FriedensNotes
Week of March 14, 2004
Praise and Thanks
"O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonderful things." – Psalm 98:1 Once upon a time, some husbands in a small group for couples were asked to share what they appreciated most about their wives. One husband, when it was his turn, carefully articulated how diligent his wife was as a homemaker, how talented and creative she was as a cook and how loving she was as a mother to their children. The man's wife began to cry and the other husbands in the group began to wonder how they could match his eloquence. But then the man's wife became angry, and sternly said: "All you talked about was the stuff I do. You didn't say anything about who I AM!" That's the difference between thanks and praise: We thank God for what He does. We praise Him for who He is. We can all be thankful for God's blessings -- family, spouses, jobs, friends. We can even thank Him for the "bad" things -- the things we wish would go away or that we wish had never happened -- because through them we learn to trust in Him, through them He displays His power and through them we are equipped and trained so that God can bless others through us. All these blessings are expressions of His character and who He is -- loving, forgiving, faithful and compassionate. Friedens, this Sunday, March 14, will suspend its regular order of worship and dedicate both services to praising God through music, prayer and sharing of how He has blessed each one of us. Be there and come ready to praise Him.
High School Trip to See Josh McDowell
Youth Pastor Mark Kato will lead a group of Friedens high school students to "The Great Awakening," a conference for teenagers in Indianapolis on April 2 and 3 with well-known author and speaker Josh McDowell. Talk to Pastor Kato for more information.
Campus Invasion
Don't be alarmed if you visit the church building in the next few days and find 18 or so college students sprawled on the floor in sleeping bags. They're students from Iowa State University visiting the Milwaukee area on their spring break to talk about the Gospel with students at UW-Milwaukee and Marquette universities. They'll be worshipping with Friedens on Sunday and visiting the campuses Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. They'll also fellowship with Blaze, Friedens teen group Sunday at 6:30 p.m. You're welcome to join them on campus if you'd like or otherwise interact with this wonderful group of laborers for God. Call Dan Benson at 268-0755 for more information. If you'd like to learn more about the group's campus church, called The Rock, go to their website http://www.rockisu.com/.
Mark Your Calendars
- The Teen Bible Study will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church. Call Doug and Marci Ferrell at 375-1009 for more info.
- The Recovery Group will meet Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the church. Call Lee and Dyane Sloane for more info at 387-1526.
- The Men's Bible Fellowship meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Call Mike Bendt at 284-5499.
- The Thursday morning prayer group meets at 6:30 a.m. in Pastor Mark's office. All are welcome.
- Contemporary Worship Service, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 20. This service is especially for those unable to attend Sunday morning worship because of work or family commitments. Bring a friend.
- Don't forget the Spring Fellowship Dinner on Sunday March 28 following the 10:30 worship service.
- Also on March 28, Blaze is heading down to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission to serve dinner. Meet at church at 3:15 p.m., returning at about 7:30 p.m.
Passionate Youth
"The Passion of the Christ" is finding its greatest appeal is to those 18 to 30 years old, according to exit survey conducted by the film's distribution company. It also is appealing to a higher percentage of young males, African-Americans and Latinos than most other mainstream movies. Read the full story here.
Religious Activity Increasing
A new nationwide survey by The Barna Group, a research firm in Ventura, Calif., indicates there have been some significant shifts in religious behavior during the past decade –and especially in the western states. Nationwide, the percentage of people who read their Bibles during the week outside of church climbed to 44% from 37% in 1994 and 36% in 1999. The biggest jumps came among Protestants (37% to 59%) and residents of California, Oregon, and Washington - rising from 29% a decade ago to 44% today. Another shift was in small group participation. People who had met in small groups during the week for prayer, Bible study or spiritual fellowship, excluding Sunday school or other church classes, climbed from 12% in 1994 to 20%. The biggest increase was among men (doubling to 18%); people 58 or older (from 14% to 29%); Protestants (from 17% to 28%); and residents of the West (from 11% to 26%). Read the full report at http://www.barna.org.
The "Who is Jesus?" Tour
Campus Crusade for Christ International, Canada presents "Who Is Jesus?" -- an interactive tour and in-depth study of the life and claims of Jesus Christ. Find out how prophecies were fulfilled, learn about the miracles Jesus performed, and what impact His life has made upon the world. Most importantly, learn how the life of Jesus applies to your life personally. Take the "Who is Jesus?" tour at http://www.whoisjesus-really.com/english/menu.htm.
FriedensNote is the weekly e-mail newsletter of Friedens Evangelical Church, 454 N. Milwaukee St., Port Washington, WI 53074. For more information on the church, call (262) 284-2471 or visit our website, www.friedenschurch.org. If you'd like to subscribe, unsubscribe, or have questions, e-mail us at friedens@sbcglobal.net, with "FriedensNote" in the subject field.
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454 N. Milwaukee Street, Port Washington, WI 53074
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