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No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient, the proud,
those who, because they have everything, look down on others,
those who have no need even of God --
for them there will be no Christmas.
Only the poor, the hungry,
those who need someone to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is God,
Emmanuel, God-with-us.
Without poverty of spirit there can be no abundance of God...
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-- O. R. "God with Us" |
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If you love me, you will obey what I
command. And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Counselor to be with
you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for he
lives with you and will be in you. I will
not leave you as orphans;
I will come to you. |
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John 14:15-18 |
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First Sunday in Advent
November 30, 2008
Dear Friends,
I've been thinking a lot about Advent the past few
weeks. Advent is a special season of waiting and
watching, a time to prepare our hearts to celebrate
the coming of Christ at Christmas. I have a
particular need to want to practice this holy
tradition. I need Jesus to come … to come in a
visitation that covers a multitude of need.
Advent practices the "waiting" of the faithful, who
looked for the coming of the One who would make all
things right. Waiting, by its very nature must have
a hoped for outcome. Spiritual waiting is by faith.
"Now faith if the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1)
I have a friend in jail, who really is not guilty.
Though a follower of Jesus, he has a sordid past,
which allowed the police to grab him when he was in
the wrong place at the wrong time. Arrested in
August, he has yet to be assigned to any legal
counsel. He sits and waits … and hopes … and with
fragile faith, most days believes that God will
visit him with rescue.
What is Christmas if it isn't the holy practice of
"waiting" that God will show up in big measure for
all that troubles us. He will come! He will provide!
He will meet our needs! We at Neighborhood
Ministries know this all too well. Time and time
again God has met us just when we needed Him most,
when it appeared that we were at our weakest, when
we had no home, when we had no food, when from any
human perspective we had very little reason to hope
and to wait.
Please follow with us, as each Sunday in Advent, we
share with you the fruit of this expectation.
Loving you,
Kit |
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DECEMBER
Food Drives
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Scottsdale Bible Church, KUPD, Nicole
Kaufman and her Shadow Mt. High School
students and Southwestern College. Our food
bank has food … and our families had
beautiful Thanksgiving boxes and turkeys and
many hungry people will eat for months to
come.
Holidays
Work teams are still needed for our famous
Christmas Fiesta, Dec. 13. Interested
groups, call Chris @ 602-818-0137 to
volunteer to serve at this festive night
Tax Credit
We are
asking you to invite 10 of your friends to
donate through Arizona Tax Credit 321.
Following is the link to print out forms
from the AZ department of revenue site.
http://www.revenue.state.az.us/Forms/credits.asp
Finances and Prayer
We need your help as we look forward
to financial giving between now and the end
of the year. Year-end giving is very
important to our financial health. We
have already reduced operating expenses.
Due to the uncertainty in our economy, we
anticipate that some may have to change
their normal year-end pattern of giving. We
need to raise $230,848 over and above
what we conservatively expect to be donated
through December 31, 2008.
We will continue to give updates on how the
giving comes in. (See graph below) What a
precious time of year to wait for the Lord
to meet the very real and practical needs of
the poor in our city! For our faithful Lord
will show up, in ways beyond all we can ask
or think.
Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness to
us as well!
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Donation Amount |
# Of Donors |
Remaining Needed |
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$
100 |
361 |
$ 36,100 |
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$
250 |
197 |
$ 49,250 |
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$
500 |
90 |
$ 45,000 |
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$ 1,000 |
34 |
$ 34,000 |
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AZ Tax Credit $400
for joint filing. |
131 |
$ 52,400 |
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Total |
813 |
$ 216,750 |
We will
keep you updated on these goals!
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Click on the Donate
button to send your tax-deductible gift now.
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