VOLUME 197, NO. 11

NOVEMBER 2016

N E W S L E T T E R W W W . L I F E C C H E L E N A . O R G

by Keith Johnson

In 2012 the American Bible Society commissioned a study which was conducted by Barna Research. It revealed some good news and bad news about Bible reading and biblical literacy in America. First, here's the encouraging news: 



85 percent of households own at least one Bible, with a household average of 4.3 Bibles. 69 percent of Americans believe the Bible provides answers on living a meaningful life. That is good news. But here's the bad news:

26 percent of Americans never read the Bible and 10 percent read it less than once a year. The survey participants also indicated their biggest frustration about reading the Bible was that they "never had enough time to read it." I am so glad that Life Covenant Church has shattered those statistics this fall! It has been great to be a part of the Community Bible Experience and to read the New Testament, preach from it and discuss with many of you the contents of Scripture.

NOVEMBER

I’ve heard from several people that this is the very

first time that they’ve read through the entire New Testament. I hope you’ll finish strong. I also want to update you on Building for Life II. Giving for the project has been steady and we are thankful for this congregation’s generosity. Thank you for your patience as we’ve all been a bit inconvenienced with limited parking and closed bathrooms. We appreciate your flexibility. One unexpected challenge we have faced is the HVAC system in the older part of our building (built in 1956) which needed an upgrade. We’ve worked with engineers along with our builders and architect to come up with an updated, economical, yet efficient system. While no one will ever look at the new HVAC system and say, “wow, that’s beautiful.” It needed to be addressed. We’ve battled weather a bit this fall. Some of you have stepped a bit close to the edge of the project and found your shoes full of sticky mud. That gumbo has been an issue. We’re moving ahead, however, and we’ll keep you posted on the progress. In the end, we’ll have a very useful, beautiful addition with updated bathrooms and kitchen which will serve us well for decades to come.

11/5-6

Series: Community Bible Experience Week Six — Hebrews: Jesus is Greater

11/12-13

Week Seven — 1 Peter: Be Holy

11/19-20

Week Eight — 1 John: God’s Love and Ours; CBE Celebration

Advent Series “He Shall Be Called” 11/26-27 “Wonderful Counselor”

Page 2

Free Range Devotions Power Aware by Sean Connolly What if we could see how much energy gets sucked up by our electricpowered machines simply by plugging them in? That was the idea behind the Power-Aware Cord, one of Time magazine’s Top 50 Inventions of 2010. Lights wrapped into the cord glow as electricity flows through it. The more power a machine draws, the brighter the cord glows, so a person could actually see the highest contributors to their electricity bill. According to Time, researchers discovered that making the electricity “visible” alerted people to the items that used the most power, so they could adjust their habits and uses accordingly. What’s the biggest energy drain on your life? For me, the all-too-easy, but honest, answer in the past several months is “work has swamped me”. This has made me too busy to focus on much else. I’ve felt impatient, cranky and snippy. I probably glowed as I burned all that energy, a beautiful hue of angry, frustrated red. Ironically, the more energy I expended at work to try and beat back the mounting aggravation, the more frustrated I felt. Which irritated me even more. But I should have known better. For years, I carved out some time during lunch to read the Bible.

Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. There

During this recent stretch, guess what I continually skipped doing? When I take back some measure of control over my schedule and force myself to read Scripture, despite everything trying to squeeze it out, the turbulence of the day smooths out. Just this week, I was supposed to participate in a conference call that would have sucked up another hour I did not have to spare. After stealing a few quick minutes with the Word just before the call, I joined in. However, several key participants mysteriously did not call in. So the call was canceled after about 10 minutes. And I felt brighter — lighter and energized. Every time we read the Bible, we are “growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so (we) might have great endurance and patience” (Colossians 1:1011). As we grow in that knowledge, God also uses His Word to teach, rebuke, correct and train us (2 Timothy 3:16), which brings to light those areas where we have allowed ourselves to drift away from Him and grown dim, so we can adjust accordingly. The more we read, the more we grow. And the more we grow, the more we glow, because we get plugged into the ultimate, inexhaustible power source. What are you plugged into?

are many ways you can help: PACK A SHOEBOX. Instructional brochures and boxes are available in the church foyer or online at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ. Boxes need to be returned to the church by Nov 12-13! DONATE. You can also help by making a donation to help cover shipping costs at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ or by check (use one of the brochure’s attached envelopes and bring it to the office or place it inside another shoebox).

Page 3

KID AND YOUTH ACTIVITIES Kid Ministries Contact—Lisa Bowen: [email protected] or 442-6813 Middle School Ministries Contact—Jolanda Songer: [email protected] or 442-6813 High School Ministries Contact—Matt Swider: [email protected] or 442-6813

MIDDLE SCHOOL Confirmation Class (7th-8th Grade) Wednesdays, 5:45-6:15pm

Date

Dinner

Theme

Bring

Nov. 1

Chicken & Rice

Store Night

Bring a parent to earn extra AWANA Bucks

Nov. 8

Mac & Cheese

Patriotic Night

Wear red, white and blue

Nov. 15

Nov. 22

Spaghetti

—

Bring a box of cereal for Cereal Night Helena Food Share NO AWANA

—

www.enfuegoatlcc.com (6th-8th Grade) Wednesdays, 6:30-8:45pm Dinner Included

Tutors & Books Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m. in Room 203 We are offering a safe and quiet place to do homework with tutors available to help. Light Snack Included.

After Dark Nov. 11-12, City Life Center, Missoula For those who signed up, please don’t forget to fill out the paintball waiver at: www.yfcmt.com/city_life/afterdark

Wanted

Congratulations to Shigeji and Clare Hilborn on the birth of their daughter Adalyn Morgan Hilborn

EnFuego is in need of Christian men to come alongside our boys in their walk with Jesus! If you are interested in volunteering on Wednesday nights and/or are able to help with monthly special events, or if you’d like more information, please contact Jolanda at [email protected] or 437-8158.

HIGH SCHOOL

and to Dave and Harmony LeTang on the birth of their son Isaac William LeTang

Wednesdays, 6:30-9 p.m. (dinner included)

Page 4

EVENTS & CLASSES Life 101 — Discovering God’s Family at Life Covenant Church Meet with us from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 to learn what our church is all about, including our history, what we believe, how we attempt to live out our beliefs in our community, and how we operate. This is a great introduction to who we are, and there’s always time for questions. A pizza dinner is provided, and childcare can be available if needed. Please sign up in the church foyer or call the office (442-6813).

55 and Better Luncheon Join us at 12 p.m. Friday, November 11 for lunch with friends and a little history lesson in honor of Veteran’s Day. Our speaker will be Lieutenant Colonel Beverly Schneider, who is working at the Fort and on our Leadership Team. Come hear all about how Fort Harrison came to be and its significance to the military throughout the years. Call the church office if you plan to attend.

Women Aware! Self-Defense for Women Join us at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 17 for a light dinner and a chance to learn about defending yourself in potentially dangerous situations. DJ Raulston, a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, and his assistant Ronda Black, will demonstrate “the moves” to escape from would-be assailants. You will have the

opportunity to see how you can escape from someone who is bigger and stronger by knowing what to do. DJ and Ronda will also share personal safety tips and answer any questions you may have. You may even have an opportunity to try some of the escape moves yourself! Sign up in the foyer. If you have questions, call Karen Lewis (442-1792) or Joyce Yager (2270758). Hope to see you there!

GriefShare: Surviving the Holidays will meet from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, November 17. The meeting is a warm, encouraging, and helpful onenight event. Featuring video instruction and group discussion, it helps participants deal with the grief that can occur during the holiday season. Open to anyone; details available on www.griefshare.org. Contact Tom Bowen for more details at 442-6813 or [email protected].

Advent Wreath Event Meet from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Saturday, November 19 to create an Advent Wreath as a family. We will provide materials to create a wreath (greenery, candles & holders, etc.), as well as resources to help you celebrate the weeks of Advent in your own home with your new wreath! More details and a sign up sheet will be available at worship services in November.

Needed: Christmas On December 13th our AWANA kids will have the opportunity to purchase gifts for their loved ones at the AWANA Christmas Store using the AWANA dollars they have earned throughout the year. Donations of knickknacks, jewelry, gift items, Christmas gift bags, and toys, are all welcome. Please drop off gift items at the church office or AWANA before Dec. 9. Please contact Lisa Bowen if you have any questions at 442-6813. Popular items for AWANA kids (ages 3-8): School supplies, coloring books, age-appropriate movies, costumes, Legos, crafts, dolls, action

figures, stuffed animals, age-appropriate games, seasonal toys, sunglasses, Slinkys, Hot Wheels, hair accessories, Carousel tokens, Dairy Queen gift cards, gifts for Mom & Dad. Popular items for TNT (ages 8-12): Sporting goods (footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs), age-appropriate movies, walkietalkies, camping supplies, remote control toys, age -appropriate board games, NERF toys, fashion accessories (for hair and nails), sports team clothing, tool sets, tween room décor, gift certificates.

Page 5

LCC Preschool Happenings October has been a busy month for our Preschool! Children shared their classroom, projects and homemade refreshments with family and friends at our open house. The children were so excited for the Outreach Ministry in which they each participated. Our preschool children shopped (a fieldtrip to The Dollar Tree and Walmart – thank you to our drivers Don and Grandpa Walt), and packed shoeboxes with supplies and toys for Operation Christmas Child (thank you to Lori Dupuis and Autumn Keller for assisting us with packing). We learned how these boxes will touch the lives of children and families around the world, bringing hope through the Good News of Jesus Christ in the form of a simple gift. We learned how to care for one another and to “live generously.” We are extremely fortunate to have received “seed money” through Thrivent Financial Action Teams which we used to purchase the supplies. Thank you to all for your continued support and prayers for our preschool program!

Fall Fest Fun! The weather cleared on Oct. 16 just in time for LCC’s Fall Fest event. We enjoyed pumpkin carving and decorating, bobbing for apples, races, games, and a great time of fellowship — not to mention a delicious dinner! Thanks to the Fellowship Team and volunteers that made this event a great success!

Life Covenant Church 800 North Hoback Helena, MT 59601

Periodicals US Postage Pd. 002231 Helena, MT

Address Service Requested

POSTMASTER Send address change to Life Covenant Church 800 N. Hoback, Helena, MT 59601

“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2