May 3, 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
• Praise Update & Prayer Potluck
• Graduation Sunday
• Church Office Hours This Week

This Sunday's Sermon and Song List

Bud Fuchs, one of the missionaries we support, will be in worship with us and bringing the message from Luke 24:44-49. Bud and his wife Lois minister in Utah to international students at the university level. They host International Fellowship meetings monthly to make contact with international students in the hopes of forging discipleship relationships. This is crucial in a state where the dominant religion is Mormonism. Not only this, most international students are coming into the US with little or no knowledge of the true saving message of Jesus Christ. Discovery has supported Bud and Lois for years and we are really excited to see them! 

After worship we will share in our regular Potluck and Update Meeting. If you can bring a dish to share that would be great! It will provide an opportunity to fellowship and hear a quick 5-8 minute update on church life and praises. Please join us! 

Bonus:

This quote popped up in my reading this week. This is from "Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity" by Carl Trueman. The basic premise of the book is that the church could benefit from a greater awareness of how the church has historically organized and articulated doctrinal teaching. The quote below struck me because it highlights a timeless temptation in the church - the temptation to be indistinguishable from the world. This has played out even in evangelical worship services as the church has tried to be more appealing to the unchurched. Trueman's premise is the same as the Bible's: being different from the world is kinda the point of what we're doing. The quote is part of a larger section where Trueman challenges us to be "counter-cultural" in our worship. Here's the quote: 

"Singing praise to God is another area of countercultural rebellion in the worship service...Singing praise to God is denying praise to the world and thus denying the world's claim on us."

I hope this idea helps you be excited about tending to the ordinary duty of Sunday worship. When you gather with believers to sing you are being the best kind of rebel. Hopefully you can join us this week as we sing in order to deny the world's claims on us!

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

• Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
• In Christ Alone
• God Is For Us
• Amazing Grace

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 the fall.
• 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 Continues This Wednesday

All adults are invited to attend our four week class focused on marriage. The class continues this Wednesday at 6:00PM. We will learn about and discuss:



• 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!

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. 

Discovery Church Graduates!

Join us on May 12th as we celebrate our graduates, Hannah Dodge and Nathanael Van Gerpen. We will have a celebration for them during our Sunday Coffee Fellowship time (10:00am) before the service. You are also invited to attend their separate graduation parties as well. The information for their parties are located on the pictures above.

Church Office Schedule



This week the church office will be closed Monday and Tuesday, May 6th and 7th, as Pastor Cory will be attending a conference. All messages and emails will be answered on Wednesday, May 8th. If you need pastoral care during that time, please reach out to Dave Hofer or Jeff Herron.

Elder Meeting Minutes

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