CCOG Newsletter

Weekly Updates

churchofgodcornelius.org

Find us on Facebook @corneliuschurchofgod & Instagram @churchofgodcornelius

Reflections from Pastor Jennifer

The deliciousness of 5th Sunday breakfast must be acknowledged! A big thank you to everyone who contributed in any way. No wonder we love to eat when the food is always so good!

Our series on worship has concluded, but our pursuit of worship must not. I am sure that we have each taken away something from this lengthy series, from the foundations of worship to our role as priests of God, from what not to do to what God expects of us in worship. If you don't remember anything that I taught or preached, please remember one of the things that Dr. Tatum spoke about back in January - we must live worship. If we are waiting until Sunday morning to worship, that makes for a long week. What we do on Sundays in singing and raising our hands is praise. It is an opportunity to thank God for who He is and all the ways He has blessed us. Worship is how we live our lives. It is how we treat our neighbor and how we treat our enemy. Worship is what we do in our daily walk with Christ. Worship derives from our recognition of the holiness of God. It is a heart condition.

OCC

As we head into the month of April, our suggested item has changed. In honor of those April showers, please bring soap, loofahs, and/or wash cloths to add to the shoeboxes. We can always use more shoeboxes or cash, if that is what you would prefer to give.

April Focus

It is time to rain down blessings! That is our focus for the month of April. Beginning this month, "Blessing Bags" will be available to anyone who would like to share them. This bag is filled with basic necessities like snacks and toiletries. This will be an ongoing ministry opportunity, so do not hesitate to take a bag and pray for the chance to give it away!

FSM

Y'all know we love to eat! Be sure to join us for the next time of food and fellowship. This Sunday, April 6, is our next First Sunday Meal. We would love to meet some of your friends and family, so invite folks to come with you!

Help for the Homelss

Tomorrow night - Tuesday, April 1 - we have the opportunity to bless our homeless neighbors. Ask the Lord to prepare you to provide compassion and prayer to those you will encounter. Be at church in time to leave by 5pm.

Park Clean-up

The weather is perfect to do some park clean-up! Saturday, April 5, is the next time scheduled to work on prepping the park for use. Ladies, if you want to join in, you are welcome. However, there is more work that needs the attention of the men (so maybe take a Saturday to yourselves ;). Work will get started around 8am.

Men's Fellowship

For a second Saturday, the men will have a chance to hang out. Men, bring a male friend or family member with you to men's breakfast on April 12 at 8:30am. This time, they are heading to Golden Corral in Mooresville.

Mark your calendars for all the seasonal events coming in April:

April 13 - Palm Sunday, April 18 - Good Friday Movie, April 20 - Easter Sunday

Arise and Shine

People often say, "Give God your burdens." Do you ever wonder: How do I do that? The brokenness of the world feels too heavy. And as much as you desire to shine the light of Jesus, you wonder what that looks like when you struggle to see the light yourself.

bible.com

Light in the Darkness

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a person who brings hope to others. I want to be full of joy and be a bright shining light for Jesus. But some days it feels too hard to see the light through dark circumstances. Even though I know God calls me to place my fears, worries, and questions on His shoulders and He promises to give me rest, I wrestle with a darkness in my heart and mind.

John 1:4–5 tells us this about Jesus: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” In other words, Jesus is the light of the world. We may feel overwhelmed by darkness, but it will never overcome us because Jesus’s light is in us and around us.

All the negative or hard things you see on your phone do not have a hold on you. The negativity that may surround you at work cannot get in the way of God’s plan for your life. The darkness you see as you go about your day will not overcome you because of the power that is simply in Jesus’s name.

Darkness has a way of telling us that we are stuck. It wants us to feel like it controls us; but the truth is, it doesn’t. We have the power to choose to let the darkness control us or take control of it ourselves with God’s help. The enemy wants us to believe the lie that there can’t be light amid darkness. Satan doesn’t want us to have the hope that Jesus brings us.

Discovering how to be the light of Christ is a process, but it’s a process you are more than capable of. You are right where you need to be at this moment, and He is with you.

Lord, I want to know You more. I want to understand Your heart for me, for others, and for this world. What is an area of my life You are calling me to seek more of You in? Help me fight the lies of the enemy that want to distract me from You. Help me to draw closer to You so that Your light shines through me. Amen.