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The Week
AT A GLANCE
TUESDAY
Ephesus
7:00pm - 8:00pm
WEDNESDAY
Worship Team Practice
6:30pm - 7:45pm
Devoted
7:45pm - 9pm
FRIDAY
Bible Study
10:30am - 12:00pm
SUNDAY
Sunday School
9:00am - 9:45am
Worship Service
10:00am - 11:00am
Coffee Hour
11:00am - ?
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Check out these links!
Commuter
Spirituality
Pastor Glenn's friend and mentor, Chuck Davis, has a
great website for Christians who are constantly on the move.
Check it out!
Pastor
Glenn's Blog
If you get a chance to read the blog, comment on the posts!
Pastor Glenn would love to read your comments and respond!
Ransomed
Heart Ministries
(John Eldredge is the author of many
books and the founder of Ransomed Heart Ministries, a ministry
devoted to teaching people how to walk with Jesus through their past,
present and future. This website contains a lot of information
that is meant to further your walk with God! Check it out!)
Fairfield
Reformed Church
(There have been some changes recently made to our web
page! Click the link and see a great overview of our church!)
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Greetings!
Thanks for opening up this email!
In this newsletter you will find a few things to keep in mind
throughout the course of the week - events, opportunities, meetings,
and a few thoughts from your pastor!
There are some new
things listed, which detail some exciting events coming up in the
Fall. Also, stay tuned in future issues for details on ...
- Mission/Outreach Opportunities
- Opportunities to Fellowship
- Prayer Walking
... and more! There are some great ideas being developed for
the upcoming year at church that will help us all grow deeper in our
walk with Jesus.
Also, be sure to pass it all on to your friends, mark up your
calendars, and invite people to come and check out what we're all
about here, at Fairfield Reformed Church!
Blessings to you all!
- Pastor Glenn
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---- THANKSGIVING EVE ----
Thanksgiving is coming
up and that means it's time to start thinking about our Thanksgiving
Eve service! We will gather in our sanctuary at 7:00PM to talk
about what we're thankful for and what it means to be thankful all
year long - not just on Thanksgiving!
Use this as a time to invite your friends to church. The
service is a little more laid back than our Sunday morning service
and Thanksgiving/Christmas seems to be a time of year when people's
hearts are soft and open to hearing about the Good News of
Jesus. Invite them to come take part in this exciting evening!
Peace!
- Pastor Glenn
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---- ADVENT 2009 ----
It's almost time for Christmas! Are you excited??? I AM
PUMPED!
We have so many exciting things planned for Advent 2009. Wow,
where to begin!
You received an email a few days ago detailing what the Holiday
season will look like here, at Fairfield.
In case you need a memory-refresh, check it out!
1. Starting on November 29th, we will dive into our Advent
sermon series entitled "Unwrapping the Gifts of
Christmas." We will be talking about the gifts of hope,
joy, peace, love and (most certainly!) Jesus.
2. On Christmas Eve we will wrap up our series with a candle
lighting service at 7:00. We'll light the Christ candle and
talk about the birth of Jesus!
3. On December 6th, 13th, and 20th we will meet in Fellowship
Hall from 7:00pm - 8:30pm for a Christmas fellowship. We'll
have Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, coffee and talk about Rick
Warren's book and DVD "The Purpose of Christmas."
This is a great opportunity to invite friends/family to a environment that will not be threatening and
where they will hear the Gospel!
Are you excited?
I AM!
Peace!
- Pastor Glenn
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---- FROM THE PASTOR'S HEART ----
Our Friday morning Bible study is nearing the end of a great book
called "A Tale of 3 Kings" by Gene Edwards.
It's a book about effective leadership that retells the story of
David and his relationships with both Saul and Absolom.
The book is quite simple, really:
In
life you can either be a David or a Saul.
Saul, you'll remember, was a real creep. For some reason (that
is far beyond human understanding), God anointed this man for
leadership. God put the Nation of Israel in his hands and let
him run with it.
One thing led to another and (soon) a very young David found himself
serving in Saul's palace. For some reason David rubbed Saul the
wrong way and Saul developed a deep, dark desire to kill David.
How did Saul attempt to kill David? By throwing spears
at him.
Multiple times, the Bible records Saul chucking spears at David in an
effort to kill him, eliminate him from the
picture.
Oddly, though, David didn't really retaliate. In fact on more
than one occasion David had the opportunity to murder Saul.
Indeed, David could have eliminated the worry of Saul's hot temper by
murdering him.
... But, he didn't.
Back to the point of the book:
In life, you can either be a David or a Saul.
Like Saul: you can choose to throw spears at those who rub you
the wrong way;
Or like David: you can remain humble, keep a level head and
refuse to stoop to the level of the "Saul's" in your
life who insist upon throwing spears at you.
*sigh*
Why in the world is this so hard?
David made it look so easy, didn't he?
In 1 Samuel 24, David's men are pushing him to kill Saul who is fast
asleep ...
"The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to
my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my
hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."
With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to
attack Saul."
I don't know about you, but when someone who throws hurtful and
spearing words at me is off his/her guard, my initial thought is to
fire a hurtful/spearing word right back.
- A real zinger.
- A well-crafted "put down" of a phrase.
- A good comeback.
But, David has no comeback ... does he?
Instead, he shuts his mouth and goes on being the man God called him
to be, the man who would be the next King of Israel.
In life, you can either be a David or a Saul.
Like Saul, you can either throw spears at innocent people (or throw
spears at people who throw spears at you).
Or ...
Like David, you can shut your mouth and go on being the man/woman God
called you to be, the man/woman who will be whatever He has called
you to be.
Does this mean that we should let people walk all over us? Does
this mean that we should just be doormats for people?
No.
It simply means that we are not to throw hurtful and spearing words
at people. It means that our reaction is not to be
retaliation. It means that we are to look past the skin of a
human being and remember that inside of that skin is an eternal soul,
just like there is an eternal soul inside of us.
So, where has God placed you in life? Where has God asked you
to be a leader?
... A king, so to speak?
At home, being a wife/husband/mom/dad/son/daughter?
At work, painting walls or selling products for your
company?
At church, being an elder, deacon, part of a committee or
a study?
At school, being a student or a teacher?
Amongst friends, representing the Gospel?
The fact is that ...
We all lead somewhere.
Where do you lead?
And (more importantly) ...
What
kind of leader will you be in that place?
Saul or David?
...
"God, help me to be a David."
- Pastor Glenn
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----
PATERSON MISSION CLOSET ----
PATERSON
MISSION CLOSET UPDATE: Some of you have asked when we can start
collecting items for the closet. As soon as we have a better
idea as to when the room will be done (paint and floor) I will
contact the churches in Paterson.
I want to have a time frame to give them so that we can set dates to
team up with them. We are shooting to have it done this month.
Thanks!
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About a month ago we talked about how the Acts Church
was a giving church.
"They gave to anyone as he had a need" is what the
Scriptures say.
It's interesting to note that the passage does not say ...
"They
wrote a check to those who had a need"
Or ...
"They tithed part of their income for an
organization that gave to those who had a need."
It says they gave to those who had needs.
A lot of times churches get stuck in a funk whereby they give to many
great organizations that give to those who have a need, but rarely
ever (IF ever) give directly to those who have a need.
- We give to the Gideons.
- We give to Compassion Internation.
- Ransomed Heart Ministries.
- Campus Crusades.
Lots of great, wonderful organizations that have impacted/changed the
lives of millions of people.
As good as this is, we need to ask ourselves a question (and it's a
critical question, I think):
- Do we give to those who have a need?
- Or do we just give to organizations that give to those who have
a need.
We are creating the Paterson Mission Closet in the basement
beneath Fellowship Hall. As you know, Paterson is a town that is
(literally) 10 minutes away from us where some people are so poor
that they live on the streets.
In our Mission Closet, we will set up shelves and racks and will
collect canned foods, blankets, jackets and clothes for the people of
Paterson.
I am currently in touch with some pastor's from Paterson who are
aware of people's needs. In the Fall/Winter we are going to
team up with them and their congregations, head into the streets of
Paterson to hand out the blankets, jackets and food that we collect
in our Mission Closet!
Rather than send these things to a church that will hand them out to
those in need, we will team up with those churches and hand them out
ourselves.
... Just like the Acts
Church.
If you want to help us out, Bret Clark
is heading up the painting/tiling/fixing up. Feel free to
contact him (rbclark1@verizon.net) and ask him what needs to be
done. We would love to have your help!!!
Once I talk to the pastor's in Paterson,
we will start collecting food/clothing that is most needed!
Keep this area of our ministry in prayer as it has the power not only
to impact the people in Paterson,
but also the people of our church. How humbling and amazing it
will be to connect with these people who have such deep need!
More details to come!
Blessings.
- Pastor Glenn
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----
CURRENT
SERMON SERIES ----
We are in the midst of a sermon series called "The
Road to Joy." Life is filled with disappointments and
it's filled with brokenness. Whether we realize it or not, we
all have areas in our lives - places in life where we lack what the
Bible calls joy.
What is joy? It's a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment with
the life that God has given you: a satisfaction that doesn't change,
but always remains the same
No matter what.
Wouldn't it be great to have that? We are discovering it at the
Fairfield Reformed Church as we travel through the Beatitudes and
find the 8 ingredients of a joyful life.
Come check it out and bring your friends!
Blessings!
- Pastor Glenn
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--- OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD ---
 Operation
Christmas Child is an organization that partners with people around
the world to fill up shoeboxes full of gifts and goodies for
disadvantaged children all over the world. Our church is
joining together with this mission to let children know of Christ's
love, and that because of their situation (whatever that may be) that
they deserve a Christmas as well.
Last year, we filled up 33 shoe boxes, but this year we want to top
that and shoot for 40! With that being said, there are a
few items we still need and would LOVE your
help! Here's quick list:
- Pencils
- Bars of Ivory soap
- Ponytail holders
- Small toys (slinkys, yo-yos, silly putty,
etc.)
- Toy cars
These shoeboxes are going to be shipped out Monday, November 23, so
we will need the items no later than
Sunday, November 22 during coffee hour.
Thank you in advance for all of your support in helping us reach our
goal, and reaching 40 children all over the world to tell them
that we love them!
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MISSION AND VISION ----
VISION: Where we are headed.
MISSION:
How we are going to get there.
PURPOSES: Why we (as a church) exist.
We are still in the process of putting together our mission and
vision, so be prayerful about this process and know that your
feedback is not only welcomed, but desired. If you have
thoughts about where our church is headed or feel that God has
planted certain gifts/passions in our midst, please get in touch with
me. Email me, call me, or pull me aside after church.
Mission/vision is a strong passion of mine and I would love to talk
with you about it more in depth!
Blessings.
- Pastor Glenn
Email - pastorsiepert@gmail.com
Phone - 973-227-5428
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PS ...
Rick Warren is huge on mission/vision. If you want to read more
about this idea, check out his book Purpose
Driven Church.
Also, Good
to Great by Tom Collins.
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Or IT
by Craig Groeshel.
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---- YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED!!! ----
We have recently changed up the way we take prayer
requests in church. Rather than take requests and then pray for
each one, we everyone has the opportunity to voice their requests and
then Pastor Glenn says a blanket prayer for all of them (as opposed
to praying for each one, individually).
This leaves more time for us to join together in prayer for things
like our ministry, our community, the unsaved, etc. It also
eliminates the problem of trying to fit in 15-20 requests during our
prayer time.
Also, each person is given a blank sheet of paper in their bulletin.
On that sheet, we write our prayer requests and drop them in the
offering plate.
A list of those prayers will be available on the table in the foyer
of the sanctuary on Tuesday. You can feel free to take one the
next time you are at the church.
Also, the Ephesus
prayer team that meets on Tuesday night will receive a copy, as well
all of the elders and deacons.
As a church family, we will lift these requests to up the Lord!
Here are a few ...
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1. Brian Christopher, as he is struggling with bi-polar
disease. Pray for Brian that he find real joy, and strength
and patience for his family who care for him.
2. Lynne, who has suffered a severe nosebleed
will need surgery soon.
3. Larry Mazza, who may require a
second sinus surgery.
4. Rodger Williams is not doing well. Pray for him and
his family, that God is their comfort and strength.
5. Those who struggle with addictions.
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Also,
please remember ...
1. Pray for our
church. Statistics show that all lasting church revivals begin
with 2 things: (1) preaching of the Word and (2) prayer. This
has been true ever since the first church in Acts where they "dedicated
themselves to the preaching of the Word and prayer."
Pray that God provides us with wisdom and revelation
to see, feel, and sense where He is working and what He longs
to do in our midst.
2. Pray for
Pastor Glenn's mom. She is still not feeling well. He did
have a great visit with her and his dad (in Florida) and is looking forward to
going back soon. His mom and dad THANK EVERYONE
for their prayers!
3. Pastor Glenn is
taking a Hebrew class, which consumes a lot of time! He is
studying hard and is learning a lot; please pray for diligence,
strength and focus.
4. Pray for Josh Munn as he continues to battle through this new
transition in his life and battles his addictions. God is more
powerful than the powers/influences of this world - pray for a fresh
invasion of God into his life!
5. Pray for your consistory. We are
entering a new church year and they need your prayers as they seek
God's direction and dream for our church!
** If you have any prayer requests that you would like
mentioned in our newsletter, please email Pastor Glenn at
pastorsiepert@gmail.com.
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-- OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPERIENCE GOD --
TUESDAY
(7:00pm - 8:00pm): EPHESUS - Ephesus is a
group of faithful prayer warriors that meets every Tuesday to pray
for the people and ministry of the Fairfield Reformed Church!
WEDNESDAY
(6:30pm - 7:45pm): WORSHIP PRACTICE - Do
you enjoy singing or playing an instrument? The worship team is
always looking people to help lead us into a mindset of worship on
Sunday morning. If you would like to join in that awesome
responsibility, come by on Wednesday night!
WEDNESDAY
(7:45pm - 9:00pm): DEVOTED - Come to the Ivory Room and
join us as we look back over what we learn in church on Sunday's and
talk about how those things apply to our lives (in 2009).
FRIDAY
(10:30am - 12:00pm): BIBLE STUDY - Come and join us in
the Ivory Room as we start up a new book, "Tale of Three
Kings" by Gene Edwards. It's a book that addresses the
concept of brokenness in people's lives by taking a story-like look
at David, Saul, and Absalom.
SUNDAY
(9:00am - 9:45am): SUNDAY SCHOOL - Come to the Ivory Room
and join us in a discussion about the book of Colossians and what it
means to be a new person in Christ! Adults will study Colossions in the Ivory Room, while children meet
upstairs to learn a Bible study and complete a fun craft!
SUNDAY (10:00am - 11:00am): WORSHIP - Come to the sanctuary and
join us in worshiping our Lord! God is taking us on a journey
through the beatitudes and showing us how to find joy in every area
of life! Come as Pastor Glenn talks about the 8th beatitude and
wraps up our sermon series, "The Road to Joy!"
SUNDAY
(11:00am - ?): COFFEE HOUR - After our service, come on
over to Fellowship Hall to talk, relax, and enjoy some good food and
fellowship!
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