River of Life Ministries Announcements 12 18 24
Victory Time: I, Rosemary, am reinstating a revised version of Victory Time . To keep our personal schedules as simple as possible, we will do Victory Time through email.
I am officially starting the group 1/ 19/ 25. I want you to have time to think and pray about joining. People willing to persevere for a long time inspire others; impulsive decisions resulting in soon quitting can cause discouragement to others.
Your private communication with God: Keep a calendar of your daily weight amount and an encouraging verse reference from your daily devotional time. To specifically record daily food intake can be helpful too.
Do not see recording in this calendar as a tedious,
legalistic “duty” . If you happen to skip a time of recording in your calendar , simply pick up again wherever you left off.
Bimonthly reports in a group email: I will create a group email of all who fill out the application to join. Bimonthly reports will be sent to one another on the first and third Sunday of each month (deadline at midnight). There is NO obligation to respond to each other’s reports. IF you feel inspired to respond, you are free to do that. If you happen to quit reporting during a vacation or simply a time of feeling overwhelmed by so many other obligations, you are under no obligation to explain your reasons for skipping. If you want to explain, help yourself. Simply reenter when you can .
The first round of reports is due on 2 1 25.
The goal is to maintain a healthy weight, so we are more apt to fulfill our purposes in our lives with energetic enthusiasm.
Victory Time responsibilities: We are free to pick our own diet plan. I happen to be counting calories, someone else may be doing Keto, and someone else may pick the Mediterranean diet. There are many diets that people can choose from. No one is being invited to “prove” what is the “best diet” method or trying to “sell others” on using their method.
Read all the reports and pray for the individuals in the group twice a month.
If for whatever reason, doing any part of Victory Time seems overwhelming at a particular time, do not let missing some reports or prayers every now and again deliver a guilt trip to your soul!
Our bimonthly reports are to be sent by each member to the entire email list on the first and third Sunday of each month :
You can choose to copy/paste the following and use this same format each time you send your report:
Name:
Date:
Since my last report,
I gained _____ lbs.;
stayed the same ____;
lost ____ lbs.
Optional: Brief notes on a special, encouraging inspiration you experienced
(including the Bible and communications with others)
Optional: Prayer request (s)
Intent to join:
Send this completed application to me, Rosemary, rbarnesrol@aol.com, by 1/16/15. Your completed application will be forwarded to the whole group. When we individually pray for the group , we will have some insight into what to include in our prayer content.
This application can be as long or as short as you choose it to be in the part that you answer the questions:
Name email address home address phone number
What inspired you to join this group?
Your weight loss goal is ____ pounds. (You may stay in the group for maintenance if you choose.)
What do you hope to achieve? (E.g., your current weight amount is hindering a goal you want to accomplish or (a) physical condition(s) you believe will be improved when you lose weight. )
(Optional — this is the part in which you choose to explain your food plan.) What is your plan to achieve this weight loss?
——————————————————-end of intent to join————————————————————————-
I believe that just by reporting our progress to one another and praying for one another, we will get extra encouragement through this agreement for accountability and grace to persevere in our endeavor to overcome our battle with wrongful eating habits. Because I am not pushing for tons of communication and work to be added to this simple plan, I am praying that we can keep up with Victory Time for the long haul until we indeed achieve and maintain victory.
Senior singles: This group, singles aged fifty-five on up, unless announced otherwise, meets in the fellowship hall on the first Sabbath every month after the second service. They are a social group.
Because there is no ROLLWMS in December, the next study cycle will not begin until January 1, 2025.
12/18: Pastor Karen Cook will be the teacher.
12/18: River Comfort practice in the office after service in preparation for the 45th-anniversary program.
12/21: Minister Jacob Menninga’s birthday offering
12/21: Christmas caroling downtown 7:30 PM. We will start out at the art museum property facing Rosa Parks Circle (right across from Uccello’s). We will probably go eat together at Denny’s on Plainfield afterwards.
12/24: Some widows’ group members that meet here will have a Christmas party from 4:30 PM to 9 PM. FYI, the widows’ group, during time the days that get dark early, will be adding some Tuesday afternoon meetings for those who cannot drive in the dark. As always, be aware that when they are using the building, if any ROL members needs to accomplish something outside of the kitchen and fellowship hall, the widows group understands that there may be some ROL traffic while they are there too.
12/25: Christmas. We will meet in the fellowship hall. Robert and Rosemary will be ministering . Kingdom Youth Force and Powerhouse will stay in the adult meeting. Children’s Church will meet in their own room. We will have a light lunch after the service. It would be great if you would bring side snacks and desserts – we will provide sloppy joes and drinks.
Please send me, rbarnesrol@aol.com, an email by 12/23 in the afternoon stating that you (and whoever comes with you) will be there so I have some sort of idea as to how to plan the food . I am not looking for exact numbers. E.g., if someone decides at the last minute to come I will make sure I have enough to accommodate that possibility.
12/28: River Comfort practice on platform right after second service
1/1/25 : ROLLWMS work resumes: The books are Micah, Amos, Titus, Hosea, and Joel.
1/1: River Comfort practice on the platform after service.
1/1/25: Minister Hannah Scheider will be teaching.
1/4/25: We celebrate the 45th anniversary of River of Life Ministries. In both services we will have open pulpits with the Word and our talents. The general theme will be our thankfulness for the many wonderful experiences we have had in 2024 and/or what we pray the Lord will do for us in 2025.
We will have a continental breakfast at 10:30 AM and a potblessing after church.
1/8/25: Pastor Cliff Baker will be teaching.
1/8/25 & 1/11/25: Robert and Rosemary plan to be in Florida to be with E.G. (his birthday is 1/8/25).
1/19 : We will have the first of two annual sacrificial giving offerings. This offering is used to help with the Pastors’ social security taxes. The second one will be on 6/7 /25.
1/22/25: Pastor Karen Cook will be teaching.
1/25: ROLLWMS: Students teach in first service; communion in the second service.
1/26: We start the study of Zachariah, Malachi, and 1 John.
1/26/25: Sunday: 6:30 PM : Our annual (dress up) holiday party for Positioned Leadership (with their significant others): There will be a gift exchange . Women take a gift for a woman, men for a man. This is simply a gesture of good cheer ; it is not meant to be an expensive gift. Around 10.00 or so a piece is fine. If you find a “good as new” item , that is fine too. (Sometimes you can find something for 10.00 that someone else paid 50.00 for. That is always fun.)
This is a potblessing. A main dish and drinks will be supplied by the church. That leaves salads, vegetables , and desserts for others to bring.
2/5/25: Pastor Karen Vander Vliet will be teaching.
2/10 : The ROLLWMS work from 9/29 to 11/30/24 and 1/1 to 1/25 is due .
2/12/25: Minister Hannah Schneider will be teaching.
2/19/25: Pastor Cliff Baker will be teaching.
2/22: ROLLWMS: Students teach in the first service; communion will take place in the second service.
2/23: We start studying Daniel and Revelation
2/27: Work from cycle ending 2/22 is due.
3/1: Pastor Robert Barnes’ birthday offering
3 /4: Positioned Leadership Meeting, 6:45 PM: Potblessing, finance reports
3/12: Pastor Karen Vander Vliet will be teaching.
3/19: Pastor Karen Cook will be teaching.
3/22 Deacon Richard Menninga’s birthday offering
3/26: Minister Hannah Schneider will be teaching.
3/29: ROLLWMS
3/30: We will start studying Daniel and Revelation
4/3: Work from the cycle ending 3/29 is due.