Koinonia is a place that runs on volunteers. Without them we wouldn’t be able to run the children’s ministry, have people greeting or open the bookstore. Volunteers are needed everywhere and there is a place for anyone who wishes to serve. As we continue to highlight some of these wonderful volunteers and their areas of ministry, we hope that you are encouraged to come alongside these people and join the team.
Up now is Linda Templeton who serves on the hospitality team:
How long have you served in hospitality?
For about 7 or 8 years
What attracted you to hospitality?
I've always loved working with food and serving people. I was on the catering committee at my daughters’ Christian school for 5 years so it was a natural fit. It was also something my late husband and I could do together.
What do you love most about serving in hospitality?
I love the people I get to work with and getting to support the worship team and all the people who serve us.
Do you have a praise report from 2011/2012?
I'm getting married this month and that we are coming together as a family with my daughters.
What is a random fact about you?
I have a bit of an adventurous streak about me – I have my motorcycle license, I used to skydive and I have gone repelling a number of times.
Is there anything else you would like to tell people about serving?
Serving is reciprocal. For example, we serve the worship team and they serve the congregation. Serving is definitely contagious. When you see people serving, you want to serve. And when you serve you get to bless others, but you get blessed in return.
Thank you so much Linda!
The Love & Respect Video Conference is coming up on February 24 & 25, and the early bird deadline is today! Visit www.loveandrespect.com to get registered!
Earl & Dorothy Pitts and Mike & Elaine Stevens have already attended the conference before, so we asked them to share their experience with us. Here's what they had to say:
After hearing part of an interview with the author of “Love & Respect” we sensed there were some important keys here to having a great marriage and so we bought the book and we read it first individually and then together. We were excited to attend the Video Conference last year because we wanted not only to have a good marriage but a great marriage and to make our future years together the best and finish well!
An eye-opener for us was understanding the crazy cycle, seeing the picture of how love and respect operate and why we negatively react to each other. Respect is a man’s deepest value and love is what a woman mostly desires. We would say that this conference is the most insightful and helpful conference on marriage we have attended and are excited about attending again. ~ Earl & Dorothy Pitts
The Love & Respect Conference was an incredible weekend for us! We attended this video seminar with great expectations a year ago after reading the book. The book was amazing, but the seminar blew us away! It was unlike any other marriage teaching we had ever heard, and it was so refreshing and empowering. Understanding the way God made us unique as male and female, and discovering the importance that both Love and Respect play in our marriage, has proven to be vital to the quality and success of our relationship. The conference presented us with ways to recognize when we were getting onto the "Crazy Cycle", as well as practical steps to get off of it. But more than learning how to just avoid or halt the “Crazy Cycles,” we were able to discover how to create and maintain Motivating & Energizing Cycles in our marriage. Although it takes a conscious effort every day to make our relationship better, we now have the awareness and the tools to make that happen. We highly recommend the Love and Respect Conference for any married couple who wants to improve their relationship. Whether things are going great or you feel completely stuck, the eye-opening and challenging truth that Dr. Eggerichs shares from the Word of God can bring about positive change and freedom. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! ~ Mike & Elaine Stevens
This month, Pastor's Steve choice for "Book of the Month" is "Unconditional?" by Brian Zahnd. It's an excellent resource for us as we talk about Walking with God and Living with People. Our SLI students recently read and reported on this book - so we asked Devin Templeton to share some of her highlights:
Unconditional?: The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness
By Brian Zahnd
As Christians, we know that Jesus died for our sins; He took the payment for us so that we could have a relationship with God. Yet, we sometimes forget that this is not the end of it. As Christians, we are set apart not just by what Jesus did for us but by what we are called to do for other people. We are called to be like Jesus – we are called to radical forgiveness. In Brian Zahnd’s book, Unconditional?, he explores the concept of radical forgiveness and how Christians are called by Jesus to radically forgive people. Zahnd makes many excellent points in his book, but the three main points are:
Radical Forgiveness is Unconditional
When Jesus was sent to the cross for us, He was not sent for a select few. He was not sent for those who only disobey a few times or those who break commandments two-through-four. He died for everyone. From Mother Theresa to Adolf Hitler, He died for them all. Through Jesus’ death, God forgave every sin without any conditions. This is the forgiveness that Christians are called to. With the Father’s strength, we are to forgive even the worst offenses. Not only are we called to forgive the worst of the worst, we are also called to forgive over and over again. When Jesus died, He did not just die for the sins of those who were alive at the time, but the sins of those who were already dead and those who were yet to be born. God continually forgives us and we need to continually forgive others. When Peter asks Jesus, in Matthew 18:21, how many times he should forgive someone, Jesus replies, “’ "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.’” (Matthew 18:22; The Message). That is 490 times! For God, there is no limit as to what and how much can be forgiven, and as Christians, we are called to share this philosophy. There cannot be any limit as to what and how much we forgive.
Forgiveness Breaks the Cycle of Revenge
In this world, revenge is the status quo. When someone offends you, you get them back. Then they get you back, and so on and so on through the generations. This sort of living only brings pain and death in an unchanging cycle. However, there is hope. We do not have to live this way. Forgiveness provides a way out. When you forgive someone, you do not get revenge on them; therefore they have no reason to get revenge on you. Thus, the cycle is broken; and once the cycle is broken a whole new hopeful future filled with promise and change is opened up. In the cycle of revenge, nothing changes – it is just revenge and more revenge and even more revenge – with forgiveness, it means that our lives do not have to be consumed by revenge, we can move past it and really live – we can have hope. Brian Zahnd says in Chapter 4 of Unconditional?, that “hope is the prevailing attitude that the pain and disappointments of the past do not have to be endlessly repeated.” (p. 71). Through the hope that is acquired through forgiveness, we do not have to let the pain of the past influence our present and future, we can move past it and live a life full of promise.
Forgiveness is God’s Justice
Usually, when we think of forgiveness, we do not think of justice. In our minds, they are not equal. In our minds, justice means people getting what they deserve. But this goes against what God believes. He does not want to give people what they deserve; He wants to give them mercy. Yet, it says in Psalm 37:28 that the Lord loves justice. How can He love justice and mercy at the same time? He can because God does not define justice the way we define justice. God is not interested in tit-for-tat, He is interested in maintaining His relationship with us, and He could not do that if He was giving us what we deserve. In fact, if He gave us what we deserved, we would all be in Hell right now. No, for God, justice is not retribution, justice is Him giving His Son so that we may live and continue having a relationship with Him. The sixth chapter of Unconditional? states that “the goal of forgiveness and the goal of justice is reconciliation, not retribution.” (p.122). The purpose of God’s justice is to rehabilitate people and reconcile them with the world, allowing them to re-enter the human community. As Christians, this is the kind of justice we receive, so therefore, this is the kind of justice we need to practice, and we practice through forgiveness.
Through radical forgiveness, we can change the world. We can break the cycle of revenge, we can name and shame sin while giving an account of the truth, we can serve justice the way God wants us to, and, we bring about reconciliation with repentance. All we need to remember is that forgiveness – God’s forgiveness – is unconditional, and, as Christians, we are called to this unconditional forgiveness. We are called to radical forgiveness.
Thanks Devin! Make sure to pick up your copy of "Unconditional?" in our Koinonia Bookstore!
Here at Koinonia, we have tons of awesome people who come to church early, stay late, and go above and beyond all to serve the people in the house. We love these people and we really wanted to highlight some of these great workers and the incredible areas of ministry in which they serve.
First up is Philip deVries who volunteers in the House Blend Café:
How long have you served in the café?
About half a year.
What attracted you to the café?
It looked like fun. My mom and my brother already serve here so knew what it was like.
What do you love most about serving in the café?Getting to see lots of people at the cash.
Do you have a praise report from 2011?
I'm an uncle.
What is a random fact about you?
I love board games.
Is there anything else you would like to tell people about serving?
It can be intimidating at first, but once you start serving you want to serve everywhere.
Thanks Philip for being such a great sport!
Check back on the first day of each month to meet another amazing volunteer!
We often refer to February as “Relationship Month” here at Koinonia and this year, we want to focus on how “Walking with God” makes a difference as we are “Living with People”. God’s Word is full of great insight and wisdom for us as we face any challenge in relationships. We are called to love and forgive as God does, and to walk in humility towards others.
You won’t want to miss a single Sunday morning service in February as we talk about this important topic. Also, if you’re married or engaged, be sure to take advantage of the Love & Respect Marriage video conference coming up on February 24 & 25. Be thinking of another couple in your world that you can invite to join you!
Join us as we continue to embrace the call to greater intimacy as we read through God’s Word together this year. As we seek God and His ways, He will inspire us with the wisdom we need to walk out healthy relationships with our families and friends.
Walking with God together,
Pastor Steve & Beth
We had a fabulous weekend here on Dec. 16-18 for our annual Christmas in Concert performances! Over 2500 people saw the show, and the positive feedback we received was overwhelming. A HUGE thanks to everyone who served and helped to make it a success!
