Thanksgiving Weekend at Ridgeview

I always look forward to Thanksgiving weekend at Ridgeview! We've used this weekend to do something once a year: a Thanksgiving brunch/worship service. We will have the morning worship at the same time (10:30 a.m.) in the Blue Ridge High cafeteria. You are encouraged to bring a food item to share "potluck style." If you are unable to bring anything, please come anyway. We will have plenty of food! Paper products and beverages will be provided. There will be a time of worship music, a Thanksgiving message from C.J. Cauble, along with the lighting of the Advent Candle and partaking of the Lord's Supper. There will be no Ridgekidz (elementary); we will provide a space with a tv/dvd player for preschool parents to take their kids if they get a bit antsy.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Christmas Eve Service @ Red Barn

Ridgeview Church will again have its Christmas eve service at the Red Dutch Barn off of hwy 101 & W. Gap Creek Rd. This is one of our biggest community bridge events we do all year. We will culminate our Christmas message series Christmas eve entitled "The Gospel." I will be sharing with as much clarity as I possibly can on what is the Gospel and will offer an invitation for many to accept the Jesus we sing about and celebrate during Christmas.

Much work is to be done in preparation for this event. The most important thing we must do is to bathe this in prayer. Second only to that is to invite our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who need a church home and/or need Jesus. I would like to ask you now to begin praying for this evening- that many would experience the salvation Jesus offers. Also, this will not happen without our volunteer teams. We will need a picture team to take pics of families, a parking team, a greeting and registration team, a set up/take down team, a refreshment team, a media team, along with an usher team. We will get more information on all the details of these teams soon. I look forward to this day!

--
Tommy Hargrove
www.ridgeviewchurch.net
864 630 9459

How To Have A "Radical" Thanksgiving

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only two weeks away? It's one of my favorite days of the year! As I've been thinking about the upcoming holidays and in light of the Radical series we've experienced, I wanted to throw some ideas your way I recently discovered.

How to have a Radical Thanksgiving for individuals & families

*Fast and pray for those who don't have enough to eat.
Did you know that according to the United Nations, over 5 million child deaths occur each year due to starvation. How about on or around Thanksgiving this year, spend a day in fasting and prayer for the world's hungry.

*Discover what the Bible says about thankfulness to God.
The Bible is full of references to thankfulness towards God. Grab a concordance, topical Bible, or online reference tool like www.biblegateway.com and look up verses about thankfulness in the Bible. Choose one passage that seems relevant to your family. Meditate on it. Memorize it as a family. Think about what it would mean to live it out, and then act on that understanding.

*Give a secret gift of money to someone you know.
In tough economic times like these, you probably have several friends and acquaintances who are hurting financially this Thanksgiving. Maybe your finances aren't great either. But if possible, pick at least one person who would be encouraged by a gift of money. Send whatever cash you can afford to this person, along with an anonymous note of encouragement.

*Invite an international visitor to your Thanksgiving dinner.
The United States is one of only two countries to celebrate Thanksgiving (the other is Canada). Think of a newcomer to our country-perhaps an international student, whom you could invite to share your Thanksgiving celebration this year. Prepare to share with your guest(s) the history and meaning of the day. More importantly, share with this person what you are personally thankful to God for.
*I would recommend calling Joshua's Way Ministry in Greer (801-4804) and asking for Florine Palaghia. He works with their Cross Culture Network and knows international students from the colleges and universities in our area.

*Comfort a hurting brother or sister in Christ.
Think about people in our church who might feel as if they don't have much to be thankful for this season. The Bible says we are to weep with those who weep. Don't feel like you have to fix anyone's problem, or perhaps say anything at all. But give encouragement, a listening ear, and best of all, your presence.


These are some great ideas as we approach the Thanksgiving holidays! Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
(P.S. Don't forget to bring your Operation Christmas Child shoebox for our collection day this Sunday.)


Seeking to live radically for Him,


Pastor Tommy

Leaders Who Last Message Series Begins Sunday, November 7

The old maxim is true, "Leadership is influence." Everyone is a leader in some area because of their influence over someone whether it be a parent, a teacher, a coach, a friend, or a supervisor. But how are we leading in the marathon race of life? We have all seen runners running alongside us who have stumbled, burned out, or veered off the track. That may have even happened to you at one time or the other. It is not automatic that a leader finishes well. How do we finish well? Leaders Who Last message series will show you how to finish well based upon God's Word so you may hear from Jesus as you cross the finish line, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"