On March 17th, we will conduct our annual Community Missions Service Day where we will have the privilege of serving our own community and, Lord willing, opening many doors for true gospel witness.  The event will last from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (several teams may go shorter).  Child care will be provided for nursery age children and those in grade school will have a ministry activity to participate in.

I hope you will set aside this day on your calendar, because all of us have a role to play.  This event is structured to include every able-bodied member of our congregation.  By God’s grace, we will be able to touch many, many lives with the Gospel, and the joy we will glean from our obedience and witness will be an immense blessing.  Below is a list of the various ministry teams with more detailed descriptions of the work they will be doing.

(1) Neighborhood Outreach Team – This will be primarily a Student Ministry Team. They will be traveling into our surrounding neighborhoods to hand out information about Morningview that will include an invitation to join us for Easter Services.

(2) Friendship Mission Team – This team will travel downtown to the Friendship Mission and prepare a meal for the homeless and to offer any other kitchen help that may be needed that day.

(3) Evangelism Team – This team will be traveling to some local spots to share the gospel with individuals in a public setting.  If you struggle with personal evangelism, this is a great opportunity to go with some dedicated servants and get some excellent experience.

(4) Sorting Clothing & Preparing Hygiene Bags – This will primarily be a Senior Adult Ministry Team. They will sort donated clothing and prepare hygiene kits for our Hands of Christ Ministry Center in Chisholm.

(5) Shepherd’s Staff – This team is going to serve our partners at Shepherd’s Staff by painting a metal roof and doing some light repairs at their administrative office.

(6) The Hands of Christ Ministry Center- This team will go to our center in Chisholm where they will complete some painting and refinish one section of wood floor in the main entry room.  If you have a belt sander and a little experience sanding, you are needed on this team.

(7) Yard Work – There will be two teams who will travel to the homes of some of our Senior Adult shut-ins to do some trimming and yard work.

(8) Children’s Ministry Team – Chaperones are needed on this team.  They will take groups of children to visit senior adults and present them with bedding plants the children have potted.

(9) Preschool Ministry Team – We need loving folks to care for the little ones too young to participate.  This team will serve from 8:00 am to noon.
This is going to be an incredible day of ministry in our community, so plan now to be a part of it and sign up for a team this Sunday while there are still openings.  I love you all dearly!

DiscipleNow

February 24-26, 2012

Speaker: Allen Cagle, Pastor of Family Ministries
Christ Fellowship Church, Mobile, Alabama

Band: Luminate
Top 20 Sparrow Recording Artist from Tyler, Texas

$30 per student.  Registration forms are located in the youth area.

Fall Quarter • September 11 – November 20
Sunday Evenings • 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM

Christian Worldview (200)
Instructor: Reid Ward ~ Room: 300 (The Big Room)
Textbook: none

Course Description: The Truth Project is a small group curriculum comprised of 12 one-hour DVD lessons taught by Dr. Del Tackett. This study is designed to equip believers with a comprehensive biblical worldview.  Participants will be reintroduced to the truth claims of God, as each lesson discusses in great detail God’s design for living out the Christian worldview within each sphere of daily life, and the important need to marry our actions to our core beliefs.

Systematic Theology 3 (103)
Instructor: Rick Quave ~ Room: 330
Textbook: Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem

Course Description: Theology is the science that deals with all the facts that are knowable concerning God and His relation with the universe.  It seeks to organize these facts in a logical manner in order to determine what the whole Bible teaches about any given topic.  In this course, we will examine the doctrine of redemption, including election, regeneration, justification, conversion, sanctification, glorification (the order of salvation), and union with Christ.

Biblical Conflict Resolution (300)
Instructor: Scott Estes ~ Room: 329
Textbook: The Peacemaker by Ken Sande

Course Description: Serious, divisive conflict is everywhere: within families, in the church, and out in the world. And it can seem impossible to overcome its negative force in our lives.  This class will be a comprehensive and practical theology for conflict resolution designed to bring about not only a cease-fire but also Christlke unity and harmony.  The course will show how conflicts can can be turned into true, life-changing reconciliation with family members, coworkers, and fellow believers.

Personal Evangelism (300)
Instructor: Joel Thompson ~ Room: 322
Textbook: Today’s Gospel by Walt Chantry

Course Description: Scripture calls us to be faithful to proclaim the gospel wherever God has placed us.  Walt Chantry writes, “Differences between much of today’s preaching and that of Jesus are not petty; they are enormous. The chief errors are not in emphasis or approach but in the heart of the Gospel message.” Based on the account of the Rich Young Ruler, this class will demonstrate that what so often passes for the gospel message today is not what Jesus was teaching.

Men’s Accountability (300)
Instructor: Mark Reese ~ Room: 331
Textbook: none

Course Description: Are you a man without an accountability group? God calls men to walk in faith together, not to be “loners” in their relationships with Christ. If you don’t have an accountability group or you would like to fold your group into another, this is the class for you! You will be encouraged to sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron, and to resist the devil’s temptation with the Word of God and the power of the gospel.

Wednesday, July 13
Cost: $10 for the ticket
Leave the church at 6:00 p.m.

You have heard me say several time that one of my basic axioms of life is you will never be what you are not becoming, but you will be what you are becoming. That may sound a little confusing, but it is really very simple. John Quincy Adams expressed it well in his speech before the Supreme Court in 1841 when he said, We understand now, that we’ve been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding, that who we are is who we were. That is one of my favorite quotes for many reasons, but one Continue reading

School is almost over for the year and many of you are already done. Some of you are done with High School forever, Congratulations. The end of the school year always brings with it such a sense of relief and a feeling of freedom. However, as we look to Summer jobs and other activities, we need to remember that Summer is not an excuse to stop being who God has created and called us to be. It is so easy to fall into a new routine where faith an spiritual things fall away. The Summer bombards us with so many distractions and temptations that we have to be more diligent and disciplined than ever to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.

With freedom comes responsibility, and we have to take responsibility for our faith. We have to remember to always make God our first desire, because that is where real freedom lies. The Bible says that where the Spirit of God is there is freedom, but it also says do not use your freedom as an excuse for sin. We have to remember that God desires to have fellowship with us. He wants to be with us, and wants to bless us and be affectionate toward us. God delights in us when we trust in Him. If we are children of God, then we delight when He delights in us. That is why Piper says that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him, and we are most satisfied in Him when He is most glorified in us.

We are starting a new book in Sunday School this week, the book of Colossians. This little book was chosen to help us all think more deeply about our spiritual lives this Summer, and as we move through it and finish our study of Ephesians, we should be encouraged in living out the more practical aspects of our spiritual lives. I pray that you will make the most of it and really commit to being here this Summer as much as you can, and spending this Summer growing in wisdom and the knowledge of God, knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Next Sunday will be the drawing for the Big Snooz Letter Prize.  So, this is the last week to get you name in the drawing by telling me who Epaphras is and why he is an important figure. The first three people to come tell me who He is gets a small prize this week, but anyone who comes to tell me who he is gets their name in the drawing for the big prize.

There are a couple of other things I want you to be aware of. We will be holding FUEL Praise Team interviews and auditions during the month of June. If you are interested in trying to be part of the FPT, you need to talk to Jason McHenry or myself in the next couple of weeks and fill out an application as soon as they are available (Wednesday, June 1).

Also, We will be selecting a new Student Leadership Team for next year. That team will be made up of one representative from each Sunday School class, as elected by that class. The classes in the Fall will be; 7-9^th grade Girls, 7-9^th grade Boys, 10-11^th grade Girls, 10-11th grade Boys, and Co-ed Seniors. Also, the entire group will vote on one Senior to be the Captain of the SLT. That group will help plan activities and service projects, as they meet with me once a month, and will pray with me as I consult with them concerning ministry to students. Those elections will be held on Promotion Sunday, August 21^st.

Promotion Retreat (Rookie Camp) will be August 20^th, but the new 7^th graders will join us, starting August 3^rd, when FUEL starts back after the July break. Starting that night, Fuel Breakout Groups will be going through a workbook called Developing Disciplines. This workbook is a 25 week strategy designed to help establish the fundamental disciplines that are key to the discipleship process. There will be significant rewards for completing the workbook each semester. Y-MIT will start back September 11^th with The Truth Project!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Reid

Students, you don’t want to miss our annual trip to Six Flags.  It will be Tuesday, May 31st and the cost is $25. (Food is extra!)  Sign up immediately to ensure yourself a spot on the bus.  Parents, we need adult chaperons.  Let Reid know if you are available.

It is good to finally be here and have my feet on the ground. It is even better to be part of the Morningview family. As part of that family, I am excited about the opportunity to get to know each and every one of you better. I am proud of how you guys have held things together during the interim, and am encouraged by your openness to change. Randy had long and very successful ministry here and I know he will be missed.

However, God has opened a new chapter in the life of the Morningview family,  and that new chapter offers all sorts of new opportunities and adventures. We have a chance to rethink everything we do, how we do it and why we do it. We have a chance to rethink what family ministry is, and what student ministry is, should be and can be. We have a chance to be the best we can be, and do the best we can do to honor God and glorify him through our lives, our families, and our ministries. When we set our hearts and minds on that, because we have set our hope on God, we will find ourselves being transformed by God in our lives, used by God in our families, and delighting in God in our ministries.

In the next few weeks, and over the next few months, we will have a great opportunity to get to know each other. I will be meeting with all of the adult leaders at a Students Leaders Lunch on the 27th and with the SALT Team on the following Wednesday (March 2), during the small group time (7-8 pm). In the weeks following that, I will be meeting with the Sunday School Leadership Team, FUEL Small Group Leaders, Drama Team, Worship Band, FUEL A/V Team,  and other individual teams and leadership groups in order to begin to evaluate each ministry element and develop a comprehensive strategy for moving forward. Rayanne and I also hope to get a chance to meet each family individually over the next few months and we will have a Family Meeting with all student families each quarter beginning with the spring (April 30th).

Starting March 20th, I will be leading a Youth MIT called Don’t Waste Your Life. I encourage all students 7th through 12th grade to participate in this study, unless you are planning on participating in a mission trip this summer. If you are planning on going on a mission trip, you should participate in the adult MIT Study Preparation for Short Term Missions.

This summer we will be attending the D3 Youth Conference on the campus of Southern Seminary and Boyce College in Louisville, Ky (June 27-30th). D3 will be a summer experience full of learning and growing opportunities students who are serious about following Christ. Students can structure their own experience by selecting one of three focus tracks: leadership, worldview and missions. D3 will be an action-packed summer adventure complete with worship, games and life-shaping opportunities. D3 will set the foundation for our ministry moving forward over the next year, emphasizing service, discipleship and evangelism. Our students will also be able to forge friendships with like-minded Christians. Parents will be getting a letter this week containing more detailed information.

I pray this gives you a vision of how we are going to move forward and what we all have to look forward to as a church family. I hope it is an encouragement to you and I know I can count on you all to be on board.

Pastor M. Reid Ward
Pastor of Family and Student Ministries

DiscipleNow 2011

February 18-20

Cost is $20.  Kick-Off Rally Friday night at Eastern Hills Baptist Church with  Chris Brooks, Speaker and Chuck Hooten, Worship Leader.  Last day to sign up is THIS Sunday, February 6!!!

Please click here to download the brochure.

On this past Sunday morning, we held a congregational vote on whether or not to extend a call to Reid Ward to serve as our Pastor for Family and Student Ministries.  I am delighted to announce that the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of extending the call.  Of 264 votes cast, 249 were in favor, 3 were against, and there were 12 abstentions.  Please pray for Reid as he now works to conclude his labors in Troy and relocate his family to Montgomery.  The plan is for him to start here at Morningview during the week of February 7th with his first Sunday here being February 13th.  To God Be The Glory!