Hello, church family. Everyone enjoying the heat?
Bethlehem Journey is December 12-14, 2024
For those who are new to First, Bethlehem Journey is a live production of the nativity and we are excited to bring it back this year (as well as our Christmas Eve service). As mentioned last week, the Team leaders have graciously agreed to be the planning committee and help coordinate all the work. The Team leaders will meet August 15 to finalize the script and plan. Auditions and volunteer signups will begin late August and be promoted at Fall Kick-off September 8th. Please consider if you and your family could be involved in production of this outreach event.
Family Fun Night is almost here!
Monday, August 12 is Family Fun Night. Enjoy a laid back night of friends and food. If you haven’t signed up yet, use the link below or email Cindi at office@frcportage.org. We’ll have a taco bar and s’mores with table ware provided. Just bring lawn chairs!
Sign up here: https://frcportage.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2398902
Men’s Jordan River Valley Overnight Hike – Oct. 18-19, 2024
Gentlemen: mark your calendars for one of the most beautiful hikes in our great state of Michigan. The Jordan River Valley hike is an 18 total mile trek split over two days in the Up North wilderness (Gaylord area). We leave early Friday morning to set up camp and hike half the trail. Then cook, sleep and hike the second half on Saturday, returning home Saturday evening. With a basecamp, you only need a day pack to carry a lunch. For those not up for the hike, it’s very helpful to have camp cooks! Middle Schoolers through grandpas welcome. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
Thinking About the Olympic’s Opening Ceremony
As many of you are aware, the opening to the Paris Olympics was an offense to both Christianity in particular, and many others who hold some semblance of Judeo/Christian values. It included a parody of the Last Supper with transvestite characters, sexually explicit dancing and a mix of these adult themes with children participants. This last fact provoked the condemnation of even gay and lesbian groups who saw it as “grooming” children for exploitation. Not much surprises me these days, but this crossed a new set of lines, especially for a global event meant to bring many different nations, cultures, and faiths together for athletic competition. While the World will act like the World, it is good for us to think through why things like this are wrong, and what we can do as individuals to promote godliness and protect children, especially. I would like to ask you to pray for your own family’s response (boycott the Olympics? cancel Netflix?…), for the culture at large, and for the artists and creators responsible for the production. And I encourage you to read this article by Jill Malone, PhD, on why this type of conditioning is important to resist (be aware, it discusses adult content and themes): https://www.malone.news/p/sexual-fetishes-grooming-and-the?r=1b887v&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Prayer
- August 15 Team Leaders Bethlehem Journey Planning Meeting: for creativity, joy and efficiency!
- Fall kick off and team planning.
- Praise for a variety of visitors who have been with us over the past several months. For those looking for church homes, that the Lord would lead them to the local church family He has for them, whether here at First or elsewhere.
- Praise for God’s healing of Paisley Pool with strep and some other potential issues.
- For the spouses, children and caretakers who have recently lost loved ones: for their grieving, resting and adjusting to their next phase without their loved ones.
- Kate VandeVen as she and Neil deal with her recent cancer diagnosis.
