New Date - 50th Anniversay Golf Tournament & Picnic

Join us for ARBC's 50th Anniversary Golf Tournament and Picnic. To learn more, contact Jim or Connie Priddy. Register at the sign-up sheets in the church foyer.

Date: Saturday, July 31
Time:
Golf - 10:00 AM
Picnic - about 3:00 PM
Location:
Golf - Littleton Golf & Tennis Center (corner of Bowles & Federal)
Picnic - Cornerstone Park, Senior Shelter - 5150 South Windermere.

Posted by arbc at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

July 2010

There was a movie that was popular back in the mid ‘80s called Back to the Future; it told the story of Marty McFly, a teenager who was accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955. He met his parents when they were still in high school, accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty had to repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, while finding a way to return to 1985.

I would like you to travel back in time in your mind to the day on which you heard the Gospel and made a confession of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Some of you were very young and made your confession as a child; others of you may have been a teen, and still others made the decision as adults.

Did you know that your story of when and the circumstances around how you became a Christian can be an inspiration to others – to both believers and non-believers? When you tell your story to a believer, it encourages them to think of the events that surrounded their coming to Christ. As a further result of hearing your story they are encouraged to tell their story to someone else.

One of the hurdles we have as Christians is thinking that the testimony of how we made a decision for Christ is not that big of a deal. We tend to think that way because we have heard great testimonies of people who were running with the devil and then “BAM” Christ came to them like a flash of light on a Damascus highway. The truth is, most of us don’t have that sort of testimony as we compare our story to theirs. Let me encourage you not to compare your testimony with others, because yours is just as important. God will use your testimony if you will be bold enough to tell it.

As you think of sharing your testimony with a not-yet believer, let me remind you that it is not your job to save anyone or to convince someone to follow Christ. Your job is simply to tell your story, be a witness of what Christ has done for you and share the Good News. That’s it. God will take over at that point. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts a not-yet believer of their sins. As God reveals their sin to them you may then have the opportunity to share how to become a believer – the Good News.

So your testimony is important! Never forget that. Never forget that the Lord wants to use you to be His feet, hands and mouth for His glory. So now that we have traveled back in time to revisit when you came to Christ, it’s time to return “back to the future.” Will you be prepared and allow God to use you in reaching others? I hope so.

Remember, we’re all in this together and I’m pulling for ya! Bro. Danny

Posted by arbc at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Please Pray for Us!

On July 10, our youth and sponsors will be taking the bus to Ottawa, Ontario, on a mission trip. We’ll return Sunday, July 18. It would mean so much to us if you would lift us up in prayer...

We are going with World Changers, a North American Mission Board short-term youth mission group. During the days, our students will be involved in construction projects as well as looking for witnessing opportunities. Each evening will consist of worship and teaching. That should be good!

Let me know if you need more information. I will have email access while at Centrifuge at Glorieta (the week of June 21); feel free to contact me that way or on my cell phone. Thank you!

Posted by arbc at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

To God be the Glory

It seems that people were truly and deeply blessed by the 50th Anniversary Celebration. The fellowship was warm and sweet, and we want to say again, “thank you” to everyone, and there are so many, who worked to make the weekend a wonderful time of remembering what God has done for us these past 50 years as well as looking forward to what He will do in the future. “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37).

About 60 people came for the reception on Saturday morning, and about 40 came for the “Youth” Pizza Party. There were 411 at our first service Sunday morning, and 171 at the afternoon service.

It is not too late to order your Memory Book ($5), which will include testimonies from the weekend, new and old pictures, a detailed history of ARBC, its people and more. Just call the church office. We would love to include your impressions about the celebration. Please write a brief paragraph and turn it into the church office, or give it to Mary Anne Burk. The same holds true for any pictures you may have taken over the weekend.

Our new cookbook turned out beautifully, and we still have plenty for sale ($15).

We wanted to specifically thank a few people, in addition to those who were mentioned on the back of the weekend’s program, namely, those who assisted at the registration table and those who were greeters, the many who contributed pictures and memorabilia, our speakers: Francis Wilson, Ron Brown, Bob Ryan, Jack McCaskill, Kathy Peterson and Dave Elliott. We were so proud of our Gloryland Men’s Quartet, the Adult Choir, Eldon Brown on cornet, and Kent McDowell, who sang to thrill our hearts. As always, we appreciate Dolores Sears and Diane Weston serving in their positions as organist and pianist, respectively. Finally, many of you prayed for the weekend, and that is perhaps the most important work of all. Thank you all!

Posted by arbc at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

America, The Beautiful

Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) wrote, edited and taught English in her native Massachusetts. Occasionally, she wrote hymns, too.

On a trip to Colorado, Bates was greatly impressed by amber waves of grain, fruited plains and purple mountain majesties. She believed that God had definitely shed His grace all across this land. A visit to the summit of Pikes Peak inspired Bates to write her most famous poem-hymn, America, the Beautiful.

Bates also realized that patriotism was an important part of America. She was grateful for heroes “who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life.” She wanted all Americans to realize how God had shed His grace on them and had crowned what was good “with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.”

Bates embodied the spirit of thankfulness to God for all she had experienced and been given.

Posted by arbc at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

06.06.10.:.Youth Spaghetti Lunch & Baked-Goods Auction

After the morning service on Sunday, June 6th, our youth will host a spaghetti lunch and live auction of delicious baked goods. All money raised will go help students pay their way to a mission trip to Ontario and/or Centrifuge camp this summer.

Posted by arbc at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

MEF 2010 Bible Conference

Music Evangelism Foundation Conference – Evening of Music

When: June 21 - 25, 2010

Where: Village Seven Presbyterian Church

Click here for directions.

This is an absolutely FREE conference that has the country’s BEST preaching and singing - all within driving distance (Colorado Springs).

Starting in 1985, MEF Evening of Music has become the most popular and best-attended event of the week-long MEF Bible Conference.

Posted by arbc at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

Remember

As I have been reading through the Old Testament, one of the things that has been sticking out to me is how over and over again God tells the Israelites to make sure that they do not forget the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:12 states, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” As God was leading the Israelites to the land that He had promised them, over and over again He made it very clear that their greatest temptation when they entered the land was that they would forget the Lord. Specifically, that they would forget what the Lord had done on their behalf. Despite God’s numerous warnings, the Israelites became content and happy and forgot the Lord, and the results were devastating. Forgetting the Lord led the Israelites to serve other gods, which led to their destruction time and time again. The temptation for the Israelites is the same temptation that we have today.

I say to you and to myself, “do not forget the Lord.” Do not forget the Lord, instead remember. Remember how He has worked in your life in the past and is working in your life right now. Here is what I would like you to do. Sometime very soon (so you don’t forget) write out your testimony of how God intervened in your life and brought you from death to life. After you do this, will you make a copy for me and give it to me? I am not entirely sure what I am going to do with the testimonies, but I would like to put something together that we can look at so that we do not forget the Lord, but instead that we will remember the Lord and the amazing ways in which He has worked in and through each of us. Send me your testimonies, and also stories of miracles that have happened in your life when God miraculously intervened in a situation. Feel free to mail these stories to the church, e-mail them to me, or give them to me when you see me. Let’s encourage one-another as we remember the Lord and what He has done! Thanks, and I look forward to receiving your letters!

In Christ,
Josh

Posted by arbc at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

June 2010

Someone once said, “Unless you act on it, vision is just a dream – interesting but ultimately worthless.” There has been talk recently about ARBC’s vision and mission. Sometimes there is confusion with these two terms, and I would like for all of us to be on the same page so that we know where to emphasize our focus.

In the above acrostic the vision is vertical and mission is horizontal. Our vision is what God is calling us to do either in the immediate or distant future. We look up (vertically) to God for His vision for His church. The Lord sets the destination – that’s vision. But there is also a direct correlation to sight. Sight is what I see in front of me. Sight lets us look at the community around us to learn who the people are if our eyes are open. Sight informs vision because we must see where we are before we can go where He wants. A GPS in your car always begins with where you are before it plots a route to your destination. This is why tools such as surveys and demographic studies are helpful; they help us to see where we are. So, sight sees things the way they are, while vision sees things the way they can be. Vision takes faith while sight does not. The church needs both sight and vision.

A mission statement is the calling we have to minister to people. Mission is what a church exists to do. Emil Brunner put it this way, “The church exists by mission as fire exists by burning.” There is no fire without burning and there is no church without a mission. In the acrostic above the word mission is horizontal because it represents the church ministering to people. ARBC’s mission statement reads, “Celebrating the love of Jesus Christ by reaching out to the community and by nurturing and preparing the fellowship of believers for service to the Lord.”

Vision is about where we are going and who God wants the church be in 5, 10, 20 and the next 50 years. Mission is the ministry tasks we do to help us get to where we are going.

Let me give you the cliff notes version: Vision is about our relationship with God, as James 4:8 reads, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Mission is about our relationship with people – how we can meet them, love them, and meet their needs with the first need being a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I truly believe that if church members would see their life and work as part of the mission of the church, then every member of the church would be active in reaching others for Christ. Now is the time to step up and shoulder weekly kingdom responsibilities.

Remember, we’re all in this together and I’m pulling for ya!
Pastor Danny

Posted by arbc at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)

Celebrating 50 years of God’s blessings!

Saturday, June 12:
9:30 am – 1:30 pm: Come & Go Reception at the church
10:00 AM - 5PM: Annual ARBC Golf Tournament at Littleton Golf & Tennis, 5800 South Federal Blvd, followed by cookout & picnic for all golfers and their families at Progress Park, 5100 South Hickory Street in Littleton
6:30 pm – 9 pm: Former Youth Ministers & Youth Pizza Fellowship

Sunday, June 13:
8:30 – 9:00 am: Registration
9:00 – 10:15 am: Fellowship
9:00 – 10:15 am: Optional Sunday School for Adults
10:30 am – Noon: Worship Service
12:15 – 1:30 pm: BBQ Lunch
1:30 – 2:45 pm: Afternoon Service

Our new cookbook has arrived! Purchase yours for $15. (They would make great gifts…)

Pictures will be taken on both Saturday and Sunday.
We will then print a memory book, which you may order; the cost will be approximately $5.

You will see a display of pictures and mementos from years gone by – maybe you’ll find yourself in them!

Posted by arbc at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)

2010 is ARBC's Golden Anniversary.
50 years of worship and ministry!

In 2010, ARBC will be celebrating our 50th year as a church. We will have an entire weekend to celebrate: June 12-13, 2010.
We have two requests of you. First, please save the dates on your calendar. Secondly, help us get the word about our anniversary celebration out to former church members.

If you will provide us with their names and addresses, we will send them information. Whatever information you have, please submit it in writing to the church office.
Thank you!

Posted by arbc at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)