Motley Free Methodist Church, 33 Wellwood Street E, Motley, MN. 56466 Sept. 2014

Pastor Jim Johnson: pastorjim05@brainerd.net 218.352.6888 http://www.motleyfreemethodistchurch.com

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who

curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who

despitefully use you”

Friends, this is a call from Jesus to be different in the world. This is a call to disciples everywhere to really follow Jesus. NO, it is not easy; but when did Jesus say being His follower would be easy. It is worth it, however. I praise God for what He has done here at MFMC. He has blessed us friends. May we never forget at whose hands we have received these blessings from. I have three updates for you. First, I want to mention to you again that, effective October 1st, Richard Broberg will become the assistant pastor here at MFMC. Please be in prayer for Richard and Kathy as God leads them into the ministry and Richard continues to work toward ordination in the FMCUSA. It will be a pleasure for me to work with Richard, even though to begin with it is only on a part-time basis. We will work out the details of his part-time schedule in the near future, but you will be able to schedule time with Richard or a visit etc on most Mondays or Fridays, it looks like. We will set up an e-mail account for him and he will have a phone number here at the church too. Please welcome Richard and Kathy in their new role. Second, I want to give you a thorough update on the building project. All along we have been figuring that the project would be in the $700,000 range. The actual project cost including architects costs, sprinkler system and some sanctuary chairs and furniture was about $687,000. Our GC (General Contractor) suggested we include a 7% contingency for those unknown costs that would show up through out the project. So, if we were to use up all of that cost too the total project would be in the $730,000 range. The building committee’s plan is to use as little as possible of that contingency fund so we can keep the cost as low as possible. You all know, per the weekly bulletin, we have raised (God has given to us) $430,000 towards the project. We pay our GC on a monthly basis for work completed and material used. Currently we have paid out $223,000 towards the physical project and another $25-30,000 for permits, architects fees etc. We will receive a bill for August work at any moment now and it will be due upon receipt. I also want to share that we have already realized some savings on the project. At our first billing our GC stated and showed per our building schedule there would be some $19,000 in various costs savings, and that figure could go higher by the end of the project. Praise God! Why do I share all of this with you? Because, it is our project together; and to bring God glory! Right now with those aforementioned savings and a couple of small additional costs, the project is running around $675,000. We will need to use some of those contingency funds for things like landscaping, resealing the parking lot (because it will all have to be re-striped too) work on the lower parking lot (crushed tar) and outside lights to name a few. We will also have some costs associated with remodeling class rooms etc inside of this building. All in all, God has shown us favor. Some building costs have already been lower. Some labor costs are donated. Some machine costs are donated. The weather has been remarkable and not only did we have $350,000 on hand to start the project, we had $430,000 to start with. I say, Praise God. Today is a building fund Sunday. I am praying that after today we have enough funds for 2 more months worth of work and bills so that we do not have to borrow any funds before October 30th. As you know, we do have funding lined up through the Free Methodist Foundation. We will borrow and use only what we need to finish the project. If God favors us with a bunch more funding before then, we will borrow nothing. Praise God. Lastly, may we never forget why we are here? We are here to point people to the Cross, the Grace of God and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We are here to “bear one another’s burden”; to bring glory to God the Father by being salt and light for Jesus, our Lord. May we never forget that it is God who has blessed us; it is God who protects us, provides for us and directs us. Praise and Glory all go to God for His goodness and blessings. Lastly, your BOA and I have decided that it is time to do back-ground checks on all adults who work with any of our children. Our church and our community and all who attend here is growing. Please do not see this as a slap in your face but rather an attempt to keep all of our children safe and the church safe too. Other churches in our area already do back-ground checks for their volunteers. Some insurance companies now require them. Our insurance company does not require them yet, but we see it as a good step to keep everyone as safe as we possibly can. In the very near future, (September) all volunteers will be given instruction how to go on-line and begin that process. This is a very confidential site (Protect My Ministry) and they do back-ground checks for churches and other groups all the time. There will be NO cost to you. If you do not have a means to go on-line and fill this out, we will help you in some way to do that too. Thank you for your patient understanding regarding this matter. If you have questions please refer them to the BOA or myself. Serving Jesus and serving you, Pastor Jim

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Words from Pastor Jim 1

Upcoming Events 2

Small Group Information 2

Children’s Programming Information 3

Nursery Schedule 3

Youth News 4

Women’s Ministry Information 4

Board of Administration Meeting Minutes 5

Calendar of Events 6

2

A Word from Pastor Jim:

THE BROBERG’S Your New Associate Pastor and family starting

October 1, 2014!

Upcoming Events:

*Sept. 1-Labor Day! *Sept. 6-Men’s Group resuming at 8 am *Sept. 7-AWANA Meeting at noon with Lunch provided *Sept. 10-AWANA Registration Night *Sept. 13-Women’s Meeting at 10 am *Sept. 14-AWANA Sunday! *Sept. 24-See You At the Pole (before school) *Sept. 24-BAY Rally leaving at 5:30 pm

Small Group Information:

As a part of a growing body, the best way to have a more

intimate fellowship and Bible study is to be involved in a

small group. Here at the Motley Free Methodist Church we

currently have eight small groups opportunities…

Sunday morning at 10:30 in the basement of the church studying Cults, see Chris Neal or Dan Rose

Sunday Evening Service-7:00 pm

Tuesday morning Women’s Bible study-1:00 pm at the church called “The Best Yes” by Lisa Terkeurst. Starting Sept. 9th, see Brandi for questions!

Tuesday evening Bible Study starting at 6:30 pm studying the book of Matthew

Wednesday mornings at 9:30 am in the church basement studying the book of Daniel

Wednesday afternoon intercessory prayer team at Jessica Judd’s House at 12:00 pm

Saturday morning men’s group-8 am every other Saturday with Doug Buscho starting again Sept. 6th! Studying Not A Fan!

Saturday evening prayer group at the church at 6 pm with Pastor Les Crider

Please pray about which group you can be a part of or

if you have an idea for/or would be willing to lead a different small group please see Richard Broberg our

small group coordinator or talk with Pastor Jim!

Catch the Excitement!

Building Update:

As we head into fall, the building is taking beautiful

shape!! We are currently at $430,000.00 on hand!

Today is “building fund Sunday”! Which means all the

offerings will go into our building fund!

Please continue to pray that God will grant safety to

the workers, and that He will provide the rest of the

funds for this, His project!! And for unity amongst the

body, during this time of growth and transition!!

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor

in vain. ~Psalm 127

The Building Continues

We are just 10 days away from AWANA registration night! God has already provided the majority of AWANA staff, we have all major volunteers recruited and trainings happening. If He is still speaking to you about helping we can still use your help, there are volunteer interest forms for any to fill out by our bulletin board, go ahead fill it out and leave it at the church and we will get in touch with you! You may be thinking that I am just too busy God, how could I possibly have time to serve in this ministry? -It may sound crazy but if you serve God where He is calling you, He will open up your schedule in a brand new way that you can't possibly do yourself. As I was reading and praying this past week, I turned to 1 Corinthians 12 and as I read through the following verses 12, 18-20, 26-27 really spoke to me. You see it is not by accident that every time you hear the word AWANA your heart flutters a little, God is speaking to you because He has strategically placed you here at this time specifically to serve in this ministry. I can testify that when He calls and you answer, your cup is filled and overflowing. Please continue to pray for AWANA-some ways you can pray are: God to speak to the hearts of children and their parents who will be attending AWANA this year, ask Him to provide transportation if it is needed, His Word to speak to their hearts while they are here, and for the families, if unchurched, to feel the call to start attending church, AWANA Sunday funds, safety each night for all here, and pray for peace, strength and endurance for all the AWANA staff. Some important dates coming up: Wednesday September 3rd, 6-7 p.m. - training for all new volunteers- we will walk through an AWANA night and answer any questions you have. Sunday September 7th- after second service, ALL STAFF MEETING- (lunch will be provided) Wednesday September 10th- 6:00 p.m. AWANA Registration Night- Wednesday September 17th- 6:00-7:30 p.m. 1st Regular AWANA night!!! Thank you all for supporting this ministry. God Bless!- Valerie Johnson & Angie Niemi (AWANA Co-Commanders)

Nursery Schedule:

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In the children’s programming news…

*As we jump into September, a new school year arrives for our students! If your child is going into 1st Grade they will transition to Geri & Dee’s early elementary Children’s Church class beginning Sunday, September 7. If you have a child that has turned 3 they will transition from the nursery to Richard/Kathy & Jason’s Preschool/ Kindergarten Class, or if you have a child who has gone to 7th grade this fall they will transition from Danny and Sue’s class to the Sanctuary! Thank you for helping our staff make these changes easier for our children! We appreciate our staff and our families! If you have any questions regarding Children’s Church please see Jessica Judd. Also, please be aware that when the new building in ready we will transition our children one more time from 3 classes to a 4th! We have teachers ready for this as we will split the early elementary class into two sections, 1st/2nd grade class which will be led by Richard and Kathy Broberg, 3rd/4th grade class led by Geri & Dee! *In Nursery news, we are always looking for additional help and as this year begins to wrap up, we will be looking for more help for 2015! Renee House is in charge of scheduling our nursery, if you are interested in serving our babies & their families please see Renee today! We are also looking for any couple or individuals that feel God may be calling you to more of a position in the nursery, for instance: possibly taking it on for a month or even quarter at a time! If this sounds interesting to you please see Renee! Thanks again for serving Christ and His body here in Motley!!

Children’s Programming News:

November 2014-First/Second Service:

Nov. 2-Diane J & Debbie C/Marisela & Ashley V

Nov. 9-Ian & Sue N/Shelby K & Chris V

Nov. 16-Cathi & Blayne D/Lori & Tayah S

Nov. 23-Kathy & Richard B/Kripa & Bryan R

Nov. 30-Craig & Carol W/Wendy A & Renee H

September 2014-First/Second Service:

Sept. 7-Jennifer & Logan M/John & Angie N

Sept. 14-Dale & Carla L/Ken & Hope J

Sept. 21-Margaret F & Renee H/Sam & Dayton

Sept. 28-Tammy & Dale/Jason & Jenelle C

October 2014-First/Second Service:

Oct. 5- Emily D & Brandi N/Lori & Tayah S

Oct. 12-Craig & Carol B/Traci B & Dennis V

Oct. 19-David & Nancy S/Diane & Jenny B

Oct. 26-Lonna & Nick D/Sarah & Robin H

YOUTH NEWS:

In August, the youth had a good time of meetings together! We finished Bible Stuff DVD Curriculum 1 and began Bible Stuff 3-Hearing God’s Call! These lessons have been very good, inviting the young people to start listening to the voice of the Master! God can use you at any age! The monthly event for August was a trip to Valley Fair, which included 12 youth and 3 adults on August 2nd for a fun filled day together! Coming in September, besides the youth heading back to school, will bring “See You at the Pole” and the first BAY Rally of the school year! (Brainerd Area Youth for Christ Rally) Both of these events fall on Wednesday, September 24, 2014! See you at the Pole is a yearly event held at the area schools of students coming together and praying for their school, friends, teachers, etc… this happens before school at their flag pole! The youth will leave the church Wednesday evening for pizza and the rally at 5:30! Also coming quickly behind that, is our October activity where the youth will help raise money and awareness of the homeless in central MN by attending Tent City at the Northland Arboritium in Baxter on Oct. 4th! If you would like to help sponsor a youth each one needs to raise $100.00 to sleep in a box for the night, to help raise funds for New Pathways our local organization that helps the area homeless! Thank you again for your support of our young people, and as always please pray them through another school year!

What’s Brewin’ in the Women’s Ministry Kitchen?

In August, we collected 19 Back packs in all and they are in the care of happy children. Thank you all for

your generous donations! The Hartley Concert was a success and we had plenty of yummies downstairs

afterwards. Thank you to all who contributed. Pastor Salik was here on the 24th

with potluck at the

Rose’s Home.

Brewing on the Front Burners ……. We are collecting at the September’s WM Meeting items for

Kody’s Closet. It is a ministry within the schools where kids can go to get personal hygiene products and

stuff that they may not get anywhere else. If you would like to donate to that, you can either bring it to

the meeting or leave it on the back table with a note on it saying “Kody’s”. If you have any questions,

please feel free to talk with me about it. Also, AWANA is here and we will be having a training/meeting

on the7th

and kick off Sept 10th

with registration.

Simmering on the back burners….. We will be hosting “Harvest America” here at the church Oct 5th

.

Please be in prayer for this and on how we can get as many of our unsaved friends/neighbors/family here

for a wonderful night of outreach. Also in October, our church will be involved with New Pathways Oct

20th

- 26th

. We will be assisting the homeless that will be housed at the Pillager Baptist Church with

transportation, meals and more. If you are interested in helping in this, please speak with Linda Beebe or

myself.

Our next Women’s Meeting is September 13th

at 10am. We are always looking for new ideas,

activities and ways for outreach. If you have any suggestions, please share them with us.

~Kathy Broberg - (H)218.397.2033 © 218.232.4409 brobsrk@yahoo.com

Board of Administration Meeting Minutes:

*Date: August 18, 2014

Time: 6:30 pm

People Present: Pastor Jim Johnson, Richard Broberg, Chris Neal, Craig Weigel, Linda Beebe, Angie Niemi and Jessica Judd

Discussion Held:

*Opening Devotions & Prayer-James 3:13. Be united and in a spiritual way. *Secretary’s Report-One change needed to add a word to the last paragraph (mentioned). Judy motioned to accept, Richard seconded, no discussion, all agreed, motion carried. *Treasurer’s Report-beginning balance in the checking account for 2014-$4015.34 with offerings through July $133,448.23 totaling $137,463.57. The church has spent as of July $124,856.22 leaving $12,607.35 in checking. There was another gift of $6,000.00 to the building fund in July. The beginning balance in the building fund is $429,361.75, the building fund has spent $146,878.97 leaving $282,482.78 in that fund at the end of July. Richard motioned to accept as read, Craig seconded, no discussion, all agreed, motion carried. Old Business- **Directory – Linda reports that there were many positive remarks about the directories. Most of them are now handed out. There are a few extra ones to be given out. **Building Project- We have now paid our second bill which is through July. The building should be enclosed by the end of this week. **Asst. pastor/timing- Chris Neal, as Board Chair, offered Richard Broberg the position of associated pastor. Richard accepted the position. Richard will begin the duties of associate pastor on October 1, 2014. New Business- **Harvest America Crusade-Linda Beebe asked for Prayer about this. This is an event you can invite unchurched and friends to. It will be held at the church on October 5, 2014 at 6:00 pm. This is a free event to bring the gospel message to churches and homes. MFMC is a host site for this event. The Title is “Pray, Invite and Bring”. The church will issue “book Marks” in the bulletin to help explain what Harvest America Crusade is all about. **Back-ground checks. Discussed how these checks are handled. A $299 fee (50 back-ground checks plus free child safety training) $6-8 for each additional check. We have 70-75 people that would need to be checked. We would need to inform the congregation that back-ground checks are now our policy when they volunteer for VBS, Youth group, children’s church and AWANA. Linda motioned to pursue back-ground checks through “Protect My Ministry”. Chris seconded. Pastor will contact them to see how we get started. No further discussion, all agreed, motion carried. **AWANA activities- Discussed the placement of youth and AWANA children on Wednesday evenings in the building. **Morey House Rent agreement-The home will have a rental agreement to be signed by the tenant September 1, 2014. Next meeting time-Sept 22, 2014 at 6:30 pm Closing prayer- Craig

September 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Worship practice-4 pm

2 *6:30 pm Bible Study

3 *9:30-Bible Study *12 pm-AA Meeting *12 pm Prayer Time at Jess’

*5:30-Youth Group *AWANA new Staff

4 5

*12 pm-AA Meeting

6 *8 am-Men’s Group *6 pm-Prayer Time

7 *Communion *AWANA Meeting 12 pm *Evening Service 7 pm

8

9 *1 pm-Bible Study *6:30 pm Bible Study

10 *9:30-Bible Study *12 pm-AA Meeting *12 pm Prayer Time at Jess’

*5:30-Youth Group *AWANA Registration

11

12 *12 pm-AA Meeting

13 *10 am-Women’s Ministry *6 pm –Prayer Time

14 *AWANA Sunday! *Evening Service 7 pm

15 Worship practice-4 pm

16 *1 pm-Bible Study *6:30-Bible Study

17 *9:30-Bible Study *12 pm-AA Meeting *12 pm Prayer Time at Jess’

*5:30-Youth Group *6 pm-AWANA

18

19 *12 pm-AA Meeting

20 *8 am-Men’s Group *6 pm- Prayer Time 21

*Evening Service 7 pm

22 *6:30-BOA Meeting

23 *1 pm-Bible Study *6:30 pm Bible Study

24 *See You at the Pole!

*9:30-Bible Study *12 pm-AA Meeting *12 pm Prayer Time at Jess’

*5:30-BAY RALLY *6 pm-AWANA

25

26

*12 pm-AA Meeting

27 *6 pm-Prayer Time

28 *Evening Service 7 pm

29 *Worship Practice-4pm

30 *1 pm-Bible Study *6:30 pm Bible Study