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Ride for Refuge ~ First Gear - Save the Date: October 16, 2010. Gear up and get involved!! We, at Immanuel are joining Hamilton’s great Ride for Refuge (R4R) again this year. The Ride for Refuge is an exciting one day cycling event fund-raiser in support of refugees, internally displaced people and local folks in need of refuge. This family-friendly bicycle ride raises much needed money and awareness for refuge services in Hamilton and around the world. This year's local ride will be on October 16th and cyclists can choose to ride 25, 50 or 100 kms (or even a 10 km 'fun ride') - so the whole family can join. Want to ride, volunteer, be a sponsor, know more? Contact Jeri. Check out the website at www.rideforrefuge.org to learn more. Every mile matters. Pardon the Dust... Sunday School is Under Construction! Dear Congregation, the Sunday School Coordinators want to announce that there are big changes coming to Sunday School. More details are to follow, but at this point we want you to know that there is Sunday School every Sunday morning for children aged 3 to grade 2, just as there was last year. However, there will be no Sunday School for children in grades 3-6 during the evening services. That's the way it will be until after the Christmas season, when we hope to start a fresh, discipleship-focused Kids Church. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, we count on your support by praying for the Lord's guidance on this new venture for our church family's younger members. From the Consistory: The past few years we have held a Saturday morning prayer retreat in early September to take time to ask God for his guidance as we begin another season of ministry. Consistory recognizes that Saturday mornings are not convenient for all, but believes a prayer retreat as a congregation is. Therefore this year the prayer retreat has been scheduled for a Sunday evening, September 12. Instead of our regular worship service we will use this time to focus in prayer, to thankfully both bring ourselves and our working-plans to God, and to ask God for guidance and blessing on the works of our hands. The congregation is strongly encouraged to participate to make this time before God a time of humble submission as it is His work we want to be about. “The Me I Want to Be” – this is the title of a book by Pastor John Ortberg, but also of a 5 lesson study based on the direction of that book. It guides participants in having a look at themselves in terms of what God intends for you. Ortberg writes: “The most important task in life is not what you do but who you become.” This series works to guide us to become “God’s best version of you”, working to bridge the gap between who we want to be in Jesus and we are. Sunday evenings, October 17, 24, November 7, 14, 21 have been set aside to study this, beginning with a brief time of worship and introduction to the lesson, and then breaking into small groups. Sign up begins next week. CSI (Church Scene Investigation) Immanuel starting next Sunday! For the Sunday morning worship services of September 12, 19, and 24, we will be focusing on the Immanuel mission statement: Our purpose is to grow in loving God by walking in the Spirit, serving each other, and reaching out to our neighbours. As we enter into this new ministry year focusing on who we are as a church of Christ, we also want to do that “together, in faith.” To help us in that at the beginning of a new season, tables will be set up at each entrance inviting you to wear a name tag for each of these Sunday mornings. This is a simple but practical way to get to know newer members, visitors, and even long time members as we go enter a new season. Youth Volunteer Training Event: Thursday, September 16th at 7:30: It’s September! This means programs are gearing up once again. To prepare for another great year, all volunteers of Sunday School, GEMS, Cadets, youth group, and young adults are strongly encouraged to attend our annual volunteer training event. Please mark your calendars today in order to attend. Fall Fun Fest! Saturday, September 18th starting at 10:30: Come one, and come all to our 5th annual Fall Fun Fest. This community impact event will feature our church programs through games and activities. A free BBQ lunch will be provided at 12:00. Prizes will conclude the event at 12:30. |
