Scott's Thoughts: August 2004 Archives

Grace e-mail bulletin - 8/27/04 - Directions to New Covenant Bible Church

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

August 27, 2004

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! (Ps. 149:1)

This Lord’s Day evening we are having our joint hymn sing with other area churches. The service begins at 6:00 p.m., and there will be a meal afterwards. Grace is responsible for bringing dessert items.

The service will be held at New Covenant Bible Church. Here are address and directions:

New Covenant Bible Church

4230 S. Youngs Blvd.

OKC, OK 73119

Ph. 681-9478

(coming north on I-35)

Exit west (left) at SW 44^th.

After crossing Penn, turn north (right) onto Young’s Blvd. (Young’s Blvd. is just past bowling alley).

Go 2 blocks, and church is on right-hand side of street. You should see the sign.

Bring your best pair of lungs, and see you there!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org

Posted by EkPisteos at 1:33 PM

Grace e-mail bulletin - 8/25/04

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

August 25, 2004

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

Hello from the Pastor’s study! I trust you are finding strength in God who has blessed us beyond measure in Jesus Christ, his Son. I recently wrote a short article on the Reformation slogan “Solo Christo” (“Christ Alone”) in connection with the upcoming OKC Conference on Reformed Theology. As I did, I was reminded of the great salvation and abundance of life that we have in Christ. If we liken that life to water, how often we take just a sip of it instead of drinking deeply from the bottomless well! Pray that we will desire and thirst all the more for the eternal life that Christ came to give.

Please note the following information:

This Saturday (8/28):

- The Session will meet at the church at 7:00 p.m.

This coming Lord’s Day (8/29):

- Bill Doerfel will continue his Sunday School series on the epistle to the Hebrews. This week we will focus on chapter 3.

- I will preach on Mark 10:32-45 during the morning worship service. The sermon is called “Saved to Serve”

- There will be a farewell meal and send-off for Sunny following the morning service. Sunny is returning home to South Korea after studying English here in Norman for the past year or so. Her presence and involvement with the life of our church has been a great encouragement for all of us. We will miss her cheerfulness and enthusiasm very much. But, we trust the Lord has wonderful things in store for her back home.

- Instead of our regular evening service, we will meet with other area churches for a joint hymn sing. We have done this regularly each time there is a fifth Sunday in the month. This coming Sunday, the hymn sing will be held at New Covenant Bible Church in Oklahoma City. As usual, we will have a fellowship meal after the service. PLEASE NOTE: Grace is responsible for bringing DESSERT to the hymn sing. If you can make a tasty dessert (or, know where to buy one!), please do so and bring it. DIRECTIONS to the church will follow (as well as the time of the service).

Eric Pyle’s work with Wycliffe Bible Translators:

- You can view Eric’s latest newsletter at: http://opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/ericpyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_jun04.pdf. Pray for Eric’s continuing support-raising efforts.

College students:

- The Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) of OU is hosting a Fall Conference for area university students September 24-26. To find out more, visit RUF’s website at http://www.ouruf.org or contact Rev. Doug Serven at dserven@ruf.org or 405-812-8758. Many of you know Rev. Serven from his having preached at Grace many times in the past. He is the RUF minister to Norman’s OU community.

OKC Reformed Conference:

- Grace Presbyterian will be assisting in the planning and running of the next Oklahoma City Reformed Conference coming up in October (the 29^th and 30^th). The speaker at this year’s conference will be Jim Elliff, a former pastor and currently president of Christian Communications Worldwide. I volunteered our congregation to help with “Program Overseer Responsibilities”. Here are some ways that you can serve:

- Hymn leader

- Usher

- Setting up and manning the registration table

Please let me know if you would be interested in taking on any of these responsibilities.

- Be sure to visit http://reformokc.com/. Here you’ll find more information about the conference.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org

Posted by EkPisteos at 3:22 PM | Responses (0)

Grace e-mail bulletin - 8/18/04

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

August 18, 2004

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest who enables us “with confidence [to] draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Please note the following information:

Saturday, August 21^st:

- Plan on coming to Grace Presbyterian’s church picnic this Saturday. We will begin at 5:00, with dinner at 6:00. Meat and bread will be provided. If you are interested in bringing another kind of food item, such as a salad or dessert, please call Robyn Johnson at 321-6151. The picnic will be held at the Shaws’ house, which is located just behind the Doerfels’ house. The address for the Shaws is 2401 S. Berry Road (south of Lindsey St.). Their house is on the east side of S. Berry, just south of the intersection of S. Berry and Westbrooke Terrace. They have an semi-circle driveway, and you may park there. Also, don’t forget your swimsuits! Call Marilyn Doerfel (364-0830) or Robyn Johnson (321-6151) if you have any questions.

This coming Lord’s Day (8/22):

- As you know, John Mantooth returned home to Oklahoma not too long ago after serving for several months with the Army in Afghanistan. While there, he served as the principal legal advisor to LTG David Barno, Commander of the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan. John was also instrumental in reforming and developing various aspects of the Afghan judicial sector. He served there not only as a military officer, but also as a Christian. John will speak to our adult Sunday School class this Lord’s Day, sharing with us his thoughts and experiences from his time in Afghanistan.

- During the morning service, we will consider Mark 10:17-31, the account of the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The sermon will be “Kingdom Treasures”.

- Bill Doerfel will preach on Isaiah 6:1-3 during the evening service, considering Jesus’ use of this passage in his first recorded sermon in Luke 4.

Eric Pyle’s work with Wycliffe Bible Translators:

- You can view Eric’s latest newsletter at: http://opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/ericpyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_jun04.pdf. Pray that Eric will be able to begin his assignment by the end of the summer.

Other matters:

- Please pray for our outreach effort to the University of Oklahoma community this Friday evening. Each year, local businesses and churches set up tables and booths to introduce their products and services to new OU students. The event is called the “Norman Sooner Kickoff” and is a great opportunity for our church to meet new students and to make our presence in Norman better known among the campus community. We will be handing out bookmarks with our church’s information on them, our tri-fold church information flyers, and some literature reflective of our commitment to Reformed theology.

- There will be a joint hymn sing on the evening of August 29^th at New Covenant Bible Church in Oklahoma City. It is an especially edifying time as we join together with other believers and unite our voices in praise to God. Plan on coming for the worship and fellowship.

- Grace Presbyterian will be assisting in the planning and running of the next Oklahoma City Reformed Conference coming up in October (the 29^th and 30^th). The speaker at this year’s conference will be Jim Elliff, a former pastor and currently president of Christian Communications Worldwide. I volunteered our congregation to help with “Program Overseer Responsibilities”. Here are some ways that you can serve:

- Hymn leader

- Usher

- Setting up and manning the registration table

Please let me know if you would be interested in taking on any of these responsibilities.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org

Posted by EkPisteos at 11:18 AM

Grace e-mail bulletin - 8/11/04

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

August 11, 2004

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

Hello to all of you! I trust you’re finding the grace of God sufficient for you this day (2 Cor. 12:9).

Please note the following information:

This coming Lord’s Day (8/15):

- Bill Doerfel will instruct the adult Sunday School class from the book of Hebrews, focusing this Sunday on the 2^nd chapter. Last time we learned of the superiority and preeminence of Christ over the revelation and religion of the old covenant. I know our faith will be strengthened and our hearts encouraged as we continue to consider the great salvation of which Christ has made us heirs (1:14).

- Questions surrounding marriage and divorce were as pressing in Jesus’ day as they are today. During the morning service, I will preach from Mark 10:1-12. The sermon will be “What God Has Joined Together”.

- We didn’t quite finish our study of Ephesians 1:3-14 last week during the evening service. We will pick up where we left off, focusing on the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). During the evening service we also take time for prayer and hymn singing. It is a fitting way to conclude the Lord’s Day, and I encourage all to participate.

Saturday, August 14^th:

- The Women’s Bible Study will not meet this month. Instead, Faithann Basore is hosting a luncheon at her home on this day for any women interested in discussing the next subject of study for the Women’s Bible study. The luncheon will begin at 11:00 a.m. Please call Faithann at 206-6075 if you are interested in attending.

- The Men’s prayer breakfast will meet this morning at the church at 7:30 a.m.

Saturday, August 21^st:

- Mark your calendars for Grace Presbyterian’s church picnic to be held this day at the Shaws’ house (the Shaws live right behind the Doerfels). They have a swimming pool so bring your swimsuits! The picnic will begin at 5:00, with dinner at 6:00.

Eric Pyle’s work with Wycliffe Bible Translators:

- You can view Eric’s latest newsletter at: http://opcnorman.org/Wycliffe/ericpyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_jun04.pdf. Pray that Eric will be able to begin his assignment by the end of the summer.

Other matters:

- There will be a joint hymn sing on the evening of August 29^th at New Covenant Bible Church in Oklahoma City. It is an especially edifying time as we join together with other believers and unite our voices in praise to God. Plan on coming for the worship and fellowship.

- Grace Presbyterian will be assisting in the planning and running of the next Oklahoma City Reformed Conference coming up in October (the 29^th and 30^th). The speaker at this year’s conference will be Jim Elliff, a former pastor and currently president of Christian Communications Worldwide. I volunteered our congregation to help with “Program Overseer Responsibilities”. Here are some ways that you can serve:

- Hymn leader

- Usher

- Setting up and manning the registration table

Please let me know if you would be interested in taking on any of these responsibilities.

By his grace,

Pastor Scott

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org

Posted by EkPisteos at 11:29 PM | Responses (0)