We will be serving on a monthly basis at The Beacon, a facility in central Houston, that provides services and meals for the homeless. Our December opportunity will be December 13 from 900 AM to 1100 AM. Please contact Sylvester Washington to sign up for this month's outreach. We need ten to fifteen volunteers. Sylvester may be reached by phone at 281-437-9907 or by email at slywas@yahoo.com.

Community Christian Fellowship and Southway churches have formed a combined choir to celebrate the Christmas season with music. Performances will be Friday, December 11 at 700 PM, Saturday, December 12 at 600 PM, and Sunday December 13 at 600 PM. The cost is $5 per adult and $2 per child. Tickets are available from John Mayes, Irene Wright, and Sylvester Washington. Do plan to enrich your Christmas by attending this presentation.

A sincere thank you to all who contributed to Operation Christmas Child by packing a box or contributing towards the shipping. Our church sent 47 boxes to needy children this year! Many thanks to Sheri Bounds who chaired this event and who delivered the boxes for us!

Our children and youth will participate in a Christmas Party during services on December 13. The program will consist of a lesson and scriptures followed by food and a small gift certificate for each attendee. Please bring your children and grandchildren to this event, guests are welcome. For any questions, please contact Earle Bentley. His email is dlpbentley@hotmail.com.

Mission trip to San Francisco de Ocotan, State of Durango, Mexico from 1-8 November 2009: A total of 55 persons participated: 35 from Cuernavaca Morelos and 20 from the Church of City of Durango including 4 Doctors 5 Dentists and (first time) not only 1 but 2 optometrists. Medical Clinic: 482 were seen (1 surgery) Dental Clinic: 250 people treated Optometrists: 135 glasses issued Social work: clothing, toys, shoes, dental brushes, toothpastes, 170 hair cuts (both boys and girls) No christian literature was given. Found out we didn't have a "final" answer about the local authorities permitting us to evangelize population (more about this in final report). Clinic of the Soul consisted in five of us going "around" looking, "fishing" for souls around camp, wherever the Lord guided us. Result: 229 persons received our Lord Jesus in their hearts. NOTE: The family of an inmate (I'm his mentor) in the prison of Darrington in Rosharon, Texas, have their home in the outskirts of Cuernavaca (ASF Headquarters) and he asked me to visit'em. I went to their home, talked about him telling'em he had received the Lord Jesus and he was a "changed man" among other things. I evangelized the entire family (9 persons) (using the Bible and the Evangicube) and six of'em were saved: His mother, Aunt, 2 sisters and another sister and her husband. I went there by taxi and the husband and sister drove me back to where I was lodging. Our God has ways to do things that are beyond human understanding. Praise His Name.

You are encouraged to support this wonderful mission effort with your prayers and your contributions. Checks may be made out to United Pursuit and mailed to Raul Sifientes , 2904 Meridian Bay Ln, Dickinson TX 77539.

The following update was received from Gloria Johnson regarding Darnell's recovery: Good morning, Christians, Prayer Warriors, family and friends. I have the Darnell report: Completed the surgery, went well no complications. The tumor is responding to treatment and the PSA has gone down. He is up and about and having only occasional pain. Attitude is greatly improved. We are moving forward in the Hands of God. Thank all of you for you prayers and concerns. Continue praying for us, the doctors, and staff. His next schedule appointment is in 6 months. Praise be to the Lord!!!!!

Hello once again from Community Christian Fellowship. The other day I was talking with a teen who was feeling very upset about a relationship he was involved in (the opposite sex kind of relationship). He said it wasn't going well and that things were very confusing. When asked if he had talked with anybody else about it, he said "no". He was then asked if he had a best friend, and the teen responded that he did. So the question was then obvious, "Had he talked to his best friend about it?" The answer was once again, "No". The teen went on to explain that several years back he had attempted to talk with a friend about a relationship "problem", and the friend ended up judging him and making fun of him. The teen went on to explain that after that, he had never talked to people regarding his deepest hurts.

You know, we never consider how much of an affect the words we say or don't say to one another will have. This young person had become so cautious and wary regarding the ideas of others towards him, that he was now carrying a huge emotional load that was drastically affecting the way he was treating others. Now, he had to take, in his mind, a very big risk. He had to try to talk with someone whom he felt comfortable enough to trust.

When we think of God's love toward us in this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we need to realize that God loves us unconditionally. All that "stuff" that we think about with other people like "will they understand", "I hope they still like me", or "I wonder if they will be disappointed or mad" doesn't apply to God. In His son Jesus, He became real in the flesh so that we would not have to worry about such things; but we still do and He understands. We can go to God with ANYTHING, He has seen and heard it ALL. There is nothing that He won't forgive if we ask Him. He loves us that much. This is the "freedom in Christ" that Paul speaks of so many times. God has removed the fear of being eternally condemned if we will just begin to trust how much He really, really loves us.

May God continue to bless you and to keep you and your family during this wonderful Christmas season. Until next time, Pastor Mark