Good morning church family,
00ba04fb-60e3-840a-b1f2-ffb923f7f488@yahoo.com>”>GIVING THANKS:
* Nadine Keller received very good results back from her recent CAT scan that there has been no growth to the aneurism which is wonderful news! The doctors will continue to monitor her and we will keep praying that her condition remains stable. Praise God & thanks to everyone for your prayers!
* Thanks to Bob Discala for spear heading the new gas heating system conversion. The conversion over these past few weeks of severe cold weather was challenging, but the system IS IN, thank the LORD! Next week the temperatures are predicted to dip to the teens, so this conversion is huge and God remains so good! How blessed we are to have dedicated men who give so much of themselves, working tirelessly behind the scenes for this body of Christ. We remain grateful for all of the sacrifices (lots of dealings with the oil company, plumber, gas company, etc) sleepless nights trying to avoid pipes bursting or worse, as we’ve experienced in years past. Thank you all!
Below are a few photos of when our building was flooded from burst pipes back in 2016 due to freezing temperatures. The building suffered extensive damage and we needed to worship at Tashua Elementary School in Trumbull for one full year, while the renovation took place. It was amazing how the body stayed connected during this time, all working together in harmony!
We remain extremely grateful to GOD for His mercy and grace, and for blessing this congregation over the past 150+ years, whether it be fire that burned the building down back in January 14, 1972 or the flood damage the winter of 2016. Much gratitude goes to the humble servants who worked diligently in keeping everything going.
The church is not the building, but the people!
God is to be PRAISED!
f30ad393-f8b7-4c46-5407-17400c8b2db0@yahoo.com>”>
0a676bd1-63e4-367f-94ea-2296c0089444@yahoo.com>”>
31be43f8-85b2-eba1-bff3-6f5ee7be5b97@yahoo.com>”>
8ce4b68b-1f43-668b-dda9-cd6517c41215@yahoo.com>”>
70963179-e266-a6fb-6747-be0db42c688a@yahoo.com>”>PRAYER REQUESTS:
* Linda Cerminara is slated for shoulder surgery on February 3rd. Prayers for all to go well.
* Desrine Forbes is still dealing with a few medical challenges and is not able to work. Her faith remains strong!
* Prayers for all in Southern California who are affected adversely by the ravaging fires that destroyed so many homes, and several who lost their lives and many still un-accounted for.
* Prayers for Pat Yaglowski who continues to deal with intense pain. She is really struggling, please keep her in your prayers.
* Prayers for Chris Baxter who continues to deflect the flaming arrows of the evil one. God is with Chris and he is doing a great job! Life is so hard, but we can “do all things through CHRIST who strengthens us!” Phil 4:13.
LOTS OF EVENTS ARE COMING UP! All are encouraged to join us for bible study, fellowship and more. Stay connected to the body, fellowship, and grow!
70b4aa68-1ccd-04f1-2320-78787b03b051@yahoo.com>”>The next TUESDAY morning Ladies studies will be on January 21st 2025 at 9:30 a.m. Next lesson is chapter 11 in the book. We’ve had a few new women join this mid-week study which is great news!
fb42ec05-fcb4-5269-54ab-c917b904406e@yahoo.com>”>FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT – LIVING BEYOND YOURSELF – Galatians 5:22-23 Ladies bible study continues on the second Saturday of the month.
Saturday January 25th 10-12:00 noon – JoAnne Discala’s home at 175 Hilltop Circle, Trumbull. JoAnne will be leading a lesson on PEACE.
Ladies – there is a place for you to share notes of encouragement, scriptures, etc. downstairs in the fellowship hall. Please feel free to share your heart and words of wisdom on the board.
10f11729-76b1-21e6-8ae4-d62701b91a68@yahoo.com>”>The young adults will be bowling at Strikers TODAY at 3:30 pm and having a devotional at the Danbury Mall afterwards! Please speak with Zach or Tori for more details.
9cd12ee7-5544-b11c-bf75-7d8c2644bc5f@yahoo.com>”>Friday night, January 31st MIDNIGHT OIL – There will be an evening of Prayer at the church building.
Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “
958beb41-161c-7549-d716-4a0888f1351e@yahoo.com>”>FEBRUARY EVENTS, LORD WILLING
February 4th & 18th – TUESDAY LADIES BIBLE STUDY via zoom
February 8th – SATURDAY MORNING LADIES BIBLE STUDY 10:00 – 12:00 noon at the church building
Lisa & Tori Saracino will lead us on a beautiful lesson on “PATIENCE” What a blessing this congregation has to have a Mother & Daughter teaching!
February 15th – MENS BREAKFAST stay tuned for more details.
February 20th – Trumbull will be hosting a Preacher’s Meeting for our area’s preachers . If you would like to help provide food ( sandwiches , chips, drinks , salads or baked goods) , there will be a sign-up sheet on the door in the foyer. Any donations will be greatly appreciated . Please see Lisa with questions.
9cde91a9-3463-0f85-5ca4-b691bb536d86@yahoo.com>”>MARCH DATES, LORD WILLING:
Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for details:
Saturday March 8th – Sister Beulah Collymore will teach the Saturday morning Ladies bible class on “Kindness” at the church building. 10:00 – 12:00 noon.
Saturday March 15th – Bridal shower for Kristen Hubbell at the building 1pm – 3pm.
Friday March 28th – Ladies’ Night at the Church building 6pm. Fellowship with movie to follow – Ordinary Angels to follow at 7pm. Please bring snacks / finger foods and /or desserts to share. Feel free to bring a friend as well.
Friday/ Saturday March 21-22 INSPIRE NEW ENGLAND workshop in Manchester, CT. See flyer on the auditorium table for details.
Sunday March 30th – Pot Luck
6d6175d0-d1c6-3473-fab2-e39a7795034a@yahoo.com>”>The Southern California wild fires have prevailed in the news over the past few days. At least 153,000 people had to evacuate their homes and 319,000 people are now under evacuation warnings because the fires continue to burn. Sadly 25 people perished and they expect that number to rise since there are 39 people unaccounted for.
This event is now being recorded as the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. From San Luis Obispo to Malibu, the path of destruction has been extensive. Discussion prevails as to how the wild fires even started, but the conditions were all the “perfect storm” beginning with low humidity (extremely dry region) and high wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour.
a589eda9-860c-9ed6-273b-ee139b38e222@yahoo.com>”>Huge efforts to control the fires with the primary desire to extinguish the fire completely, are bringing in experienced fire fighters all over the world who have the knowledge to tackle it.
The images of the destruction are rattling. More than 38,000 acres have been burned in total in the blazes and over 12,000 structures destroyed due to the wildfires, according to Cal Fire. A range of properties were destroyed, including homes, storefronts, sheds and cars. Local officials expect hundreds more ruined properties to be discovered in the coming days.
What many refer to Southern California as a ‘paradise’, has now been reduced to rubble.
a89aabc5-cc82-783f-b330-5c63b6548267@yahoo.com>”>Concerted efforts of humanitarianism are underway, helping those who have no homes….people, and organizations of all kinds are contributing money, time and efforts to help those affected adversely by this disaster and are working tirelessly. It’s a beautiful thing to see so many people working together for good in providing shelter, food, and support for all who have been displaced by these wildfires.
fc7e2f80-6b54-e800-7025-9739668602ff@yahoo.com>”>Helpers on every level are working diligently to offer a lending hand wherever it is needed. It’s a beautiful thing to see kindness in the midst of disaster.
7dfce40d-06d0-80c7-e440-331f25c06d9f@yahoo.com>”>God bless all who are working tirelessly to help everyone in that region!
3d6ef06d-e5aa-4e12-5e1e-3b9477526476@yahoo.com>”>Sadly, two churches of Christ lost their buildings in the fires. Our deepest prayers are with them all. God WILL get them through, as He has with our own congregation!
What can we learn from this disaster, or other storms in life that hit us hard (passing of loved ones, illnesses, divorce, financial struggles, trials, etc)?
WALK WITH WISDOM
Disasters and trials can happen to us anytime, anywhere! If we walk with wisdom, we know that this life is only temporary. James reminds us that our life is but a vapor…
06f5ffae-57ee-e015-6515-8efe356867f2@yahoo.com>”>Our time here on earth is brief! Live each day like it is your LAST day, and use your life to glorify GOD.
Proverbs 16:16
“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver.“
Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 4:6-7
“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Ecclesiastes 2:26
“To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.“
SET OUR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE.
dcbbbd04-1077-ed2a-602a-78b00a4749bd@yahoo.com>”>As Christians, we have such HOPE in HEAVEN!
36debb1d-3a1d-4357-fbb2-2f853a24cdd8@yahoo.com>”>BE READY
Are we ready this very moment to meet our maker?
Many movie stars, and well known people such as Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and many many others have all lost their million dollar homes. How quickly life can change. Jamie Lee Curtis said, “I never thought I’d live through something like this.” Ricki Lake is shared a post to Instagram bout the “immeasurable” loss of her and her husband’s “dream home”… “It’s all gone”, she wrote. “I can’t believe I am typing these words. This description ‘dream home’ doesn’t suffice. It was our heaven on earth. The place where we planned to grow old together. We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved Malibu for granted, not even for one second. This loss is immeasurable. It’s the spot where we got married 3 years ago. I grieve along with all those suffering during this apocalyptic event.”
Hollywood figures are worth millions by earthly standards, but are they preparing for their spiritual journey to stand before God? Our prayer is that they do, and that they will earnestly seek Him after this tragedy.
Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his very soul?” Mark 8:36
Matthew 24:44
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.“
Matthew 24:27
“For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
2 Peter 3:10
“But the day of the LORD will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.“
Revelation 1:7
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so, Amen.“
WISE BUILDERS
95c51416-3f97-115c-f5f5-640dda9fd249@yahoo.com>”>We need to ask ourselves, are we building our house on the rock which is JESUS CHRIST?
Matthew 7:24-27
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them
will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And the rain fell, and the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Building our house on the rock means doing what JESUS SAYS!
“the rain fell, and the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock!“
Building our house on the sand, means NOT doing what JESUS SAYS!
“everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them….
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand…
where the rain fell, and the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell, and great was the fall of it!“
de2afd41-10b0-7b02-f76e-f9928c6df5d9@yahoo.com>”>To build requires work.…that means hard labor. Our hands must get dirty digging and building!
James 1:21-25
“There, let us “…humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says
is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and,
after looking at himself,
goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,
and continues to do this,
not forgetting what he has heard,
but doing it –
he will be blessed in all he does.“
How do we actually build our house on the rock?
17f80440-550d-a947-2a71-fe472e7dd97f@yahoo.com>”>Read and listen to God’s word daily!
The scriptures guide is in the WAY EVERLASTING.
People who do not read God’s Word, do not know what it says. If people are not reading God’s word, they cannot obey and live out, what they don’t even know. Yet in the end, there will be no excuse.
9a21d3fd-711f-5e41-6ce0-9c39de9cae1c@yahoo.com>”>FAITH requires action...
When Jesus was preaching and teaching to the people, he told Matthew to leave his tax office and follow Him, “Building his life on the rock”, meant getting up and leaving his position and following Jesus.
When Jesus told the disciples to take the loaves and bread out to the multitude, “Building their life on the rock” meant getting the baskets and taking the bread out to the people. They did exactly what JESUS told them to do.
We should have the mindset that Mary gave the servants at the wedding at Cana in John 2:5 “Whatever He says to you; do it!”
Just listening; just reading God’s word, is NOT building your life on the rock. As we read in 2 Thessalonians, obedience of the Gospel is a MUST for salvation.
1 Thessalonians 1:6
“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.
This will happen when the LORD JESUS is revealed from heaven
in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
He will punish those who do not know God
and do not obey the gospel of our LORD JESUS.
They will be punished with everlasting destruction
and shut out from the presence of the LORD
and from the majesty of his power on the day
he comes to be glorified in his holy people
and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.“
This should motivate us all to spread the good news of JESUS’ saving grace. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, and desires all to have eternal life. Mark 16:16
JESUS is the Chief cornerstone of our faith. Following JESUS requires hard labor and building a solid foundation on the word of GOD.
2d578113-3a6d-385a-8fa3-47b018154c2f@yahoo.com>”>We are living in perilous times. We are watching moral and spiritual collapse, personal tragedies, testing of one kind or another is for all of us. When the rain falls, and the floods come ( or have come), the winds blow, and storms rage against our lives, the question remains…are we going to stand, or fall when these things hit?
KEEP SINGING:
I WANT TO BE READY TO MEET HIM…
You may have your worldly pleasures, your silver and your gold,
You may pile up all the riches that this old world can hold;
But I’d rather have my Savior, and with Him firmly stand,
For I want to be ready to meet Him in the glory land!
I want, to be ready to meet Him by and by.
I want, to be ready, to meet him in the sky;
Oh, I want to be more like Him,
and do His blest command,
For I want to be ready to meet Him, in the glory Land!
You may talk about your riches, your diamonds and your pearls,
You may gain the wealth for ages, of this and all the worlds,
But the Savior is more precious, with Him I’ll take my stand,
For I want to be ready to meet Him, in the glory land!
I want, to be ready to meet Him by and by.
I want, to be ready, to meet him in the sky;
Oh, I want to be more like Him,
and do His blest command,
For I want to be ready to meet Him, in the glory Land!
There is one thing I can boast of, salvation from the fall,
I’m an heir to wealth in glory,
my Father owns it all;
That is why I’m shouting happy and go at His command,
For I want to be ready to meet Him in the glory land!
I want, to be ready to meet Him by and by.
I want, to be ready, to meet him in the sky;
Oh, I want to be more like Him,
and do His blest command,
For I want to be ready to meet Him, in the glory Land!
d0ae9650-34c5-34a8-a47a-9f294c7c3b84@yahoo.com>”>JESUS has His hands and heart wide open for everyone to come to HIM. Matthew 11:28-30
JESUS came to bring us life in abundance! John 10:10
May we set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2
BE READY to meet HIM!
BE MORE LIKE HIM & DO HIS BLESSED COMMAND…
SHARE the GOOD NEWS with all.
To GOD be the GLORY – GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!
In Him,
Bruce & Paula