Wednesday 10/29

Student Ministry 6:00pm

6th grade through High School
The Book of John
Thursday 10/30
Worship Practice 7:00pm


Saturday 11/1
Sunday 11/2
Christian Education 9:30am
Womens Study Group
Jeremiah Study
Jr and Sr High School
Childrens Church 10:45am
Worship Gathering 10:45am
Thankful for Those who Stand Firm
in the Midst of Persecution!
Persecution Church Sunday
Dont forget your Devotional Guide
AWANA! 6:00pm
Monday 11/3
Womens Bible Study 9:30am
1&2 Thessalonians
**Foyer Project Begins**
Martial Arts 6:00pm
Free - See Bob Tompkins!
BSF Mens Group 6:45pm
Community Group 7:00pm
Eichstedt Home
Everyone is Welcome!
Tuesday 11/4
BSF Womens Group 9:10am
First Christian Church, Staley Road
Community Group 7:00pm
Wright Home: Studying Luke
Schifo Home: Studying the Exodus
Everyone is Welcome!
October 29th
COMMUNITY
FREE
CHURCH
WEEKLY
It is an interesting question given Halloweens reputation for
ghouls, ghosts, and most recently the celebration of the
walking dead. What is currently known in the West as
Halloween, began as the Celtic festival known as Samhain,
celebrated on November 1st. At this festival there was a belief
that the dead would rise and move among the living. Later in
the 8th century it was changed to All!Saints Day. A hallowed
day by the Pope and the night before became known as All
Hallows Eve.
What about trick or treating? Later in Medieval Britain,
November 2nd became All Souls Day where those in need
would trade a small sweet cake known as a soul cake "a small
roll with a cross on the top, aka a hot crossed bun# for the
prayers of relatives that had passed.

What about dressing up? At the same time people would also
participate in guising. Simply put, they would dress up in
ornate costumes and sing, dance, recite poetry or scripture
for food, money, or wine.
So, As a Christian should I celebrate Ha!oween?
First, we should never celebrate "or glory in# anything but
Jesus Christ. Now, this isnt legalism, but instead the
celebration of freedom you received through your salvation.
Therefore, we should not fear evil, because freedom in Christ
contains the Holy Spirits power to keep you from the
temptations of evil. Isnt that part of the petition in the
Lords Prayer? Isnt it His power which keeps us as we
minister in the fringes of darkness with the light of Christ?
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:14!16, You are the light of th"
#orld. A city set on a hi! cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to a!
in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so
that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who
is in heaven.
So I believe that we should take this great opportunity to
participate, not celebrate, by getting out on a night that has
been culturally overshadowed by darkness, and be a light that
loves people towards the truth in Christ.
Trick or
Truth?
As a Christian should I
celebrate Ha!oween?


..and he is coming soon!
Letters Matter!
At the 10:45am we will be o"ering
the chance to take a letter writing
kit and be an encouragement to an
imprisoned persecuted Christian.
Think of the impact the letters of
Paul had on Timothy, Titus, and a
multitude of others! Letters
matter, and you can be that same
encouragement.
Monday 11/3 9:00am ! 5:00pm:
Remove trim. #mark or number backside where it belongs$
Remove wallpaper.
Remove everything on walls.
Prep walls for painting #plaster, sand, wipe down$.
Cut/pull carpet #cut in center of doorjambs$.
See if we need to scrape the oor or need to rent a
scraping machine for Tuesday.
Paint walls and ceiling.
Tuesday 11/4:
Scrape oor if needed.
Tile oor entrance.
Josh oat the oor, if needed, Tuesday evening.
Wednesday 11/5:
Grout tile entrance.
Determine if any touch up is needed.
Second coat of paint.
Lay carpet tiles.
Thursday 11/6:
Reinstall Trim.
Install thresholds.
Assemble and install tables and chairs.
On Monday 11/3 we are beginning the foyer remodel.
Would you able to help us complete this on any of the
scheduled work days from 11/3 & 11/5?
We are having a baby shower for
Christy Proctor on Sunday, Nov. 9th
at 2:00 p.m. at Community Evangelical
Free Church of Mahomet.
They are registered at Amazon.com and
Walmart.
FOYER REMODEL
This weekend we are starting 30 days of Thanksgiving with
our thankfulness for those who stand rm in their faith in
the midst of persecution . If we watch the news, listen to
the radio, or read the paper this topic is not far from any
of us. For the rst time in history we are, for better or
worse, able to watch persecution happen.
Because we are able to
watch, means that we
know, and because we
know that knowledge
should drive us into
places where we pray,
support, and encourage.
The Bible says that if we
know what we ought to
do and we dont do it,
well thats sin.
So, this Sunday we will
have information on
ways that you can
connect to persecuted
Christians around the
world. From prayer, to
keeping informed, and
writing letters. Also,
Pastor Jason will share an
interactive message on
persecution and our
response to it.
Join us @ 10:45am!


Friends and Family,
This past weekend at the 10:45am service the Eldership of Community Evangelical Fre"
Church shared the unique needs that Julie and John Rochester are facing as they fo!ow Gods
leading to adopt Abigail and Savannah. In looking at the journey that brought them to this place,
#e believe that God is at work here. We also are encouraged by John and Julies wi!ingness to come beneath th"
Elderships authority. They have asked us, the Elders, to walk with them in this because they trust we wi! do so
in love and prayerful wisdom.
In service to Him and you,
The Eldership of Community Evangelical Free Church of Mahome$
Bruce Henrikson %Chair&, David Eichstedt, Skip Doval, Mike Piasecki, and Pastor Jason Schifo.
This letter was shared with the congregation on Sunday, October 26th and we wanted to forward it to you for your
celebration and consideration...
Dear Friends and Family,
To say that life never does follow the rules is an understatement.
To say that despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us is the truest testimony
of our faith. #Romans 8:37$
One of the hardest parts of having Savannah and Abigail in our lives these last few years, has been learning that victory
doesnt always mean I win, or I get my way. We have gone through many phases of what we felt was a victory,
though many ended up being mere illusions: they were self&focused, instead of God&focused. They brought satisfaction,
but they did not bring joy. Raising someone elses children challenged every part of our denition of love, patience,
doing it for God, and feeling like God was calling me to do this. Any pride of being a great person to take on
someone elses children, is humbling, because behind these children there is a trail of broken people and homes.
As we have progressed through the levels of responsibility, from babysitter to legal guardians, and now pursuing
adoption, I am more and more aware of the pain and heartache that trails behind the limelight of the best interest of
the children. I used to see the girls parents as the enemies I needed to conquer in order to protect them. I have
learned, that it is the sin of this world that is the true enemy, but that #sin$ has already been conquered! For every
child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through faith. #I John5:4$ The victory has already
been gained, we just need to follow the breadcrumbs to see where God will take us. Everything that we have seen is
directing us to pursue adoption.
There has been so many that have faithfully stood beside us and supported us in prayer to get to this phase, both
physically and spiritually. I am asking again for support. We need a lot of prayers as this is no easy task to accomplish.
We are looking at immense legal fees that, frankly, we do not have. What I do have is complete faith that God will
provide. If He can change hearts and forgive sins, I am sure He can help us pay our court fees. We need '3,000 to le,
and it could go to as much as '20,000. Please pray for us, and if God leads you to support us nancially, thank you. No
tangible gift or moment of prayer will go unnoticed. In all things God will receive the glory!
As you pray for us, please remember to keep Mica, their mother, in your prayers as well. Pray that she can nd
comfort in knowing that she is a child of God, and by knowing that, she also may defeat the evil world and achieve
this victory through faith #I John 5:4$
Sincere Thankfulness,
John and Julie Rochester, on behalf of Savannah and Abigail
You can make a donation by dropping a check into the church o"ering box made out to the Rochester Adoption
Fund.
You can also go online at anytime and make a one time or ongoing donation at:
https://fundly.com/rochester&adoption&fund
A! donations wi! be held in an account at Fisher National Bank. Any donor at anytime can request the record of use of funds 'o(
the Elders. A! donations are to be used solely for the legal expenses in th" adoption of Savannah and Abigail.
Follow the journey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rochesteradoptionfund


We wi! show the world that Jesus
is alive by reaching out in love to
those more fortunate and less
fortunate than ourselves.Ther"
are no economic oors or ceilings
to the poor in spirit.
This kind of statement seems very
easy for many of us. In fact
statements like these have informed
the missional social justice church as
it pushes out into the world. The
core message is, lets get out there,
serve, and show our love to the less
fortunate. While this is a good and
noble cause, it is also a short&sighted
and awed statement in so many
ways.
I think before we can claim to show
the world anything we need to look
to the Bible to see how it informs
our life. How did God show the less
fortunate or fallen #all of us$ His
divine love? The revelation of Jesus
Christ comes in John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that H"
gave His one and only begotten Son
If we read Romans 3:23 we nd
something startling. The less
fortunate are all of us, not just some
of us.
for a! have sinned and fa! short of
the glory of God
This is not written in the Bible to
shame us, but instead to tell us in
stark terms that we desperately need
a Savior. It makes me think of the
rich young ruler, of whom the Bible
says left the presence of Jesus very
sad for he was very rich in the stu"
of future garage sales.
In the same way ,Jesus met the
poorest of the poor and stretched
out His hand to heal them and feed
them. In fact, Jesus feeds the 5,000
in such a miraculous way that it
cannot be attributed to the world in
any way, but instead only to Gods
presence and power.
So God showed the world, both rich
and poor, His love by sending His
Son Jesus Christ. Jesus was the
manifestation of the fullness of
Gods love revealed towards us. The
good news is that its all of us, not
just some of us.
At times I am fearful that we shoot
for the lowest common
denominator in ministering to just
the less fortunate. If we look at
Jesus ministry, He spent signicant
time with the fortunate as well as
the less fortunate. Which is what
was amazing and world changing
about His ministry & it was for and
to everyone.
Why? Because everyone will be held
accountable to the Lord individually,
not as part of any particular social
class or people group. If someone is
rich in the things of the world that
doesnt negate their need for the
gospel. If we can start to see each
one for who they are individually
perhaps we can begin breaking
down the barriers and making Him
known to everyone.
Remember that it is the all or
everyone that has fallen short of
the glory of God, and yet it is
through Jesus they are brought back
near to Him. The Gospel is big
enough to reach everyone, so
everyone is to be reached by the
Gospel.
So, how does this inform us as we
push out to serve the fortunate and
less fortunate in our community? It
means that when we come to serve
in Jesus name we will share Jesus
name. We cannot love the world like
God did without Jesus, because He
was Gods active agent in that
revelation.
Now, in this journey someone will
undoubtably pull out what they
believe to be the words of St.
Francis of Assisi, "Preach the gospel a$
a! times; when necessary, use words."
The problem is, he didnt say it or
live it. No biography written by his
disciples within 200 years after his
death contain the quote.
Furthermore, Francis was known as
much for his preaching of the
Gospel as his living out the Gospel.
Mark Galli says this of the often
misinterpreted humility of Francis
of Assisi:
He apparently was a bit of a showman.
He imitated the troubadours, employing
poetry and word pictures to drive th"
message home. When he described th"
Nativity, listeners felt as if Mary was
giving birth before their eyes; i)
rehearsing the crucixion, the crowd %as
did Francis& would shed tears.
It appears that words were very
important to Assisi, and they ought
to be important to us. First and
foremost because the Gospel is the
Words of God describing His
revelation to us, but also because
the Gospel is the only power to
save.
Words are also important because
they transcend the social labels of
rich and poor, and through the
redemptive power of the Gospel
provide present hope and deal with
eternal su"ering. These are the
words of the Gospel, the truth that
Jesus is Alive. There is no greater
way to proclaim that than to go and
show the world a living Savior!