The Advent Conspiracy

Thanksgiving Fun Facts!

Did you know this about the probable original Thanksgiving menu?

Urgent

The video is 15 minutes long and hopefully will leave you asking, “Does anything on earth really matter more than this?” Click here and scroll down to “God, Make us Messengers.” Please then ask yourself, “What am I personally going to do about this?”

The Names

The Sunday before last, I asked you to write down the name or names of people that you felt might be open to a relationship with God. Maybe you can spot the one(s) you’ve submitted. I am committed to praying for these names, (simply reading the list aloud to God and summing it up with a prayer for them to commit or recommit their lives to Christ) and want to offer you the opportunity to pray for them as well — and I also thought it would be a great idea to pray seriously about inviting them to church.

Here are those names — a sea of them — and there is a unique story behind each and every one. They are individuals that God loves and cares deeply about and longs to have a relationship with. So please, pray…

Michael S, Ronny, Wendy, Leslie, Sandi, Simon, John O, Rachel, Marty, Victor, Wayne, Dan, Angela S, Johann, Frances, Jonathan, Amy, Louis, Kiersten C, Karien, Bob, Oleg, Ravinder, John, David P, Onnie, Joe, Bipin, Stephanie, Randy, Donna P, Hein, Katie, Jason, Stephen, Ken, Lucy, Debbie, Diane, Jason, Dorothy, Tiffany, Bryan, Jeff, Grant, Dan, Alvin, Erik, George, Doug, Jason, Sue, Robert, Kerstin, Thelma, Jim, Darlene, Mike, Erin, Camer, Ian, Michelle, Tony, Rodney, Tim, Suong, Jeffrey, Ira, Valarie, Bailey, Tamara, Tiffany, Christy, Mindy, Wendy, Will, Agnes, Geri, Diana, Millie, Harold, Amanda, Joe, Jeff, Melani, Chris, Liz, Sarah, Jemarc, Lester, Lorrie, Stacey, Joe, Joanna, Tomika, Dave, Terri, Becky, Caroline, Chris, Beverly, Jack, Lou, Jacquelyn, Jaki, Tim, Dawn, John, Kim, Aubrey, Beau, Donna, Dale, Laura, Rich, Eric, Diane, Mimi, Dave, Mathew, James, Andy, Liz, Mike, Jay, Susan, Charlotte, Donna, Barry, Risa, Cheryl, Maria, Jackie, Darryl, Adam, Bob, Arielle, Mia, Nancy, Debby, Steven, Amber, Maria, Ricky, Tommy, Brendan, John, Bill, Yang, Kurt, Paul, Nusirat, Evan, Carren, Dawn, Anne, Yomi, Betsy, Charlie, Diane, Taryn, Iyebo, Will, Lisa, Craig, Steve, Mobola, Debra, Laurie, Kelly, Nyah, Edgar, Tako, Samuel, Julie, Juan, Dele, Tonya, Clara, Lide, Missau, Moses, Karen, Kelinda, Julie, Josh, Amibor, Stephanie, Tayo, Shanna, Samantha, Efeilomo, Mark, Lawrence, Byron, Lauren, Idowy, Ray, Lola, Jeffrey, Sal, Iyisi, Tommy, Elaine, Kristin, Kristin, Eric, Alex, Arif, Suzette, DalBello, Stephanie, Harold, JR, Steve, Renee, Nick, Doug, Trinh, Jessica, Stephanie, Joe, Christina, Angela, Kevin, Steve, Ryan, Bob, Cathy, Jeff, Lisa, Nikki, Lisa, Mary, James, Nina, Deavion, Beth, Struan, Paige, Dave, Kay Kay, Linda, Jenny, Raff, Stephanie, Michelle, Sue, Donald, Jean, Geoff, Alfred, Dwight

Make Us Messengers

“God, make us messengers.” I can’t get that prayer out of my head. I hope you can’t either. I want to always be looking for ways to be a messenger in my everyday life. I want my life to be defined by the mission of Jesus. This past week, I found a new way — a new avenue for being a messenger. There are unique opportunities just a few short miles away. We’ll talk about that this Sunday.

An Amazing Experience

It’s no secret that Columbia sits nestled in one of the richest counties in America. But did you know that growing homelessness exists just a few miles away? The sightings along Route 1 between Laurel and Elkridge tell only part of the story. There are way too many people living in cobbled-together-makeshift campsites along the wooded Laurel/Jessup corridor.

And winter is coming.

On Monday, October 13^th, I served my first shift at the Route 1 Day Center – a place of refuge for homeless folks. Here, our weather-battered friends can get a hot meal, do some laundry, take a shower, grab some “new” clothes and a few non-perishables to go.

I am committed to this effort, and I hope you’ll consider it too.

Lisa made a seeming four tons of hot Potpie and we slung those trays up the steps to the Day Center kitchen. The weather-worn travelers began to come from everywhere. I looked out the window, seeing them in clusters from every direction. I had no idea there were so many.

And I saw some people from church there! You know who you are, wink! It was like being at church; it was great. It was the “send us out” part of Calvary’s recurring “fill us up, send us out” theme.

So this is where the church comes in — the rest of us. We need drivers to pick up people, cooks to prepare meals, people to provide food for the pantry and clothes for the closet, and a few warm/real people to just be there for whatever.

You’ll be hearing a lot more about this very soon. We are conspiring and organizing. If you can’t wait another minute and need to get involved now, contact the heart and soul behind all this, Anne Dunn at anne@spiritofcommunity.net. I look forward to serving with you!

Alpha Starts Sunday

Starting this Sunday concurrent with the 9:15 service, Alpha is the premier introduction to Christianity. 

Remembering Nicholas

God bless you, Nick

Nicholas Ryan Scott
July 27, 2006 – June 26, 2008 

We entrust Nicholas to our God
in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our frail bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body,
who died, was buried, and rose again for us.
To him be glory for ever. 
Amen.