THE GATHERING CHURCH Loving People. Discovering Truth. Building Communities.
JULY/AUGUST 2009
BULLETIN
Sermon-in-Perspective
Church Calendar
Special Events
Reflections on messages shared at The Gathering Church that has holistically transformed people’s lives.
Monthly overview of Worship, Holy Communion and Prayer & Proclamation services including other special events.
Join us this summer for fun, food and fellowship; from our Annual Church BBQ to our Connection Groups.
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We’re On The Web! Check out The Gathering Church’s new interactive website.
www.thegatheringchurch.info
REVEREND ARTHUR M. SHADWICK SENIOR PASTOR
PASTORAL GREETINGS We officially welcome you to The Gathering Church. This publication is just a glimpse into a loving ministry that God has established here in the southern region of Bergen County. At The Gathering Church, we seek to offer a safe environment where it’s ok for you to sit back, observe and enjoy. But feel free to participate as much as you like. We work to create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages authentic relationships and growth. We desire to serve you and help you grow. That’s why we want to do our best to help you get connected into a church family that is committed to helping you become a fully developing follower of Jesus Christ. We want to provide such a great experience that you want to come back and invite your friends.
Sermon-in-Perspective
By Chioma S. Onyewuchi
Keep The Dream Alive Pastor Arthur Shadwick spoke on Sunday, September 28, 2008, about dreaming and having vision. He called it “Keep the Dream Alive” and that message continues to resonate within my heart, mind and spirit even now. You see, if there’s anything I can do well, it is dream! I have had the most outrageous, impossible and frankly, silliest dreams and desires ever. The great thing is that I have seen many of them come to pass and I still stand in awe of what great things God has done. Pastor mentioned, “If you have a dream or vision that you can accomplish on your own, it’s not from God”. This is because God always gives us desires that are beyond our ordinary capacity to fulfill them. Think of Moses and his stuttering, Jeremiah and his young age, Joseph and his rise from slave to world leader and influencer. God is able to do things through us that we could never have even envisioned. His Word does say in Ephesians 3:20, “….Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (King James Version) It is His power that we need to stand on, claim and trust for His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). By believing in God to do the impossible, we bring Him glory. On the flip side of this, we have a part to play in the fulfillment of our dreams and visions as well. This is the part that I personally need to work on. I trust God in every way possible but I often realize that I second-guess myself. It is in the lack of selfconfidence and fear that I experience that I err. How do I know that I am able to do these things that God has called me to do or have those desires become reality? I am too little, too flawed, too imperfect, not good enough…and the list goes on and on! Guess what, though? If God gives us desires and visions, no
matter how lofty, He always equips us and gives us the tools that we need to accomplish them. Trusting God and still not believing in ourselves is only partial trust or even no trust at all. By doubting, we call God a liar because it means that He is not able to work through us and that His creative power is not that great, after all. We can achieve more than we think if we just believe first in God and then in ourselves. Before we can ever embark on this adventure, we need to recognize our true dreams and visions. There is a primary purpose for which God created you and I. The best place to begin finding this out is, of course, from the Potter of the clay Himself, God. He alone is able to reveal to us our true destinies and visions. We also need to surround ourselves with positive people who are influencers and encouragers. We need to be around people who will strengthen us when the road gets rough and bumpy (because it will), believe in us when no one else will and give us the tools and resources that we need to make the journey a reality. Don’t let setbacks discourage you because every obstacle is really a stepping-stone in disguise. Let us all make the commitment to get out of our comfort zones. God will never ever, I repeat; never ever meet us if we are not ready to get more than a little uncomfortable. No woman who has given birth will call the birthing process a pleasurable experience. However, her child is likely one of the greatest joys of her life. Allow God to birth powerful things through you and me! Get rid of that house that you built in the desert and pitch a tent instead. You will not be there long enough to need anything more permanent. Most importantly, please act now, right now!!! It is God’s part to provide the strength, the support and the tools. It is our responsibility to plow the fields. Plow away!
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Upcoming Events www.thegatheringchurch.info/content.cfm?id=102
Community Care Event Time/Location: TBD
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The Peters’ Residence: 4 Hackensack Street, Apt A1 (Wood-Ridge, New Jersey 07075)
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Social Networking 101:Start connecting with others today! Facebook is a social networking website that helps people reconnect with past colleagues
and find new business opportunities. Facebook has evolved into a unique and powerful business tool. Users can share links to their work, learn more about their customers, and promote upcoming events. Facebook is an invaluable resource for professionals who wish to stay current with today's evolving business world. (www.facebook.com/thegatheringnj)
Twitter may be the hottest web property on the block, but it’s more than a toy and is not just for technological early adopters. A marketing and PR dream, Twitter can be one of the most effective communication vehicles a brand can ever engage with. Join the conversation happening now. (www.twitter.com/thegatheringnj)
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules. In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not. Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others. (www.arthurshadwick.com)
The Gathering Church, Inc “Loving People. Discovering Truth. Building Communities.”
31 West Mercer Street 3rd Floor (Suite 3C) Hackensack, New Jersey 07601
Mission Statement The Gathering Church exists to bring holistic liberty to individuals through loving God, connecting believers, and training them for service to impact their world.