NEWS LETTER
Contents Letter From the Editor, p. 1 Recap of November, p. 2-3 Faith Matters, p. 4 Cru Update, p. 5 December Events, p. 6 Finance Info, p. 7
November 2021
Hello, Friends!! If you haven't noticed, our culture glorifies individuality. Some of our culture's top values are self-sufficiency, independence, and a freedom to "do whatever I want." As a result, we believe that we don't need anyone else, or at least that we're not supposed to. Or maybe we're afraid to let people get close to us because they may not like what they find, they may interrupt our own selfish lifestyles, or they may hurt us. We prefer comfort over sacrifice, and dealing with other humans is often messy and uncomfortable. If you can relate to any of this, you are not alone. However, if you are a follower of Jesus, you are not permitted to stay in this place. God's design for community is described in Romans 12:4-5: "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." We are designed to be so interdependent on each other that Paul compares believers to different parts of a body. Christ is the body, and we each show Him off to the world in a different but necessary way. If a body were entirely eyes or hands, for example, it wouldn't be able to accomplish much. In other words, your presence is uniquely needed for ministry in the body of believers. The following verses show another reason we must be in community: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed." - James 5:16a "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 We are meant to be vulnerable with trusted fellow believers and to share our sin struggles and hardships with them. Then, we are suddenly not alone in our struggles, and we have someone praying for our healing. Jesus is so united to and committed to His followers that He refers to us as His Bride (Rev. 19:7-8; Hos. 2:23). We are collectively broken, selfish, and continually failing. But He is forever devoted to us even in the mess. He even came to earth as a man to join us in the mess. This commitment is quite the contrast to the average American I described at the beginning. Are you devoted to the Bride? When you feel tempted to give up on the broken people around you, remember that Christ never gave up on you over your brokenness. Our Bridegroom seems to have a thing for broken people. Despite our shortcomings, we have a God who has been providing, teaching, and giving. In the following pages you will see how our God has been bringing people into the church, as well as how He has been providing for those who haven't been able to come lately. You'll get to feel the excitement of one student as she discovers who Jesus is for the first time. We hope you enjoy this publication. -Amber Schievelbein
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Letter From the Editor
Youth Craft
During our Wednesday evening service on the 17th, Sandra Harris and her family led a craft night with our youth. Our young friends made sock snowmen that we handed out at our Friendsgiving event the Saturday after. It was impressive how well the little guys turned out!!
Recap of November
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On November 5th, we enjoyed a country music performance by Felix Truvere at the church. We had an assortment of soups to try (made by various people in our fellowship), and we were able to meet some new friends who frequent performances by Felix. It was a good turnout!!
Country Music Night
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On November 20th, we hosted a Friendsgiving dinner for anyone and everyone we know, including some new friends from Aspire apartments. We ate a hearty meal, praised God for the ways He has blessed us, worshipped together, and handed out the sock snowman crafts our youth made a few days before. The cover photo of this publication is of Josh Hurt and his team enthusiastically leading us in worship.
Friendsgiving
RB and Patricia Gallegos have been long time members of Communion Chapel. They have two sons, Alejandro and Ilario.
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Nine years ago, we moved to San Antonio from Hawaii. In this major move and season of our life, God led us to Communion Chapel. We found great friends and learned about our community. At the time, our boys were young, and we served in children’s ministry, youth ministry, summer camps, and Awana. It was a beautiful season and we give thanks to God for it. We have experienced many changes in our lives, and even now we are seeing changes in what God is doing in our family. This season has brought new careers, jobs, teenagers, a college student with a girlfriend, an elderly family member in need of help, and the loss of a loved one. We thought before that serving God primarily meant being in church and participating in church ministries. Now, we see God leading us to serve Him in what we experience, even when we can’t make it to church. One of God’s top priorities is for our relationship with Him to grow. If our time is so valuable in every season of life, what is God asking us to do with our time and how do we respond? Matthew 5:33-37 - “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” During this season in our lives, we choose to serve God by listening, praying, and prioritizing. Whether we choose to serve in ministry, missional community, family, or neighbors, our oath is “yes” with a joyful heart. We are meant to be totally committed to loving God and loving people in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Any lesser lifestyle than this leads to wasted opportunities. To close, I ask you this: what does your current season look like, and how can you be a part of a community that loves others during this season? We give thanks to Communion Chapel for reaching out to us when we could not come to church. Though our family goal for this season is to focus on God and invite the Shepherd to lead us, we are still connected to Christ-following community through it all. We all deeply need to stay connected with the rest of the body of Christ. In the words of Andy Mineo and Hulvey in the song, “We Against the World,” Yeah, they say no man is an island But all my people dripping, so you could say the water all around 'em And I've seen people's hearts get hardened... Wanna go somewhere fast? Do it by your lonely Wanna have a blast? Then you gotta bring the homies Might slow you down lil' bit, be some arguments But that's what make for all the good stories!
faith matters: Our Oath is "Yes" by RB and Patricia Gallegos
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Cru Update by Allie Zaborowske
We sat next to each other while ducks gathered around us with eager eyes. Mia (a UIW student) and I were sitting on a picnic table at Brackenridge park, where we have been meeting for discipleship the last few weeks. This week I brought bird seed for the ducks. Despite the frequent quacks and a few ducks getting too close for comfort, Mia and I had an amazing conversation about faith. The week before, we held a global missions informational dinner, and the week before that, we had a large group meeting where a speaker talked about God’s heart for the world. Mia had attended both, and since has had a lot of questions she wanted to ask me. When I met Mia at the beginning of the semester, I shared the gospel with her but she said she wasn't sure if that's what she wanted for her life. Even still, she wanted to get involved with Cru to learn more about God. So I was encouraged that she brought her questions to me! Towards the end of our conversation at the park, she told me she believed in God but didnt know what denomination she would consider herself. In order to get some clarity about where she was at with the Gospel, I asked what she thought of Jesus. She said, “That's the thing, I don't know what it means when people say they are following Jesus!” So I shared the Gospel with her again and explained that following Jesus meant believing that, living a life like Jesus, treating people the way he did, and loving them. I asked if that was what she wanted for her life and she said it was! We had to get back to campus for her class, so I asked if I could pray for her on our drive back. Before I could start she said, “Wait, I have one more question. Do you have to close your eyes when you pray?” I said, “Well no because I am about to pray while driving.” The car instantly filled with our laughter. After I prayed my portion, she prayed out loud with me for the first time. One of the things she said was, “God, please help me live for you.” I am so thankful for God working in our conversation that day. Every time I meet with Mia she becomes more and more curious about the Lord. God is moving in her life and many other students' lives! I have met multiple students that mentioned they have so many questions about God but don't know where to start to find answers. They are surprised they haven't found more resources about this at their university. There is a huge need for godly community at UIW. Please be praying that my ministry with Cru can be an answer to that need! Currently, we have about 12 students involved and looking to lead a bible study or are in discipleship! Praise God! We have enough students to be an official student organization! Sarah, our UIW student leader, and I recently started the process of registering for that. Please pray that this process goes smoothly and quickly so that we can be official by the start of the spring semester!
Announcements
On Wednesday, December 15th, we will be going to the Aspire apartments to host a Christmas Tree Lighting for the residents. The time is 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM; we will serve refreshments and give a Gospel presentation. We would love to have a few volunteers help us with set-up/tear-down, serving refreshments, and/or investing in the residents!! Email amber@communionchapelefca.org if you would like to help share the love of Jesus with us in this way.
COVID-19 Update
To see all of our upcoming event information, take a look at the church calendar on our website by clicking here.
Christmas Tree Lighting Outreach
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Christmas Dinner
Thank you to everyone who was praying for Pastor Mike Pratt and Tom Haines to heal from COVID-19!! The two of them are now totally recovered from the virus, thanks to Jesus.
If your birthday is in December, be sure to come to one of our church services on the 19th!! We will recognize and celebrate December birthdays at the end of both services.
From 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM on December 11th, we will be hosting a Christmas potluck dinner at the church. This is an adults-only event, and we ask that everyone attending bring a dish that serves at least 10 people. The sign up to bring a dish can be found on the counter in the foyer. Invite your friends!! To let us know you are coming and what dish you plan to bring, contact Delia at jpdfvoss@gmail.com.
3rd Sunday Birthday Celebration
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Elby Flinn - December 3rd Bo Bohannan - December 14th Essence Ramirez - December 20th Thomas Haines - December 21st Mark Vera - December 22nd Alan Bohannan - December 27th Rusty Carolan - December 27th Alice Soele - December 29th Wally Andress - December 30th
Finance Information
December Birthdays