Be Gentle
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)
Mini Devotional
A mini message to take with you this week to help you in your devotion to God.
BE GENTLE
Devotional by: Elijah Bell
"Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” — Philippians. 4:5
Are you known for your gentleness? The word in ESV is translated “reasonableness.” Would the people around you be able to call you a gentle, reasonable person?
Notice we are to be known by EVERYONE by our gentleness. This is to be one of our defining characteristics.
Here are a couple of questions to help you determine if people know you by your gentleness:
Do you seek to yield to other people as much as possible?
Do you allow other people to have a say, and not insist on your own way?
Can you have difficult discussions without becoming offended or aggressive?
Would other people feel comfortable coming to you with an opposing opinion or concern, and KNOW that they don’t have to worry about how you will react?
Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” If we want to avoid conflict, and be people of peace, then the way we respond to people is key.
Someone who is truly gentle will not be belligerent or insist on their own way, but will be soft-spoken, and approachable. They will be willing to yield to other people’s concerns or wishes, and they will not lose their temper or get annoyed at people.
Notice the reason given in Philippians 4:5 as to why we are to be gentle: “THE LORD IS NEAR”, or as it says in the ESV, “the Lord is at hand.” We could look at this as saying, Jesus is coming back, and there’s no time to act aggressively with each other, because of how counterproductive it is!
There’s no time to be anything other than gentle with each other. Let’s all make an extra effort today to be gentle and reasonable, and be the most approachable and kind people imaginable, because that is who we are called to be!
The Lord is near.
News
This section is for any special announcements that are not upcoming events or prayer requests.
New Order Of Sunday Evening Activities
As this Sunday is the first Sunday in August, we will be changing the order of the Sunday evening activities from what we have been doing. The Sunday evening activities for the month of August will be:1st Sunday — Disciples’ Workshop (Part Of Mission Control)
2nd Sunday — Study Group Sunday (Women’s and Men’s Bible classes, and men teach children)
3rd Sunday — Singing Night
4th Sunday — Small Groups (In people’s homes)
Brad Gregory Installed As A Deacon
This past Sunday, after three Sundays of putting Brad Gregory forward before the congregation as a potential deacon, and having heard no biblical reasons as to why he should not serve, the elders have installed Brad as a deacon. He will be serving as our Event Coordinator deacon.
‘Mission Control’ — A New Church Effort Coming August 7th
“Mission Control” is a system of tools, equipping opportunities, and challenges to help the congregation live out our mission. It will consist of 3 basic elements:Mission Control Center — A station set up in the lobby with evangelism and Bible study tools, monthly challenges for the congregation, and a way to track how many challenge completions there have been.
Disciples’ Workshop — A new Sunday evening activity in which the congregation meets together at the church building and breaks into smaller groups to work together in hands-on training exercises to prepare for the monthly congregational challenges.
Weekly Training Videos — A new video coming out every week to help give biblical guidance and helpful suggestions on how we can better accomplish our monthly challenges together.
Prayers
Here are some individuals that especially need our prayers this week. Please keep them in mind every time you pray.
Bob Tankersly
Steve England
Nikki Finley
Alyssa Deaton
Pat Robertson
Sonia Roach
Upcoming Events
Here are some events that are coming up that you need to make space on your calendar for.
This Sunday, August 7th, 6pm — Disciples’ Workshop
Starting in the month of August, we will be slightly rearranging the events for Sunday evening (see the full list in the ‘News’ section above). This Sunday evening, we will be having our first Disciples’ Workshop event. This workshop is for getting together as a church and working in groups to prepare each other for accomplishing the challenges for the month. The challenges for August will be unveiled at the Mission Control Center on Sunday, and on Sunday night, we will meet downstairs for the first Disciples’ Workshop in order to plan practical ways for us to meet the challenges for the month.
Monday, August 15th at 6pm — R.E.A.L. Ladies Devo And Fellowship
This upcoming meeting will be at Jackie Stockton’s house. It will be potluck style, and she’s asking all the ladies to bring their favorite summer dish to share. PLEASE SIIGN-UP IN THE LOBBY — REAL stands for ‘ready,’ ‘evangelistic,’ ‘active,’ and ‘loving.’ Val Clarke started this group to be as warm and welcoming as possible, especially toward visitors, who are welcome. The group will meet every 3rd Monday in various locations.
Saturday, August 20th, 4:00 to 6:00pm — Back-To-School Bash
Invite your friends and community members! This is part of our follow-up for VBS! We will have food, carnival games, and a gospel focused message. Make plans to attend and bring your children/grandchild and their friends! We will need lots of volunteers, so make sure to check the section below on serving opportunities for more information.
Friday, September 30th at 6:30pm — Trivia Night
Robert Roach is hosting a trivia night at the church building to provide more opportunities for fellowship and community. Please make it a priority to be there if you can.
Saturday, October 8th — Hay Ride & Fall Festival
Games, activities, food, 4pm to 6pm. Hay ride at 6pm. The event will be held at the Bowman residence.
How You Can Serve
There are a lot of ways you can get involved and do the work of God in our community!
For more information or for help signing up for any of these ministries, please call the church office at: (502) 227-7796.
Limited-Time Opportunities:
Food Pantry Donations (Mini Pack the Pulpit events)
To better meet community needs and not overly burden the congregation, the elders have approved a change for the pantry: Mini Pack the Pulpit events — Each with a particular focus:Aug. 28th — Collection for Backpack Program (Needed items to be announced)
NOTE: All cans should be pull tops. So the children can place in the microwave.
Ramen Noodle Packages
Nutri Grain bars
Easy Mac
Chef Boyardee Ravioli
Vienna Sausages
Granola Bars
Fruit Cups
Fruit Snacks
Individual Applesauce Cups
Oatmeal Packets
Individual Cookie Packs
Beanie Weenies
Canned Tuna
Canned Soups
Cheese and Cracker (Individual Packs)
Pudding Cups
Individual Cereals
Volunteers Needed For Back-To-School Bash (Aug. 20th)
I have a great opportunity for you to do the work of ministry. We are hosting a Back-to-school Bash for our elementary program! We are going to do a cookout and carnival game night from 4:00-6:00 pm on August 20th. This will be a great follow up opportunity to bring all our VBS visitors back to the building. The goal is food, fun, fellowship, and faith!We will need your help to pull it off! We will need a high volume of volunteers to make this happen.
We will need volunteers for security, work on helping feed the group, and creating carnival games. I have included a volunteer signup sheet below. To really make this a member driven work of ministry, we want you to design, manage, and staff the carnival games! This will be a great opportunity for you to intentionally interact with our visitors and guests! They will travel from station to station and get to know the people that make Holly Hill a great congregation! I am so excited to see what ideas for game stations you all can come up with! I would encourage you to really swing for the fences and let’s do something out of this world! Channel the carnival theme and those amusement park game ideas and do it big! It would be even greater if you could find a way to incorporate a Bible theme. We will also provide tickets that the kids can redeem for candy and prizes for completing all the games!
I’m going to include the link to a signup sheet with some spaces for you to put your name and booth idea! If you don’t have an idea but would like to participate, I’ve also included some inspiration. One last word about supplies: We have some supplies here and we will have some budget for this event. If you’d like to donate whatever you need for your booth that would be cool, but if you’d like to be reimbursed for your expenses that is also an option but please talk to Kurt before you make any purchases you’d like reimbursed.
You can find a sign-up sheet here for participants:
Back to School Bash at Holly Hill Church of Christ (google.com)
A volunteer sign-up sheet here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4ba8ae22a0ffc52-back
Carnival Games Ideas:
17 Best Carnival Games - FREE Game Ideas! (carnivalsavers.com)
10 Carnival Games for Family Festivals (thespruce.com)
Some quick and easy ideas:
Face painting.
Ball toss (knock stuff over)
Pop a Balloon with a dart game!
Taken Ideas: Fishing Gallery (Bell). Shooting Gallery. (Montooth) Ring Toss (Bowman)
Long-Term Opportunities:
Tech Team Support — The Holly Hill Tech Team needs help. We would love to have a few more people trained and available to set up the livestreams and audio equipment. It’s a fairly simple task and you’ll be well trained before being thrown into the seat alone. If you’re interested, see Nick, David, or Brad.
Greeter Ministry — We’re looking for people who are friendly and outgoing to welcome our guests and members each Sunday morning. If you are interested, contact Tom Owens.
Card Ministry — Every Sunday there are cards spread out on a table in the lobby that will be sent out to various church members and guests who need encouragement. You can help serve and encourage by making sure to sign these cards each week.
Casey Blessing Box — The Caseys are collecting items to give away to those in need in their Blessing Box. Currently, they are accepting donations of: Can goods of fruit and vegetables. Crackers, or cereal.
Shriners Children’s Hospital — Donna White is collecting soda can tabs to donate to the children’s hospital. Please leave your donations in the lobby.
Holly Hill Church of Christ
1020 Holly Hill Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
Web: www.hollyhillcoc.org
Phone: (502) 227-7796
Email: hollyhillcoc@gmail.com
Service Times:
Sunday Bible Class: 10am
Sunday Morning Worship, 11am
Sunday Evening Worship, 6pm
Wednesday Evening Bible class: 6:30pm