Our food pantry is closed today, January 9th, because of the inclement weather and school district closing. God bless and travel safely today.
Due to the forecast of snow and freezing rain this afternoon into tonight, we are going to cancel Recharge. We are sorry for the inconvenience and we will reschedule the event for next month. God bless.
Inspirational Quote of the Week
“Resolution one: I will live for God. Resolution two: If no one else does, I still will.”
– Jonathan Edwards
One morning service on January 4th
Please join us as we combine both Sunday morning services to meet at 10 a.m. this Sunday, January 4th. With one service, we can unite our entire church family together to celebrate the New Year and thank God for all He has done and will do! There will be no 8am service that morning. We look forward to seeing you there.
Recharge Service Saturday evening — January 2nd
College students and young adults are encouraged to attend our monthly Recharge service on Saturday, January 2nd at 6 p.m. With a cafe hour, fellowship, live music, and uplifting messages, Recharge wants you to hear and experience the Good news of Christ in a fun and relaxing way. This service takes place in our annex building and you can learn more about these services at our Recharge webpage. All are welcome to attend.
New Book — Jesus Revolution
Reach Out Church’s missionary to Romania, Pastor Billy Ng, has written another book to challenge us and help us grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus. It is called Jesus Revolution and is now available at our bookstore. All proceeds go to support Billy’s ministry in Romania. This book will make a perfect Christmas gift!
Reach Out’s Giving Tree
Thank you to all who contributed to our Giving Tree! We will be donating all of the hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves to a local outreach in Poughkeepsie! We could not have done this without your generosity!
Men’s Breakfast next Saturday morning — January 10th
All men are welcome to join us for fellowship and a free breakfast next Saturday, January 10th at 9 a.m. The Men’s Breakfast takes place in the annex building and a donation is appreciated for the cost of the breakfast.
Please be aware our food pantry is closed this Friday, January 2nd and will resume its regular schedule next Friday, January 9th. God bless.
“Keep your filthy mitts off me, you beasts!” the woman screamed as men dragged her out of the house where she had been caught in the act – the very act – of …um, snuggling… with a man not her husband. Other men stood outside, ready with stones for Armstrong target practice. Terrified, the woman struggled, but to no avail — her captors were stronger than she and escape was impossible. Then Jesus stepped out of the crowd. “Hey, dudes. What’s the haps?” He asked. “Why you bustin’ that chick?” “We have caught her in the very act of, um, snuggling,” the men answered. “By the Law she must be stoned. You got sometin’ to say about it, oh wise judge?” they asked sarcastically. Jesus bent over and traced a few letters in the dust of the ground. Then He stood and told them, “Yup, the law says stone her to death. But here’s the deal: Whichever one of you has never ever made a mistake gets to be first to whack her with a stone.” Then Jesus bent once more and resumed writing in the dust. Stony silence ensued (pun intentional). Then a THUNK as a heavy stone hit the ground. Then another. Then another chorus of THUNK, THUNK, THUNK. Men turned and left as stones dropped. In mere moments, the yard was empty save for Jesus and the woman. “So, no one has the chops to accuse you?” Jesus asked. “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Well, okay then. I don’t accuse you either. You’re free to go. But hey, watch yourself; don’t do this again.”
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“… all have sinned and fall short of the perfection of God…” Romans 3:23
Tweren’t nobody but Jesus qualified to chuck that first stone, and He didn’t want.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to judge, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.” John 3:17
Get that? Jesus did not come here to judge people but to bring salvation through His death, burial, and resurrection. He came so all people could have life.
Jesus preferred to give the woman a chance to repent and go straight rather than turning her into a bruised pulp. If they stoned her to death, her one chance to be saved would be lost. Not good.
Salvation by faith & rewards by works
Even so, when we kick the earthly bucket, we must stand before Jesus and receive what is due us for what we did while in our bodies — good, bad, or ugly. (See 2 Corinthians 5:10)
Ah, but not so much the deed themselves, but our motives and attitudes behind our actions. Jesus sees that clear as crystal. Other people can’t, and often we ourselves can’t see it. That is called denial.
Our actions must pass through God’s symbolic consuming fire. Our intentions that are as gold will survive, but the surreptitious, or hidden, agendas will burn like straw. We’ll still be saved, but we will live in the low-rent district of Heaven. No mansion and no reward for those dead works.
We get saved and go to Heaven not by works, but by faith. Works get us some rewards like better addresses and shopping on the Heavenly Rodeo Drive. Or, you could scrape into Heaven by your fingernails as you barely escape the flames of Detroit — I mean Hell. (See 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.)
God is the true judge
If Jesus declined to judge a woman who was clearly guilty, then how can we, who lack His discerning power, judge? In Romans 14:10-13, Jesus tells us:
- Don’t judge your brother or condemn him.
- Our hearts and actions should consider any kind of hindrance that could make another fall.
- We as Christians must stand before God’s perfectly discerning judgment and give our accounting for our lives and actions.
To paraphrase and condense Revelations 20:11-15: Then I saw a Great White Throne and who was seated on it. And the dead stood and were judged according to what they had done as recorded in God’s logbook. Anyone who was not found recorded in the log, the Book of Life, suffered a second death and was thrown into the lake of fire. Jesus is the one seated on the throne (it’s in John 5:22). So… just-the-facts-ma’am finish:
- Eternal life comes from Jesus…
- If the Son, Jesus, is in you, you have eternal life. (Happy days are here again!)
- Apart from the Son of God, you have no eternal life. (i.e., you’re toast… literally.)
Click here to return to the index of Foundations teachings.
Inspirational Quote of the Week
“The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation. It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggles as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress.”
– Francis Frangipane
New Announcements
Thanksgiving Eve Outreach
In time for Thanksgiving next week, Reach Out Church is serving the community in a ministry headed by Ken and Marian Oni-Eseleh. We will be preparing a Thanksgiving meal to serve at the Miracle Grace Center at 654 Main St. in Poughkeepsie. The meal will be served at 4pm on Wednesday, November 26th, and we ask that any volunteers who wish to assist in preparing that day arrive as early as 1pm. We are also looking for food donations for this event including turkey, ham, bread, cheese, gravy, stuffing, and any other foods. We ask that any donations be dropped off at Reach Out Church by 8am Tuesday, November 25th. Please call the church office at (845) 229-6080 or email us if you would like to donate or for more info.
Thanksgiving Week/Sunday Services
There will be no mid-week service on Wednesday, November 26th and no 8am service on Sunday, November 30th. We will only have our 10am service that Sunday.
General Announcements
Thanksgiving Day Meal
Bucky and Brenda Golden will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal in the church annex. All are welcome to attend! Please sign up in the foyer if you plan on being there so the proper amount of food can be prepared. If you would like to help prepare and cook the food, please be there by 11am to have the meal prepared by 1pm. Come and share in this experience with your church family! For more info, please see Bucky and Brenda Golden or call the church office!
Adopt-a-Family/Hyde Park Community Cares
This Christmas we have the opportunity to bless a local elementary-aged child whose family cannot afford gifts. There are several different ways to participate in this outreach. If you are interested in participating, please see our sign up list in the foyer, contact Cathy Kelly, or call the church office for more info at (845) 299-6080
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
On Wednesday, December 24th at 7pm we will be having our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. All are welcome to attend as we take some time to focus on the true reason for the season — Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Recharge
We will have our next Recharge service on Saturday, December 6th in the annex. Please keep this outreach ministry in your prayers! All are welcome to attend! For more information, please see our flyers in the foyer or visit our Recharge page!
Inspirational Quote of the Week
“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”
– C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
This Weekend
Men’s Breakfast
This month’s breakfast has been rescheduled for this coming Saturday, November 15th! Beginning at 9am in the annex, all men are welcome to come and share in this time of fellowship and food!
Operation Christmas Child Boxes Due November 16th
Please don’t forget that the donated shoeboxes will need to be in by Sunday, November 16th. For more information and drop off times, please visit our Operation Christmas Child display table in the foyer and visit our page.
New Announcements
Adopt-a-Family/Hyde Park Community Cares
This Christmas we have the opportunity to bless a local elementary-aged child whose family cannot afford gifts. There are several different ways to participate in this outreach. If you are interested in participating, please see our sign up list in the foyer, contact Cathy Kelly, or call the church office for more info at (845) 299-6080
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
On Wednesday, December 24th at 7pm we will be having our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. All are welcome to attend as we take some time to focus on the true reason for the season — Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
General Announcements
Thanksgiving Day Meal
Don’t spend this Thanksgiving alone! Bucky and Brenda Golden will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal in the church annex. All are welcome to attend! Please sign up in the foyer if you plan on being there so the proper amount of food can be prepared. If you would like to help prepare and cook the food, please be there by 11am to have the meal prepared by 1pm. Come and share in this experience with your church family! For more info, please see Bucky and Brenda Golden or call the church office!
The Word For Today Devotionals
We have copies of these devotionals for the months of December, January, and February available in the bookstore.
Recharge
We will have our next Recharge service on Saturday, December 6th in the annex. Please keep this outreach ministry in your prayers! All are welcome to attend! For more information, please see our flyers in the foyer or visit our Recharge page!
Inspirational Quote of the Week
“Every day you are witnessing. What are you witnessing to? Your witness is the total package of your attitudes, character, and actions. It does not lie.”
– Winkie Pratney
This Sunday
Guest Speaker Joan Pearce
Evangelist Joan Pearce of Channel of Love Ministries International will be speaking at our 8am and 10am services this Sunday, November 9th. Joan has been in her evangelism ministry full time for over 25 years and we are looking forward to hearing what God has put on her heart to share with us!
New Announcements
The Word For Today Devotionals
We have copies of these devotionals for the months of December, January, and February available in the bookstore.
Thanksgiving Day Meal
Don’t spend this Thanksgiving alone! Bucky and Brenda Golden will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal in the church annex. All are welcome to attend! Please sign up in the foyer if you plan on being there so the proper amount of food can be prepared. If you would like to help prepare and cook the food, please be there by 11am to have the meal prepared by 1pm. Come and share in this experience with your church family! For more info, please see Bucky and Brenda Golden or call the church office!
Men’s Breakfast
This month’s breakfast has been rescheduled for this coming Saturday, November 15th! Beginning at 9am in the annex, all men are welcome to come and share in this time of fellowship and food!
General Announcements
Operation Christmas Child Boxes Due November 16th
Please don’t forget that the donated shoeboxes will need to be in by Sunday, November 16th. For more information and drop off times, please visit our Operation Christmas Child display table in the foyer and visit our page.
Recharge
We will have our next Recharge service on Saturday, December 6th in the annex. Please keep this outreach ministry in your prayers! All are welcome to attend! For more information, please see our flyers in the foyer or visit our Recharge page!
Evangelist Joan Pearce will be teaching classes at Reach Out Church this week on Wednesday and Thursday evening at 7pm and on Saturday morning at 10am (Nov. 5, 6, and 8).
• The focus of the teaching and ministry is to learn how to effectively share Jesus with family and friends.
• Each of the sessions are standalone, meaning you can go to some of the meetings if you can’t make it to each one.
• Following the Saturday meeting, there will be an opportunity to go out as a group into the community and share what has been learned.
Joan Pearce will also be guest speaking this Sunday at Reach Out Church!
Inspirational Quote of the Week
“It’s what you sow that multiplies, not what you keep in the barn.”
– Adrian Rogers
Permanent Change of Sunday Service Format & Services Now Concluding at 11:30am
To repeat last week’s announcement, Reach Out Church is reformatting its 8am and 10am services. The purpose of this change is to streamline our services to focus on the essentials – the message and the worship. Time will be made at the end for the offering, brief announcements, and the meet and greet. We will be using email, our church webpage, social media, and other methods of digital communication as our primary mediums to inform the church of its announcements, news, and updates.
The services will now be formatted in the following order — worship, message/sermon, offering, announcements, and wrap up/meet & greet. This change will also shorten the length of our 10am service to an hour and a half format, concluding at 11:30am.
New Announcements
Recharge Relaunching this Saturday!
This Saturday evening, our Recharge events will be relaunching this coming November-May! Our first event will take place at 6pm on Saturday, November 1st and will recur the first Saturday of every month until May. Please keep this outreach ministry in your prayers! All are welcome to attend! For more information, please see our flyers in the foyer or visit our Recharge page!
Effectively Sharing Your Faith with Family, Friends, & Strangers
Joan Pearce will be coming to help train and inspire us on how to evangelize effectively. Training sessions will take place in the church sanctuary Wednesday November 5th & Thursday November 6th at 7pm, and Saturday November 8th at 9am. You will not want to miss this life changing training and ministry.
Girl’s Club Restarting
This Wednesday, November 5th at 6:30 pm. The girls that attend this fun-filled club participate in craft making, singing, playing games, and learning about God’s love. There is also a huge emphasis on how valuable and special each and every girl is to God.
Operation Christmas Child Boxes Due November 16th
Please don’t forget that the donated shoeboxes will need to be in by Sunday, November 16th. For more information and drop off times, please visit our Operation Christmas Child display table in the foyer and visit our page.
General Announcements
Cleaning Volunteer Needed
We are looking for a volunteer to help work with Sue Mercay to clean our annex building on Tuesday mornings from 9am-12pm. If you are interested in getting involved, please see Sue Mercay or call the church office at (845) 229-6080.
Home Group Bible Study
Starting this Tuesday, October 28th at 7pm, Brian and Brenda Bovee will be leading a home group Bible study. All are welcome to attend! For more information, directions, or to RSVP, please contact Brenda Bovee or call the church office.