 November 2021
Monument Family,
Let me be one of the first to wish you a “Happy Thanksgiving!” November has arrived and we’re advancing head on into the holiday season. I hope you’ll be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with some of your family and friends later this month. Thanksgiving is much more than a holiday, it’s a way of life. And yet it seems that grumbling is so much easier than gratitude. Instead of being consumed by the negativity & divisiveness that is so prevalent in our world, now more than ever we need to take the opportunity to count our blessings, for we are called as God’s people and followers of Jesus to “Always rejoice, constantly pray, and in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). We are called to give thanks in everything—in happiness & heartbreak, in delight & disappointment, and in peace or pain—so let’s strive to live with an attitude of gratitude by the power of the Holy Spirit in November and in each month that follows. Here are a few things I’m grateful for this month.
- Pastor of Youth & Family Life Candidate - I’m grateful that our Pastor of Youth & Family Life candidate, Colby Houchin and his wife Aleah and their son Ledger will be here this weekend. Please come meet Colby & his family during a special “Meet & Greet/Q &A” this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. before “Connection Café.” You can find more information about Colby and his family in this month’s newsletter.
- Communion – I’m grateful to be celebrating the Lord’s Supper together this Sunday. This month marks the final time we’ll be using the disposable wafers and cups. What a blessing to continue celebrating communion during the pandemic by having this option, but we plan to return to passing the bread and juice in December. Thanks for your patience and understanding over the last year as we made changes to our process to honor state & local health guidelines.
- God’s Faithfulness – I’m grateful for the faithfulness of God in each of our lives. God has been faithful to us as a church family in the midst of sickness, trials, criticism, disappointments, heartbreak, changes, and the death of loved ones. God has faithfully provided new friendships, abundant finances, new births, and more opportunities to share God’s love with others. May your heart give thanks for His faithful provision, presence, and power in your life each day.
- You – I’m grateful for you! I thank God for you in my prayers and deeply appreciate your partnership in ministry. You are a blessing from God. I’m grateful for your ongoing love, encouragement, and commitment to developing dedicated followers of Jesus Christ who worship, grow, love, and share all for the glory of God. I LOVE YOU.
Pastor Jeff
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Colby, Aleah & Ledger Houchin
The search for our Pastor of Youth and Family life continues! We are excited to welcome candidate Colby Houchin, and wife Aleah, to church this coming weekend by recommendation of our pastor search parent council and the elders.
For additional information about Colby, including his ministry experience and education, CLICK HERE.
Sunday Morning Meet & Greet w/ the Houchins
Sunday, November 7th - 9:00 a.m. @ the Church
Members , parents, and any other interested attenders, are invited to come next Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m., (BEFORE Connection Café) for a time to get to know Colby and Aleah and ask any questions you may have.
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SUNDAY, Nov. 7th
9:40 a.m.
Everyone is invited for another Connection Café! (Following the Houchin "Meet & Greet" at 9:00 a.m.) Coffee Bar, Juice & Breakfast items will be served. This is a casual morning of church family fellowship and connection! Visitors are always welcome, too!
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IGNITE Youth
7th-12th Grade
6:00-8:00 p.m.It's Broom Hockey night! Please bring a broom that your parents don't want back - it might not make it back in one piece ;) Parent Tip: The Doller Tree has brooms for $1 while supplies last!! Plus, come meet Colby Houchin, our candidate for Pastor of Youth and Family Life. Can't wait to see you all there! IGNITE Youth currently meets on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month.
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 Christmas Missionary Offering
This year, we will once again be collecting a special offering for our Monument Bible Missionary Families. We would love to generously bless them this Christmas season! A freewill donation jar will be available in church lobby starting Nov 14th. There will also be an opportunity to write cards/special notes for our missionaries. Money will be collected over 4 weeks and then divided and distributed. Please consider sharing your treasures with these special families this Christmas! |
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L.N.O. Paint & Sip
Monday, Nov. 8th
6:30 PMat Monument Bible Church
Ladies, join us for a fun and relaxing evening together. No painting experience required. Artist Sarah Reinhardt will be our guide! Along with our creations, we'll enjoy a light supper and snacks, as well as coffee bar, teas and sparkling cider. Come discover your inner Picasso and make some friends along the way!
Cost is $10 for supplies and meal. Friends welcome! RSVP by emailing mbc@monumentbiblechurch.com OR call the church office at 308.632.4099.
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We are collecting food for the Potter's Wheel Food Drive to help those in need during this holiday season. Items being collected include coffee, tea, & hot chocolate, broth, baking mixes, flour, sugar, salt, condiments, instant potatoes & rice, Hamburger Helper, pasta, hot & cold cereal, sweet & salty snacks, tomato sauce, canned fruits, vegetables, beans, tuna, & chicken, and peanut butter. We have a collection container in the lobby to drop off items during the month of November. We hope everyone will share!
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 A big THANK YOU to Heath and Kinsey Senkel for hosting last month's Pumpkin Patch Party on their farm. And THANK YOU to those who came alongside them to assist with the event. It was a fun time for all and a wonderful time to connect as a church family. THANK YOU Senkels!!!    |
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KCMI radio is hosting a special night with Christian comedian Bob Smiley at Scottsbluff High School on Friday, November 12th at 6:30pm. Bob Smiley has been doing standup comedy for over 20 years. The jokes come at you fast but will always be 100% clean for you and your family to enjoy! We have a limited number of free tickets available in the church office, first come-first serve while supplies last (limit 2 per family), and tickets are also available online through ITickets.
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The Historic Midwest Theater invites you to come share “Christmas with SELAH” on Sun, Dec 5 at 5:00pm. Tickets are on sale NOW!! Join us at the Midwest Theater as we celebrate the Christmas season with Christian vocal trio SELAH! Selah – with over 4 million albums sold — is an 11-time Dove Award winning trio. SELAH breathes new life into timeless Christmas classics we all know and love.
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Monument Kids News and Notes!
Children's Ministry - We are still need a few more Children's Church and Nursery Helpers! This requires a commitment to help about 4-6x/year. If you are interested and want to learn more, please call or text Desarae Hascall at 308.279.0011. Also, if you are interested in being on the Children's Bible Fellowship teaching team, visit with Desarae!
AWANA - There will be NO AWANA on Wednesday, Nov. 24th because of Thanksgiving Break.
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Each month we highlight missionaries that Monument supports. Please take some time to learn more about them! An encouraging email, phone call, or letter would surely be appreciated, too!
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Rural Home Missionary Association
Bill and Gloria Bagley
Bill and Gloria Bagley are our featured missionaries for November. They serve with Rural Home Missionary Association in Garden City, Utah. They pastor at The Village Church and also have an amazing outreach as they are now the owners/landlords of the Village—the area around their church that has ten businesses renting space.
“We are blessed in that the original owner offered the Village to us on a five-year lease option, and it is working beautifully. Half of the businesses are operated by believers, and that is such a blessing as we seek to get to know and be a blessing to those who come in to buy something in a flower shop, a bistro and bakery, our two thrift shop buildings, a tea shop, and an office for a construction company whose owner is a young Christian who came out of Mormonism. One thing that makes the thrift shop and tea shop special is that everything that comes in financially above our monthly expenses goes to missions—specifically to El Shaddai in Preston Idaho, and El Shaddai in Uganda!”
The Bagleys wrote the above words in a recent prayer letter. As you can see, they are very busy reaching out to the many visitors to this tourist area as well as the locals. In August 2020 the Endicotts—Charlie and Machaela with their children Judah and Millie came alongside the Bagleys. The Endicotts trained at Frontier School of the Bible and serve under the Tentmaker Bible Mission.
The Bagleys had severe water damage to their house last February when a water pipe broke while they were away. They lived in a hotel condo while working with insurance companies and a restoration crew.
Some prayer requests from a recent prayer letter are for physical strength and energy, for sharing God’s good news with those who wander into The Village, and for workers to help with the thrift store, and pray for workers.
The Bagleys are our “church-planting missionaries in Garden City, Utah, by the beautiful Bear Lake.” A note of encouragement can be sent to PO Box 444, Garden City, Utah 84028 or bagsidaho@gmail.com or glorybidaho@gmail.com.
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