 May 2021
Monument Family,
Greetings! The month of May has arrived and during my daily bible reading I was reminded of the brevity of our lives and that each day is a new opportunity to put our hope in the Lord. Listen to this prayer from Psalm 39:
4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. 5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. 6 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. 7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. (NLT)
What an amazing reminder about the brevity of life. Each day is truly a gift from the One who given us life and sustains our life until the day we take our last breath. Life is fleeting so we need a hope that is secure. Like the psalmist, let’s live each day of our fleeting lives declaring that our hope is in the One who has saved us from the power of sin and peril of death by His grace. Jesus is our hope. Put your hope in Him each day in May, and every day after.
God is doing a good work in and through us as a church family. I’m really excited about our journey through 2 Peter and grateful for this month’s transition back to the sanctuary for Sunday morning corporate worship. I want to thank our amazing leadership teams (elders, deacons, & team leaders) whose wisdom and efforts have been instrumental as we’ve navigated ministry over the last year during a global pandemic. Thanks to all of you as well, for your patience, unity, and commitment to God & our disciple-making mission each step of the way. We have a lot of exciting things happening in May and through the summer. Please take a few minutes to read this month’s newsletter for more details. Let’s keep putting our hope in the Lord each day of our fleeting lives as we strive to develop dedicated followers of Jesus Christ who worship, grow, love, and share all for the glory of God! I love you – Serve Him Well!
Pastor Jeff |
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IGNITE LIFE GROUP
Students entering 7th-12th
Begins Wednesday, May 19th!
7:30 -9:00 p.m. in the LoftWe are looking for committed youth to join us this summer in exploring our LIFE as followers of Jesus and our LIFE together as a youth group! Let's start praying now that God will IGNITE LIFE in our own hearts and in our youth group this summer, as we prepare to welcome the youth pastor that God brings us. You are important! Come join us!
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Saturday, May 22nd, 8:00 a.m.
The Deacons invite you to be a part of this year’s all church workday! Come be a part! Help is needed on a variety of inside and outside projects like general cleaning, repairing tables, painting, installation of new LED lights in the gym, weeding of flower beds, and cleaning up of gravel in the parking lot. Mark this on your calendar and plan to join the effort to clean up our grounds and facility which are important tools for our disciple-making mission. We hope to see you there!
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Have you attended GriefShare in the past or are considering joining in the future? If so, you are invited to GriefShare Gathering! Every 4th Sunday this summer, we will come together for a meal, as well as connection, support, enjoyment and spiritual encouragement. Feel free to bring along someone you know who has experienced loss and needs to be part of our GriefShare community. Our first GriefShare gathering is Sunday, May 23rd, 1:00 p.m. at Monument Bible Church. Please bring a side dish or salad to share. Meat and drinks provided. See you there!
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Men's Golf
Sunday, May 23rd 2:00 p.m.
Riverview Golf Course“Fore!” Men, it’s time to hit the links. Cost will be $15.50 for nine holes & half a cart. Golfers of every experience level are invited to play as we will divide up teams based on how many guys show up. If you have any questions, call Pastor Jeff at (641)-745-0712 .
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Come serve with us!
Now with the transition back to the sanctuary, we are so excited to launch our new search for anyone interested in the Music/Media ministry teams here at Monument! Training will be provided. If you are willing to serve on the praise team or media team, please contact Perry at 308.631.3838.
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New Women's Bible StudyLooking ahead, we are planning a Wednesday morning study to begin June 2nd. We will be doing a study on Elijah by Priscilla Shirer. If you know you will be attending, please call or text Deanna Funk at 308.672.1724 and she will get you a book ordered for you in advance.
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MISSIONS FUND GARAGE SALE!
Please mark June 12 on your calendar for a one day garage sale being held in the church gym to benefit our missions fund. We have been able to help many from our congregation and in the community with this special missions fund. It receives money through personal designated gifts, memorial gifts, offerings, and now a garage sale. We have recently given to the Options Pregnancy Center, short term mission trips by members of our congregation, Frontier students, and friends of MBC.
We need your help in collecting items for our garage sale. As you are doing your spring cleaning, please lay aside items to donate to the garage sale. We would like you to pick up labels in the office and mark everything with a price. We will have the gym set up with tables so you can put your items out. This can be done on Thursday, June 10, and Friday, June 11, (Noon until 7:00 p.m.) Members of the missions committee will be there assist. The doors will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 12, and close at 2 p.m. All items that remain will be donated to local ministries.
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Each month we will be highlighting 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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Dan and Ilona Anderson, Seth, Joel, and Isabella
Dan and Ilona Anderson, former pastor of MBC, live in Loveland, CO, where Dan is president and CEO of Kingdom Way Ministries. A concise mission statement for KWM is “Helping Marketplace Leaders Thrive in Life, Business, & Ministry.” Dan says, “In essence our ministry incites and outfits leaders in the marketplace to live out the fullness of what Christ intended when He invited His disciples into a world-changing calling when He said, ‘Follow me!’ ”
Here are a few of things going on at KWM:
- Common Pursuit—3 annual regional events in Northern Colorado; attracts approximately 200 business leaders and pastors
- WorkLife Connect—monthly luncheons where leaders can “grow in clarity, confidence and courage”
- Business His Way Groups—peer/mentoring advisory groups for business owners
- Kingdom Way Cohorts—a discipleship group for men; a yearly retreat and couple’s retreat
- Christian CEO group in Greeley—meets once a month to study scripture, pray, be an advisory council for others in the group
- 1-on-1 Coaching/Discipling—help leaders grow personally and professionally
- Workshops for executive teams and other gatherings
“I’ve never lost my passion for the local church and to come along side to encourage, help, equip pastors. The WorkLife Connect ministry was started by me about 4 years ago as an outreach ministry of the church I am a part of in Loveland. Our vision is to start more of these through other churches, get churches involved by hosting our events – which gives them an opportunity to invest in their business leaders.”
Some ways to pray for Kingdom Way Ministries are 1) wisdom and resources to expand their team, 2) God’s direction for future ministry plans (round table discussion groups, an on-line group for pastors and business leaders in Trinidad and Tobago, an invite for Dan to go to Liberia for a Pastor’s Conference the end of 2021), 3) God’s favor as launch regional events (upcoming workshops June 9, 11 and event on June 12), 4) that many would come to Christ this year.
On a family note Seth and Joel who are about to turn 20 are finishing their first year in the Navy. Seth is in Groton Bay CT, learning to handle all the electronics on a submarine. Joel is in Monterey, CA, studying Arabic and receiving other training to be a linguistics/intelligence specialist. Isabella is 13 and will be going into 8th grade next year. She is creative, loving writing and music. Dan and Ilona will celebrate their 30th anniversary in May. Ilona is “an incredible helpmate and supports me in the ministry in numerous ways. Including having about 12 couples over for dinner this Saturday. . .” Please be in prayer for the Anderson family that the fullness of God’s work be completed in and through them.
A written note of encouragement can be mailed to the Anderson family at 3694 Fletcher Street, Loveland, CO 80538 or an e-mail can be sent to Dan.Andersonkw2@gmail.com . Thanks for praying for Dan, Ilona, Seth, Joel, and Isabella.
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Nate, Julie, Katelynn, and Macie Lewis
Nate and Julie Lewis, Katelynn and Macie serve with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Nate is the West Central Area Director in Nebraska with a new office at 1400 W 22nd Street, Suite C in Kearney, NE.
The vision of FCA is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. Its mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. Integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence are the values FCA embraces. FCA’s strategy is to pursue its vision and mission by ministering “To and Through the Coach.”
Fellowship of Christian Athletes is having their Panhandle Legacy Dinner 2021 on May 2 at the Gering Civic Center. Neal Jeffrey, former All-American quarterback at Baylor University and quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, will be the guest speaker.
During the 2020 Pandemic FCA went virtual for many of their activities. They encouraged ministering to one another through hashtags, social posts, online videos, and video conferencing. The FCA Team initiated a day of prayer and fasting. Online huddles and workshops helped them stay connected. Virtual camps were used to engage with coaches and athletes. Conversations about racism were held to discuss the need to renounce the sin of racism and to cultivate greater diversity within FCA.
Please pray for Nate, Julie and the girls as they prepare for another busy summer of ministry. Katelynn is just finishing up first grade, and Macie Joy will turn two in June. A note of encouragement can be sent to them at 1305 E 16th Street, Kearney, NE 68847 or Nate can be e-mailed at nlewis@fca.org.
Nate and Julie Lewis, Katelynn and Macie serve with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Nate is the West Central Area Director in Nebraska with a new office at 1400 W 22nd Street, Suite C in Kearney, NE.
The vision of FCA is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. Its mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. Integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence are the values FCA embraces. FCA’s strategy is to pursue its vision and mission by ministering “To and Through the Coach.”
Fellowship of Christian Athletes is having their Panhandle Legacy Dinner 2021 on May 2 at the Gering Civic Center. Neal Jeffrey, former All-American quarterback at Baylor University and quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, will be the guest speaker.
During the 2020 Pandemic FCA went virtual for many of their activities. They encouraged ministering to one another through hashtags, social posts, online videos, and video conferencing. The FCA Team initiated a day of prayer and fasting. Online huddles and workshops helped them stay connected. Virtual camps were used to engage with coaches and athletes. Conversations about racism were held to discuss the need to renounce the sin of racism and to cultivate greater diversity within FCA.
Please pray for Nate, Julie and the girls as they prepare for another busy summer of ministry. Katelynn is just finishing up first grade, and Macie Joy will turn two in June. A note of encouragement can be sent to them at 1305 E 16th Street, Kearney, NE 68847 or Nate can be e-mailed at nlewis@fca.org.
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