Friday, January 18, 2008

Housing Request

If you live in Philadelphia and would be willing to open your home to a pastor (or two) during our Preaching Workshop, please contact Anne Davies (adavies@tenth.org). The workshop is Wednesday thru Friday, Feb. 6-8. This would allow men to attend from outside the immediate Philadelphia area without the added expense of a hotel room. Breakfast and lunch is provided for all men registered for the conference.

Sermon Preparation

I am in the midst of sermon preparation for Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:1-11, "In Humility." You will find helpful to read my sermon on Philippians 2:1, "What Do You Know?" Click the DMC Messages link on the right hand column.

Used Clothing and Packing

The Liberia team is sending barrels to the Liberian orphanages. If you have any used children's clothing please bring it to the church by this Sunday, January 20. Also, if anyone would like to help pack items into barrels, we would love to have some available helpers. Look for Bruce McDowell after the 11:00 service.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Weight loss time for our global partners?

Our global outreach partners who stay at our guest house often need to lose weight before they return to their countries of service. Not physical weight, mind you, but material weight.

Every airline has a weight limit for suitcases and carry on luggage. Our global partners have requested an accurate bathroom scale for the guest house so that they can weigh their luggage before they make a trip and redistribute or leave behind heavier items.

We would also like to put a paper shredder in the house so that they can dispose of any sensitive materials easily. We don't want to compromise their safety or the safety of their teammates through inadvertent information leaks.

If you are willing to donate either item, please contact Paul Reimold or Liz Mosebrook for more details.

On Being Ignored

I'm losing it. I got perturbed with Ginger this morning. She called me on the cell phone and when I would respond to her, she ignored me as if I had said nothing. As she goes on and on as if I am not there, I suddenly remembered...I was listening to a voicemail!

Over Tenth


Here is a cool picture taken by photographer Lisa Ryken from the 18th floor of the Medical Arts building.

Managing Your Money

I had a meeting with Bryce Bartruff this morning, planning a Managing Your Money seminar for March 1. You might remember that he and Gary Morris led one last year in April. Brochures will be going out soon, but I like to give my blog readers early notice. Here is the rough draft agenda, which means changes could be made:

8:30 - 9:15 - Registration, intro, etc

9:15 – 10:00 - Understanding God’s Financial Plan for Your Life (Bryce Bartruff)
Purpose: Provide a foundation for establishing a personal philosophy of finances

10:00 – 10:30 Establishing a Foundation for Making Financial Choices (Bryce Bartruff)
Purpose: Introduce guidelines for developing a personal budget

10:45 – 11:30 Simple Steps for Making Wise Lifestyle Choices (Bryce Bartruff)
Purpose: Explore the rational for how much to allocate to each budgetary category

11:30 – 12:00 The Beauty of Giving (Bryce Bartruff)
Purpose: Furnish the value of contributing to Christian ministries

12:00 – 12:45 Lunch (discussion assignment)
12:45 – 1:45 Optional Sessions 1
2:00 – 3:00 Optional Sessions 2
3:00 – 3:10 Lessons Learned

Elective Sessions:
1) Biblical Principles for Navigating Modern Debt Choices (Gary Morris)
Purpose: Introduce the principles for a healthy perspective of personal debt

Transportation (John Voorhis)
Purpose: Create insights for the purchase and maintenance of an automobile

Alternative Ways to Give (Wayne Lynch)

Tightwads Guide for Frugal Living (Cheryl Brubraker, Paul & Jane Reimold)
Purpose: Give practical tips for reducing expenses associated with everyday living

2) Recovering from Debt Bondage & Living Debt-Free (Gary Morris)
Purpose: Offer practical guidelines for becoming debt free

A Christian Perspective of Investment Strategies (TBA)
Purpose: Furnish an investment strategy for achieving financial independence

Tightwads Guide for Frugal Living (Cheryl Brubraker, Paul & Jane Reimold)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Chairs Needed

liberti church needs about 50-75 metal folding chairs for its Fairmount worship services (and a rack, if possible). They can pick up. If you can help, call Geoff Bradford at 215.255.8414.

Maya Update

Just saw Jesse Hubley. Maya is home and doing well, though still receiving breathing treatments.

Announcements

Look for a new look (sort of) in Sunday's announcements section. We will be grouping announcements according to the categories of our mission statement: Kingdom Discipleship, City Outreach, Global Outreach, and Operations (support operations, not surgeries!). The idea is to help us see how the mishmash of activities actually do fit into our mission.

Data Please

We got somewhere around 500 Database Surveys last Sunday. That's a great start. If you have not filled yours out, please do so and return it next Sunday or mail to the church (Attention: Christy Corbett). You can download a form from the church website. We will have forms in the church bulletins this Sunday also.

Visitors

For the year 2007, our church website received 76, 572 visitors. We have already received 4,000 this year.

The leading site (other than search engines) from which visitors go to our site is.....you got it - this blogsite! I should get a commission for those visits.

Here is an interesting tidbit. Tied with "phil ryken," one of the leading "key phrases" that led to our site is..."bar." God works in mysterious ways.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

CC Packet

The capital campaign packet was mailed last Thursday morning to all Tenth members and many regular attenders. If you have not received your packet by this coming Thursday, let us know through a call (215.735.7688) or email (welcome@tenth.org).

Server Down

Our email server is down and not expected to be running before Wednesday morning.

Childcare Help Needed

We need help January 27 with childcare during the congregational meeting, specifically with the younger children. If you are a member and can help, contact Kristen Harnley at (610.449.0353 or kharnly@msn.com).

Sunday Singing

There has been a request to post early in the week the hymns for morning worship so that families in particular, but everyone, can review and sing them in preparation. Here are not only hymns, but the sermon scripture as well. Parents, you are encouraged to go through the hymns with your children. Hymnbooks may be purchased in the bookstore.

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11
Hymns:
660 - O God beyond All Praising
644 - May the Mind of Christ My Savior
The third hymn is a composition by Eric Alexander and Paul Jones based on Philippians 2.

MCO Conference

From Bryan Stoudt:

Medical Campus Outreach (MCO) is hosting its annual Winter Conference this weekend, and we warmly invite all healthcare students and professionals to attend. Please see our website (www.thesmi.org), or call 215.735.2626, for more information. We anticipate 250 healthcare students and professionals, and ask that you keep them - and us - in prayer as we help them connect their lives in medicine with their lives in Christ.

Friday Jazz

From Suler Acosta:

The young adults in my fellowship are hosting the Café Imago Dei art/music event this Friday, January 18. There will be childcare available at the church should you desire.

Our featured musical guest is the band Renewal, featuring Dr. Bill Edgar and Mike Kelly (by day, professors of theology at Westminster Seminary, but by night….phenomenal jazz artists). We will also have several artists donating their works for a silent auction that evening.

What’s this for?
To Support the Work of the Whosoever Gospel Mission
To Support College Students going to the JUBILEE Conference in February.

Doors open at 7:00. The silent auction will begin at 7:15. The band will play from 7:30-8:30. The auction will finish around 8:50. There will an encore from the band and we will be done around 9:15.

Where is this: New Life Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia. 425 E. Roosevelt Boulevard (corner of “D” Street and the Boulevard).

How much? $15 at the door and $10 suggested donation for childcare.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Cora's Odyssey

Cora has made it to Cambodia and is daily bloggins. Check out her blog. I've also added it to the righthand links.

Of Humility

Be prepared for humble pie next Sunday. I am preaching in the morning a sermon entitled "In Humility." Paul's sermon in the evening is "Humble Pride." I don't want to make comparisons, but my title does convey a more sincere humility than that of Paul, who resorts to a "creative" juxtaposition of words to gain attention.