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Thu, 02 Feb 2006
Feb 02, 2006, 15:11
[top/staff_editorials]
God’s Intentions
By Lane Fusilier
God has good intentions for us. Unfortunately, we cannot fully comprehend His mind, so we struggle to understand those good intentions. There are some things, though, that God has been quite clear about, the sort of things we can easily grasp. He greatly loves our worship. More is better. He intends that we care for each other as He cares for us. He has said that our love must not be restricted to those who know Him as we do. Though brief, that list will have a profound impact on our lives and our life together as it’s lived out. They will become our most treasured values.
At various intervals over the past several years, our leadership team has honed our core values into a statement of purpose. Words. Words are not enough, but they can help us begin to live out our values. If you take a look around the congregation, you should notice significant changes that have come about, following the track of that purpose statement. You might say that our focus, by means of this statement, helps us fulfill our destiny! Give some time to reflect on these ideas…
OUR PURPOSE
The purpose of our congregation is to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ who…
Exalt God,
Edify each other, and
Extend God’s love to all peoples.
We exalt God by
Worshiping him joyfully
Praying to Him passionately
Giving back to Him generously
Reflecting His character consistently
Trusting Him fully
We edify each other by
Loving each other biblically
Praying for each other diligently
Communicating God’s Word carefully
Training each other thoroughly
We extend God’s love to all peoples by
Sharing the Gospel boldly
Serving all compassionately
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Fri, 16 Sep 2005
Sep 16, 2005, 14:38
[top/staff_editorials]
Welcome to Our Community of Grace
Welcome to Philpott Church, A Community of Grace! We are delighted to have you with us as you begin your week and a new year. You will always be welcome here, but you might not immediately catch on to our purpose, direction, and culture without a little help. Here’s a thumbnail sketch… We exist to glorify God by making and nurturing followers of Jesus. We do that by deepening our own spiritual lives, making friends, investing ourselves in the lives of those who need our help, and celebrating God’s presence in our lives. Our passion is to know God through his unique son, Jesus. Our concern for one another reflects our connection to Jesus; he enables us to care for one another. Our compassion is for those who are in need of anything that we can provide by God’s personal help.
We use the phrase ‘A Community of Grace’ in a very precise manner. Just as God loves and accepts us just as we are, we want to embrace all whom we know with that same unconditional love, that grace.
We have a long and storied history at Philpott Church. The stories of Jesus have been told here for more than 113 years. We are discovering their depth all over again in our own lives, and would be glad to have you join us on our journey. We want to make a difference in our world. We could use your help to make that happen!
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Wed, 06 Apr 2005
Apr 06, 2005, 14:38
[top/staff_editorials]
Adopting a self-emptying spirit through prayer
What nurtures a humble heart? Time and experience with God while adopting a self-emptying spirit. This spirit belongs in prayer. Pause for a moment and think about what characterized your most recent prayers. Did you approach God in humility? Is it possible that there may have been some pride, a lack of awareness concerning the holy nature of God and your own humble estate?
Listen carefully to your own prayers. Do you approach God with secret annoyance – as if He’s apathetic while you are the one who is truly concerned? Do you believe that God is less compassionate than you are? Listen to the spirit behind the prayers.
When we pray out of our spiritual poverty, we are adding our voice to a mighty chorus that has been prayed for centuries. The most mature souls have sought God with this spirit. The deepest writers, beginning with Isaiah, have understood the depths of our weakness: “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)
Adopting a self-emptying spirit means admitting that there is no way, absolutely none, that we can ever display humility unless God takes pity on us and imparts His own Spirit to transform us from within. (Gary L. Thomas, The Glorious Pursuit)
· You gradually realize that to pray is to live. (Henri Nouwen)
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Thu, 31 Mar 2005
Mar 31, 2005, 14:38
[top/staff_editorials]
Open the Eyes of Our Heart
by Christine Vaughan
I spend Thursday afternoons helping out at a Kids Club at Hughson St. Baptist Church in the North End of Hamilton. It is an outreach for inner city kids, many of whom come from families who struggle daily to make ends meet. I leave each week feeling completely exhausted yet richly rewarded as my own life is changed by their probing questions, their laughter and their unconditional love.
One of the prayers we often lift up after the kids leave is that God would open the eyes of our hearts to see each child as He does. Last week God answered this prayer in my own heart. During snack time (I admit, a moment of utter frustration), I was overcome by the thought that the place on which I was standing was “holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). I was filled with an overwhelming sense that God was at work raising up leaders from among these often neglected and forgotten children, shaping them to be faithful servants who will not only believe and trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but who will respond in obedience to his call to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).
My initial reaction was to run home and get on my knees to confess. Had I truly loved my neighbour (each child) as myself, I would have already seen such promise in their lives! I realized, however, that yet another glass of juice had spilled, and a quick prayer was offered in confession as I ran for more paper towels. My interaction with each child from that moment changed as God granted me a new sense of vision, hope and faith in His transforming power.
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Fri, 26 Mar 2004
Mar 26, 2004, 14:38
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Putting INSIDE on Your Site
If you like the articles on this site, and want to help spread the word about Philpott Church, insert the following code on your own web site:
It will look like this:
~Jason
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Wed, 24 Mar 2004
Mar 24, 2004, 14:38
[top/staff_editorials]
Giving Many Ways
Philpott Church, a Community of Grace, functions on the gifts of its people. We have no endowment and receive no government funds. Members and adherents donate regularly to fund its local ministries, international missions and its staff. Those consistent donations allow the leaders to plan ministries each year.
The congregation also puts forward special needs that are not covered by regular donations. This spring, the board has agreed to encourage the congregation to consider giving to address special projects:
- The board has agreed to continue our renovation of the building at 78 Vine Street, “The Vine,” to expand its usefulness. Adding washrooms to the first floor, enclosing another room on that floor, providing a vestibule, etc. will cost about $25,000. About $10,000 will be supplied through our Capital Fund, the remaining $15,000 must come from donations. The work will go forward as the money is available.
- David Kang, our pastoral intern from South Korea, completes his volunteer service as an ESL organizer in mid-April. We would like to say “thank you” by providing a love offering, to be received on April 25th.
- Scott Orr, our volunteer Youth Ministry intern, will serve through the school year. We would like to say “thank you” to Scott by providing a love offering, to be received May 16th.
- Lane travels again to Kazakhstan in May to teach at Central Asia Leadership Training Centre. His travel and living expenses normally total about $3500.
- The Easter Offering is an opportunity to catch up on our regular offerings. We would not want to enter the summer months far behind on our budgeted offerings. Easter this year is April 11th. Special envelopes will be available on April 4th and April 11th.
As you give, remember that “fund-shifting” does not actually help! If you do not presently support the ministries of Philpott Church, that’s the place to begin, with undesignated giving.
Please do your special project giving above and beyond your normal donations. The board does not expect that everyone will be able to support all of these, but they do want the congregation to be fully aware of these opportunities, and to have each of us pray about which ones we might support.
~Lane Fusilier
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