Weekly Update January 13

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them" (Psalm 127:3-5). Children are here described to be "like arrows in the hand of a warrior" and like arrows in a quiver. Arrows are not something that warriors launch indiscriminately on the battlefield. A warrior only pulls an arrow out of the quiver and launches it when the enemy is in range and the captain has given the command. This describes to us one way in which we need to think about parenting. We should be careful not to "fire our arrows indiscriminately" by placing our children in situations they are not prepared for, the outcome of which can only result in our children becoming more like the world. Let us strive to train our children in godliness first so that they may be released at the appropriate time and strike fear into the heart of the enemy.

This Sunday we will continue our Family Sunday School Class at 10am on the bottom floor of the fellowship hall building (the gym) and Refuge Hangout will continue this Sunday night from 6:00-7:30pm.

We are relaunching Hyfi and Refuge Students this Wednesday, January 15th, from 6:30-7:45pm. The check-in and check-out procedures for children and youth will remain the same as they were the first two weeks that we met before the hurricane. Pastor Brent will be continuing his series on "How to Read the Bible" for adults on January 22nd.

There will no longer be any meals provided for volunteers on Wednesday nights for the time being. The kitchen is being used for the rebuild site and is not available for our use. As a thank you to our volunteers our current plan is to have an appreciation treat once a month after the children and youth are dismissed.

Beginning this Saturday, January 18th, from 7am to 8am we will be launching a men's Bible study on the book "Home Reformation" at the Tucker's house . Once a month for the next year we will be considering what it means to have and lead a biblical household. At our first meeting, we will be covering chapters 1-2. If you would like to attend or are interested, please let me know so that I can get you a copy of the book. A light breakfast will be provided.

Time is running out to register your children for camp. We have two upcoming camps for kids and students. You can find more information about both camps in the attached document. Registration for both camps will end January 28th. There are limited spots for each, especially for Snowbird, so all available spots will be first come, first serve. Please see me or call me (980-219-1876) if you have questions or wish to register your children. A deposit of $50 per child is required to register and hold a spot for your child. The remaining balance of $100 will be due by January 28th (the total cost of each camp is $150). Our goal is that any child who wants to attend camp is able to attend camp. If your family is not financially able to send your kid(s) to camp, please reach out to me, so that a solution can be reached for your kid(s) to attend camp.

I've attached the family worship calendar for January. The Google Calendar for our Refuge Ministries is also up to date.

May the Lord bless and keep you and your family over the upcoming week,

Matt Tucker out!!!