Southview Connect

Compassion Ministry Partnership - Haiti Update

Two updates for you:

First, great job on Sunday, Southviewers! We collected almost $5,000 in service on Sunday for Compassion International's Haiti relief work - way to go!! If you were unable to attend Sunday but still want to give to this, go here and you can donate directly to Compassion's Haiti Relief efforts.

Second, please keep Compassion Haiti staff member David Hames in your prayers - he is still unaccounted for. We are lifting up David and his family as well as the countless others affected by this disaster.

Deacon and Elder Ordination

These two Sundays are always special at Southview. Last Sunday, January 3, we set apart Jeff Boothe as a new deacon at Southview. Southview recognizes as deacons men and women who possess gifts of leadership, who are giving of themselves in service to the church, and who are called to further service. In accordance with the meaning of the word and practice of the New Testament, deacons are to be the servants of the church.

The main focus of our deacon ministry is ministry to families - this is their “main thing,” and they do it well. Deacons make hospital visits; they pray with members and families; they face crisis situations right alongside the members they serve. They help with needs through administering the deacon’s benevolence fund that our church collects for our members and regular attenders who are in financial need. Deacons serve our members and our church by assisting with the Lord’s Supper, assisting with baptisms, and helping in any and every way they can.

Deacons also focus on helping to maintain the unity of the church. Two of the most important aspects of the early church were love and unity among the community of faith. Protecting the unity of the church is what we see the first deacons doing in Acts 6, and the result was that the Word of God spread, and the number of disciples increased rapidly. That is our desire - that the word of God would spread and that the number of people who are Christ followers would increase rapidly because of the unity of our church and the ministry of our deacons.

Elders have four major responsibilities at Southview: teaching Biblical truth, modeling Christ-like character, caring for the body of Christ, and leading the Church under the authority of Christ. Elders are men and women who possess gifts of leadership, who are giving of themselves in service to the church, and who are called to serve in this capacity. The Biblical qualifications for this position are listed in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9: above reproach, devoted spouse, self-controlled, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, not quick tempered, uncontentious. free from the love of money, manage own household well, not a new convert, good reputation with outsiders, not self-willed / not stubborn or abusing of authority, loving what is good, just, devout, and holding fast to the faithful Word of God.

This Sunday, January 10, we're going to set apart Judy Hall as a new Elder at Southview. Be praying for her as she accepts this new leadership role, and keep all the Elders covered in prayer as we seek to lead under the leadership of Jesus, always being mindful of the responsibility we have accepted. It is truly a joy for me to serve alongside the deacon team and with the Elder team. I pray that God would use these men and women as they seek to serve Him and His Church with all their hearts.

Compassion Ministry Update

During the month of December, we focused on our new partnership with Compassion International. I taught a series of messages in a series called "A Christmas of Compassion," studying some of what God's Word has to say to us about God's love and compassion for us as well as His expectation of the compassion and love that we are to show to others, especially the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the oppressed. We offered a number of opportunities for Southviewers to get involved, and wow! Did you ever!

During the month of December, 54 children from Rwanda were sponsored by Southviewers through Compassion International! I am so excited about so many children being provided for and given an opportunity to hear the life and eternity changing message of Jesus Christ due to your obedience to God's Word!

We also collected an offering at our Christmas Eve service this year, 100% of which is going to a clean water project for communities in Rwanda that Compassion International is working with. Southviewers, as of this morning, $14,123.00 has been given toward this! Each community's water project will cost approx. $4,400, and you gave enough to do 3!! I praise God for your generosity and your love for these children and for our God. May we, the church of Jesus Christ, be known for our compassion and love for all people, as a testimony to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There Are No Hot Dogs In Heaven

In our Bible Study class at Southview we’re finishing up our study of heaven.  It’s been a terrific study and we’ve all come to see heaven in a different light.  Looking forward to our eternal home, the New Heaven and New Earth promised us in Revelation Chapters 21 and 22, we all have a new sense of excitement about the work Christ has set before us.  Knowing that someday we’ll be reunited with family, friends, and of course Jesus our Savior, and knowing that we’ll be living everyday in the presence of God as He dwells among us, provides us the hope and peace we need to face the struggles and challenges here on this earth until Christ comes again.

As we studied through the many references to the New Earth and New Heaven we were struck by the numerous similarities with God’s original creation and how it gives us a pattern of things to come in our new home.  We can also see from Revelation Chapter 21 that there will be a great holy city, the New Jerusalem, and out of the center of it, from God’s throne, flows a crystal river and on each side are trees that bear fruit, fruit for us to eat.  We’ll have homes, live in an active Kingdom where kings come and go passing through the twelve great gates of the city, gates that never close, we’ll know everyone around us, and we’ll be in God’s constant presence.

The earth itself will be new scripture says, the old things will have all passed away and we’ll live on a new earth brightened by the glory of God.  What an exciting place.  Isaiah also had much to say about the New Heaven and New Earth.  In Isaiah 65:17 God says, “Behold I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” He also declares in Isaiah 51:3, “The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.  Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”  What a marvelous place our new home will be.

And, in Isaiah 65:25 God says, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpents food.  They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.”  This too will be like it was in the days of Adam and Eve and life in the Garden of Eden, man, animal and all of creation at peace and in perfect harmony.

As I reflected on this and thought about life on the New Earth I realized it’s going to be so new, so different, we can hardly comprehend it.  Living in resurrected bodies, walking along the crystal river and on the streets of gold, we’ll be eating from the Tree of Life – but then it occurred to me – there won’t be any hot dogs in heaven, man and animal will be at peace – we’ll all be vegetarians again just as man was before the flood.  Wow, no hot dogs, I love hot dogs – but then it occurred to me as well we’ll be eating like we’ve never eaten before.  I can hardly wait, fruit from the Tree of Life, Bread from the Bread of Life, drinking water from the Water of Life and…something we’ve never experienced, food from the “grain of heaven”, manna – won’t it be great!  Psalm 78:24 tells us manna is the “grain of heaven”, Revelation 2:17 promises to give to he who overcomes the “hidden manna”, and I’m willing to wager that the wedding feast will have it featured on the menu as well.

I wonder if one of the jobs some of us will have is growing and harvesting manna, or pruning and caring for the Tree of Life, a tree Revelation tells us grows all along the crystal river.  Given that the New Jerusalem is going to be 1,500 miles high that would mean a river at least that long, and probably a lot longer.  Plenty of room to grow all we’ll need for the millions upon millions living on the New Earth with us.

For sure we’ll have a lot to do and joy will fill every day, and even though I won’t find a hot dog there I know Heaven will exceed my every expectation.  Now if I can just keep that excitement to fan the little light of mine that is my testimony perhaps someone else today will learn about heaven, and Jesus the savior that wants everyone to join him there.

Have a great week working in the kingdom.

In Christ,

Wes

Christmas Eve Service This Thursday Night at 7

Due to the big snowstorm, we didn't gather as a church last Sunday, but I am looking forward to seeing you all this Thursday at our Christmas Eve candlelight service! We'll begin at 7 p.m. - we've been praying about and planning this service for a while, and we are looking forward to a special service.

Don't forget that our Christmas Eve offering will go toward the Compassion clean water project in Rwanda - come prepared to share as you have been led by the Spirit.

We'll also have a few more packets for Rwanda children who are in need of sponsors through Compassion International - if you didn't get an opportunity to sponsor a child on the 13th, this opportunity will be available before and after the Christmas Eve service.

See you Thursday night!