Seabrook Avenue
Church of the Nazarene

August
Newsletter

From the Pastor's Desk

We seldom have a Friday Kid's Club meeting go by without some young person coming out with rare and unexpected wisdom.  Recently we completed a series on the Ten Commandments and hearing the answers of the children sent us back to our Bibles to double check. One thing is certain you just never know what question will be asked next.

I was sent a list of questions, requests and remarks posted to pastors and thought that some of them needed to be shared.  You'll enjoy them.

Dear Pastor, Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week.  I am Peter Peterson.

Patty. Age 10,
Dear Pastor,  My mother is very religious.  She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold.

 

 Annette. Age 9,
Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won't be there.

Stephen. Age 8,
Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland.

Joshua. Age 10
Dear Pastor,  Who does God pray to?  Is there a God for God?

Christopher. Age 9,
Dear Pastor,  Are there any devils on earth?  I think there may be one in my class.

Carla. Age 10,
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday.  Especially when it was finished.

Ralph. Age 11,
Dear Pastor,  How does God know the good people from the bad people?  Do you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers?
This month on the Avenue...

KID'S CLUB
(Sunday School on Fridays... 3.30pm)
Games, quiz, story time, Bible fun and a whole lot more.

LADIES COFFEE BREAK
Tuesdays August 5th and 19th at 10 am at the Church.
A morning of inspiration and a chance to meet with friends.

PRAYER GROUP  5 pm
Sunday, August 10th and 24th at the Church.
Prayer group is a vital life link in our church program.  This is a special prayer time for any and all needs.

SUNDAY @ 5
August 3rd, 17th,  and 31st.
Light refreshments available. Growth groups for all ages
Children: 'Understanding God and being part of theChurch'
Youth:  Video Series: 'Life on the Edge'.
Adults: 'Who is the Holy Spirit?'

YOUTH EVENT
AUGUST, Sunday 24th at 2 pm
This month's event is called
'TIME WARP'....  A 2 HOUR EVENT.

MEMBERSHIP FORUM
For those considering formally uniting in membership or wanting to know more about the foundational policies of the Church of the Nazarene, are invited to register interest by signing the Interest Form on the Information Table.  A one-hour forum will be scheduled for these people.

BREAKFAST WITH THE PASTOR
Breakfast meetings can be a great way to get together.  If you would like to meet for breakfast on a Monday at 8 am (or earlier) please sign the Breakfast Board located on the Information Table.

FAITH BASED INITIATIVES
Many are involved in what is more than just a Missionary Support Offering.  Our designated box labelled, "FAITH BASED INITIATIVE" has been visited by quite a few people already.  The Faith Based Initiative is your way of directly supporting Lewis and Susie Varley in a real and tangible way.  The Varley's are teaching in Bangladesh and we have a fantastic opportunity to be part of their support.  Already the FBI has reached $750.  This great effort and combined with prayer support makes a huge difference in missionary support of the Varleys.

STATE OF THE CHURCH
Our Church Board is currently undertaking an Improvement Audit. You may find one or more of them telephone you or are found asking strange questions over the next 5 weeks.

The Improvement Audit is a detailed survey of all departments of our church. The audit looks into how and why we do things with a view to doing it better. The audit covers all matters from communication to communion, finance to follow up.  The report will be presented to the Church Sunday September 7th.

UP-DATE ON HEALTH
After surgery at Middlemore Hospital Joyce Armitage is doing well and is now recovering at home.

Lost Helicopter
A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment. Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position. The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled,  and held up a handwritten sign that said
                    'WHERE AM I?'
in large letters. People in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign, and held it in a building window.  Their sign said -
        'YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER.'
The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map, determined the course to steer to Seattle Airport, and landed safely.  After they were on the ground, the copilot asked the pilot how he had done it.  "I knew it had to be the Microsoft Building, because they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer."