Special Thanks Shout Out

Thanks to Jamey Stamper and Enclume Design Products for the beautiful new pot rack that Pastor David helped install in our kitchen over the island!

Duty Roster

 9/4:  Nursery-Christine
         Children's Church-Normans
         Clean-Hays
         Greeters-Eddies

9/11:  Nursery-Mary
          Children's Church-Jim
          Clean-VanCamps
          Greeters-Gordons

9/18:  Nursery-Melissa
          Children's Church-Dave & Yvonne
          Clean-Wilcox & Jamison
          Greeters-Glessing & Lindell

9/25:  Nursery-Crystal
          Children's Church-Colleen
          Clean-Horner & Swanson
          Greeters-Jamisons

What's happening this month

Sundays:
8:45 Worship Team Practice
9:30 Sunday School
10:30 Worship
Fellowship follows Worship Service
6:30 Evening Bible Study
*September 18 2:00 Kah Tai Ministry
*September 25 no evening Bible Study


Wednesdays:
8:00-4:00 OPHC
6:15 Worship Team Practice
*September 7 10:00 Jeffco Prayer meets
*September 7 7:00 Elders
*September 14 7:00 Council


Thursdays:
11:00 Prayer Hour
1:00 Women's Bible Study

Saturdays:
8:00 Men's Breakfast @ Chimacum Cafe

Heaven: What’s the Bible have to say about it?

A couple years ago Don Piper wrote a book titled, “90 Minutes in Heaven”.   As the book begins, Piper is involved in a traffic accident.  Piper was assessed by paramedics on two separate occasions and pronounced as dead.  90 minutes later, he was found alive but badly injured.  During that 90 minutes Piper says he was in heaven.  The story is very compelling and believable.  The book is worth reading, though most of the pages cover Piper’s lengthy and difficult recovery.

Recently the book “Heaven is for Real” hit the store shelves.  This is the story of 5 year old Colton Burpo who visited heaven.  Colton had a terrible bout of appendicitis and during his surgery, he visited heaven.  As I read this story it was difficult to believe, it is definitely heaven from a child’s perspective.  But as the details are revealed, I found myself concluding there are just too many extenuating circumstance to brush it off as a dream or lie.  Heaven is for Real is also worth reading and the chapter titled, “Two Sisters” is extremely moving.  I suggest you read both of these small books.

With the old saying, “Believe half of what you see and nothing you hear” in mind, I thought it would be beneficial to consider some of what the Bible has to say about heaven. (Note all the italics in this article are mine and Scripture references are from the ESV.)The Bible tells us that God is the one who created the heavens and the earth.  Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  But does that mean God created a place of eternal dwelling or that He created the sky?  To find the answer we look on.  1 Chronicles 29:11 says, “… for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”  Okay, that seems to confuse the issue.  “For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours;” does that mean everything in the sky is God’s?  The clouds, the Sun, the Moon, the Birds, etc., or is it referring to a loftier setting?

Take a look at 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  This passage is often quoted in the midst of a prayer-will-fix-the-nation article.  That is a great application of the passage, but notice where the answer comes from, “heaven.”  Next we read Matthew 23:9, “… for you have one Father, who is in heaven.”  So that is more pointed, “Father in heaven,” does it mean God is in the sky?  No.  Add Ecclesiastes 5:2, “… for God is in heaven and you are on earth….”   Once when looking at a beam of sunlight shining through the clouds, one of my grandsons asked me, “Is that what God looks like?”  Sometimes the sky can remind us of God, but He lives beyond the sky.

The scriptures also refer to God as the "God of heaven."  For example, Nehemiah 1:5 says, “And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”  And Ezra 1:2, “… The Lord, the God of heaven, has given….”  Psalm 103:19 tells us, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens….”  Psalm 14:2 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.”

Jesus declared that he is establishing, "the kingdom of heaven".  Matthew 4:17 is one example, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   Matthew 5:19, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  Finally, Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9 to address God the Father as “Our Father in heaven ….”

Matthew 5:11-12 tells us there are things going on in heaven, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil

 against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven ....”  Jesus instructed us to store up treasures in heaven in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….”  Jesus also said in Matthew 10:32, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.”  Luke 15:7 adds, “… there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

                 There are not only things going on in heaven, Jesus came from and went to heaven.  John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”  In Acts 1:11 we read, “… why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”  In addition, according to Acts 7:55 Jesus is at the right hand of God, “… [Stephen] gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” 

Not only is Jesus in heaven, it is the destination for those who belong to Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:1 tells us, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”  Philippians 3:20 tells us, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 3:13 tells us, “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”  Revelation 21:1-3, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

What does heaven look like?  Revelation 21 gives us a sneak peek,

²And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  ⁶And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  ¹⁴And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  ¹⁸The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. ¹⁹The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. ²²And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ²⁶They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

Finally, who will see heaven?  Not everyone.  Rev. 21:27, “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  The faithless won’t see heaven.  Neither will the “cowardly, … the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).  If you have not received Christ, your name is not in the Lamb’s book.  I encourage you to confess your sins, ask God for forgiveness, and pray that His Spirit would come into your heart and guide you to heaven!

-Pastor David

Community Soup

Due to economic short falls, Olycap, who has been providing Senior meals at the Tri Area Community Center for years, has cut back their meals from five days to three.  Homelessness and hunger are growing in our community.  We are seeking to fill the gap, at least on Tuesday evenings.  Our goal is to feed anyone who is hungry, not just one particular group.  There won’t be questions to answer or paperwork to fill out.  People can come in and have a simple, nutritious meal of soup and bread, and perhaps enjoy a conversation with friendly people (us!).

                 Several people have asked to help, and we need you all!  Surprisingly, this has been on the minds of many of us, so it’s great that we are uniting to help this effort along.  This is all new territory for me, and I welcome all help!  It’s an effort of faith, as there is a zero budget, and I for one, have zero experience in putting something like this together.  It feels like we are learning on our feet!

At this point we have submitted our permit application to the Jefferson County Health Department.  They are questioning whether  our septic system is adequate for the project we are taking on.   We are working on this, and hope to find a solution soon, at little or no expense.  The absence of a three compartment sink in the dishwashing area is also of concern, but they seem willing to work with us on this.

What can you do to help?

· PRAY:  Specifically that the issues with the county permit process will be worked out quickly and we can get started.  Pray for those who are planning to serve, and for the people we will serve.  Pray for the finances.

· Pick up bowls from garage sales, thrift stores, etc.  They don’t need to match.

· Donate financially if you can:  We need $221.00  just to finish the permit process, not including what it might cost to work out the septic issue.  We also need to purchase ingredients and a few other items.

· Get your Food Handler Permit:  this will be required of anyone who wants to work in the kitchen preparing and serving food.  See below for details on how to do this.

· Show up!  We’ll need people to cook, serve and clean up.  We’ll be using our dishwasher, and there will be some instruction on how to use it properly.

· Be willing to post flyers around the community, or even go door to door to get the word out.

There was a meeting on August 27 that was well attended, and since then, several more people have expressed interest in participating.  There’s a sign-up sheet in the foyer for anyone who’s interested.  Please sign up and don’t forget your phone number and email so we can contact you as we get closer.

What we’re thinking so far:

· Operating from 4:00 to 7:00 on Tuesdays

· Praying together as we begin preparation each week, for the blessing on the food, the workers and those we’ll be serving

· 2 shifts of workers:  1 to cook and serve early comers; 1 to serve later comers and do the cleanup, leaving the facility ready for use by OPHC the next day.

· Having a “house soup” and then another that changes weekly

· Tubs on the wheeled carts for people to bus their own dishes

· Sitting with our guests and getting to know them-being a friendly face

· Setting out a donation jar, but not considering donations to be required

Please be praying about this effort to reach out to our community, and consider taking part.  We welcome your help!  -Kim Wilcox

Food Worker Classes, Testing and Cards Now Available Online. Jefferson County Public Health has recently implemented an online option for food workers classes, tests & food worker permit cards. In the past, taking the class required a trip to one of the many locations that the class is offered. With the new option, food workers can take the class & test online, & if they pass the test, they can pay the $10.00 fee electronically by debit or credit card & print out their food worker card. The class is titled “Do it Right, Serve it Safe”. The web address is : https://www.foodworkercard.wa.gov. You can also get a copy of the booklet in the church office.

 Food Worker Classes, Testing and Cards Now Available Online.

Jefferson County Public Health has recently implemented an online option for food workers classes, tests & food worker permit cards. In the past, taking the class required a trip to one of the many locations that the class is offered. With the new option, food workers can take the class & test online, & if they pass the test, they can pay the $10.00 fee electronically by debit or credit card & print out their food worker card. The class is titled “Do it Right, Serve it Safe”.

The web address is :

https://www.foodworkercard.wa.gov.

You can also get a copy of the booklet in the church office.

Food Worker Classes, Testing and Cards Now Available Online. Jefferson County Public Health has recently implemented an online option for food workers classes, tests & food worker permit cards. In the past, taking the class required a trip to one of the many locations that the class is offered. With the new option, food workers can take the class & test online, & if they pass the test, they can pay the $10.00 fee electronically by debit or credit card & print out their food worker card. The class is titled “Do it Right, Serve it Safe”. The web address is : https://www.foodworkercard.wa.gov. You can also get a copy of the booklet in the church office.