Ben’s Blog

A few of the cool things at MCC this week.

- We had all the lights in the parking lot changed out last week - we are now shinning a bright white.  Thanks Tony!

- We crossed the 70 mark for decisions this year!  (for those wondering if MCC is growing the decision count is one thing to keep an eye on - a typical church will loose 10% of it’s congregation each year - kids moving away, job changes, those moving on to heaven and those that move on for other reasons -so as a church of 550 at the beginning of 2008 to have more than 55 decisions is key)

- More than 1500 shoeboxes have been dropped off at MCC so far for Operation Christmas Child!! Some serious packing to do Saturday and Sunday.  If you have yet to bring your shoeboxes in you can do so this Sunday.

MCC is acting as a relay center for Operation Christmas Child this year.  Collection week is Nov. 17-23.

Be sure to get your shoebox instructions either at church this Sunday or by visiting samaritanspurse.org

Here’s their prayer guide:

Sunday

Pray for the hurting children and their families whose lives will be impacted this year through Operation Christmas Child.  Pray especially that many hearts will be opened to God’s love and the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Monday

Most children who receive shoe box gifts live in desperate circumstances, suffering from poverty, sickness, war, or natural disaster.  Pray that God will meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Tuesday

Pray for our ministry partners in countries around the world, especially that the shoe box gifts will be effective tools for evangelism.  Pray also for their follow-up and discipleship programs.

Wednesday

Gift-filled shoe boxes are distributed in some countries that are not receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray that doors will be opened, so the Good News can be shared.

Thursday

Pray for the individuals, families, churches, and groups who will be filling shoe boxes this year, especially for the children.  Pray that they will see that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

Friday

Pray for everyone involved in collecting, processing, transporting, and delivering shoe box gifts, including the tens of thousands of volunteers.  Pray especially for the timely delivery of the gifts.

Saturday

Pray for the Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia, as they deal with the logistical challenges of Operation Christmas Child.

1) Fences- you may notice the fence along the cemetery is in bad shape. We met with cemetary officials this week and the plan is to remove the fence and replace it with a white vinyl fence that will be much more attractive. The current fence will be removed soon and work begin on replacing it. We are also in process of replacing the fencing that hides the AC units (not storm related).

2) Roof - the entire roof on the original portion of the building needs replaced. This is scheduled to be done in 1-2 weeks, presuming weather allows for that schedule. There will also be repairs to the roof of the Sanctuary.

3) Windows - we are finalizing quotes to replace the windows facing west on the original building. We lost 4 sections of glass in the storm (that have since been covered awaiting replacements) and determined to apply the insurance money towards what we would be installing in future construction rather than replace windows that would be torn out in the near future. In addition the replacement windows will be much more energy efficient than the current windows. Below is a rough sketch from the architect.  The preliminary plan, pending quotes, will be to put new windows in where the Fifth Grade class meets and then the upper part of this section would be covered with E.I.F.S. on the exterior with insulation on the interior.  Again, much more efficient.

In addition there were 3 other panes of glass broken in other parts of the original building that we will simply replace, ideally scheduled for this week.

The Job Hunting Workshops are coming up Monday October 20th and 27th at 7pm in the student room.   For a bit of fun I ran across this from Reader’s Digest, October 2008

Help Wanting

Here’s a job to avoid: hiring manager. See what you’d have to contend with?

- The candidate answered his cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a “private” conversation.

- The candidate told the interviewer he wouldn’t stay with the job long because he might get an inheritance if his uncle died - and the old man wasn’t “looking too good.”

- The candidate said she couldn’t provide a writing sample because all her writing had been for the CIA and it was “classified.”

- When the applicant was offered food, he declined, saying he didn’t want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.

- The candidate flushed the toilet while talking to the interviewer during a phone interview.

Visit the Mission Trip page on MCC’s website for information on all 2009 mission trips and as the leader for the Canada trip of course I’ll plug that one!  Just zip me an email, ben@exploremcc.org, if you have an interest or questions on the 2009 mission trips.