Week of Sept. 10-16, 2023

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:30 am

Wednesday Evening – 6:30 pm

September Theme: Humanity God’s Purpose. Acts 17:28

Sunday School Resumes with Youtube Sunday School.

Sunday, Sept. 10 – Message: “A Sojourn Through Colter’s Hell.” 1 Timothy 1:3-8 & Ezekiel 34:4-6.  Thought: A lesson on preparation, wisdom and God’s grace from the experience of Truman C. Everts. Devotion: Rick Fetzer, Psalm 107:1-9.  God rescues those who call out to him in their confusion.

Monday, Sept. 11 – Patriot Day! Take time to thank a first responder.

Income for Sept. 3 – $1225.00

A special thank you to all those who are faithful in your support of our fellowship. 

Introduction:

The man John Colter [1775?-1813] is considered the 1^st mountain man.  He joined the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804.  He was a strong healthy young man with excellent frontier experience. Born in Stuart’s Draft VA he worked his way westward with the expanding frontier. In 1804 he with 2 friends joined the Lewis and Clark expedition in PA while waiting for completion of the flat boats that would be used to ascend the Missouri River.  He was given the rank of Private in the army.  He was later tried for mutiny in St. Louis for threatening his sergeant after being disciplined for drunkenness on guard duty.  He and a friend appealed to the mercy of the court and apologized to Lewis, Clark and Sgt. John Ordway, promising to mend their ways.

Colter became a valued member of the Corps of Discovery.  He was trusted with reconnaissance, hunting and negotiations with the Native American tribes.  In 1806 on the way back, near Bismarck, the Corps of Discovery met 2 trappers who were traveling up the Missouri. John Colter asked to be excused his final 2 month commitment to guide these trappers.  Lewis released him. 

Colter returned up the Missouri and had numerous adventures during the 1806-1807 year.  In 1807 he once again was returning down river when he met the man Manual  de Lisa, a Spanish fur trader near Miles City MT who hired him to guide his fur tradeing company back up the Missouri.  The year 1807-1808 would be one of the most difficult but most productive for John Colter.  He was charged with making connection with the Crow tribe on behalf of Lisa.  He spent the winter of 1807-1808 in the Rocky Mnts. discovering several passes.  He also spent a great deal of time exploring what would become known as Yellowstone National Park.  When he returned in 1808 and described the geothermal conditions of the Yellowstone basin he was not believed. His stories came to be called adventures of “Colter’s Hell”. 

John Colter in his his 6 years of exploration of the upper Missouri had remarkable adventures. But in 1870 a man, nearly the opposite of John Colter would be lost for over a month from Sept. 9-Oct. 16 in the Yellowstone Basin where Colter had been the first white explorer.  A government bureaucrat stationed in Helena, MT., he had no frontier experience. Truman Everts was in his mid-fifties, did not know how to hunt, and was severely near-sighted.  But on a whim joined the 1870 Washburn Expedition.  Less than a month in he became separated from the party.  It foreshortened the work of the expedition, because they spent much of the rest of their allotted time trying to find him. 

He nearly starved to death and was severely burned by geothermal springs he stayed near to keep warm and a forest fire caused by his carelessness. He was eventually discovered by 2 Mountain Men.  According to his story he was nearly dead and weighed only 50 pounds. He made a full recovery but showed himself a small minded, selfish and ungrateful man.  Surprisingly it was his tale of survival that encouraged Congress in 1872 to set aside Yellowstone as our first national park.   

What kind of persons are we? Are we more like the ungrateful Everts or the repentant and courageous Colter? Our attitude, actions and decisions will display the truth.   

Pastor Alan will share a video sermonette for today on the Garrison Church of God Facebook page and YouTube channel.. We post the audio of the service on our website “sermon download” page following service - www.garrisonchurchofgod.com.

Coming Up:

September Theme: Humanity God’s Purpose. Acts 17:28

Wednesday, Sept. 13 - Bible Study 6:30 pm. Ezekiel Study  - A parable of Two Sisters. Ezekiel 23:1-48

Friday, Sept. 15 – Rosh Hashanah at sundown.

Sunday, Sept. 17 – Fellowship Sunday and Communion. Message: “Apples & Character.” Provers 25:6-13 & Colossians 4:3-6.  Thought: The importance of Christian character. Devotion: Psalm 17:1-9.  A prayer for God to watch over the person of character.

Monday, Sept. 18 – 5:30 pm Dakota Hope Banquet, Minot

Wednesday, Sept. 20 - Bible Study 6:30 pm. Ezekiel Study  -  The Parable of the Pot and The Pain of Prophecy. Ezekiel 24:1-27

Saturday, Sept. 23  – Women’s Ministry Retreat beginning at 9:30 am.

Sunday, Sept. 24 – Yom Kippur at sundown. International Daughter’s Day. Message: “The Glory of Daughters” Numbers 27:1-8 & Acts 21:8-9. 

Thought: The work of God in our lives changes the world. Devotion: Luke 13:10-17.  The healing of the woman with the disabling spirit. .

Wednesday, Sept. 27 - Bible Study 6:30 pm. Ezekiel Study  - Ezekiel 25:1-17 A prophesy against 4 allies who took advantage of Judah’s travail.

Friday, Sept. 29  – Sukkot [Jewish Feast of Booths] begins at sundown.