyn found some earlier this week for $1.39. A year ago it was $2.86. In September, it was about $3.85.
• We are utterly and totally dependent on our Heavenly Father for everything. To think otherwise is to misplace our trust.
• We live like kings compared to the vast majority of the rest of the world. Even Solomon in all his glory did not have a microwave oven, a bathroom heater with a thermostat in January, or many other "modern conveniences" that virtually all of us enjoy and even take for granted.  
• Regardless of what is going on economically in our communities and around the world, people still need the Gospel. Our call and mission is to love people and make disciples in all weathers.

We enjoy blessings of every kind and abundance in almost everything. So let us not be numbered among the handwringers and the "woe is me" crowd. Rather, let us press cheerfully on in pursuit of what we believe the Lord has asked us to do with our giving and our ministries.

I started this article by saying the news media could rattle our faith except for three things, all of which have to do with our status as believers, all of which are our responsibility, and none of which are dependent on our circumstances. Those three things are our calling to trust, obey, and take the next step.
 ______________
John R. Swaim is COO of First Southern National Bank in Stanford, Kentucky. He serves on the board of the Francis Asbury Society, teaches Sunday School at the Wilmore Free Methodist Church and Chairs the capital campaign for the Wilmore Free Methodist Church which launched only days before the stock market went sour. He is a trusted friend and advisor to the Francis Asbury Society.

10 Reasons to Be Thankful

Count your blessings, we're told, but it's just not in our nature. We'd rather count our problems. Our species survived by reacting instantly to threats, and the ancient humans who stopped to smell the roses made easier targets for predators.

Today, the predators are mostly gone, but we're still so primed to pay attention to bad news that we tend to ignore what's going well. As soon as we solve one problem, we take the progress for granted and find a new cause for alarm. Every now and again it doesn't hurt to take stock of just how good we have it. Start counting:

1. Free time
As much as we complain about being busy, the typical American has more free time than ever-more than five hours per day, according to time surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau and researchers at the University of Maryland and Penn State. That's a gain of nearly an hour since 1965 and a gain of about four hours since the 19th century. In Victorian England, when life expectancy was only about 50, workers put in 60-hour weeks, from age ten until they died.

If you feel too busy, it's probably only because you're doing so many other things than work. Over the course of a lifetime, you typically spend no more than 20 percent of your waking hours on the job, and experts say there'll be even more free time in the future as life expectancy keeps increasing and work hours keep shrinking. By 2050 in the industrialized world, others project, the average workweek will be just 27 hours.

Courtesy of Clipart.com

It's a wonderful life! Here are some reasons to smile and laugh about it.

 

2. Peace
Wars and terrorist attacks will always make headlines, but it's remarkable how many of the world's 6.7 billion people now live in peace. In recent decades, despite the growth in population, the number of war casualties around the world has declined, according to the Human Security Report Project from Canada's Simon Fraser University. And despite a new fear of terrorism following 9/11, terrorist casualties have been declining in recent years.

In some earlier generations, a quarter of the male population died violent deaths. Over the past century, even counting the world wars, a person's chance of dying from war or violent civil strife was less than 2 percent, according to John Mueller, a professor of political science at Ohio State University. That means that the scourge of war is now comparable to the statistical risk of driving a car in the United States.

3. A roomier American dream
While some people are struggling to keep their homes, the vast majority of Americans still have plenty to be thankful for when they walk through the front door. In 1950 the typical new American house had one floor with 1,000 square feet, two bedrooms, and one bathroom-and even that bungalow was beyond many people's means. Nearly half of Americans didn't own their homes, and more than a third of homes lacked complete plumbing facilities.

Today, more than two thirds of Americans own their homes, and the typical new house has two floors, at least three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and more than 2,200 square feet of space for the family.

4. The reader's revolution
In 1970 barely half the people in the world were literate, and many of them could afford only a few books. Middle-class people needed installment plans to afford an encyclopedia. Local libraries offered a limited selection of books; new titles went on sale in bookstores but soon disappeared unless they were bestsellers.

Today, more than 80 percent of the world's people can read, and 22 percent have access to the greatest library in history. The Web provides classic books and reference works like Wikipedia free of charge, and the online network of booksellers means that no book ever really goes out of print. Whatever it is, old or new, someone somewhere will sell it to you, often at a bargain price.

5. The horn of plenty
The royal dinners at Versailles might have had glitzier place settings, but Louis XVI would gaze enviously at the food in a middle-class home or restaurant today: kiwifruits from New Zealand, South African peppers, Thai pineapples, Italian gelato. He'd be amazed, too, at the way we take fresh produce, fish, and meat for granted in every season.

The king's subjects, of course, would be even more envious. France was one of the world's richest countries in the late 18th century, but the average Frenchman consumed less than 2,000 calories per day-about the same level as people in the world's poorest countries consumed in the middle of the 20th century. Today, the typical person in a poor country consumes 2,700 calories daily, a nutritional improvement made possible by farmers growing more food at lower cost.

While the occasional food shortage or price spike grabs our attention, the long-range trend is what really matters. While incomes have risen since 1950, the inflation-adjusted price of food has declined by 75 percent, according to the World Resources Institute. So it represents a smaller and smaller portion of our paychecks.

Food is so plentiful that in many countries, the old concerns about hunger have been replaced by worries about obesity.

6. More wilderness
Once you travel beyond the sprawling exurbs of America, you'll find plenty of open space and peaceful forests. Many of the prairies and woodlands cleared by settlers have returned now that the land is no longer needed for agriculture.

In recent decades, America has gained 70 million acres of wilderness, which is more than all the land currently occupied by cities, suburbs, and exurbs, according to Peter Huber, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. And more people than ever can get to that wilderness because of a technology that we now routinely curse …

7. The modern automobile
Granted, cars emit greenhouse gases and create maddening traffic jams, but consider what else they do. Compared with the models on the road in 1970, today's cars burn less gasoline per mile and emit 98 percent fewer pollutants. That's why, despite the doubling of the number of cars, there's much less smog in the air.

The basic sedan today offers more creature comforts and safety than the luxury cars of old. The fatality rate has declined sharply, and cars have become so reliable that it's rare to come upon that once-routine sight on the shoulder of the road: a driver forlornly staring under the hood.

8. The platinum age of television
Forget the so-called golden age of TV. Shows from the '50s look positively primitive compared with Mad Men, 30 Rock, or The Amazing Race. When a few networks had to appeal to the lowest common denominator, television really was a wasteland-just as Hollywood so often churns out mediocrity when it's aiming for box office blockbusters.

With hundreds of channels today, TV producers don't have to please everyone, so they can appeal to niche audiences with quirky programs: sophisticated dramas, edgy comedies, and documentaries that aren't just educational but riveting. When children are happily learning about Mayan engineering on the History Channel or quasars on the Discovery Channel, that box is no longer the boob tube.

9. Retreat from Armageddon
During the Cold War, the United States and the former Soviet Union had about 50,000 nuclear warheads aimed at each other. Since then, they've agreed to get rid of 90 percent of them, and tens of thousands of those weapons have already been eliminated. As Gregg Easterbrook observes in his book The Progress Paradox, “Historians will view nuclear arms reduction as such an incredible accomplishment that it will seem bizarre in retrospect so little attention was paid while it was happening.”

10. Memories
The gift of longer life has usually been accompanied by the loss of memories, but we'll be luckier than our grandparents. Besides the new memory-improvement drugs being developed, we've got digital photos and videos and e-mails to recall our best personal moments and the Web to instantly help us remember who sang that song or which year the blizzard hit.

In the past, only nobles could hire scribes to write their histories and artists to depict their deeds. Today, we all have records of our lives to pass on to our descendants, to comfort us as we age, and to remind us, every now and then, to count our blessings.

From Reader's Digest - February 2009