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A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR
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 "When life is overwhelming..."
I love my son Jeremy! There are
few, if any, people I would rather hear a story from than him.
I can't explain it, it's just a knack he has. Whether it is
an interesting show he saw on television, something he read or a funny
incident at work, I just love hearing what he has to say. Just
a couple of months ago, he called with the long awaited news that
he and his wife Natalie were pregnant. Then just a few weeks later,
he called to describe their first doctors visit and the details of the
glorious discovery that they were having twins. It was a joy to
hear him tell the tale. In a recent phone call, I found him
speechless. So much so, that his brief greeting quickly turned to tears
as he explained that in their morning prenatal appointment they could
see only one baby growing, moving and could hear only one heartbeat.
After a brief period of silence, a few tears, and a prayer of trusting
God when we don't fully understand, we were rejoicing and thanking
the Lord for the strong little heartbeat that remained.
Life is overwhelming! If there
was ever a man who understood this truth, it was King David. As
a boy he faced the challenges of fighting off wild animals while tending
his father's flocks. As a younger man he faced the challenges
of living with older brothers who often made fun of him, not to mention
a king (Saul) who was so jealous of David that at times he sought to
destroy him. As a king, David faced the challenges of ruling a
kingdom that was often resistant to the things of God, along with the
dysfunction of his own family, largely due to his own brief lack of
obedience to God. When life is overwhelming, reading
the Psalms brings tremendous comfort. I recently read one such
Psalm, written by David during one of those overwhelming times of his
life, "Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than
I", Psalm 61:1-2. On another occasion, in Psalm 62:8,
he writes, "Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out
your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."
When life is overwhelming, we must
run to the Rock that is higher than I. That rock is Jesus! We must run to Him. We must trust Him at all times. We must
pour out our hearts before Him. We must let Him be our refuge. He understands being overwhelmed. He hears our cry and He will
attend to our prayer. When life is overwhelming, we will always
find strength and comfort in the Rock. We will always find strength
and comfort in Jesus!
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JUNE UPCOMING EVENTS
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For a complete list of what's coming up at South Hill Calvary Chapel,
please visit our website.
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MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT: WORSHIP
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"Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is beautiful"
~Psalm 147:1
Noah
Webster in his 1828 Dictionary defined 'worship' as, 'Chiefly and
eminently, the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the
reverence and homage paid to Him in religious exercises, consisting in
adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like.' From the
beginning, this has been the heart of the leadership of South Hill
Calvary Chapel; to lead people in the worship of God through various
facets. One major aspect of worship is the praise of God through song
and music.
Early on, the worship team was simple consisting of a
couple of singers and a guitar. Pastor Ron Sanchez led worship until
his son, Pastor Jason, was given the lead of the ministry. Slowly,
thr ough the years, the team has grown. There
were times when it seemed like it wasn't growing fast enough. The Lord would add musicians and servants, and the Lord would take away
musicians and servants. Yet, it was all apart of God's perfect plan
and timing. In the past year or so, the Lord has really grown our
worship ministry. He has raised up a strong team of men and women who have a heart for worship and have many different talents to use for His glory. This has been much needed as the opportunities for worship have expanded with the growth of other ministries and services.
Though music is a major part
of the worship team, there are also many people serving
behind-the-scenes running the sound equipment, the power point
programs, and by setting up and tearing down all of the gear. These
faithful servants have spent countless hours getting things ready for
those on stage to minister to the needs of the congregation.
More recently, as the Lord has been raising up more
people to be involved in the ministry, He has also raised up more of
the youth to serve. And under the direction and leadership of Pastor
Jason and the other worship leaders, not only have they grown
musically, but they have grown spiritually as they've been in deeper
fellowship with older men and women.
A.W. Tozer said, 'The Lord Jesus Christ died on the
cross that He might make His people worshipers of  God. That is why we
were born, that we might show forth the excellencies of Him who has
called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.' And even with the
abundance of changes and growth, with the addition of musicians,
singers, and sound techs that has remained the heart of the leadership
concerning the worship ministry; to draw people into the presence of
God and to lead the congregation to fulfill their calling of being
worshipers of Him. Written by Whitney Martin
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT: MOTHER & DAUGHTER BRUNCH
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E ach table had a different
theme, hats, flowers, gardening; and each table was a work of art. The efforts
of each hostess was clear in every detail. Loving hearts and hands had worked
hard to create an attractive scene. Talented hostesses decorated
each table with loving care taking time to make sure each place setting
was perfect. Timeless china, trendy styles, and creamy whites created
backdrops for treasures that made every table as unique as its hostess.
The whole effect was a feast for the eyes.
Rising early, the Manna ministry prepared an array of food, which was as pleasing to the eye
as it was enjoyable to eat. The serving
was done splendidly by the men who were dressed in crisp black and white, ready
to serve their loved ones with style. Husbands and sons filled plates and glasses for their wives, mothers, and daughters.
Handing everyone full plates of delicious food, they made sure the ladies never did without.
What a delicious
beginning to a wonderful time.Groups of our beautiful young
girls sang sweet songs of praise reminding us of who gave us the gift
of motherhood. Proud moms watched as
their daughters sang in three different choirs. First up, the elementary
group with shy smiles and sweet voices sang, to 'Glory To God.' Followed by three girls, from Ab ide singing 'Shelter' with
sweet harmony. Lastly, 'These Things Don't Change' was sung by a group from the high school group, 24/7. Theresa Rinker, the special guest speaker, shared a message that touched
each heart as she shared about the complex gift of motherhood with its
joys and trials. She spoke about raising a foster child, the difficult privilege of adopting, and the rewards of that loving sacrifice. Theresa shared that with God it is possible to survive the rejection of angry
children, what it's like to watch your young adults make huge mistakes and how to refrain from interfering unnecessarily
and to love them even when it is tough. It was clearly evident that
she loves Jesus, loves being a mom, and has the support that comes with
a loving, happy, God-centered marriage. She left us with much hope knowing that motherhood
is not easy, but that it is a gift from God and worth every price we pay.
Written by Michele Dow |
MISSIONARY UPDATE: CALVARY CHAPEL PORT LOYOLA
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The Lord  is continuing to do a wonderful
work at Port Loyola Calvary Chapel (PLCC) in Belize and in the lives
of the Meyer family. Joel, Denise, and their son Elias, have been blessed
with a new addition to their family. Little Isaiah, who is Belizean,
has been with Joel and Denise now for a few months and they are so thankful
to have him. They say that he is such a happy and loving little
guy, and have enjoyed having a baby around the house once again. They
are praying that Isaiah's paperwork would come through so they can
come to the states for a visit, and that there would be no problem getting
his US visa.
Just
after Easter, some of the young people from PLCC went on a mission trip
to Seine Bight, which is a small Garifuna Village in Southern Belize.
They had a great time ministering with other missionaries there and
were blessed with many wonderful nights of worship and devotions on
the beach, along with putting on a Vacation Bible School. The trip was
very fruitful in unexpected ways and they were blessed to witness eight
high school age kids come to the Lord.
God
open ed a door when PLCC received permission to use the room beside the
church. They are so excited about the new room and will soon be using
it to minister to the "Ghost Town Kids," who are a group of very
disruptive kids that the Lord brought to their church. Joel says,
"We were unsure how to go forward because we believed the Lord
brought them to us, but we needed to do something different with them
besides keep them in main service. The problem was we didn't really
have room to minister to them somewhere else. Well the Lord had a plan." They will now be able to use the room to minister to these "Ghost
Town Kids.
There
has been a rise in violence over the last few months and Joel says the
city has felt like the OK Corral. Recently, as he was standing
in the church yard before service, Joel witnessed a drive by shooting.
Also, as he was teaching there was another shooting just outside the
door of the church. Joel specifically asked that we keep this on our
hearts and minds, and that we would remember to lift their family and
the church body up in our prayers. Their heart is for the salvation
of these young, violent men, so we must not forget to pray for the safety
of our brothers and sisters as they seek to lead them to the salvation
of the Lord.
Written by Alyscia Johnson
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