the connection
DESCRIPTION
September 2015TRANSCRIPT
I was born in Overland
Park, Kansas in August of
1994. Those were very dark
days for me; but
things got brighter
after the third day
when I could leave
the hospital and
go live on the Mis-
souri side of Kan-
sas City. From the
time my older
brother, James,
was in first grade,
my parents made
the decision to
homeschool each of us rather
than make us attend the dilapi-
dated Kansas City public
schools, a decision for which I
am very grateful. Another great
decision they made was having
us take piano lessons at early
ages. At least, that’s what eve-
rybody tells me…
Childhood was fun. It con-
sisted mostly of school, piano
practice, Royal Rangers, Junior
Bible Quiz studying, Royals
games, and, most importantly,
LEGOs. As hard as it might be
to believe, I didn’t own my first
Nerf gun until my freshman
year of high school. That was
also the year my sister, Stepha-
nie, became Mrs. Korth, which
has resulted in three adorable
kids who call me
Uncle Geeky (well,
two of them do.
The third just
smiles). The year
after that, my
sophomore year, I
began publ ic
school at Truman
High. Until that
year, everything
about my Faith
had been merely
intellectual. I knew God existed
because of everything I had
read and heard. I knew the Bi-
ble to be true because apologet-
ics was a big enough part of the
Abeka homeschool curriculum.
That year, though, I decided I
was done with the intellectually
knowing about God; and, in-
stead, I wanted to truly and per-
sonally know Him. The summer
after my sophomore year, I
completed the Royal Ranger
Gold Medal of Achievement,
which I still hold as my biggest
accomplishment (passing Calc
III might have surpassed it.
(Staetsel continued on page 5)
It’s almost time
for First Assembly’s
annual Friends’ Day
picnic. Start your day
with service and a
Christian Education
class. After church is
over, we will gather at
Schuman Park for
food and fun. This
year, the church will
provide meats and
drinks. Regular church
attendees are asked
to bring a side dish
and dessert to share.
We will also have
bounce houses and
activities for the kids.
Bring your family,
friends, and neighbors
to Friends’ Day. It is a
good opportunity to
bring unchurched ac-
quaintances to church
with you to enjoy fel-
lowship and fun with
your church family.
FRIENDS DAY
PICNIC
I John 4:1 exhorts us, “Dear friends, do
not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to
see whether they are from God, because
many false prophets have gone out into the
world. Paul warns us in Colos-
sians 2:8, “See to it that no one
takes you captive through hol-
low and deceptive philosophy,”
and in Ephesians 4:14 tells us to
avoid being blown around “by
every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of
men in their deceitful schem-
ing.” There are many intention-
al deceptions in the world, designed to craftily
lead us away from a vital relationship with Je-
sus Christ and obedience to His Word. How
do we avoid being deceived by these false
teachings and philosophies? How do we iden-
tify false religions and cults?
Of course you must be grounded and es-
tablished in the truth of God’s Word. You
must be able to correctly answer the same
key question Jesus asked his disciples in
Matthew 16:15. “Who do you say I am?”
Knowing how Scripture identifies Jesus
Christ, is the key step to enable you to “test
the spirits” and discern truth from false-
hood.
Scripture is clear about these
three things: 1) Jesus Christ is
fully God. John the Apostle’s
description of Jesus in John 1:1-
18 begins this way, “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. Colossians 2:9 states, “For in
Christ the fullness of God lives in a human
body.” 2) Jesus Christ is fully man. Following
Jesus’ resurrection, He declared in Luke
24:39, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it
is I Myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see I
have.” We know from the Gospels that Jesus
got hungry and thirsty and slept; he also wept
and suffered and died. He was fully man. 3)
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to be reconciled
with God. John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one
(Worldview continued on page 6)
This year’s Operation GO! has been suc-
cessful in in it’s first two weeks. Teams of
volunteers have gone door to door canvassing
the neighborhood and inviting our neighbors
to church. We go specifically into MS&T stu-
dent housing areas near the church build-
ing. This outreach has been well received in
the past with many students becoming Chris-
tians and active in church. If you have a
heart for young people and would like to par-
ticipate in this outreach, please meet Pastor
Chuck in the church foyer for instructions and
materials on Wednesday, September 9—the
final night of the outreach. We will leave
PROMPTLY at 6:30 p.m. and return near the
end of the church service.
SALT GROUP - TRIP TO STEELVILLE SALT (Senior Adults Living Triumphantly),
is planning a trip to Steelville this month.
They will leave the church at 3:45 on Satur-
day, September 19, and go to Missouri Hick
for dinner, then on to Meramec Music Theater
for the Good News! He’s Alive Tour with The
Talleys and Tribute Quartet.
The Talleys have become one of the most
beloved and respected groups in Christian
music. The East Tennessee Family's unmis-
takable style of progressive Southern Gospel
has kept them at the forefront of Gospel Mu-
sic for many years. The hallmarks of the
"Talley" sound are their lush arrangements,
close-knit harmonies and powerful vocals.
In an ever-changing musical climate, Trib-
ute has remained steadfast in their goal to
make great music that is both timely and rele-
vant to the current musical scene and their
loyal fan base while never wavering from their
God-called mission to share Jesus with every-
one with whom they come in contact. With a
career that has already spanned the U.S., as
well as several foreign countries, Tribute's
popularity continues to grow. The men of this
quartet attribute that first and foremost to the
favor of God on their lives and ministry, as
well as their many fans and friends who con-
tinue to help grow this ministry one friend at a
time.
If you are a senior adult, sign up in the
foyer to go with the SALT group. Tickets to the
show are $21.50, and is due September 13.
You will also need meal money the day of the
trip. If you have any questions, please call
Linda at 263-7916 or Sharon at 263-7704.
SALT GROUP - TRIP TO STEELVILLE
OPERATION GO—ONE MORE
OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN
VIS ION S INGLES LIFE GRO UP
The new school year is upon us, so once
again we are having Club 360 at the Rolla
Middle School on Thursday mornings at
7:30am in Room 121. I’d like to give a big
“Thank You!” to Kitty Bickford who has so gra-
ciously been our sponsor for the last few
years. We will also have t-shirts for sale again
this year at the price of $10 each. Please
come and enjoy a time of fellowship and the
Word with other believers, all while having a
delicious treat! Looking forward to seeing you
all again this year.
Pastor Brian
Singles – a huge population within our
church and community – often feel like sec-
ond- class Christians. In reality, we as Chris-
tians are all following Jesus, the greatest Sin-
gle who ever lived. Jesus not only loves sin-
gles, he has plans for us as well!
Vision Singles have our Life Group pot
luck/snack fellowship meeting scheduled on
the third Sunday night of each month. We
welcome all ages of adult singles (from 20’s
to 80’s): those never married, separated, di-
vorced, or widowed. We do occasionally relax
with a trip to Meramec Springs or Onondaga
Cave, but our chief aim is to open our eyes to
the ever-present needs of others, and help fill
those needs.
Over the past few months, our group has
helped provide workers for the food ministry
of Phelps County Faith Distribution, cooked
and served the Family Feast church dinner for
August, built a wheelchair ramp for a teen
with handicaps, participated with others in
witnessing and praying for people during the
Saint Pat's week in March, provided at least
14 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for
needy children in foreign countries, and en-
couraged one another to help with Vacation
Bible School, missions trips, etc.
As we seek to be more like Jesus, we can
look past our own circumstances and bless
others. The ministry opportunities around us
are endless! If you need stretched in the area
of serving or just want to try something new,
keep your eyes on Him and come get involved
with Vision Singles.
Ryan Langley
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE
CLUB 360 - MIDDLE
SCHOOL BIBLE STUDY
They’re pretty close).
After graduating in 2012, I moved to Rol-
la to study Mechanical Engineering at Mis-
souri S&T. I started attending First Assembly
the week after coming to Rolla. During my
second semester, I played the piano during an
all-Church music night. I guess I did a pretty
good job because I immediately became a
member on multiple worship teams, which I
have thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to that,
I’ve been involved with the boys’ ministry and
youth ministry.
The only thing I wish is that there were a
lot fewer Cardinals fans and a lot more Royals
fans than just myself and the Cunninghams in
the Church. Still, despite that, the welcoming
atmosphere and the outpour of love have
been a tremendous blessing for me. Romans
15:1 commands those who are strong to sup-
(Staetsel continued from page 1) port those in their weakest states. As an engi-
neering student at Missouri S&T for the past
three years, there are many times I feel ex-
tremely broken, and I would like to thank indi-
vidual members of the Church for helping
support me when I am.
Nick Staetsel
KITCHEN RENOVATIONS COMPLETED Thank you to our church Trustee
Board and Kitchen Committee mem-
bers for all their work in overseeing the
kitchen remodel. Many hours have
been devoted to cleaning, loading & un-
loading of cabinets & shelves, shopping,
researching, and general oversight of
the entire project. We think it turned
out beautiful and should serve the
church well for many years to come.
Attention all Girls: Coming up on Friday, September 25th is the National Girls Ministries
Sleepover! The fun all begins on Friday night at 7pm and will continue with a sleepover until
9am on Saturday morning. This year’s theme is “Art Party”, so come prepared for fun, games,
crafts and so much more! Once again this year, we are asking that if you are age 5 or young-
er that you have a mom present with you that night. So if you fancy yourself the next Pablo
Picasso or Michelangelo, come join us for this Girls Only Event!
Pastor Brian
comes to the Father except through me.’” In
Acts 4:12, Peter, speaking of Jesus, states,
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is
no other name under heaven given to men by
which we must be saved.”
False teaching is not new; the first centu-
ry apostles and writers of Scripture warred
and warned against this. One of the primary
attacks then and now is on the person and
work of Jesus Christ. I John 2:22 warns,
“Who is the liar? It is the man who denies
that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the
antichrist – he denies the Father and the
Son.” I John 4:2-3 declares, “This is how you
can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit
that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from
God. This is the spirit of the antichrist . . .” II
John 7 alerts us that, “Many deceivers, who
do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming
in the flesh, have gone out into the world.
Any such person is the deceiver and the anti-
christ.” Do you see a pattern here? In The
Kingdom of the Cults, Walter Martin writes,
(Worldview continued from page 2) “The Person and work of Christ is indeed the
very foundation of Christian faith. And if it is
redefined and interpreted out of context and
therefore contrary to its Biblical content, the
whole message of the Gospel is radically al-
tered, and its value correspondingly dimin-
ished.” (p. 335)
Simply, if a prophecy or teaching denies
that Jesus Christ is 1) fully God, 2) fully man
or 3) the ONLY way to be reconciled to God, it
is false. Do not believe it or follow it. In the
coming months, we will investigate some
world religions and philosophies and see how
they compare in these areas to the Word of
God.
Beverly Flori
ART PARTY: GIRLS’ MINISTRIES SLEEPOVER
PA
ST
OR
S &
ST
AF
F
Sam Parker After School Ministries &
Missions Director [email protected]
Karen Turner Administrative Assistant
Mark Berry Facility Manager
Pansy Bingham Business Administrator
Abby Swearingen Media Assistant
Chuck Whitmire Lead Pastor
Ray Cook Associate Pastor
Brian Feller Children’s Pastor
Jason Gibson Youth Pastor
1608 N Oak St Rolla MO 65401-2342
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #116 ROLLA, MO
VISION SINGLES & SALT Two groups meeting in the church
FALSE RELIGIONS? Worldview FAQs
FRIENDS’ DAY PICNIC September 13
NICK STAETSEL Spotlight on one of our students