23680 Front Avenue · P.O. Box 98 · Mattawan, MI 49071 The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference · Office Hours 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Monday-Friday

Phone (269) 668-3263 · Fax (269) 668-4569 · E-Mail: mattawancommunitychurch@gmail.com On the Web: www.mattawancc.com · Like us on Facebook · Follow us on Twitter @MattCommChurch

Rev. Jonathan Lam, Pastor · Polly Blowers, Office Secretary Steven and Angela Lam, Music Worship Team Leaders · Philip Marsceau, Pianist

Draw a circle on a sheet of paper, in the center, about three inches in diameter. Now draw two smaller circles above to the left and the right yet intersecting the large circle. It should look like Mick-ey Mouse. Now add a third circle like the other two on the bottom of the large center circle. Label the center circle “God’s Mission,” the upper left “Treasured Traditions,” upper right “Personal Pref-erence” and the bottom one “Rooted Relation-ships.”

What you now see is one way of viewing the church. The churches’ central focus should be mis-sional. While traditions, preferences and relation-ships are all important to a particular church body, none of them should ever become central, thereby moving God’s Mission out of the center.

After a wonderful cookout meal at the Ruedger’s, the Council listened to Rev. Clayton Smith, a church refocusing pastor. He has helped a number of churches in their refocusing or repurposing pro-cess. Much of what Clayton shared with us remind-ed me of Dr. John Kimball’s (of our 4Cs) presenta-tion a few years ago. The theme for church growth was the same: focus outwardly, not inwardly. We all wish to see our church grow. The question is, how? The answer is by reaching out. We need to find a void in the community and fill it. Fill it in the name of Christ, with the love of God.

Clayton shared some examples with us such as assisting the local school with all-day kindergarten-ers during lunch period for the first couple months of the school year, an after-school student mentor-ing program, one-day VBS on school holidays while parents are at work. The idea is to be in the com-

munity, not preaching but simply loving and caring for people like we do with MAP. When people ask us why we are doing what we do, we can respond that God loves them and we love them, too. We can tell them we attend MCC and “let the pieces fall where they may.”

So now I ask you…what can we do in Mattawan to show concern and love to others? How can we build relationships with others? Clayton reminded us that like ancient Israel, we are “blessed to be a blessing.” Our focus should be “outward not in-ward.” We should develop a “missional footprint” in our community. And almost anyone who enters a church does so through a personal invitation. Final-ly, we should be a people of JOY! The world is de-pressing. Grumpy Christians reside in every church. But God calls us to be a joyful people. Joy works!

May our circles be in proper proportion and let the conversation begin.

Joyfully,

Pastor Jonathan

Our Circle

August 2013 The Calling

Word of the Month:

Canon – The religious writings of both the Jews

and Christians that make up the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

Our Missionaries to Alaska Rich and Heather Dodge (With Harry & Alyssa)

Hello Friends, From June 26 It's been quite busy here lately. We move this Friday/Saturday into a new place. It's an adorable little house that we are renting from a friend. When I say little, I mean little! It's about 970 sq. ft. I have been sorting and donat-ing, we had a garage sale last weekend and I have been painting the bedrooms the last couple of days. Busy, Busy, Busy.

This is a huge praise for us! It is less expensive and it is an actual house with a yard! The only drawback is that it is only two bedrooms and the kids will be sharing the larger room. We have a way of dividing the space for pri-vacy. Pray for peace between them. Alyssa can be mean and Harry can be annoying… -Pray for a smooth move into our new home. -We have a young man, Samuel, staying with us for the summer. His parents are pastors in a bush village. It was sudden and unexpected, but he is a delight and a bless-ing to us all. He will be attending the local college this fall and housing with a group of young men. He is looking for work. Please pray he will find a job soon. I know this is a big concern for him. -Our YFC chapter is hosting a mission team from Indiana. They will be here July 5-14. We will be doing day camps in one of the more diverse and economically depressed areas of town. Please pray for safety for the team and for a great impact on the Mountain View neighborhood! -It's been a pretty quiet summer for McLaughlin. Please continue to pray for our Monday night Square 1 group. -We've seen Fred a few times and he said he'll be help-ing us move this Saturday. He spent Father's Day with us. Continue to pray for this young man. Thank you for your prayers! Heather

2013 Mission Giving Schedule

The Mission Team - Sherida Janecke, Andrew Loveless, Tim and Mary Molnar, Beth Molnar, Dan and Barb Moyle (for Mattawan Area Pantry), Pat Mahood and Christine Ruedger

Month Organization Donations to Date Contact

January Mattawan Area Pantry $145.00 Barb Moyle

February Emergency Aid $275.00 Judy Britten

March Compassion International $311.00 Pat Mahood

April CROP Walk $1,830.65 Tim Molnar

May Vacation Bible School $155.00 To be determined

June Mattawan Area Pantry $200.00 Barb Moyle

July Operation Christmas Child Alaska Amount pending Sherida Janecke

August Kalamazoo Gospel Mission Dan Moyle

September International Aid Mary Molnar

October Operation Christmas Child MCC Sherida Janecke

November Mattawan Christmas Basket Distribution Barb Moyle

December Hats and Mittens Beth Molnar

The Mission Team will meet on August 26 at 6:30 PM. All those interested are

encouraged to contact a Mission Team member and share your input!

MAP Board of Directors Rob Viland (United Bay Community Credit Union)-

Chair

Barb Moyle (MCC) - Co-Chair

Beth Griffin (St. John Bosco Parish) - Secretary

Rev. Laura Osborne

Barbara Manzon (Mattawan Elementary Schools)

Scott Quackenbush—ReCast Church

August’s Sunday School MAP Collection

This month’s Sunday School MAP collection focus is on ketchup, mustard and other condiments/seasonings, which may be brought any Sunday morning. Mattawan Area Pantry thanks you for your ongoing support!

About the Pantry Financial contributions may be sent directly to Mattawan Area Pantry. For your convenience, self-addressed envelopes are available in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you very much for your ongoing support of the pantry! Mattawan Area Pantry is open to all church members and those in need residing in the Mattawan school system. Distribution Days are held on the first and

third Saturdays of each month from 10:00 AM to Noon. On July 6, MAP assisted 50 households with food and 35 were served on July 20. Clients are limited to one visit per month. They may come on the first or third Saturday, but only once.

Pantry Needs Volunteers—Board members; volunteers interested

in fundraising, marketing, communications, inventory management

Food—hamburger helper boxed meals, soup,

spaghetti, cereal and ramen noodles

Non-food—grocery bags, water bottles, personal care

items, tissues, paper towels

Funding—The pantry always gratefully accepts

donations; thank you! The best value per dollar comes by 1.) donating funds to West Michigan Feeding America (1488 East Empire, Benton Harbor MI 49023), earmarked for the Mattawan Area Pantry or 2.) donating directly to the pantry. (Feel free to use one of the self-addressed envelopes to MAP located at the Missions display in the Fellowship Hall.)

2013 Wildcat Classic Car Show CALLING ALL BAKERS! As part of this year’s August 10 classic car show at McGillen’s Crossing in Mattawan, the committee plans a bake sale to benefit MAP. If you’d like to bake up some goodies to help out, please contact anyone from the Mattawan Business Association to find out where you can bring them for the sale.

Save the Date! 2nd Annual Barbeque Fundraiser

Saturday, October 19 at Antwerp Township Hall More details coming soon!

P.O. Box 242 Phone: 348-5596 mattawanareapantry@gmail.com

http://mattawanareapantry.blogspot.com/

The Kalamazoo Gospel Mission is composed of many programs that serve the hurting and the home-less in Kalamazoo. From over-night lodging, emergency shelter, and rehabilitation programs to our thrift store and auto department: their mission is to change lives through the power of Christ.

MCC is happy to announce that Pastor Michael Brown of Kalamazoo Gospel Mission will join us at our Annual Church Picnic on August 11 to share a message and pre-sent information about the ministries of KGM.

Calvary Clothes Closet Calvary Reformed Church on 5th Street offers new and or gently used clothing FREE to those in need in the Mattawan area. The closet is open on the first Saturday of every month from 9:30 to 11:30 AM.

Emergency Aid Update In conjunction with United Christian Services, as of the newsletter publication date, one emergency aid request was filled from our Emergency Aid fund in July.

August’s Mission Focus is on Kalamazoo Gospel Mission

June’s joint effort with ReCast Church turned out to be a gigantic success! The attendance for the week was as follows: Sunday—88; Monday—103; Tuesday: 114; Wednesday—120 ; Thursday—120. Thank you to all who worked so hard to make this year’s Vacation Bible School spectacular! The mission focus of the week was Mattawan Area Pantry. Each crew was challenged to bring in as much non-perishable food as they could collect; at the end of the week, the winning crew earned a prize. Needless to say, all the crews got really into it and a huge amount of food was collected! Mattawan Area Pantry is grateful for the enthusiasm of the kids and the many people who donated.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with

all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and al-ways keep on praying

for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).

Kenneth Osbeck writes, “Through the ages, devout be-lievers in Christ have recognized the necessity of main-taining an intimate relationship with God through His or-dained channel of prayer. It has often been said that prayer is as basic to spiritual life as breathing is to our natural lives. It is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble; prayer is a way of life.

Nevertheless, we need to set aside a special time for prayer. We need that daily ‘Sweet Hour of Prayer.’ This song is thought to have been written in 1842 by William Walford, an obscure and blind lay preacher who was the owner of a small trinket shop in the little village of Coleshill, England. “Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known! In seasons of dis-tress and grief my soul has often found relief, and oft es-caped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.” May we all take time to enjoy a daily ‘Sweet Hour of Prayer.’

Sunday, August 11 Outdoor Worship/All-Church Picnic

Worship begins at 10:30 AM in the Mattawan Memorial Park

(rain location at the church)

Picnic follows the service! Pig roast, potluck, games and prizes!

Church will provide meat, hot potatoes, beverages and tableware.

Those with last names beginning with A-K are asked to bring a salad or vegetable;

L-Z to bring a dessert.

Feel free to bring a chair or blanket for our service in the park. Rev. Mike Brown of the

Kalamazoo Gospel Mission will be our guest preacher and provide special music.

Hymn Sing Prior to Worship Last month we began holding a short hymn sing starting at 10:15 AM. Pianist Phil Marsceau will lead the congregation in a couple of songs from our hym-nal, so plan to come early and join in the singing. To my Church Family, Thank you for the cards and good wishes and help-ing me celebrate my 80th birthday last month. Beth Molnar

Clean-Up Time! Christian Ed will sponsor a clean-up night at church on August 27 at 6:30PM in preparation of our fall CE programs. All are invited to help out!

Severe Weather Policy Except for a “Tornado Warning” we will try our best to hold church services at all times. A “Tornado Warn-ing” is an automatic “seek shelter—everything is can-celed” situation. For all other situations listen to WKZO 590 AM, WAY-FM, WWMT Channel 3, WZZM Channel 17 and we will try WOOD Channel 8. We will not be calling everyone so if there are questions, please call Pastor Jonathan or Marty Korteway.

Get Fit on Tuesdays at MCC! When: Tuesdays from 1:00 to 2:00 PM What: Fellowship and cardio, strength & flexibility workout for all levels and ages with a Certified Personal Trainer from SWAT Cost: $49.00 for 6 weeks (financial assistance is available.) Try out your first session for FREE! See Danell Disterheft for more information.

Prayer

Corner Pastor Jonathan

BEGINNING

SEPTEMBER 8

SUNDAY SERMONS AND WOW PROGRAMS WILL COINCIDE WITH EACH

WEEK’S READING.

TELL A FRIEND; INVITE A GUEST. WATCH FOR BOOKS ON SALE SOON!

THIS WILL BE AWESOME!

“The B ib le as one cont inu ing s tory of

God and H i s people”

The Deacons, Elders and Council took a break in July, but will meet again on

August 12 at 6:30 PM

From the Christian Education Team The team heard feedback from the 2013 Vaca-tion Bible School: we saw as many as 120 chil-dren one night! The group loved the Go Fish curriculum. More leaders/teachers are needed for the 3rd-5th grade Summer Sunday School class. Plans are in the works to schedule a date to clean up, clear out and organize the Resource Room. A date of Tuesday, August 27 at 6:30 has been set for classroom set up and clean up. Sunday school rooms will be tidied up and specifically organized for each class.

We will use “The Story” for next year’s curricu-lum, for preschool through adults. Classroom breakdown for the 2013-2014 year has been determined as follows: Preschool-Kindergarten, 1st/2nd grade, 3rd-5th grade, Middle School, and adults. September 8 has been chosen as the kickoff date for the new Sunday school year, and WOW will resume on September 11. The Christian Education Team will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, October 15.

Building and Grounds Team The team has installed a large writing pad on the wall of the inner church office to serve as a “to-do” list for the team.

Meeting Notes

Each Sunday (unless otherwise noted:) 10:15 AM—Hymn Sing in the Sanctuary 10:30 AM—Worship Service; Children’s worship for preschool through 5th grade. Nursery care provided. MAP—Mattawan Area Pantry

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 7:30 PM—Final softball game of the season vs. St. Barnabas; Field 2 of South Westnedge Park

3 10:00 AM to Noon—MAP food distribu-tion

4 Special guest speaker, Pastor Russell Camp

5 6 1:00 to 2:00 PM—Fitness Class

7 8 9 10

11 Outdoor Worship and Church Picnic (begins at 10:30 AM)

12 6:30 PM—Board and Council meetings

13 1:00 to 2:00 PM—Fitness Class

14 15 16 17 10:00 AM to Noon—MAP food distribu-tion

18 19 6:30 PM—Building & Grounds team meeting

20 1:00 to 2:00 PM—Fitness Class

21 22 23 24

25 Communion Sunday

26 September Newsletter Deadline 6:30 PM—Mission Team Meeting

27 1:00 to 2:00 PM—Fitness Class 6:30 PM—Classroom cleanup

28 29 30 31

August’s Mission Focus is on the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission

This month’s Sunday School MAP collection focus is on ketchup, mustard and other condiments, which may be brought any Sunday morning.