Weekly Update - Tuesday, December 8, 2009

In This Issue:

• Gathering/Cookie Exchange
• Bell ringing
• Faithwalkers coming up!
• Gathering is next week
• Update your information
• Follow us on Twitter and YouTube!
• Prayer Requests
• Celebrations!

Gathering/Cookie Exchange

This Wednesday night, Dec. 9, is going to be a busy one for Mars Hill Church! The ladies will be hosting a Christmas cookie exchange at the North Ridge Pavilion in Coralville from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be no Gathering for the children this week, which means, Dads, you are on your own with the kids!  We will be keeping an eye on the weather for the Wednesday Night Cookie exchange.  Look for an update tomorrow morning for more details.

Bell ringing

The Salvation Army is once again having volunteers ring the bells outside of 15 locations in Iowa City and Coralville as their major fundraiser for the year. And once again, Mars Hill will be helping out, with each house church ringing the bell and manning the kettles at locations throughout the area. For more information, check with your house church leaders or contact Matt Eisenhammer. 

Faithwalkers coming up!

Still looking for a time that could be life-changing? Are you the type that waits until the last minute to sign up for things? Well, even though the early deadlines have come and gone, it's still not too late to sign up for this year's Faithwalkers, taking place December 27 to 30, at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. This year's conference will be focusing on the theme of "Changing Lives," with the list of seminars being offered and schedule now available for viewing. In addition, parents can also find the consent forms they will need for their children on the official Web site.

Though meals will be provided along with conference materials, everyone is responsible for their own lodging.You can go to a nearby hotel (Here are some suggested places), or you can be blessed by Candlewood Church in Omaha. Candlewood's members are opening up to 25 houses and apartments where folks can sleep and get breakfast during the course of the conference. This would be ideal for anyone considering not coming because of financial pressures or the prospect of hotel costs. For more information, contact Pastor Rory Whitney.

For more information on the conference itself or to register for it, go to the Faithwalkers Web site.

Update your information

Do we have your updated contact information? We are still in the process of updating and tweeking a lot of our communications, including our Web site. One way you can help is by updating your contact information, including putting your current address, phone number and e-mail address in our directory. You can do so by logging in on the Mars Hill Web site, and click on "manage my profile." For more information or for help, please e-mail the Web team.

Follow us on Twitter and YouTube!

Are you on Twitter? Do you like getting your info in a 140 characters or less? Then be sure to follow Mars Hill on Twitter today! How about YouTube? New videos will begin being posted at Mars Hill's own YouTube page. Subscribe to both today!

Prayer Requests

• Continued healing and grace for Jessica Darling and her family.
• Vision and zeal for the Decorah church plant.
• Continued vision and zeal for the Goerings on their mission to Germany and Europe, and for the rest of us to gain that vision and zeal with their visit last month.
• For our sister church in Pamplona, Spain, for grace and wisdom in making disciples for Christ at both universities in Pamplona.
• For the continued outreach efforts in India, including showings of the Jesus Film and Tom Short's planned trip there in January.
• For the Milan, Italy, church to be able to start a Bible study with those who are spiritually interested.
• For the success of the "Family Zone," a new fellowship focused on marriage and family issues, at the Poznan, Poland, church.
• For our and others' gifts to Operation Christmas Child this year. 
• For our sister church in Guapiles, Costa Rica that their economic situation would improve to be able to pay the rent on their building, for recovery efforts following last year's earthquake.
• The health and well-being of our expectant mothers.
• For laborers here and at our sister churches in Manhattan, Kan., Seattle, and Sandy, Utah.

Celebrations!

• Gemma Sautter!
• Our sister church in Guapiles, Costa Rica has had 19 baptisms and has its first deacon!
• The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ (the true meaning of Christmas)!