Are you ready to be used?

During CRAVE463 Satisfaction on Wednesday we learned about the hard time that the Israelites had knowing what God expected of them during a violent time. God gave them Judges to help them know what is right and wrong. In the world that we live in today, a lot of people live by what is "right in their own eyes". Remember to see with the eyes that Jesus gives you and be what he wants you to be. If you need an accountability partner get one and everyone can be a partner for someone looking for that ear to hear or that voice of encouragement. Be it!!!

Fools For Christ

Practice will begin on Sunday, August 31st at 5:30pm at the home of Bethany Glendenning. Pizza will be ordered. Please study chapters 1-3 to review at practice and we will also review the rules of quizzing.

First meet September 13th at Eastside Church of the Nazarene.

Quizzing

We are going to start practicing very soon for this years competition. We need to know if you are interested in participating. The books this year are Hebrews and 1 & 2 Peter. We have been talking about Hebrews in our lessons so this should be easy!

Let Renee know as soon as possible if you plan to participate!

Back to School Bash

Be part of an exciting time together at Eastside with teens from all of the churches here in the Des Moines Area.

Food
Fellowship
Worship
Fun

Friday, August 29, 2003 7:00pm - 7:00am

Let Renee know as soon as possible if you want to go.

Preview Sunday

Next Sunday, August 24th is Preview Sunday. If you want to get a look of what celebration is going to look like for Greater Life in the future you will want to be there. You won't even recognize the place!

Promises - Promises

Does the plan that God seems to have for you seem like "Mission Impossible"? Come on Wednesday night at 7:00 at Renee's to see how fun it can be to complete the Mission that God has given you.

Should you accomplish your mission on Wednesday night there will be desert. Plan to dress for some outdoor activities!

Don't forget to continue that sacrifice that we talked about and bring your symbol with you on Wednesday!

Greater Life Grand Opening

September 14th, 2003

Plan to bring all your friends. Prizes to those that bring the most. A gift for all who will enter their contact information into our database for the web-site. Lots of activities planned for that day. You won't even recognize the place. This will be one of the most exciting times for you to invite someone to experince the excitment that a life with God and with Greater Life can offer!

Michael W. Smith & Mercy Me

These two great groups will be at Hilton Colliseum in Ames on October 24th.

Prayer Request from Italy

Hi everyone!

We just returned to Palermo 2 days ago from our 3 month home assignment in the US. It is wonderful to be back home. We have 3 very urgent prayer requests to share with you. These are important enough that we didn't want to wait for our newsletter at the end of this month. There is divine momentum building up toward some exciting happenings here in Palermo and across Italy!

Don't miss your chance to read below and lift up these requests to the Father!

Thank you for joining us in prayer,
Joel and Sara
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1. Marco
Marco is a 20 year old law student at the university in Palermo. Without using his name, we have mentioned him in more than one recent newsletter (Nietzsche, let's read the Bible, etc). We also shared his story in the churches we spoke in this summer. We requested specific prayer for him in those newsletters and in each church, and thousands have been praying for him! Those prayers have powerfully impacted Marco (even while we've been gone from Palermo)! Here's the story.

Joel went to meet Marco this morning. He was so glad to see him again. He was also very humble, hungry, and receptive. They got a coffee together and then had an incredible discussion standing outside the coffee bar on a busy Palermo street.

Marco has been reading his Bible this summer, and he has become very scared about death. He asked Joel about death and what the Bible says about it. Joel had the opportunity to explain sin and death as well as the free gift of God in the cross of Christ that offers freedom from fear, sin, and death. They also discussed what it means to long for God so much that you will do anything to find him. Marco understood everything very clearly. He expressed his longing for that freedom and for a different kind of life. He was incredibly close to choosing to follow Christ right there on the sidewalk! He said he wants some time to think through some things, and then he wants to talk with us again.

Please pray for Marco very specifically in the next 2 weeks. Lift him up to the Father! Our next discussion with him could be this weekend. If not, since we leave for a week for the youth congress in Spain, our next opportunity to speak with him will be soon after 25 August.

Marco could be the key to a movement of God among our friends and neighbors. Pray that the Holy Spirit would truly impress upon him a growing and undeniable desire for freedom in Christ! Prayer has softened the soil of his heart throughout this summer and watered the many seeds planted there. Now, little plants are starting to grow!

Marco may just receive that free gift of God by the next time you hear from us. Keep praying - you are making a difference!!!

"You will seek me and you will find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord."
(Jeremiah 29:12-13)

2. Western Mediterranean Youth Congress
The West. Med. Field Youth Congress is set to begin next week (20-25 August) in Guadalajara, Spain, and we have about 200 registered from Nazarene churches in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. We believe that this congress will be "direction-altering" for this generation of youth on our field. God is going to transform lives and call many of these youth to various ministries! This will be an opportunity to identify and begin to mentor many of our future pastors and leaders. These youth will look back on this week for the rest of their lives and remember that God did a mighty work among them during the congress. This "critical mass" (i.e. having a large group instead of a small group) is significant for a community of Nazarene Youth to start to form across our field. Simply being together in a community of young Christians for the week will be such an encouragement to the young people!

Just from Italy alone, there are 40 youth (all 6 Nazarene churches are represented) going to the congress. That is a miracle, an answer to prayer, and a prayer request! Pray that during this congress a new sense of unity and community will grow among these Italian youth. Pray also for them to catch a vision for what God is calling them to be and to do. These youth are the future of the church in Italy, and this week is going to help give shape to that future. God has great things in store for them!

3. Chris and Anndee Stringer
Pray for us and our volunteer couple as we gather the documents requested by the Italian Consulate in order to obtain a visa. It is proving to be a difficult process, but your prayers can make a difference! Pray that God would clear the way for the process to go smoothly and for them to receive their visas. Their target arrival date is September 23. We can't wait for them to join us here in Palermo!

8/13/03

Held at the home of Renee Hainline. Be there!

8/13/03-God's Top Ten List

Yep , He has one and we are going to talk about it on Wednesday night at 7:00pm.

You have issues with the rules that it feels people are imposing on you? Why do they do that? Come and find out as we also find out why God gave the Isrealites some rules after He freed them from Egypt.

It's all about relationships!

See ya there!!!

Remember if you need a ride, let Stephanie or myself know.

Reliant K/Anberlin Concert

Saturday, October 18th
7:30pm

Join us as we go as a group to go see Reliant K and Anberlin in concert here at the 7 Flags Event Center in Clive. Stephanie Krahenbuhl is taking ticket orders for anyone who would like to go.

Tickets are $17 each
(this includes the service charge to purchase the tickets)
Deadline: August 15th
Call: Stephanie Krahenbuhl 778-1084

Anyone wanting to go, let Stephanie know and have money to her by the 15tn.