Everything starts at 11:00am with some hanging out, snack food, lunch fixins and the first movie scheduled to start at 11:30. Our theme this year is Superheroes, so here’s the playlist based on popularity from communication cards…

• The Incredibles (1:55) PG
• Larry Boy and the Bad Apple (30 min) G
• Spiderman 1 (2:01) PG-13
• The Incredible Hulk (1:54) PG-13
• Batman Begins (2:20) PG-13

I’m working on getting a special addition, but it isn’t certain yet. Also, if you have a superhero movie that you’d like to suggest, bring it with you and we might switch one of these for yours!

Hope to see you here!

Here is a map…

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Our Christmas Eve Service has Jennifer Mikels reading a Christmas story to the kids, the band playing some upbeat Christmas carols, and Pastor Jeff bringing a message on what it means to be people of the light.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: John 3:19-21

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The first step to a larger heart is developing compassion. The second step to a larger heart is to act on that compassion. When a heart grows the third size larger, something has to break.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: John 3:16

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Christmas for Everyone 2008

Last Sunday, I challenged our congregation to put their compassion in action in a tangible way.

Here in Lafayette, our local church and ministry association called TEAMM sponsors a program this time of year called Christmas for Everyone. It’s an incredible program. Parents register their children by filling out a form describing their clothing size and the kinds of toys they would like. Then, volunteers from local churches get those forms, spend $30 on that child, and bring the gifts in a bag to their church for “Distribution Day” where the parents come, get the gifts, and have an opportunity to “shop” tables of extra donated gifts for their kids. Then, volunteers from the church wrap the gifts while talking to the parents. It’s a great idea for an outreach.

The problem is that we missed the opportunity to be a part of the program this year, but in a way that worked out because there were 10 children that somehow got overlooked in the program.

Well, last Sunday, I challenged the people there to pick up one of those registration forms, and get some shopping done by Wednesday of this week, and do you know what happened? Within 5 minutes of the end of the service, ALL 10 FORMS WERE TAKEN, and all the gifts were purchased and delivered to the families by Wednesday!

Way to go everyone! It’s wonderful to be part of such a generous church.

Two Super Secret Santas

Now here’s something else that I’m thrilled with. In the last month, I have heard two stories of someone in need being approached by someone else in the church who just wanted to make Christmas a little better for them. In one case, it was an envelope with a gift inside, but in another case it was a whole big let-us-buy-some-presents-for-your-kids kind of thing.

People of Lafayette Community Church… You Rock! Keep up the incredible work of demonstrating the love of Christ to the people around you. 2009 will be an absolutely wonderful year for us together.

We are all guilty as Grinches for our envy and selfishness, but there is hope in the message of Christmas to enlarge our hearts. In the last message, we learned the first step of growth is developing a heart of compassion. In this message, Pastor Jeff talks about putting our compassion into action.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: John 3:16

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Our ideas about God’s love are weak because our ideas of love are weak. In this message we learn that enlarging our heart starts with compassion. Pastor Jeff shares three ways to build compassion.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: John 3:16

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Don’t let that stop you from coming though! Tomorrow is the day we deal with the first lesson from the story of the Grinch. You’ll learn the secret to enlarging your heart starts with just one word… (I’m not giving it away right now!)

Anyway, there is free parking in the lot off Columbia and 2nd, and there should be street parking on some of the streets, but your best bet is to come early and park a few blocks away. We want to keep as many spots as possible close to the Long Center for visitors who may be coming tomorrow.

See you there!

In this message, Pastor Jeff uses the story of the Grinch to illustrate the point of Christmas. As we learn through this message and John 3:16, the birth of one baby 2000 years ago changed everything.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: John 3:16

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In this message, we consider the complete turnaround of the apostle Paul from one who sought to destroy the church to become its most ardent defender.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: Various

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Sometimes it takes a wake-up call in the form of a crisis before we think seriously about our relationship with God and fully submitting our life to Him. In this message Pastor Jeff uses the life of Manasseh to help us see this process. Manasseh had to encounter his own crisis before he fully submitted his life to God and acknowledged that God is God.

Speaker: Jeff Mikels :: Passage: 2 Chronicles 33:1-20

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