This January we are diving into some thoughts on the Supernatural!  Not so much angels and demon’s supernatural (though we believe in all of that), but the supernatural being lived out in our everday lives!  We are going to talk about how the supernatural happens when we bring our natural to God, and ask Him to add His Super to it!  We know it sounds kind of cheesy, but that’s the season we’re in here at Pathway!  The season of the Super-Natural, MORE THAN ENOUGH!

This is the year of the Super-natural.  We can live in the natural easy enough, it takes very little effort.  But the Super-natural is where God is calling us to live!  Supernatural faith!  Supernatural provision!  Supernatural love!  Supernatural joy!  All of it!  As we enter the new year, let’s ask and believe together that God is going to bring us into the Supernatural as a church!

In place of our regular Sunday morning service on December 25th (Christmas morning), we will have a 4pm-5:15pm Christmas Eve service, Saturday evening, December 24th.  Plan on being a part of this great service as we sing Christmas Songs and hear the story of Mary and Jesus! 

Plan on spending Christmas morning worshiping with your immediate family in place of our regular worship service.  Don’t leave Jesus out of your Christmas morning!

This December we’ll be taking a look at several of the ‘Characters of Christmas.’  What was it like for King Herod to live through this time?  What about Elizabeth, what was her take on being pregnant at the same time as Mary?  Speaking of Mary, if we could put ourselves in the shoes of both Mary and Joseph, what memories would we have of Jesus’ birth and life? 

It’s going to be a challenging series that takes us all the way through our Christmas Eve Service (Dec. 24th of course!).

It is so easy to get sucked in by the thought that there is no hope for my needs/dreams to ever be met!  You have dreams/goals that are in your heart to do, but you have no hope that anything will ever come from them!

In this next message series, Scott is going to share from Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  You know your hope should be in Christ, so let’s realign our hearts with the Word on this!

1)  Ratification of a new elder, Josh Nice.

2)  Voting on 4 changes to our Constitution and Bylaws.

If you’d like more information, you can watch the 3 minute announcement here…

A group from Pathway will be flying out January 28^th, returning February 4^th, to Titanyen, Haiti!  They will be working with one of our church’s strategic missions partners, Mission of Hope (MOH).    

MOH is an organization that is involved in all aspects of ministry to the Haitian people:  Orphanage, rebuilding of homes, hospital, churches, education, etc.  The vision statement for MOH says exactly the heart of what they are all about:

As an organization following Jesus Christ, Mission of Hope exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman, and child in Haiti. We desire to serve the nation of Haiti, and see lives changed.

When you have a minute, head to their website (www.mohhaiti.org) to read about what they are doing! 

Our team will be going down to do a multitude of things.  Some of us will be working on houses, others will be working on medical teams, while others will simply be loving on the orphans as we visit them throughout the week.

Know someone who is going and you’d like to help?  You can now click on the giving link on the right side of this page (or click here), and give using a debit/credit card via PayPal.  When you’re given the option, be sure to make note that your gift is for the ‘Haiti Trip,’ and mention the name of the person you’re giving for.  Pathway will then receipt you for your giving at the end of the year as your gift will be tax exempt. 

Thanks for your help!  We’ve posted a video of last years trip below if you would like to see some of what we’ll experience.

We’re gearing up for our next installment of Pathway 2 Leadership (P2L) on Oct 26, Nov 2, and Nov 9, 6:30pm-8:30pm.  We invite you to join us this round as we have a bit of an apologetics theme, dealing with subjects such as:

• Do you ever doubt your faith?
• How could a loving God ever send someone to hell?
• Is Christ really the only way? 
• Is the Bible trustworthy?

Pick up a text book (The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel) at the Welcome Center this week for $10, and start digging in!  There will be no text study guide this round, but be sure to read the book before the first class.  Childcare will be provided, we just need to know if you need it!  Let us know if you’ll be a part of this class by emailing us right now at office@pathwayag.com, or on your yellow Welcome Card this week!  For more information, watch the following video…

If you’d like to give to Pathway using your debit/credit card, please click through the PayPal link below. On the last page of the process (where you can review your donation), there is a ‘+’ sign along with the word “Giving instructions here,” in the middle of the screen. Please click on the plus sign so you will be able to tell us where your gift should be designated (tithe, missions, building fund, etc.). Thanks!

This week, we are having a set of special services as we host the Conference on the Holy Spirit with Tim and Rochelle Enloe.  Due to contractional agreements with their book publisher, we can’t post any podcasts of the audio or video of these messages.  You are free to stop by the church though to pick up cd’s of these messages!

If you grew up in church, most of us at one point memorized the Lord’s Prayer.  Some churches actually repeat this prayer every week, and members repeat the prayer every day.  Is that what the intention of Jesus was when he taught the disciples this?  We’re not so sure it was!  So what was his intention? 

The Lord’s Prayer is a guide to help us connect with God through prayer.  It was not meant to be a ‘repeat this’ prayer as much as it was a structure to help bring us to a place of  communication with God.  Over the next few weeks, we are going to dive into exactly what  this looks like for each of us.  Join Scott, and the other Pathway staff, as we help you greater understand what it means to connect with God through prayer!

Do any of you need wisdom right now?  Of course you do!  There is a book in the Bible that is written as if your dad sat down with you and had a frank, face to face, mano y mano or mano y femano (is femano a word?) chat.  It is one of the most immediately applicable, now go out and do what it says today, books in the whole Bible.  It’s called…PROVERBS! 

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to take specific subjects from Proverbs and teach on them.  Stuff like purity, parenting, your mouth, how you handle your money, etc.  This summer, we are going to be challenged by the Word!  Don’t miss a week (and if you do, be sure to catch the podcast online or get the cd!)!

JOIN US IN DISCUSSING THE PROVERB OF THE DAY ON SCOTT’S BLOG HERE…

THIS IS WORTH COMING HOME EARLY FROM SPRING BREAK FOR!!!  Ok, I realize most of you may not be going anywhere for spring break, but I’m telling you, Sunday, April 10th, is going to be an exciting Sunday!

After returning from Haiti in February, I asked Otis Garrison (picture above) to join us on Sunday, April 10th.  He’s going to share a message from the Word with us, as well as help you catch more of a vision for what God is doing through Mission of Hope in Haiti.  Here is the good part…he’s bringing the worship leader, Claudel, from the Church of Hope in Haiti with him!  Claudel will be joining our team in leading worship on that Sunday morning (at the MC), as well as ministering with Otis later on in the service. 

We will be live at both campuses on the 10th so we can all experience this together!  Get ready for a great couple of Sunday’s church…

Pathway’s worship team and Claudel…it’s going to be powerful!  The video below was of Claudel leading while we were down in Haiti…

PRICE REDUCED TO $155

May 20-21 – Couples Retreat – Building a Win Win Marriage

Plan on being a part of our next Couples Retreat, happening in May!  Wayne and Cathy Benson will be leading our weekend!  They not only led a great church in Michigan for 25 years, but Wayne most recently was the president of Emerge Ministries, a powerful counseling ministry in Ohio. 

More informatiom here…

P2L Wednesday’s April 27, May 4, May 11:

P2L (Pathway to Leadership) is an opportunity for you and I to sharpen our skills in all areas of ministry to others (scripture knowledge, ministry gifts, etc.).  Plan on being a part of the first installment of this new ministry at Pathway!  We will start promptly at 6:30pm, and go through 8:30pm.  Childcare will be provided (by volunteer teenagers, etc.).  Watch the video below for more information. 

The first class we’ll be offering is called Jesus on Leadership.  Sign up on your yellow card this week, or email the office (office@pathwayag.com).  Pick up a book ($10) and study guide at the Welcome Center this week!

During the months of March and April, churches all over Middlebury will be hosting Sunday evening services, focusing on this Lenten season.  We’ve chosen Psalms 51 as the text of our messages this year.  Attached to this post is a schedule of all service locations, message texts, speakers, and special guests.  If you are free, avail yourself to these community services!

2011 Middlebury Community Lenten Services

February Missions Month:

• Serving There (MC serving at the Middlebury Food Pantry…EC serving at Feed the Children)
• Guests from RETA, Jay Covert, and street evangelist/missionary to Spain (and all of Europe) Kevin Prevost
• Just Pray at MC on February 9th, 7pm…prayer for our missionaries, as well as our Haiti team
• Missions Lunch at both EC and MC following Sunday service on February 20th (sponsored by the Painter LG, along with their LG off-shoots!)
• Opportunity to make a Missions Faith Promise over the next year (on Sunday February 27th)

March Bring It Home:

We’re kicking it up again, every Wednesday in March, at 7pm.  Bring it Home is full of fun, teaching, worship, prizes, and prayer!  These evenings are for parents and their kids in K-5^th grades.  Nurseries will be provided for the younger ones.  More information will be coming, but you don’t want to miss this.  Invite another family to come with you!

P2L End of April/Early May:

P2L (Pathway to Leadership) is an opportunity for you and I to sharpen our skills in all areas of ministry to others (scripture knowledge, ministry gifts, etc.).  Plan on being a part of the first installment of this new ministry at Pathway.  More information on classes to be offered coming in late March. 

May 20-21 – Couples Retreat with Wayne and Cathy Benson

More information to come, but save the date and plan on being a part!

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) are some of the most bedrock teachings of Christ, and over the next few months we’ll be digging into the truths contained in this famous “red letter” passage. Don’t miss a single week!

Don’t miss this refreshing time of growth and relationship building. To find out more of what’s in store, watch the special message below.

2010 Pathway Ladies Retreat from Scott Miller on Vimeo.

In Middlebury, we are combining our 9am and 11am services into ONE service at 10am, starting June 6th!  It’s time to COME TOGETHER!  For more information on this, see this post on Scott’s blog…

On Saturday, May 22^nd, Pathway (Elkhart Campus) has planned an event called Pathway Reaches Out.  From 11am to 2pm, at the Plaza in downtown Elkhart, we’ll be handing out free kid’s clothes, along with free hotdogs and fun for the kids!  The goal is to give away everything they have by 2pm, or earlier.  Come be a part!

Update…here’s a video of what it looked like!  Nearly 800 hotdogs given away, and 3 trailors full of clothes…

This month, Scott will be taking us a through a series on Margin.  How can we stay connected to everything that’s important to us without running around “like a chicken with its head cut off” in the process?  What does the Bible say about my schedule?  About my balance between family, work, and church?

Bring it Home March 2010 from Scott Miller on Vimeo.

Parenthood comes with its own unique set of joys and challenges.  To help us navigate the sometimes stormy seas of ”childrearing”, we focused on Parenthood during the month of May.  Click on the links below to hear each week’s podcast.

  
May 3    -Parenthood and Marriage (Special Guest Gabriele Rienas)
May 10  -Parenthood:  Leading Your Kids
May 17  -Parenthood:  Blessing Your Kids
May 24  -Parenthood: Preparing Your Kids to Follow Jesus
May 31  -Parenthood:  Disciplining Your Kids

Join  us at Pathway on Thursday, April 23 at 8 PM for Dave Ramsey’s live simulcast, Town Hall for Hope.  

Town Hall for Hope is your opportunity to sit down with people in your community for a nationwide town hall meeting led by Dave Ramsey. Thousands of venues across the country will host the event, broadcasting Dave’s live presentation. In the opening half hour, Dave will offer straight talk about the economy, recession, foreclosures and more. He’ll carefully explain where we’ve come from, where we are now, and what we should be doing with our money during this time. Then, Dave will spend an hour answering your questions live!

This event is FREE — bring a friend with you and help spread HOPE in our community!  (Sorry, child care is not available for this event.)

 

Financial Peace University is a life-changing program that teaches you how to make the right decisions with your money.  You’ll be empowered with the practical skills and confidence needed to achieve your financial goals and experience true financial peace.

Classes will meet on Tuesdays from 7:00-8:45 PM in the Great Room beginning January 6, 2009 with class coordinators Mike and Paula Holloway.  Materials are $90 per couple/family, due on or before January 6th.  (Make checks payable to Pathway, and indicate ”FPU” in the memo.)  Space is limited, so be sure to register online or at the Welcome Center by December 22nd.  For more information, call the church office or visit the FPU website for a free preview.

On Sunday, October 5th, each of us was handed a $10 bill and challenged to prayerfully discern how God would have us use it. The rules are simple: during the next two weeks, use the money to reach out to someone from “outside” of Pathway — even if it takes us out of our comfort zone.

Come back and share your story with the rest of the Pathway family at www.ServeHereServeThere.com  and read how others experienced God’s leading in reaching out.  Check back often!

Ministry Opportunities at Pathway

Ministry Opportunities Outside of Pathway

“The mayor’s office issued a statement looking for volunteers to aid with the clean-up effort at 10 a.m. Sunday. Those interested are asked to bring their own gloves, wear sturdy shoes and meet at NorthWood High School’s parking lot, 2101 N. Main St. Volunteers younger than the age of 13 will need to be accompanied by a legal guardian. Transportation to work sites will be provided.”

Because of the generosity of the church, we were recently able to purchase a mobility van for the DeGolier’s.  Below is a picture of them with their van.  There is also a link to the audio from the Sept. 16 service when they were presented with the keys.

 

Audio link from September 16th: