Weekly Newsletter - November 19, 2014
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. Essay: John 3:16, continued
  3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

1. Activist Feedback

CVA coordinator Lorena Mucke, who tabled at the Atlanta Veg Fest, writes:

The Atlanta VegFest was a total success! People were constantly stopping at our table, taking booklets and asking questions. Many bought stickers, DVDs, T-shirts and books. We truly believe the new CVA banner, which mentions people's health, animals and the environment, attracted many people and several mentioned how nice it looked.

[The other CVA coordinator] Lorena Valenzi managed the table pretty much the whole time, and I helped answer questions like, "If Jesus ate fish, why shouldn't we eat fish as well?" She did a fantastic job! The other volunteers, Shanna, John, and Jeanne, were very friendly and interacted well with people. I think having my "Sweet 'n' Kind" table next to the CVA table helped to attract people because of the free samples of cake I offered.

Upcoming Activist Opportunities

11/22/2014 TX, Corpus Christi Spirit Fest
11/22/2014 OK, Tulsa Casting Crowns
12/04/2014 VA, Fairfax Casting Crowns
12/03/2014 TN, Nashville Christmas with Amy Grant & Vince Gill
12/05/2014 PA, Reading Casting Crowns
12/07/2014 PA, Pittsburgh Casting Crowns
12/10/2014 MN, Rochester Newsboys
12/11/2014 LA, New Orleans Third Day
12/12/2014 TX, Dallas Amy Grant
12/13/2014 MN, Minneapolis Christmas with Amy Grant and Michael Smith
12/15/2014 GA, Atlanta Christmas with Amy Grant and Michael Smith
12/16/2014 OH, Cincinnati Christmas with Amy Grant and Cincinnati Pops
12/17-18/14 TN, Nashville Christmas with Amy Grant & Vince Gill
12/18/2014 MN, St. Paul Newsboys
12/20/2014 FL, Tampa Third Day
01/03/2015 KY, Louisville Winter Jam 2015
01/04/2015 MI, Grand Rapids Winter Jam 2015
01/09/2015 FL, Jacksonville Winter Jam 2015
01/10/2015 Tampa, FL Winter Jam 2015

If you can help, contact Lorena at LorenaValenziVeg@gmail.com

2. Essay: John 3:16 (continued from Weekly Newsletter, November 6)

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Last week, I explored how God gave the Son to save the world. How does saving the world this apply to the second part of the sentence, which focuses on individual salvation? To address this question, I will first consider what it means to believe in the Son.

Many people think that belief involves only confessing faith. I am skeptical of this view. Jesus said, "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). And, when describing how to identify true prophets Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16 and 7:20). To my reading, Jesus was teaching that those who have faith will act accordingly. Indeed, James said faith without works is dead (2:17).

I see belief as involving actions. Claiming faith is easy; acting on faith takes determination and, often, courage. Therefore, for Christians, to believe in the Son involves following Jesus’ teachings, the most fundamental of which is to love one’s neighbor as oneself. I am convinced that those who really believe in the Son would do their best to help those in need and would avoid harming innocent individuals, including the nonhumans who are at our mercy.

Next week, I will consider how this faith might result in “eternal life.”

Stephen R. Kaufman, MD

3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

Disobeying God Causes Suffering and Death

Previous 2014 Newsletters
See Newsletter Archives