Norm’s Notes                                                                               December 2, 2016

Allow me to reminisce a little. When I came to Angola and Fairview Missionary Church many years ago, one of the first outreach events this farm boy did was to go to the 4-H fair and set up a “Test Your Bible Knowledge” game booth in the commercial tent. The booth had an electric buzzer and button set up where you could answer certain Bible questions true or false. While cleaning out the top level of the garage, I found the board that was on top of that display. It was yellow with green letters, 10 feet long – “Test Your Bible Knowledge”. It brought back a lot of memories of the early outreach events at FMC.
 
Also in the top of the garage, I found some of the original banners for Kids Krusade in the old church. I am cleaning out the top level of the garage about two hours a week because that is how long it takes to fill the dumpster each week. Lots of memories in the top level of the garage.
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Introducing “Life Lessons Over Lunch”
Life Lessons Over Lunch is an employee driven workplace initiative. Groups meet over lunch on a regular basis to view messages by Andy Stanley of Northpoint Ministries. You are invited to join me for a one time intro meeting, Sunday, January 8, at 10:30 in room S101 (library) for a brief informational meeting about hosting LLOL at your workplace. Check lifelessonsoverlunch.com for more information.
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One of the unique ministries that Fairview is supporting for 2017 is Crossroads Farms based out of Reading, Michigan. It is a ministry to rural teens. Their weekly meeting for 6-8th graders is called “Trough” as in feeding trough. For 9-12th grades it is called “Barnyard.” These are terms that rural teens would understand. FMC attender Nancy McNeil is a key staff person there.
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Your generous support of Project Help made it possible for them to provide Thanksgiving meals for 371 Steuben County families. 25 of these families were new to the ministry of Project Help.
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Here are some of the comments on Fairview’s Facebook page about Bethlehem Marketplace by people I do not know:
“If you have never been to this, you need to go! If you have attended, you already know you need to go. Beautiful, simply beautiful!”
“I have heard about this place. Are you going?”
“This will be our third or fourth year going. We love it.”
“Go on Saturday, if you can. It is awesome!”
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Liver Translant
Walt Bemesderfer and his wife Betty have been attending FMC since 1994. Walt is the one who most often takes the professional pictures of our bridge events – Easter, BMP, etc. Walt is in desperate need of a liver transplant. It has been a very long and difficult journey that started in 2009. He has finally been approved for the transplant but will not be officially placed on the waiting list until he has raised at least $5,000 to cover the medicine that insurance does not cover. That last sentence is correct – you are not officially added to the waiting list until you can prove you have the resources to cover your medicine after the surgery. Frankly, most people who start the liver transplant approval process never get to this point. Your tax deductible gift for Walt can be made here. Fairview attenders, I encourage you to help one from our own family to reach this goal quickly.
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It’s great to be your Caring Pastor. See you Sunday.
 
Norm
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