Calendar

PeaceSeekers

Time: 12:00am - 12:00pm
Details:

PeaceSeekers Ministry (PSM*) Everyone experiences conflict during his or her life. Conflict is a difference in opinion or purpose that frustrates someone's goals or desires (James 4:1-3, Acts 15:22-29, 1 Cor. 12:12-31, Gen. 13:1-12). And when two or more gather together, there will eventually be conflict. How we respond to conflict can significantly impact our life, and the lives of those around us. We may seek the advice of family, friends, the church, and professional counselors to assist in resolving conflict (1 King 22:4-6, Psalm 1:1, Prov. 15:22, 18:17, 20:18, Isaiah 47:13). We must be careful to seek advice from folks who are willing to engage into our lives, are full of mercy and grace, and will uphold scriptural principles as the basis of truth. All too often we seek to resolve conflict through the civil courts. Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians for litigating before "the unbelievers" to resolve disputes between brothers and sisters in Christ. He states that they (the church) are "completely defeated already… Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Apostle Paul states that conflicts between Christians should be brought to the church for resolution. The biblical response to conflict is to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other (James 5:16), commit our ways to the Lord (John 14:26), and trust in Him only (Psalm 37:1-6). So that unbelievers will see our good deeds and give praise and honor to God (Matt. 5:14-16, 1 Peter 2:12). Mission Statement Therefore, as ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) seeking to honor and glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31) and serve others with our lives (Rom. 12:1-8); we purpose to train and assist Christians to respond to conflict in a biblically faithful manner (1 Cor. 6:4-5), cultivating a "Culture of Peace" within the body of Christ where people are eager and able to resolve conflict and reconcile relationships in a way that clearly reflects the love and power of Jesus Christ. Ministry Goals • Provide ongoing small group, classroom, and seminar training, teaching individuals how to respond to conflict in a biblically faithful manner. • Provide a coaching ministry where trained ministry members assist and support conflicted individuals one-on-one, as they work through a systematic biblical approach towards responding to a specific conflict. • Provide a conciliation and arbitration ministry where opposing conflicted parties can jointly seek biblically trained and spiritually wise conciliators to assist in resolving conflict. • Develop a distributed ministry providing training, support, and services to other churches, Christian organizations, and to the community at large. The Peacemaker's Pledge A Commitment to Biblical Conflict Resolution As people reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we believe that we are called to respond to conflict in a way that is remarkably different from the way the world deals with conflict (Matt. 5:9; Luke 6:26-36; Gal. 5:19-26). We also believe that conflict provides opportunities to glorify God, serve other people, and grow to be like Christ (Rom. 8:28-29); 1 Cor. 10:31-11:1; James 1:2-4). Therefore, in response to God's love and in reliance on his grace, we commit ourselves to respond to conflict according to the following principles. Glorify God Instead of focusing on our own desires or dwelling on what others may do, we will seek to please and honor God - by depending on his wisdom, power, and love; by faithfully obeying his commands; and by seeking to maintain a loving, merciful, and forgiving attitude (Ps. 37:1-6, Mark 11:25; John 14:15; Rom. 12:17-21; 1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 4:2-9; Col. 3:1-4; James 3:17-18; 4:1-4; 1 Peter 2:12). Get the Log out of Your Own Eye Instead of attacking others or dwelling on their wrongs, we will take responsibility for our own contribution to conflicts - confessing our sins, asking God to help us change any attitudes and habits that lead to conflict, and seeking to repair any harm we have caused (Prov. 28:13; Math. 7:3-5; Luke 19:8; Col. 3:5-14; 1 John 1:8-9). Go and Show Your Brother His Fault Instead of pretending that conflict doesn't exist or talking about others behind their backs, we will choose to overlook minor offenses or we will talk directly and graciously with those whose offenses seem too serious to overlook. When a conflict with another Christian cannot be resolved in private, we will ask others in the body of Christ to help us settle the matter in a biblical manner (Prov. 19:11; Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 6:1-8; Gal. 6:1-2; Eph. 4:29; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; James 5:9). Go and Be Reconciled Instead of accepting premature compromise or allowing relationships to wither, we will actively pursue genuine peace and reconciliation - forgiving others as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us, and seeking just and mutually beneficial solutions to our differences (Matt. 5:23-24; 6:12; 7:12; Eph. 4:1-3, 32; Phil. 2:3-4). By God's grace, we will apply these principles as a matter of stewardship, realizing that conflict is an assignment, not an accident. We will remember that success, in God's eyes, is not a matter of specific results but of faithful, dependent obedience. And we will pray that our service as peacemakers brings praise to our Lord and leads others to know His infinite love (Matt. 25:14-21; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:18; 1 Peter 2:19; 4:19). Peacemaker Ministries. Used by permission. www.peacemaker.net. For more information about Peacemaker Ministries or biblical peacemaking, visit the Peacemaker Ministries web site or contact Peacemaker Ministries at 1537 Ave D, Suite 352, Billings, MT 59102 (406.256.1583)

Distribute Back Packs

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Details: Volunteers who help hand out the back packs to families in transition

Celebrate Recovery (Longwood)

Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Details:

Discover the loving power of Jesus Christ through a 12-step recovery process. Participate with others who are dealing with hurts, habits and hang-ups. This is a time for the entire family to come together and find healing. This gathering is held every Friday night at Northland at Longwood, in the Children's Worship Wing ... even on holidays! An optional family style dinner ($2 charge per person) is served at 6 p.m. Several groups are currently being offered, Including women's addiction, men's addiction, women's co-dependency, men's co-dependency, Men's Sexual Addiction, Women's Physical, Emotional and Sexual Abuse, Men's Anger, and Love and Relationship Addiction for Women. Free children program: Celebration Station, is available for infants through fifth graders. No registration required, just come as you are! Questions? Contact Laurie Jean Harrington at lauriejean2@bellsouth.net.