The Village Church

BE PRESENT!

2023 Global Impact Week

Sunday, February 19–Sunday, February 26

BY BETH ALBRIGHT (CELLANA)

Agreat title! The leadership of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the denomination of which The Village Church is a part, has chosen this as the theme of the 2022-2023 Global Impact Week that will be held in 2,000 fellowships and churches in 38 languages all over the United States. Add the dates to your calendar now to ensure you will be a part of this very special week!

A.B. Simpson, the founder of the C&MA, was a pastor in a very prestigious church in New York City. He resigned his position as pastor in 1881 because he sensed that God was calling him to work among immigrants that came by the boatload to New York City. Many wanted to know this Jesus that he was telling them about.

That was just the beginning. Now, 140 years later, there are 24,500 churches with 6.3 million followers of Jesus around the world—all because one man wanted to be present for the world that he was a part of.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Rev. Jonathan Schaeffer

Rev. Jonathan Schaeffer, pastor of the Grace Church in Cleveland, Ohio, will begin our week by challenging us and inspiring us about how to be present in our individual and global world. Jonathan and his wife Mary, who have served together at Grace Church for 24 years, love seeing Jesus transform lives and seeing new churches being started in their area and around the world. Their growing church family is known for reaching out both locally and globally, mobilizing people for eternal impact. That is also the goal for Jonathan as he serves on the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Directors with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. In their free time, Jonathan and Mary enjoy the outdoors or traveling to see their five adult children and spouses. The aim of their lives is this: “Growing in love for the Lord Jesus and for people who matter so much to Him, here and around the world.”

Rev. Jonathan and Mary Schaeffer

Dr. Steve and Claudia Irvin

Dr. Steve Irvin and his wife Claudia will be presenting what it is to be present in long distance places, including Columbia, South America, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Madrid, Spain, as well as in areas closer to us in Toronto, Canada and Tabernaculo de la Fe Alliance Church in Orlando, Florida— two churches where he pastored. Dr. Irvin was born and raised in North Carolina and earned a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. While attending Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, Steve met

Claudia, who eventually became his wife. As the daughter of missionaries who served with the Alliance in Ecuador for many years, Claudia has had the joy of working alongside pastors’ wives in Madrid, Spain, who many times feel alone and need the support to be encouraged and empowered for more effective ministry. What Claudia pours into pastors’ wives and women leaders, they pour into others. Steve and Claudia have been present with people around the world, through evangelism, church planting, and leadership development. Steve and Claudia have been married for 45 years and have four children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Dr. Steve and Claudia Irvin

Janice Quinlan

Janice Quinlan

We are pleased to have Janice Quinlan here at Shell Point as the Village Church International Worker in Residence. She is one of our own! This is her third time to serve in this capacity. Born and raised in New England, Janice graduated from Nyack College and from the Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York. Upon her completion of language study, she was a part of being present in Thailand, where she was a key partner in planting two churches when she taught at the Northeastern Bible Seminary from 1992 to 2012. Then, a change came as she became the Field Director for the C&MA mission in Thailand. Janice loves visiting her former students as well as being creative with her hands. Some of us have had the joy of receiving some of her gifts! She also loves exploring Asian markets.

Martin Chaaya

Martin Chaaya is the coordinator of Alliance Diaspora Ministry, working among the many displaced immigrant peoples, with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Europe. We hear every day on the news about people who for many difficult reasons have been forced to leave their home areas or homelands. Martin will tell us how he is being present for these people who have challenges beyond anything we can imagine. Martin was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon and holds a degree in Telecommunications and a Master of Divinity from Columbia International University. Martin is passionate about church planting and has been part of several church plants among the diaspora in Europe. He has started several outreach ministries among immigrants and refugees which include social work and micro-businesses. He regularly teaches about diaspora topics to students and churches in the United States and Europe. He is currently involved in the leadership of various networks that focus on diaspora ministry in Europe. He lives in Spain with his wife, Joanna, and their three children.

All events at The Village Church unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, February 19

10 a.m. BE PRESENT Among All Peoples: Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer 6 p.m. BE PRESENT In our Individual and Global Worlds

Monday, February 20

4 p.m. BE PRESENT: The Big Picture: Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer Registration required; sign up at The Village Church or call the office. Banquet to follow at The Crystal.

Tuesday, February 21

10 a.m. Academy Class: Up Close and Personal Across Cultures: Steve and Claudia Irvin and Janice Quinlan* 6 p.m. BE PRESENT In Spain: Dr. Steve Irvin

Wednesday, February 22

6 p.m. Concert of Prayer for the World: Janice Quinlan, Steve and Claudia Irvin

Thursday, February 23

1 p.m. Academy Class: Understanding Today’s Spain: Dr. Steve Irvin**

Friday, February 24

6 p.m. Celebration of God at Work in the World! Janice Quinlan, Dr. Steve and Claudia Irvin, Dr. Martin Chaaya

Saturday, February 25

9 a.m. Continental Breakfast: Dr. Martin Chaaya

Sunday, February 26

10 a.m. BE PRESENT Among Displaced Peoples: Dr. Martin Chaaya 6 p.m. BE PRESENT By Praying, Giving and Going: Dr. Steve Irvin

*Social Center, Island **Grand Cypress Room, Woodlands

Martin Chaaya

Your presence matters. Can you imagine not being able to cling to Jesus in the midst of all that is happening in our world today? Join us for this special week!

At The Village Church

SPTV Channel 13 Introduces New Weekly Schedule

The Village Church is blessed to have SPTV 13 as an avenue to share its ministry with the Shell Point community. We’ve recently added some additional programming to the channel and want to share our new weekly schedule. You will receive it soon in your campus mail. You can also find it at our church website at www.villagechurchshell-

point.org/media.

In addition to carrying our Sunday services live at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., you will find a well-rounded mix of music and devotional content that will draw you closer to the Lord. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call The Village Church office at 239-454-2147.

Free Concert!

The Village Church presents THE KING’S BRASS

A unique, energetic blend of music, drama and testimony. The concert will include classic hymn arrangements with a contemporary flair. Sunday, January 15 at 6 p.m. No tickets needed.

Are ‘Life’s Big Questions” on your mind? You are not alone! Experience Alpha with us and explore the answers with which we all struggle. Fast-moving video presentations provide a natural lead-in to the small-group conversations that focus on discovery rather than dogma. You will find that there are no dumb questions! Whether you attend church or not, Alpha will provide refreshing insights and answers to Life’s Big Questions. Join us as we gather together for ten Tuesday evenings from Tuesday, January 10 though Tuesday, March 14. Together, we’ll share experiences and opinions, learn from each other, and form new friendships.

Each session begins with a complimentary catered dinner followed by a video and your small group discussion. Sessions take place in the Woodlands Grand Cypress Room, starting promptly at 4:30 p.m. and ending at 6:45 p.m.

Alpha is sponsored by The Village Church and the Academy of Lifelong Learning. The course, underwritten by The Village Church, is free to participants.

Register by Thursday, January 5 either online at www.villagechurchshellpoint.org/alpha or by calling the church office at (239) 454-2147. Space is limited.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures... He restores my soul...

(Psalm 23:1-3)

Maintaining Equilibrium

BY REV. ANDREW HAWKINS, PH.D., SENIOR PASTOR, THE VILLAGE CHURCH

These times can be terribly disorienting. Many in our community are still trying to recover from the loss and displacement of Hurricane Ian. We still struggle to make sense of it all; it’s hard to know how to respond. And even though we’re ok, we know that many of our neighbors are not.

So how do we keep our bearings in such tumultuous times? How can we maintain equilibrium when the seas are roiling and treacherous?

I turn to the Psalms in such times. In fact, each year about this time I commit again to reading and praying through the Psalms. It’s how I stay on course, how I weather the storms, how I ride the waves. Why the Psalms? There are many reasons; here are a few:

First, I learn that regardless of the difficulties of my circumstances, others have been there before me. And they have found God faithful in the midst of trial and affliction, even as He is faithful in more placid times.

Second, the range of emotions expressed in the Psalms is comprehensive and passionate. Joy and sorrow, exhaustion and exhilaration, confidence and confusion, peace and even anger – they are all there. Honest, human expressions. The Bible doesn’t show us the world in rosecolored glasses. The Bible is real life – and the Psalms are primae facie evidence of the truthfulness of scripture.

And third, the Psalms are rich in theology. And I don’t mean academic theology. I mean theology proper. Theology as in the knowledge of God Himself. The Psalms reveal God for who He is. For whom He is in all His attributes. His sovereignty, His omniscience, His power, His perfections, His mercy, His loving kindness – in all His glory.

It is this glorious vision of God that most helps me keep my equilibrium. That’s why each year I commit myself to live in the Psalms.

I’ve been teaching through the Psalms in our prayer services on Wednesday evenings. Now we’re recording those teachings for SPTV Channel 13. Watch for our new series on the Psalms on SPTV. They may help us all keep our bearings and maintain our equilibrium together throughout 2023.