Interested in coming with us on a Mission Trip?  We've got an upcoming informational meeting on Saturday, March 29 at 7pm in our Balsam room.  The orphanage in Guayaramerin, Bolivia is one of our favorite places and it's full of our favorite people! Enjoy learning about Andrea's Home of Hope and Joy and consider coming with us to work.  We'll tell you all about the trip, how to prepare for it, and how it's going to change your life!  This year's trip is July 17-26. 

The New Testament book of Colossians is a rich exploration of the nature of Jesus as Christ. It contains Paul's best statement of the "Christology" of Jesus: that Jesus is the visible image of God and all of creation (including us!) is redeemed from sin through Jesus (Colossians 1:15-20).

Our study of Colossians is 5 weeks long and contains a unique element of being completed with a partner (your spouse or a friend). During the study you will read and re-read Colossians while completing about 2 hours of homework a week. Some of the work will be done by yourself, while other parts you will collaborate with your partner to divide the work and then share insights together.  You can sign up here.  

We will meet on Tuesday evenings at 7pm for discussion and teaching starting March 25th thru April 22nd.

The Bible Study costs $30 for a set of partners. You'll get a total of 6 books:

• 2 copies of the New Living Translation Colossians Filament Reading Journal
• 2 copies of the English Standard Version Colossians Reading Journal
• 2 copies of the Colossians: Jesus the Visible Image of God workbook

While not required, it will be helpful for you and your partner to have access to a Bible Dictionary.  We suggest the Nelson Compact Bible Dictionary, which can be ordered through Amazon or you can order a copy through MVF for $15 as part of your registration.

Hey MVF Ladies! It's time to get signed up for The Good Book Club! This time around we're offering two books (keep reading below.) The first gathering is March 25 and childcare will be offered for an additional fee. Sign up HERE. 

• Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour & Marziyeh Amirizadeh (304 pages): Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh knew they were putting their lives on the line. Islamic laws in Iran forbade them from sharing their Christian beliefs, but in three years, they’d covertly put New Testaments into the hands of twenty thousand of their countrymen and started two secret house churches. In 2009, they were finally arrested and held in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, a place where inmates are routinely tortured and executions are commonplace. In the face of ruthless interrogations, persecution, and a death sentence, Maryam and Marziyeh chose to take the radical—and dangerous—step of sharing their faith inside the very walls of the government stronghold that was meant to silence them.
  In Captive in Iran, two courageous Iranian women recount how God used their 259 days in Evin Prison to shine His light into one of the world’s darkest places, giving hope to those who had lost everything and showing love to those in despair. The cost for this book is $16.
• None Like Him By by Jen Wilkin (176 pages): Human beings were created to reflect the image of God—but only to a limited extent. Although we share important attributes with God (love, mercy, compassion, etc.), there are other qualities that only God possesses, such as unlimited power, knowledge, and authority. At the root of all sin is our rebellious desire to be like God in such ways—a desire that first manifested itself in the garden of Eden. In None Like Him, Jen Wilkin leads us on a journey to discover ten ways God is different from us—and why that’s a good thing. In the process, she highlights the joy of seeing our limited selves in relation to a limitless God, and how such a realization frees us from striving to be more than we were created to be. The cost for this book is $10.

Hey parents of toddler and Elementary students, pay attention:  Our next super-fun Pop Tarts and PJs Day is coming up Sunday, March 30th.  It happens during both services because we don't want any kids to miss out on the fun of wearing their best PJs to church that week and of course, eating ALL the pop tarts in every flavor while we learn about Jesus and how much he loves us.  

If you're new or kind-of new and haven't been to a Welcome Lunch yet, we'd love to meet you...and the whole family is welcome!  Our next lunch is Sunday, April 6 at 11:45am in our Aspen room in the East/Children's hallway.  Most of the MVF Staff, Pastors, and Elders will be there to say hello and answer any questions you may have about MVF.  Please RSVP by filling out this form or just swing by the Info Center in the Lobby to let us know how many will be joining you.  

While we know Easter isn't about a bunny, we do know that MVF's Easter Egg Hunt is a huge outreach! Every parent and child that attends is invited to our Easter Services, plus they get to know us and see our building at the free breakfast the day of the egg hunt.  Each year, we spend about $1,300 on pre-filled eggs; and we've created a way for you to help defray our costs by helping provide eggs and other items for the hunt.  All of the slots for eggs are taken, but we still need items for our littlest hunters (things like apple sauce packets or toddler snacks, teething rings, baby toothbrushes or toys that are individually wrapped, things for young toddlers, etc...) bring items to MVF by Thursday, April 10.  Please let us know you're helping by signing up so we know how many remaining items we need to order to have enough. 

Bring your kids (preschool through 5th grade) for an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 12 on the MVF property.  We're serving a free breakfast at 9am and the hunt starts promptly at 10am.  Kids should be in place at their age group's area by 9:45am.  If you show up at 10am for the Egg Hunt, you'll miss it...the hunt goes really quick, so please arrive early!