I received an email from a friend last year in response to a question I had asked her about a toy she bought her daughter for Christmas. It was something that I thought my daughter would enjoy and I was thinking about buying it for her for her birthday. She told me the name of it and said it was a good buy because it was the one toy that her daughter still played with after Christmas was over. That really stuck with me because I thought how true it is that we spend so much money at Christmas on things that are so quickly forgotten.

This year I want to encourage you to join with us to buy a Christmas present that will last longer than a few months or even a year. As a church family we will be taking a special offering this Christmas for missions. This offering will go directly to the work that we have partnered with over the past two years in Liberia. In Liberia, it cost only $200 a month to pay for a Liberian missionary to work full-time at a local church. Our hope is that through this offering we can, as a church, employ a full-time missionary to work an entire year making disciples in Liberia. I encourage each of you to consider giving $200 to personally pay for one month of a missionary’s salary. Some of you can give more than that and some of you can give less but together we can make a great impact. How great would it be for our church to fund a full-time missionary to be on the field for the entire year!

As you begin shopping this year, set aside money to purchase this gift that will have an impact not only for a month or a year, but for eternity. Contributions to the Liberia fund will be collected November 30^th through December 28^th. 

Thank you to everyone who has given so generously to Anne and her children. Anne and the kids are now settled in their new home and have expressed so much gratitude to everyone who has helped them over the past month. Some of the needs on the last post have been met and as the holidays approach, some of you have asked about current needs, specifically for the kids. They include:

- Shelving or Storage for Toys
- A Large Rug or Carpet Remnant for the Basement Where the Kids Play

 If you would like to donate either of these items email aimee@loveismycause.com.

As some of you may have heard on the news this week, a member of the Metro family, Anne Matland, was attacked by her husband, Rudy, whom she was separated from. She was stabbed in the neck, chest, and leg. Rudy has been apprehended and is in police custody and Anne had stitches and was released from the hospital.

Anne and the kids will be moving to a new home in order to make a fresh start. Anne is working full-time to support her family in this new start and many of you have asked how you can be of assistance to them during this difficult time.  Metro will be collecting donations of cash for the Matland family. These donations will help her pay for utilities, costs incurred in moving, and meeting other urgent needs in starting over. If you would like to contribute toward these needs checks can be made payable to Youngstown Metro Church and mailed to 35 Arlene Avenue, Youngstown, OH  44512 or donations can be placed in the offering baskets during the Sunday worship gathering. Please note on your check or envelope that the donation is for Anne Matland.

Other needs include:
- A twin bed frame for Anne
- A double bed and twin bed mattress for the kids
- Shelving for toys
- Help moving smaller items out of her previous home
- Car repair for Anne's mom (she watches Anne's children and currently does not have a working vehicle to be able to get to Anne's house and back)

If you are willing to help with these non-monetary needs please e-mail aimee@loveismycause.com.

I came across an article this week and thought it was interesting.  It talks about church buildings and their appeal to people who do not normally attend a church gathering.  It turns out that unchurched people actually prefer worshipping at Cathedrals.  I am so glad that God has blessed us with an amazing environment that facilitates people connecting with God.  We must always remember to use everything at our disposal to connect people who are far from God into a meaningful relationship with Jesus.  By the way, See you at the work day on Saturday!

This Sunday we are going to be beginning a new teaching series through the book of Colossians.  If you haven't read the book in a while, I would encourage you to read it all the way through. The book is very short, but it is absolutely packed with goodies!!  I look forward to Sunday...and don't forget to bring your bible!  

This week is one of the busiest weeks of the year in the life of Metro. We begin on Wednesday with the start of the Canfield Fair. Each year Metro rents a vendor space in the grandstands for the purpose of inviting fairgoers to our church. For five days in a row Metro volunteers get the opportunity to invite thousands of people to Metro.
 

In addition to the Canfield Fair, this week is also the beginning of fall classes at YSU. For a number of years we have hung Metro posters at YSU, but because of our new location being in such close proximity to YSU we are doing even more this year to connect students with our church. We have prepared 500 welcome packs to hand out to students and we have 500 door hangers to hang in student apartments. We will also be prayer walking through YSU’s campus asking God to reveal Himself to students.
 

Finally, this week we will be hosting a mission team of 25 people from The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina. They are giving their time and money to come to Youngstown to help connect people with our church and our God. They will be heading up the YSU effort and will also be helping us clean, organize and paint our building.
 

All of that to say “Be involved.” There is something going on almost every day this week and you are invited to be a part. Make new friends, deepen relationships with current ones, and serve your community and your God. If you would like to sign up for any of the above opportunities, visit the events table Sunday night or email kati@loveismycause.com.