February Compass Issue

Page 1


Table of Contents ___________________________ Sherrill Babb Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Years of Worship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Counseling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Small Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 6 10 12 14 16 17 18 19

Communications Director: Nicholas Palomo Editor: Bryan McAnally Publication Design: Michael Oliveros Proofing: Proofing Ministry Photography: Photography Ministry

480.824.7200 scottsdalebible.com feedback@scottsdalebible.com facebook.com/scottsdalebible SCAN QR CODE W/ PHONE

twitter.com/scottsdalebible


he launch of Scottsdale Bible’s year-long 50th anniversary celebration was such a wonderful moment. That day was a perfect snapshot of the past, present, and future of our church. Sure, the campus was decorated beautifully and a “buzz” filled the air with the thousands of people who were reflecting on the great work the Lord has done over the church’s first fifty years. More than that, though, is that the day offered a great opportunity to rejoice in God’s faithfulness and favor, and the sense of renewal has been present ever since. This theme of “remember, rejoice, and renew” is particularly special in the context of the ongoing emphasis of the church to lead people to “worship, connect, and serve.” We can look back and see that Scottsdale Bible has grown in numbers and in mission because it has held the highest standards of biblical integrity and engaging worship. We recognize that every believer’s greatest opportunities are to be discovered through connecting in a small group where relationships flourish. And the “heartbeat” of Scottsdale Bible has been and will continue to be about serving others. As we approach the Easter season where we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, I encourage you to invest in a time of personal renewal. I pray that you will come each week prepared to worship the author and sustainer of your faith, Jesus. I exhort you to be fully involved in a small group where you are in the Word of God, together. I also challenge you to find your place to serve – whether it is in one of the many ministries in the church (such as greeters/ushers, children’s or student ministry, among others), of the church (such as through our monthly Service Saturdays), or through the church (such as with our many partners like Neighborhood Ministries, Phoenix Rescue Mission, St. Mary’s Food Bank, and others). I daily appreciate the reality that it is impossible to remember the goodness of God’s faithfulness without rejoicing in His presence. Likewise, rejoicing in His presence absolutely compels us to renew our commitment to Him and to walk by faith toward the new opportunities He has planned for us as a church. It is exciting and invigorating to follow Jesus as He unfolds new ways for us to bring glory to His name!

Your pastor and friend,

Jamie Rasmussen


years…

A Call to Honor Our Pastors O

ur 50th anniversary celebration continues with a conversation with Dr. Sherrill Babb, who was called to lead our church in the early years as Scottsdale Bible’s first official youth pastor and second Senior Pastor.

As Scripture calls us to remember our leaders, we honor the six senior pastors God called to faithfully teach His Word at Scottsdale Bible for the last half-century. Throughout 2012, each publication of The Compass features an interview with one of Scottsdale Bible’s six senior pastors. As we profile the men God ordained to lead our church, we will learn about each pastor’s tenure; their victories, joys and challenges. We’ll look back at how God worked in the lives of these men and subsequently the church, their personal walk with the Lord, how He called them to minister, and how He led them to their present work for His Kingdom. Over the course of the year, each pastor will return to Scottsdale Bible’s pulpit to teach on one of the seven churches from Revelation.

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith…for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. -Hebrews 13:7, 17b

4

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

The Calling… “Initially, I wanted to be a campus minister at Long Island University,” Dr. Babb said. “I was a youth pastor for four years while attending Dallas Theological Seminary when Jim Borror kept talking to me about Scottsdale Bible Church in Arizona. We were strangers to the Southwest but we were willing to take a look because of Jim’s enthusiasm. We fell in love with Arizona.” In 1967, Dr. Babb brought his family to five-year-old Scottsdale Bible Church and became our first youth pastor.

Remembering the youth culture at Scottsdale Bible… “Our congregation was around 600 and half were high school students,” he said. “One year the student body presidents of three high schools—Coronado, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale High—all attended our youth group. We had ‘Fifth Quarter’ after football games, Havasu Canyon trips and other outreach events. Young people gravitated toward these activities. We didn’t think about growth, it just happened as part of God’s plan to expand Scottsdale Bible.” Youth group member Mark Hopper recalled Sherrill’s leadership. “I remember we wanted 100 people to show up to Fifth Quarter. Sherrill said, ‘Wow, that’s a big number, but that’s okay. Let’s pray big! God can do anything.’ And sure enough, about that many showed up. Sherrill was such an encouragement. He expanded our faith and really impacted us.”

Youth to Senior Pastor… “After Jim Borror was called to First Baptist Church of Lakewood, a committee formed to select a new pastor. I was interim pastor, and in 1970 became senior pastor. I loved teaching. I could have easily stayed there for the rest of my ministry, but God called me to complete my doctoral degree at the University of Pittsburgh.”


Q & A with Dr. Sherrill Babb: Q: How did God use you at Scottsdale Bible? A: We had great opportunity to disciple young people to serve, and now three generations of youth with roots from Scottsdale Bible serve the Lord around the world!

Dr. Sherrill Babb Since 1979, Dr. Sherrill Babb has served Philadelphia Biblical University in Langhorne, PA. He has been president for 29 years and chancellor since 2008. A graduate of Long Island University with a B.A. in history, Dr. Babb also holds a M.Th from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Ph.D from the University of Pittsburgh. Before accepting the presidency at PBU, Dr. Babb served as dean of faculty at Moody Bible Institute from 1976-79, and dean of academic affairs at Lancaster Bible College from 1971-76. An ordained minister, Dr. Babb has also served as pastor, minister of youth, and director of Christian education at churches in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Dr. Babb frequently serves the Commission on Accreditation as a consultant on executive leadership, governance and other aspects of biblical higher education.

Mark and Jeanne Hopper were youth group students whose daughters are now in ministry; in fact, one is a missionary in Portugal. Ron Thorne, former youth volunteer and elder, has a son who and sonin-law who are pastors (Phil Thorne and Steve Johnson), and his grandson, Sean Johnson, is a worship pastor and served at Scottsdale Bible for years. Q: What challenges did you face? A: Our biggest challenge was accommodating growth. We had a team meeting every Monday morning at Coco’s. We evaluated Sunday and made changes by the following week.

Q: How did you grow while you were at Scottdale Bible?

A: I was right out of seminary, so coming to Scottsdale Bible was the best thing that happened to me. I grew in the Lord by leaps and bounds because of the encouragement of people like Jim and Norma Borror, Gifford and Harriet Runyon, Dave and Joyce Van Vleet, and Roy and Cleora Fritz. The Lord laid a great foundation with these people. I am so thankful that this spirit has continued and Scottsdale Bible has stayed on track furthering the Lord’s work. Q: How did you see God work? A: We were a family working together, serving the Lord and reaching out to the lost. We had a genuine love for each other and the Word of God. When I read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 and Colossians 1:5-6, I am reminded of Scottsdale Bible, sharing the gospel and bearing fruit. I love that it is still happening!

Scottsdale Christian Academy met on our church property in their early years. It was exciting to see SCA develop. My daughter, Corinne, and Jim Borror’s son, David, were the first two to enroll at SCA. All in all, there was a wonderful spirit of people that worked together as we grew.

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

5


W

e were made to worship. Since Scottsdale Bible’s founding 50 years ago, engaging worship has been woven into the fabric of the church. Harriet “Hattie” Runyon, the first choir director, said, “We had a little group of 8-10 members in the choir back then. We led the hymns and had a special worship number each week. Terry Moore sang the men’s solos and I sang the soprano solos.”

God used Bill to take the music ministry to a new level. “We broadened the complexity of the music we sang with intricate harmonies. The choir grew. We started the orchestra. It was small at first. We used some of our own musicians and also invited professionals to help.” In the The choir grew along with the church. In 1965, Scottsdale tradition of quality of worship, Bill Bible moved into the first church building on McDonald devoted himself to bringing the drive and the choir “became official.” Hattie explained, congregation into the presence of “We had 25-30 choir members by then and Gif Runyon God in relevant ways. bought choir robes for us.” As youth director and worship pastor, Bill began the Koinonia Choir for the high school group. “We were doing cutting edge, complex stuff. It was such a joy seeing the young people worship.” He remembered with fond laughter, ”I’m considered the classicist when it comes to music. But back then, they were having prayer meetings about me over their concerns that I introduced an electric guitar on the platform!” Another music revolutionary of the time was also part of the Scottsdale Bible congregation. John W. Peterson was a songwriter who significantly influenced evangelical Christian music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He wrote more than 1000 songs and hymns and 35 cantatas Stan served until 1970, when another talented musician (musicals). John was also a member who from Ohio State University named Dr. Bill Epley was served Scottsdale Bible as a teacher and approached to join the staff of Scottsdale Bible. Since his wife Ann didn’t care for Columbus, she declared, “It’s of the elder. Lord!” and they moved to Arizona. One day, Pastor Jim Borror called Hattie and told her he had met a talented choir director named Stan Cook. Hattie was thrilled that Pastor Borror wanted to invite him to join the staff. Stan was gifted in music and also had a radio program on a local station where he read poetry.

6

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com


Due to his involvement, the choir participated in the international premiere of Peterson’s musical, “Jesus is Coming.” According to Epley, “We rented out Grady Gammage auditorium for multiple performances. We sang next to many professionals. It was such an honor to glorify God that way.”

Ed also taught the congregation different ways to worship. “I also thought that worship should be more than music. I thought prayers and postures were important. Sometimes music would be the prayer or aid the Bill resigned to pursue his teaching posture, but worship is more career, yet remains an active member of than music.” Services would Scottsdale Bible today. Ed Willmington, include prayer times with a young, talented musician working for people on their knees and elders Peterson’s publishing company, stepped present to pray for people. Multiple in as a volunteer interim worship leader styles of worship were included over for a year and won the hearts of the time. “I believed in the breadth of congregation with his quiet persona and the church being represented in worshipful heart. On January 1, 1985, he worship leadership, which meant became the full time worship pastor. that dance, bells, children, sign language, drama, choir, orchestra Ed served for 22 years. Pastor Darryl DelHousaye explained how he wanted Ed are the gifts of the whole church.” to envision his position. “I never wanted The choir grew together. Being Ed to be a music director. I wanted him to part of the choir and orchestra be a worship pastor. He wasn’t supposed to was more than just being artists; be the ‘pastor of prelims.’” This intentionality it was about serving the Lord in a and prioritization helped the musical worship multitude of ways. More than 120 develop into a deeper and richer experience people traveled on a missions trip as Scottsdale Bible matured as a church. Staff to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2001, members Tammy Reimche and Leah Powell and in 2003, 90 members set out to remembered with appreciation how Ed serve in Romania. “You prepare for a regularly said, “Worship is a verb!” mission trip to go and serve people. And then you are so humbled by He explained, “I believed that the formative the people’s love for you…they give nature of the ones leading the worship was an important factor, as imperfect as we all are. Worship up their beds and feed you food leadership on any level is a spiritual activity, not just a they probably can’t afford. It is so humbling and we became attached skillful ministry.” to all of our host families. You come Choir member Nancy Nixon explained, “Ed back thinking they did more for had a great way of teaching us we were serving an you then you did for them. It was audience of One during worship.” life-changing to serve together that way!”expressed Leah Powell.

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

7


During Ed’s tenure, the leadership saw a need for divergent worship styles. The evening services became the setting for praise bands and contemporary Christian music to lift worship to the Lord. In 1999, Steve Hickok was hired to lead the PM services. The tradition of excellent worship continued, even though guitars were turned up and the drums were louder. The PM choir was started, and people had a choice of styles for their taste in music. When Steve Hickok left for Atlanta in 2004, Sean Johnson stepped into the leadership role. Sean had been raised at Scottsdale Bible. His free spirit before the Lord helped the congregation cast away any masks and be honest before the Lord in the way they confessed their shortcomings and sin and in asking God to transform them. Ed Willmington took these younger pastors under his wing and discipled them to make sure every service was led by godly pastors. The evening worship continued to flourish. Sean invited worship leader Kim Larson to join him in leading. When Sean left in 2009, Kim assumed sole leadership responsibilities. Under her leadership, the PM choir continued to grow as the congregation was blessed by her beautiful voice and tremendous skills as a pianist.

As Scottsdale Bible follows Christ forward to the future, we are poised to worship God in different ways. in 2008, Scottsdale Bible pioneered video venue worship services. “We are out of room on our campus, but there are so many lost people in our city,” said Pastor Jamie Rasmussen. “We had to get creative to see how we were going to move into the future and be relevant for Christ in this city. We asked Lucas Cooper to start a video venue on our campus to make more room for people, to have contemporary worship, and to have a smaller congregation for those who want that type of experience. Video venue MultiSites are our model for going into the future. “

In the book Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin writes, “Show me the songs a church sings and I’ll show them what they believe.” Lucas explained, “When we choose music, we are careful to select songs to reflect During that interim, the church was privileged to be led in the depth and richness of God’s worship in the morning worship times by Bruce Pearson. Bruce Word. Doctrine is reflected is a composer, author, music educator, and clinician. Bruce in all our music, whether it is was well known and deeply respected in the world of musical accompanied by a violin or composition, yet he humbly accepted this opportunity to serve electric guitar.” the kingdom by offering consistently excellent worship to the morning congregations. He selflessly served for four years while While Scottsdale Bible’s worship ministry has developed the search committee scoured the country. The committee worked hard to follow God’s leading, which finally took them to over 50 years, the goal has Pennsylvania. They rejoiced when they realized the search was remained the same. From 1962 to 2012, Scottsdale Bible over: they had found Troy Peterson. Church has worshipped “for an With the depth and maturity needed to follow someone as audience of One.” beloved as Ed, the gift of having a soloist’s voice, and exuding godly humility, Troy fit perfectly. “What we have at Scottsdale Bible is a unique combination of needs. We go from ‘Bach to Rock,’ and we needed a pastor who can facilitate that range. After searching, we knew there were few people who could do that, and Troy was one of the few in the country who could fit the bill,” explained Elder Jeff Goble. In 2007, Ed was approached by Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA, to direct the Fred Bock Institute of Music. It was time again to search for the man God wanted to fill the worship pastor position.

8

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com


S cottsdal e B ibl e

remember rejoice renew

remember rejoice renew


t H E

“Every athlete makes a decision,” explained Bev Lehsten, married to Wayne for 55 years. “‘Do I want to run the full marathon? The half-marathon? Do I just want to walk? You determine what you’re going to do ahead of time. I think a lot of couples today are not getting married for the marathon. They’re trying it out, ‘Let’s get married and see how it goes.’” “For Wayne and me, we prayed the night we got married,” Bev reminisced. “We committed our lifetime together. When we made that commitment before God, it was for life. Not only do you have to run the marathon, you have to sign up for the marathon.” “We’re in this for the long haul,” Wayne agreed. “And you have to keep exercising yourself towards godliness, as the apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:7, ‘Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.’ There are intimacy disciplines that we need to keep on exercising and practicing in our marriages like intentional affection, loving care, and words of appreciation.” After all, you don’t celebrate 55 years of marriage by coasting in neutral. It takes hard work, time for fun, and a strong spiritual intimacy, according to this couple who met in a Minnesota church when Wayne noticed a beautiful blonde in

the choir. Together, they have served in ministry all of their years as a married couple. That includes 24 years here at Scottsdale Bible Church, where Wayne served as pastor of counseling and marriage ministries until he retired in 2008. “I think our strong marriage is why we enjoyed the ministry,” said Bev. “You can’t be in ministry 50 years and not face some significant challenges, but when you have a strong marriage, and you’re facing it together, it makes all the difference in the world.” Their strong marriage was put to the test through major trials including the loss of a daughter after battling a terminal illness for three years, the birth of a grand-daughter with medical challenges, and their daughter Stephanie’s battle with breast cancer. However, those times strengthened their marriage. Wayne said, “It never took away our intimacy and our desire to be close to one another.” Bev agreed, “I couldn’t have gone through it without Wayne.”


The Lehstens claimed Ephesians 6:13 during those dark days, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” The “armor of God,” is His Word, the Bible. Knowing and understanding Scripture—together—is key to this couple’s success in marriage. “One of the things we wished we would have learned earlier is prayer,” explained Wayne. “I don’t think we prayed enough in the beginning. One of the things we’ve learned is the importance of praying and spending time in the Word together so that we’re learning from each other as well as learning from the Scriptures.”

Now retired, Wayne and Bev enjoy long conversations, reflecting over Scripture and praying for one another. However, they recognize these blessings from this phase of life and they know that not everyone has the luxury of time to devote to spiritual growth as a couple. Wayne believes it doesn’t have to take a large part of the day to make a difference in your marriage. “I urge couples to spend some time, even if it’s ten minutes, where they can read together and then pray together. That does something to bind the marriage together,” he said. In addition to spiritual intimacy, the Lehstens encourage couples to have fun together, celebrate each other’s differences, and connect weekly and annually over goals as a couple and family. “We have a weekly marriage staff meeting,” explained Bev. “We make sure we’re on the same schedule; going over what he’s doing that week and what I’m doing that week. We plan everything, from house projects to trips.” Once a year, the couple sets aside time for what Wayne calls a marriage and family goal-setting retreat. This year, the couple went to a local resort and spent a morning reflecting on 2011: “What went well, what do we want to change, what do we want to stop doing,” said Bev. “And what do we want 2012 to look like?” For the Lehstens, 2012 will include more time with their adult daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren who live nearby and with whom they share many fun times. It will also include continued ministry to couples serving the Lord. With joy, they encourage other married couples who devote their careers to ministry – Wayne as a volunteer pastor to the team at Scottsdale Bible and Bev, along with a friend, leads two small groups of young pastor’s wives. They also find themselves walking couples through marriages in crises – providing guidance to couples struggling with their own marriage marathons. “We talk to so many couples,” said Bev, “and must remind them to stop threatening divorce. Stop! Decide not to use that word anymore. Everybody has fights and everybody has challenges. Make a decision that when you have one, you’re going to do whatever it takes to come back together. But don’t keep threatening divorce. Because then you haven’t signed up for the marathon.”

Bev & Wayne Lehsten

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

11


Please join us before and after each service in the Scottsdale Bible Prayer Garden to have your photo taken and to write a special message to your child. This year’s theme is “Obey God!” inspired by the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale. Our summer mission teams will be taking these cards with photos and your handwritten messages to the children. Many of the children have saved each piece of a correspondence from their sponsors. It means more than you could know to these children to receive your cards and letters! We are grateful to the over 600 families who support these children through prayer, financial support and ongoing communication. We have over 800 children enrolled in the Tanzania Project.

If you would like to sponsor a precious child from Tanzania please visit the Outreach patio table.

Grant and Christianne Walsh (and son, Judah) are Scottsdale Bible newest missionary family heading to South Asia in February 2012. Grant grew up at Scottsdale Bible and became a missionary in 2006 to Central Asia, where he met Christianne. They now head out as a family, pioneering a long-term team that will make their new home in the urban slums with the poorest of the poor. Using their business and education backgrounds, they will seek to create opportunities to help struggling families in their community and to share the Gospel. They will also be working for justice for those trapped in human trafficking and extreme poverty in order to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Please pray for them as they head to the unreached of the world!


SOMA on Mission “Go therefore and make disciples…”

In the summer of 2012, SOMA is preparing to send 100 young adults on one of eight short-term mission trips to different parts of the world.

T

he Great Commission is Christ’s exciting command given in Matthew 28 to take the gospel to people across the world. Joining in these gospel opportunities is more than obedience, it is a chance to see the power of the gospel to transform lives and change destinies. This coming summer, that is what the young adults of Scottsdale Bible are going to do. This journey started in July of 2011, when SOMA undertook the “50/50 campaign” to baptize 50 people and lead 50 people into discipleship relationships. As we have progressed through this campaign and seen God’s faithfulness, we have been encouraged to take a new step of faith to celebrate the hopeful conclusion of this amazing year. In the summer of 2012, SOMA is preparing to send 100 young adults on one of eight short-term mission trips to different parts of the world. Each mission team will leave their familiar culture behind to share faith in Christ in a new and different cultural context. Our hope is that these experiences will open the eyes of our people to the needs of God’s people across the globe and stir in them a spirit of service that will carry over into their lives back home. We will be taking on a variety of ministry activities across the world. There are even teams that will stay in

Arizona to assist with Royal Family Kids Camp and Teen Reach Adventure Camp, which minister to those in the Arizona foster care system. Two teams will head to Eastern Europe (Czech Republic & Croatia) to teach conversational English to high school students. Each of these trips will partner with Scottsdale Bible missionaries that work in Eastern Europe. Mexico will be the destination for two other teams working on building endeavors to help support local missionaries and families. The team in La Paz will be working alongside missionaries Martin and Susie Gonzalez. One team is making the two-day journey to Zambia, in Southeast Africa to assist Overland Missions with their ministry to the Bush People. Our final trip will be to Costa Rica to continue a fouryear relationship with missionaries there doing Bible distribution and evangelism.

Spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

13


Counseling Center From 2001 to Today ________________________________________________ Scottsdale Bible has been helping people since September 2001 through the Counseling Center, located in the Chapel offices. Three licensed professional counselors and many volunteers provide biblically-based, compassionate care. Since the move in 2001, volunteers have been trained in six Lay Counselor classes and six Stephen Minister classes. We are thankful for the 14 professionals who donate clinical hours. Additionally, 77 practicum/ intern students from seven graduate programs across the country have completed their internships through the Counseling Ministry. The current interns are Claire Bae, Jody Cecil, Melissa Hundley, Erin Paige, and Holly Van Kooten (pictured).

12 Step Recovery Group We are currently assessing the level of interest in forming a recovery-from-alcohol-and-chemical group. If you would be interested in participating in a Christ-centered recovery group, contact the Counseling Ministry confidentially at dwalther@sbcaz.org.

DivorceCare for Kids (DC4K) Are your children angry, hurt, or confused about your divorce? DivorceCare for Kids (DC4K) provides a safe, fun place where your children will learn how God’s love can strengthen them and help turn tears to hope and joy. This group meets in conjunction with DivorceCare on Sundays from 3:30 to 5 pm in E212. There is a $15 workbook fee.

Registration is required; contact Larry at 702.524.6647 or counseling@scottsdalebible.com.

Taad lent Show Special Ministries

March 8 | 6:30pm –8:30pm | Bldg

Special Ministries Talent Show 2012 Presents:

Jr. High

Special Ministries Easter Celebration

The biggest night of the year

April 5th, 6:30-8:00 pm in the Jr. High Bldg.

Special Ministries Amazing Students of all ages will be performing for family and friends; showing off our flair and the amazing gifts God has blessed us with! I promise you will not stop smiling for days after this incredible evening of pure JOY!

What an awesome God! Celebrating Jesus’ resurrection in song and prayer in Special Ministries it is the most precious time for all of us involved. You will be blessed as you come and worship with us this beautiful evening! Again, family and friends are welcome to join us and you are welcome to bring treats too!


Daily Devotionals for our 50th Year. is a collection of devotionals from our pastors, elders, staff and teachers from Scottsdale Bible Church. Susan Phipps, while working in our bookstore saw a need for a devotional that would reflect the heart of leaders in our church. Through many months of collecting material, editing and long hours of preparation this devotional was produced as a gift of love for Christ.

Daily Devotionals for

Every writing brings a message of hope and faith and is designed to help you draw closer to the Lord. Each daily entry starts with scripture and ends with an application entry. As you experience the devotions and the fresh look at scripture y ou will look forward to your daily time with Him. This devotional is designed to help you remember God’s faithfulness, rejoice in his goodness, and renew your daily walk of faith. Begin each day of this special year by reading one of the entries and end by asking God to encourage you in your walk with him. Spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

15


students

Rummage to Go!

P

reparations are underway for our Fifth Annual Student Ministry Rummage Sale/Car Wash the weekend of March 30–31. This is no small undertaking as we gather rooms and rooms of sale items in hopes of raising more than $12,000 toward this summer’s mission trips. Large items are especially helpful, including appliances, couches, chairs, beds, stand-alone shelves, sport and exercise equipment and the list goes on. We have seven high school teams going to Argentina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Tanzania and Wales as well as a college team going to Wales. The teams are made up of more than 200 students and staff. The trips range in length from ten days to three weeks. The mission of each team is to share the love of Jesus through camps, work projects, street evangelism, home stays and more, as well as support and encourage our missionaries. The cost of each trip ranges from $1800–$4000 per team member, with more than $500,000 having to be raised. The proceeds of the rummage sale help to offset the cost of these trips.

Please consider how you can partner with us as we prepare for our summer mission trips. Do you have items around your home that could add to our sale? Are you looking to replace appliances or furniture? Do you have neighbors, friends, family or co-workers that may be willing to donate to our sale? Do you have a pick-up truck and some extra time on your hands to assist us in picking up items or delivering them to their new owner? If you are in need of something for your home, it is likely that you can find it at our sale so be sure to stop by and shop and while you are there, let us wash your car! Mark your calendar for March 30–31. The rummage sale will be in the northeast lot of Scottsdale Bible. Start taking inventory of what you can donate or what you’d like to buy. We will be collecting items from March 18–30. If you absolutely cannot wait until then to get rid of your goods, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. We will schedule pick-ups the week of the sale. Please contact us if you need large items picked up. Tax-deductible receipts are available upon request. For more information or to schedule a pick-up, please contact Carol Hubner in Student Ministry, 480.824.7280 or students@scottsdalebible.com

Get Your Boots and Jackets Ready! There may not be snow in Phoenix but you will likely find it at our Club 56/IMPACT The Empire Strikes Camp at Lost Canyon in Williams, AZ, March 9–11. Come with your best Star Wars costume and invite all your friends to join you. Registration is available through March 9 at $160.

Winter Camp 2012 | March 9–11

Lost Canyon—Williams, AZ

To get more information or register for these camps go to scottsdalebible.com/students or pick up information at any ministry event.


Scottsdale Bible Women started 2012

by attending the Women’s Wellness Day. Excitement filled the campus, with six hundred women attending two main sessions and three workshops. We all see the abundance of news and information on diets, exercise, beauty and medical issues in today’s media. While it is important to take care of our bodies, wellness is more than just the physical—it includes our whole being of body, mind and spirit. The day opened with keynote speaker Carol Kent, who shared her life story and journey of wellness. Her dramatic, compelling story moved and inspired women. She and her husband Gene have walked an unimaginable journey of faith to discover “a new normal,” when they learned that their son—a kindhearted, generous, loving Christian man—had been arrested for committing a shocking crime. God’s grace has redirected her journey to wellness to choose life, gratitude, vulnerability, involvement, forgiveness, trust, and action. Women selected three workshops to attend from more than twenty great options. These sessions focused on health wholeness—mind, body and spirit.

Women learned how to improve their friendships, strengthen their marriages, be kind to others, master unhealthy thoughts and emotions with scripture, increase their personal happiness, make godly choices and more. Everyone walked away with something to add wellness in their own lives. A big thank you to the over sixty volunteers who registered, greeted and provided lunch and refreshments for everyone. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and the day flowed easily. January is over, but the message of wellness lingers!

O

M arriag e M i n istry Transitioning from Repair Shop to Marital Fitness Center

ver the years, one of the sadly kept secrets about building marital happiness has been that once married, couples must invest in growing their marriage deeper. Just as you need to personally invest in growing closer to Christ through regular study of the Scriptures, spending time with other believers, worship and service, you need to invest quality time with your spouse—pursuing him/ her as you did when dating, attending marriage seminars and educational studies—for the rest of your life. Historically, those seeking to ‘“grow” have waited until what they really need is serious repair work. Marriage Ministry has recognized that and has taken the challenge to move from being a place for major repairs to becoming a Fitness Center, where couples can receive a marital evaluation (Marriage Proactive) and build their individualized marital growth plan.

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

17


any people at Scottsdale Bible Church ask, “How can God use me?” and, “How do I fit into the mission and vision of the church?” Pastor Jamie is leading our church to a renewed focus on Worship/Connect/Serve. Many people are already connected into one of our seven different worship venues but only about half of our congregation is involved in the other two areas. We want to see every person at Scottsdale Bible Church connected in a small group and also into meaningful ongoing service at our church or in our community. We are launching more than 100 new groups in 2012 in an effort to accomplish this goal. To do this, we will need approximately 100 small group leaders. You may be thinking you don’t have what it takes to lead a small group. Fear not! We offer a 6-week training program to prepare and equip people to lead and facilitate small groups. This interactive training teaches the reason for small groups, the importance of making disciples, how to successfully grow and multiply your group, how to care for the members of your group, and most importantly how to facilitate a small group on a weekly basis. At the end of the training, each person will be paired with a coach to continue their growth as a small group leader and to help answer further questions they may have. We will also have events at the church that will allow you to connect new people into your group. With your help we will see a church where everyone can worship together, connect in meaningful relationships, and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as one body. Our next class begins March 18, at 9:30 a.m. To register, contact Bonnie Lathrop (smallgroups@ scottsdalebible.com) at 480-824-7299.

18

spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com


has adopted Scottsdale Bible Children’s Ministry (KCRG) ies for ionar miss the Floyd family as our international for dees atten 2012. Mike and Lori (Scottsdale Bible (11), n Jado ren, 30+ years), along with their three child ng in servi fully faith Grace (8), and Christian (6) have been lapopu the e wher , Northeast Thailand since July 2010 des inclu work r tion of Christians is less than 1%. Thei They also church planting, evangelism and discipleship. ntly rece has h whic work with a local children’s home, lost its funding. mile-long miThus, the idea of a fish farm was born! This ¼ ue stream to reven e nabl croenterprise will create a self-sustai home and ren’s child the generate the necessary funding for foreign for need the for additional church plants, reducing support!

G kids on their It’s a good thing the Floyd’s have the KCR ! This year’s enge chall side, who always rise to a funding ther they pick Whe . farm goal, $1,500, is half the cost of the r couch unde ge chan up extra chores or look for loose forward to look We . need cushions, KCRG kids will meet the some even (and s coin y hearing the clanging sound of man from ay Sund each ls bow ) bills too) hitting the fish (collection now through May 13. scottsdalebible.com/ministries/children. children@scottsdalebible.com.

The Grand Prix is rapidly approaching, and everyone at the church is invited to participat e! Purchase your kit on the patio beginning March 18 or on Wednesday evenings beginn ing March 21. Each kit is $6. Volunteers needed for the main event on April 21; to help, email children@scottsdalebible.c om

March 4 March 18 ents the opportunity Parent-Child dedications allow par ir children in a Christian to declare their desire to raise the by Dr. John Trent, is an home. Our Legacy Class, hosted ication that guides insightful pre-requisite to the ded acy for their children. leg ly god a parents on how to leave child on March 18 must Those wishing to dedicate their day, March 4 at 11:15 am attend our Legacy Class on Sun Register today for both at: n. scottsdalebible.com/registratio spring 2012 scottsdalebible.com

19


T h e S p a c e B e t w e e n Y o u a n d Y o u r L i m i ts .

m a r g i n

All new sermon series b e g i n s A p r i l 15 th


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.