5/16/2012 Cancun Christian Fellowship Newsletter

Cancun Christian Fellowship

Your Community of Faith in Cancun

713 529 8078 Cancun - Riviera Maya 998 121 1316

Misiones Cristianas y Servicios de la Iglesia en Inglés

Bienhechor de Orfanato Casa Hogar para Niños Esperanza

Our Mission: We are servants of God by serving others. We share a responsibility to bring God's love to hurting people. We are a Christian Mission Outreach dedicated to showing people, through our teaching, actions and love, the life changing power of Jesus Christ.

5/16/2012

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good things anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

-Kent M. Keith

If you are considering a commodity contribution to Casa Hogar para Ninos Esperanza, here are items that are currently needed:
1. Children’s summer clothes and shoes (any size-any gender)
2. Clothes specifically for young ladies ages 6-11
3. Games and crafts in Spanish

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” - Paulo Coelho

If you are in the Riviera Maya and have clothing or commodity contributions for our children, please contact Cherilyn Martin … all items must be sorted and sized before Wednesday delivery. Please strive to make sure all items offered are clean and serviceable.

We have been blessed with gifts to benefit our children at Casa Hogar para Ninos Esperanza. We are always grateful for the assistance we receive from our worldwide mission partners. Recent gifts include:
Teresa, Mission Partner, TX: Children’s Food Fund
Wayne, Ruth and David, Mission Partner, KS: Children’s Food Fund
Linda, Member, QR: A delicious cake for our beautiful children
Roger, Nancy and family, Mission Partners, OH: Children’s clothing
CCF Member, QR: Children’s Food Fund
CCF Member, QR: Children’s Food Fund
CCF Member, QR: Children’s Food Fund
CCF Member, QR: Children’s Food Fund

“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” - Laura Ingalls Wilder

With the financial help of our worldwide Mission Partners, volunteers from Cancun Christian Fellowship were able to provide eggs, cheese, chorizo, molida especial, pork, salchicha, chicken, cereal and cakes to our Cancun Christian home. With your assistance, groceries are purchased and delivered every week.

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters” - Albert Einstein

Laurie is now in charge of our FaceBook updates and activity and Ryan is learning the fundamentals of our Sunday worship. Ryan will be producing this Sunday’s service. Please thank the Lipps for accepting additional responsibility in our church.

“Friends are honest with each other, even if the truth hurts.” - Sarah Dessen

Additionally, Laurie is doing great things with the Children’s Sunday School class. We are looking for a backup for Laurie and, if you have the compassion, Laurie would love to talk to you.

“Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.” - Barbara De Angelis

We continue to talk about stepping up and belonging to the church instead of simply attending the church. Below are opportunities that currently need to be filled:
• Backup for Tom at the men’s group
• Backup for Cherilyn at church
• Backup for Cherilyn at the women’s groups
• Backup for Katherine
• Backup for Laurie
• Backup for Jean and George
• Sunday Service Greeters
• Sunday Prayer Leaders
• Leaders to offer CCF Small Groups for couples and singles

“Honesty is the most heroic quality one can aspire to.” - Daniel Radcliffe

We are blessed with guests attending our Sunday Service. Last week, we had seven guests and the fellowship was excellent. We can never forget that our guest have a choice of how they spend their Sunday morning in Cancun.

“If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.” - Marcus Tullius Cicero

Mark and Laura Shook will be presenting our worship lesson this Sunday….a continuation of the series on “Homefield Advantage”. We have previewed the lesson and we feel you will find it very beneficial. We hope to see all of you this Sunday.

“Never do anything that you can't admit doing, because if you are that ashamed of whatever it is, it's probably wrong.” - Ashly Lorenzana

This week’s pre-church fishing video will feature the Flip Pallot, host of the Walker’s Cay Chronicles. Join Flip as he fishes the beautiful waters off Bermuda. As always, there is enough fishing action to please even the diehard angler. Join us at 9:25 AM, relax and enjoy the show.

“Never separate the life you lead from the words you speak.” - Paul Wellstone

Laurie Lipp offers a Children’s Bible Study Class each Sunday for children ten and under. The class is held in the showroom at the front of Plaza Tokal (our fabulous new church facility). For additional details, please contact Laurie before or after the service. She will be excited to talk to you.

A Wednesday Men’s Group is offered by Cancun Christian Fellowship. The Men’s Group meets at McDonald’s McCafe on the corner of Nichupte and Kabah at 8:30 AM. Please contact Tom Martin at tommartinmx@gmail.com / 998-121-1316 for additional information.

A Wednesday Morning and a Thursday Evening Christian Women’s Study Group is also offered by Cancun Christian Fellowship. The Wednesday Group meets at the Malecon Americas Starbucks at 10:00 AM and the Thursday Evening Business Ladies Group meets at the Malecon Americas California Kitchen Pizza at 6:30 PM. For more information please contact Cherilyn Martin. 998-121-1315 / cherilynmartin@gmail.com  

Remember, Cancun Christian Fellowship always meets at 10:00 AM SHARP.

“Appearance blinds, whereas words reveal.” - Oscar Wilde

That’s it for today…WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN OUR NEW CHURCH FACILITY THIS SUNDAY!

Today’s quotes from: goodreads.com

Sunday Service and Mission Outreach: Cherilyn and Tom Martin
Music Ministry: Katherine Phillips
Children’s Ministry: Laurie Lipp
Usher: Henry Shirk

Greetings to our Cancun Family and Mission Partners

Cancun Christian Fellowship

Your Community of Faith in Cancun

713 529 8078 Cancun - Riviera Maya 998 121 1316

Misiones Cristianas y Servicios de la Iglesia en Inglés

Bienhechor de Orfanato Casa Hogar para Niños Esperanza

4/30/2012

Yesterday’s service was great. Mark and Laura’s lesson was well presented and very meaningful and…what about the guests? We continue to be blessed with traveling Christians that have found our Cancun family via the internet and made the decision to spend their Sunday with us in fellowship. What else could you ask for?

Also, yesterday was our tenth Sunday in our new (and fabulous) location on Yaxchilan. Cherilyn and I are always amazed when we go in to set the room up for you…our family. The term “set the room up” is not exactly accurate. The truth is the management of Plaza Tokal always has everything ready for us…just about as you see it when you enter the facility…and all we have to do is remove the equipment from the bags and plug it in. By the way…the young lady at the desk, as you enter the building, is Carla and her English is excellent. Now that you know her name, be sure to visit with her for a moment before church. She is a lovely person and very representative of the entire Plaza Tokal staff.

Below is the lesson for the Wednesday Men’s Group. The lesson is on giving, God’s mandate to all Christians. Please take a moment and read the lesson and you will understand that giving relates to a lot more than tithing.

The reason God gives us wealth is so we can be generous.  Many people don't understand the importance of generosity. They hold on tightly to what they own, unaware that selfishness often causes financial difficulties. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11.

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

Give of your time and talents.  Whether or not you have a lot of money or material possessions, be a generous person with your time, looking for ways to help your church, other ministries or people in need. Follow Christ’s example by showing a passionate concern for others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-7

Be especially generous if you are well off.  Although everyone is called to be generous, you should be especially so if you are wealthy. Do not be embarrassed by your wealth, but remember it is not your money. Use it to bless others.

Command those who are rich ... to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Imitate biblical examples.  Regardless of your financial situation, God wants you to look for ways to bless others. Let the following examples from the Bible encourage you to use your resources—your money and your home—to further the Kingdom of God.

Mary Magdalene and other women helped support Jesus and the apostles. Luke 8:1-3

Joseph, a wealthy man, provided his own tomb for Jesus. Matthew 27:57-60

Nicodemus supplied expensive spices for the burial. John 19:39

Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to their home to tell him about Jesus. Acts 18:26

The Corinthians gave money to help impoverished Christians in Jerusalem. 2 Corinthians 8 and 9

Philemon opened his home for church meetings. Philemon 2

Give to the work of the Lord - Give a tithe.  For thousands of years, people have given a tithe (ten percent) and more of what they earn back to God in gratitude for his love. We read in the Old Testament: A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the land, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27:30  Tithing was considered so important that failing to tithe was described as robbing God.

Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, "How do we rob you?" In tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8

Some people think we are not required to tithe. They often add that tithing is not mentioned in the New Testament. However, when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, he said they were right to tithe one tenth of everything. Luke 11:42

No matter how you view tithing, there is no question that the New Testament teaches us to give generously. Study chapters eight and nine of 2 Corinthians to see how important this is to God. If you have a heart to touch the world for Christ, you should be eager to give to the work of the Lord and to help others in need.

Support your local church.  Give generously to your local church. It is where you are fed and you are responsible to help support it. Although it’s okay to also help other ministries, be sure your tithe goes into the storehouse — your church. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Malachi 3:10

Give special offerings.  In addition to giving a tithe to your church, give additional offerings for special needs. Many ministries—such as missionaries, college pastors, relief organizations, crisis pregnancy centers, and Christian legal action groups—depend on donations. Ask God to direct you to projects and organizations he would like you to support.

Help people in need.  Throughout the Bible, we are instructed to reach out to those in need, particularly offering generous help to those who are poor.

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13

The Bible tells us to help other Christians.  God refers to all Christians collectively as the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13  We are family.

Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? James 2:15-6

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

We aren't only told to help fellow believers.  We are to help others as well. God created everyone who is alive. Every person is precious to him. A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive",  Acts 20:35

Give wisely - As a steward of God’s money, you are responsible to exercise wisdom as you give.  Don't think you must donate to every need. You are not responsible to help each one of the hundreds of ministries you may hear about. Pray for wisdom, and then make choices. Once you make choices, don't feel guilty or sinful if you throw away a letter soliciting funds, even if it's for a worthy cause.

The following suggestions can help you use donate money wisely.  Pray for wisdom. Ask God for "knowledge and depth of insight". Philippians 1:9 Try to identify real needs. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best. Philippians 1:9-10 It is easy to get caught up in an emotional response when hearing a plea for help. Pray before making a commitment to give money. If you think you may be too caught up in the feeling of the moment, give yourself permission to wait and pray for a day before deciding to give.

Evaluate the need if you give to an individual.  If you have a friend who is a single mother struggling to make ends meet, a helping hand may go a long way. On the other hand, if you have a friend who is living irresponsibly, bailing him or her out may be the worst thing you could do.  Giving cash probably is not the best way to help a malnourished, alcoholic parent. Buying groceries or giving a meal would be wiser.

Evaluate unknown organizations.  When a ministry you know little about asks for help, research it as best you can. Is it a member of a Christian financial accountability organization? Does your church or denomination endorse it? Are your friends familiar with it?

If you are burned, don't become stingy.  If you are generous, it’s likely someone will try to take advantage of you at one time or another. If this happens, don't let the experience stop you from aiding others. Pray for the person who misused your help, and ask God to help you be wise in the future.

Give with the right attitude - Give from a thankful heart.  God is interested in your heart, not just your actions.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7

Don't give as a financial transaction—to get rich.  Many Scriptures tell us that God rewards generosity. However, if self-interest is our primary motive for giving, we are making a major mistake. Instead, we should be glad to acknowledge God's love with our love, service and gifts, happy to return to God what is really his.

Not all generous Christians get rich.  God promises to meet our needs and often rewards our generosity financially. However, other times the refreshment he gives is spiritual—something much more precious than money.  Look, for example, at Paul’s life.

He poured his life out to touch the world for Christ, yet he often found himself lacking in material things. Philippians 4:11-13 What he did receive, however, was a deep relationship with God and a joyful spirit. Philippians 2:17, 4:4; Colossians 1:24

When we give, we store up treasures in heaven.   We are refreshed physically, spiritually, or both while here on earth. But much more importantly, we store up treasures in heaven. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20

Give privately - Give to please God, not to put on a show in front of other people.  There are exceptions, but in general, give privately. Be careful not to do your "acts of righteousness" before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1

If you give money to an individual, it is often best to do so anonymously.  One way to do this could be to give cash to your pastor or another trustworthy person who would then give it to the person in need. 
However, the Bible does not demand we always be absolute secret when we give.

Jesus said not to give "to be seen". Matthew 6:1 When he said this, he was telling us not to show off in front of other people. A few verses later, he made a similar point when he said to pray privately Matthew 6:5-6, not to show off publicly. The emphasis was on our motives. It was not to forbid praying publicly, something Jesus often did. Matthew 14:19, 19:13; Mark 14:22-24

There are times when it’s okay to let others know about your giving.  For example, it usually would not be wise to hide your giving from your spouse. And it would deprive your children of a good example if they never knew about your generosity.

Give humbly.  Enjoy the privilege of giving, but do not become proud about what you are doing. Remember that it is God who gives you the ability to share. Be thankful for the privilege of giving.

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. Chronicles 29:14

Do not be embarrassed if you can only give a little.  Don't be uncomfortable if you earn little and therefore don't have much money to give. God is interested in your heart. Give a percentage of what you have; do not be embarrassed because you are not rich. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:12

Ref:
dougbrittonbooks.com
inplainsight.org
bcbsr.org
The Life Application Study Bible

Sunday Service and Mission Outreach: Cherilyn and Tom Martin
Music Ministry: Katherine Phillips
Children’s Ministry: Laurie Lipp
Usher: Henry Shirk