THE NAIL

The congregation built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it, and admire its beauty. Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure -- except the nail. No one even knew he was there, and he became angry and jealous. "If I am that insignificant, nobody will miss me if I quit!" So the nail then released its hold, slid down the roof, and fell in the mud.

That night it rained and rained. Soon, the shingle that had no nail blew away, and the roof began to leak. The water streaked the walls and the beautiful murals. The plaster began to fall, the carpet was stained, and the pulpit Bible was ruined by water. All this because a little nail decided to quit! But what of the nail? While holding the shingle, it was obscure but it was also useful. Buried in the mud it was just as obscure, but now it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!

THOUGHT: Every member is important to the church. You may, like the nail, feel obscure at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. When you are not present for worship, in some way the body of Christ hurts. We are all a part of the Lord's building.
"For we are all God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building." 1 Corinthians 3:9

The Nativity story : This week several pastor's were invited to watch a pre-view of the new movie “The Nativity Story”, the story of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not your typical, adrenalin-pumping Hollywood fare, but it's a well scripted movie where the producer has worked hard at following scripture. It is acted with sensitivity, and helps give a graphic, real-life picture to the Christmas story. I highly recommend it to all as an excellent family movie to watch. It's rated “G”, and the children will enjoy it. Happy viewing.

Cloths Bank : Are you ready to spring clean your home? We'd like to ask for old clothes, school books, story books, etc, that we can give to the children's homes around us for Christmas. If you have adult clothes we could also use them for people in need. We will leave some large boxes at the entrance of the church each Sunday. Bring your things and drop them in there so we can sort them out later, clean them and then distribute them. Please be generous.

Margaret’s progress: Praise the Lord for all those who responded to the appeal for O Negative blood-type. Margaret got enough blood for the operation, which went well. She is still in hospital, but doing very well. For those who don't know her, Margaret is Charles Mwai's (RoadChef) sister-in-law.

Please pray for Steve & Cyndy who were recently bereaved when their baby passed away. Pray that God's comfort would be very close to them in this time of pain.

Please also pray for Mr. Maina, Irene Maina's father, who underwent an operation this week. He is recovering well at home. Praise the Lord.

Pray for James Kaniaru who underwent an operation to remove a brain tumor. He is at Nairobi hospital (Lady McMillan room 18). Pray for complete healing

Muthoni Murimi lost her mum. Please pray with her and the family.

Child Dedication: the following children are to be dedicated today

Christmas services: Christmas this year falls on a Monday. We will not be holding a Christmas Day service.

Ekklesia: Would you like to join an Ekklesia group? Please pass by the Information Desk after the service and sign up.

Giving: Thank you once again, for your giving through the month of November. Our total giving was 2.8 m. God has been good to us as a church because of your faithful giving. I trust that you have seen his faithfulness at a personal level as he has kept his promise to bless you even as you faithfully give to his work.

Jobs, jobs, jobs! Do you need a job? If so, then please write us and let us know. Mention your area of training, what sort of job you are looking for, qualifications, past experience, etc. Include your CV is you have one. We'd like to compile a list and circulate it to potential employers in our congregation. If you are looking for a high powered job we will mention it in our bulletin early in the year; but this isn't just for big jobs. Don't be afraid to list your name even if you are looking for a house-help job, gardening, office messenger or whatever.

For those with the power to employ, please remember your own brothers and sisters here in our congregation as you look at hiring new people at the beginning of the new year. Remember what Paul says in Gal 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”. We are prepared to help you pre-interview anyone you are interested in on the list, and follow up on referees and leads. We'd really like those in need of jobs among us to get a break, especially as a new year begins.

Testimony Sunday: is coming! 31st December. Testimony Sunday is that service where we all give testimony of what the Lord has done for us in the course of the year. Prepare yourself to share a brief (like 3 mins) testimony from your life. It's gotta be personal, and needs to give God glory for his goodness. Ps 107:19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds . . . Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.”

Min opportunities: Early next year we'd like to begin a Women's Ministry. We're looking for 6 or 7 women who can give us leadership in this. Would you like to be involved? If so, please give us your name at the information table so that we can begin praying and seeking the Lord on this together.

Young Adults Fellowship: We'd also like to gather the young adults into fellowship. Are you a leader? Do you have a desire to lend your best to the service of God among the young adults. If you'd like to serve in the brainstorming team, please list your name at the information table after the service.

School of Prayer: Do you have the gift of intercession, the gift of knowledge of prophetic words, the gift of discernment? Would you like to go to the next level in discerning prayer? Join up for the school of prayer 10 weeks of study on how to be an intercessor. The class will be taught by Pastor Simon Mbevi of Mavuno Church.

School of Service: Have you ever wanted to serve in the Ushering ministry of the church. Or as a “Greeter” (one of those people who meet you as you come into church, smile and brighten up your day? Yes, yes I know you're asking “Which ones?” Exactly!) We want to train you for a new ministry, that of welcoming and receiving people as they come to church. The Ushers serve and seat us, but are not able to receive, chat with and help people feel connected when they come . . . so, can you help? One of our members (Mrs. Esther Ikinya) who trains Kenya Airways hostesses, has offered to teach us how to reach out to people, and “brightening up their day”, making them feel at home. If you can serve your church in this way, please list your name at the information table after the service. The 5 session course begins mid-January.

Pastor Oscar leaves next week for Urbana (Dec 27 31). Apart from Urbana he will be preaching at 2 of our partner churches (Chapel Hill Bible Church in N. Carolina on Dec 10th ; and Grace Community Church in Indianapolis on Dec 17th). Please pray for him as he travels on our behalf, and as he addresses these different communities of faith, especially the large gathering at Urbana.

Thank God for the Upper Hill Ekklesia group that has volunteered to give leadership to the “Tree of Joy” Christmas project this year. This project will be an opportunity for the church members to buy gifts for children in one or two selected orphanages during the Christmas season. Pray for Ekklesia members as they consider two orphanages that they will lead the church to get involved in, that the Lord will show them where there is need and how to respond. Pray also for an enthusiastic and joyful response in our congregation, that many of us will buy gifts to bless those children who would otherwise not have a chance to enjoy Christmas.

Pray for the youth ministry, the “Tanari Trust” and parents of 12-13 year olds as they together finalize the plans for the “Rights of Passage” (Ropes) camp this year. The camp will help the 12-13 year olds in our church and other churches that partner in the Tanari Trust to transition from childhood to teenage. Over the last one year the children have been going through classes to prepare them for this transition. The Ropes Camp, held separately for boys and girls, will be the crowning event of the year and a milestone in their lives as they transition in a culturally and spiritually appropriate way. Pray that this will be successful.

Praise the lord - we were able to buy the new PA equipment in South Africa last week, and are now at the stage of testing and integrating it into our present system. We trust this will give us better sound overall. It cost us quite a lot of money, but should allow us to expand and grow for a long time to come. Thank you for your prayers, and for the generous giving that made it possible.

Schools have closed for the Christmas break. It is going to be a long holiday. Pray for families, that this is going to be a fruitful time of bonding. Pray for protection for the children and that they will be able to find good ways of spending their time.