Announcements - February 26, 2017

Agape Meal Next Sunday: Next week is Communion Sunday and we will share a meal together after the service. See the back of the announcements for full details about this monthly, all-church meal.

Silent Auction for Haiti Mission Trip Next Sunday: There will be a silent auction during the Agape Meal to raise money for the Haiti mission trip. Bids will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and again right after the worship service, close to 11:45 am. If you have like new items or gift cards you would like to donate to the auction, please contact Julie Springfield (763-607-1253).

Fellowship Directory: We are assembling a new pictorial directory. We will take pictures in the gym each Sunday during the month of February. Gather your family for a quick photo and to update your contact information. If you would prefer to use a digital picture (jpeg format) that you have, send it to Melissa Johnson (mmjohnson512@gmail.com) by February 28.

Women’s Retreat—March 24-25/26: We are excited to have Kathy Stokes return as our speaker. She will be speaking on Jesus Christ, our abiding place, our home. Pick up the retreat brochure at the information table. See Claire Belknap, Jenny Arant or Susan Fergus if you have questions.

Rajo Somali Outreach and Cultural Training Saturday, March 25 in Golden Valley: Come to learn more about Somali culture and the challenges that are encountered in this compelling cross-cultural ministry. Hear exciting stories of what God is doing through various outreach efforts; learn about trauma and the refugee experience; hear how to be more effective in sharing the Truth with Somali friends. Contact David Gunderson to register.

Wednesday Morning Prayer Meeting: Anyone who would like to join in corporate prayer may do so. The prayer time is from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. at the church office.

Next Week’s Fighter Verse

As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

Psalm 103:11-14

Comments

The Secret of all Failure is our Failure in Secret Prayer

“We may be assured of this—the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer” (12). So writes the anonymous author of the classic little book on prayer entitled, The Kneeling Christian (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids: 1971). He means that the reason we so often fall into sin or live in discouragement or fail to bear fruit is because we do not cling to God in Christ above all things. We do not diligently seek him or lean on him or plead with him or draw on his strength. We give ourselves to busyness over communion with God and in this way we seek to accomplish in our flesh what can only be accomplished in the power of the Spirit. Giving first place to what our dear author calls “secret prayer” is indeed a key to the Spirit-filled life but let’s be clear: prayer is not magic, rather, it’s a relationship. It’s not as if we simply have to file requests with God, being careful to use just the right words so that we can get him to respond as we wish. God is not a vending m

Deacons - How They Serve and Strengthen the Church (Part 1)

One of the next important priorities for GCF is to establish deacons in the life of the church. On March 14, 2021 we were able to establish an elder team. Currently, we have a team of four elders overseeing the congregation of GCF. However, there is more work to be done. I have come to see that establishing an elder team was the bare minimum that needed to happen for GCF to survive. I believe GCF now needs to turn our attention to raising up a team of qualified and willing deacons to serve the congregation so that it will not only survive but thrive. I would like to begin a series of blogs on deacons to help us understand who they are and what they do in the life of the church. In this blog let me provide three reasons why I think deacons should be near our top priority. Number 1: It is Biblical. Paul instructs Timothy to install elders who will help him pastor the church. For whatever reason, it seems the churches in our circles treat the installment of elders as non-negotiable

Does the Doctrine Divide? by Patience Griswold

“Oh, I try not to talk about doctrine. It’s so divisive.” This is a sentiment that I’ve heard expressed, as well as implied, on many occasions, and one that raises the question, does doctrine divide? In answering this question, we must keep in mind a very important truth and that is that everyone holds to some sort of doctrine . “Doctrine” is defined as “a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.” Regardless of whether or not someone publicly holds to a statement of beliefs from a particular church, every Christian, by definition, holds to a particular set of beliefs. As Carl Trueman observes in his book The Creedal Imperative , [W]hile Christianity cannot be reduced to doctrine, to mere teaching, it cannot be meaningfully separated from it, either. Even the most basic claims, such as “Jesus is Lord,” carry clear doctrinal content that needs to be explicated in a world where, as we have noted before, every heretic has his text and n

Glory of Christ Fellowship

Search This Blog