Many of America’s elderly are cast aside by society into facilities called nursing homes. Some are all but forgotten by their families. While we cannot address all of the challenges across the nation, we are trying to be a light to those who live at Pekin Manor.

The fourth Monday of the month, families from Providence gather together to sing and fellowship with a gathering of the elderly. This is a warm time for us. We have gotten to know a number of residence personally. Our prayer is that our investment with these aged men and women is a joyful time for them.

This has also proven to be a time of teaching for our young people. They are learning that the aged are not to be feared or cast off. But, regardless of age, friendships are being built that can last throughout eternity.

We meet at Pekin Manor at 6:30 pm, and then typically head over to Deacon Ryken’s house for an ice cream fellowship. Plan on joining us!

It has often been said, “A church alive is worth the drive!” And so it seems to be the case with Providence. We have clusters of families driving to worship with us from as far away as the Aledo area! While this is a powerful testimony of what God is doing in our midst, it is also an issue of prayer. Thus, we are a “geographically challenged” church body.

It is interesting, this challenge is one that has historically confronted the church, especially here in America. As communities were established, farms developed far and wide. While the folks in the towns saw each other on a frequent basis, the outlying families would only be able to gather for the Sunday meeting. Yet, these families would try to meet at other, less formal, occasions.

And so, to help all of the families of Providence experience more regional community, we have encouraged the development of local gatherings. We call these community groups. This is a time where the Bible is read, psalms and hymns are sung, and folks spend time getting to know one another. It is also our prayer that God may use these groups as evangelism centers. We pray the Lord will birth new churches from these gatherings, allowing us to spread the mission of Providence all across Central Illinois and beyond.

We have a number of these community groups meeting now; Aledo, Downs, Hopedale, Morton, Pekin and Peoria. If you are interested in these gatherings, please contact our church office for more details.

309-387-2600

Some churches call it Sunday School, but we consider this to be a special time for discipling the members of our church—that is why we call it Disciple Makers.

Many churches choose to educate their members in age segregated classrooms, where a specific lesson is geared toward the age group or segment of church. Adults meet with adults, children meet with children, teens with teens, etc. Survey after survey has shown that this type of segregated teaching is missing the mark. Less than 9% of professing Christians have a Christian worldview and young people are leaving the faith in droves.

And so, Disciple Makers our “Sunday School” hour, is a corporate event. We sit together as families and learn as a families. This time is designed to augment and reinforce the discipleship that is going on in the home.

This hour is segmented into three parts. First, we recognize those who have memorized Scripture, then we have an interactive lesson that is doctrinally rich. After this, we break into four groups, sopranos, altos, tenors and bases, and learn to sing a couple of hymns in four-part harmony. Even if you can’t sing, you can make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

We meet weekly for Disciple Makers at 2:30 PM in the sanctuary.

Psalm 112 Men is a meeting of men and sons on the first and third Tuesday evening of each month to discuss topics relevant to Christian living in today’s culture.

Psalm 112:1-2 tells us, “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”

This outlines the goal of the Psalm 112 Men. We strive to understand the Lord, His Word, and His commandments so that we might live effectively as salt and light in the world and train our young men to be mighty through God and that through them, a new generation will come to know the blessings of God.

This is not your “typical” men’s group, but rather a time of deeper discussion, challenge and accountability. The time is typically divided into five segments.

Information
The first 15-20 minutes is used by the elders to communicate any decisions that have been made by the leadership of Providence, any changes that are coming, or any other general information that the men of the church need to know. The men are also encouraged to bring their own points of discussion at this time.

Teaching/Discussion
We then spend some time in teaching. This is often a book study on doctrine or men’s issues. Sometimes we leverage a DVD series. One of the elders prepares a list of discussion questions for evaluation and contemplation.

Accountability and Prayer
We then separate into groups comprised of three to five households and discuss the points presented. It is an opportunity for each man to share the practical implications of the topic and to seek the accountability of others and to pray diligently for the needs of the families in the church.

Sharing
We then gather together again and spokesmen from each group are encouraged to share the concepts they discussed on the small groups. This time allows us to learn from each other and gain deeper insights into the point of discussion.

Fellowship
After this, we break into a time of informal fellowship – and dessert!

We start at 7:00 pm, with a goal of wrapping everything up by 9:00 pm.

For information on this ministry, please contact Pastor James McDonald at 309-387-2600.

The Women’s Ministry of Providence Church seeks to carry out the directives set forth in Titus 2 where the older women are called to “admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (Titus 2:4-5)

Women are encouraged to reflect God’s glory daily in their homes, in the church, and in their communities:

• as they delight in their God-given design
• as they grow, by God’s Grace, in sanctification
• as they manage their homes and practice hospitality
• as they learn to love and honor their husbands
• as they seek to train and nurture their covenant children
• as they humbly serve one another

Join the ladies of Providence Church for a variety of ongoing studies coupled with good food and fellowship. Ladies are encouraged to bring either a finger food or dessert to share with the group.

The Heart of Chastity

The current six-week study is called The Heart of Chastity. In Titus 2 one of the specific things Paul tells older women they should teach younger women is to be chaste. But as ladies will learn in this study, being chaste is more than a physical state of being; it’s an active virtue.

Discussion classes will be held from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m on the following Tuesday evenings:

August 10, 2010
August 24, 2010
September 14, 2010
September 28, 2010
October 12, 2010
November 9, 2010

For information on this fellowship, please contact Stacy McDonald or Katherine Sanford at 309-387-2600

Also, take some time to be encouraged by Stacy’s message, Weary Women.