COLONIAL CONNECTIONS Are We Healthy? “...Grow up into Him who is the Head... from Him the whole body...grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” E p h e s i a n s 4:15-16 H e a l t h y C h u r ch B o d y ISSUE NUMBER ONE Vo l u m e 5 08 E D I T O R I A L I N F O R M AT I O N For more information about Colonial Connections, contact the magazine staff: Colonial Baptist Church 6051 Tryon Road, Cary, NC 27518 Phone: 919-233-9100 Fax: 919-459-0022 Email: [email protected] C O M M U N I C AT I O N S D I R E C T O R Paul Franitza MANAGING EDITOR April Schweitzer C O M M U N I C AT I O N S T E A M Rishelle Barber Katie Horton Gary Prohaska Angela Clendenin Kelly Lesher Lee Starlin WRITERS Angela Clendenin Brittany Darst Brad Harbaugh Emily Heitman Ben LaCorte Jamie Robinson April Schweitzer Chrissy Unruh PHOTOGRAPHERS and ARTISTS Rubberball Images (cover) Shutterstock (page 3) Paul Franitza (pages 6, 8, 10, 12, back cover) Ginny Payne (14) Kelly Lesher (back cover) “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 COLONIAL CONNECTIONS (USPS #022-193) is published quarterly by Colonial Baptist Church, 6051 Tryon Road, Cary, NC 27518 and is provided free to the membership of Colonial Baptist Church. Periodical postage is paid at Cary, NC 27518 and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Colonial Baptist Church 6051 Tryon Road Cary, North Carolina 27518 Phone: 919-233-9100, ext. 1053 © Copyright 2008 ww w. col oni al.o r g What’s Inside? 3 6 8 10 12 14 15 Time for a Check-up! “A body that is confined to a bed is deteriorating. So…are we sleeping or serving?” Beautiful Feet How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things. (Romans 10:15) Feed Your Mind Colonial’s Library equips the mind to grow in knowledge of the Lord. A Passion for the Word “Teaching becomes a natural extension of having a passion for the Word.” Hands that Hold A woman’s heart is touched by God as the hands of the body reach out to care for her. Time for a Check-up! Heartbeat? Steady. Strong. Mind? Focused. Growing in knowledge. Hands? Arms? Gentle enough to hold a baby. Muscles exercised by carrying one another’s burdens. A clean bill of health? Check for yourself. Wake Up and Get Moving “We realized that we had no idea what we had been missing out on.” Therefore Is your heart healthy? Colonial Connections 3 H e a l t h y C h u r ch b o d y The health of the body of Christ at Colonial Baptist Church depends on the health of each believer who is a part of it. This issue of Connections magazine will consider some of the parts that make up our body. We hope to get you thinking – how do I contribute? How do we preserve our health? Am I healthy? We start with some questions and answers on the health of the church from Pastor Stephen Davey. Q&A with Dr. Davey “There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 12:25-27 Q. We live in a country where the church is continually redefining itself to keep pace with a changing culture . . . yet it seems that more churches than ever are either dwindling or closing down. Why is that? A. It’s true. The membership ranks of the American church are thinning . . . dramatically. One of the books I require my pastoral theology students at Shepherds to read is a startling work by Woodrow Kroll entitled, The Vanishing Ministry. He catalogues much of what’s happening in this country as the church at large faces half-empty sanctuaries and dwindling ministries. It’s hard to imagine that nearly a dozen churches every week in America hang the “out of business” sign on their front door as they close it for the last time. Q. A. So, what is essential to keep that from happening to us? For starters, we have to continually return to the basic instruction manual. When you do, Colonial Connections 4 you quickly discover that numerical growth and the size of the buildings and budgets are neither the goal nor the determining factors of “success.” If that were true, Islam and Mormonism would be at the top of the success chart. In other words, whether or not Colonial has 400 or 4,000 is beside the point. Success is determined by God’s definition, and He’s actually made it pretty obvious for us all to compare our ministry to Scripture. What we discover in the New Testament are characteristics of a church that God would be pleased with such as, the preeminence of Christ, the exposition of Scripture, genuine love for one another, faith for a mission beyond our own property lines, prayer, and giving as the upward responses to God’s grace . . . and that’s just the beginning! By the way, I’m excited to develop this answer further over the course of several weeks as we continue studying God’s evaluation of seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Q. How does the elder team measure how well we’re doing? Q u e s t i o n A. That’s like asking a chef if he loves his own cooking! He will nearly always say, “Of course . . . it’s superb.” Our perspective as an elder team, however, is far from selfcongratulation. As one elder told me recently, “Colonial is thriving everywhere and in need of improvement everywhere!” I agree. Frankly, we have so much to do as we continue to develop, teach, organize, assimilate, and shepherd the flock of God entrusted to our protection and care. We need to continually ask ourselves the hard questions. Are people involved in serving Christ in some specific ministry? I’m excited that we have now passed the 110 ministries mark, requiring 2,100 volunteers. We’re pretty passionate about getting everyone off the bench and on the playing field. Never before have there been so many ways to serve Christ in and through Colonial. For this very reason, we’ve ratcheted up the sense of responsibility for new members to find their ministry location and serve with grace and joy. We believe health as a church family is the same as a healthy physical body. A body that is confined to a bed is deteriorating. So . . . are we sleeping or serving? Another objective question is, are we making a redemptive difference? In other words, are people coming to faith in Christ through our work? Last year we had, on average, one person trusting Christ for salvation every day. We have also found a wonderfully receptive audience with people from every denomination as well as Roman Catholics who are pouring into our church with questions and hunger. Our church is continuing to reach beyond our campus through the radio ministry and is bringing visitors nearly every Sunday who’ve been listening and longing for the exposition of Scripture and a church that’s alive in Christ. I’m currently teaching nearly record numbers of GreenHouse students – from just about every denomination and those who’ve come from Catholicism. Our greatest joy and challenge is to make disciples of these friends who are coming to new and genuine faith in Jesus Christ alone. & A n s w e r But let’s not forget, we have yet to make a dent in a town where 75% of its citizens do anything on Sunday but go to church – anywhere! One of my favorite authors and mentors in ministry, John MacArthur, wrote this intriguing thought: “Fellowship, teaching and praise are not the mission of the church but are rather the preparation of the church to fulfill its mission of winning the lost – it is through participation in God’s redemptive plan that believers themselves most glorify God.” Q. A. How easy is it for us as a church family to focus on past accomplishments? Too easy. So we need to keep asking the tough question – are we delivering the gospel to our world? Are we indeed glorifying God by participation in the redemptive plan of the gospel? Our pastors and leaders have spent a lot of time in recent weeks talking about three key words to describe ministry at Colonial: developmental (building disciples), redemptive (sharing the gospel) and relational (connecting people). At least one of these should be reflected in anything we do. We’ve also been challenged to evaluate our own departments of ministry and determine if there is a balanced offering of these three key areas. Q. With so many new people attending, how do we stay on track with our mission to glorify Christ in all these areas? A. Well, for starters, let’s keep our authority in clear view – with commitment. Sola Scriptura isn’t carved into my pulpit to prove I know a little Latin. It means “the scriptures alone” and is vitally significant as we allow the scriptures to steer us through the maze of change, growth, pressure and challenge. God has spoken – and it directly relates to who we are and what we do today – and in future generations. Secondly, let’s embrace change – with grace. We’re heading into a spring and summer of changes – our church is adding new people to Colonial Connections 5 the family and new staff members to the team. It takes effort and patience to incorporate new people, new schedules, new problems, and new personnel. Let’s be marked by graciousness toward others. Finally, let’s serve one another – with humility. Paul’s letters make it abundantly clear that unity is more than happy smiles at 10:45 or coffee at my house with a group of people I like. Biblical unity is the result of shared vision. It is the fruit of humble believers considering others more important than themselves. This is the humility of Christ heading to the cross for the sheer joy of knowing a Body will be birthed and a Bride gathered for eternal unity, service and worship. Q. What can we do as individual believers to help keep our church body at Colonial healthy? A. Check your pride at the door. Offer to help someone do something every time you come – from opening the door to teaching kids or holding babies. Sing as loudly as you can. Give as much as you can. Turn your cell phones off. Bring your Bible to church and check me out every time I preach, then read it regularly at home and at work. Healthy church members make a healthy church. While you’re at it, pray as often as you can for one another and those of us in leadership. And keep looking for Christ’s appearing – and living as if it could be today . . . don’t forget our future is going to be absolutely breathtaking. So, let’s stay the course for the glory of Christ. I love you, Colonial family, and I’m so grateful to be one of your pastors, feet H e a Theological l t h y C h u Seminary r ch B o d Shepherds Colonial Connections 6 y E V A N G E L IS M beautiful feet P aul praises a part of the body that rarely gets any respect when he declares, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.” (Romans 10:15) One of the special things about Kathy McCallum is that she knows she isn’t special at all – at least when it comes to having Beautiful Feet. “I was shy growing up and thought never could I approach someone about the Gospel,” admits Kathy, “but the Lord helped me overcome that.” Looking back, Kathy will say that the more she stepped out in faith, the more God granted her the confidence she lacked. “God knows where we need to be stretched,” she continues, “and He puts us in situations He knows will stretch us.” But Kathy also realizes that she was “stretchable” because she truly wanted to obey. “It comes down to: Am I going to be obedient or disobedient?” says Kathy. “Thoughts run through your mind in the heat of battle, but only after experiencing victory do you realize that the battleground was in your head all along.” Kathy knows the mind can be the worst place to pick a fight because we make our opponent as big as our imaginations will allow. But Kathy’s feet didn’t always take her where God wanted her to go. “I would see someone sitting alone at a park bench or an airport terminal and ponder the opportunity until it went away.” She says, “I’d rationalize that I needed to get my run in, or the plane was about to board. Sometimes when I did engage the person in conversation they seemed so polite I decided they just had to be Christians already.” “Then the window would close with not a mention of Jesus…and I wouldn’t feel very good about myself.” But her reluctance came from fear and her fear from not being equipped. “I knew this is what I was supposed to be doing but I didn’t have the words,” Kathy says. “The desire to evangelize was there inside me,” placed securely by the Holy Spirit, “but what do I say to people? What will their reaction be?” Kathy recalls, “All I knew was that I didn’t want it to be this way anymore, but I didn’t know how to fix it.” In Kathy’s heart burned the searing questions that Paul put to the brethren in Romans 10:14: “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?” The distance between where she was and where she knew God wanted her weighed heavily. Out of a deep yearning to be obedient Kathy prayed to her Savior and confided in her family. Finally through the mouths of her children came the liberating logos that rang in her ears. “Mom you need to take EE.” That moment stood still as the turning point when Kathy McCallum’s feet took on a new luster. Now, years later, Kathy truly appreciates what the program has done for her. “The Evangelism Explosion (EE) training program taught me how to tell people about Jesus,” she says, “in an organized way.” And what of the fear? “Knowing there’s a safety net to catch me gave me the confidence to boldly tell people about my risen Lord. Now when God puts me in different circumstances, I can be obedient.” As Kathy says, ”And once you’ve been through this, you’ll always have it with you.” Kathy McCallum is no “superChristian.” She’d be the first to confess how difficult it is to register for each new semester of EE. “I still struggle every time to sign up,” she admits transparently. “All the fleshly arguments come back into play. Where am I going to find three hours every week for thirteen straight weeks?” How does Kathy cope with this? “When I first started in Evangelism Explosion, I never thought I had the time. Of course I did, I just didn’t think I did.” She jokes. “Now I know better.” To Kathy and other graduates of EE training, learning how to share the Good News opens doors to great joy. There is the removal of self-made borders, which provides freedom to an ever-heightened level of obedience. There is the abundant life that comes from walking through Colonial Connections 7 the center of God’s will. And there is the satisfying experience of stepping out in faith, and being personally fitted by God’s loving hand with a new and beautiful pair of feet. … those feet look just fine… Written by Ben LaCorte Ben and his wife Brenda and three children live in Cary. A student at Shepherds and an ABF co-teacher, Ben aspires to full-time ministry. Step Out in Faith L ast summer I visited an old friend in New York. She told me that when she was little she would tell people that she was 69 years old. Once a lady told her perhaps she would only live to be 69. My friend laughed and reminded me that she only had a few more months of being 69. So I asked her, “Do you know where you are going when you die?” She said that she hoped she was going to heaven because she had lived a pretty good life and believed in God.Here was my chance to share how she could know for sure that she would go to heaven! I told her that heaven is a free gift that we can’t earn by being good. We don’t deserve this gift because we are all sinners. God loves us, but He is holy and must punish sins. God’s Son is our solution. Jesus Christ, who is fully man and fully God, died on the cross for us and then rose to be in Heaven to wait for those of us who will trust in Him. My friend was open to listening, and thanked me for sharing with her. About a month later I received a card from her in the mail saying that she had received Christ as her Savior. God provides opportunities when we’re willing to obey. Written by April Rehbein April has a pet-sitting business and lives in Cary. She enjoys serving Colonial through Evangelism Explosion and Widows Might. C h u r ch mind H e a l t h y Colonial Connections 8 b o d y L e a r n i n g feed your mind T he Colonial Library equips the mind of the church body as we grow in our knowledge of the Lord. Church library. If you’re thinking dusty theological tomes and a place that’s quiet as a tomb, you haven’t checked out Colonial’s Library. “There’s no shushing in the Colonial Library,” says Sharon Fitzpatrick, Colonial’s Library Director. And she means it! “We want our library to be a place where you can find fresh new resources as well as the classics of the faith.” But she doesn’t think you should have to tip toe around while you search. Sharon has been involved with Colonial’s library since it opened in 2001 and has served as Director since 2004. As Director, Sharon trains a volunteer staff of more than thirty, oversees the selection of materials, answers patrons’ questions, and makes shift assignments. Sharon is proud of the fact that the new library offers readers a modern and roomy place to browse, comfortable spaces to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while perusing materials as well as faster lines and more open hours. “Above all we are a ministry,” Sharon says. That means being available. Sharon has fond memories of church libraries growing up. “The library was a meeting place for my family and I remember having a sense of belonging when I was there. I want our library to be a haven where people can meet and visit while browsing the shelves,” says Sharon. That’s why she enforces a strict “No Shushing” policy. No stern looks when an enthusiastic preschooler runs up to Mom shouting, “Look at the book I found!” Creating a welcoming atmosphere is a priority for all the library volunteers. “My passion is to help people find resources that will encourage and support them throughout the week,” asserts Sharon. All of the volunteers are happy to make recommendations to help everyone find what they need, whether that might be a good read for a long flight or study materials for a Sunday School class. Frank and Suzanne Strider, long-time volunteers, say, “People are quick to tell us how much they’ve enjoyed a book we recommended.” Sharon knows, “A library isn’t just about books, it’s about what books can do in people’s lives.” Books can connect with our hearts and minds in a unique way. “Everything in the library needs to encourage, edify and equip believers as well as those investigating Christianity,” says Sharon. Sharon receives comments weekly about how a resource has had impact, like the email from one woman who shared how a book she’d checked out helped her share her faith with a friend who then came to know the Lord. Pastor Scott Wylie, who provides oversight for the Library Ministry, agrees that library resources have impact. “God chose to reveal Himself to us through the written Word – the Scriptures. So we must read and study the Bible. In addition to that, we have preserved for us in books the insight and wisdom of Christians who have gone before us. People who are growing theologically are, more often than not, people who are reading great books.” Listening to great messages and reading great books, in addition to time spent with God in His Word, are some of the practices that facilitate spiritual growth. Those who visit the library will, of course, discover many great books here, but they may be surprised to also find a wealth of sermons on CD, and videos and dvds for education and enjoyment. Some of the more than 10,000 resources have been donated, though many have been purchased in an effort to ensure that the newest and most requested selections are available. All resources are considered safe for your family. Volunteers review everything to make sure that it’s doctrinally sound, even labeling materials that have minor differences from Colonial’s doctrine with a special label to caution the reader. Colonial Connections 9 “I’ve visited dozens of church libraries,” says Pastor Wylie, “and I’ve never seen a library as well-stocked and as professionally run as Colonial’s. It’s an amazing blessing.” So now you’re ready to check it out, but you might be wondering how to get there. The library is located on the first floor of the new Children’s Center at the end of the hall. Of course, that could give the impression that the library is for children – but more than half of the resources are for adults. Pastor Wylie points out that, “Unless you have kids, it may seem like the library is on the way to nowhere.” But there is a plan. When the new Worship Center is built the library will be on the main thoroughfare for those going to services. Stop by the library to set up an account and you can begin checking out books. The library is open to the Colonial family and the local community. Books can also be reserved online at http://library.colonial.org/ opac/colonial. Written by Angela Clendenin Angela is a staff writer and editor for Colonial. She and her husband Gary have three children: Hannah, Martha and Sam. The Paul K. Jackson Library C olonial is also home to the Paul K. Jackson Library, the library of Shepherds Theological Seminary located in the Administrative Center. The Jackson Library houses more than 19,000 volumes including commentaries on the Bible and discourses on theology, apologetics, church history and pastoral office. Journals and online resources are also available. The library serves seminary students and members of Colonial. If you wish to check out books, you will need to register for a separate account from the Colonial Library. mouth H e a l t h y C h u r ch B o d y S h o r t T Te ea rc mh i Mn i gs s i o n s a passion for the word Colonial Connections 10 C olonial has been blessed with many who are gifted in teaching and speaking as the “mouth” of this body. From the pulpit to the preschool, Colonial’s teachers stand on the solid foundation of God’s Word. You may have never thought of yourself as a teacher. In fact, you might not have thought of yourself as much of a student either. But Vimal Patel sees it differently. “We’re all teachers,” he says. “The opportunity to instruct is part of the growth process…Teaching becomes a natural extension of having a passion for the Word. As we are excited about what we are learning… we talk about what we have learned.” You might just tell a friend or your spouse. Or you might tell your kids something that God has taught you. But for some, like Vimal, teaching is a gift from God to guide others as they learn God’s Word. Vimal teaches the Adventures in Marriage class, an Adult Bible Fellowship for young marrieds and families. Currently, the class is studying Colossians. “We are learning that marriage is the doing of Christ and is for the display of Christ, therefore we’re motivated to submit and love in our roles,” Vimal says. But the class is not just about marriage. Vimal teaches expositionally, starting with Scripture rather than bouncing from topic to topic with a few Bible quotes dropped in. “I try not to get into the latest, greatest theological or social topic of the day. Really, if I’m handling the Word of God accurately, those issues will be dealt with along the way.” As Vimal prepares his lesson, he uses an interesting technique to focus on the passage he’s preparing to teach. He handwrites the verses. “I learned this in college from my Bible study leader. In college, you have to read everything so fast to get it done. But with Scripture you want it to sink in and simmer. He showed me that writing out Scripture forces you to slow down and see what God is saying and make observations in the text that sometimes you just pass right by because we read it so fast thinking we know it already.” Vimal learned a lot from that Bible study leader, a staffer with Campus Crusade for Christ. It was from observing him teach and live God’s Word that Vimal began to consider teaching the Bible himself. Vimal honed his skill as a teacher serving with Campus Crusade for Christ. He and his wife Tabatha both began serving full-time in 1996. They spent 10 years with the ministry, working around the world in places as far off as Central Asia and Slovakia and also closer to home in Memphis, Tennessee where they were responsible for launching the Campus Crusade ministry. “As people came to Christ or even if they had been believers, we wanted to teach these college students who they were in Christ, to put off the old self and put on the new self,” Vimal says. That same teaching is vital to young couples in the ABF as they face the challenges of marriage and parenting. It’s hard to handle a new role without embracing who you are in Christ and putting Him first in your life. As Vimal and Tabatha work to do just that as young parents of two little girls, they focus on God’s Word as the basis and motivation for how to live. “We are trying to teach our two-anda-half year old Scripture verses…We try – the key word is try – to discipline with Scripture on our tongue so she begins to understand that she is disobeying God. If we can teach her Scripture and not just our thoughts, our rules, what we want her to do, it will have a lot more impact.” And it already does. When Rachel woke up in the middle of the night crying from a nightmare, she told her daddy the verse that she had learned that week, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3) Then she went back to sleep on her own. That’s what it’s all about for a teacher – seeing students, at any age, learn to go to God’s Word for Colonial Connections 11 themselves to find the answers. “We tend to take what someone says and consider it truth. ‘If someone says it up in front in our ABF or in our pulpit, then it must be true’ is probably the predominant thought today,” Vimal says. “Initially that isn’t harmful at a church like Colonial because we have such tremendous teaching. But people do that with radio stations, books, websites…We have to learn to mine the nuggets of truth out for ourselves rather than graze off of other people’s lessons.” And when you do, you just might find something so exciting that you can’t wait to share it with someone else. And so you’ll teach too. Written by Jamie Robinson Jamie Robinson and his wife Stacy live in Apex and have two boys. James works at NC State University. Written by April Schweitzer April Schweitzer is a staff writer and editor for Colonial. She lives in Cary with her husband Jon and two children, Ruby and Alezander. What is an ABF? Y ou might think of Adult Bible Fellowships as Sunday School for adults. If you did, you’d be missing a big part of the picture. Adult Bible Fellowships are like small churches within the larger church. Ranging in size from a dozen or so to more than 100, they break the congregation into smaller groups for learning, and also for caring, serving and connecting with one another. If you aren’t involved in an ABF, plan to visit one this week. You can pick up the schedule and room locations at a welcome desk or look at the Adult Ministries page at www.colonial.org. C h u r ch hands H e a l t h y Colonial Connections 12 B o d y S e r v i n g hand s that hold I t was a warm summer day in June, 2003. Anne DeDecker was looking forward to some good news from her doctor. She’d been tired lately, but that was to be expected, she thought. The call came, and indeed she was pregnant. But there was something else – something very wrong with her blood counts. She needed to come in for another blood test. Up until now, this young mother had been passing her days biking and swimming with her children. She had the typical family concerns: finances, jobs, childrearing…but in general, life had been good. Now, with just one phone call, all normalcies faded…and looming over her was a mysterious giant known as Aplastic Anemia. Aplastic Anemia is a rare disease in which bone marrow fails to make red and white cells, and platelets. Platelets are essential for clotting the blood and keeping the body from bleeding to death. The average person has at least 150,000, but Anne’s blood test showed a count of only 15,000. The only cure for Aplastic Anemia is a grueling regimen of Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) or a bone marrow transplant. Since these cures are known to seriously injure and kill an unborn baby, Anne’s doctors initially focused on bringing up her platelet count with daily transfusions. But she showed little improvement. Her counts remained dangerously low, hovering between 3,000 and 10,000. Anne’s low platelet count put her at high risk for a brain hemorrhage. The doctors grew increasingly worried, and warned Anne and her husband, Mike, that a decision regarding the pregnancy was imminent. But the couple decided to wait, believing that the Lord would heal her and save their baby. Anne found inspiration in Isaiah 46:11, “…What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” On the morning of July 7, 2003, Anne woke up with a massive headache. Mike rushed her to the hospital…she was having a brain hemorrhage. Once she was stable, her doctor sat down with her and wept. The facts were clear: she needed the treatment or she would die. She would lose the baby. They were beside themselves with grief, but they knew eight-year-old Caroline and six-yearold Gregory needed their mother. In her journal, Anne wrote: “You came near when I called you and you said do not fear: O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:57-58 Over the next four months, Anne received two rounds of ATG. Both treatments failed. December arrived and doctors began preparations for the bone marrow transplant that would ultimately save her life. It would be a 100-day ordeal, much of it spent away from her children. But the Lord had already put in place the resources and the people to care for Anne and her family. Colonial’s Care Ministry had been providing meals throughout Anne’s illness. “I would go to Duke four or five days a week and wouldn’t return home until around 4:00 pm. It was always wonderful to come home and have a meal ready for us,” Anne says. “We had so many people sign up to bring meals, and at that time, we didn’t really know that many people at the church. We just felt the body taking care of us through the meals and cards, and it wasn’t just me, but my whole family being cared for.” Friends and relatives flew in from other states to be caregivers. They organized prayer vigils and fundraisers to make it possible for Mike to take unpaid leave from work. When none of Anne’s relatives turned out to be a match for the bone marrow transplant, her children’s school, Farmington Woods Elementary, organized a blood drive to find a donor. The outpouring of love from the church and community was overwhelming. The bone marrow transplant was a success, and today, Anne is healthy. She now serves as a coordinator for Heart and Hands, the ministry that provides meals and encouragement Colonial Connections 13 to families like hers. “I decided to get involved because I saw how amazing it is in people’s lives to get a meal or a card,” she says. “With so many people in our church, people just assume that there’s enough volunteers, but we have a huge need…all you have to do is make a meal.” Until you’re in that place of need, it’s hard to realize how a little of your time and effort can truly help others bear their burdens. “I never realized how much a card meant for encouragement,” Anne says. During her illness, she received “stacks and stacks” of them, many from people who had suffered through illness and loss and knew how to speak to what she was living. There is so much that looks different on the other side of a crisis. Anne is forever changed. Deeply humbled by the Lord’s faithfulness, she does not regret a single day of her suffering. She shares these words from her journal, “Only through suffering have I seen what Christ can do. The Lord has shown me what grace is…I have learned that the Lord is sufficient. Lord, I love Psalm 30: 11-12…’you turned my wailing into dancing. You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever.’ I press my face into the sand, Lord. I am yours. Love you, Anne” Written by Chrissy Unruh Chrissy Unruh is a freelance writer. She and her husband Ted have been attending Colonial for four years and live in Cary with their three children: Matt, Caroline and Josh. Get Involved! C onsider serving as hands that bring hope and encouragement to those in need. To get involved in Heart and Hands, contact Care Ministries at 233-9100. H e a l t h y C h u r ch B o d y : F e a t u r e d T e s t i m o n y Wake Up and Get Moving! “We really overlooked the importance of the body of Christ. We’re inco mplete without that connection.” I know I should get involved, it’s just that…” One step on that path was finding a church where they could serve. On the first Sunday they visited Colonial, volunteers from nearly every ministry were lined up in front of the stage talking about what they did. “God was answering our prayers,” Jon says. A few weeks later they joined an ABF, then their daughter Ruby was born. Members of the Couples Under Construction class and the Heart and Hands Ministry brought meals to their home. Ruth Ann Camplin from the New Mom’s Ministry stopped by with a Bible and plaque for little Ruby and took the time to pray with April. These acts of kindness “showed us that Colonial was a living body of Christ. It was genuine. It made the big church seem small right away,” Jon says. “I’m so humbled when I think about how merciful God was to pull us out of that daze and breathe life back into us,” April says. “Serving the body of Christ is an honor that I’ve proven I don’t deserve. I’m just glad He put us where we are, so we can do what we can.” Since joining Colonial, Jon and April have found unique fits for the gifts God has given them. Jon has acted onstage, while April has served behind-the-scenes on several productions. They have both spent multiple semesters in Evangelism Explosion and help out with Outreach Ministries whenever they can. April now works part-time on staff at Colonial as the editor for Connections Magazine. They are both grateful for the relationships they’ve formed while serving as a part of the body at Colonial. “This is such a family to us. When you serve alongside someone, the relationships are all the stronger,” April says. “When we came to Colonial, we hoped to grow in the Lord,” Jon says, “but after we got here, we realized that we had no idea what we had been missing out on.” It’s so easy to make excuses. In our walk with the Lord, we can be tempted to coast along on our biblical knowledge and pat ourselves on the back with the memory of good deeds from the past. But what are we doing to serve the Lord today? Jon and April Schweitzer remember a time when they would have struggled for an answer. “We were like the appendix of the body,” says April Schweitzer. After moving from Virginia in 2001, Jon and April Schweitzer began looking for a church. Within a few months, they settled in to a church and into a pattern of just coming to the worship service. “We never really got to know anyone,” Jon says. “We exchanged pleasantries with people, but that was about it.” “We got comfortable with being lazy,” April says. “We really overlooked the importance of the body of Christ. We’re incomplete without that connection.” “Our church involvement was really a reflection of our spiritual walks,” explains Jon. “That’s true,” April says. “At that time, I felt like I was treading water. I knew Jesus, but I wasn’t moving any closer to Him.” God had a plan to wake these two up. “When we found out we were expecting our first child,” April says, “we both started thinking about how someone would be watching us and how we lived our lives. We wanted our love for Christ to permeate everything.” “We realized that what we told our children would have a 10 percent impact,” Jon says, “but what they saw us doing would be 90 percent. We needed to take our spiritual lives more seriously because we were going to be responsible for someone else.” Colonial Connections 14 Therefore… Give attention to your heart! T he heart is the most fascinating aspect of a human being. It defines you: “for as he thinketh in his heart; so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) It deceives you: “the heart is… desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) It drives you: “love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Deuteronomy 6:5) And without intentional action to protect, it debilitates you: “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) The Bible describes three intentional actions, or spiritual cardio, for a healthy heart. 1. Be analytical Ask God to search your heart and give you a sensitivity to the smallest sin in your life. (See Psalm 139:23-24) Then settle that which is between you and God. (I John 1:9) Sin is a big deal and needs to be addressed everyday to keep your heart healthy. 2. Be available Revelation 3:20 describes the scene of Jesus knocking on the heart’s door of a believer, wanting to share lunch. The believer in the verse was unavailable. What did unavailability produce in the Laodicea believers? It produced a deceptive “pseudo Christianity” that caused them to be out of touch with reality, crippled by self-sufficiency and fruitless in their ministry. Availability is enjoying the company of your Lord on the mountaintops and on the tough seas! 3. Be aerobic “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) The Hebrew word delight is a command which means “enjoy.” Here it tells you to “enjoy God.” This is an intentional action, not a passive waiting! It is an increase in your respiration to enjoy God! Let me put it this way… Intentionally be active to put yourself in the place to be captivated by God. Where are those places? Under His authority, in His service, at peace with others, and in His Word. When you do that, there is a reciprocal result. God will place within your heart His desires – desires that lead you to fulfill God’s desired purpose for your life. Regular “spiritual cardio” means God is most glorified and you are most satisfied, most at peace, most content, most effective in ministering to others, and most in touch with reality! The local body of Christ needs heart-healthy believers. Be analytical, be available and be aerobic! Written by Emily Heitman Written by Brad Harbaugh Emily serves in Colonial Corners and Middle School growth groups. She lives in Cary, and her hobbies include: Starbucks. Brad Harbaugh is the Pastor for Single Adult, Senior Adult, Carpenters for Christ and Women’s Ministries. He and his wife Robin live in Raleigh and have four children: Andrew, Megann, Joshua and Rebecca. H e a l t h y C h u r ch B o d y Kay McDowell Cindy Cain When Kay McDowell came to the area four years ago, joining Colonial’s Newcomers class helped her adjust. Now, Kay leads the Newcomers class and serves as a Sunday morning greeter. She says, “I pray I can be that friendly face that says, ‘come on in, you are loved and wanted here.’ ” Kay and her husband Harvey have two children, Lauren and Mic. As a medical assistant at a local family practice, Cindy Cain provides love and encouragement to the sick. She says,“My prayer is that they will see Jesus in me.” She is also a member of Colonial’s Celebration Choir. Cindy and her husband Lee enjoy spending time with their two new grandsons. faces faces G o d ’ s P e o pl e , O u r F am i l y Bob Block Bob Block recently participated in four semesters of Evangelism Explosion and also helps in the GreenHouse class. At work, he teaches a Bible study for his employees. Bob says, “The most rewarding part of my involvement at Colonial has been the blessing of being a small part of a great work that the Lord has done.” Bob’s wife Barb and daughter Ali are both involved with Worship Ministries. John Couillard Brian Bubar Through rain and shine, John Couillard serves in the Colonial parking lot on Sunday mornings as a member of the Heir Traffic Control team. He is glad that “God has enabled me to help people in the parking lot with parking spaces and questions about Colonial.” John and his wife Suzanne have five children: Rachel, Joseph, Andrew, Philip and Lydia. Brian Bubar uses his instrumental skills for God’s glory, playing piano, trumpet and synthesizer for Colonial’s orchestra. “It is exciting to be a part of a ministry that has developed so dramatically over the last several years,” he says. When not at church or spending time with his wife Joyce and children Melody and Jeffrey, Brian works as a manufacturing manager for Berk-Tek, a supplier of fiber optic cable products. n Compiled by Brittany Darst and Cathy Frank PERIODICAL U.S. POSTAGE 6051 Tryon Road Cary, NC 27518 w w w. c o l o n i a l . o r g PAID RALEIGH, NC
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