Sat, 20 Dec: WEB Christmas Outreach “FACES”

Fri, 26 Dec: Farewell Party

Sat, 27 Dec: Last WEB service for Seniors

Mon, 29 Dec: Fellowship Party

Wed, 31 Dec: Watchnight Prayer with RAYs (0vernight)

Sat, 3 Jan: WEB Baptism Service

The following author’s style is characteristically honest and utterly sincere, and can be easily identifited without having to drop a name. And while his struggles in the hell hole of Gedong will never compare to Virgil’s track through hell, admiration is nonetheless due considering his eczemaeous ‘thorn in the flesh’ (talk about a second literary massacre), which now promises less torture and more delight.

It is thus hard to believe he has trouble finding the perfect date for comms ball.

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Dearest WG mates, here’s the summary to Sun’s session (091108).
This material was designed by Yiren to encourage us on our journey through persecution.

Relevant Verses : ACTS 8:1-4/ ACTS 9:1-6/ ACTS 20:24

1. We discussed the inevitable persecution and condemnation we all have to go through as growing Christians (especially if we are avid preachers of the gospel).  This was shown in ACTS 8:1-4 where the church at Jerusalem was persecuted against and scattered.

2. Interestingly, ‘Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.’ – ACTS 8:4.
    This does not exactly seem like a logical thing to do – so why did the church react in this manner?

3. The answer lies in Saul’s conversion (ACTS 9:1-6). Saul who was once a diabolical figure, a motivator of persecution, changed completely due a single encounter with God. When he found himself in the presence of this colossal God, he recognised his smallness; his inadequacy.

4. When Saul understood that the Grace of God was essential to his survival as a physical and spiritual being, he embraced it and was born again.

5. Saul later testified in ACTS 20:24 ‘However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only i may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.’

6. Let us examine the cause-and-effect. Saul’s overwhelming response to God’s abundant grace was to proliferate His ministry. Saul was motivated by of course the Holy Spirit and by his moral obligation.

Application (on how to deal with persecution):

1. Saul’s encounter with God was intense and personal. And it was in His presence that Saul was all broken and humble because he knew he was unworthy of God’s grace. Daily encounter with God is important if we want to be like the church of Jerusalem because it is through this medium where we truly recognise God’s grace in our lives.

2. We advocate a very radical message and persecution is natural. And I feel suffocated by the rules of the Bible and stuff most of the time. But I guess the closer we are to Him, the higher we prioritise Him in our lives, and the more we are willing to sacrifice.

3. Plus, the best thing is – we have a community unlike those who are scattered and alone. Let us focus more on God rather than on the suffering. If we dwell on all the bad things in life, we kinda miss out on the good things

The following is a possible sample of what the final ‘ACTS Minutes’ would look like in the completed booklet. It is a consolidated summary of the ACTS 8 Bible Study conducted on the 26th of July by Joseph and Siang.

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The account of Philip in Acts 8 is a lesson in evangelism. Evangelism is both a natural product and extension of the Christian faith (quite clear already in the Great Commission), and also a divine opportunity provided exclusively by God.

It can be pictured as a working dynamic (chem students, think chemical equilibria) between the Christian and God, where the Christian prepares himself diligently for use as part of God’s divine, efficacious plan. It is thus two ways; one cannot work without the other. The Christian must groom and prepare himself as an evangelist – there should be no pushing of responsibility to ‘specialists’ – while waiting for God’s divine intervention that completes it.

Characteristics of an Evangelist

To ‘identify the characteristics of an evangelist’ can be a misleading. The qualities one identifies in an Evangelist should be intrinsically found in a Christian, and vice versa. There should not be a distinction. Nonetheless, in Phillip can be identified some very admirable qualities, who on a ‘chance’ encounter with an Ethiopian Eunuch, shared the Gospel.

The historical background to this event was the early persecution of the church by the Jews; prior to this Stephen was stoned, and at the beginning of the chapter it is stated that the church underwent great persecution and was scattered around Judea and samaria.

Such a context underscores the courage that Phillip showed, not only in his approaching of a stranger, but doing so despite the hostile backdrop. It is also worth noting that the Eunuch was obviously a high ranking official in Ethiopia, and Phillip certainly faced punishment if the Eunuch’s response was less than friendly. However questions of ‘should or should I not’ evidently did not enter Phillip’s mind. He ‘runs’ up to the chariot, and before this his faithfulness and obedience is highlighted by following the rather absurd-sounding command to “go south to the road – the desert road”.

Considering this, it is Phillip’s knowledge and understanding of scriptures that is most impressive. It is striking that his explanation of scripture was regarded by Luke as elementary and unspectacular enough to be but given a single line: Verse 35 simple puts it as “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” It seems all very underwhelming to someone like me who finds this most difficult.

This brings us to the dual threads that Evangelism is based upon – God’ Part and Our Part. The Christian must be prepared, as Paul writes, ‘In season and out of season”. Other than Faithfulness, Courage, Obedience, Phillip also demonstrates understanding and learning about the Scriptures, something sorely lacking today. These are aspects that should make up a Christian, qualities that should not be left only to ‘specialist’ Evangelists/Pastors to possess in abundance.

An Efficacious Encounter

Then comes the efficacy that is God’s part. As Christians prepared, only then can Opportunities become Divine Opportunity. Faithful members of CEFC will know Pastor Edmund’s definition of Efficacy well, and this episode provides meets the ful checklist. It had the Right Manner – Phillip demonstrated enthusiasm and learning. The Right Purpose was certainly there. The Right Time and the Right Place held some drama – Phillip comes to him as he reads aloud Isaiah, somewhere in the desert south! Finally the most significant, of course, the Right Result was most surely achieved – the Ethiopian was not only baptized, but ‘went on his way rejoicing’.

Evangelism is a dynamic process that needs both the us and God to play our respective roles – not to say that God lacks power – but in the understanding that as Christians we need to sufficiently equip ourselves for the great commision He has called us for.

Only then can we make Opportunity ‘Divine Opportunity’.

Hi, I hope all those taking A levels/IB Finals are doing good.

ANYWAY, EVERYONE PLEASE READ BELOW TO SEE IF YOU ARE ANY OF THE MINUTE TAKERS WHO HAVE NOT SUBMITTED THEIR COPY OF THE MINUTES.

DO INDICATE IF YOU ARE GUILT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY SEND THEM TO ME timseow@gmail.com. DEADLINE IS 15 NOV. A LVL/IB YOU HAVE TILL 1 DEC.

Do write it in prose form if possible, these minutes will form our very own ACTS commentary. In addition to April and Hans, I need a couple more people to help in the editing/publishing process (which includes design). Any takers?

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1. ACTS Introduction: Historical and Geographical contexts by Sue (the one with all the summarizing and mapping)

Minute-Taker: I have honestly no clue. I do hope the minute taker does. There were 3 sessions = 3 minute takers. Hah.

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3. 24 May: Acts 1-2 “The Kingdom of Heaven” by ME (the one where some epic battle + passports + undercover spies = Kingdom of heaven and Suzanne’s contribution of the significance of 40 days

Minute Taker: Sorry, no clue again. Possibly Siang. Siang i know you owe us one, just not sure which.

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2. 31 May: ACTS 1: 12-26 “Casting Lots” by Suzanne and Zephy (the one where she slightly touched on Plato’s theory of forms – about the different kinds of cats and the Ideal Cat. I can’t remember how it relates though. )

Minute-Taker: This is a worrying sign…

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4. 20 September: Acts 13-17 “Contextualisation in Evangelism” by Priscilla and Erika (the one where i distinctly remember overhearing priscilla distinguishing epicureans, stoics and cynics based on her study bible. I remembered because my study bible has the same thing below, too)

Minute-Taker: Ok Michelle Hui, I’m pretty sure this is you. Had something to do with finding paper and you rolling our eyes at me upon my request.

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5. 27 September: Acts 15 “The Jersusalm Council” by Grace and Carolyn. (the one where grace prints out a whole lot of excellent summaries on this issue and where we have our usual circular debates)

Minute-Taker: Uh, heh. Do own up whoever you are. You can’t possible forget so quickly. I know your conscience is tickling the back of your skull as you read these words.

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6. 18 Oct: Acts 16 “A Mentor’s Guide” by Gideon and me. (the one with hangman and who’s your ezra)

Minute-Taker: Hans, this is CONFIRM you.

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TO APRIL: I think you took the minutes for the 23 Aug session by Jerrold and michelle on Paul’s missionary journeys. (the one at my place??)

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This Sat’s session is by Sue and Yiren. Should be rather interesting. Any volunteers for minutes? Its your precious chance to be publised at a tender age.

Have you ever wondered why God lets bad things happen to us?

For Paul and Silas, “bad things” may have been kind of an understatement.

Imagine this. They have just embarked on what would be later known as “Paul’s Second Missionary Journey” (poor Silas.. no-one remembers him). In Acts 16:9, Paul receives a clear call from God for him to go to Macedonia. And as the story goes, he ends up in Philippi and starts sharing the Gospel there.

Now it all seems fine and dandy at the moment, Paul and Silas seem to be in the centre of God’s will, doing what he has called them to. However, through a chance meeting and an exorcism they unknowingly anger some bad characters who incite a mob and get them thrown into jail. More specifically, they get dragged through the marketplace, stripped, beaten, severely flogged and THEN thrown into jail. So much for justice.

If you were in their shoes, beyond the physical pain and the emotional humiliation they must have experienced, would not a certain discouragement and despair have crept in? I mean, here we are God, we were faithful and obedient to your call, and yet you let us get beaten up and thrown into prison.

“Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night” – Job 35:10 

Look at Paul and Silas’ response though.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” - Acts 16:25

Even after all they have gone through what is their response? To turn to God, their Rock-solid foundation. Also, taking a closer look at the verse you would realise that ONE, its midnight (means they sacrificed their sleep) and TWO, they are singing loud enough for everyone to hear them (pretty loudly). What absolute devotion to God!

Next, something even more astounding occurs. EARTHQUAKE!!!

“At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” - Acts 16: 26b

Wow. Talk about coincidental. Even more astoundingly, Paul and Silas’ first reaction is not – “God has given us an opportunity to escape (logical)” but – “Its a divine opportunity to share the Gospel (!!!!)”. Cutting the long story short they prevent the jailer from commiting suicide and save him and his whole family.

So whats the moral of the story? – P.D.A.

1. Personal Revival
2. Divine Appointment
3. Active Obedience

It all starts with Personal Revival. Being anchored to the Rock and God our foundation through meditating on him constantly (prayer, worship, bible). Only then will we be able to see beyond our circumstances (no matter how challenging) and see with spiritual eyes the Divine Appointments that God gives us. And with this, our priorities and focus will be right for Active Obedience, giving us the discernment to know God is telling us not to escape and take the easy way out but to use the opportunity reach out to those aroud us.

When you dont understand.

When you cant see his plan.

When you cant trace his hand,

Trust his Heart.

Let us take heart from how God turned Paul and Silas’ circumstances around from utter despair to his glorious purposes to save the lost.

We had quite a productive Webber’s meeting last saturday.

The bulk of the meeting focused on the idea of intentional leadership, one not by ‘default, but design’ – a reminder appropiate given that for most of us, the next three months represent our last in the Youth Ministry.

On that note, there are certain plans afoot. These plans are not to end our time in youth with a bang. They are intended to do two things – carry us into the Young Adult ministry and leave something meaningful behind. I thought it would be good if everyone is aware of these plans:

1) Christmas Party

Joseph and Gideon will oversee this event, which will act as an ‘official’ close to our time in the youth ministry. Those J1 and below, and those about to form the next Senior Zone, do be aware that you are not only invited to this, but that you have very important roles to play in this event. Watch for Joe or Gideon’s name in your inbox.

2) Notes on Acts

Those who have been slacking and have a handwritten, disorganised copy of Bible Study minutes from 2635165 weeks ago (like me), you are in trouble. This project has been alloted a greater piece of the 2008 budget (and since we have no actual monetary budget, all resources refer to human capital) you will be hunted down until your piece has been submitted. I will be hunting myself, for that matter.

On a serious note, April, Hans and I will put extra effort into this, ensuring a booklet of coherent articles and vivid maps will be printed come end of the year. Why? ACTS, in addition to its theological and anecdotal content, is very much a platform to understand and contextualise the rest of the New Testament. With any historical source, structure and signficance is dominant, so we hope to organise the booklet such that our current study will have long term benefits as well.

3) Suzanne’s Card

Dear Carolyn, i do hope you read this blog. In case you’ve forgotten, you happen to be in charge of this. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time once your A levels end.

4) Senior Youth in the World

Sounds a little dramatic doesn’t it? Take in context however, and see where CEFC with respect to Christianity in the world, see Singapore’s prominence in the world economy, and you start to realize we vastly limit our own potential.

We have many, as economists know, micro-Christianomic problems; attendance, shyness, insularity, elitism – problems that plague each and every cell group. To solve this in an ad hoc manner, just as henry paulson tried, may have some good effect, but overall change and growth won’t be as powerful.

If we were to look at the macro-christianomic perpsective however, we are failed governments! Like Gordon Brown, we need to identify our own credit shortage problem and tackle the roots, not the wilting flowers. While we look at our miniscule (comparatively) problems in cell group, we miss the massive ones that are just around us. Internal and personal growth is good, but to what effect? And the idea is we solve both at the same time. Just like how investing in public infrastructure creates jobs, increases foreign investment and has a multiplier effect to top it all off.

The last time we attended a major conference, or externally organised camp/event as a youth ministry was at least 3 years ago. The last web mission trip was at least two years ago. Even these are usually initiated by our adult leaders. Its time we do something on our own accord. Compared to the adults, we barely skim the surfaces of paul’s command to Timothy to ‘set an example’ for the all the believers. We are barely involved in church level activities (only dancers come to mind), let alone local (singapore), regional, or even international ones. If we are, it is either in an individual capacity or with another organisation. As a youth ministry, this is one place we must grow in.

We will not jump into anything and everything, but I think God gave us a hint of this on Saturday. Dear Old Jerrold was reluctantly placed in charge to research such opportunities and felt very burdened and unprepared for such a task. Funnily enough, Tall Skinny Clarissa two hours later, completely unaware, passes him this pamphlet called Project Serve 2009 – The Youth Evangelist. Not a bad start right. Haha.

I hope those of you who read this will think about such opportunities, and if you know of any promising events/conferences/speakers (not necessarily youth ones) do inform us. I think as a youth ministry we have far more potential to have even a, dare I say it, global influence in Christianity, so at least for a start, let’s being to consider the vast possibilities that lie ahead.

www.lovesingapore.org.sg (Galvin is obviously involved in this..)

www.loveeasttimor.com

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In other news, one aspect of the senior zone i greatly appreciate is our focus on good grounding in the Word. So those of you interested, there’s a campus crusade book sale going on from 30Oct to 5Nov. Its at Toa Payoh from 10am to 8pm Daily. We could head down on saturday lunch on the 1st before going for cell.

Let me know!

The world tells me.. security lies in money and material possessions. significance lies in outdoing my neighbor. acceptance lies in conformity to its ideal. purpose lies in satisfying my own wants. There is no god but ME. No master but MYSELF. 

“In his heart a man plans his course. But the LORD determines his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

“For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” - Matthew 6: 32-33

God tells me.. My security is found in Him Alone. My significance lies in being his child. My acceptance is assured by his unconditional love. My purpose lies in glorifying my King. 

Let me not complain or take my blessings for granted, give me a Heart of Thanksgiving. Let not apathy reign or hatred toward my brother reside within me, grant me a Heart of Love. Let not my heart or treasure lie in the things of this world, but teach me a Heart of Worship.

Let me live for the Audience of One.

Think about this… As a student is my primary purpose to get good grades? Or to do God’s will and glorify him? In other words, is my identity firstly a student or a christian? Am i… Faithful to God’s Call? Fruitful in God’s work? Fitting for God’s praise?

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them (set them apart as holy) by the truth..” - John 17: 15-17

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Announcements!

Webbers Meeting this Sat, 18 Oct. 1400hrs @ Woodlands Centre.

WG this Sat, 18 OCt. 1600hrs @ Woodlands Centre.

See You There!

Hellooooo!

Firstly we would like to say… HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEEEEE!!! :)   we celebrated his birthday just before wg. It was alot of fun wasn’t it okay!  So here are the minutes from Saturday’s WG session held at marks house! Hope it’s alright, my English isn’t that good heh! So please bear with me!

This session was led by April, our new webber!   good to have you april!

Acts   17 : 10-15

10As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

 13When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

 

April then gave us 3 questions of which we would discuss upon.

1.        Why were Paul and Silas sent to Berea?

2.       Why in comparison to the Thessalonians were the Bereans more noble?

3.       Application to today’s church (don’t know if this is the right way of saying but yeah heh!)

 

After all our groups had finished discussing, we decided to share what each of us had taken down! But unfortunately due to a lack of time we skipped the first question and discussed the second and third

 

 

 

 

So for the first question!

1. Why were Paul and Silas Sent to Berea?

To answer this question, we had to look back at the previous verses to get the answer!
In the previous verses, Paul and Silas were in Thessalonica, where they had preached at the synagogues and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them (the people there) from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ” he said. As more and more Jews and God-fearing Greeks were persuaded, the Jews there grew jealous and began to persecute them. (Acts 17: 1-9 summary)

Paul and Silas were then sent away to Berea as soon it was night (v10)

 

The group I was in comprised of Hans, Grace, April, Seow, and myself! So we began discussing
So what was the reason or reasons as to why Paul and Silas were sent to Berea? At first glance, it would have seemed as if Paul and Silas were just “sent away” to flee from the persecution at Thessalonica. However as we discussed further, April had pointed out that the Spirit had went ahead of Paul and Silas and prepared for them a way, leading them on this path to preach to the eager Bereans. It was in a sense God bringing the object of mercy and the messenger of mercy together at the appointed time! So was God’s Grace sufficient for theeemmm? I definitely think soo!! haha!

 

On to the second question!

2. Why in comparison to the Thessalonians were the Bereans more noble?

In verses 11-12, it is mentioned that the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for the received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The nobility in these verses wasn’t in terms of wealth or status, but it was in terms of character. The Bereans were eager to listen to what Paul had to say and constantly (on a daily basis as said in v11) examined the Scriptures to check if they were true, having that diligence in examining the gospel and the word! It wasn’t out of arrogance that they checked the Scriptures either, it can be seen that they were open to what Paul had to say and checked it’s consistency with the old Jewish laws (and Scriptures heh )

In a sense you can also say that they were humble in their learning as well, always seeking greater knowledge of the gospel and always open to what people had to say. For example, if someone were to enter your church and just started preaching the word, that person would be just shot down won’t he? But in this case, the Bereans eagerly listened to Paul, and studied the old Scriptures to see if what he said was true.

 

 

The third and final question!

3. Application to today’s church

The Bereans set forth an example for us to follow, through their attitude and desire towards the word.

In today’s world, we have to be careful as to know what is right and what is wrong, as said in revelations, there would be many false preachers in the last days. What we can learn from the Bereans, is to constantly examine the scripture, to have that diligence in reading the word. What we can see from the Bereans was that they had disciplined themselves to read the word. Whether or not on a daily basis it’s not certain but what we do know was that they had that learning attitude towards the word and had checked everything of what Paul said to what the Scriptures did. From that we can learn is that we must discipline ourselves to hear the word of God, and ask him to prepare our hearts to be prepared to listen.

The second point we could learn from the Bereans is their approach to the word. They had the right attitude in mind! They respected both the Scriptures and what Paul had to say. And at the end examine and study both of them! You can say they really had that Reverence for the old Scriptures and the word of God. In v11, we can also see that they had respect for what Paul had to say. It mentioned that they received the word. They didn’t argue with Paul or reject him, they accepted him! From that we can see the humility they had. They were humble listeners and diligent students, coming forth with the right attitude, then with the right actions.

The last point would be having that desire to learn more. Though desire is something that cannot be automatically instilled in us, it’s something that we can learn from. In v11, it mentions that “They received the Word with great eagerness”. From that we can see that they had that spiritual hunger. What we could learn from this is that they actually wanted to know more and more each day, so perhaps it could apply to our personal walk, that we shouldn’t treat our bible as a accessory but more of a source of “life” (sounds a bit weird, but haha! Hey its true okayyyee).

 

So there you have it! This is what I got down as the minutes, maybe it isn’t the same or I missed out a little bit. Sorry! I trieeddd my besttt :( please forgive me! Hahaha.

Take care and God bless everyone!

In Him,
Gideon

Weekly Weekend Wrapup!

Matt came down to Mark’s house on Sat to talk to us Seniors (first of a two part series before we move up to RAYs). Basically he touched on a few topics:

Our WG Bible Study – Good Job Well Done! An early taste of what we’ll be going through in RAYs and IDT. However, as we grow older there will be less and less guidance from “adults” so we have to be careful of not letting our discussions wander into philosophical discourses that head nowhere and of keeping our conclusions securely grounded in Scripture and sound Theology. Matt suggested we use Sue’s vast bible school resources and reservior of knowledge to help us along here. Haha so for those of you lucky ones who find that “Oh next week I’m leading bible study?” pls dont hesistate to ask for help from Mark/Sue (ask early! haha but im sure they prob wont mind anyway). Keep the discussions deep yet simple with practical applications/conclusions. So lets seek to build a learning community that is eager to learn, unafraid to ask and ever seeking for God’s voice in his word.

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” – Acts 17:11

Prayer – Fantastic to see Seniors attending Channel Heaven and even helping anchor it every week. More to come with “TEAM WEB” and in RAYs. There is a strong prayer movement/culture in RAYs so lets seek to leave a LEGACY of that same prayer culture in WEB! Start a prayer culture in WEB! Build and strengthen existing prayer movements in WEB!

Community - Let us also continue to build this culture of “intimacy in community” as well as an outward-orientated heart for those around us. And pass it on to our juniors. Not only are we meant to be a community thats supports, prays for and encourages one another but we need to have a vision beyond ourselves; to invest our lives in others – both our juniors in WEB and our friends outside church. Just a simple gesture of sitting down, talking - spending quality time together – is enough.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As i have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  - John 13:34-35

Ending Well - We’ll be moving up to RAYs in Jan 09 and the Boys and Girls Breakthrough Camps in early Dec 08 will probably be our last in WEB. One last time before many of us possibly go our seperate ways too. To NS, overseas studies, in RAYs where we no longer have the weekly WEB service to go for together. (*sob* so sad… at least we have the SENIORS FAREWELL PARTY! *yay*) But lets draw a lesson from the end of ACTs. Even though it ends on a somewhat depressing note, that the Jews will be “ever hearing but never understanding”, Paul still remains faithful to the work that God has called him to, Perservering on in sharing the Gospel to all he comes in contact with. Hopefully we can do the same. Remain faithful to God’s call despite what the world throws at us.

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Follow up Questions / Issues

1. Will we be doing IDT in RAYs?
2. Have which J1s are moving up and which arent been confirmed?
3. (for JonQ/Seniors) What do you think of setting up some sort of outreach ministry using music as a medium (since we have so many talented musicians) – Fish Bone Band / Jamming Studio etc? just an idea… dunno how feasible it is. Can work in either WEB/RAYs context.
4. Join “My Hope” and have a outreach christmas party? (or smth along those lines)

haha feel free to add any more u questions/comments might have

I don’t know if most of you have heard of Oswald Chambers. If you have, brilliant! If not, and if you’re looking for a devotional that will grow your spiritual mindset by leaps and bounds, i strongly recommend ‘My Utmost For his Highest’, something Galvin thankfully gave some of us a few years back.

Here’s an excerpt I found online.

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Total Surrender – March 12

Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.

Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse—”Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further” (see Luke 9:57-62 ). “Then,” Jesus says, “you ’cannot be My disciple’ ” (see Luke 14:26-33 ).

True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.