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The Community Bible Experience
By Pastor Jonathan Lovelady
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Family News & Prayer Requests ............. 2
Our Lent study will be a different format than the studies of the last
couple of years. The goal of this study is to read through the New Testament in a matter of 40 days (5 days a week or 8 weeks), and you can
shorten the time by reading 6 days per week rather than 5. During this Lenten
season, we are to set aside about 30 minutes per day to read through the New
Testament. You will also have an opportunity to watch a short video about each
day’s reading (about 30 seconds), as well as an introduction video to each book
of the New Testament. I know this seems like a difficult goal, but the group at
the Community Bible Experience have reconfigured the New Testament to read
more like a book rather than a “reference” book. Their website states:
“Community Bible Experience (http://www.biblica.com/en-us/cbe/) has one
simple goal: to change the way we read the Bible. Less like a reference
book, more like a story. For thousands of churches, this 8-week journey has
opened up a new conversation about the Scriptures, reigniting a passion for
God’s Word…In fact, more than 80% of surveyed participants finish the
entire New Testament on or ahead of schedule. That’s
because this feels more like reading a book than doing a Bible study—and because you’re done in just 8
weeks.”
(Continued on page 2)
Lent Kick-Off Pancake Supper
Tuesday,
February 17th
6:30PM
Peterson Fellowship Hall
Please RSVP by February 12th
The Cost of Loving Others ........................ 3
Congregational Meeting ............................ 3
New Member Classes Offered .......................... 3
Photos From Pastor Jon’s Trip .......................... 5
A Greeting From Our
New Director of Youth
& Families
My wife, Christina, and I can’t even begin
to describe what a joy it is to finally be joining the St. Johns Family. In fact, it’s hard to
believe that just a few weeks ago we were
dealing with snow and -15 degree weather
serving at a church in a small, quaint Indiana
town; yet God’s providence and timing
throughout the process that brought us together has been amazingly evident, so we are
so excited to start sharing and growing in
ministry and fellowship with all of you.
I grew up about 30 minutes south of Indianapolis in the town of Martinsville, IN before attending Huntington University where I
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. I spent the last three years on staff at the
Middletown Church of the Nazarene as the
Associate Pastor of Youth and Families.
Although Christina will claim Pittsburgh as
(Continued on page 2)
St. Johns Presbyterian Church
The Community Bible Experience
(Continued from page 1)
BAPTISMS
 Cora Michelle Johnson on
December 7th
DEATHS
 Erd Wilson on January 28th
SYMPATHY TO
 Linda Wilson at the loss of her
husband on January 28th
If you have a prayer request or praise report you
would like to share with our church family, please
contact the church office at (904) 384-4501.
Doris Cass
Kathryn Fortson
Merilyn Graham
Nancy Haynes
Elizabeth McKean
Jack Reinhard
Joe Schmidt
Marian Strange
Airen Walker
Danielle Walker-Kelshall
Bold indicates member
In the course of the 6 to 8 week study, small groups will meet to discuss 5 simple questions.
1.What's something you noticed for the first time?
2.What questions did you have?
3.Was there anything that bothered you?
4.What did you learn about loving God?
5.What did you learn about loving others?
Anytime we can bring the Word of God into our lives and encounter it for ourselves, then we will grow spiritually. The greatest validation of the power of the
scripture is the Word itself, or to say it another way, scripture is “self-validating.” It
does not need external validation because it
transmits the power of God to our lives and to
this world.
Each participant gets a print copy of “The
Books of the Bible: New Testament,” a
presentation of Scripture designed to help you
read whole books. In addition, participants can
download an eBook for mobile devices and an
mp3 audio version with one track for each day of the campaign. You can also sign
up to have each day's reading (text and audio) delivered by email.
GIVING REPORT
You can view a short video with each day’s reading and there will be a 2 to 3
minute introduction for each book of the Bible. Individuals can sign up to get the
videos by email when they download their campaign materials.
December Donations
$130,968
Year-To-Date:
$743,498
This study offers us the resources and opportunity to engage the Word of God in
our lives. I hope you will take the opportunity to join a small group or even lead
one. Be watching for more information as we get closer to Lent and moving toward
the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
Welcome, Travis & Christina Barnett!
(Continued from page 1)
March Family Focus Information Due:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH
Please Email to [email protected]
If you need a ride to an
appointment, please
contact the church office
at 384-4501.
St. Johns Presbyterian
Church Office Hours:
MONDAY—THURSDAY
9AM-4PM
Page 2
her hometown, she also spent several years living in New Jersey and Indiana where
her father serves as PCUSA Pastor. She is also a graduate of Huntington University
holding a degree in Educational Ministries. For the last several years, she has been
pouring into the teens at the Middletown Church of the Nazarene through Worship
leading, assisting and tutoring at the Cove after school ministry, small group leading and relationship building; additionally, she was on staff at the Shenandoah Middle School as an instructional aide. We have been married since October of 2013
and are expecting our first child this July.
Already, we have been blown away by your hospitality and are looking forward
to connecting with all of you, so please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself or stop
by the office to chat. We will be kicking off Sunday Night Youth Group and Sunday School beginning in February, so whether you are a student who has long been
involved with the SPJC Youth or if you haven’t yet gotten connected, we hope you
will join us as God works in, among and through us as we Connect to Christ,
Church and Community.
Family Focus
The Cost Of Loving Others
things happening around SJPC in...
By diann Catlin
Often, folks I teach the Bible to ask me how I know what I am going to read in
my daily Bible quiet time. Personally, I prefer going straight to the Bible over reading someone’s devotional which I find short on Scripture and long on other people’s thoughts coming from their own quiet times. I do have numerous devotionals
scattered around the house for sit down times during the day, but I purposely want
my time with the Lord to be a face to face, ears open meeting.
Each day is fresh and the Word teaches me and corrects me. Sometimes I go to
Romans 12 and Philippians 2 when I need to be reminded about showing authentic
love, or Proverbs 31 when I need to do more for my husband, home and family.
Sometimes I read the prophets to comprehend the holiness and righteousness of
God. The other day, while reading Galatians 1, verse 10 jumped off the page. One
of my friends is being persecuted because he is a Christian. Verse 10 reads, “For am
I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were
still trying to please men I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” This made me
turn to Philippians 1:27-29 which reads, “Only conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, in no way alarmed by your opponents…For to you
it has been granted for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for
His sake.”
The Word is always rich and it always touches me, but it also teaches that not
every day for the Christian will be rosy. Many of us would rather do anything but
suffer or even just live sacrificially.
YOUTH GROUP
2/1, 8, 22: Youth meet in The Loft from
5-7PM for Bible study. Some of the
youth will be on a ski trip 2/13-2/16, so
there will be NO youth group on 2/15.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY
2/9*: The 1st Monday Women’s Bible
Study and Prayer Group continues their
study on the book of Revelation. Fellowship in PFH begins at 10AM and the
study at 10:30AM. *Date change!
WEDNESDAY MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
2/4, 11, 18, 25: The Wednesday Men's
Group is studying "Leap Over a
Wall: Reflections on the Life of David" by
Eugene Peterson. They meet Wednesday’s from 6-7:15AM at Maple Street
Biscuit Company on Edgewood Avenue.
WEDNESDAY LADIES BIBLE STUDY
2/4, 11, 18, 25: This group meets at
6PM in the church library.
(Continued on page 4)
AVONDALE LOOP FUNDRAISER
ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
The Session has called our annual
congregational meeting for Sunday, February
15th following both our 9AM and 11AM
services for the purpose of receiving the
annual report, to approve changes in Pastor
Jon Lovelady’s terms of call and to elect 4
members of the nominating committee for
2015.
2/5: 10% of lunch and dinner proceeds
go to the SJPC Living Waters fund.
CRISPER’S FUNDRAISER
2/8: Visit Crisper’s on Roosevelt for
lunch or dinner or even get take-out on
this Sunday; 20% of all proceeds will go
to our SJPC Mission fund.
TUESDAY MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
2/10, 24: This group meets in PFH from
7-8AM for breakfast and Bible study.
D-LIFE (YOUTH)
New Member Classes Offered
Would you like to explore your faith or express your faith
for the first time? Learn about church membership? Know
more about the Presbyterian Church (USA)? Well, we have a
class that will provide a place to engage these subjects and several others. Our Discovering Church Membership Class will be
offered Sunday mornings in February from 10:10-10:50AM in
Peterson Fellowship Hall. If you miss a class, makeup classes
will be offered. Childcare will be provided. Please register by
calling the church office at 384-4501.
Volume 28, Issue 2
2/11, 25: This group will meet in The
Loft to continue working on the student
film project.
LUNCH BUNCH
2/15: Lunch Bunch will meet at The
Loop of Avondale at 11:30AM.
S.W.A.T. ACTIVITY
2/19: Seniors With A Testimony
(S.W.A.T.) is headed to Fernandina
Beach for lunch at Barbara Jeans and a
visit with Doug Ganyo. More details to
come.
Page 3
The Cost Of Loving Others
(Continued from page 3)
When I need a pep talk on giving my life away to others, I
go back to John 15 for my quiet time. EVERYTIME I read it,
it moves me to action. Gently it beckons with the vine and the
knowledgeable farmer tending me the supple little branch who
must stay connected to produce delicious fruit. Then I am
wooed by Christ’s declared love for me in verse 9. But, the
prescription, the medicine I need is in verses 12 and 13: “This
is My command that you love one another JUST as I have
loved you. Greater love has no one than this that one lay down
his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I
command you.” Every time I read this, I am confronted, so I
read it often.
I actually want my morning time to confront me and correct me. Often its directive is toward others, and I find I must
act, not in a mediocre “pat the back way,” but in a, I must do
what the Word says. I have also found as is spoken in John 15
that true love of others will cost you something. It will cost
you time, or money or sleep, or something! I love the phrase
“lay down your life” because the picture I get is of a prostrate
position willingly taken. Love is going to cost you.
On January 6th, seventeen of our congregation volunteered
to pray for Pastor Jon’s trip to Israel. If that sounds easy, it
was not. The fine print (I should know, I wrote the fine print)
said to choose one thirty minute slot between 7 AM and 1 PM
to spend every day of the two week period praying fervently
for Jon. We were not asked to pray any old time when we
could. We had to pray at the same interval of at least a thirty
minute time every day within the specific assigned/chosen
time slot. We were also given Scripture to pray, the itinerary
and specific prayer requests. If you were asked to pray day
after day for two weeks, would you take it seriously? Would
you take the assigned Scriptures and make them come alive?
Would you hold Pastor Jon in your heart magnifying all he
would see and do?
In a real sense this was laying down our lives to pound on
the Lord’s heart in intercessory prayer. Praying for others is
not easy if you really do it. It will cost you. To me praying is
loving. If you were God, would you also reward those prayer
warriors with more of Yourself? Well, he did and He has. You
see when you do John 15 and lay aside part of your day to
labor for someone else, you draw closer to God. You don’t
labor alone, you don’t lay down your life alone. You please
the Savior with an act of obedience.
As I write this, I have heard no complaints from the prayer
warriors, most of whom had never done a prayer vigil before.
I have heard “this is wonderful, but this is not easy,” and I
wholeheartedly agree. Loving others is going to cost you, but I
can almost hear the Savior’s voice when each thirty minutes is
over. There is a smile in the sound of His voice, a knowing
smile of one who knows all about the sacrifice it took to REALLY love others. Can you hear His voice? Add your name:
“
if you love me, lay your life down for others.” The cost is nothing compared to the reward.
In the midst of every battle...heroes emerge.
The battle is now. Our heroes are here.
Page 4
Last month, we said goodbye to Pastor Tara
and wished her well as she begins her new
adventure as Pastor of St. Marks Presbyterian
Church in Hudson, Florida. Her Installation
Service is scheduled for Sunday, March 1st at
4PM. Her new contact information
is 10510 Penelope Place, #203,
New Port Richey, FL 34654 and
her email is [email protected].
Family Focus
A Look At Pastor Jon’s Trip To Israel in January
Mosaic floor at the Church of the
Multiplication or Tabgha or Church
of the Heptapegon
This a double rainbow over the Valley of the
Doves overlooking the Galilee region. After a
couple of days of rain it was welcomed sight!
Crusader crosses craved into the
walls of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre about 1000 years ago
Church of the Agony at the Garden of
Gethsemane where Jesus prayed just
before going to the cross
View from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
Church of the Beatitudes
The "
Mona Lisa"of Caesarea a Mosaic
uncovered in the ruins of this city
Altar where the cross of Jesus once stood.
You can touch the rock where cross stood
A boat recovered from the time of Jesus
Church of the Primacy of Peter where Jesus fed
the disciples along the shore of Galilee after the
resurrection
Gates of the biblical city of Dan the northern end of Israel
perhaps where Boaz negotiated for Ruth
Volume 28, Issue 2
The statue to the
Prophet Elijah on
Mt. Carmel
commemorating
God's victory over
the prophets of Baal
Page 5
SJPK Blue Door friends had fun building a
snowman and then eating their creation!
CHILDREN ACTIVITIES
Toddler Class & Children’s
Church • Sundays • 11 AM
Kid’s Choir • 2/1, 15 • 4-5 PM
Kid’s For Christ • 2/8
3:30 - 5 PM • PFH
The group will gather for Bible study,
games and dinner. They will continue
their series on The Beatitudes by examining Matthew 5:8 and discussing
how God blesses those whose hearts
are pure.
Movie Night • 2/8
5 –7 PM • PFH
All children are invited to dress in
their pajamas, bring a blanket, a pillow, and a friend and join us to watch
“Gnomeo & Juliet” and enjoy a snack
of Skittles, grapes and lemonade.
Children’s Church Lesson Schedule
2/1 Jesus Heals, Prays & Preaches
Mark 1:29-39
#257
2/8 Jesus Calms A Storm
Mark 4:35-41
#274
2/15 Four Friends Help A Paralyzed Man
Mark 2:1-12
#266
2/22 Jesus Heals The Blind Man
Mark 10:46-52
#313
In order to provide a safe environment for all of
our children, we do not permit outside food or
drinks to be consumed during our Little Flock
activities. We will provide snacks, when appropriate, from a pre-approved snack list which
are milk, peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish
free. Thank you for your cooperation!
St. Johns Presbyterian Church
PARTNERS IN
MINISTRY
Jon Lovelady
Senior Pastor
Kevin Crainshaw
Associate For Worship & Arts
Travis Barnett
Director of Youth & Families
Address: 4275 Herschel Street, Jacksonville, FL 32210
Phone: (904) 384-4501 • Facsimile: (904) 384-4500
Website: www.sjpcjax.org
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SJPConnect
Twitter: @SJPConnect
Office Hours: M-TH/9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Staff Extensions & Email Addresses:
Travis Barnett ...............................Extension 19 ............................................. [email protected]
Tim Carter ....................................Extension 30 ................................................ [email protected]
Kevin Crainshaw ............................Extension 18 .............................................. [email protected]
OUR WORSHIP
SCHEDULE
1st Service - 9:00 AM
Sunday School - 10:00 AM
2nd Service - 11:00 AM*
*Separate Children’s Service
Meloni Elkins .................................Extension 11 ............................................ [email protected]
Tom Gunn.....................................(904) 384-4501 ........................................... [email protected]
Kay Hazlehurst ..............................(904) 389-8191 ............................. [email protected]
Jon Lovelady .................................Extension 16 ................................................. [email protected]
Dena Slate ....................................Extension 10 ............................................... [email protected]