You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2010.
There won’t be Sunday Evening Prayer Meeting the next two Sundays (12/26 and 1/2).
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
If you’ve never really lived on a personal/family budget, the start of a New Year is a great time to start. If you already do, this is a great time to revisit it and make adjustments.
Budgeting is a necessity, but for most of us, it can be a challenge, and sticking to the budget can even be a greater challenge. As you are being financial stewards of the money God has provided for you, we have included some links to resources that might help make your budgeting easier. These all have different approaches, so see if any of them might be helpful to you.
- A simple budgeting tool by Dave Ramsey that gives you an idea of how much you should spend in various categories based on your income.
- A variety of budgeting related online ‘calculators’ by Crown Financial Ministries.
- A budgeting tool that is a little more thorough.
If you would like personal advice on making and keeping a budget, Chip and Katy Hardy have volunteered to be a resource. Just email them at hardyhh.
As mentioned in yesterday’s sermon, here are some options for Bible Reading Plans.
If you’ve never done this before, it might be better not to try reading through the whole Bible in one year; start with Discipleship Journal’s 5x5x5 plan which will take you through the NT 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
From George Müller’s diary, dated May 7, 1841:
I saw more clearly than ever that the first great primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord . . . not how much I might serve the Lord, . . . but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers . . . and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit. Before this time my practice had been . . . to give myself to prayer after having dressed myself in the morning. Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord.
Last year we raised $1,075 in the month of December to send directly to IMB missionaries serving to bring the gospel to the over 1.5 billion unreached people in the world.
This year we’re doing it again. It’s called the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
Any Sunday in December, just drop your check in the offering with “Lottie Moon” in the memo line.
“The Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).
Greetings Everyone,
With finals week threatening, unfortunately, I don’t have a lot to mention this week, but I pray that this will be helpful to you regardless.
· A brief calendar of important/interesting upcoming events: This Saturday and Sunday, the Pilsen Holiday Art Sale is going on, with live music and delicious food as well. Check it out. Speaking of Christmas, there is a Traditional Mexican Christmas celebration coming to Pilsen on Dec. 16th-19th. Just a tad out of the way, but the Chicago Sports Fest is taking place at the McCormick Place on December 18th and 19th.
· This week’s helpful resource: Here’s a helpful blog if you’re looking to keep up with all of the artist events taking place in Pilsen throughout the year.
“This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
How beautiful is the salvation of Christ for the redemption of the world!
Have a good one,
Andrew
This is just a reminder that this Saturday (12/11) is the Annual Immanuel Christmas Party. It’s at 6:30 PM at The Meeting Place.
If you would like to buy gifts for a LYDIA Home kid and haven’t gotten the info yet, contact Anna Wagler (mrsannawagler) ASAP.
Hi all,
I have a quick emergency question:
I am coordinating our school’s Science Fair this year, and we had judges coming in as High School students. Unfortunately, they just canceled on us, leaving our school in the lurch. Is there anyone available to judge our Science Fair this Thursday starting around 10:00 AM? We’ll provide snacks and an opportunity to interact with some great students!
Help!
Thanks!
Christy (christy.page)
We will not be having Sunday Evening Prayer Meeting this Sunday (12/5) due to the Annual Meeting for members after church.
Prayer Meeting will resume on Sunday Evenings from 6:00 – 7:30 PM on the 12th.
FYI: For Christmas and New Year we will also be cancelling Prayer Meeting (12/26 & 1/2).
·A few highlights concerning potential places of missional engagement within the UIC Area: There are lots of ways that we as a church can be involved with InterVarsity or Campus Crusade on the UIC Campus. If you’re interested, I’d love to chat with you sometime.
·A brief calendar of important/interesting upcoming events:
If you’ve got time this Saturday, the 4th, then you might consider helping Working Bikes Cooperative as they are packing up 500 bikes to send off to the Salvadoran American Humanitarian Foundation, which supports programs in Human Development, Health, Education, Nutrition, Housing and Disaster Relief Aid. Family Unity Night. Wed, 12/15/2010 – 17:00 – 20:00. Join the Pilsen Planning Committee’s Family Taskforce for Family Unity Night at DvorakPark (1119 W. Cullerton) for games, workshops and information tables. This event is FREE and open to the public.
·This week’s helpful resource: Here’s a great site which I’ve recently come across: Redeemer City to City. Check out the resources; there’s lots here to stimulate how we think about our mission in the city.
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
In light of the cross, may we walk as citizens of Christ’s kingdom! Be blessed,
Andrew Myers
Some of us IBC folk are having a meal swap this winter, and we’re wondering if anyone else wants to join! A meal swap takes some work, but has great rewards. Here’s a little bit about how it works:
1. Each participant (let’s say there are four people participating) chooses a dish to prepare that freezes well, serves at least six people, and costs between $7-$12. Let’s say that you choose to make enchiladas.
2. The participants let each other know if they have any food allergies.
3. Each participant cooks that dish four times and freezes them in disposable dishes. In other words, you would make four pans of enchiladas, each serving six people.
4. He/she keeps one meal for themselves and takes the other three to the swap.
5. Everyone leaves the swap with three new meals to put in their freezer!
I hope that makes sense. For some people this would be a lot of food, but you wouldn’t have to cook for awhile, or you could have people over for dinner!
We’re going to do the swap in early January, so I’d like to get it organized before Christmas. If you want to participate or have questions, send me an email at lindsey.avink.
Immanuel Blog 