CGS Weekly: January 31, 2021 |
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Our in-person worship service will be at 10:30am in the sanctuary this Sunday, January 31. If you have not already signed up to attend the in-person worship service, you may do so here. Don't forget to bring your mask.
For those of you who will be worshipping virtually, the livestream will be available here at 10:30am. If you're unable to tune in live, you may access a recording of the service at the same link after the conclusion of the live service.
In an effort to limit handouts as much as possible, we will not be distributing a printed bulletin at the in-person service on Sunday. You may access the digital bulletin for this week's service here.
We will be providing special materials in packets for your kids during the service. Please bring along your favorite coloring utensils (crayons, washable markers, pencils) to use. If you're attending virtually, Kids' Notes for this week's service are available here.
As a reminder, you may give to CGS online here. (If you have questions, you may reference this online giving tutorial here.) You may also mail a check to the church (3741 Garrett Rd, Durham, NC 27707) if you prefer.
This week's Sermon Discussion Guide will be sent to community group leaders on Sunday, and posted here on Monday.
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Alms Offering for Pregnancy Support Services |
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Pregnancy Support Services (PSS), a CGS Partner, is a Christian non-profit offering help and hope to women considering their choices in unplanned pregnancies and to youth navigating their choices in developing healthy relationships. Staff and volunteer client advocates offer free and confidential services including pregnancy testing, limited first trimester ultrasounds, education on carrying to term to parent and the adoption process, one-on-one mentoring, post-abortion support, and healthy relationship education in the center and local communities. For more information on how you can offer prayer, volunteer your time, or support financially, contact PSS at info@pregnancysupportservices.org or via phone (919-490-0203). And you can support them financially through our CGS alms offering this Sunday. To give online, please click here. Be sure and select “Pregnancy Support Alms” from the drop-down menu. You may also write a check made out to "Pregnancy Support Services" and drop it into the offering basket on the way out of the service this Sunday, or mail it to the church office.
Pictured below: Gift bags that some CGS women put together for PSS clients over the past couple months. For more details, check out our recent Instagram posts.
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Hey YAC, we miss you! It was wonderful to gather in-person a few times in the fall. During the current state of COVID, your Fellowship Team will be hosting virtual events only until further notice. With that being said…we would love it if you joined us for a winter round of YAC Jackbox night! Save the date to play 7:30-9:00pm on Friday, February 12, and signup here to enter the tournament. Please feel free to contact Jill Scharnhorst or Andrew Ford if you have any questions.
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Are you interested in learning more about CGS in a relaxed and informal format? Then make plans to attend our next Discover CGS class for potential members. Attending Discover CGS isn’t a commitment to become a member, but it is the first step in the membership process. The next Discover CGS class is coming up on Saturday, February 6 from 10:00am-12:00pm in Room S202. This class is limited to 10 people, and masks and social distancing are required. No childcare is available. Please email Abigail Grebe if you're interested to RSVP for this class.
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Save the Date: 2021 Global Outreach Conference |
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CGS is partnering with Mission to the World (MTW) for our annual Global Outreach Conference February 19-21, Friday through Sunday evening. Our world is in upheaval but the work of making disciples of Christ is ever before us. Now more than ever, we witness His hand at work and celebrate the assurance that His story continues. Join us virtually to hear stories from around the world, experience workshops that will challenge your views on missions, and catch a glimpse into the future as we anticipate how God will grow His kingdom through the work of the PCA and our partners. Special activities for kids and youth. Register here for conference info from MTW AND click here to register for a home “watch party” goodie bag and gift from CGS. We will send additional details on the specific conference schedule as the date gets closer.
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Calling All Medical Professionals |
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Are you a healthcare professional or graduate student? If so, we would love to connect with you! We have a special CGS Medical Community email list where we periodically send out details for events of interest (including webinars and healthcare worker appreciation lunches) or general encouragement. If you aren’t already receiving our CGS Medical Community emails, please contact Liz and she will make sure you are on our list. Thanks so much for being on the front lines for us!
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High School Youth Group meets on January 31 from 6:30-8:00pm. Don’t forget to bring your mask! There is NO Middle School Youth Group on February 3.
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Meal Train for Bruce Wells |
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If you would like to bring Bruce Wells a meal, please sign up here. We continue to pray for Bruce as he grieves the recent loss of his wife, Jan.
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Women's Monday Night Zoom Bible Study |
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All CGS women are invited to join a Zoom Bible Study on the book of Jeremiah each Monday night from 8:00-9:00pm. Please click here to access the Zoom meeting. The passcode is 053333.
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Children's Sunday School on Zoom |
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Preschool and Children's Sunday School meets on Zoom this Sunday. Miss RiLee will lead a lesson for Preschoolers at 9:00am. Then at 9:20am, Miss Amelia will lead a lesson for our Elementary-schoolers. Note that we are combining Upper & Lower Elementary into one class. If you previously attended the 9:40am lesson, plan to hop on at 9:20am instead. Both classes can be accessed via this Zoom link.
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Friday Morning Men's Virtual Bible Study |
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Our Friday morning Men's Bible Study is meeting virtually via Zoom each Friday from 7:00-8:00am. If anyone who is not currently involved with the Men's Bible Study wants more information, they can email Joseph Scanlon or Norman Acker.
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Global Outreach Spotlight |
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Meet: West Africa Reformed Mission (WARM)
West Africa is made up of 18 countries and is home to about 350 million people and a diversity of languages, cultures, and traditions. Since about the 9th Century, Islam has dominated the religious landscape, but strong ties to African Traditional Religion also remain throughout the region. Christianity is the new kid on the block. Over the past few decades the gospel has been welcomed by more people in West Africa than in it has in the past few centuries combined. God is on the move in West Africa! West Africa Reformed Mission (WARM) is committed to reaching the many remaining ‘unreached’ tribal groups of West Africa by training and deploying national missionaries with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pray: WARM is hoping to launch a regional agricultural development program in eight countries in West Africa in 2021. Over the next couple of months the focus is on completing candidate selection for trainers from the west for this. We have a trainer identified from each of the eight West African countries. Pray for wisdom as we choose trainers. The next big prayer request for this is that travel and the training can take place at the end of February into early March or in September of this year. COVID has taken a sharp upturn in Zimbabwe, where the training is to be held, recently and that may limit travel there for a period.
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Christ the King Virtual Learning Center |
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Christ the King Church in Durham is opening a Virtual Learning Center (VLC) on their campus to help support local families in Jesus' name. This is a needs-based, no-cost program for students in grades K-5. The VLC will provide a safe environment for students to receive hands-on assistance with virtual learning, two meals and a snack each day, physical activity, and experiences that promote social and emotional health.
This program is focused on families who meet any of the following criteria:
- Single parent home
- Qualify for free or reduced lunch
- Are experiencing houselessness or transitional housing
- Both parents work outside the home and are not able to have childcare at home during the day
- Have parents who have become unemployed due to COVID
- Are part of the foster care system
The Virtual Learning Center has a limited number of spaces available and is set to begin on February 1. Please click here to apply. The VLC also needs volunteers and has multiple service opportunities. If you're interested in volunteering, please click here.
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CGS SCHEDULE CHANGES
As a reminder, you may view ongoing CGS schedule changes here. In case you missed any previous church-wide emails with COVID-19 updates, you may view them all here.
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RACIAL TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION RESOURCES
We have a page on our website with recommended resources to explore more on the background and context for the racial unrest we have been facing as a country. You may view this page here and bookmark it for ongoing reference. We will continue to add additional resources to this page.
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FOLLOW CGS ON INSTAGRAM
Don't forget to follow CGS on Instagram via @CGSDurham. We would love for you to share your Sunday worship photos with us so we can re-share with our church family. You may either DM your photos or post on your Instagram story and tag us!
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SERVE YOUR CGS NEIGHBORS
Head to our website to learn more about how you can serve your CGS neighbors through physical needs like grocery shopping for the medically vulnerable, or through lifting up your church family in prayer.
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CGS WORSHIP PLAYLIST
Thanks to Matt McClure, we now have a CGS worship playlist featuring over eight hours of music. You can access the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
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COMMUNITY GROUPS
If you would like to join a Community Group, email us and we will help you get plugged in!
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