TURN HERE Davenport Church of Christ

2011-11-29T03:42:00.001-08:00

FREE ENGLISH CONVERSATION LESSONS
FriendSpeak begins November 30 at 68 Donlevy Avenue (Davenport Church of Christ) in Red Deer and continues every Wednesday from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.
Quickly improve your skills at speaking and understanding English conversations. Also improve your reading and pronunciation.
At FreindSpeak you will be matched with an experienced English speaker for meaningful conversations using the text of God's Word.
It is possible to meet at other times if Wednesday evening is not best for you.
Call John Smith at 403-347-3986 or email dchurchoc@gmail.com to register. Or just come any Wednesday evening.
Remember, FrinedSpeak gives you INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE speaking English more naturally and is FREE OF CHARGE.

Come to our Workshop...

2010-04-05T12:20:00.001-07:00

Workshop Schedule

2010-04-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

2010-04-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Our April 9-11 Workshop Leader…

Mike O’Rourke
Anaconda, Montana

Education:
- AA Degree York College, York Nebraska 1972
- BA Degree Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas 1974 - Bible and Religion
- BA Degree Requirements Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 1976 - Elementary Education
- MSEd Montana State University, Billings, Montana 1987 - Counseling

Work Experience:
• Middle School Teacher, (grades 6-8) Joplin, Montana (preached for church in Havre)
• Big Timber, Montana (helped plant church in Big Timber)
• Billings, Montana (Deacon with Billings church and interim pulpit minister
• Minister, Anaconda Church of Christ since 1990
• Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice since 1988 (Sunrise Family Counseling)
• Montana Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor since 1988
• Serving Churches of Christ in western Montana as itinerant counselor since 1995
• County Superintendent of Schools for Deer Lodge County since 1997

Other:
- Member of the Board at Yellowstone Bible Camp from 1992 until 2008
-President of the Board 1993-2008

Flooding in Mexico

2010-02-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Members of our congregation continue to serve on short term missions with True North Helping Hands in the Baja region of Mexico. Perhaps lost in all the tragedy of Haiti's earthquake disaster is the devastation caused by recent flooding in the Baja as a result of torrential rains.

Baja Missions has good information about what has happened and provides any who are interested an opportunity to bring relief to people who have been affected. Check out the link and see for yourself...http://www.bajamissions.us/BajaMissions/Home.html

2010-01-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

When you come to worship this Sunday at the Davenport Church in Red Deer (10:00am) please bring an extra bit of money to donate to the relief efforts in Haiti. If you check the previous posts you will notice the efforts of Oak Park Church in Calgary to bring relief to the people of Haiti. The special contribution taken up this Sunday will be sent to Oak Park to add to their mission. Please pray for the people of Haiti and the success of those who are going there to help them recover. God takes our generosity to the needy very personally.

2010-01-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a letter from Steve McMillan at Oak Park Church of Christ in regatrds to the devastation in Haiti due to earthquake...

Friends,

As you may know, Oak Park has been invested in Haiti for several years through our mission called "Heart for Home" led by Ricot and Mandy Leon. We are also involved in Haiti through the efforts of Dr. Paul Davis (and wife Mary) who are members of our congregation that have been serving Haiti through short term medical trips to Jacmel for many years. Paul and Mary have many contacts in Jacmel (a city of over 50,000 that was devasted by the earthquake) and they are presently working hard to contact the Pastors, friends and medical workers to asses the situation. Paul and Mary are booked to be in Jacmel by the end of the month to begin meeting medical needs.

If your congregation is interested in helping Haiti directly (no administration costs) through a Christ-focused couple that has contacts on the ground I want to invite you to partner with us. Oak Park has committed $30,000 to the area of Jacmel through Paul and Mary and their contacts and we believe this is a great way to make a difference in the midst of this tragedy. We anticipate that Ricot and Mandy will also be serving with Paul and Mary in Jacmel in the weeks to come.

You can send funds to the Oak Park Church of Christ and mark them "Haiti Relief." Individual donations given for this purpose, prior to February 20, will also be eligible for Federal Matching monies.

Please pray for Ricot and Mandy and Paul and Mary as they serve in Haiti. For updates and more information you go to mypark.ca or heartforhomehaiti.org

You are welcome to contact me for further information. 403-251-5150

For the Kingdom,
Steve
http://www.stevemcmillan.ca/

2010-01-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

The previous post give The Christian Relief Fund as a means of donating to a relief effort in Haiti. You could also click on the Oak Park Church of Christ link in the right hand column and explore how to assist that effort. In a phone conversation with them I learned that their missionary family Carl and Mandy Leon are safe as they were out of Port au Prince at a wedding during the earthquake. Their house has survived. They will be returning to their home there this weekend by car if they are able. Next month another family from Oak Park plans to fly there, conditions permitting. The Oak Park church is receiving donations to be used by these missionaries in addressing the recovery efforts as they encounter the needs. Thank you for generously considering how you might help those in great need.

2010-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Haiti Disaster Relief. Any who want to help with the immediate needs of the disaster in Haiti may do so in a number of ways including through your local Red Cross. A disaster relief organization based in the USA and affiliated with Churches of Christ is receiving donations which will be used 100% toward the effort in Haiti. If you want to make a donation to them yopu may do so online, by phone or mail. Just follow the link...http://www.christianrelieffund.org/web/index.php?page=haiti-earthquake-relief

Men's Day Defintely Another Defining Moment...

2007-04-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

What a treat we enjoyed in Red Deer April 14. The men of our congregation and some from Edmonton, Camrose and Oyen gathered to share in a day of fellowship. We heard some excellent testimonies, sang our hearts out and ate heartily (thanks to the Davenport ladies for cooking). The theme was simple...Defining Moments. Every man has that one defining moment when he knows for sure that God's hand is upon his life. Maybe we forget over time what God has done so it was good to be reminded. Paul Hillier shared three character sketches from the Bible of men whose lives were dramatically touched by God; Gideon, Saul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul) and Simon Peter. Tied to those stories were testimonials that we asked three men to share; Ken Brown, Lowell Hodgson and Darell Morgan. Each of these men bared their souls to us and spoke of how God came into their lives at particular points of time, the defining moments of their lives. There were some awesome stories about how God's hand has been in each of these lives. We shed some tears as we witnessed our brothers describing their times of brokenness and then how God rescued them. Paul Belliveau and Russ Ferris then helped me to wrap up these powerful sessions by drawing a few thoughts from selected scriptures for application. We were all reminded of how God has, is and will touch our lives very personally and powerfully.

2007-01-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

I like rings but I hate wearing them. I wore my high school ring proudly for years (until I lost it) but I took it off to do just about everything. I took it off to eat, to write, to shave, to play hockey, even to go to the bathroom. So when I got married I told my wife she didn't need to give me a wedding ring. But, as you can see, she insisted.

For the first year or I wore it on a chain around my neck (no captivity symbolism intended). But that defeated the purpose of displaying that I was married in an obvious way to those who judge such things by looking at your ring finger. So I began wearing it on my finger and, of course, taking it off frequently to perform every little task.

Then came a summer day in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan when I was helping the Church of Christ there with Vacation Bible School. A bunch of us were in Gerry Bell's back yard playing a harmless game of touch football while we waited for our BBQ supper to be ready. Of course, there is no such thing as a harmless game of touch football. While attempting to harmlessly bring down my friend Glen MacDonald, "Toby Tall" on my right hand got badly dislocated, broken knuckle and all. It swelled to the thickness of a ring of summer sausage. I ended up at the Gravelbourg hospital that night with all attention focused on the middle finger of my right hand. It was some time that night that I noticed my wedding ring missing from my left hand.

At first I was unconcerned, certain that I had taken it off before playing football or eating supper or some other activity that required digital dexterity, and put it in my pocket. But when I checked my pockets I did not find the ring. The next morning I checked every classroom and bathroom I had been in the day before. I looked in my car (yes, someimes I removed my ring in order to drive), my backpack, the church building, the school house, the Bells' house and the MacDonalds' house. The ring was nowhere to be found. My poor ring was stranded somewhere in Gravelbourg, of all places.

For the next year and a half I was without a wedding ring. It was no great disappointment for me to not have to take it off and put it back on incessantly but I felt bad about losing a gift my wife had given me for our wedding.

Then one day it serendipitously turned up in the bottom of our clothes dryer. I couldn't believe my good fortune! Ever since that day I have worn the ring on my finger to do everything and never take it off (except for the one picture you will see). I don't ever want to lose it again.

But there is an unfortunate result of always wearing my wedding ring. With the constant brushing up against objects, like the edge of my pants pocket when I'm getting something from it, the diamond eventually loosened and has gone missing. If you look closely at the photo you can see right through the hole where the diamond used to sit.

So why all this about my wedding ring? Just to remind myself, and anyone else who cares, that the condition of my marriage is in no way reflected by my ring. I am not more or less married based on whether I have a ring on my finger. The state of my marriage is measured by how much I cherish and nurture the relationship I have with my wife, not how fussy I am about the ring. The ring has deteriorated over the last 22 years, even the diamond has gone missing, but the marriage is stronger and more beautiful than ever. I can't think of anything that has been of more value to me than a loving, believing wife.

I could do without the ring, but I wear it always. I wear it to remind me to never take Jane for granted.

Forced Renewal... Thanks alot, Lord!

2007-01-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

When God moved us into our new building 5 years ago, we had no idea what all he had in store for us. One thing we did know is that our congregation would never be the same. Many of the people in this photo are no longer with the Davenport Church or even in Red Deer anymore. But those of us who are have seen a lot of changes (besides that the building is now finished). But God has only begun with us. We have a whole new generation of young people coming up in our midst and a community around us growing by leaps and bounds that wants to connect meaningfully to God. A renewed effort is being made in our congregation to worship in our assemblies with fresh approaches in order to open ourselves up more than ever before to the Lord to whom we pledge our souls. A team of brothers and sisters whom the Lord has stirred to meet together will be planning worship assemblies by praying and opening our hearts and minds wide to God's Spirit. With what result remains to be seen. Why not be there to jouney with us on Sunday mornings at 10:00am when we gather as a church to worship?! Even better, why not join us at 68 Donlevy Avenue for our worship prayer and planning meetings at 7:00pm Wednesday evenings?! This is not a closed system. This is a group of God's children looking to their heavenly Father for a deeper relationship as a church family. If nothing else, please be praying for us.

More t'wards heaven in 2007,

John Smith

Youth Meeting

2007-01-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

The teens went bowling Sunday afternoon (Jan. 14) hosted by Danny Mulrooney and Lowell Hodgson. While the balls were rolling and the pins were falling the wheels were turning to coordinate the youth activities for 2007. John Smith led a meeting with the parents to discuss plans. A few major events/trips in the upcoming months were identified as priorities to encourage the teens to attend. Then they set about to establish a regular schedule of group activities. It was agreed that there would be a weekly activity planned on a volunteer basis rotating from family to family. Also, there are city-wide youth events periodically in Red Deer in which we would involve our teens. Paul Belliveau agreed to schedule all this into some kind of calendar. A full list of activities was compiled by the teens and their parents. The first event is a skating/sliding/slurping hot chocolate party at Bower Ponds on Saturday, January 20 at 6:00pm. Bring skates, hot dogs, scarves, trash can lids... whtever you need to have a good time on the ice. Check back here for upcoming events and details. Contact Paul at 347-5633.

Turn Here, Indeed!

2007-01-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first posting for the Davenport Church of Christ in Red Deer, Alberta. We welcome you to check us out here or at our physical location on a regular basis. Information relevant to the church family will be communicated here in conjunction with our website. More importantly, reflections on the gospel of Jesus as it applies to the daily lives of people will be posted. When you need a bit of food for the soul, turn here. If you have a question you would like to discuss with someone who cares about spiritual things, turn here. If you are looking for a family of believers seeking to live in God's abiding presence, turn here. The Davenport church meets for assembly worship at 10:00am Sunday mornings followed by classes for all ages at 11:00am. Our purpose is in all things is to glorify God, embracing His Word, Spirit and Son. Whether this is what you are seeking to do or it raises curiosity and questions in your mind, we heartily invite you to turn here.