February 22, 2020

Selling cookies

Recently Veronica opened a "traveling convenience snack store," selling chips, candy, popcorn, and homemade cookies to the kids on the dance team after practice. She brings all the goodies in a suitcase with wheels!

This brings us to another event which is happening at our church (Open Heavens Freedom Church): we are trying to raise money to buy a piece of property on which to relocate our church building.  The building itself, which is currently on "borrowed" land, is pre-fabricated and can mostly be disassembled and relocated.   We have to move out by April 2020 because the family who owns the land left our church and asked us to leave two years earlier than we had originally planned to move.
Therefore, Veronica had the idea to sell her cookies (oatmeal raisin bars, sugar cookie bars, brownies, and M&M bars) to the church members after the church service, only keeping a small portion of the proceeds for ingredients and giving the rest to the church.  She was influenced by my story of doing the same thing in Puerto Rico to raise money to send our pastors to a retreat.  By the end of the fund-raiser, the church members were so accustomed to eating my cookies after church, they begged me to continue selling them.  And I did!

When she asked me about it, to me it seemed like a very small amount compared to the price of land.  Veronica responded to my doubts, "But God can use it!  What is a small amount to God?"  I was reminded of the widow that gave only two small coins in the offering, impressing Jesus with her faith.  Our pastor was also reminded of the boy who offered 5 loaves and 2 small fish to Jesus, who multiplied it to feed many thousands!

So this week after church, Veronica started selling her homemade cookies and other snacks and was able to deliver Q136 (which is about $18) to the church treasurer.  It's a faith-filled start!

If any of you would like to contribute to our church's fund-raiser and help us purchase land for the church building, we would be very grateful! 

Please send donations by check made payable to "Michael Montgomery" and mailed to Christian Life Fellowship, P.O. Box 5043, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-5043.  If you desire the donation to go toward our church's land, please include a note with your check, and we will personally deposit the money into our church's bank account.  Sorry these donations will not be tax-deductible, but they will certainly make an impact in the Kingdom!

February 10, 2020

Leading worship

This week it was my (Heather/Erica's) turn to lead worship at church.  So, whenever I can, I like to include the children.  We used our hour-and-a-half weekly dance practice to review the kids' participation.  First they sang a few songs on stage with me (we play worship songs from YouTube since our church currently has no musicians), then the girls danced while the boys sang, then we invited the congregation to follow along for three more dances, and then the kids sang a few more songs on stage.  My favorite part was looking over to the right during the girls-only dance and seeing the boys paying attention and singing with gusto!  Those who work with children will agree with me that sometimes after an energetic hullabaloo of a practice, it is a wonder the kids do such a great job during the presentation!!!  It always amazes and blesses me!
During the last song I had the chance to pray blessings, miracles, and victory over our pastor's wife, Flory, while she was kneeling at the altar.  The other people in the photo are our pastor Gregorio with their daughter Marjorie and grandson Mateo.