The Story
From now until July 31st we as a church family will read the greatest story ever told TOGETHER, God’s Story, Our Story. Join the church wide campaign. This week we are reading and studying Chapter 8 A Few Good Men and Women. Join us for Sunday School, Sundays at 9:30am; and Bible Study on Wednesdays at Noon and 7pm.

Bible Basis: Judges 2:7–8, 4 and 16

Bible Verse: [Samson] said, “Lord and King, show me that you still have concern for me. God, please
make me strong just one more time.” —Judges 16:28

Bible Point: Spiritual compromise can be overcome by turning back to God.

Family Time:
••Why did God have to raise up judges such as Deborah and Samson?

••How does this show God’s love?

••How does God show his love to us today

••God gave Samson great strength. What are some gifts God has given you?

••How can you use these gifts to help others follow God?

Next week we are reading Chapter 9 the Faith of a Foreign Woman, which references Ruth Chapters 1 - 4

Choir Rehearsal
is every Thursday at 7:00 pm

****Choir will rehearse Saturdays, March 10th and March 17th at 1pm***

Bible Study on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm.
Come and learn what it is to be a Disciple of Christ.

Hope Floats Food Bank and Clothes Closet
Greater Smith Chapel Honors Our Passion to Encourage/Empower Folks with Love Outreach Advocacy Through Service by having a Food Bank and Clothes Closet. Please check our calendar for days to drop off donations. Or email our coordinator at hope@greatersmithchapel.org

Community Ministry Opportunities

* The GSC Angelic Dance Ministry is off to a wonderful start with 11 young people. It’s not too late to join. They rehearse PROMPTLY from 10:30 until 11:30 on the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays and minister in dance on the 3rd Sunday. $30 Dance fee offsets the cost of liturgical dancewear as well as music.

* The YPD will participate in the ANGAC Fun & Praise Weekend, November 11th and 12th and the $25 registration includes a play, skating, breakfast and lunch on Saturday.

Growing in the Word of God
*Sunday School is an excellent opportunity to grow in the word of God Sunday mornings at 9:30am.

The Young People Division Activities:

* The GSC Angelic Dance Ministry rehearses PROMPTLY from 10:30 until 11:30 on the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays and minister in dance on the 3rd Sunday. $30 Dance fee offsets the cost of liturgical dancewear as well as music.

* Sunday School is an excellent opportunity to grow in the word of God Sunday mornings at 9:30am.

* The weekly Bible study is on our website www.GreaterSmithChapel.org or on our Facebook page each Wednesday

Youth Ministry
All parents are asked to sign up to help with our Youth Ministry.

Download Sign-up Form

Ash Wednesday
The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. This miracle is unique among others that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself. Thomas Aquinas considered the Transfiguration "the greatest miracle" in that it complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life in Heaven.
In Christian teachings, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth

Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and it marks the beginning of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3–6. Job says to God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye sees thee. The other eye wandered of its own accord. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (vv. 5–6, KJV) The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance this way: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26). The prophet Daniel pleaded for God this way: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3). Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: "That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes" (1 Maccabees 3:47; see also 4:39).

Ezekiel 9 also speaks of a linen-clad messenger marking the forehead of the city inhabitants that have sorrow over the sins of the people. All those without the mark are destroyed.

It marks the start of a 43-day period, which is an allusion to the separation of Jesus in the desert to fast and pray. During this time he was tempted. Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1–13. While not specifically instituted in the Bible text, the 40-day period of repentance is also analogous to the 40 days during which Moses repented and fasted in response to the making of the Golden calf.

Join us for Ash Wednesday Service, February 22, 2012 at 7pm and then weekly at 7pm for Lenten Services.

Lenten Daniel Fast
Lenten Daniel Fast Ash Wednesday, February 22 through Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012
Participating in this Lenten Season Daniel Fast will require eliminating commonly enjoyed foods from Wednesday until Easter as an act of worship and of consecrating (dedicating) oneself to God. Foods that are allowed are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and oils. Restricted foods include dairy, meat, sugar, all forms of sweeteners, yeast, refined and processed foods, deep-fried foods, and solid fats. Water to drink.

You don’t have to be a spiritual giant to do a Daniel Fast. It’s for anyone who is hungry for a deeper connection with the Lord and who is also willing to make a commitment to the spiritual discipline of fasting as a means of pursuing that connection. Because it is a partial fast, as opposed to an absolute or liquid fast, you will be able to eat a wide variety of foods. For this reason, the Daniel Fast is a good entry-level fast. However, if you have a medical condition or any health concerns, you should consult with your physician before beginning any type of fast, including the Daniel Fast.

The guidelines of the modern-day Daniel Fast are based on the fasting experiences of the prophet Daniel. We follow his example not so much because his diet is worth emulating as because his heart is worth emulating. In the book of Daniel, chapters 1 and 10, we discover how Daniel’s passion for God caused him to long for spiritual food more than physical food, which is the ultimate desire of anyone choosing to participate in a fast. As we participate in this Lenten Fast, it’s important to remember that we’re not trying to duplicate Daniel’s menu, but we do want to imitate the spirit in which he fasted.

Dance and Mime Rehearsal
Dance and Mime Rehearsal Saturdays, March 3rd 11 -1pm; March 10th and March 17th