“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:11

Monday 12/28 Office Hours 8-2:00pm (Jan Piasecki)

Tuesday 12/29 Office Hours 9-5:00pm (Pastor Jake)

Wednesday 12/30 Office Hours 1-9:00pm (Pastor Jake)

Youth Group 6:00pm Christmas / New Years Holiday Bash Pizza. Snacks. Goodies. Games. Fun!

Thursday 12/31 Church is Closed Friday 1/1 Church is Closed

Saturday 1/2 Basketball 8:30am Sunday 1/3 Christian Education 9:30am Children’s Sunday School 9:30am

Kid’s Church 10:45am Worship Gathering 10:45am Message by: Pastor Jake Barrett

AWANA 6:00pm

Starting in 2015 we will be setting every 5th Sunday aside as a time for Family Worship. We will still have our Kidʼs Church Nursery Ministry for children littles through kindergarten, but Kidʼs Church 1st-6th grade will join us and share in singing, the message, as well as share a special Kidʼs Church moment that will be connected to the message Pastor Jason will share. This is a part of our ongoing commitment to helping families share in worship together.

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We have very specific needs for our nursery/kidʼs church areas and these lists will be your guide. A variety of items are listed. You will find everything from general supplies, baby equipment, books, and toys.

Annual Church Business Meeting January 31st, 2016 12:15-2:00pm Members: Please try plan to attend.

WorshipWhere Your At

Did you know that your church has a worship playlist set up through Spotify? Simply download the application on your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, Android tablet or laptop, and start worshipping with your church where you are!

https://open.spotify.com/user/jason.schifo/playlist/0xQGNI8xqctkqnEsqouspR

Facebook is a place where we will share information and encouragement!

Need quick information? Twitter is a quick connect to the church.

Instagram is where we will post and share pictures of what is happening in your church.

Youtube is our hub for videos of both events and coming events in the church.

Just search: Community Evangelical Free Church Mahomet

Just search: CommunityEFCA

Just search: pastorjasonschifo

Just search: CFCMahomet

Connect to the church through these great social media sites!

Students and Parents! December 30th at 6:00pm the Students will

be having a HUGE Christmas and New Years party at the Church. Pizza, music,

games, treats and lots of fun. Paul and Karen Slezak 12/28

Dave Helbling 12/27Beth Rehberg 12/27Pastor Jason 12/29

As 2015 draws to a close, inevitably people begin talking about New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions are funny things, because they are generally dictated by negative trends in our lives we want to attempt to correct.

We resolve to lose weight because we gained weight. We resolve to become more organized because, quite frankly, we have become less organized. We resolve to find a new job because we cannot see the joy in the one we have. In a million different ways we try to use this time year to create a positive outcome out of our negative actions. 

1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I resolved to know nothing among you

except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

The Apostle Paul is clear that he resolved to do only one thing intimately, powerfully and clearly. This one thing, Christ crucified, would drive and shape his life and in the same way it ought to drive and shape our lives.

1. Practice a DEPTH of FaithMaybe it is reading the Bible in a year for the first time, journaling, attending a men's group, a ladies study, serving in church or setting aside dedicated time to pray. The point is how will you up your game from 2015? 

Oftentimes I meet people who tell me they are stagnant in their faith, yet they have not sought or served in anyway over and above what they did the year before. The call of the Christian is to grow. It is our need. (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

Peter tells us: "But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both

now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

2. Audit Your Day. How do you spend your time? The one thing you have today that you will not have tomorrow is today. Time is precious which is why at times we guard it as we do, but have you ever realized how much we waste? Now I am not

telling you that sometimes it's not good to just do nothing, recharge the batteries and get ready for the next BIG season, but I want to make sure I, we, have balance. 

John Ortberg, author of The Life You've Always Wanted, says that "a rhythm for living is important so we can grow more intimately connected to God." To tap into our source of strength, faith, and joy we need to have rhythms of running and resting that include God in them. 

If we don't know how we are spending our time we won't know if we are spending time with God. This is important because we become more like God's children as we spend time with Him (Romans 8:29).

3. Be Aware of Yourself and Others.You will struggle to do things of great value for others unless you are intimately aware of yourself. Start by asking yourself these simple questions: 

What do I need?  How is my joy?  What needs to change? 

One of the greatest epiphanies of 2015 for me is that I need 15 minutes of quiet time in the afternoon. Time to get away and pray, close my eyes and rest. It was born out of asking "what do I need?". 

Then, start looking around. Start seeing others and asking God about them. 

How can you love them?  How can you serve them?  How can you encourage them? 

4. STOP Complaining - Start Encouraging.Whether we know it or not, we complain a lot. If we are honest our lives are not marked by the kind of gratitude Moses displayed in Numbers 16:8-9 Continued on next page...

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts:20:24

continued...

"And Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi: is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you

from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the

tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them". 

In Christ, God separated you and called you near. God did a great thing on your behalf, not a small thing, and our response is to live constantly between the place "Thanks" and "Praise" where a deep sense of gratitude rests. 

You can resolve to do a million things this next year. All good. All with positive benefits, but only one thing will be eternally life changing: resolving to know Jesus Christ. 

Blessings and see you in a year!

** There is no Menʼs Group on Saturday, 1/2 at 7:30am due to the holiday weekend. There is still Menʼs Basketball at 8:30am.