Canaan Community Church

Sunday, February 5, 2012: “It is not MY church!”

2012-02-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

Answer the following questions:

How big is your church?

Where is your church?

How is your church doing?

Who is the head of your church?

List & describe 6 words that relate to Christ as the head of the Church.

__________________ is the head of the Church.

Youth Group Community Outreach

2012-01-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

CANAAN COMMUNITY CHURCH YOUTH GROUP

Let’s get together and minister to the elderly at

MEADOW PARK

75 Shore Drive, St Helens

for

Saturday, February 11^TH

10:00 a.m.

We will be delivering Valentines cards to, and visiting with, the residents of the facility.

This is a great opportunity for us to share the love of Christ with others!

If questions, please contact Mr. & Mrs. Koller at 503-366-5365,

or by email at kollerville@yahoo.com

Sunday, January 29, 2012: "TV Evangelists – Witch Doctors – Super Bowl"

2012-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

What is meant by Vicarious Exaltation?

How do you view it when someone else excels at what you are trying to accomplish?

Do Christian churches compete with or compliment one another?

Do people in churches compete with or compliment one another?

Describe the ministry (“successes”) of John the Baptist.

What was the concerned brought to John's attention in John 3:26?

Why would this concern be raised?

What may those raising the concern be expecting of John?

What were John's responses to the concern?

John 3:27 -

What can we learn from this response?

How well do we practice this?

John 3:28 -

What can we learn from this response?

How well do we practice this?

John 3:29 -

What can we learn from this response?

How well do we practice this?

John 3:30 -

What can we learn from this response?

How well do we practice this?

Sunday, January 22, 2012: "The Basic Salvation Package"

2012-01-21T11:42:00.001-08:00

Define Salvation in your own words -

List all the synonyms for “salvation” you can think of.

Identify and Describe the five Basics of Salvation presented today.

Who is responsible for an individual's salvation?

Explain the relationship between faith, obedience and works.

Sunday, January 8, 2011: Worship! Is it Worth it?

2012-01-07T09:24:00.001-08:00

How would you explain “worship” to someone who knows nothing about church, the Bible or God?

Describe the worship offered by each of the below and the outcome:

offering/worship Outcome

Cain (Gen 4)

Nadab (Lev 10)

Uzzah (2Sam 6)

Uzziah (2Chr. 26)

Annanias (Acts 5)

Explain what it means to worship “in spirit and in truth.”

What if we worship in spirit, but not in truth?

What is we worship in truth, but not in spirit?

Did the woman Jesus met at the well worship in spirit and in truth?

Before Jesus encountered her?

After Jesus encountered her?

What changed?

List the hindrances people commonly encounter to worshiping in spirit and truth.

Which of these do you experience? What will you now do?

Sunday, January 1, 2012: "Run from the Light . . ."

2011-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

In general, what percentage of your life is transparent, obvious to those around you and how much of your life is hidden?

Of those parts that are hidden, why is is hidden?

What are the different ways people respond when you try to help them overcome sin in their lives?

What percentage of the time when you lovingly try to help people do they reject your help and attribute to you motives that are contrary to your intent?

T F When people say “do not judge lest you be judged” they are trying to help people obey God.

Why did God send His Son into the world? John 3:16-17

What was God's motive/purpose?

What motive do people attribute to God?

What determines whether an individual has eternal life or perishes?

What impact on this outcome did Jesus coming have on life?

What impact did Jesus coming have on perishing?

What determines whether people love or hate the light?

What is the relationship between what we do and loving light?

What is the relationship between light and truth?

What do you learn about yourself from John 3:16-21? What now?

October 2011: “Sponsor a Servant?”

2011-10-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

From the Pastor's Desk
(Warning: This may cost you time and money and may bless your life)

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was some way to encourage the young people in the church to grow and serve the Lord? Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were ways to encourage the adults in the church to become interested in the lives of the children of the church? Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were strong connections between the children and adults that promoted the growth of everyone to the glory of God? And if there was a way to accomplish all of these things at the same time, would you like to have a part in it?

As you may have guessed, there is a way to do this and each person in the church has an opportunity to participate in either big or small ways. We are calling it the “Camp Sponsorship Program” and have put in place a written policy fully describing how it works.

The purpose is to provide children attending Canaan encouragement and an opportunity to benefit from “Christian camping” to help them grow and serve. This will be accomplished as one or more adults invest spiritually and financially to enable children actively serving in the church to participate in various camping programs.

Leaders and teachers in the church will identify children ages 8-18 who demonstrate a desire to grow and a willingness to serve in age appropriate ways. With parental consent, these children will be paired with an adult(s) who will “sponsor” them.

Participating in camping programs is intended to be an encouragement and incentive to the children in the church as a means of promoting a desire for lifelong growth and service. The policy identifies levels of service and various camping experiences requiring a sponsor ranging from attending camp, to working at a camp, to being a counselor at camp (cost of camp participation ranges from $150-$500 raised by one or more sponsors).

Sponsorship is a voluntary commitment to spiritually care by getting to know and praying for the sponsored children and to demonstrate that care by providing financially for them to be able to participate in a Christian camp. This program is in addition to any money designated for camp scholarships in the budget. All sponsor funds will be receipted and disbursed by the church treasurer and should be in addition to your regular giving.

I encourage you to prayerfully consider becoming a sponsor. Please talk to me or Mary if interested and to get a copy of the policy. (I can email it to you if you desire.)

Serving joyfully,

Pastor Jeff

“Oh, let's just live together!”

2010-11-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

As your pastor, you probably are not surprised to hear me say, “I oppose people “living together.”” God instituted marriage between a man and a woman as the foundational human relationship that is to be honored. To “live together” instead of marrying is a direct offense to God. I am confident that those of us sharing this letter together agree on this matter. However, “living together” has become increasingly acceptable within our society for a variety of pragmatic reasons as we drift away from the Bible as the authoritative for identifying right and wrong. We all probably know people – maybe even family members - who are “living together” rather than getting married.

Like marriage, God has also made it very clear what our relationships within the family of God should be like. The Bible contains many instructions about how children of God through faith in Jesus Christ should relate to one another within the family of God. Although, being part of a church is not exactly the same as being married, we are to be committed to one another to a degree that is more like being married than just “living together.”

At Canaan Church our membership practices are intended to help us establish and maintain a Biblically mandated level of commitment to our relationships within the church body. Allowing there is Biblical debate about formal church membership, I personally lean heavily toward membership because it provides a means to encourage the level of relationship and accountability that God intends we exercise toward one another. In an ideal world (ha ha) every Christian would function in the body according to the scripture and membership would be totally unnecessary - But . . .

I consider membership as one “form” useful to accomplishing essential “functions.” Consequently, whether you are a member or not, you can expect me as a pastor to encourage you to fulfill your “God given – Biblically mandated” function and responsibilities as a Christian in the body.

Below I have prepared a tool to help us individually assess the extent to which we are fulfilling our biblical responsibilities. The items in the evaluation reflect clear Biblical teaching. For those of us who are member, the main items in the evaluation should be recognized as responsibilities you accepted and agreed to when you joined the church.

So please take some to prayerfully complete the self evaluation on the back regarding how you are functioning within the body. If, after evaluating yourself in this way, you would like to chat with me, I would welcome the opportunity.

Self Evaluation of My Christian (member) Responsibilities

Big Picture - Am I involved in service, fellowship and growing?

Spiritual Gifts and Service

1. List ways I exercise my spiritual gifts toward the benefit of the church body.

2. List ways I regularly providing some service for other believers in the body.

3. What role, position or function do I have that would leave a hole in the body if I did not do it for a short period of time?

Fellowship

1. Out of the 52 weeks each year, how many times am I in attendance at

1. Sunday Worship? _________/52

2. Sunday School? _________/52

3. Wednesday Evening? _________/52

2. What percentage of the time do I just show up as compared to purposefully planning how I will encourage others as I attend these functions?

3. Which of the special functions/activities at the church do I participate in order to encourage others?

What do I do to maintain the unity of the church? (or otherwise)

What demonstrates that I am responsive to scriptural instruction and correction?

Contributing to the needs of the saints?

1. Do I regularly give to the church? (or do I randomly give?)

2. What determines how much I give?

3. Where does giving to the Lord's work fall in my order of financial priorities?

4. Do I base my giving on emotions or on biblical teaching?

5. Do I meet needs that I see outside of the body?

6. Do I give to missions/evangelism work outside the body?

My commitment level to the church family is like those who:

a. “live together”

b. “are married?”