AIEA

This message was quoted from Corey Greaves’ message

What’s happening?

As we are ready to close out another year at McKinley, our first year on staff, and another chapter closed in this open book we call life, I am looking back and reflecting on the year 1998. We have seen so many blessings, such awesome ways in which our awesome God has worked. As this year closes we are looking at about seven commitments/baptisms that have happened. Numerically, we have not grown in leaps and bounds, but spiritually we have seen infants grow to maturity in one year. Someone asked me once how teen group was doing. I responded with a very simple ‘fine’. “Well, are you growing?,” they asked. “Oh yes, we are learning so much.” “Oh, but are you growing?” And I began to see what they were getting at. They wanted to hear about the numbers. But I patiently explained that it wasn’t the numbers that I was concerned with. Not that I don’t want to reach the masses, but that the masses are not the goal in and of themselves. To grow in faith, to give hope, to share love with those that I do come in contact with is my goal. And it is this faith, it is this hope, it is this love that we are experiencing. And for this I give praise to God.

The month of December will not leave me twiddling my thumbs wondering what to do (not that I ever have the opportunity to experience the time to twiddle). We have many activities that are unfolding before us. We continue on with our daily activities such as Men’s Bible Study on Monday nights, Women’s Bible Study on Tuesday nights, Youth Group on Wednesday, Ladies Day on Thursday, and so forth. I have (albeit ever so reluctantly), taken on the responsibility as Director of the Christmas program. I did not know what I was getting myself into, though I did have an idea (thus the reluctance). But I don’t believe that I would trade this experience for anything. I am stretching my gifts (and patience) beyond what they have been stretched before (as anyone of you who have ever worked with kids and Christmas programs would know). But I truly thank the Lord for the opportunity.

Our Christmas program will be on the 20^th of December at 6 p.m. We have many practice sessions before hand, and have already started. Between now and then we have a sledding party on the 19^th that will take place in the mountains of White Pass.

The McKinley Church of Christ will be Christmas Caroling on the 23^rd, and will be handing out fruit baskets at different elders houses. Our Watch Night Party (which is the equivalent to a New Years Party) will, of course, be on the 31^st .

My sister in Dallas, TX. has called and said she wanted to pay my way to come and visit them for a few days after Christmas. My mother will be there coming in from Florida. I do not get the opportunity to see her that often so I thought that it would be a good idea to go and visit. And as if all these things will not keep me busy enough I have to, somewhere, fit in the time to take the Youth Group to go and see Prince Of Egypt. I had better keep my promise to them or they’ll let me have ‘what for’. We covet your prayers as the activities unfold before us. I would also like to say ‘thank-you’ for your upmost patience with me.

My goal is to have a newsletter to all churches/individuals who support the work we do here on a quarterly basis. My humblest apologies for not doing so. After talking with a dear brother in the Lord I was stirred in my being to do my utmost to get this newsletter to you every three months. I desire to let you know what we are doing, as I desire for you to want to know what we’re doing, and “What Is Happening At McKinley.” And so I renew my committment to you as I say that the next Salmon Says will be out in the month of March. Between now and then may I say that your committment to us means more than my feeble attempt at words could describe. You are the ‘life-line’ to those to whom Janelle and I share compassion. Through that compassion we experience joy (as we cannot experience real joy apart from real compassion). And I hope that your joy is complete knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of people on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Peace of Christ to you!

Men’s bible study, Sensitive Warriors, on Monday nights will have 9-12 in attendance with the Tuesdays Women’s Bible study, From Eve to You, having 9-15 in attendance. Praise the Lord!

The Food Bank has been used a lot this summer and is very low stocked.

The clothing room is still active with Dorothy Nichol’s in charge.

Also, September 5-13 was the Second Gathering of Indigenous Peoples in Rapid City, South Dakota. from around the world for a time of Cultural Awareness in Worship. We had the opportunity to visit the gathering on our way to Illinois and Indiana. It was an uplifting experience, although we were unable to spend much time there.

In His Majesty’s Service,

Corey Greaves

In Israel, when the tabernacle was erected, the Lord told them the specific garments and accouterments that were to go with the High Priest’s office. There was a breastplate that the High Priest wore. On the breastplate were 12 stones, each one of which was different, lovely stones that were representative of each of the tribes of Israel. When the 12 stones were upon the priest’s chest it was as if he was carrying the people upon his heart. Also, in the breastplate was a substance called the Urim and Thumim. Nobody really knows what it was. The word Urim means ‘lights’ and the word Thumim means ‘completeness’ or ‘perfection’. The lights and the perfections is the only way you could translate it. Most scholars suppose it was something like rocks or like a little bag of sand or perhaps gravel. When there was counsel to be sought of God, the High Priest would go into the Holy Place which was only lit by the lamp stand anyway so it was very dim. They would go and stand before the veil of the Holy of Holies, and in that virtual darkness, standing before the Lord, would ask of God guidance. The scriptures say that God would answer them by the Urim and the Thumim. We are never told how that happened. Wether it was something he sensed, or some have suggested that because it’s called the urim, or the lights, that perhaps there might have been a miracle manifestation of the glory of God that would give him a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Perhaps that substance would glow. We’re never told how it worked, we are told that it worked when they sought counsel from God. It is interesting to me that that is the plural of the word that’s translated consistently in the O.T. scriptures as Integrity. That there is an umpire in the heart that tells you ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If we would just learn to listen to that God-ordained umpire of the soul it would guide us in all areas of our lives, and would open up to us growth in our faith that before was unknown to us. Call it conscience. Call it Holy Spirit. Call it Urim and Thumim. But never close off that voice of the heart, because the more we close it off the less likely it will be to raise it’s voice again another time, and soon it will cease to live, and so will we. If we listen to it, quickened by the Lord, it will guide us. It is the key to being protected from ourselves. Just ask King David.