December 31, 2009 by Worship Director.

Help us put away the Christmas dressings and decorations to prepare for a great new year!  We’ll be at the church at 10:30am and should be done no later than noon.  Hope to see you there!

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December 29, 2009 by Worship Director.

Rev. Paul Jones brought greetings from 2ooo of the brothers of the church in Bolivia.  Paul, Kattia and their daughter, Tabitha,  had a short break from the South American mission field to spend Christmas in Austin.  Paul’s message  Sunday morning at First Church reminded us that Christ came to give us the peace of God so that we could have peace with God.

Paul shared with us that Kattia had initiated Sunday School training for leaders this past summer.  The concept of “Sunday School” is new to the Bolivian church and so vitally needed.  Let’s join together in prayer support for this new ministry - for something we here in the US take so much for granted.

May God bless the Jones’ and the mission field in which they serve!

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December 29, 2009 by Worship Director.

Austin First Church of God is proud to partner with other Christian organizations that serve those in need all around the world.  Here is a mission opportunity that may be just right for you and your family this summer in partnership with the Austin Samaritans and Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church.

Take a family vacation with a purpose to Managua, Nicaragua.  Activities include: VBS, Teacher Training Seminar, and Playground construction at Colegio Cristiano Presbyteriano.  We will visit the new, Juan Calvino Presbyterian Seminary, hand out layettes and toys in a local hospital and visit other ministries in Managua.  We will end the trip with a day on the beach at the Pacific Ocean.

Do you have a heart and gift for training teachers as well as loving on children?  If so, this trip is for you.  What an amazing opportunity to serve with your family.  The cost is $450 per person plus airfare and trip/health insurance.  - Nancy Pickett, Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church.

For more information send a message through the “Contact Us” page at www.austinfcog.org

If interested, please log in and complete this Application Form: Nicaragua June 2010

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December 28, 2009 by Web Admin.

“Direct your children unto the right path and when they are older they will not leave it.” Proverbs 22:6

2010 is full of opportunities for more persons to become involved in this wonderful biblical mandate.  We are thankful to God for Children Ministry workers at First Church and encourage others to join us in such a significant ministry responsibility.

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December 28, 2009 by Pastor.

Happy New Year!

We are at the beginning of a new year filled with great opportunities to trust God’s eternal goodness.  God’s word tells us to trust in Him with all our heart and not  lean on our own understanding but rather to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will make our path straight ( Proverbs 3:5-6)

Let’s encourage each other to grow in our Christian faith in 2010.

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December 26, 2009 by Web Admin.

The Christian Women Connection hosted their annual Christmas party on December 19th.

It was an enjoyable evening of fun and fellowship with an International meal, games, Christmas carols, skits and drama and an exchange of gifts.  What a great way to celebrate this special and happy holiday.

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December 26, 2009 by Worship Director.

Charlie Schnabel is a storyteller and brings his wit and wisdom to every Austin First Church service in his “Three Minutes to Live By.” However, the stories from his recent trip to Nicaragua with the Austin Samaritans are hard stories to tell - and even harder to hear.  How can we begin to relate to the reality of 2000 people - men, women and children - LIVING in the Managua city dump, known as La Chureca.  Not just coming in to collect recyclables, but making their homes out of the junk found inside; children working and playing among mounds of dangerous garbage which may, in fact, become their next meal or parents prostituting their teenage daughters to “get the best garbage.”  There is no way we can truly comprehend the horror of their lives unless we see it ourselves. Charlie chose to bear the burden for these people a world away.  To go and to do something. As the Austin Samaritans work to build medical facilities to serve the people in La Chureca, Charlie is now working with his clients in the Pediatric Dentists Association to provide dental care and equipment. We can all bring something: resources, connections, our concern and prayers.

Our love for God must translate into a tangible love for others.  Acts 3:6 says, “Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”  This is the example we strive to follow, that Charlie and the Austin Samaritans have lived in La Chureca -  meeting real human needs with whatever God has given us; changing lives through the unchanging love of Jesus Christ.

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December 19, 2009 by Worship Director.

Lent is the 40 day period before Easter and represents the days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry to begin. Christians mark the season by devoting themselves to prayer, fasting and service to others.

To deepen our experience in this special season, we are compiling a Devotion Guide with inspirational thoughts for each day and we want our church members to participate. To do so, please write up to two brief devotionals, each including a scripture reference, your brief original thought about that scripture, and the first few lines of a prayer for the day.

Please submit your devotion(s) to the Worship Director by Sunday, January 24, 2010.  You may submit it in by hand delivery or by emailing it to Sue@AustinFCOG.org.

The Devotion Guides will be available on February 15 before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2010.

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December 10, 2009 by Worship Director.

 This years’ Ladies Christmas Brunch on December 5, 2009 was a success in many ways:

• Nearly 30 people attended,
• Many guests were welcomed into God’s house,
• Hundreds of dollars in gifts were provided for the teens at the Austin Childrens Shelter, and
• We started the season by focusing our hearts on the gift of Christ to the world and how we are blessed by giving to others in return.

Thank you to Melba and Theresa for helping cook on the morning of the brunch and to Fae and Louise for bringing their special holiday goodies to share.  Janis Gernert from the Austin Childrens Shelter told us about the facility, the great needs - both physical and emotional - of the children that come there, and how we can help change their lives.

The Christ Birthday Offering, in which we participate each year as a ministry of the National Christian Women Connection, provides education, economic development and hope for women and families all around the world.  Our local fellowship is happy to share our resources and reach out with God’s love both at home and internationally during this special time of year

.

“I remain very grateful to attend and meet the caring people at Austin’s First Church of God, thank you for the invitation and gifts for the children.  ACS will share a brighter Christmas because of the thoughtfulness of you and members there.  Blessings - Janis Gernert, The Austin Childrens Shelter

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