Providence's evangelism team recently purchased this prayer stand to assist in our outreach to the area.  Joe and I (Matt) gave it a "test drive" yesterday and we were blessed in our time out on the town.

Joe picked a perfect spot to set it up: just outside the municipal building in Mansfield, a place where people were definitely interested in having prayers offered for them!  We were there from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm and enjoyed a steady flow of people passing by.  

We got to pass out a goodly number of tracts, and many of them were read as people walked away or sat around waiting for their court hearing.  More significantly, we had opportunity to talk to a couple people who wanted prayer.

One such person was Dora.  Dora was 8 months pregnant and going in to court because her boyfriend had beaten her.  She requested prayer for the case and her pregnancy.  We talked with her, prayed for her, and gave her a gospel tract.

Ben was our most intriguing contact.  He was on his way to an AA meeting up the street and, as he sped past, he asked that we pray for his sobriety.  He came back after his meeting and we talked for about 1/2 hour about the gospel and how it applies to addictions.  Ben expressed that he had recently made a profession of faith.  So we encouraged him to continue trusting Christ for the power to overcome these addictions.  Then we concluded our time with prayer.

All in all, we loved the addition of the prayer stand.  For one, it is a good "marker."  It helps people know what we are out to do.  It also makes others more inclined to approach us as most people are willing to have prayers offered for them and would avoid someone who is out doing straight up evangelism.

As mentioned above, Joe and I had a great time out on our trial run.  We are looking forward to doing this on a more regular basis.  It is our plan to be in both Ashland and Mansfield on a weekly basis through the spring and summer months.

In case you have missed it, our weekly newsletters have been continuing to roll out.  We have started a series on saints from Church history.  It is our goal to introduce you to some of the great patriarchs that have lived since the time of the Apostles.

Our first two issues have dealt with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch.

Not much is known about Clement of Rome.  However, Clement is significant because he wrote one of the earliest documents that we have on hand.  It is his epistle to the Corinthian Church which we call First Clement.  This letter delves into the unity that he earnestly desired to see in that fragmented church.

I dubbed Ignatius of Antioch the "Mighty Martyr" because he was sent to Rome in order to be executed for his faith.  Ignatius wasn't the first martyr, but he might be one of the most significant. His letters portray a valiant faith in the face of martyrdom.

Read more about these men by clicking the links above.  Or, subscribe for yourself and have the latest sent right to your inbox!

It's time once again to go camping!  You are cordially invited to come have a blast with us as we hike, swim, play ball, and enjoy a myriad of other means of fellowship!

Date:  Friday - Sunday, June 6-8
Place:  Pleasant Hill Campground

The church has covered the campground fee.  So there is no cost for the event, other than the equipment & food you will bring.

We'll meet at Pleasant Hill Campground on Friday in the late afternoon.   We will conclude with Sunday Morning worship which will be held at the camp, weather permitting.

If you won't be joining us for camping, you can still join us for worship on Sunday with no cost to get into the camp.

Let us know ASAP if you plan to participate.

Raylene Hlavaty, deserves recognition for her labors in the gospel work.  It might not seem like much to many, but in her own way she is holding forth the banner of Christ.  

For the last several years Raylene has been involved chautauqua style acts.  One of her characters is the great hymnist, Fanny Crosby.  Raylene dresses in full costume and narrates Crosby's life story.  During her presentation she integrates some of Crosby's hymns.  

Raylene has performed many times throughout the Mid-Ohio region.  Each time she does she has opportunity to witness to Christ through the faith of Fanny Crosby and through the songs that Crosby wrote.

If you have not seen this program, or if you would like to schedule Raylene to come and perform for your event, visit her website:  Timeless Voices Ohio.

This Sunday we will have guest preacher, Mark Robinette, and his friend from Myanmar, Nang Taing.

Providence has begun to support Pastor Robinette's work in Myanmar.  We encourage you to visit the Mission to Myanmar website and like their page on facebook to follow their work.

Pastor Robinette is seeking to aid the growing church in Myanmar by providing resources and pastoral training to the native ministers.

The hit Disney movie, Frozen, has taken the US by storm and it’s hit song, “Let It Go!” can be heard on every elementary school playground around the country.  Even my 2 yr old could sing some of the song before she ever saw the movie!  

As I heard bits of the lyrics float past my ears, something didn’t sit right with me.  But, I decided to hold judgment until I heard the song in the context of the entire movie.  This weekend, my girls and I watched Frozen together and “Let It Go!” struck me as a song that espoused a lot of popular philosophies about a life contrary to the Bible’s teaching.  I decided to look at 3 main themes and dissect them in light of the Bible.

First, Elsa laments the fact that she’s always had to be the “good girl.”  “Don’t let them in, don’t let them see, be the good girl you always have to be” and “Let it go!  That perfect girl is gone!”  

I do believe that this is a cry of a lot of children in the church today.  As Christian parents, we have done our children a great disservice if we have only emphasized outward behavior without a heart turned to Christ.  Our children need to know that they can’t be the “good girl” or the “good boy” because we are all infested with sin.  We need to be constantly pointing our children to Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer who alone is good and perfect.  We all need to be humble enough to confess our sins to God and to one another (James 5:16, I John 1:8-10), not pretending to be without sin like the Pharisees (Mt. 23:23-28).   

I feel badly for Elsa and her situation and can only pray that my girls will not feel this need to put on “perfect airs”, but instead will put on Christ.

Then, we get to the heart of the song, the rousing “let it go” chorus.  The music crescendos as Elsa sings “Let it go, let it go, Turn away and slam the door. I don’t care what they’re going to say…”  I’m assuming that Elsa is letting go of her gift/curse of freezing things.  Are we supposed to just let go of whatever is “trapped” inside of us?  Is that being true to ourselves?  

The Bible encourages self-control (Gal. 5:16, 5:22-25) which seems the antithesis of letting it go.  In my own observations of myself and other people, letting go of inhibitions only leads to sorrow.  Elsa also says she doesn’t care what people are going to say, which is a very prevalent thought pattern today.  “Be true to yourself and don’t worry about anyone else” is what we often hear.  

Should we as Christians care what people think of us?  My study of Scripture and an article by John Piper leads me to say “Yes” and “No”.  If people are saying things against us because of our walk for Christ and stands we take for His Kingdom, then no, we don’t care what the world says (Gal. 1:10, I Thess. 2:4, I Tim 3:2).  However, the Bible does put some importance on what others perceive about us (Prov. 22:1, Rom 15:1-2, I Peter 2:12).  As John Piper stated, the most important question we can ask of ourselves is, “Is Christ honored in our lives?” (Phil. 1:19-20).  So, Elsa lets it go, but she is still miserable, trapped in her ice castle.  Doesn’t sound so exhilarating does it?  

Finally, Elsa claims “it’s time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through, No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free!”  I would hope this would make any Christian squirm.  This statement is what feminists, homosexual activists, atheists, and many other groups want us (and our children) to believe.  Their theory is that rules constrain you and keep you from happiness.  Is this what God tell us in His Word?  

No, in John 8:31-36, Jesus talks about by abiding in His Word, we will know the truth and that is what sets us free.  He goes on to talk about being a slave to sin and that Christ comes to set us free from this bondage.  Romans 6:16-23 also talks about being slaves to sin until Christ changes us and we become slaves to righteousness.  Our all-knowing, all-powerful sovereign God has given us rules to live by, not to makes our lives miserable but to give us a full life. 

I’m sure all of us can personally attest to the misery we feel when we live how we want, whether it’s letting our anger take control or eating too much or worrying about the future.  We can also tell sobering stories of friends and family who threw off all inhibitions and are now realizing that their choices weren’t as freeing as they first thought.   I believe this is shown in the movie – Elsa ends up needing Anna and the others and she experiences great joy when they are reunited.  I don’t think “Let It Go” would make a good finale song in the movie, because Elsa found the emptiness of her life following the philosophy she promoted.

So now what?  Am I banning all things Frozen from my house?  No!  I plan on using these observations as lessons to go over with my girls.  I want to hear their opinions and see if they can discern what the Bible says.  I want to hear if they feel trapped trying to be the “good pastors kids.”  Then, I'll encourage them that the things they need to be letting go of are things like our selfishness, greed, envy, unkind words, etc. 

And as they try to do this, they need to continue to flee to Christ, the only One who will never let them go. 

[This is a special guest post by Elizabeth Timmons, who is member of Providence Church.]

When you come to the Ashland, Mansfield, or Wooster areas you have to choose a church.  But how do you choose?

So far in this series we've said that you need to choose one that will 1) highly esteem Scripture and the preaching of the gospel, 2) rightly administer the sacraments, and 3) exercise church discipline.

But, like the 80's rock band Heart, we have to ask, "What about Love?"  

You can make the argument that if the three marks of the church mentioned above are observed, then you will likely have a church of love.  Preaching the gospel will facilitate love.  The Sacraments point us to the love of God in Christ.  Church discipline, you might say, is a form of "tough love" for those who are erring.

All this is true, but we should not forget that Scripture teaches that a true congregation of Christ will demonstrate heartfelt, mutual love.  One of the main themes of 1 John is that of loving the brethren.  Indeed, John makes love one of the primary tests of faith.  It follows then that a congregation that loves Christ will be one that manifests love.

Of course, we ought to distinguish what we mean by love.  We live in a culture that is quite lost when it comes to the idea of love.  In our paganized society love can mean anything from a wishy washy sentimentality to a masochistic acts.  

Biblically defined though, love is obedience to God's law.  Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."  Jesus also said that the commandments could be summarized with the law of love:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.  In sum, God's law is the gauge of love.

But how do you know when a congregation is expressing love?  Perhaps it might be helpful to ask yourself the following kinds of questions:  

1. Do these people worship as if they really love God and want to adore him?  Or does it seem that church is more for networking or routine? 
   
2. Are the people really engaged with the worship or are they just going through the motions?
   
3. How do these people talk?  Do they express reverence for God?
   
4. Are their concerted efforts to fellowship with one another and enjoy each other's company?  Or is Sunday worship a "hit and skip" kind of thing?
   
5. Do these people respect their leaders and seek to take care of the elderly?  Do they have children, and are they really showing them affection, or are they more concerned with their own well being?
   
6. Are these people genuinely concerned for my well being?  Will they have me into their home and support me in prayer?  Do they share their gifts and graces with one another or do they tend to keep to themselves?  
   
7. What are their marriages like?  Is their obvious sacrificial love among the couples?  Or do they joke about marriage and disparage it?
   
8. Are they giving regularly and even sacrificially?
   
9. Can these people be trusted?  Or do they go back on their word a lot?
   
10. Does there seem to be an attachment to materialistic things?  
    

Okay.  By now you probably realize that this is an outline of the 10 commandments.  But that's the point.  A congregation that loves is one that is keeping the commandments.  

Our philosophy of family integration goes way beyond Sunday morning.  It affects quite a bit of our lives, especially our times of spiritual development.

This month we are issuing a weekly newsletter.  We'll be looking at some of the basics of family worship to help families get started in this most crucial element of a family's walk with Christ.  

You'll also notice a new format to our newsletter.  We'll be including the text for the upcoming Sunday so that you and your family can begin to prepare ahead of time for worship.  We also have a schedule of upcoming events to help keep you in the know.

We will be starting a new adventure in prayer beginning this coming Wednesday May 7.  This is being organized by Jud and Johan and will meet every Wednesday in May from 7:00 till around 8:00 at the building in Kendig Park in Hayesville.  

This week Joe Faught will provide a brief meditation.  This is open to all and will focus on prayer and primarily will be a prayer meeting.  Please contact us for more information.