Eighteen Thirty g r a c e a l o n e f a i t h a l o n e i n C h r i s t a l o n e s c r i p t u r e a l o n e g l o r y o f g o d a l o n e

. s o l a g r a t i a s o l a f i d e s o l u s c h r i s t u s s o l a s c r i p t u r a s o l i d e o G l o r i a .

a m o n t h l y n e w s l e t t e r o f t h e G r a c e C o m m u n i t y C h u r c h G r a n t s v i l l e M a r y l a n d

through revealed by for the salvation is by

December 2015

...is a big day in the life of our church...please read up on all the events that will be happening this day in the Elders Update on page 2.

We are gathering at the church and will be celebrating a time of communion. Please make it a point to be in church on these special days when we remember the Lord’s life, death and resurrection.

those in our regional area. Please read up about the Salvation Army on page 7.

inside this edition...

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ecember 20th is indeed a big day in the life of the church. The Kids have been busy preparing for our annual Christmas Program. They will be sharing a

Christmas message with us through song and skits and whatever else Lori has been cooking up with them. And after worship concludes, you will want to stick around for what is now the 7th Annual Pastor’s Christmas Party! I’ve worked up a new Christmas quiz for you this year and our time of sharing a meal together is always a highlight!

It’s one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It is a Sunday that everyone can enjoy, take part in and will remember for years. I’m looking forward to gathering with you to make another memory as we set our eyes on home this Christmas.

No, our home isn’t a fancily decorated house complete with Clark Griswold lights outside (although that can be fun too). But instead we look to make memories that are connected to our real and future home (heaven). We gather to remember the reason for the season is Jesus Christ.

It’s so important as we get older to cherish the days, months and years we have left. We don’t want to waste them on things that don’t matter concerning our real home. Won’t you in the spirit of Christmas be intentional to invite a friend to join you in church on Christmas Eve this year? For some it might be their last Christmas. Whether they are 99, 59, 19 or 9 we just don’t know how long we have on this earth, and that’s ok because God is sovereign. But let’s make sure we are obedient to God and reach out to those who aren’t ready for home. Our Father who is preparing a place for us in heaven through His Son. If Christ is preparing a place (a home) for us, let us invite others to come home as well. Let’s make sure they are prepared. It begins with a simple invitation…won’t you invite a friend, a family member, a neighbor to you join you to know the way home? I pray you will! For His Renown,

Praying the Bible by Don Whitney The Pastor’s Book by Kent Hughes

Adore by Chris Tomlin I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day by Casting Crowns Who Would Have Dreamed by Sovereign Grace Music Labor of Love by Andrew Peterson

Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes Water of the Word: Intercession for Her by Andrew Case Kreg Multi-Mark

Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes Prayers Of An Excellent Wife: Intercession For Him by Andrew Case Mighty Handle – 2 Pack

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp Preparing Your Teens for College by Alex Chediak

Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris Start Here: Doing Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris

The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New by Marty Machowski The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New (Music) by Sovereign Grace Music The Bible’s Big Story by James Hamilton

Tactics: A Game Plan by Greg Koukl Praying the Bible by Don Whitney New Morning Mercies: A Gospel Devotional by Paul Tripp Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

e are in the process of updating the church directory for 2016. We are also hoping to include pictures of everyone this year! If you have a picture(s) that you

could send my way to include in the directory of you/your family, would you be so kind to e-mail them to me? pastormatt@grantsvillechurch.com

Emily and Allison will have a rough draft hard copy of what we have so far, please check with one of them on Sunday to verify your picture and info. If we don't have a picture for you or you'd like a different one taken Emily and Allison will have their cameras with them each Sunday through the end of the year to take any pictures after church. Thanks for your help!

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#187 Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus Charles Wesley 1745

Come, Thou long expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s Strength and Consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart. Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Who Would Have Dreamed by Jason Hansen and Bob Kauflin 2014

VERSE 1 On a starlit hillside, shepherds watched their sheep Slowly, David’s city drifted off to sleep But to this little town of no great renown The Lord had a promise to keep VERSE 2 Prophets had foretold it, a mighty King would come Long awaited Ruler, God’s Anointed One But the Sovereign of all looked helpless and small As God gave the world His own Son CHORUS And who would have dreamed or ever foreseen That we could hold God in our hands? The Giver of Life is born in the night Revealing God’s glorious plan To save the world VERSE 3 Wondrous gift of heaven: the Father sends the Son Planned from time eternal, moved by holy love He will carry our curse and death He’ll reverse So we can be daughters and sons

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lease take the opportunity to lift these prayer requests up to the Lord all throughout this month.

Pray for Bobby Shumaker and Winnie Lane who are

residents at Goodwill Home.

Pray for the following church family & friends who have been experiencing health challenges recently:

Sue Beachy, Donna Burton, Bill Bender, James Gnagey (Tesia’s father), Alex Knauff, Melanie McFarland, Wanda Sheffield, Esther Stanton, Jean Widder (Matt and Emily’s sister-in-law), Mark Woynicz (Joe & Dolly Bender’s son-in-law), Barbara Yoder.

Pray for the inactive members of our church that the Lord

would lead them back into a time of regular fellowship.

Pray for the Fellowship of Christian UAE Students (FOCUS) in the United Arab Emirates. Pray for the leaders who are training students and the students who are receiving the gospel and solid Bible teaching.

Pray for wisdom, healing and restoration of broken marriages.

Pray for our soldiers who continue to defend our country

both at home and abroad. Pray for marriages to endure long separations during deployments.

Pray for all those in positions of authority that they would

seek the wisdom of God in all matters so that we might live in a peaceful, quiet, godly and dignified way. (1 Tim 2:1-2)

et us regularly give thanks for the ways that we see God’s hand at work in our church community!

We give thanks for all the brave men and woman who

gave their lives for the cause of freedom for our country.

We give thanks for Governor Hogan as he has been declared cancer free.

We give thanks for those who had perfect attendance in worship this past month:

Franklin & Allison Broadwater Brianna Broadwater Gracie Broadwater Brayden Broadwater Sherry Carey Wilma Hutzel Matthew Knauff Jeff & Patty Rice Betty Jo Swauger Elva Yoder George & Barbara Yoder Gary & Jen Barlow Garrison Barlow Allison Barlow Linda Hoover James & Hyun Joo Moon Caleb Moon Ben Moon Jim & Lillie Walker

P L

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9/6 44 10/4 51 11/1 50

9/13 54 10/11 41 11/8 65

9/20 36 10/18 49 11/15 65

9/27 63 10/25 48 11/22 59

11/29 40

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team updates

The VBS Team met on Sunday December 6th after church.

We discussed the following:

1. Fundraisers: Allison is working on dates 2. Shirts for the kids… Concordia’s designs probably not out

yet…look at the topic again at the beginning of the year 3. Budget Planning... need to lay out a budget for each area

as it fits into a larger budget…Allison and Lori to start a rough draft.

4. Task leaders? People to approach? (folks we thought might do well in the following tasks) a) Lead Teacher – Shari Ross b) Lead Decorator – Hyun Joo Moon & Sherry Carey c) Float Developer – Betty & Jason Merrill d) Advertising Coordinator (newspapers, social media &

schools) - ??? e) Lead Fundraiser – Allison & Lori f) Follow-Up Leader – Jen Barlow g) Registrar (Kid Recruitment) – Emily Widder &

Brianna Broadwater h) Facility Coordinator - ??? i) Prayer Leader - ??? j) Older Kids Project Leader – Jason Merrill k) Missions Coordinator – Theresa

We need to write job descriptions for these roles…Matt & Allison to work on. We also discussed missions options of Children’s Hunger Fund and OCC (don’t want to burn folks out on too much OCC focus though…CHF has some great resources we didn’t utilize last year….more discussion to take place) 5. Staff Training - video training worked well…Matt to begin

working on. 6. Security Discussion…discussed pick-ups at specific

areas/tables, teachers with clipboards to help with verification….continue and improve staggered release…Matt & Allison to work on a rough draft policy.

Next Meeting: January 3

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team updates

oing The Most Good." In these four words, our mission - to feed, to clothe, to comfort, to care. To rebuild broken homes and broken lives. By walking with the

addicted, we can lead them to recovery. In fighting hunger and poverty, we can feed and nurture the spirit. And, in living and sharing the Christian Gospel by meeting tangible needs, we give the world a lasting display of the love behind our beliefs.

The Salvation Army operates 7,546 centers in communities across the United States. These include food distribution, disaster relief, rehabilitation centers, anti-human trafficking efforts, and a wealth of children's programs. Our work is funded through kettle donations, corporate contributions, and the sale of goods donated to our Salvation Army Family Stores. Eighty-two cents of every dollar we spend supports our various missions across the country. We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions are deductible for Federal Income Tax Purposes to the extent permitted under Section 170(b)(2) for corporations.

Our mission: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

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team updates

No updates or details were submitted for this newsletter. For more information please contact: John Carey 301-876-0342 or Joe Bender 814-662-4366

No updates or details were submitted for this newsletter. For more information please contact: Jenny Knauff 301-895-3167 or Wilma Hutzel 301-895-5563

No updates or details were submitted for this newsletter. For more information please contact: Andy Knauff 301-895-3167 or Franklin Broadwater 301-895-4355

1830 grace community church newsletter | December 2015

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No updates or details were submitted for this newsletter. Our AHG program does have a facebook page with periodic updates. For more information please contact: Shari Ross 240-321-4103 lukedemi@verizon.net

Our Trail Life program does have a facebook page with periodic updates. John also sends out weekly text messages of weekly meeting updates. Please contact John if you are interested in receiving these updates. For more information please contact: John Carey 301-876-0342 jcarey6821@gmail.com

1830 grace community church newsletter | December 2015

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by Clint Archer from thecripplegate.com

ouston, we have a problem.” What Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell didn’t fully appreciate at 9:07pm on April 13th (of course), 1970, while

shunting at full speed 205,000 miles from Earth, was that they didn’t have a problem; they had several problems. Each item on the lengthy and unnerving list of problems they would have to overcome in the next few hours of their precarious lives was urgent, complicated, and indisputably life-threatening. But there was one that—the moment it was discovered—shot immediately to the top of the list of priorities.

Since the crew was now forced to remain in the Lunar Module instead of the Command Module, they were faced with a shortage of compatible lithium hydroxide canisters, which were needed to remove carbon dioxide from their air supply. In short, the crew was running out of breathable air at a rapid rate.

Obviously, no other mechanical challenge to a safe landing of the craft was as significant as the need to keep the astronauts breathing. Every other rescue maneuver would become moot if there was no one left alive to rescue. The NASA engineers on the ground accomplished an ingenious workaround that was virtually as impressive as if they had conjured SCUBA tanks ex nihilo. And only then did they get back to working on the remaining issues, since they now had breathing astronauts to carry out the plans.

In the frenetic pace of our lives we are all daily presented with urgent, important problems to navigate. Work demands, family responsibilities, health requirements, time constraints, and innumerable other forces are constantly foisted onto our cluttered priority list. And the grind is positively Sisyphean in its inevitable recurrence.

Often the first item to get cut from the list is our time of devotions. Bible reading, prayer, and even church attendance may be relegated to the realm of important-not-urgent (“Quadrant Two” for you Seven Habits adherents). But what inevitably happens is that as our pace of productivity increases, our neglect of our most basic spiritual needs ends up starving our soul of its vital devotional oxygen.

I am sheepishly reminded of Martin Luther who rightly asserted that on particularly busy days he couldn’t afford his usual two hours of daily prayer–he required four hours!

I have at times been guilty of misaligning my priorities, and I found these passages quite inspiring, informative, and yes, convicting. I trust they will revitalize your soul. Pay special attention to what the writers of Scripture deemed to be their most pressing priority…

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 42:1-2 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Mark 12:28-30 And one of the scribes came up and …asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” What is your “one thing”? What is your highest priority? And does your schedule, practice, and desire reflect that? I would love to write more on this, but I have something more important to do!

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od has put eternity in our hearts. He has inscribed heaven on our souls. He created us to long for a perfect world and to desire what is supremely ideal. We want

to be fully and finally free from the suffering and misery of this world, and ultimately from our sin--not only the conviction and sadness our sin brings us, but also the hurt and pain it brings to those closest to us. As redeemed but fallen creatures in this fallen world, we desperately want to be done with sin and its consequences. We want to be less proud, less impatient, less sad, less worried, less burdened, and we want to be more holy, more repentant, more prayerful, more at peace, and more content. We are, as Martin Luther taught, simul justus et peccator, "at the same time just and sinful." In Christ, God has declared us righteous, though we still strive each day to mortify our sin in the flesh. But there is a day coming when we will no longer struggle, when our faith shall be sight, when we shall see Christ Jesus face-to-face, when we will no longer desire, no longer need, no longer lack contentment.

But now we look through a glass darkly as we eagerly await the glorious dwelling places Christ is preparing for us in

the new heavens and new earth

where righteousness

dwells (2 Peter 3:13). Although we will always long for heaven, God calls us to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves

by His sovereign providence (Phil. 4:11). He calls us to keep our lives free from the love of money and to be content with what we have. God not only tells us to be content but also graciously gives us the reason to be content by reminding us of His promise: "1 will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb. 13:5). This is the foundation for true and lasting contentment. It is precisely because the Lord is our Shepherd that we shall not want. But if He is not your Shepherd, expect no contentment. True contentment is not circumstantial, it is relational. It is not based on what happens to us; rather, it is based on who has taken hold of us--the One who dwells within us. If our contentment is based merely on what we have, we will always desire more, but when it is based on who we are in Christ, we will first and foremost desire to know Him more. For if we are to find contentment in all things, we must seek contentment in the only One who can fulfill all our desires--Jesus Christ.

United to Christ, we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and thus grow more and more desirous of what Christ wants and less and less desirous of what Christ hates. When we grow in grace, the Holy Spirit doesn't put an end to our desires. On the contrary, He renews our minds and transforms our desires to conform to God's desires for us. In essence, contentment is wanting what God wants for us, and what He

wants for us is Him. This is why the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (WSC 1). We most glorify God when we most enjoy what He has created us to desire—Himself.

Burk Parsons is editor of Tabletalk magazine and serves as copastor of Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Fla. He is editor of the book Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God's Grace. You can follow him on Twitter

@BurkParsons.

…if you would like a copy of this month’s Tabletalk magazine or to begin a monthly subscription please let Matt know. A yearly subscription is $12 and individual copies are $3 per issue.

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NOVEMBER 29

Scripture Reading Various for our Advent Reading

Reader Patty Rice

Hymn # 187 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Hymn # 186 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Sermon Text John 1:14 “A Home For God”

DECEMBER 6

Scripture Reading Various for our Advent Reading

Reader Wilma Hutzel

Hymn # 187 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Hymn # 211 Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Sermon Text Hebrews 1:3 “A Home For Glory”

DECEMBER 13

Scripture Reading Various for our Advent Reading

Reader Shari Ross

Hymn # 187 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Hymn # 192 How Great Our Joy

Sermon Text Luke 2:10-14 “A Home For Great Joy”

DECEMBER 20

Scripture Reading Various for our Advent Reading

Reader Piper Wilt

Hymn # 187 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Hymn # 199 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Christmas Program “A Home For Generations”

DECEMBER 24

Scripture Reading Various for our Advent Reading

Reader Amanda Carey

Hymn # 187 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Hymn # 200 O Little Town of Bethlehem

Sermon Text Luke 2:8-9 “A Home For Good News”

DECEMBER 27

Scripture Reading Isaiah 52:7-10

Reader Linda Hoover

Hymn # 191 Hark! the Herald Angels

Hymn # 202 What Child Is This?

Sermon Text 1 Cor. 10:31“ A Home For Music”

JANUARY 3

Scripture Reading Obadiah

Reader Helen Bender

Hymn # 623 Doxology

Hymn # 197 While Shepherds Watched

Sermon Text Matthew 2:1-12 “Another Way”

JANUARY 10

Scripture Reading Jonah 1

Reader John Carey

Hymn # 103 He Is Lord

Hymn # 299 Amazing Grace

Sermon Text Luke 22:1-6 “Betrayal”

140 Main Street Sunday Bible Study | 9:00am P.O. Box 147 Coffee Break | 10:00am Grantsville, MD 21536 Sunday Worship | 10:30am 301-895-5256 www.grantsvillechurch.com

Trail Life USA | 301-876-0342 American Heritage Girls | 301-895-5282

If you would like to be removed from the mailing list for this monthly Newsletter please e-mail: pastormatt@grantsvillechurch.com Submissions to be included for future monthly Newsletters are due by the 20th of each month at 2:00pm.

[Maple Glen Mennonite Church near Goodwill]

[Glade Mennonite Church in Accident]

[Faith PCA in Lavale]

[Faith Independent Baptist Church in Frostburg]