The Paper | Jun-Aug Issue 2 Vol 10

VO LU M E 10 ISSUE 2 J U N - A U G 2 02 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

Letter from Pastor Bob

5

Faith Family Highlight

6

Prayer

8

Missions

12

What’s New with our Residents?

14

Parenting LGBTQ Kids

16

Good Friday & Easter

18

Financial Update

20

Care & Connections

22

How Did We Get Here?

DEAR FAITH CHURCH FAMILY & FRIENDS,

Light and darkness. Good and evil.

God’s word teaches us that there is a real battle going on around us right now. “Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) The good news is that God is almighty, powerful and will win the battle! But how do we fight this [continual] fight of good and evil while we are here on earth? As a church we sought to address this question during February’s series, Pushing Back the Darkness. I believe the topic has raised great awareness amongst us and so I want to use this space to remind you…

Satan doesn’t know your thoughts (very comforting) but he does know your voice. Therefore, when we declare Jesus’ name, we right then and there, cast the evil one away. There is so much power in His name that evil must flee at the sound of His name.

A remarkable shield of protection!

Jesus, as the ultimate example and true teacher, was no stranger to spiritual warfare. His defensive strategy was - and is tried and true - prayer. First off, cover yourself in prayer; be in continuous conversation with God. Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” This edition of The Paper includes a great article on page 6 you’ll want to read on how our Father is always present and wants to hear from us in prayer.

To think of how when we draw nearer to Jesus, we cast evil that much further away. Don’t you love knowing that Jesus is in victory?!

I always find it helpful to have “tools” in my backpocket to fend off the advances of Satan and the evil one, no matter how small or large their measures.

Scripture Take to memorizing these three verses. Pray them to the Father, speak them aloud in your circumstances.

•

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4

•

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7

•

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

Common Questions Pastor Brian of Faith Beecher is also our resident theologian for Faith Church. He posted several blog posts during, Pushing Back the Darkness, answering many of your questions about Spiritual Warfare. View these submissions at WeAreFaith.org/Blog (scroll back to February/March).

Book Recommendations Spiritual Warfare by Dr. Karl Payne | Victory in Spiritual Warfare by Tony Evans | Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies that Sabotage Your Peace

by John Mark Comer Lastly, being in fellowship with believers will strengthen you in the battle of good and evil. Be sure to surround yourselves with those that draw you nearer to Christ and you’ll realize Satan’s voice becomes that much quieter.

In Victory, 4

FAITH FAMILY HIGHLIGHT WHERE ARE YOU FROM? We have lived in Highland for 23 years. We have raised two boys here and have seven wonderful grandchildren.

We thank God for them always.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET CONNECTED TO FAITH CHURCH? As we were searching for a church, Tom noticed Faith Church Munster all of a sudden kept popping up on the news feed as if God was prompting a visit. When we visited, we knew it was a growing, vibrant church with a very diverse family of Christ-followers. We knew we had to become a part of the church and serve God there.

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN GOD DO AT FAITH CHURCH? What haven’t we seen God do at Faith Church to us is a better question. Just the amount of love and care and outpouring of resources to help God’s people on their walk with Him is incredible! The way all the locations work together to accomplish His will. The programs: Reflectors, Grief Share, Ravines, Recovery. Faith Church helps people meet God where they are at in life and lifts them up.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE WORSHIP SERVICES? The pastor and pastor interns that preach God’s Word and the way they rotate sermons so that we get so many aspects of scripture presented to us as a church family. The worship music, the way Abi and the musicians use their gift of music to glorify God has brought us to tears at times. It is obvious that they are not just up there playing music but praising God! It has such an effect that Lori says she finds herself singing the songs during the week and that gives her great joy WHERE DO YOU SERVE AT FAITH CHURCH? Lori serves in children’s check-in and helps with greeting.

She’s also helped usher with Tom if needed. Tom serves as a greeter, usher and security as well as assists Pastor Rich and Anne with leading Grief Share on Tuesday evenings in Highland. We say this not to boast but to share the joy that we receive from serving. We get much more out of it than we give.

TOM & LORI PLESHA JOSH & ASHLEY FAITH MUNSTER BRUINIUS

We feel that the best advice we received from a pastor mentor in the past was, “If you have been a member of the church for three months or more you need to ‘get off the bench and get into the game.”

HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH OTHERS AT FAITH MUNSTER? We are part of a Sunday night connection group that we enjoy very much. This is a group that is very close and has been meeting for years, and we were welcomed in with open arms. We hope everyone at Faith Church will find a group they can grow and enjoy fellowship with.

We also love to go out with fellow church family after service to lunch and visit together and discuss life. We have recently tried inviting new first time visitors to lunch after service and it was a great experience.

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN GOD DO IN YOUR LIFE? God has given us the joy of reaching out to others for Him through, at times, very unconventional means. Tom has an associate’s degree in Christian Ministry and will be finishing his bachelor’s degree this May. God has shown him that working with seniors in resident care and Grief Share is where God wants to use Him. Lori is a certified personal trainer and works with others building up their physical strength as well as spiritual faith by sharing God’s Word during sessions whenever possible.

I thank God that He put Lori in my life 41 years ago, and that He brought me out of the darkness of drinking and sin.

Though I am far from perfect, I’m thankful He never gives up on me!

It’s amazing how God can use people to do His will and help preach the gospel, even when it seems uncomfortable.

We like to ask Faith family members to continue reaching out to others you have contact with and just simply invite them to a service by whatever means you have available.

You may be the lifeline or the connection to Christ that they need or are looking for.

Prayer By: Sam DePasquale

W

hen tasked with considering biblical themes for a sermon series, it is important to consider ones that can help us in our daily walk as Christians while at the same time bringing us closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. Spiritual disciplines fall into this category and do just that. The spiritual disciplines are those practices found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth among believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are exercises done daily either by ourselves or with others that train us to be godly (1 Tim. 4:7). One of the most important of these activities is prayer. I can confidently state that there is nothing more vital to the Christian life, while at the same time more neglected, than prayer. You cannot call yourself a Christian and not pray as there is no such thing as a non-praying Christian.

Ask anyone you know how their prayer life is going and you will undoubtedly get very few confident responses. Why is this? Because we make things hard. Either we put so much effort into “praying good prayers” and they become emotionless, or we feel so bad about them we don’t pray at all, taking it for granted. This is not what God intended prayer to be. In fact it’s just how the Devil wants us to think. Contemporary Pastor Alistair Begg wrote, “Satan has scored a great victory in getting sincere believers to waver in their conviction that prayer is necessary and powerful.” We cannot let this happen so let’s look at what prayer is, how we are to pray and why it’s so important.

Prayer itself can be easily defined as talking to God. Not only is it simple but it’s something God wants us to do. Yes, it is commanded (1 Thes. 5:16) but more than that we see the God of the universe, and our creator, wants to be in relationship with us. Whether it be in praise, adoration, requests, forgiveness, protection or even frustration, God wants us to talk to Him (Phil. 4:6-7).

Thankfully, Jesus himself instructed us on how to pray while teaching His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.

In Matthew 6:5-8 Jesus focuses on how our hearts should be when praying by pointing out what not to do. Then, He gives us what most people call the “Lord’s Prayer,” but it can be more accurately described as the “Model Prayer” as it shows us what our prayers should have in them. The first two words speak to how our God wants us to view Him: “Our Father.” Jesus didn’t say, “My Father.” Instead, He said, “Our Father,” showing just how personal God wants our prayers to be.

Jesus prayed, a lot. He prayed at many different occasions, many times throughout the day and for many things. The Scriptures teach us that we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 4:17) and it would seem that Jesus did just that. Jesus showed why it was so important to pray and we must learn from His example. In one of his sermons on prayer, Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones stated, “Jesus spent most of His time on Earth praying. If Jesus needed to pray to be the perfect captain of our salvation, how much more necessary is it for us to pray?”

God is holy. He is sovereign. He provides for us. God has forgiven us and protects us. Our Father is always present and loves us. Why wouldn’t we want to talk to Him?

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FAITH DYER

LOC A LLY

Faith Church Dyer staff members go to Strassburg Elementary School each week in Sauk Village to meet with 12 students in an after-school program called, United Fun Zone. The students spend time working on homework, eating snacks, completing team activities and playing basketball together. The values that are taught to the students in United Fun Zone are to be respectful, work hard, be responsible, have good communication, tell the truth and have fun.

FAITH BEECHER FAITH HIGHLAND

This spring Faith Beecher blessed Beecher School Staff (Elementary, Junior High and High School) with lunch.

FAITH CEDAR LAKE

Faith Church Highland took part in the annual Parks Clean-up Day on April 23, by gathering many hands to rake, pick up garbage and beautify Main Square Park in downtown Highland, Indiana. Not only did Faith Highland take an opportunity to work side by side with each other, but they also demonstrated their love for their community by pitching in to clean up their town and make a positive difference in the region.

FAITH MUNSTER

Faith On The Move has wrapped up their first-year community outreach and service projects! Equipped with a huge heart and volunteers following the call to be the hands and feet of Jesus, 2021 proved to be an amazing year!! Then in April 2022, Faith On The Move was privileged to partner with Habitat for Humanity over two days on two separate home projects. Do you have a project you’re needing assistance with or know someone who does? Please contact us at fotm@WeAreFaith.org!

Faith Munster partners with Love Inc. of Northwest Indiana in serving underprivileged families. Some of our members work closely together with Love Inc., to distribute food, furniture and home goods as well as sharing the Gospel and praying with each family and gifting them a Bible. This is an ongoing year-round ministry.

GO: GLOBALLY

MISSIONS UPDATE MANAUS, BRAZIL

The people of Manaus, Brazil describe the rivers as their major expressway, as the dense jungle makes it difficult to develop roads by land. The rainforest keeps the humidity level high, the air is thick and forms into spontaneous rain showers regularly. Winters don’t exist in BY: CORRIE VOS Manaus, as the city hovers near the equator. Yet one thing can always be counted on - the rainy season. The people of Manaus have a natural relationship with the water and the rhythm it gives to their lives.

When the rains began in the fall of 2021, this time was different. Manaus had already experienced record high rains earlier in the year which caused flooding throughout the city. On October 5 the weight of the rains collapsed the roof of the worship center at The First Presbyterian Church of Manaus’ (IPM) ‘Living Stones’ location; this is their largest facility, where the church’s most populated worship services are held each weekend. Within a couple of weeks, the damage was assessed, activities re-routed to other campus facilities, and church leadership established, The Nehemiah Project, to help raise funds and keep everyone apprised to the progress of rebuilding.

Faith Church has been partnering with IPM since 2016 and has developed deep relationships with staff and leaders at IPM. When Pastor Franscisco, senior pastor at IPM, requested an urgent phone call with our leadership team mid-December, we knew something was up. The initial call was heartbreaking. After the events our world has experienced the last couple years, we could relate as a church to the toll the loss of a worship center would be in addition to overcoming the numerous pivots we’ve already had to embrace in this last season. We prayed

together and determined we would certainly come alongside our brothers and sisters in Brazil, but how?

By the end of 2021, an idea was stirring amongst Faith’s leadership teams. We were on a path to celebrate Faith Church becoming debt free. What better way to celebrate than to extend our generosity to the global church, specifically our partners and friends in Brazil!

Over two weekends this past February, cheerful giving abounded as gifts both large and small streamed in.

We set out a goal of raising $100,000 - and God multiplied. In the end our total surpassed $137,000!! Praise God! In the weeks that followed there was excitement in the air as we informed IPM’s church leaders of our total giving, and the church in Brazil hit the green light on the next stage of the project. It wasn’t long before we were receiving updates and watching videos of IPM’s construction team setting beams that would support the roof of the new building.

IPM is a church of over 10,000 in membership over their 100 campuses, their central location at Living Stones being their largest gathering space.

The target date of completion and celebration service at the Living Stones campus in Brazil is July 10 - and we look forward to celebrating together what God has done!

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Motherhood isn’t meant to be done alone.

A D : M OM SNAT ION

BEECHER | CEDAR LAKE | DYER | HIGHLAND

What’s New With Our Residents?

It’s been nearly two years since the launch of Faith Church’s Pastoral and Worship Residency Program, which is designed as a two-year development partnership between the church and a person feeling called into ministry. Each of Faith Church’s seven residents is supervised by a pastor or experienced worship leader.

They receive theological and ministerial training through coursework and other studies, while at the same time a great breadth of experiential learning which allows them to put theory into practice. Let’s take a look at how God is leading and using each of our residents now.

BY: RICK RIDDERING

Caleb Chapman grew up in Brook, Indiana and now serves at Faith Beecher, primarily in student ministry. He is supervised by Pastor Brian Dennert and has a passion for coaching and helping young people understand the gospel message in ways that transform their lives, especially those who come from broken homes. Caleb has been regularly involved with speaking at Faith Students; leading small groups; conducting Bible Studies; teaching a Bible overview course; assisting with tech (ProPresenter); hosting game nights and during Sunday morning services and writing for the student newsletter.

Cameron Jones, his wife, Tamera, and their three kids currently call Crown Point, Indiana their hometown. Cameron obtained a master’s degree from Wheaton College and is supervised by Pastor Charlie Contreras at Faith Munster. In addition to preaching several times and assisting with prayer training, Cameron recently led a study of the Book of Ephesians, and he wrote the July devotional for Faith Church’s Cover to Cover Daily Bible Reading. He serves in a leadership capacity for a program called, Common Ground, which seeks to encourage understanding amongst people of different cultural backgrounds. This summer, Cameron, with great assistance from Munster Elder Von Matthews, will be leading a video series which surveys the history of racism in the church in America.

Colton Ebbens was raised in Lansing, Illinois and now resides in DeMotte, Indiana.

He will be completing his two-year residency in September and has done a stellar job at growing and engaging with the Faith Students group in Cedar Lake, so that they are on a good path of discipleship. Attendance in the group has doubled since Colton became the director. He has a passion for learning and teaching the Word of God in addition to his weekly youth group lessons; he did a magnificent job preaching one of the sermons during our Slam Dunk series this spring. Pastor Dave Weemhoff is Colton’s supervisor.

Kenan Koops hails from Southern California and serves at Faith Dyer under the supervision of Pastor Dave Nearpass, where he is actively involved in work outside the walls of the church. Kenan has been helping lead the after school program at Strassburg Elementary School in Sauk Village, where he meets with 12 students in an after-school program called United Fun Zone. He also hosted a Spring Break mission project in Sauk Village with a group from Illiana Christian High School.

Additionally, Kenan is a talented woodworker and has been working with our mission partner, Chicagoland Prison Outreach, to develop a woodshop class that will eventually lead to jobs for men in the program; it is set to open in Summer 2022.

Nick Dragomir and his wife, Meagan, live in Oak Forest, Illinois. Nick continues to play a key role in Faith Church’s Care Ministry, under the supervision of Pastors Andy Nearpass and Rich Bawinkel. He has led the GriefShare group in Cedar Lake and Highland; has created, led and taught weekly programs for Fresh Hope; and has spoken and led several weeks at Overcomers. Back in December Nick spoke at the Long Winter’s Night service in Dyer and has been blessed to serve at several hospital/nursing home visitations. In addition, Nick serves as database administrator for the church, a role for which he was trained prior to becoming a resident.

Will Fisk calls Noblesville, Indiana home, but he’s finding his way around NW Indiana now where he serves as a Worship Resident at Faith Highland. Will’s work includes leading worship for Faith Students and playing as part of the Highland worship team. Will enjoys writing music and has his bachelor’s degree in student ministry. His development process is being supervised by Andy Schultz.

Will Ryan is a native Michigander and serves in Dyer, along with his wife, Liz. He is also supervised by Pastor Dave Nearpass where his work is two-fold: creating and overseeing a vibrant young adults (ages 18-30) ministry and working with Faith Students. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Will is highly personable and he loves to read. In addition, he has good skills as a teacher, and he loves studying and interpreting Scripture.

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IN

October/November of 2021, Faith Church did a series entitled, Tough Conversations. For a BY: KARYN JUSTICE refresh, the series was designed to process today’s headlines - think sexuality, abuse, mental health & depression, racism - within the context of a Biblical worldview. As a church we shouldn’t be shying away from these topics that we are being inundated with but rather learn how to talk about them.

Whether these headlines may not necessarily be part of your story, they are an integral part of the stories of real people navigating really hard realities, even within our Faith Church family. And the purpose of Tough Conversations was to challenge us as Christians to become active critical thinkers and engaged listeners, whose communication practices embody love and grace without sacrificing conviction and God’s truth.

We kicked off the series with Dr. Preston Sprinkle (biblical scholar, podcaster, bestselling author) teaching on Trasngender Identities. This definitely is a tough conversation. Preston has a gifting to clear through the clutter to help us see and love people just as Jesus does. He taught on the Bible’s understanding of what it means to be male and female, while helping us build a better understanding of how the church can impact the LGBTQ community.

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After this particular weekend, one thing our pastors and leadership teams discovered was that this conversation needs to be had by the church. While some shared that transgenderism ‘doesn’t relate to my world,’ there were many who shared how they are wrestling with this, whether individually or with a family member. What stemmed from people reaching out to us is the very real need for the church to walk with parents of LGBTQ children.

“I serve on the Board of Trustees at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, my alma mater. At our last board meeting, we spent a significant amount of time wrestling through the issue of how to uphold God’s biblical plan for sexuality while maintaining the balance of grace and truth. This institution, as well as Faith Church, is seeking to honor God. As a church, we have stood firm on God’s word concerning a biblical, historical and orthodox view of human sexuality. Where we have not been strong is ministering to the LGBTQ people and their families. With the help of some members of Faith Church, I am excited to announce that we are launching a new ministry for parents who have LGBTQ children,” shares Pastor Bob. This fall Faith Church will be offering a support group for parents of LGBTQ children to gather and share their stories. This group will follow a curriculum from The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, which is co-founded by Dr. Preston Sprinkle, that will help Christian parents navigate the journey of raising and walking alongside their LGBTQ child, while loving them like Jesus.

Begins Mon, Sep 12 6:30 PM | Dyer | Room 144

Register at WeAreFaith.org/parenting

GOOD FRIDAY

Mark Your Calendar!

The Global Leadership Summit

Christian Aid Golf Classic

Thursday & Friday August 4-5 | Faith Dyer

Tuesday, September 27 White Hawk Country Club

Regionleaders.com

WeAreFaith.org/golfclassic

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EASTER

FINANCIAL UPDATE A

t the time of this article, we are closing out our 2021/2022 budget and starting our 2022/2023 budget. Have you ever wondered how the Faith Church budget process is carried out? It actually begins in January!

The budget creation is a collaborative effort made up of pastors, staff, lay leaders, deacons and elders. Here’s a little “behind the scenes” insight as to how the budget is created here at Faith Church.

BY: JOHN CLAUSING

January: Pastors and ministry leaders are asked to strategize ministry goals for the next fiscal year, including a budget to accompany those goals.

February: Pastors huddle with their staff, leadership teams and deacons to create a budget request for their Faith location based on those ministry strategy ideas.

During the same time, the central staff is reviewing costs and making adjustments needed to continue to effectively support all of our Faith Church locations and their operational and ministry needs. All-church ministry events are considered at this time as well.

While all this is taking place, the church compensation team, made up of lay leaders, meets to discuss staffing and payroll oversight.

March: Proposals for each Faith location and central operations are submitted to the Executive Pastor, Executive Director of Operations and Finance Director, who begin to formulate the fiscal budget. Requests are reviewed, adjustments are made and follow-up questions are presented. The Executive Team is made aware of the progress and projection of the budget for input and discussion.

April/May: The Deacon Stewardship Executive Team is presented with a budget proposal; discussion takes place where questions, ideas and concerns are talked through amongst the team. The budget can go back for adjustments or refinements based on deacon oversight.

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June: Once the deacons have approved the budget they will forward it to the Church Board (Governing Consistory) for review, discussion and approval. The process is complete for July, beginning of the new budget year.

Hopefully this breakdown is not only informative but also instills confidence in our budgeting process. The budget is a tool to provide the most effective and efficient means possible to carry out the Faith Church mission of reaching the disconnected and growing the connected while restoring the world one relationship at a time.

For some, we understand that the budget process and all that goes into may not be the most exciting aspect of ministry to ponder. However, we do hope

you are excited to participate in the spiritual discipline of giving. Following God’s plan for us to engage in, sacrificial giving should be part of our worship to Him that is fulfilling and engaging. Hopefully this information sets the context of how the church’s mission and strategy, and how your worshipful giving comes together in God’s great plan.

We are thankful that the 2021/2022 was another year in which Faith Church was blessed with God’s provision financially. Our ministry goals in this next budget year have challenged us to increase the budget in spite of uncertain economic conditions.

Our approximate 8.1 million dollar budget may seem challenging, especially in the times we are in. We know, however, that God is leading the way. Please be in prayer about what He is asking from you in the plans and ministry that He has in store for us together as a church.

JOIN OUR FAITH FAMILY DISCOVER FAITH Discover Faith is designed to help you learn more about Faith Church.

BEECHER

Thu, Jun 16, 6:30-8:30 PM

PARTNER WITH FAITH Partner with Faith focuses on what it means to be a member and why you should consider that commitment.

BEECHER

Thu, Jun 30, 6:30-8:30 PM

CEDAR LAKE

Tue, Jun 28, 6:30-8:30 PM

CEDAR LAKE

Tue, Jun 14, 6:30-8:30 PM

DYER

Thu, Jun 9, 6:30-8:30 PM

Thu, Jun 23, 6:30-8:30 PM DYER • STUDENTS: Thu, Jul 14, 6:30-8:30 PM

HIGHLAND

Mon, July 11, 6:30-8:30 PM

HIGHLAND

Mon, Jul 25, 6:30-8:30 PM

MUNSTER

Sun, Jun 5, 3-5 PM

MUNSTER

Sun, Jun 26, 3-5 PM

*BOTH CLASSES ARE REQUIRED FOR MEMBERSHIP | CELEBRATION WEEKEND, AUG 20/21

CARE & CONNE CTIONS ALL CAMPUSES INVITED

CARE Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery (CR) is based on the original 12 steps of recovery and the Beatitudes-the actual words of Jesus. CR is open to everyone as a place of rescue, restoration, safety and renewal for those seeking God’s healing from life’s hurts, hang-ups and habits.

Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM Faith Cedar Lake Contact the team WeAreFaithCR@gmail.org Tuesdays, 7-9 PM Faith Dyer | The Garage Contact Bill celebraterecovery@ WeAreFaith.org Thursdays, 7-9 PM Faith Munster Contact Charles/Breanne munstercr@WeAreFaith.org

Celebration Place

Tuesdays, 6:45-9 PM Faith Dyer | K5 Room Contact Beckie at bhayes@WeAreFaith.org

Celebration Place is designed for kids Kindergarten through 13 years of age whose parents attend Celebrate Recovery.

We hope to make Jesus the foundation of their lives, break cycles of dysfunction and join their parents in forgiveness & healing.

Food Assistance

Mobile Food Pantry Faith Beecher Jun 28 | Aug 23 | Sep 27 4:30-6 PM Contact Mandy at mandyp@WeAreFaith.org for July date.

Open to any Illinois resident Family Market Faith Dyer | East Hall Sundays, 8:30 & 10:30 AM Contact Carol at FFM@WeAreFaith.org Open 2nd & 4th Sunday For Dyer Members/ Attenders Family Market Faith Highland/Munster Sundays after the 11 AM service | Faith Munster’s lower level Contact Lisa or Bob at blhberr@att.net

Fresh Hope

Contact Jeri at darchsmom@gmail.com Grief support group for women Meets 1st & 3rd Tuesdays

This group is both for individuals who have a mental health challenge AND their loved ones (family members and close friends).

For more information, visit WeAreFaith.org/mentalhealth.

Meets weekly

Overcomers

Tuesdays, 7-8:30 PM Faith Munster | Agape House freshhope@WeAreFaith.org

Friendship

Tuesdays, 7 PM Faith Highland Contact Amy at aboshears@WeAreFaith.org Friendship Ministry is a place where adults with special needs can gather to learn from God’s Word and enjoy a great time of fellowship. For a complete listing of meeting dates visit WeAreFaith.org/Friendship.

Meets most 1st & 3rd Tuesdays

Grief Share

Contact Rich at rbawinkel@WeAreFaith.org Grief Share offers help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend.

Next group begins Tuesday, Sep 6 at 7 PM, Faith Highland. If you need grief support over the summer contact Pastor Rich.

NA-The Grace Street Recovery

Meeting of Narcotics Anonymous Thursdays, 7-8:30 PM Faith Highland | Great Room Contact Mike at (219) 214-0399 This is an open meeting where all are welcome, but only members are encouraged to speak.

Meets weekly

Mondays, 6:30 PM Faith Dyer | Atrium Contact Andy at anearpass@WeAreFaith.org This ministry is for patients and caregivers of patients with life-altering illnesses.

Meets 2nd & 4th Mondays

CONNECTIONS Book Club

Thursday, 6:30 PM Contact Barb at yanbarbie17@gmail.com Meets the 4th Thursday of the month Jun 23 - The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher Jul 28 - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sarah Brunsvolde Aug 25 - The Apostle’s Sister by Angela Hunt Sep 22 - Among the Innocent by Mary Alford

Faithful Friends

Monday, 1 PM | Faith Dyer Contact Sue at suezarate@yahoo.com For singles 65+ Meets the 3rd Monday of the month

Faith Singles 35+

Friday, 7 PM Faith Dyer | Room 144/145 Contact Connie at ckubiak2010@yahoo or Sandy Reitsma at quiltpilot@yahoo.com Meets the 2nd Friday of the month

Faith Stitchers

Thursday, 1-4 PM (Sep-May) Faith Dyer | Rooms 140/141 Contact Sharon at sharontlc756@hotmail.com

Our Hope

Tuesdays, 7-9 PM Faith Dyer | Prayer Room

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We knit & crochet for those in need.

Meets the 2nd Thursday of the month

Quilters

Monday, 8:30 AM Contact Barb at wondaals4@sbcglobal.net A group of women who meet around a common interest of quilting.

Meets 2nd & 4th Mondays Visit WeAreFaith.org/ biblestudies for a list of women’s Bible studies.

Marriage Ministry Groups

Your marriage is the most important earthly relationship you have and we believe that being proactive is the key to success in your marriage.

Here are some ways for you to thrive in your marriage.

Preparing for Marriage

Class is offered twice per year on Wednesdays in the

spring and fall for dating and engaged couples.

Next class will begin in September. Information on the class and mentoring options can be found at WeAreFaith.org/marriage.

We look forward to preparing you for marriage!

Young Couples

A group for married couples who consider themselves young and are seeking to grow in their relationship through community with couples their age and in similar seasons of life.

Young Couples gather on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:15. See WeAreFaith.org/marriage for more information and registration.

Marriage Enrichment

A group for all married couples meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:15. More information about times, curriculum and special

events at WeAreFaith.org/marriage.

The Journey

For more information and resources, visit WeAreFaith.org/marriage faithmarriageministry

The Journey is a 22-week course designed to provide a safe place for a group of 7-10 people to slow down and be intentional about focusing on their relationship with Jesus and personal discipleship. To learn more, go to vantagepoint3.org/ vp3-pathway/the-journey/ Contact Marilyn at mmiller@WeAreFaith.org for more information. Join the hundreds of people from Faith Church who have come to understand God (and themselves) in a new way through The Journey!

MOMSNATION

12.1 Running Club

Marriage Repair

Individual marriage mentoring is available when you are in need of support and encouragement for your relationship on a more personal level.

WeAreFaith.org/marriagesupport

A community for moms with children ages birth through high school. Visit MomsNation.org for information on all our groups, meeting places and times.

Contact Rebekah at rmoore@WeAreFaith.org

Saturdays, 8 AM Faith Dyer (Dec-Mar) Contact the office at (219) 864-0300 Meets weekly Saturdays, 7 AM Centennial Park in Munster on Calumet Avenue (by the band stand) (May-Nov)

The Ravines is a safe place to find healing and restoration for your marriage.

W H AT I F T H E R E I S

HOPE FO R MY MARRIAGE?

“He makes springs pour water into the ravines.” Psalm 104:10

TheRavines Info@TheRavines.org (219) 864-5063

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Founded in 1963 in South Holland, Illinois, Faith’s mission to build relationships inside and outside of the church resulted in a steady growth which, in 2002, precipitated a move to a larger building and location in Dyer, Indiana. Since then we have continued to expand our vision and reach by embracing a “one church, many locations” philosophy. We have grown to include five locations - four in Indiana and one in Illinois.

You can find a timeline of our history at WeAreFaith.org/About.

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OUR 4G’S You will see these icons throughout this edition, with stories related to how we are living out our 4Gs.

WeAreFaith.org