Sunday's carbs don't count.

I watched our son Nathan working to put together a complex “sciencey” toy for our eight-year-old grandson a couple of weekends ago. Our grandson was anxiously waiting, helping, and imagining how cool it was going to be to have a bionic blaster strapped to his wrist and wield the power of its fully articulating shooting foam darts. After several hours of working through eighty steps to complete the project, out grandson strapped the device to his arm and shot off the first missile which fell to the floor exactly three inches from the toy. Disappointment happens. It could have been a flaw in the toy’s design or a misstep in assembly along the way. It would require dissection and assessment of the previous work and careful reassembly to try to repair it.

In our lives we can know for certain that there are no flaws in the design that God has planned for us. Any disappointment or disfunction or shortfall is something that has to do with us and our world. We are looking at 1 Peter chapter two this Sunday and we are told that Jesus is the chief cornerstone upon which God is building his people into an edifice for his purpose. When we build upon the cornerstone and follow the plan of God, we can be assured of results that are in alignment with the Lord’s will. Further, Jesus is called the “living cornerstone”. He actively guides us along the way. At any point we are able to look to him for answers and we can be certain of receiving the help we need as long as we are building our lives and churches in concert with the one who has the master plan.  

Pastor Rich

NDI - To make Christlike Disciples in the Nations

See what the kids are up to!

• Check out the kids' wish list on Amazon by clicking the image above. Thank you for all the ways you help our kids!
• We are in need of kids volunteers for Sunday School and Children's Church. Can you spare a couple hours a month to serve on this team? See Kara Purves or John Harris for more info

MEASURE UP: A 5-WEEK SERIES FROM THE GOSPELS ON JESUS' EARLY LIFE & MINISTRY

SERIES OVERVIEW:

“When I’m older!” “When I’m taller!” Every kid is excited to grow up — even if it’s just to finally ride that big kid roller coaster they’ve had their eye on. This five-week series is about another kid who grew up — Jesus! Through stories from Jesus’ early life and ministry, kids will learn five important truths to help them continue growing: God guides us to safety, we can love God with our actions, we can follow Jesus, God makes us ready at the right time, and God's words help us make wise choices.

See what the teens are up to!

• Click the image above to view the teens Amazon wish list
• The teens are also in need of some helpers for Sunday School and Youth Group on Sunday nights. If you could spare a couple hours to help lead our teens, see John Harris or Stephanie Dewey

One of our own teens is raising money to go to NYC this summer!

Hosted by the Church of the Nazarene, NYC is a powerful youth event that has been held in different locations over the past six decades. NYC takes place every four years and provides an opportunity for high school students from the USA and Canada to be united in a time of worship, teaching, and community service.

If you would like to give toward this opportunity, the teens are selling tickets for a Valentine's Spaghetti Dinner, or you can donate using our online giving by choosing the Nazarene Youth Conference (NYC) Fund.

Thank you for supporting our teens!

Our Life Groups will join to form one large group for a special time to watch and study The Chosen - Season 2 together. Starting Sunday, January 29th, we will meet at 5:00pm in the Fellowship Hall to share a dinner together then watch one episode per week.

If you haven't joined a Life Group yet, this is a great time to start! You can RSVP on the event below.

If you would like a study book, please let Brenda know.

A sign up sheet will be available to bring a side for the dinner.

See you then!

Coming soon in the new year - a 13 session GriefShare Support Group. See Richelle Martzke if you would like more information about this great group.

Would you like to take control of your money? See John or Darlene Harris for a one-on-one FPU class or sign up for a group class with others. We have 8 spots available, so let us know before they are gone

We are excited for our new partnership with Shared Pregnancy Women's Center. There are many ways we can give, donate, volunteer and pray for this ministry.

See the list below of items they can use. You can bring them in and drop them in the toy box in the kids hallway.

If you wish to donate money, you can drop change or bills in the baby bottle outside the kids room or give online at https://faithlife.com/glnaz/give and choosing the "Shared Pregnancy Women's Center" Fund

If you have any questions, see Kara Purves

Use the link below to order your very own GLCN, ILMC and STRIVE logo wear items!

https://forms.gle/tkFVDoZYqiXDpqSq5

Crisis Care Kits are a way we can help others in emergency situations. Receiving simple items like toothpaste, a comb, or band-aids become very helpful in a natural disaster, war or other crisis. Crisis Care Kits (CCKs) are designed to provide people with some of the essentials they may not have due to those scenarios.

Our NMI Council has set a goal for Grand Ledge to collect 12 boxes (72 CCK's) by July 2023. Each month or so, we will feature an item to collect. (Although you can always give any of the items at any time!)

See below for this month's featured item and the details on the specifics. Thank you for helping us work toward reaching our goal!

January - Hand Towels

We will be collecting these at the Missions corner in the foyer. Here is an idea of how many we will need by July 2023:

2 per CCK

12 per box

144 for all 12 boxes