Our next monthly Praise & Prayer Gathering at Centre Grove will be Sunday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m.

Each month, we’re focusing on a different characteristic of God. This month, we’ll focus on wisdom.

In the book, God as He Longs for You to See Him, Chip Ingram explains how a proper understanding of the wisdom of God has caused him to look at circumstances differently and to experience progressive spiritual growth. Based on what he has discovered he asserts, “until we grasp what it means that God is all-wise, we will never be able to trust and rest in his wise plan for our life.”

Everyone is welcome as we learn more about the wisdom of God!

During Lent, the period of time from Ash Wednesday (Feb 22) until Easter (Apr 8), small groups will focus on “24 Hours That Changed the World!” based on a book and video by Adam Hamilton. Each week, we’ll watch a video segment, and then discuss it.

Walk with Jesus on his final day.
Sit beside him at the Last Supper.
Pray with him in Gethsemane.
Follow him to the cross.
Desert him. Deny him.
Experience the Resurrection.

The study is designed to help you experience and understand the significance of Jesus’ suffering and death in a way you never have before. Groups meet on Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, and there will be a Sunday morning group that meets during Sunday School. If you’re interested in participating in one of these small groups during Lent, please contact the church office at 765-6031.

Once a month during the fall and spring, we conduct Praise & Prayer Gathering at Centre Grove. The next one is 6:30 p.m., Sunday, February 12.

We know that God is holy. But do we really understand what that means? This month, we will consider what the Scriptures say about God’s holiness and how we should respond.

A.W. Tozer writes …

We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible, and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire his wisdom, but his holiness he cannot even imagine.

Everyone is welcome!

In October 2011, we began serving monthly free dinners. On Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 4:30 p.m., we will host our next monthly FREE dinner for anyone in the community!

Everyone is invited. It’s a practical way of saying, “God loves you!” We’ve had a good response from people in the community, so far. We hope to see you here on January 22!

Centre Grove invites you to attend special services this weekend!

Christmas Eve
Saturday evening, we’ll have a special Christmas Eve Candlelight service, with Christmas carols, special music, and a message. The service starts at 7:00 p.m.

Christmas Day—A Birthday Part for Jesus!
Christmas is on Sunday this year. At 10:15 a.m. (our usual worship service time), we will hold a special Christmas morning celebration (there will be no Sunday school). It’ll be a simple service with a few Christmas carols and a message about the significance of the day. We should be done by 11:00. As you celebrate Christmas with your family, consider attending a birthday party for Jesus at Centre Grove!

On Sunday, December 18 at 4:30 p.m., we will conduct our third monthly FREE dinner for the community!

We offer these meals to anyone and everyone who’s interested. It’s a practical way of saying, “God loves you!” We’ll open with Scripture and prayer, and then servers will bring food to you. There will be live music during the meal. And, since this meal takes place one week before Christmas, we will be singing Christmas carols!

Everyone is invited. We hope to see you here!

Last month, we started a new, monthly FREE dinner for the community (along with a Trunk-or-Treat for Halloween). It was awesome. We hope you were able to be here. At least two-thirds of the people who attended were NOT from Centre Grove!

Why is Centre Grove offering a free meal? It’s a practical way of saying, “God loves you!”

We invite you to our next free community dinner — 4:30 p.m., Sunday, November 20, 2011!

We’ll open with Scripture and prayer, followed by the meal. Everyone is invited. We hope to see you here!

At Centre Grove, we want to be a blessing to others. Here are three specific ways to help others this holiday season.

Provide Materials to Help With Disaster Relief and Recovery!
Mission Central, a disaster relief agency located in Mechanicsburg, PA provides Cleaning Kits and Health Kits (among other things!) to areas hit hard in recent storms and floods, including right here in Pennsylvania. You can help by donating materials for the kits. Drop them off Centre Grove or make a financial contribution that will provide cleaning kits and health kits.

Here’s the list of items needed for Health Kits:

• 1 hand towel 15” x 25” to 17”x 27” kitchen (cleaning and microfiber towels not acceptable)
• 1 washcloth
• 1 comb (comb needs to be sturdy and at least 8” long; no pocket combs or picks please; rattail combs and combs without handles are acceptable)
• 1 metal nail file or clipper (no emery boards or toenail clippers please)
• 1 bath size soap (3 oz. and larger sizes only all brands are acceptable; do not remove from original packaging)
• 1 toothbrush (adult size only do not remove from original packaging)
• 6 adhesive bandages (¾” to 1″ size common household band aids)
• $1.00 to purchase toothpaste-in separate envelope

Assembly Directions: Set the $1.00 for toothpaste aside to be included in a separate envelope. Lay out the hand towel flat on a table. Lay the washcloth flat in the center of the hand towel. Place all remaining items on top of the wash cloth. Fold over the sides of the hand towel to cover all of the items. Fold over one end of the hand towel so that it covers all of the items. Grasp the bundle of items tightly and roll over the remainder of the hand towel tightly. Place the tightly rolled bundle in the plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.

Support Operation Christmas Child
Centre Grove is filling shoeboxes as part of Operation Christmas Child. You can either fill a shoebox yourself and/or make a financial contribution to help the youth group fill shoeboxes. This Sunday (11/6), the youth will collect money to go shopping during the afternoon. Money is also needed to cover shipping ($7 per box). Brochures/Labels, with more info, are available in the church office. They’re also available online.

Give Gifts for the Children of the United Methodist Home for Children
Please see the list outside the church office or look for it in the latest church newsletter. It’s also currently listed on the Home’s website. There’s a box at the parking lot entrance marked “Children’s Home Christmas Donations.” Please place your donations in the box no later than November 27.

For more info on any of these (or other) opportunities, call the Centre Grove church office at 765-6031 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Thanks for your generosity!

4:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 kicks off a great evening of special activities for the whole family, especially the kids!

We’re having a free spaghetti dinner for the community. Afterward, children under 14 (accompanied by an adult) can receive enjoy Trunk-or-Treat in the church parking lot!

We will also have face painting and lots of fun activities for the kids. There will also be a registration for prizes!

We hope to see you here!