The Champions Spirit
Volume 68, Issue 23
June 21, 2009
In This Issue
FATHER'S DAY
F aithful
A ttitude
T hat
H elps
E ncourage
R ighteousness
Faithful – Fathers are faithful – they are dependable – they are reliable. As we look to our Father in Heaven and know that He keeps his promises we expect our earthly fathers to act accordingly. Christian fathers must pattern themselves after the heavenly Father and one of His great attributes is that He is faithful and dependable.
Attitude – Fathers need a positive attitude. One that always projects a positive influence on their children. An attitude that instills confidence and well being in the child’s outlook on life.
That – A faithful attitude that helps the child mature into a productive and fulfilling adult. A life that exemplifies the true Christian spirit of providing for themselves and helping their fellow brethren and neighbors. A life that is fully dedicated to honoring and serving the heavenly Father.
Helps – Of all the attributes of a father, one of the most important is to be helpful to their children. They do not help them to become dependent on others but help them to become confident and independent productive adults. They help them to become helpful to others and to their community. They help them to become faithful Christians.
Encourage – Fathers must always be an encourager to their children no matter what age. Fathers need to study the life of Barnabas to understand encouragement. All people need encouragement. The Bible is a book of encouragement. Fathers heed this admonition!
Righteousness – Fathers, are you teaching your children to be righteous and to love righteousness? Faithful Christian fathers display an attitude that helps and encourages their children to be righteous and to love righteousness.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!
—John Qualls
Wyatt's Words
Get Involved, and STAY Involved!
I have never been one to sit back and let others have all the fun when it comes to working for the Lord. Though I’m still a “new” member here, I’ve found (and made) several opportunities to work within the church and always love the rewards. At the risk of repeating what John Qualls said last week, I want to echo just a bit about some of the activities we have going on at Champions. Let’s look at this from a perspective of someone wishing to become involved, but is perhaps a bit timid about starting.
How can I keep up with everything?
I want to mention our website, www.championschurch.org, which is maintained by the amazing Ann Jenkins. Ann has been working on revamping our site for a while now, and she’s allowed me to help her on this task as we seek to maximize our presence and reach our community around us. One tremendous source for all of us is the new calendar! We’ve implemented a calendar to show several events listed by groups. At present, we have a calendar for our Youth Group, Worship Schedule, Fellowship Events, and our Mother’s Day Out program Little Champs. Our aim is to keep this calendar up-to-date and accurate with the paper one you find in your bulletin at the first of each month. If you use Google Calendar you can synch ours up with your own for easy access!
Now that you know where to find them, you can pick your events! Tell your friends about the site so they can find a good time to join us. Check it from work to make sure you’re not missing out on our fellowship opportunities. In Acts 2 we read of the early Christians fellowshipping with each other, strengthening and uplifting each other. 1 John 1:7 reads “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” By choosing to socialize with fellow Christians, we strengthen ourselves and keep ourselves close to God! How will we add to ourselves the graces mentioned by Peter in 2 Peter 1:5-11 (moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love)? By gathering with like-minded individuals, of course!
I think I could teach but I don’t know how to get started.
Working with all those involved in Vacation Bible School and teaching various classes has really allowed me to get involved for the Lord. You can do this too! We’ve got a TREMENDOUS number of great teachers here, but we can always use more! If you’ve never taught but have thought about it, ask to get involved! Very few classes here require you to teach solo, so how about signing up to help an existing teacher?
I’m not a public speaker.
Visitation teams could ALWAYS use more assistance! Even if you don’t consider yourself a “talker” you can accompany someone on their visit and be an encouraging support. We have several who take communion to those in nursing homes or assisted living communities.
How about hosting an event?
If you want to help host youth devotionals (Jeremy and Aubri Geurin would love your help here!), Ladies Bible Class, a men’s gathering, or anything else you’ve got the chance! Find those with similar interests and start a group. Brent Killough and a few guys recently started the “Man Club” for guys to get together, eat food and hang around. Sounds good to me! Ladies, I know my wife Stacy is itching to get with some of you to start a scrapbooking night! I’ve always found activities are much more fun with those I have the most in common with, and that’s simply Christians.
Aren’t I too (young/old) for these events/gatherings?
NEVER! Fellowship is for everyone! It’s not just those with kids, or those whose kids have left home, or just teens. There are opportunities for ALL to get involved in the Kingdom’s work. I urge you all, make it a practice to attend family gatherings like the Young Families Game Night last Sunday evening, or the bowling league, or anything that strikes your fancy. Try out one event, just to see what you think. During the summer we’re all coming and going, but chances are you’re a little bit less constrained and might get to explore a little. Give it a shot! It’s encouraging to those hosting the event, it’s uplifting to those attending, and it will make you feel great. And hey, it’s FUN!
—James Wyatt