April 19, 2024

In This Week's Update

• Sunday's Sermon and Song List
• Sunday School
• Small Group Opportunities
• New Church App
• Hy-Vee Gift Cards
• Living Free Jail Ministry
• Adult Discipleship Night- 4 Weeks on Marriage
• Screwtape Lives Conference
• Praise Update & Prayer Potluck

This Sunday's Sermon and Song List

Have you ever been troubled when you see a beloved, respected minister fall away from ministry and maybe even the gospel? I know I have. I've been in the church my whole life and a pastor for 15 years. This has been ample time to observe the fall of many who once called themselves disciples only to have shipwrecked their faith. In a sense, the whole Gospel of John has been preparing us to think about this phenomenon. While it does not eliminate the grief we feel when we see this happen, it does show us some reasons why it happens. John records both crowds and individuals who "believe" in Jesus (2:23-25; 3:2-3; 6:26; 12:42-43) and yet who did not truly love Him. So, as we arrive at the story of Judas' betrayal we find that John has been preparing us to understand it all along. But John's purpose for us is more than understanding: He wants us to believe in Jesus, not in spite of these things happening, but because these things happen (13:19). He wants us to be humble as we relate to Him. He wants us to be on guard. He wants us to guard the preaching of His gospel so that insincerity among us is revealed faster. I pray this text equips us this Sunday in all these ways. 

To get yourself ready to sing on Sunday you can start listening to the songs we'll be singing together:

• Christ Is All
• You've Already Won
• Always
• Come Behold The Wonderous Mystery
• Not To Us

We created a playlist on Youtube in case you want to start listening today. You can find that by clicking HERE.

Adult Sunday School

Sunday we'll continue our Sunday School Class designed to walk us through the book of Exodus. If you don't like mirrors held up to the contents of your heart then Exodus can be an uncomfortable book. Ancient Israel continually forgot the goodness of God and longed to return to their chains in Egypt. And we can often be just like them. But, if you enjoy seeing the enduring faithfulness of God and His amazing grace on display then Exodus is a "can't miss" kind of story. As always, we'll make an extra effort to consider how Exodus points forward to Jesus Himself so that we don't forget the ultimate picture of God's faithfulness in the gospel! Join us Sunday morning at 9!

Did You Know About These Different Small Group Opportunities?

Here are all the study/fellowship opportunities currently available through our church:



• Monday Evening Men's Group - 7:00PM at Dave Hofer's Home
• Wednesday Night Discovery Zone and Small Groups 5:45PM
• Women's Friday Afternoon Study at 1:00PM -Resumes in May
• COMING SOON- Women's Zoom Bible Study- Thursday nights starting in May
• Saturday Morning Men's Group- Please contact the office for dates, times, and locations.

Questions? Contact the church office at (605) 689-2211.

Get Connected With Our New App

The new and free Church Center App allows our members and attenders to access a few handy features that will keep us all "in the loop".

Downloading the app on your smartphone allows you to access the church calendar of events and our directory. You can sign up for events or groups through the app as well.

While we encourage folks to save their giving for the worship service, as an act of worship, the app also has an electronic giving option in the event that you can't be in worship.

Church Center is provided by a service that is officially replacing Church Community Builder (CCB) so, it's important that you check your e-mail for an invitation to join Church Center so that you can view the directory and other features in the app. Your invitations were sent out in July. Be sure to check you spam or junk folder as the email came from Planning Center not the office. As always, reach out to the office if you have any questions. Thank you!

Did You Know You Can Give To The Church By Purchasing Hy-vee Gift Cards?

Discovery Church receives 5% back on all gift cards purchased from the church. You can purchase your $50 or $100 gift cards on Sundays from Jeff and Dawn Herron (Fellowship Hall) or weekdays from the office. There is no limit on how many you can purchase. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the church office. 

Living Free Jail Ministry

Every Thursday 2 volunteers from Discovery lead a group of incarcerated women through Stepping Into Freedom.

Each attendee receives a work book and a Bible.

Please be in prayer for our volunteers and the women they meet each week. May their hearts be open to receive the gospel.

If you would like to donate towards the cost of the workbooks or Bibles, you may put donations in with the offering, but please mark it as jail ministry. There are envelopes in the brown offering box located on the east wall by the sound booth if you are giving cash.

If you have any questions please contact Peg, Brenda, or the office.

Adult Discipleship Night:

4 Weeks on Marriage Starts April 24th

All adults are invited to attend our four week class focused on marriage, starting Wednesday, April 24th at 6:00PM. We will learn about and discuss:

• Week 1: Forgiveness and grace in marriage
• Week 2: Communication in marriage
• Week 3: Conflict in marriage
• Week 4: Children and marriage

Childcare will be provided and everyone with an interest in building up their spouses and the marriages around you are encouraged to attend. This could also be a good way of getting to know other folks in the church if there are more people you'd like to meet and get connected with. There is no need to sign up and all are welcome!

Screwtape Lives: Family Conference Schedule

Spiritual warfare is a subtle but very present reality (Ephesians 6:12). We hope you'll join us on Saturday the 27th to be equipped for the battles. Here are some choice quotes from The Screwtape Letters to pique your interest followed by the schedule of events. 

• “It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
• “Whatever their bodies do affects their souls. It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out...”
• “There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy. He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.”
• "The most alarming thing in your last account of the patient is that he is making none of those confident resolutions which marked his original conversion. No more lavish promises of perpetual virtue, I gather; not even the expectation of an endowment of 'grace' for life, but only a hope for the daily and hourly pittance to mee the daily and hourly temptation!"

Schedule

9:00AM MVCA Snack Bar & Fellowship, Browse for Books, Visit the Classical Conversations Information Table for free books and a prize drawing.

9:30AM Welcome and Worship

10:00AM Talk 1: Citizens of Heaven in a Screwtape World: How Spiritual Warfare Connects With The Physical World (Pastor Jon Hawkins)

10:45AM MVCA Snack Bar Fellowship

11:15AM Talk 2: Where Screwtape Visits Home and Church (Pastor Cory Kitch)

12:00-2:00PM Lunch & Bouncy Houses/Games

2:00PM Talk 3: Technology & Spiritual Warfare (Luke Perkins)

2:00PM Children's Story Time & Activity (Water Colors and Lego Builds)

3:00PM Conference formally dismissed

3:15PM Optional Q&A

Praise Prayer & Update Potluck

On May 5th we will host a congregational meeting after church to share testimonies of praise, give a few church updates, and have a time of prayer. This is a time that people should feel free to share ways in which they really need prayer right now as well as encourage the body by sharing how the Lord is showing up in their lives. Simply bring a dish to share and we'll share testimonies and pray as we enjoy fellowship time together. 

Elder Meeting Minutes

To read the minutes from our most recent elder meeting, please click HERE.