Glynlea Grace United Methodist Church l Southside l Arlington l Jacksonville Florida

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

This Sunday in class we got back on route in talking about the Heroes of The Old Testament, and this week we focused on Gideon.

Forty years after Deborah (she was the hero we ended on)led the Israelites, the people had stopped following God (they had forgotten about him) and they were being attacked by 2 enemy armies.

The angel of the Lord came to the place where Gideon was working. He sat beneath a tree and greeted Gideon loudly:"God is with you mighty hero" Gideon didn't know why the man called him a might hero: he also didn't know that he was talking to an angel.

Gideon asked: " Sir, why are all these terrible things happening to us,it seems that God has abandoned us."

The angel of the Lord said, " Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. You can be confident because I am sending you."

Gideon was confused because he was the weakest in the clan, in the weakest tribe, why didn't God chose someone else.

Gideon was very afraid but God was with him and every time Gideon got scared God would prove to him that he was there with him.

God helped Gideon defeat and army of thousand with only 300 men.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified the LORD your GOD goes with you he will never leave you nor forsake you.

It is very important that you always remember this. When ever you fell like you can't do something or you are alone, GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU!!! Just pray.

Remember always have FAITH.

Come join us in class on Sunday to learn who the next hero we are going to talk about.

We are taking a break on the Heroes of the Old Testament until after Christmas. We we will be talking about the Week's of Advent.

Advent Week 1- The Promise:Hope

Advent is the time of anticipation and preparation for our hearts and minds before Christmas. It is a Latin word for "The Coming" or "The Arrival". It refers to a time in the past when Jesus came into the world the first time, when he was born in Bethlehem; this is what we celebrate at Christmas. But Advent also refers to a time in the future when Jesus comes again-his second coming- as well as the process of growing as a Christian ( which can be described as Jesus "coming" more fully into our own lives). Advent is a season that prepares us to celebrate and remember the moment in history when Jesus was born, but it's also about God's on-going work in us and in the world, a time of preparing for and anticipating Jesus' promise: that he is coming again.

The first week of Advent is about HOPE thinking ahead to the hope we have for Jesus coming again, but also remembering back to the hope people had for Jesus before he came the first time.

Come to our class next Sunday to talk with us about the second week in ADVENT, see you there 10am Sunday morning.

Remember our Birthday day party for Jesus is going to be December 20th during Sunday School.

We have been reviewing the Heroes of the Old Testament:

We have already talked about:

Noah- When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.

Abraham- Abraham belived the lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

Moses-The the lord asked Moses, "Who makes a persons mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, or hear or do not hear,  see or do not see? Is is not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say."

Joshua-As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deborah-Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

We will be having our Spagetti Dinner November 28th at 6pm, then our Pie Eating Contest at 7:30pm.

December 20th at 10:00pm we will be having our Christmas Party, come and join us, games, music and food.

Our focus at Glynlea Grace is to teach the younger generation about Jesus and the church in a fun and easy way, involving everyone in the lesson. Making sure the lesson's are fun and exciting, not boring and dull. We want them to want to come back, we want them to get involved in our church, but in order to do that we have to be involved with them and make it fun.

In our youth we are discussing the ways to deal with middleschool and highschool, making the right decisions and having the right friends.It is hard at this age to know what the right thing is, that is why it is important to look towards God.

Share your stories, tell us what you think or  ask us what we think. Be part of a host of discussions, or start your own.