LIFE How to Grow at The Orchard in 2014 april 2014

april 2014
LIFE
How to Grow at The Orchard in 2014
At The Orchard, we talk often about ROOTS, LIFE, and
FRUIT, but what do those words really mean? Why are they
so important? Does being involved in ROOTS, LIFE, and
FRUIT ministry really help us to grow?
In February, our campus pastors helped us understand
how to grow through digging deep ROOTS into God’s Word.
In our second installment in the series, How to Grow at
The Orchard in 2014, we’ll take a closer look at how being
involved in LIFE helps us to grow. We find life in Jesus
Christ and share that life together, primarily through LIFE
Groups.
Leader is Shepherd
Each LIFE Group is led by a mature, faithful believe who is
responsible for shepherding the group. Leaders pray for
their group members, ensure the study of God’s Word is
accurate, serve as a conduit for information between the
church and the group, and make sure those in the group
are being cared for. As you read below, you’ll see the
significant role that LIFE Group leaders play in the lives of
their group members.
Intercession
Kathy Ruda, Arlington Heights Campus
Our LIFE group regularly prayed for a man in our group who
had lost his job and needed to find a new job. He knew this
would be a challenging job search. Over many months, he
shared and we prayed about what was happening with
networking, interviews, rejections, and the impact of
all of these on his attitude, his wife, and his relationship
to the Lord. We saw God working as the Lord opened
up opportunities for him to share his faith through his
networking groups, giving him discernment on specific
jobs, giving him a loving, supportive, and patient wife, and
ultimately providing him a job in a field that was completely
outside of his previous work experience. Though this man
greatly appreciated our interceding for him, we were all
blessed by his transparency, his perseverance, and his
trust in the Lord to provide all he needs.
Fellowship Around the Word
Greg Domsten, Barrington Campus
My Men’s LIFE Group is easily one of the highlights of
my week. Meeting together as men seeking to be more
Christ-like provides us with ongoing encouragement,
motivation, conviction, and accountability. Furthermore,
being in prayer for each of the guys in our group, as well
as knowing they are praying for me, strengthens not only
our relationships with each other, but also draws me
closer to the Lord. One example of this was after I shared a
challenge I was facing; the following week one of the men
shared with me that he had been thinking of and praying
for me often throughout that week.
This brought great encouragement to
my family and me.
One of the blessings of our group is
the different perspective each man
brings to our discussions because
of our varied backgrounds and faith
journeys. As a result, my eyes may
be opened to something new in a
passage of Scripture I have read many
times before because of something
that struck one of the other guys in the
passage. This “give and take” is one
of the great benefits of being in a LIFE
Group where each member is striving
to be more like Christ.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron
sharpens iron, so one person sharpens
another.” I am further sharpened each
time we meet together, and I thank
the Lord for the blessing of my men’s
group and each man in it.
Encouragement and Care
Cheryl Schumann, Marengo Campus
I was involved in a small group at
another church. When my leader
started attending The Orchard’s
Marengo Campus, I spent much time
in prayer and knew that God was
leading me to attend The Orchard, too.
My husband, who had not attended
my previous church, came with me to
The Orchard every Sunday starting
in October 2013. The small group I
had been involved in came under
the leadership of Pastor Jared and
became a LIFE Group.
On December 20, 2013, my husband
died of a massive heart attack after
shoveling the snow from our front
walk in preparation for my LIFE Group
Christmas
party at our
house that
evening. My
LIFE Group,
along with
so many
from The
Orchard,
supported
me and
my family tremendously during this
difficult time. They prayed, brought
food, and gave us the
encouragement and support
we needed at that very
difficult time. Pastor Jared
was an amazing example of
what a shepherd looks like and
had great wisdom in advising
me and my family about
decisions that we needed to
make. God knew I was going
to need the love, prayers, and
support from my new church family.
If you aren’t in a LIFE Group, try one.
This is one way God takes care of our
needs, keeps us accountable, helps
us grow in His Word, and allows us to
have fun and make new friends with
other believers.
“Why Should I be
in a LIFE Group?”
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let
us consider how to stir up
one another to love and good
works, not neglecting to meet
together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as
you see the Day drawing near.”
When my husband and I joined
The Orchard, one of the things
we wanted was to belong to a LIFE
Group. Being in a LIFE Group is what
the author of Hebrews stated in the
preceding verses…and much more!
We learned so
much from being
in a LIFE Group,
especially when
we study the
books in the
Bible that Pastor
Colin preaches
from. We have
good fellowship
with our friends
from church that we couldn’t have
enough of just by being in church
every Sunday. We pray for each other
and support each other, and love
abounds in our LIFE Group. (And good
and abundant food is a plus!) Oh,
and we have fun nights too, which is
awesome! – Yolanda P. Jain, Arlington
Heights Campus
Being in a LIFE group gives me the
opportunity to be heard, prayed for,
encouraged and challenged in my
faith. It also gives me the opportunity
to listen to others, pray for them,
encourage them, and challenge them
in their walk with God. Collectively,
we also pray for the church and our
missionaries. This year we have had
some great discussions about how we
can share the Gospel with others and
have challenged each other in this.
Just like a family, we may never get
it right because of our humanness,
but we can work towards loving and
forgiving and spending time with
God together. Isn’t it great to have
something to look forward to like LIFE
group? – Karen Metcalf, Barrington
Campus
For me, the
LIFE Group is
an essential
connection
to the
church,
especially
one as big as
The Orchard.
In our LIFE
Group, I
have personally grown as a believer
as we study the Word of God and
have amazing fellowship with fellow
believers where there is a sense
of Christian community, a sense of
belonging, and a love for each other.
More importantly, we learn about the
Lord by studying the Scriptures and
get to hear how God has worked in
the lives of the LIFE Group members
through testimonies. Plus, our LIFE
Group always has so much fun when
we meet, and the food is always
delicious and abundant! –Sylvia S.
Buyco, Arlington Heights Campus
Being in a LIFE group is a great way to
get to know people better at church.
Sharing ideas from a sermon or doing
a study together strengthens the
body, creates accountability and
builds strong relationships. – Carol
Oehlerking, Itasca Campus
In a LIFE Group, we experience small
group fellowship, worship, Bible study
and prayer. The group leaders act as
shepherds and nurture the flock. We
learn to love one another in a “family”
context and
to practice
care ministries
in times of
sickness,
sorrow and
joy (even
celebrating baby
showers). We
especially praise
God for the
opportunity to
see new leaders mentored and raised
up to lead other LIFE Groups. – Diane
Garces, Arlington Heights Campus
My LIFE Group is like a little family.
We learn about the Bible together,
support each other through our ups
and downs and have sweet fellowship
together. – Pam Meyers, Arlington
Heights Campus
LIFE Groups are a great opportunity
to grow closer to Christ while also
growing closer to other women in
weekly fellowship and Bible study. I
have made some of my best friends
at The Orchard by starting
in the LIFE group I’ve been a
part of for the past year. And
though the group’s members
have evolved in that time, the
Lord has never failed to help
me build connections with
each new face. Furthermore,
I’ve had the chance to get
involved in so many different
ways at The Orchard in large
part through the encouragement of
the other women in my group. LIFE
Groups are a great way to meet people
and get connected in other ways at
The Orchard. Besides—LIFE Groups
are fun! – Grace Nielsen, Barrington
Campus
April 2014
Preaching Schedule
April 12 & 13
Arlington Heights – Colin Smith
Barrington – Tom Olson
Itasca – Greg Norwine
Marengo – Jared Hendricks
April 19 & 20
Arlington Heights – Colin Smith
Barrington – Tom Olson
Itasca – Greg Norwine
Marengo – Jared Hendricks
April 26 & 27
Arlington Heights – Scott Lothery
Barrington – Colin Smith
Itasca – Colin Smith (Video)
Marengo – Colin Smith (Video)
Join us for
Good Friday Services
Arlington Heights, 5:30 & 7:30 p.m.
Barrington, 5 & 7 p.m.
Itasca, 7 p.m.
Marengo, 7 p.m.
Easter Services
Arlington Heights, Saturday: 5:30 p.m.;
Sunday: 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m.
Barrington, Saturday: 5:30 p.m.;
Sunday: 9 & 10:45 a.m.
Itasca, Sunday: 9:30 a.m.
Marengo, Sunday: 9:30 a.m.
Missionary Update
Rob & Becky Thompson
Amy Ravenscroft
Carrie Bergmann
RMI/Haiti
TEAM/Japan
Rob and Becky
serve with
Reciprocal
Ministries
International in
Haiti. Rob is the
Field Director and guides visiting church
groups from the States who are in Haiti
working with their sister church. Rob’s
position also puts a strong emphasis
on national staff development. Some
of the major programs with RMI include
Hope for Kidz child sponsorship, Food
for Health Program and Water for Health
Program. Every ministry that Rob and
Becky are involved in have a connection
to a local Haitian church.
Amy has served
in Japan since
1980. Her main
focus is to help
plant reproducing
churches and to
do evangelism and to build up the body
of Christ in Japan. Amy helps with
the “preaching” by reading translated
messages from Pastor Colin that have
been edited for the local church. She
teaches English conversation classes
and includes some Bible in each class.
Amy connects with her neighbors by
hosting cooking classes. She also posts
a newsletter that is distributed to 210
households and does this several times
a year.
El Camino Academy/Bogota
Carrie teaches 3rd
grade in a school
that is a Godcentered, multicultural community
that prepares
students to impact their world through
relationships with God and others. The
curriculum at the school provides a
quality U.S. education with English as
the primary language and Spanish as
a strong emphasis. The school has the
opportunity to train future Colombian
leaders and encourage them to grow in
their Christian walk and therefore bring
the Gospel to their own country.
PrAISE for “the Lord sustaining us
through a very busy time these past two
months.”
Pray for “our family to have some time
with no teams to get some things in
order, spiritually, emotionally, physically
and relationally.”
Pray for “new churches in the US to join
us in what we are doing here in Haiti.”
Praise for several joint worship
services being planned for three existing
church plants.
Praise for another neighbor joining
Amy’s weekly Bible study in her home.
Pray for “housing needed for a coworker (Marcy) who will be joining me in
August.”
Pray for Carrie as she has made the
commitment to return to her assignment
of teaching at the academy for the next
school year.
Pray for the anticipation of having a
student teacher in her 3rd grade class
next fall.
Military Focus
James Day (Leslie) (Jonathan/6 yrs.; Ryan/4 yrs.; William/1 yr.) – Air Force – Qatar, Western Asia
Requests: James is a pilot and will be stationed in Qatar leaving in late Spring for an entire year. His family will not be able to
accompany him. Currently, they are trying to make arrangements for housing near Luke AFB in Arizona for Leslie and the boys. Pray
things will fall into place quickly in this regard. Pray for James’ safety and protection overseas and for Leslie and their three sons
during this long separation. (son-in-law of Gary & Linda Hrivnak)
Benjamin Thompson – Air Force – Croughton Royal Air Force Base, England
Requests: Ben transitioned from his last assignment in Italy to England in September. Pray as he
continues to adjust and also manage the demands of his job. Pray for his family concerning the long
separations with infrequent visits. Pray he can find a church there for worship and to serve.
(son of Brian & Rita Thompson)
www.theorchardefc.org
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