We have been invited to join the Bear Valley Church ladies at their retreat in Pacific Palisades (in the Santa Monica area) at Aldersgate Retreat center www.aldersgateretreat.org  

on April 13-15, 2012.  The cost of the retreat is $195 and included all meals. A $50 deposit is due at signup.

 Angi Wiggins will be the guest speaker and the topic will be “Because Jesus Loves Me.’  Angi will be sharing how the gospel transforms our daily lives; Change, becoming more like Christ: Christian Disciplines, denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Jesus and Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.

 You can sign up on Friday mornings at Bible Study at COBC or in the church office. Contact Angi in the church office at 822-1379 for more info or at angi@countryoaks.org

Here’s what we have planned for 2012:

:

❒ Wednesday Evening Precepts with Amy Walker @ 6:00 pm – Matthew Part 2 starting Wednesday, January 11

❒ Friday Morning Precepts with Jody Irwin @ 9:30 am Matthew Part 2 starting Friday, January 20

❒ Friday Morning Elective – Beth Moore’s James – Mercy Triumphs starting Friday, January 20 @ 9:30 am

New Women’s Studies beginning in January 2012 – The Wednesday Evening study Precepts Matthew 2 with Amy Walker starts January 11 at 6:00pm. (Please have Chapter 1 homework completed for the first class) We will kick off Friday Morning on January 20 at 9:30am with a SOUP POTLUCK. On January 27, we’ll begin offering two electives: Beth Moore’s latest study James-Mercy Triumphs and Matthew 2 Precepts with Jody Irwin. Please sign up by filling in a registration/Covenant card at the table in the Worship Center.  You will need to fill in a Registration/Covenant Card before purchasing your book.  Precepts books are $18 and Beth Moore workbooks are $15. 

We also have a waiting list of ladies who are interested in the next session of “Making Peace with Your Past” class for Women. For more information contact angi@countryoaks.org .

I pray that in 2012 we would be women who love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our might. …

I pray that we would be women who love those around us.

I pray that we would be women who worship in Spirit and in Truth.

I pray that we would have a constant awareness of God’s presence in our lives and not divide our lives into secular and spiritual. That we would remember that becoming more like Christ demands that we surrender ALL of ourselves to Him – all our hopes and dreams, our minds, our bodies, our marriages, our husbands, our children and our homes all belong to Him. May we trust You, Lord, to work all things for good because we love you,

Lord. I pray that we would be women who make time for what is important and of eternal value. That we would make time for studying God’s Word every day and then apply what we learn to our daily lives. I pray that we would grasp the fact that the more truth we assimilate, the more the Word will influence our daily lives.

I pray that we would learn to pray about everything and worry about nothing.

I pray that we would not forsake meeting together. That we would commit ourselves to learning in community.

I pray that we would not overlook sin in our lives but would confess it and repent of it, turning away from it. I pray that we would set no worthless thing before our eyes but would redeem the time you have given us.

I pray that we would resist the devil so he will flee from us. That we would stay in the battle against the world, the flesh and the devil, putting on the full armor of God every day.

I pray that we would be different from the world around us and walk in modesty and purity in the way we conduct ourselves and in the way we dress.

I pray that in being different we would be lights to a dark and dying world. And that we may let those lights shine so that others can see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. Thank you Lord that we don’t have to try and do this in our own strength but can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Help each woman remember that it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and complaining, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.

In Jesus precious name we pray – Amen

• Come hear the Christmas story
• Enjoy a delicious potluck brunch & enjoy some fellowship with the women of Country Oaks Baptist Church (please bring a dish to share)
• Laugh at the “white elephant” gift exchange (please bring a gift for the exchange)
• Hear from missionary Ellen Bender Brace what has been happening with the Beauty for Ashes ministry.
• SHOP with a Purpose! Get some of your Christmas shopping done as Ellen will have available for sale the beautiful jewelry made by the women she ministers to in Nepal.

The Matthew Precepts Bible Study will meet on Wednesday, November 30 as usual. Ellen will be sharing for the first 20 minutes at @ 6pm. Before and after the Bible Study her jewelry will be for sale.

For more information contact angi@countryoaks.org.

November 4-6, 2011

Faria Beach House

All Women are Invited to a Potluck Brunch & Gospel Sing-along with Jo Stone on Friday, October 28.  Potluck Brunch is 9-10am in the Chapel and the Gospel Sing-along and prayer time will be 10-Noon in the Worship Center.  Babysitting is available.

This Fall we will be offering Choices, Choices, Choices. Choose from….

❒ Wednesday Evening Precepts with Amy Walker @ 6:00 pm starting 8/31/11, the Matthew Part 1 Workbook  is $18

❒ Friday Morning Precepts with Jody Irwin @ 9:30 am starting 9/2/11, the Matthew Part 1 Workbook is $18

 ❒ Friday Morning Video Series – Priscilla Shirer’s “Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted” @ 9:30 am starting 9/2/11, the Jonah Workbook is $15.

 When you sign up, please let us know if you need babysitting.

We are also forming a list of ladies who are interested in a “Making Peace with Your Past” class for Women.

More about our upcoming studies…

We actually did Jonah during the summer but the women loved it so much that it was requested we do it again for everyone and this time use the workbooks.  Here’s what the study is about:  What do we do when God interrupts our lives? Many times, like Jonah, we run! In this 6-session Bible study, Priscilla redefines interruption and shows that interruption is actually God’s invitation to do something beyond our wildest dreams. When Jonah was willing to allow God to interrupt his life, the result was revival in an entire city.

Precept Upon Precept Inductive Studies . . .
Matthew Part 1 – The King and the Kingdom of Heaven (7 lessons) (chapters 1 – 13) –

Who is the promised Messiah, the King who will sit on the throne of David? What is His kingdom? What is the character and lifestyle of those who are a part of this kingdom? Matthew Part 1 answers these questions and brings you face-to-face with the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. Walk with Jesus through the towns and villages of the Galilee, see the miracles He performs–healing the sick, casting out demons, calming the seas. Listen to His teaching as He explains His kingdom. And then evaluate your life against the standard Jesus holds high and ask: Does my life show that I’m part of His kingdom?

Seaside Escape is the Women’s Ministry’s Fall Kickoff and 1 Day Retreat for 2011.  Seaside Escape is where women take time to grow in their faith…build friendships with other women…and bask in the sunshine of God’s love….

Seaside Escape will be Saturday, August 27, 2011 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm in the COBC chapel - Lunch from Don Juan’s will be served

Cost is only $25 (Scholarships available) -  No childcare is available

About Seaside Escape:  Get away without leaving town.  As refreshing as a day at the beach… SeaSide Escape uses beach images to recharge you spiritually and relationally. Through sessions of Bible study, reflection, and discussion, you will discover the depth of God’s love, strength, and compassion. Each session uses an item you’d find at the beach to make that connection metaphorically…

Session 1: Beach Bag We usually pack our bags full of the things we need for a day at the beach. In this session, your guests begin to consider the “baggage” they carry every day. They also spend time in worship and exploring the life of Sarai in Genesis—a woman with her own baggage.

Session 2: Sunshine Friends are the sunshine of our lives, and in this session we use the warmth of sunshine to remind us of the warmth of friendship. Women do a fun activity that allows them to meet and get to know each other better.

Session 3: Sand In this session, women experiment with sand and discover just how impossible it is to control this grainysubstance. They also discover how Sarai tried to control her life and how this relates to our lives today.

Session 4: Waves Stillness and reflection lead to a closer relationship with God. Session 4 guides women to a time of quiet, meaningful prayer and contemplation. At the end of this time, participants receive a tangible reminder of Psalm 46:10.

Session 5: Pearl  Just as God changes a grain of sand into a pearl, God works in us, who are more precious than any pearl. In this session, we explore how God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah and the changes God is making in our own lives.

Session 6: Starfish God heals us when we are hurt or damaged, just as he has made the starfish able to heal and regrow. We take a look at Hagar, a woman who had difficult experiences. Then women move into a time of service where they lovingly and prayerfully create gifts for other women in need of healing.

Session 7: Message in a Bottle All the elements come together in a beautiful keepsake created with celebration and prayer. Women learn the legacy of Sarah’s life. They consider their own legacy and write this as a prayer.

What could be more soothing and calming to your soul than a day at the seashore? How about a day that’s spent making new friends, reconnecting with old, and studying and reflecting on God’s Word?

If you would like to help with the kickoff, please contact Angi at angi@countryoaks.org.

Women’s 6 week Summer Study.  No homework.  Wednesdays at 9:30 am starting on June 8.  At the home of Karen Lumpp in town. Baysitting is available at the church nursery.

What do we do when God interrupts our lives? Many times, like Jonah, we run! In this 6-session Bible study, Priscilla redefines interruption and shows that interruption is actually God’s invitation to do something beyond our wildest dreams. When Jonah was willing to allow God to interrupt his life, the result was revival in an entire city.

Contact the church office at 822-1379 to sign up for this study.  We will be meeting June 8, 15, 22, 29 and July 6, 13.