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Moving Toward Shalom Transforming Lives and Restoring Communities by Robert Blevins Conference Schedule JANUARY 26-27, 2019 SATURDAY 9AM to Noon Leadership Training with Michael Rhodes Michael will discuss how we can express grace more intentionally in our daily lives. 5:30PM to 8PM Family dinner & teaching session with Brian Fikkert Dr. Fikkert will share principles from his book, When Helping Hurts. Free tickets for the dinner are available. SUNDAY 9:30AM Worship Service Dr. Fikkert will preach. 11:00AM Connect Hour Local missions partners will join us to share opportunities to be a part of what God is doing in Huntsville. Other Opportunities C4 Conference Tuesday, February 26 8:30AM to 2:30PM at The Jackson Center R.E.A.C.H. MNA Mercy Conference March 29 & 30 at Southwood Randy Nabors, Tony Myles, and Scott Moore speaking PLUS 15 different workshops A friend of mine is a business owner and deacon at a large affluent church. A few years back he started looking around his community and was struck by the amount of economic disparity among his neighbors. At his church, he saw wealth, skills, and business connections. He asked, “How can we leverage our resources so that our neighbors flourish both spiritually and financially?” Today the church runs a ministry that teaches financial and Biblical literacy to their neighbors, with the goal of welcoming them into fellowship. One of their first graduates was hired to run a part of the program. I share my friend’s story not to propose a model for ministry, but as an example of what happens when we look around. When my friend looked around, he and his team connected resources with opportunities, resulting in shalom (peace) in the community. When you “look around” in your circle, what resources and opportunities do you see? This year our Express Grace Conference is titled “Moving Toward Shalom: Transforming Living & Restoring Communities.” We’ll hear from two authors who specialize in economic discipleship: Brian Fikkert (When Helping Hurts) and Michael Rhodes (Practicing the King’s Economy). Our ministry partners (organizations that serve the community) will share how Southwood congregants can get involved through volunteerism and prayer. More than just a single event, we want to catalyze the conversation about how we get to express grace in our everyday lives, through our individual lives with people around us, or as we serve with our partners. For the past year, our Community Development Team (aka “Comm Dev”) has been talking about how God invites us to express grace in healthy ways: We get to express grace humbly. God invites us into the work of restorative justice not because we have all the answers, but because He does. That requires humble listening and learning from the experiences of people who are different. We get to express grace sacrificially. The rich young ruler (Mark 10:17- 27) shows us that following Jesus demands our all. As we follow Him on the pathway toward community renewal, we might be asked to sacrifice our comfort, preferences, time, and money. We get to express grace as a lifestyle. God invites us to seek the good of our communities in every phase, at every stage--from the stay-at-home parent building relationships in the park, to the CEO who pays employees a livable wage, to the widower who reads to kids at a school. Tim Keller says, “Reweaving shalom means to sacrificially thread, lace, and press your time, goods, power, and resources into the lives and needs of others.” And it’s not that we “have” to do this kind of gospel-advancing work -- we get to. We hope that you’ll join us to kick off the year by learning how you can express grace humbly, sacrificially, and as a lifestyle in Huntsville and beyond. Dr. Brian Fikkert is a Professor of Economics and Community Development and the Founder and President of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College. He is coauthor of the best-selling book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself. Michael Rhodes is the co-author of Practicing the King’s Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give with Robby Holt and Brian Fikkert. He serves as the Director of Community Transformation and as an Associate Professor at the Memphis Center for Urban and Theological Studies (MCUTS). SOUTHWOOD.ORG 10 JANUARY 2019
Transforming Lives & Restoring Communities Our Domestic Missions Partners The Cornerstone Initiative The Cornerstone Initiative seeks to build relationships among people in the low income neighborhoods in Huntsville’s Westside, many of whom have lost hope. They encourage these neighbors to solve problems using the gifts God has given them. CornerStone also provides training through classes such as Faith and Finances and Jobs for Life. Reformed University Fellowship, UCB Chase Daws is a former Southwood High-Life member who now leads Reformed University Fellowship at UC Berkeley, along with his wife Holly and their two young sons. RUF Berkeley is a ministry committed to reaching students for Christ and equipping them to serve on their campus, in their communities, and in their local churches. Lincoln Village Ministry Lincoln Village Ministry provides housing rehabilitation, a private elementary school, the LINC afterschool program, Bible studies, and so much more in the Lincoln Village Neighborhood. Each facet works together to bring the transformative hope of the Gospel. LVPC proclaims the message of grace and hope through every avenue of ministry. Reformed University Fellowship, UAH RUF is a ministry of the PCA that welcomes students from any and all walks of life. RUF builds communities on college campuses that reach students of divergent beliefs and doubts with the message of the gospel and equip them to love and serve Jesus and his Church. RUF at UAH is led by Vinnie Athey, along with his wife Molly and their son Rhys. The Village of Promise The Village of Promise serves the needs of children and families from cradle to college to career in distressed neighborhoods. They offer education, health, and enrichment programs and family support services to help each child succeed in school. Their initial efforts are focused in northwest Huntsville. Second Mile Development Begun in 1985, Second Mile Development serves alongside Huntsville’s Terry Heights and Hillandale neighbors. They serve their community through several programs: The 29:11 Story, Pride for Parents (which includes the Neighborhood Store and the Baby Thrift Store), Second Mile Preschool, and Parent Initiative. Looking for an opportunity to extend Shalom to one of these domestic partners? Contact Robert Blevins at Robert.Blevins@southwood.org for more information. The Village Church The Village Church is a PCA congregation, planted by Southwood in 2008 and pastored by Alex Shipman. They understand that the gospel is the great equalizer among all people, for it presents us all as mutually broken people before the cross of Christ. Their vision is to embrace and extend God’s love in genuine community. Young Life Young Life works hard to develop long-term relationships with students. Whether through oneon-one contact, campaigners Bible study, or a week at summer camp, Young Life volunteers and staff work to show God’s love to students through the ministry of presence and teaching of God’s word. BRANCHES 11 JANUARY 2019
Page 1 and 2: Moving Toward Shalom: Transforming
Page 3 and 4: Pastor's Note Moving Toward Shalom
Page 5 and 6: I Feel the Need, the Need to Lead b
Page 7 and 8: 018 Christmas BRANCHES 7 JANUARY 20
Page 9: produce change. Adam has discovered
Page 13 and 14: January Parent Café by Derrick Har
Page 15 and 16: All That’s Fair: New Year’s Res

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