The deadline to sign up for the trip is Sunday, February 29, 2012.

MORE THAN TOURISM

Israel has been a favorite tourist destination for Christian and Jewish travelers for generations. How can you not be intrigued at exploring the land of the Bible? But, this trip is about more than tourism.

We will join with ministry partners in the work of Operation Mobilization (OM) in the nation of Israel. OM mobilizes and equips people to share Christ’s love and bring hope to the world.

OM accomplishes this vision in a number of ways. As such, you will experience a variety of ministry and tourism settings as we travel the nation of Israel.

MINISTRY IN THE LAND OF JESUS

A Life-Changing Trip

There is no place in the world like Israel. A modern nation set amidst a backdrop of history, Israel is the Holy Land. For hundreds of years, people have continued to flock to Israel to visit the holy places. People want to walk where Jesus walked. It is often called the oldest tourist destination on earth. In Israel you can experience the Mediterranean, the desert, mountains, green valleys, lakes, rivers, and cities and towns of every size.

Israel is the cradle of the Jewish and Christian faiths. It is a nation where God has worked throughout history in miraculous ways. How would you like to see Him work in and through you in the Holy Land?

A Multi-Generational Trip

Woodbury Community Church believes in the power of short-term ministry trips. This trip is unique in that it is multi-generational. Limited to 18 people, our team will include children and adults, coming alongside of our hosts in Israel to accomplish great things. Children must be at least 18-years-old to travel to Israel without parents.

You may experience summer sports camp or English camp in Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. You may be a part of a drama team in Galilee, or you may support the drama team through prayer and literature distribution. You may spend the night with a family in Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Savior. You may paint the home of a single mom or participate in special outreach to single moms. You may run a carnival or help with a VBS. You will have opportunities to share your story with new friends from across the nation of Israel. The possibilities are endless.

A Ministry and Tourism Trip

About half of our trip will focus on ministry and half will focus on tourism. You simply cannot go to the land of Israel and now take time to digest the sights.

This trip is much more than a vacation. You will never be the same upon your return. This is an opportunity to see the people, places and events of the Bible come alive before our very eyes.

We’ll have team meetings on:

February 26
March 4
March 25
April 15
April 22
May 6
June 3
June 24

Team meetings take place from 2:00-3:30 on those Sunday afternoons.

Interested in joining us? Contact Pastor Brian at bschulenburg@woodburycommunitychurch.com, or call the church office at (651) 739-1427.

The Story So Far – (Genesis-Exodus)

By Brian Schulenburg

In the beginning

‘fore time as we knew it

God was creating

the world He did knit

Light and Dark

Water and Sky

Earth like a park

Space, where satellites fly

And the lakes, rivers, streams and oceans?

They were full with living creatures

While the skies above saw motions

From the wings the birds did feature.

Then on sixth day of creation

God made animals large and small

And finally His summation

Man to rule them all

To the man He gave the name Adam

To the woman He gave the name Eve

Then the serpent came to the Madame

Husband and Wife sought he to deceive

His crafty ways and clever lies

Accomplished enemy’s mission

Man and woman’s ruined lives

God’s plan, however, would come to fruition

Brother kills brother

And evil prevails

One after another

Embraces sin and all it entails

Until God sends a flood

Saving only one family

Sin’s curse requires blood

A world-wide calamity

A new covenant made

With Noah and sons

Now earth would evade

Descending to crumbs

The nations they grew

Expanding the world

In speech and technology too

‘til blueprints were written

And pride it expanded

The tongues they were stricken

And people transplanted

Then God called Abram

A great nation He would make

His name changed to Abraham

And Sarah was his mate

Two old people, when God called them

Wondered if God had somehow lost His mind

So, Abraham approached Hagar and said, “Ahem,”

“Would you be my partner in increasing mankind?”

Ishmael was born to the woman named Hagar

But, God’s plan was for Sarah to conceive

Three angels came to tell her God was going to make her

Pregnant at 90, so hard to believe!

Isaac was born a miraculous baby

Abraham’s faith put to ultimate test

Up the mountain with hope in a maybe

Abraham and Isaac saw God at His best

To Isaac, God brought a wife named Rebekah

Twin sons He did give them Jacob and Esau

Jacob, a swindler gave Esau vendetta

So hide, Jacob did, until Esau’s anger did thaw

Twelve sons by four women were born unto Jacob

Joseph he favored, causing family dissention

Brothers sold Joseph as slave, quite a snub

The true nature of their crime to Jacob did not mention

Brother’s treachery was part of God’s plan all along

Joseph the slave rose to second in command

He who was weak by God was made strong

Rescued many nations by faith in God’s hand

Generations were born in Egypt’s land

Israelite people to Pharaoh were a threat

Slavery enforced by the whip’s hand

People crying out to God so upset

Moses, God called in a fiery bush

“Take off your sandals, on holy ground you stand.”

The message delivered, Moses needed a push

With God, he’d have the upper hand

“Let my people go,” was the message delivered

And, Pharaoh’s hard heart would have none of it

Ten plagues brought down as the people shivered

At Passover God delivered the ultimate hit

The slaves who were desperate were finally free

But there would be yet one more test

Egypt’s army pursued to shores of Red Sea

Waters arose and then they recessed

Freedom was sweet and God, He provided

Manna in morning and manna at night

Up to Mount Sinai the people He guided

Met with Moses the law He did write

The people lost faith, and created an idol

Moses came down, with anger he burned

Repentance and sacrifice, their tongues they did bridle

And once again to Jehovah God they turned

So, God renewed His promise and spoke His law

For Covenant People to know and to follow

A priesthood and tabernacle, holy people withdraw

No more to live in their sins and to wallow.

(c) 2012 – Brian Schulenburg

WHO: WCC 7th-12th graders and their friends!

HOW TO SIGN UP:
-Deadline to sign up is Sunday, January 29th.
-To sign up, complete the registration form and release forms and submit them to Darrin along with payment by check (payable to “WCC”; “winter retreat” in the memo).

GET THE INFO and REGISTRATION FORM HERE:

http://​www.woodburycommunitychurch​.com/wp-content/uploads/​2012/01/​Winter-Retreat-full-Info-an​d-Registration-Packet.pdf

NOTE: Limited Availability, if you wanna come, don’t wait to register.

COST:
-$190 ($165 for students who participated in Italian Dinner Fundraiser)
-Price includes all meals (Saturday breakfast through Monday breakfast) and lodging. Price does NOT include certain optional free time winter sports equipment rental (i.e. snowshoe, snowboard, and ski equipment) as well as any snacks or souvenirs. Students are free to bring their own equipment. Note: snowboards must have metal edges and factory installed anti-release bindings.
-Note about price: Please do not let an inability to pay for this event keep you from going. Know that scholarship funding is available to cover a portion or all of your cost. Contact Darrin for info.

Journey Training Event – Saturday, February 4

Journey is the module devoted to leadership development.  Leadership in most churches is focused on administration, finance and facility management – and this is a significant reason so many congregations in America are fruitless and waning today.  Biblically, leadership is to be primarily focused on strategically reaching the harvest of souls the Lord has laid before us.  When the harvest is leadership’s focus, then administration, financial planning and facility management all flow properly toward fulfilling that calling.  The Journey module is for the whole congregation, enabling everyone to understand both the purpose of Church leadership and how good leaders are raised up within the Church family.

Engage Training Event – Saturday, March 31

Engage is the module devoted to effective evangelism in our community.  The American Church tends to approach evangelism and witnessing programmatically – relying on “prepackaged” approaches to share the Christian Faith with people.  But canned methods and approaches are becoming increasingly ineffective.  What’s more, attractional models (i.e., trying to bring people into the church) are also proving fruitless today.  Few new people come to “big events” at churches, and even fewer return to the church after the event has concluded.  Engage drills down to the heart of the gospel and teaches the believer both how to pray for and how to connect with those God has brought into our lives with the gospel – leading them to encounter Jesus.  This will be your opportunity to come and learn some key things you should be doing to reach your neighbors, coworkers, friends and family with the love and grace of Jesus.

- John Kimball

Are you ready to engage in an adventure this year? I’m confident when I say that God is ready for you to engage in adventure with Him. From before you were born, God has been preparing you for life in this generation. He already knows what 2012 holds for you, and He promises that He will be with you all the way.

I don’t know about you, but whenever a new year begins, I get reflective. I like to look back at the past year and see what has happened. I like to look forward to the new year and make adjustments to the course that my life is taking. And, I like to look within and see if there are things that need to change inside of me. I don’t think that there has been a new year that has come where some course corrections aren’t necessary for me. As I look forward to 2012 there are changes that I plan to make in a number of areas of my life. Perhaps you are the same way.

As a church family, we are there for each other as we strive to move forward in our personal and spiritual goals. I want to give you four suggestions for engaging in adventure with God as you begin 2012.

The Adventure of God’s Word

The Bible has been called many things. It is the Word of God. It is God’s Love Letter to you. It is truth. And, it is the story of God. This year, our congregation will be engaging in The Challenge, a one-year reading and study adventure through God’s Word. Unlike past years, we will be preaching through and sermon based small groups will be focused on the readings that you do during the week. You’ll find the reading plan for 2012 in the pages of this newsletter. During the month of December you have heard me talk about the Bible App for cell phones, tablet devices and computers. You can follow along with our church-wide reading plan by using the Chronological Reading Plan that comes with the Bible App. The Bible App is free and more information on how to download it is included in the pages of this newsletter.

The Adventure of Community

Do you remember the television show Cheers? There was a line in the opening song of that show that said, “You wanna go where everybody knows your name.” Everybody on planet earth wants to be known. We want people that we can be real with. We want people that will pray for us, care about us, and that we can truly call friend. Lifeflow Groups, or small groups, are a place where you can connect with people in authentic community for the purpose of growing in your love for God and your love for others. Have you joined a LifeFlow Group yet? We are registering for the Winter trimester of LifeFlow Groups right now. New groups are forming that will focus on specific life stages (parents with young children, young married groups, Divorce Care, etc.). Our LifeFlow groups generally gather together in homes, spend time together in God’s Word, prayer and fellowship. Every 4-5 meetings our groups are also serving in the community; making a difference in the lives of real people in the Twin Cities area. If you are interested in joining a LifeFlow group, contact the church office or sign up at the registration table at church on Sunday. There is always room for you in our small group ministry and the adventure of growing and serving together is something you’ll never regret.

The Adventure of Ministry

Have you ever dreamed of serving God on the mission field? In 2012 our church will once again be partnering with our strategic ministry partners in Israel for a short-term ministry trip. You will have an opportunity to serve the people of Israel while also exploring the land in which Christ walked and so many of the stories of the Bible took place. There is nothing like spending time in the Israel. Once you go, you’ll never be the same. An informational meeting will happen on January 15, 2012 at 11:45 AM.

You don’t have to go oversees to be involved in ministry. There are tons of opportunities for you to get involved from serving God right here at WCC to serving the community around us. Don’t know how to get started? Give the church office a call. We’d love to help you find the ministry that best fits your gifts and the strengths that God has given to you.

The Adventure of Prayer

Do you believe in miracles? Throughout the Bible we read about a God who does miracles. When you read through the Challenge readings, you can’t help but be moved at the miraculous work that God does over and over again. Just as 2012 is going to be a year of studying God’s Word, it is also going to be a year for us to call upon the name of God to move mightily in our midst. Prayer changes us. It helps us conform to God’s will in our lives. It shows our dependency upon Him. It’s been said that our greatest failures are prayer failures. Are you stressed out? Are you worried? Are you afraid? Take it to God. Are things to going well? Is the one of the best times of your life? Then, take it to God too – and thank Him for His blessing. And, make sure that as you pray for your needs, that you are also praying for others. One of the great joys and responsibilities of the Christian life is to lift others up in prayer. May we be a people of prayer!

As we move into a new year, I’d ask you to pray for me, as your pastor. It is an awesome responsibility to teach the Word of God to you each week. Pray that God would give me wisdom and obedience as I share the Word with you in 2012. Pray too for our church leadership team. I’m grateful for the board members who have served so faithfully at WCC. As Greg Meidt, Dan Beran, John Weess and Jerry Vogler transition off the board and Jeff Haugen, Dave Brodie, Scott Pearcy, and Dick Nelson move onto the board, please pray for these men. Pray also for Sue Drehmel who moves into our Board Moderator position. We are blessed with a great leadership team at WCC and the men and women in these roles need your prayer as they make decisions about the future of WCC.

So, are you ready for adventure? I am. I can’t wait to see what God does in each one of our lives as we seek Him with all of our heart in 2012!

Grateful to serve Him as your pastor,

Pastor Brian

MORE THAN TOURISM

Israel has been a favorite tourist destination for Christian and Jewish travelers for generations. How can you not be intrigued at exploring the land of the Bible? But, this trip is about more than tourism.

We will join with ministry partners in the work of Operation Mobilization (OM) in the nation of Israel. OM mobilizes and equips people to share Christ’s love and bring hope to the world.

OM accomplishes this vision in a number of ways. As such, you will experience a variety of ministry and tourism settings as we travel the nation of Israel.

MINISTRY IN THE LAND OF JESUS

A Life-Changing Trip

There is no place in the world like Israel. A modern nation set amidst a backdrop of history, Israel is the Holy Land. For hundreds of years, people have continued to flock to Israel to visit the holy places. People want to walk where Jesus walked. It is often called the oldest tourist destination on earth. In Israel you can experience the Mediterranean, the desert, mountains, green valleys, lakes, rivers, and cities and towns of every size.

Israel is the cradle of the Jewish and Christian faiths. It is a nation where God has worked throughout history in miraculous ways. How would you like to see Him work in and through you in the Holy Land?

A Multi-Generational Trip

Woodbury Community Church believes in the power of short-term ministry trips. This trip is unique in that it is multi-generational. Limited to 18 people, our team will include children and adults, coming alongside of our hosts in Israel to accomplish great things. Children must be at least 18-years-old to travel to Israel without parents.

You may experience summer sports camp or English camp in Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. You may be a part of a drama team in Galilee, or you may support the drama team through prayer and literature distribution. You may spend the night with a family in Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Savior. You may paint the home of a single mom or participate in special outreach to single moms. You may run a carnival or help with a VBS. You will have opportunities to share your story with new friends from across the nation of Israel. The possibilities are endless.

A Ministry and Tourism Trip

About half of our trip will focus on ministry and half will focus on tourism. You simply cannot go to the land of Israel and now take time to digest the sights.

This trip is much more than a vacation. You will never be the same upon your return. This is an opportunity to see the people, places and events of the Bible come alive before our very eyes.

Interested in joining us? Contact Pastor Brian at bschulenburg@woodburycommunitychurch.com, or call the church office at (651) 739-1427.

In order to promote Bible reading, we’re encouraging all attendees who have access to smart phones, wireless devices, iPods, or computers to download the YouVersion Bible App for your device.

Engage in Scripture like never before. Download the free app and enjoy regular time with the Bible, right when and where you need it.

With the free Bible app, you can access your bookmarks, community contributions, and reading plans no matter where you are. You can even follow along with sermon notes during the weekly services. For more information on YouVersion, check out this video: You Version Bible App.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed will be presented at Woodbury Community Church on Wednesday, November 30 at 6:30. The film lasts 90 minutes and is sure to stir some conversation for all who view it.

Expelled Expanded Trailer

The first book is the study guide for the book “Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough.” This book can be used as a personal or group Bible Study on what the Bible says about fasting. You’ll learn more about the nine Biblical fasts described in Towns’ book “Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough.” This book serves as a stand alone Bible Study that would be a huge blessing to you in your walk with God. You can download the book by clicking here.

The second book is called, “Fasting Can Change Your Life,” and includes testimonies from a number of Christian leaders about how the biblical discipline of fasting has changed their life. You can download a copy of the book by clicking here.