forthejourney…

December 1 – 7, 2013

Dr. Byron T. Brazier, Pastor 6320 South Dorchester Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637 773.667.1500 • acog-chicago.org

Order of Worship Our Mission SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2013

Praise & Worship Processional

Prayer .......................Dr. Byron T. Brazier Scripture Reading Congregational Song Choir Announcements Tithes & Offering Choir Sermon .....................Dr. Byron T. Brazier Invitation Benediction

NO 4 P.M. SERVICE

The chief purpose of the Apostolic Church of God is to glorify God, who has given us the highest revelation of Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. In glorifying God, we enter into public worship services, seeking to give fitting expression to our profound and dedicated commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us. In our worship, we find meaningful awareness of His presence with us, and we respond to this awareness with adoration and praise. Our worship includes the preaching and teaching of the gospel concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so as to enlighten the conscience to the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, and to open the heart to the matchless grace of God. In our worship service to Christ, we are to call sinners to repentance, lift the fallen, visit the sick, uplift and maintain the highest standards of morality, and urge all believers to seek a Spirit-filled life. It is essential that we nourish and cultivate the Christian lives of our parishioners, that we concern ourselves with giving aid and comfort to the poor, to work for better living conditions in society in general, and in our community in particular. In order to effectuate this purpose, the ministries and auxiliaries of the Apostolic Church of God were founded.

Enjoy the afternoon with your family and friends. WEB Site Features Bible Study Tools Video Broadcasts Live Streaming Social Media Links Online Giving Registration Ministry Pages Church Tour, Calendar CURRENT BROADCAST “Watch Out!”

WEEKLY WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sundays 8 a.m. (Bible Study) • 9:10 a.m. • 11:40 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 7:30 p.m.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

THE CROSS & CROWN

November Issue The Spirit-Filled Journey: Increasing in the Knowledge of God, the second in the Apostolic Church of God’s devotional series, is here! Available in both hardcover and Remembering Elder Robert McGee Sr. paperback, the 2013 devotional can be purchased Is it wise to pay off your mortgage? in the Saving Grace bookstore or at Understanding more about diabetes any of the sale sites throughout the On newsstands and online church.Only $5 for a limited time. at acog-chicago.org

PSALM 150 KJV

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Scripture Reading

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Minister

“And this is the Word of the Lord.”

Congregational Hymn

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all. Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all. Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all. Let every tribe and every tongue before Him prostrate fall And shout in universal song the crownèd Lord of all. And shout in universal song the crownèd Lord of all. Repeat Chorus

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Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

Congregation

“Glory be to God!”

Apply the Word

W

illiam Murphy wrote the song “Praise Is What I Do.” The chorus goes: “I vow to praise You through the good and the bad. I’ll praise You whether happy or sad. I’ll praise You.” The song speaks to our purpose as God’s sons and daughters: We were created to praise Him always, in good times and bad—and not just with instruments and song but with our lives, which are instruments of praise. So how can our lives praise Him? When we thank God for what He’s going to do instead of complain about what’s not right in our lives, we praise Him. When we forgive instead of hold a grudge, we praise Him. When we follow His Word instead of our flesh, we praise Him. Whenever we choose His way over our own, we lift up our lives in praise and worship to Him. So let’s decide to make our lives instruments of praise to our great and awesome God today and forever.

Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.

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Upcoming Events

Following are announcements about the activities happening here at ACOG. We encourage you to get involved.

BROTHERHOOD Brotherhood Kyttaro Fellowships (BKF). The Main Line. Hope, Motivation, Courage, Victory, Power, Unity & Transformation are some of the benefits of uniting in Spirit-filled prayer. All brothers are encouraged to call 605.477.2100 and enter access code 530356 for faithactivating prayer every Wednesday for 30 minutes starting at 5:30 a.m. E-mail [email protected] for more information. Apostolic Man. Join assistant pastor Elder Ronald Smith and the men of Apostolic Man every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

SISTERHOOD CONNECTION Women of Faith. Please join the Women of Faith Monday, December 2, at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Our topic for discussion will be “The Birth of Love” with speaker Evangelist Willa Alston. Come help us celebrate the Christmas season with food, fun, and fellowship. This is our last fellowship until February 2014. Let’s celebrate the King!

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YOUTH MINISTRY College Tour. We are in pursuit of preparing our young people for the future and we believe education is the key! The Apostolic Church of God College Tour 2014 is April 12–18, and we will visit the following schools: Princeton University, Temple University, Bowie State University, Morgan State University, Howard University, Georgetown University, and Hampton University. Registration begins Sunday, December 1, after first service in Fellowship Hall only. There is no online registration. Cost: $450 members, $475 non-members. A $100 deposit is required to reserve your seat. Space is limited.

SINGLES MINISTRY Singles Ministry Presents... Laughter is the best medicine… What medicine? Comedy! Come join the Singles Ministry for its last event of the year, a comedy show, on Saturday, December 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Registration takes place after first service in Fellowship Hall, in the bookstore, and online at acogchicago.org.

And you shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.

Upcoming Events

Toy Drive. Christmas is just around the corner and Living the Single Life Ministry is sponsoring a toy drive to help the children of families of the Apostolic Church of God, along with children in shelters. We are asking the congregation to purchase and donate toys for all ages. You can purchase as many toys, for any age group, as you desire. Place the toys in the marked barrels located throughout the church. You can drop off toys anytime the church is open. Please do not donate toy guns, movies, violent videos and video games, or used toys. Please have all donations in by December 11. If you are a member of ACOG and would like to receive a toy for your child/children, please fill out the card (completely) and place it in one of the drop boxes located at the Dorchester and Kenwood kiosks. No cards will be accepted after December 8.

COLLEGE MINISTRY Service Opportunities. If you are between the ages of 18–27, and you would like to get more involved in your church community, then please stop by the kiosk after service and fill out a contact card to receive more information about the ways in which you can plug in.

EDUCATION Daytimers. Are you off during the day and looking to do something good with your extra time? Do you work evenings and often miss Wednesday Bible study? You are invited to join the Daytimers to

strengthen your walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ beginning at 10 a.m. every Tuesday. Bible study starts at 11 a.m. Lunch is served immediately after class.

HEALTH & WELLNESS Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act is here! With all the talk about new rules and requirements for being insured, find out how you are impacted. Learn about the options and when things go into effect. An informational session will be held Thursday, December 5, in the Banquet Hall at 6:30 p.m. Learn how to get covered. If you enroll in a plan by December 15, your coverage will begin by January 1. Come and get the facts December 5 and plan to enroll on December 12. For more information, pick up a flyer in the Dorchester lobby or call Granada Cartwright at 773.256.4137.

NEW MEMBERS Saturday Class. The new member Saturday class is December 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We have classes for children, teens, and adults to serve the whole family. All classes are held on the second floor. If you have questions, please contact us at 773.256.4204.

PERSONAL SERVICES Lupus Support Group. The next Lupus Support event will be held Saturday, December 7. Please call 773.256.4208 for more information.

These all attended on one accord in prayer and supplication.

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Upcoming Events Consolation Support. The holiday season is upon us. If you have lost a loved one this year and this is your first holiday season without that person, you may be asking yourself, “How can I celebrate, and should I?” This will be the topic of discussion at our next meeting Saturday, December 21, at 11 a.m. in room FC202. If you need encouragement and support, please use the helpline at 773.256.4212 or e-mail arkiml@ ameritech.net.

Mobile Giving & Registration App. You can pay your tithes, offering, and register for an event from your smartphone or tablet. Simply type the following URL in your browser: acog-chicago.givetoday.com.

GENERAL Wednesday Prayer Service. Please join our weekly afternoon prayer service to pray for our nation. We meet every Wednesday from 1 to 2:30 p.m., led by Elder Nathan Haymon, who started the prayer service in 1957. Pastor Q&A. Do you have a question for the pastor? E-mail your questions and comments to pastor@ acog-chicago.net.

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Online Giving and Registration. Whether you’re at home, at work, or out of town, you can pay your tithes or register for an event—any time of the day, any day of the week—at acog-chicago.org. Simply go to the church’s Web site and click “Online Giving” in the main navigation. If you have any questions, please contact Sister Janice Dortch at 773.256.4106 or [email protected].

Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders…

Happening This Week

Upcoming Events

Sunday, December 1 Time SMBS (Bible Study) 8:00 a.m. First Service 9:10 a.m. Children’s Worship 9:10 a.m. Donuts & Coffee 11:00 a.m. T-Zone Café 11:00 a.m. Second Service 11:40 a.m. Children’s Worship 11:40 a.m. T-Zone Worship 12:00 p.m. Monday, December 2 Basketball Skills & Drills 5:00 p.m. Tutoring 6:00 p.m. Adult Aerobics 6:00 p.m. Adult Liturgical Dance 6:30 p.m. Women of Faith 7:00 p.m. Adult Tennis 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 3 Time Daytimers Aerobics 9:00 a.m. Daytimers 10:00 a.m. Youth Tennis 4:00 p.m. Teen Tennis 5:00 p.m. College Prep ACT Reading 5:00 p.m. College Prep 5:30 p.m. Tutoring 6:00 p.m. Adult Tennis 6:00 p.m. Adult Fitness 6:00 p.m. Youth Drama Guild 6:30 p.m. Apostolic Man 7:00 p.m. Young Adult Basketball 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 4 Time Prayer 1:00 p.m. Tutoring 6:00 p.m. Children’s Church Choir Rehearsal 6:30 p.m. Bible Study 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 5 Time Daytimers Aerobics 9:00 a.m. Youth Tennis 4:00 p.m. Teen Tennis 5:00 p.m. College Prep (Grades 6–8) 5:30 p.m. College Prep (Seniors) 6:00 p.m. College Prep ACT Math/Science 6:00 p.m. Tutoring 6:00 p.m. Adult Aerobics 6:00 p.m. Adult Tennis 6:00 p.m. Youth & Teen MIME 6:30 p.m. Young Adult Basketball 8:30 p.m.

Friday, December 6 Time Basketball Skills & Drills 6:00 p.m. Ecclesia Praise 6:30 p.m. Lions of Judah 7:00 p.m. B.R.I.D.G.E.S. 7:00 p.m. Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m. Intercessory Prayer 7:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball 10:00 p.m. Saturday, December 7 Time G.R.A.C.E. 8:30 a.m. Youth Orchestra 9:00 a.m. Voice Academy 10:00 a.m. Adult Fitness 12:00 p.m. Adult Volleyball 2:00 p.m.

And you shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.

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Saving Grace

These titles and others are available in the Saving Grace Book Center.

Essential Music by Willetta GreeneJohnson, Ph.D. Written by one of ACOG’s very own, this book offers a biblical strategy for worship in the urban church. It poses the following questions: Is the worship in our church services atmosphere altering? Does it produce light? The President’s Devotional by Joshua DuBois. This 365-day devotional is a compilation of the best readings and prayers sent to

President Barack Obama by the former director of the White House Office of Faithbased and Neighborhood Partnerships. The Power of Right Believing by Joseph Prince. Joseph Prince offers seven keys for gaining freedom from fear, guilt, and addiction: believing God loves you, seeing what God sees, receiving God’s complete forgiveness, winning the battle for your mind, being free from self-occupation, expecting God to move, and resting in the Father’s love.

Limited Time! Get The Spirit-Filled Journey Devotional for $5. Weekly Broadcast WORSHIP SERVICE WCIU TV 26 Sundays, 8 a.m.

Bookstore Hours

Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (reopens after Bible Class from 9 to 9:30 p.m.) Saturday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed during services)

SPEAKER _________________________________________________________ SERMON __________________________________________________________

Today’s Menu

SCRIPTURE ______________________________________________________

The Banquet Hall is

NOTES ____________________________________________________________

closed today. Enjoy the

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afternoon with your family and friends.