Study to Show Thyself Approvedalumni.sibi.cc/sites/alumni.sibi.cc/files/12_December_2014.pdf · Ephesians 4:11-14 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds

Study to Show Thyself Approved

December 2014 VOL. TWO, ISSUE TWELVE

Bernie and Stacy study with Kirk. Sandy has begun the series 40 Days of the New Believer with Carol. Kirk continues to

study with Steve. Jan’s husband, Steve, studies with us at their home, attends Sunday services, and studies with Kirk.

Michelle, Marion’s friend, is studying with Kirk, and Marion hopes to add another study with her. Her mother has set in on

some of them and is excited about what she is hearing. She was raised Catholic, and so raised her children that way. Karen met

two young men, Kyle and Josh. It sounded promising when Kyle said he wanted to study with Kirk. Since then, work has

pulled him away from town. Surprisingly, Sandy is distantly related to them. Sandy’s son, Scott, and Marion’s son, Travis,

will be receiving monthly mailings of bulletins, H2H, C4T, newsletters, Kirk’s notes, and love letters from the church.

Please keep all of us in your prayers.

Our Studies with Our New Creations and the Lost-Returning-to-Christ Continue

Romans_8:39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Green Mountain Church of Christ

In Castleton

Telephone 802.683.4970

39 Carver Street, Brandon, VT 05733

WWW.VermontChurchOfChrist.COM

Vermont Mission Field

Like us on Facebook @ Green Mountain Church of Christ in

Castleton, Vermont

Church Income & Expense Report - December

We ground some grains and I made some bread that

was so dense I’m sure I burned calories just trying

to eat and digest it. The kombucha is fun and

healthy. I enjoy preparing and fermenting it. The

Millers will be babysitting my SCOBY while we

travel this winter. Steve is a science nut like me! I

hope he enjoys it too. If you like the taste of

kombucha and want the beneficial health benefits of

the drink, buy the book Kombucha Revolution. It is

very informative! Julianne is on my delivery list.

Karen’s Creative Corner

BEGINNING BALANCES FOR DECEMBER Reserve Fund Balance $35030.52 Building Fund Balance $8,025.00 Israel Support Fund Balance $13,377.36 Working Fund Balance $3195.52

CONTRIBUTIONS FOR DECEMBER

Total December Giving $2,964.50

RESERVE FUND EXPENSES FOR DECEMBER Rent, Utilities & Insurance 1,123.57 Bibles & Curriculum 103.96 Periodicals 100.00 Miscellaneous – Supplies 54.14 Contribution to Israel Support 500.00 $1881.67

WORKING FUND SUPPORT FOR DECEMBER Total December Giving $3500.00

BUILDING FUND CONTRIBUTIONS Contributions - Brown Family $50.00

WORKING FUND EXPENSES FOR DECEMBER Benevolence 54.92 Evangelism 427.49 Christ for Today/Heart to Heart 1752.10 Fuel for vehicle 104.23 $2338.74

ENDING BALANCES FOR DECEMBER Reserve Fund Balance $36,113.35 Building Fund Balance $8,075.00 Israel Support Fund Balance $13,377.36 Working Fund Balance $4356.78

Jessica’s boys, Wyatt and Ely, are homeschooled

and their grades are exemplary. Their chickens, who

we call The Girls, began laying eggs. It is so funny

to hear Jess talk about their eggs. She has a hard

time letting them go yet; like they are her babies.

Tim passed his testing, and is officially employed as

a pipeline controller by Sunoco Pipeline Company.

Bjorn and Heather have moved into their new home,

her grandparent’s house. They are busy painting and

refurbishing it. They still have the horse farm too.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. We eat of this bread and are filled.

The Word is like honey. Mmmm, warm bread and honey.

The greatest gift was not

wrapped in pretty paper.

It did not lie under a tree.

It was lifted up on one.

Since

December 2014 VOL. TWO, ISSUE TWELVE

VT Mission Field

Church Updates

The Scope of Our Mission

Pray and Search for true Seekers.

Return the fallen to the kingdom.

Teach the Gospel to the lost.

Teach people; that they may be

transformed into the image of Christ.

Serve in whatever capacity and in every

situation God gives us.

Open our homes in love, fellowship and

care to the church and seekers.

Study the Bible with whomever,

whenever, and wherever we can.

Provide for the spiritual needs of all

while pointing the way to God.

Bring H2H/H2H and Christ for Today to

6400 homes in the area in an effort to

reach and teach the lost and fallen.

Encourage and support the churches

throughout Vermont.

Love, as living proof of God’s love.

Celebrate our salvation, encourage

repentance, and love the church.

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God! Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground! Jude 1:20-23 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Our numbers are steadily growing to almost 50 members now!

Michelle and her Mom, Sharon, have begun joining us on

Sunday mornings for class and worship.

The congregation continues to search for a new place to gather

together. The prospect of a building next door has encountered

a major problem with the land and is no longer a

consideration.

We have some tragic news as of the time of this writing.

Doug’s daughter, Erica, died January 11th

. She was the mother

of two of the four children we were caring for last year. Erica

was raised in the church, but left. Doug is struggling, as any

father would; heartbroken. Erica’s children are being raised by

Doug’s son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Amanda. The two

older boys are living with their father’s father and his wife.

We were able to see the two older boys before we left for

Texas. Please keep all of them in your prayers.

The seated brother is Vic Burta. He supported us while we were in

school. Vic is home bound in Staten Island, New York. Vic is a student

of the word and studies with Kirk over the phone when he is physically

able.

Ephesians 4:11-14 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

January 2014 VOL. TWO, ISSUE ONE

2015 Activities in the Planning

We are still planning on finding a new building; the sooner the better. The women are eager to expand.

A Simple Supper catered by Karen is scheduled for January 7th; before Wednesday night study.

We still consider unpacking the trailer with supplies from the old Brownfield church. We’ll likely wait till we move.

Craig & Kristin Lange still plan to establish a youth group; inviting youth from the area.

The Israels are going to Sunset’s Workshop and around to their supporters and church supporters. See you soon!

Several groups are planning to come to Vermont and work with the church to find seekers, teach the members, and

inspire our hearts in love.

VT Mission Field

Checking Your Compass, By Kirk Israel

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Did you ever notice in Genesis 1:3 that God created light before the sun, moon and stars? Genesis 1:16 tells us about their

creation. I have asked myself, “What is the source of this light that God created?” I believe that the light was so powerful that

the world was illuminated by the light and it flooded the vacuum of darkness. God separated the light from darkness.

Light is fascinating. It penetrates darkness and fills it with radiant light! One time in the US Army I sat on a mountaintop in

total darkness. Heavy cloud cover prevented the light; no moon, no stars, just complete darkness. Then across a long valley of

several miles I could see a red glow. It would come on faint, then get really bright, and then fade away, this happened

repeatedly. After observing it for some time I realized it was a single solitary person smoking a cigarette. It was incredible how

far this single tiny source of light shined out into the darkness. It is something I have never forgotten because of the profound

lesson it taught me.

I was in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico when the guide shut off the lights to show us how dark it was when the first

explorer found it. The loss was palpable; no light, no view, no trail. I couldn’t see my beautiful wife, and I could not have led

us out! We even felt unsteady on our feet. Well, I spent a large part of my life in darkness.

It is startling to think back to the time before I found Christ, and realize that evil is darkness; the complete vacuum of the light

of God. When someone starts life in darkness, or crawls into the darkness, or even runs back to it they fall into the pit of

hopelessness, emptiness, and despair. Often they don’t even realize that they are lost in the dark. They don’t know up from

down, or how to find their way. They are reaching around in the dark as though a tour guide has shut the light off in their cave.

If only they had a tiny light of hope. Like even the small light from a cigarette on a faraway mountaintop, that can illuminate

the path to salvation. We are told to light our lamp of faith.

When is the last time you lit up with someone in a dark place? Show them the path that leads out of the darkness. Remember

the song, “Light Your Candle, Run to the Darkness . . . Take Your Candle and Light Their Way.”