FEBRUA
RY
/MARCH 2015
K NAPPS S TATION N EWS
THE NEWSLETTER OF KNAPPS STATION COMMUNITY CHURCH
The Mission of Knapps
Station Community Church
is to invite and equip those
who wishIS
to HERE!
become fully
SPRING
devoted followers of Christ.
Scripture for 2015:
“Blessed is the nation
whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for
his inheritance.”
—Psalm 33:12
Knapps Station Community
Church
3035 County Route 47,
PO Box 54
Norwood, New York 13668
Pastor Leon Sweeney
Home Phone: 353-8872
Cell Phone: 212-3085
Email:
kscchurch@
centralny.twcbc.com
www.knappsstation.org
Services
Sunday Morning at 9:15
Wednesday Evening at 7:00
Church School for children
and adults following the
Sunday Service
Newsletter Editor:
Amanda Fogg
Email:
[email protected]
“The effect of the simple yet profound truth that God loves
me is huge. Within the confidence of his love, there is no need
for worry. I no longer need to impress anyone. There is no
need for despair over my circumstances. If I am sure that God
loves me, I am confident he will work and keep working on my
behalf. I can pray with assurance, preach with confidence,
smile with sincerity, obey without concern for my own welfare,
follow faithfully in the presence of trial or darkness, and share
generously. When I know God’s love, I can be strong against
temptation, stand unmoving in the midst of persecution, and
remain unafraid in the presence of danger. When I understand
love, I’m free from the bondage of the past, the anxiety of the
present, and fear of the future.
If you understand God’s love for you, really understand it,
you will change the world.
Knowing divine love’s sacrifice enables me to sacrifice. My
time, my need for convenience, and my comfort are all on the
altar. The soul that is confident in the Father’s love is a soul at
rest, a soul who needs not be concerned with the opinions of
others and is free to enjoy creation as it was intended, a gift for
our pleasure. The believer who is secure in God’s love is a
powerful force, an effective witness, and encouragement to
fellow Christians. So what if illness, poverty, or unwanted
circumstances come our way? They cannot defeat the soul
whose anchor is the love of God.”
1
--Written by Harry Kraus, MD in
The Cure
Letters
Pastor’s Corner
will marry someday! Are you the kind of man you
want your daughter to marry? Good food for thought!
I listened to a teaching this past week about using our
voices for God. As Christians, we tend to be silent and
too quiet about our faith for fear of being laughed at,
rejected, or whatever. But while we are silent, there
are voices being loud. And not all of them, or very few
of them are for God. In our silence as Christians, the
enemy is using his voice and people are listening. Our
American government is very vocal, but not for God.
In our silence, the morals in this country are going
down the tubes. Our government is killing our unborn
babies at alarming rates, and the greatest numbers of
abortions are in the 11 to 15 age range! We are being
forced to accept same-sex marriages. We are losing
our rights to choose our own doctors and hospitals.
Parent’s rights are being lost as the government steps
in and tells us how to raise our children. The list can
go on and on. Our silence is killing America. If we
don’t stand up for Jesus, who will? Our children are
listening to voices, are they yours or a voice you do
not want them to hear? Dads and moms both, you
need to step up to the plate and be the parents God
needs you to be. You need to start your children out
with Jesus while they are still young and still believe in
you as parents. The longer you wait to teach them
about God and attending church on Sundays, the
more difficult it will be as the world’s values will
become theirs and peer pressure more important to
them than parents. We need to talk with our children,
not at them. Dads, a date night with your daughters
with a heart-to-heart talk about your expectations is
so important. You need to establish these
relationships as early as possible. I know this all
sounds like a lot to think about. Some of you will
think it is crazy and you have no intention of believing
it, and some will truly get it! My prayer for our
families is that you all get it and take it seriously. Take
a real look at this world and make your choices. I pray
you chose Jesus as Lord of your Life and Home. Dads,
be the spiritual leader of your home now, before you
lose your families to this world.
God bless the church family!
As your leader, I write this for the newsletter with a
heart that is full of JOY. May the peace that passes all
worldly understanding be with you. For those who are
concerned about jobs, family, relationships, health, or
whatever, learn to lay them at the foot of the cross.
And when you lay them at the foot of the cross, do
not pick them back up. You will truly see God’s hand
at work. Praise to all who have done whatever God
has asked of you through those God has chosen to ask
you. Thank you for doing your part.
A New Year, a new day. Is your
heart full and ready for the LORD?
Your pastor’s heart is ready!
Your Pastor,
Lee
A Note from the Pastor’s Wife:
I hope this finds you all enjoying these beautiful
winter days God has given us. The purity of the white
snow against the stark browns of the trees and deep
green of the evergreens is God’s beauty at its finest.
We need to treasure these crisp days when the
summer sun gets so hot and muggy we cannot
breath. But enough of the weather! God, as in the
past, has placed it on my heart a deep concern and
caring for all our young families. My husband and I
viewed the movie “Courageous” once again this past
weekend. Every time we watch this movie it moves us
even more to an understanding of the importance of
the men in our homes and in the lives of our children.
God has given husbands and dads an incredible
position in the lives of our families, and not to be
taken lightly. Statistics have shown that a huge
percentage of people in our jails are coming from
fatherless homes. It is almost epidemic proportions
the men who just walk away from their families or are
home but not there mentally. For you dads, you are
the role model for your daughters for the man they
Love you all,
Donna Sweeney
2
Letters (cont.)
Sherman if you can volunteer some time to shovel the
walks if needed. Love to hear the Sunday school
children (and adults) singing the first Sunday of every
month in the Sanctuary. Back to the monthly
executive board meetings - we meet the second
Thursday morning at 0845 in the meeting room. If
you have any concerns or issues please contact an
executive board member or come to the meeting.
Remember this is your church and your church family.
Note from Elder Kenny
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind so that you
may prove what is the good and perfect will of God,
that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
—Romans 12:2
We have been studying “The Battle Field of the Mind”
by Joyce Meyer on Wednesday nights. It is proving to
be a great eye opener to how our minds can deceive
us and keep us trapped. We are learning to walk in
victory and taking captivity of our thoughts.
Sharon Bearce
From the Editor
God is such an awesome God.
It is both a privilege and a challenge to produce
these newsletters. It has been and continues to be my
goal to put out a newsletter that best represents the
mission of KSCC: to invite and equip those who wish
to become fully devoted followers of Christ.
In addition to important church news and
information, I try to include material for spiritual
growth and perspective. This includes relevant and
interesting Christian articles, news, resources, and
inspiration. Here is where you can help! I can only find
and read so much on my own. Have you read a book
recently that really spoke to you and you think others
would benefit from reading it too? Write a book
review! Have you read an article, come across a
website, or listened to a song and thought to tell
others about it? Tell us! If you have anything you think
would help others in their spiritual walk by reading
about it in this newsletter, please, submit it for
consideration!
Submissions for the next newsletter would be
appreciated by March 31st.
Blessings to all of you in this New Year.
I’m just a phone call away if I can help you in any way
In Christ’s love,
Kenny Ashley
Administrative Board Chair
The shift to monthly executive board meetings has
helped to keep us on track better. The church is
growing and there are many ministries, plus general
upkeep to monitor and make sure everything runs
smoothly. It also helps to deal with small problems
before they become big problems. Library is done
and more books and movies are arriving all the time.
Money from the memorial fund will purchase books
for parenting, children and adolescents - there are
very few of those at this time. Nomination committee
is meeting and working on filling the slate. After
Pastor’s approval it will be posted and at that time
you may write in names for the various offices. Once
the slate is completed there will be no names added
at the annual meeting in May. Keep in mind that the
budget meeting is coming up in March and be
prepared if your ministry requests funds. Search
committee continues to meet and I think we need to
give them a pat on the back for all the time and effort
they have put into this project so far. Please see Jim
Happy Reading,
Amanda Fogg
[email protected]
3
Notices
Prayer Box: Just a note to remind you of the prayer box in the back of the sanctuary. It is reading and
waiting for your requests. We have a prayer team of warriors that prayer each day over them.
Blessings, Betsy Ashley
Knapps Station Community Church Men’s Groups: A fellowship of sharing God’s love and concerns for others.
We meet the first Tuesday of each month at the church at 7PM. We also have an 8AM ecumenical breakfast
on the first Saturday of each month at our church. All men of all churches are welcome. Each Wednesday at
5:30AM a group of men fellowship in the Pastor’s office. We’re here to help the needs of God’s people with
His blessing. Your Brother in Christ, Hugh Bearce
Ladies Group: Here we are heading on into spring already and another new year. Lots to look forward too I am
sure. For those of you who are not familiar with the ladies group. We meet the first Tuesday of every month
at 7:00 Pm. We have many activities throughout the year. Our monthly meetings consist of a time of sharing
our pledge to serve and sharing a little spiritual uplift. We plan for our cleaning bees, luncheons and the
dinners we serve to the public in June and September. We support Helping hands and other concerns. We
support each other which strengthens us to serve others. Come and join us! If you have any questions please
give me a call: 353-2742—Betsy Ashley
Church Library: The church library is now open! It is located off the foyer, next to the nursery. This room is also
currently used by our youngest Sunday School group right after church, so plan your visit accordingly. A
variety of Christian books, including fiction, non-fiction, Bible studies and more are available. Christian
movies and music have also been donated for you to borrow. There are no sign out cards, only the honor
system. If anyone has books they would like to donate to the church, please contact Sharon Bearce before
dropping them off as space is limited.
Thursday Bible Study: Our Thursday Bible Study meets at 10:00 AM each week. We are currently doing a study
called “1 Corinthians, The Challenges of Life Together”. This is a thirteen-week study discussing the
relationship between Paul and the church at Corinth, also relating to life in today’s churches. All are
welcome to join at any time.
Worship Team: The worship team gathers at 6:00 PM, just prior to the Wednesday evening service, to practice for
the Sunday morning worship time. People are always welcome to join any time but are encouraged to
attend the practice on Wednesday if possible. This is a wonderful time of fellowship and a great time to sing
Praises to God.
Ministry of Meals: The Ministry of Meals is standing by waiting for the opportunity to serve. If
anyone knows of a need, please contact Pastor Lee or myself. Thank you to all the helping
hands that have made all of this possible. If you wish to participate in making meals for
those in need, please contact me and you will gladly be added to the list of helpers.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful. And
let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.”
Betsy Ashley 353-2742
Book Club: Our book club has not met on a regular basis the past few months. We do hope to get together soon
and discuss the previous two books and start a new one. Any questions please see Donna Sweeney.
4
An Excerpt from “New Morning Mercies”
A daily gospel devotional by Paul David Tripp
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Unlike human love, which is often fickle and temporary,
God’s love never fails, no matter what.
I love Psalm 136. I love all of the psalms, but Psalm 136 blows me away every time I read it. I love the repetition
that make this psalm stand out from all the others. I love the fact that Psalm 136 is a history psalm that, because of
its refrain, gets turned into a love poem. I love that it affirms again and again what we desperately need to hear
again and again—not once or twice, but twenty-six times! Now, I think that whenever God speaks, you and I should
humbly shut up and listen, but I also think that we should pay careful attention to those places where God chooses
to repeat himself, and even more so when he repeats himself so many times!
Why does God repeat, over and over through the pen of the psalmist, “for his steadfast love endures forever”?
there are two answers to this question.
First, there is no reality more radical and foundational to a biblical worldview and a personal sense of identity than
this. What is the biblical story? It’s the story of a God of love invading the world in the person of his Son of love to
establish his kingdom of love by a radical sacrifice of love, to forgive us in love and draw us into his family of love,
and to send us out as ambassadors of the very same love. The entire hope of fallen humanity rests on this one
thing—that there is a Savior who is eternally steadfast in redeeming, forgiving, reconciling, transforming, and
delivering love. Without this, the Bible is a book of interesting stories and helpful principles, but it is devoid of any
power to fix what sin has broken.
The second reason God repeats this refrain is that we have no experience in our lives of this kind of love. You
always begin to understand anything that is new to you from the vantage point of your own experience. All the
human love we’ve experienced has been flawed in some way. But not God’s; his love is perfect and perfectly
steadfast forever. It is the single most stunning reality in the life of a believer. God has placed his love on us and he
will never again remove it. There is a reason to continue, no matter how hard life seems and how weak you feel.
For further study and encouragement: Psalm 118
Notices (cont.)
Movie Afternoon: For the past two years we have had a movie afternoon at KSCC. We show an adult Christian
movie and a children’s Christian movie. The popcorn and drinks are free. We will be showing movies the
third Saturday of each month at 4:00 PM through June. All are welcome and invited to a covered dish dinner
following the movies.
Prayer Mentoring Program: This program was designed so that all our families would have someone praying for
them each day. Families have been assigned a prayer person who is to pray and follow up with notes and
phone calls. I do pray we mentors are doing our part for our families. If you are not a part of this program
and would like to be, please see Donna Sweeney.
Vacation Bible School: We have started working on our program for this July 6th through July 10th. We will be
presenting “Hometown Nazareth, Where Jesus was a Kid”. It is an awesome program where the children
will get to hear the stories of Jesus as a boy from our story teller, Mary. As usual we will have games, crafts,
snacks, music and a lot of learning our Bibles. Our first organizational meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,
February 24, at 6:30 PM in the church sanctuary. Anyone interested in volunteering please try to be there.
We will be ordering supplies, and persons to lead the different groups. All are welcome to help. God has
blessed us mightily in the past and we know He will again!
5
Overcoming the Insecurity of Feeling Unloved
Excerpt from “Praying God’s Word” by Beth Moore
All of us have insecurities…even the most
outwardly confident people we know. Minor
insecurities can be little more than occasional
challenges, but when life suddenly erupts like a
volcano, insecurity turns into panic. Want
suddenly feels like need. A hidden pocket of
unmet needs suddenly quakes and leaves a
cavern. The fear or the feeling of being unloved is
probably our greatest source of insecurity,
whether or not we can always articulated it.
Jehovah God, the Great Soul-ologist, identified
man’s chief desire in Proverbs 19:22: “What a man
desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a
liar.” Look at the verse carefully. What in the
world does being better off “poor than a liar”
have to do with a man’s desiring unfailing love?
Think about it for a moment! The Holy Spirit is
pinpointing the deep origin of our constant
cravings to have more and more of anything. He
is implying that our human tendency is to
stockpile belongings or amass wealth in order to
satisfy a cavernous need in our souls. He is also
suggesting that we are lying if we’re saying that
our greatest need is anything besides unfailing
love. The word desires in proverbs 19:22 implies a
deep craving. Each of us craves utterly unfailing
love: a love that is unconditional, unwavering
radical, demonstrative, broader than the horizon,
deeper than the sea. And it would be nice if that
love were healthy, liberating rather than
suffocating, and whole. Interestingly, the Word
of God uses the phrase “unfailing love” thirty-two
other times, and not one of them refers to any
source other than God, Himself. You see, God had
the transcendent advantage. Because He created
us, God got to make us any way He wanted us.
It’s not His will for anyone to perish, and since the
only way to have eternal life is to receive Him,
God created us with a cavernous need that we
would seek to fill until we found Him.
Searching for perfect, unfailing love in anyone
else is not only fruitless, it is miserably
disappointing and destructive. I’m convinced our
hearts are not healthy until they have been
satisfied by the only completely healthy love that
exists: the love of God. The following words by
Oswald Chambers are not only written in the
front of my Bible, they are engraved deeply in my
mind: “No love of the natural heart is safe unless
the human heart has been satisfied by God first.”
We are not free to love in the true intent of the
word until we have found love. All of us have
looked, but the important question is where? In
the search for unfailing love, if we unknowingly
allow Satan to become our tour guide, the quest
will undoubtedly lead to captivity. I know from
experience.
We are not wrong to think we desperately
need to be loved. We do. But we are wrong to
think we can make anyone love us the way we
need to be loved. Our need does not constitute
anyone else’s call but God’s. Many of us have
heard the devastating words, “I just don’t love
you anymore.” Others may not have heard the
words, but they have felt the feeling. The fear.
Throughout life we will lose people who really
loved us to death or changing circumstances. As
dear and as rich as their love was, it was not
unfailing. It moved. It died. It changed. It left
wonderful memories…but it left a hole. Only
God’s love never fails. Even when 1 Corinthians
13:8 says, “Love never fails,” it refers to the
agape love of God given to us and exercised
through us.
Several years ago when my heart desperately
needed to be in God’s ICU, He helped me picture
something I believe all of us do virtually every
day. We each have our unmet needs, and we
carry them around all day long like an empty cup.
In one way or another, we hold out that empty
cup to the people in our lives and say, “Can
somebody please fill this? Even a tablespoon
would help!”
6
Whether we seek to have our cup filled
through approval, affirmation, control, success,
or immediate gratification, we are miserable until
something is in it. I have come to dearly love and
appreciate Psalm 143:8: “Let the morning bring
me word of your unfailing love, / for I have put my
trust in you. / Show me the way I should go, / for
to you I lift up my soul.” What a heavy yoke is
shattered when we awaken in the morning, bring
our hearts, minds, and souls and all their “needs”
to the Great Soul-ologist, offer Him our empty
cups, and ask Him to fill them with Himself! No
one is more pleasurable to be around than a
person who has had her cup filled by the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the only One who is never
overwhelmed by the depth and length of our
need. Imagine how different our days would be if
we had our cups filled by Christ first thing in the
morning. During the course of the day, anything
else anyone is able to offer could just be the
overflow of an already full cup. This person will
never lack company or affection because she
draws daily from the well of unfailing love. This
blessed of all believers will know from experience
what the apostle Paul meant in Colossians 2:10
(KJV): “Ye are complete in Him.”
A precious friend of mine, Danice Berger,
helped me compile many of the Scriptures I
rewrote into prayer in the next two chapters. She
was experiencing a very difficult season in which
the issues of feeling unloved, insecure, and
rejected were almost overwhelming. She knew
the answers were right there in God’s Word, but
sometimes our hearts are in such pain that we are
resistant to risk exposure long enough to receive
them. Not only is Danice a schoolteacher, she is a
serious student of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit
prompted me to call her and ask her to research
Scripture on the topics of feeling loved and
accepted by God when we are feeling unloved
and rejected by others. I have known Danice a
long time, and I know she loves a good challenge;
so I basically dared her to do it. She took the
dare. She spent hour upon hour researching
security and acceptance in the love of God. The
results? Not only did she equip you with many of
the truths in the next two chapters, she received
them herself. Danice did her homework…and in
the midst of it, she discovered the same unfailing
love that had been there all along. This time she
lifted the empty cup and let Him pour.
____
Lord God, help me to trust in Your unfailing
love; cause my heart to rejoice in Your salvation.
Help me to sing to You, Lord, for You have been
good to me! (Ps. 13:5-6)
O God, help me to meditate on Your unfailing
love! (Ps. 48:9) Help me not to have the sin of
unbelief after all You’ve done to tell me You love
me and demonstrate Your love for me.
Lord God, help me not only to fully accept how
much You love me, but help me to abide in Your
love! (John 15:9 NASB)
Lord, according to Your Word, what a man
desires or craves deeply is unfailing love. (Prov.
19:22) Every other use of the words unfailing love
in Scripture is attributed to You alone. You are
the only one capable of perpetually unfailing
love. Help me to understand that my deep
cravings for someone to love me with that kind of
love were meant to be satisfied in You alone.
Thank You, Lord.
7
Final Thoughts
Knowing God
By Sally Lloyd Jones
God’s world is shining all around us. The skies,
streams, trees, animals—without needing any words at
all—are telling us God is powerful and wise and
beautiful.
But they can’t tell us everything. They can’t tell us the
most important thing.
They can’t tell us about his love. His Wonderful Never
Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and
Forever Love!
The love that made the stars. That moved heaven
and earth. That came down to live with us.
No. To really see God’s love, we must look at Jesus.
“God always perseveres, proving He is who He
claims to be. He stands through the storm and walks
through the fire simply to express His love for you. He
will never fail you, never fall short, never fall out of
love, because He’s made of love, the very source of it
all.
Love is why He sees everything inside you and
knows every emotion, thought, and feeling. Love is
why He soaks through every outward thing that
stands in the way to saturate your spirit, soul, and
heart with the knowledge of blissful eternity with
Him. Love is why there’s no place, no person, and no
created thing that can be separate from Him.
He is all-knowing, all-powerful, all wonderful.
He. Is. Love.”
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
Colossians 1:15 (NLT)
I Am Just a Speck, Lord
By Debbie McEwen
I am just a speck Lord when I contemplate Your might
and majesty. You made all that exists and it is so
immense. You are so mighty. You are creator without
beginning or end. You created the great and small and
everything in between. Taken in this context, I am but
a speck, a very tiny being who does not matter at all.
The sun will shine whether I live or die. The oceans will
roar regardless of what happens to me. The planets
will rotate around the sun. The trees will grow and
creation will continue whether or not I am here,
whether or not I am happy, whether or not I am well.
Even in the eyes of mankind, I’m no one special. You
who created all that is, do care about me. I am so
insignificant and yet You care so much. I matter to
You, insignificant speck that I am. You created me and
You love me. You know all my failures and sins. I cry
when I realize that You sent your precious Son to live
and to die for me, so little insignificant speck that I
am, can spend eternity with You. Blessed be Your holy
name.
—Darin Hufford in The Misunderstood God
God’s Risk: His Love Rejected
By Robertson McQuilkin
Yes, God is good and that is why men are lost. In love He
created a being in His own image, not a robot
programmed to respond as the Maker designed. In
creating such a being to freely love and be loved, God
risked the possibility of such a being rejecting His love in
favor of independence or even self-love. Humankind
did, in fact, choose this option. Still true to His
character, God provided a way back even though the
cost was terrible. But the way back must not violate the
image of God in man and must not force an obedient
response. Rather, the God of love chooses to wait
lovingly for the response of love. Those who wish to
reject Him may do so.
8
9