September 2010 Newsletter

From the Pastor
It's almost time to begin the fall schedule. I want to remind you of what it takes to reach out to children and adults on Sunday and Wednesday nights.

PRAYER. We all need to pray that God prepares hearts and that we are ready to share with those God sends our way. It also takes those who are intercessors who faithfully pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts and that we are faithful to share God's Word where we have opportunity. Thanks to the prayer group members who faithfully meet each Tuesday to pray.

GIVERS. It takes people who give liberally to do the ministry we do especially on Wednesdays. The facts are that when you reach out to children and youth they don't have the resources to give. I believe that is one reason they are easily forgotten or ignored. Thank you to all who give and may never see the results of what they give to. We encourage you to come on a Wednesday night and check it out.

WORKERS. When reaching out to children it takes a lot of workers. One of the big needs is just someone to listen and be there. As the workers earn the respect of the children then they can speak into their lives. It takes time to earn respect, and it takes effort. Pray for our workers that they have God's patience and wisdom and the Holy Spirit working through them.

SERVERS. There are a lot of people behind the scenes working to get everything ready for those who come to church. Thank you to those who clean bathrooms every week, those who sweep and clean, and those who keep all the buses running. If these people and others don't do their part then there wouldn't be any children to share with or those who come won't come back because the building isn't clean and presentable. Thank you to all who help in any way.

See You at the Fall Kick-Off!
Wednesday, September 1
6:30-8:00 p.m.

Free meal
Water balloon slingshot
Hula hoop contest
Balloon animals
Face painting
Relay game
Fishing game
Bounce house
Ring toss
Bowling
Football throw
Prizes
Crafts
...and more!

Fostoria News
We are planning a back to church Saturday night. We will be inviting our neighbors and friends to come to church. We will have a potluck dinner at 5:30 and then church at 6:30. We encourage you to start praying about who you might invite to come. It could be someone you haven't seen for awhile or someone who has never been there before. We will also be going out and inviting those who live close to the church. At Fostoria we are blessed with 6 to 8 young adults who faithfully attend on Saturday. These young adults could be the ones who God will use to reach others in Fostoria in the future. Pray that God encourages them as they grow in Him and that they know His will for their lives.

Fostoria Gideon's will be sending Terry Cassidy to share with us on August 28 at 6:30. We will be taking up a love offering. We were at the Fostoria Gideon Banquet this week. It was the best attendance we've seen since coming to the banquet. It was very well done, the meal was great, and the testimony and message was very encouraging for pastors. Hearing how the Word of God changes lives is always uplifting and encouraging. Thanks for the work of the faithful Gideons.

One-Day Women's Conference
Reaching Women presents Grounds for Hope featuring author, performer, and motivational speaker Nicole Johnson. This one-day women's conference will be held at Winebrenner Seminary in Findlay, Saturday September 25th, from 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 before August 31st and $40 after August 31st. Lunch is available on campus for an additional $7. For more information about Reaching Women, visit www.reachingwomen.org. For more information about Nicole Johnson, visit www.freshbrewedlife.com. Registration forms are available at the information booth in the foyer. If you would like to join us or have any questions, please contact Elisha Robinson.

Elmwood Kid's Club
If you love kids, and can spare one hour per week for 7 weeks, then we have an outreach for you. We need group leaders to help us with children grades K-4, on Mondays after school from 3:30 until about 4:45 p.m. You do not have to do any lessons or prep work—we just need helpers to be with the kids during lessons and crafts, and so forth. Fall Kid's Club will start on Monday, October 4th and run through Monday, November 15th. We meet in the Elmwood Community Center on the Elmwood campus. Please pray and see if God would have you help us with this ministry. Call Terry and Judi Robinson to volunteer or if you have any questions.

Wednesday Night Adult Class
Do you ever wonder if your life has any positive impact on the world around you? Does your life seem insignificant at times? This fall we will be studying A Significant Life by Pastor Jim Graff. God's Word along with this book will help us find the significance of our lives as we allow God to develop the giftings He has placed inside each of us. We will be discussing character, confidence, concentrating on God's will, cooperating with God (and others), and participation in community. Please join us from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednsedays nights.

Sunday Morning Life Groups
Mark your calendars for the new set of Sunday Morning Life Groups which begins on September 12 at 9:00 a.m.. The beginning of the fall session is a great time to re-commit to attending Life Groups. We offer a variety of topics, a friendly atmosphere, sound biblical instruction, and of course, free breakfast. So read the class descriptions below and join the group that interests you most. Your Christian walk will be strengthened and your witness to others will be enhanced.

The Song of Solomon
The subject of sex permeates our society—our conversations, movies, music, fashion, advertising, etc. We are bombarded with many immoral and ungodly messages, but thankfully God has made clear His plan for marriage and sex. In this video series, we will join Pastor Tommy Nelson as he teaches the Biblical design for relationships through an exegetical study of the Song of Solomon. This study is designed for both married couples and singles. Married couples will be challenged to make their marriage the priority it was meant to be. Singles will be presented with biblical relationship standards, which are often contrary to what our culture promotes. The information Tommy shares is also very useful for parents who want to instill biblical principles of marriage and relationships in their children. We encourage couples to attend together.

That the World May Know
Come along on a video tour of the ancient locations in Israel and Egypt where the stories of the Bible actually happened. From this cultural perspective, teacher and historian Ray VanderLaan retraces the story of the Exodus and explains how the story that God started back then still continues today through us. We will visit such places as Ramesseum, the Red Sea, Sinai, and Jebel Katarina while studying together the Bible events that took place at each. Understanding the Hebrew culture of the time can help shed new light on God's plan for our own lives. As Ray says, God is looking for people to be His messengers and to actually be the message...to be like Him.

Romans
This group will be continuing a verse-by-verse study of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. Written in A.D. 57, this epistle contains Paul's most comprehensive explanation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, covering such concepts as justification, salvation, God's grace, and mercy. This is not a lecture class: all are invited to participate in this in-depth study of the book of Romans.

Men's Breakfast
The next Men's Breakfast will be held on Saturday, September 11th. We will eat breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and then have a devotional which will honor those who perished and those who survived the attacks of 9-11. We will also discuss the oil change outreach which is scheduled for October. So bring a friend, bring your son(s), and enjoy a time of fellowship designed for guys. If you have any questions, please see Bob Flage or Terry Robinson. There is a sign-up sheet on the info desk in the foyer.

Summer CGS Events
Youth Camp

Group shot of youth camp attendees and workers
Some CGS youth at camp	Cameron and Isaiah	Youth during worship

Pemberville Fair

Crowd watching the puppet show	Puppet team ministry members	CGS members working on blowing up balloons to distribute to children
Working on balloons	Kiplyn passing out balloons	Crowd watching the puppet show

ArkFest

Waterfall decoration for rainforest theme	Tess as character in skit	Children at crafts
ArkFest children	More ArkFest faces	Donations for mission trip to Peru

Pointman Monthly Update
Pointman Kick-Off Night
It is hard to believe that summer is over already and students are now back in school for another year. This summer has been very busy as we have been working hard to prepare for this coming fall. On September 1st we will be starting our regular services with bussing again. I am anxious to see what God has in-store for our students as they continue their journey with God. My heart for this year is that we continue to focus on friends that do not have a relationship with Christ yet. I believe that we will plant more seeds into the lives of teenagers than ever before. Please pray for the Wednesday night ministry as we continue to reach the lost, hurting, and broken, as well as challenge students that are serving Christ. Thank you to everyone that makes Wednesday night ministry possible. From the every week volunteer, to those who give money to go to camps and retreats, to those who pray for our ministries and students, thank you for all you do.

Fall Retreat 2010
This year we will be changing the location for the fall retreat. This year's fall retreat will be held at The Church at Polaris in Polaris, Ohio. Once again we will be working with several churches to make sure we have the best fall retreat for the best price. This year's speaker will be Josh Joines from Victoria, Texas. Josh was our speaker from Impact Summer Camp, and we are honored to have him come and speak again to our students this fall. The dates for the retreat will be November 19th - 21st. We will have more information about the price and details for the weekend in next month's newsletter. I believe that fall retreats are a great opportunity for teens to get refocused on God after a busy summer and start of school. I encourage your son or daughter to be a part of this year's retreat. I know that they will be challenged and will grow from the experience.

New Building
The new building is coming along very well. As of now we are looking to have our grand opening in late October or early November. Please feel free to walk through and see the progress any Sunday before or after the service. If you have any questions about the building or if you would like to volunteer some time to work, please let me know anytime. Thank you to everyone who has invested time and money into the new youth building. I believe this building will be a great tool to reaching this young generation.

Future main entrance for youth

New hang out area

New worship and service area

Send questions to info@goodshepherdwayne.org