Renaissance

Ren News:

I love genealogies! This Sunday we will dive in to the greatest genealogy ever written…and there have been some good ones over the years! Okay, maybe you quit your Bible reading program the minute you hit a genealogy, but this one is worth spending some time in. See you Sunday and we continue our walk through Matthew!

Village Teachers: There will be a Village teacher enrichment time following the service on Sunday. Please plan on staying for about 20 minutes. Child care will be provided.

Discover Renaissance January 30th. DR is our first date at Renaissance. If you haven’t had a chance to attend please plan on attending immediately following the service on the 30th. Sign up by registering here: Discover Renaissance

Teammate Class: Our next teammate class begins February 20th and will meet for 3 consecutive Sundays (2/20; 2/27; 3/6) at 9am. This is designed for those who want to commit to the work at Renaissance in waking the soul of suburbia. If you’d like to attend please email Dustin at dustin@renbible.org

Women: The women will kick off their new Bible study on February 3rd from 9:30am-11:30am at the Village Church on Highway 73. Child care will be provided for a small fee during the Thursday morning study. Women will be going through the Nancy Leigh DeMoss book, Lies Women Believe. Please let Heidi Karant know if you’ll be attending and if you need child care. heidi@karants.com

Also, the evening Bible study begins February 3rd. They will be going through an end times study. Child care will not be provided for this study. If you’re able to attend and would like more details please email Debbie Berry at dberry616@aol.com

Ren News:

Parents: Do want to know how to share the gospel with your children? Please plan on attending the “Teaching the Gospel to your Kids” seminar on January 23rd from 9am-9:45am. We will provide child care but need to know you’re coming. Please respond by emailing James at james@renbible.org

Village Teachers: There will be a Village teacher enrichment time following the service on January 30th. Please plan on staying for about 20-25 minutes. Child care will be provided.

Discover Renaissance January 30th. DR is our first date at Renaissance. If you haven’t had a chance to attend please plan on attending immediately following the service on the 30th. Sign up by registering here: Discover Renaissance or email Dustin at dustin@renbible.org

Women: The women will kick off their new Bible study on February 3rd from 9:30-11:30 at the Village Church on Highway 73. Child care will be provided for a small fee during the Thursday study. Women will be going through the Nancy Leigh DeMoss book, Lies Women Believe. Please let Heidi Karant know if you’ll be attending and if you need child care. heidi@karants.com

Ren News:

Dec 19th Christmas Cafe Come this Sunday at 9:45am to experience the Ren Cafe, Christmas carols from people who have pipes, Christmas songs from children who don’t, and hear a good word from the Word. Children ages 2 and 3 will begin their Sunday in the Explorers class. Children 4 years-old-5th grade will begin their Sunday in the Builders class. But remember to save your son or daughter a seat since they will be hanging out with you during the service after their “performance”.  Oh, and there is no dress code but I personally love reindeer sweaters that light up.

Don’t be such a baby! Fill a baby bottle…with change (or cash) for the Crisis Pregnancy Center. Sunday is the last day to drop off your bottle at the coffee table. Don’t be afraid to fill more than one!

Christmas Eve Service You won’t want to miss this opportunity to worship with UCF at Jay M Robison High School on December 24th at 5pm. They will have some treats before the service if you’d like to arrive a little early. Need directions? Google has them. Just type in 300 Pitts School Rd SW. It’s a 1/2 mile north of the Speedway on Hwy 29. Just look for the rather large orange sign that will show you where to enter.

All hands on deck! This Sunday is an early setup. We’re slotted for 6:30am so we can prepare for the Christmas service and also plug in a new sound system. If you can brave the early temperatures and time we’d love to see you. It might be the best Christmas gift you could ever give our setup guys!

Ren Men: Saturday night at 5 we’re heading to Dave and Busters for some grub and games. The cost is $10 for dinner, pool, and a $10 game card. Men, I’m not a math guy but any way you crunch the numbers that’s a great deal. Register here: RenMen

Discover Ren: What better way to start off the new year than Discovering Renaissance! Please email Dustin at dustin@renbible.org if you’d like to attend. This is a great way to learn more about Renaissance and hear what we’re all about. We will meet for about 30 minutes following the service on January 2nd.

Renaissance Bible Church

Ren News:

Christ the Shepherd What do you want to be when you grow up? I’m guessing you never answered that question with, “I want to be a shepherd when I grow up!” But that’s exactly what God calls us to do. We have a great example to follow in Christ-the great shepherd. Come this Sunday as we hear from David Henderson from University City Fellowship share with us about Christ the shepherd and discuss how we can shepherd those around us.

Don’t be such a baby! Fill a baby bottle…with change (or cash) for the Crisis Pregnancy Center. You can pick up your baby bottle on Sunday if you haven’t already and we’ll collect them Dec 5, 12, and 19th. Drop them off at the coffee table. Don’t be afraid to fill more than one!

Advent Devotions--we will continue our Advent devotions next week as we reflect on Christ the Shepherd. We trust God will use them to direct our thoughts and guide our hearts this Christmas season.

The Renaissance Christmas party is scheduled for December 11 at 6pm @ Joe Gibbs Racing. We are planning on eating some great food together, singing a few Christmas classics, and enjoying the company of our friends. Please leave the kids at home. Let us know if you need help finding a sitter. You can register here: Ren Christmas Party Because the dinner order will be finalized tonight today (Wed) is the final day to register. Please do so by 6pm or we will not be able to provide you with food from 131 Main.

Women of Renaissance. Do you have a Christmas dessert (cookie or otherwise) that reminds you of home-or just plain rocks? Come share it with us at the Women of Ren Christmas dessert. We are looking for five women to prepare homemade treats and share them. We’ll provide beverages, a beautifully decorated home, a brief message on the Christmas story, and a way to connect with old and new friends alike. When is all this fun going to happen? Tuesday, December 14th, 7pm at the home of Sally Meredith (15816 Knox Hill Rd. Huntersville, 28078). Also, if you are interested in carpooling from/near Highland Creek or the Concord/Kannapolis area, please email brianandecho@hotmail.com

All hands on deck! Jesus served us so we can serve others. If you’re at Renaissance we need your help. There are spots on the set up team (we need you!), Village team (kids need you!), and the Impact team (guests need you!). If you’re not serving on a team contact Dustin or James.  dustin@renbible.org or james@renbible.org

Ren Men: Plan on lending a helping hand at the Y next Saturday, December 18th, at 5pm. We’ll plan on breaking the record for set up and then hang out at the Y for a dunk contest, high dive competition, and try the first ever Ren Men yoga class. (That’s not completely true…we will not have a high dive competition) Register here: Ren Men

Discover Ren: What better way to start off the new year than Discovering Renaissance! Please email Dustin at dustin@renbible.org if you’d like to attend. This is a great way to learn more about Renaissance and hear what we’re all about. We will meet for about 30 minutes following the service on January 2nd.

“Come Home”

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Matthew 9:14-15

“Brian, get home, we’ve got people coming over for dinner.”

I know what my wife means. She wants me to stop being a minister and start being a maid. It’s time to clean up the house.

When expecting company, we take time to clear out the clutter.

It’s no secret we live littered lives. Our time gets cluttered with too many commitments. We drown out God’s voice with constant chatter. Even our food is stuffed with preservatives. And we get used to the mess.

One man wrote after observing Americans, “We are afraid to be awake, afraid to be alone, afraid to be a moment without the noise and confusion we call entertainment.” You’d think that quote came from the iPad generation, but it was written by John Steinbeck in the 60s.

Fasting isn’t just about abstaining from food or entertainment. It’s an active cleansing. It’s clearing away the carnal clutter built up after days, months, and years of treasuring the temporary over the eternal. When we fast, our physical hunger reminds us of a spiritual longing for the bridegroom to return. We practice the discipline so that when he returns, when our long-awaited company arrives, we have a space ready for him.

Meditate on the song, “Hungry” by Kathryn Scot

Hungry I come to you

For I know you satisfy

I am empty but I know

your love does not run dry

So I wait for you

So I wait for you

I’m falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus you’re all this heart is living for

Broken I run to you

For your arms are open wide

I am weary but I know

Your love does not run dry

So I wait for you

So I wait for you