Lake Stevens Family Church

Merry Christmas Family Church ,

We want to wish the best for you and your family at the beginning of December and the month containing the greatest holiday of our faith. Remember, without Christmas there would be no Christ and without Christ there would be no Christmas. With that in mind I challenge you as a follower of Jesus in three tenants of our faith. Prayer, Fasting & Alms Giving.

Why these three? In early church history all Christians were commissioned in these three ‘marks’ of the faith. First we’re commissioned to prayer. This connects us to our conversational relationship to God, this is a mark of the true Christian. Then we’re commissioned to fast. Fasting is a discipline of our faith. Right before Jesus was crucified he spent time in the garden praying and fasting. Nowadays people have put fasting in one of two camps and I think John Wesley put it best when he said:

“Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it.”

I encourage you in the Biblical discipline of fasting. The “three tenants” that we are focusing on all go hand-in-hand. Jesus teaching on fasting is directly in the context of his teaching on giving and praying. It is as if there is an almost unconscious assumption that giving, praying, and fasting are all part of Christian devotion. We have no more reason to exclude fasting from the teaching than we do giving. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus states, “When you fast…”. Jesus seems to make the assumption that you and I WILL FAST. So I challenge you this Christmas Season to exercise the spiritual discipline of fasting.

Lastly, giving to the poor, or Alms Giving. Of the three tenants of faith, alms giving is the highest ‘mark’ of faith towards others. Jesus teaches that we will be known as Christians by how we treat “outsiders”, those not in a relationship with Jesus. When we give to those in need we can literally be as if we are giving to God Himself. I thank God for a church that enjoys giving to those in need. Again, I encourage you to not forget to give a gift to the Christ that we are celebrating this Christmas. This is the most overlooked act of giving by those who follow Christ. One practical suggestion is this, whatever you plan on spending on one person’s gift (ie: $50.00 per family member), plan of giving at least that much in a special Christmas offering, and let your family know what you all are planning on doing. This is a offering that is more meaningful when everyone is involved. This is putting Jesus at the center of Christmas.

My prayer is that this Christmas Season is the best season of all for you and your family. May it be filled with blessing as we all commit ourselves to Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving.

In His name,

Pastor Virgil

	Merry Christmas Family Church , We want to wish the best for you and your family at the beginning of December and the month containing the greatest holiday of our faith. Remember, without Christmas there would be no Christ and without Christ there would be no Christmas. With that in mind I challenge you as a follower of Jesus in three tenants of our faith. Prayer, Fasting & Alms Giving. Why these three? In early church history all Christians were commissioned in these three ‘marks’ of the faith. First we’re commissioned to prayer. This connects us to our conversational relationship to God, this is a mark of the true Christian. Then we’re commissioned to fast. Fasting is a discipline of our faith. Right before Jesus was crucified he spent time in the garden praying and fasting. Nowadays people have put fasting in one of two camps and I think John Wesley put it best when he said: “Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it.” I encourage you in the Biblical discipline of fasting. The “three tenants” that we are focusing on all go hand-in-hand. Jesus teaching on fasting is directly in the context of his teaching on giving and praying. It is as if there is an almost unconscious assumption that giving, praying, and fasting are all part of Christian devotion. We have no more reason to exclude fasting from the teaching than we do giving. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus states, “When you fast…”. Jesus seems to make the assumption that you and I WILL FAST. So I challenge you this Christmas Season to exercise the spiritual discipline of fasting. Lastly, giving to the poor, or Alms Giving. Of the three tenants of faith, alms giving is the highest ‘mark’ of faith towards others. Jesus teaches that we will be known as Christians by how we treat “outsiders”, those not in a relationship with Jesus. When we give to those in need we can literally be as if we are giving to God Himself. I thank God for a church that enjoys giving to those in need. Again, I encourage you to not forget to give a gift to the Christ that we are celebrating this Christmas. This is the most overlooked act of giving by those who follow Christ. One practical suggestion is this, whatever you plan on spending on one person’s gift (ie: $50.00 per family member), plan of giving at least that much in a special Christmas offering, and let your family know what you all are planning on doing. This is a offering that is more meaningful when everyone is involved. This is putting Jesus at the center of Christmas. My prayer is that this Christmas Season is the best season of all for you and your family. May it be filled with blessing as we all commit ourselves to Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving. In His name, Pastor Virgil		UPCOMING MESSAGES The Jesus Story 12/09/07 - God’s Christmas Gift To You 12/16/07 - Don’t Miss The Miracle In The Middle Of The Madness 12/23/07 - What’s So Merry About Christmas?
	UPCOMING EVENTS Holiday Line-Up Mark your calendar for these special dates and times during this Christmas Season: December 9^th, 6:00PM – Jingle Jam 2007- Boys & Girls Club December 16^th, 5:00PM – New Member’s Meeting - Place: Lonnie & Laurie Gibson’s house. Please contact the church office for directions: LSFC@LakeStevensChurch.com or 425.334.5900. December 24^th, 5:00PM – Christmas Eve Service – Boys & Girls Club December 30^th, 10:30AM – One 10:30AM service – Boys & Girls Club Christmas Outreach - Lake Stevens Seniors This year, LSFC has the opportunity to help local low-income senior citizens. I am really excited about this new venture! The Lake Stevens Senior Center hosts a dinner on Christmas Day and a visit from Santa. Last year they hosted 47 seniors and this year expect over 60. The Senior Center hopes to give a bag full of supplies and gifts to each person in attendance. The bags will be assembled the weekend before Christmas. If you would like to help, please let me know. I will also provide more information as it becomes available. The following are the types of items to be included in the gift bags: Aspirin, Shampoo, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Hand Lotion, Vitamins, Paper Goods, Batteries, Light Bulbs, Cleaners, Soap, Tea, Coffee, Canned Nuts, Crackers, Cookies Candy (especially low sugar), Envelopes, Stationary, Postage Stamps, Yarn, Gift Cards… If you have other ideas, I am sure they would love it! Please bring items with you to church beginning December 9th or you can drop them by my house. Laurie Goodwin slgoodwin@verizon.net 425-397-7605 Special Christmas Love Offering Christmas is a great time of year to bless and thank our staff for all the hard work they do throughout the year. Many of you want to give a gift – but don’t know what to give them. Here is an opportunity for you to bless them without having to guess what kind of gift to give. This Sunday (Dec. 9th) we will be receiving a special love offering for our staff. We really want to see our staff be blessed during this Christmas Season. Please mark your giving envelopes: Christmas Love Offering and place them in the plates during our regular tithes & offerings on Sunday. For questions, please contact John Shorb at john.s@cedarpark.org. Jingle Jam 2007 Don’t miss Jingle Jam 2007, This Sunday, Dec. 9^th – 6:00PM - at The Boys and Girls Club. There will be great Christmas music, lights & media, yummy desserts, and best of all – Your Kids!!! Don’t miss out as all the kids from Nursery on up through Elementary help you jump start your Christmas Season. For more information contact Angela Brown at angela@LakeStevensChurch.com or 425-334-5900. Membership Sunday One of the hallmarks of living for Christ is identifying with His church body. This is one of the oldest institutions He established and gave His life for. Membership is something to be taken seriously and intentionally. If you are not currently a member of LSFC – please take a moment and fill out the “Application of Membership” Card – located at the information table and place in the offering today. Membership Meeting: December 16th, 5:00PM at Lonnie & Laurie Gibson’s house. For more information contact the church office at 425-334-5900 or LSFC@LakeStevensChurch.com. Youth Winter Camp If your student is between the ages of 6^th & 12^th grade they are not going to want to miss out on this year’s Winter Retreat. That’s right, February 15-17, 2008 our students will be heading to LEAVENWORTH for some great speaking, worship, & of course LOTS of fun!!! Cost will be $140 per student, and $100 for each additional sibling (family discount). Snowboarding/skiing will be available on Sat. for an additional cost. Other Sat. activities include a scavenger hunt though the town of Leavenworth! Be watching for more information. If you have any questions about these upcoming events please email us or call 425.334.5900.



	UPCOMING MESSAGES The Jesus Story 12/09/07 - God’s Christmas Gift To You 12/16/07 - Don’t Miss The Miracle In The Middle Of The Madness 12/23/07 - What’s So Merry About Christmas? You will not want to miss any of these incredible weekend messages. But if you do miss a week, make sure you subscribe to our weekly “podcast”. All of our weekend messages are available online at www.lakestevenschurch.com.

	WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK Sunday - Lake Stevens Community Kid's Choir Kids – ages K-7^th grade - Join us this Sunday, from 4:30-6:00PM, as we have officially launched the 2007/2008 Lake Stevens Community Kids’ Choir. This past year through Kids’ Convention, Army Camp, Bible Camp & VBS, kids have experienced a taste of the high powered, high energy music that will continue on through this choir. If your kids are in elementary school or the beginning of middle school, they are not going to want to miss out. We will be performing live throughout the year and will head to Imperative Studios (www.imperativestudios.com) in January to record an album. Registration is $30 which includes a t-shirt. For more information contact Angela Brown at angela@lakestevenschurch.com or 425.334.5900. Tuesday - Ladies Bible Study Ladies, are you longing for some fellowship and growth? Join us, then for a ladies’ Bible Study every Tuesday morning, now through December 15^th, 10:30AM-12:00PM at Cedar Springs Camp. (Childcare provided.) Bay~ Isle Fischer will be teaching a Bible Study to baby-step your Christian walk in rhythm with God's Spirit in your every-day life. Come and learn how to -- “Cast your burdens onto Him, for He cares for you”. For more information contact Bay at the church office at 425.334.5900. (e-mail at LSFC@LakeStevensChurch.com). See you there!!! Tuesday - Volleyball (A-Level Play) 8:00 -10:00 PM at the Snohomish Boys and Girls Club. Enjoy an energetic workout with friends from church and the community! Contact Virgil Brown: virgil@lakestevenschurch.com Wednesday - Poker and Wings 6:30 PM at various locations. Guys hanging out, playing poker, eating wings, getting to know each other. Contact John Shorb: john.shorb@cedarpark.org Thursday - Mom's Play Group For mothers of children ages birth through preschool. Come fellowship with other moms and let the little ones play! Meets Thursdays at 11:00 AM at Brittney Shorb 's house. Contact: bshorbie@hotmail.com for more information. Thursday - Volleyball (C-Level Play) 7:30 - 10:00 PM at Lake Stevens Middle School. Enjoy an energetic workout with friends from church and the community! Contact Virgil Brown: virgil@lakestevenschurch.com		For more information on Small Groups, visit our our website.
	KIDS' MINISTRIES This week’s Nursery Teachers: 9:30am = Jaylene T./Ami B. 11:00am = Rachel A./Ellie H. This week’s Elementary Teachers (K - 5th): 9:30am = Jody and Dan H. 11:00am = Steve C./Linda W. We are always looking to add people to our great team of teachers and helpers…Get involved – you will find great reward!!! For more information on how you can get involved in our children’s department, contact bshorbie@hotmail.com If you'd like to be a part of the great kids' leadership team - please contact Angela Brown at angela@lakestevenschurch.com


	MUSIC Psalm 96:1-2 says, “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” Weekend Music for December 9th: Song by Artist from Album: Hark the Herold Angels Sing by Charles Wesley from Hymnal Once Again by Matt Redman from Blessed Be Your Name: Songs of Matt Redman How Great Thou Art Christmas Without Christ by Celeste Clydesdale from Musical: Meet Me At the Manger
	CONTACTING US Virgil Brown - Lead Pastor - virgil@lakestevenschurch.com Angela Brown - Music - angela@lakestevenschurch.com Ben Smith - Music Associate - ben@lakestevenschurch.com Rick Doucette - Media Director - rick@lakestevenschurch.com