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Charlottetown, PE Sunday mornings 10:00 am - 12:00 PM

YOU SHOULDVE BEEN BORN A MAN

By Teressa Mayes Sinnett

April

20
RRIGAN

2014

Its odd the things we remember, and the clarity that comes with age and experience. I dated astunningly attractive Marlboro looking kind of man in my early twenties for about a month. Thats how long it took for him to let his faade fade and for me to see past the stars in my eyes. In the course of one evening he was terribly rude and demeaning to me, not once, but three times. It was a lot for me to process because hed not acted like that before. I didnt deal with it that night. I needed time to think. I dont recall if I went the next day or waited tw o. I stopped by his work, he had time to talk and was happy to see me. Thrilled, actually. There was a playful bounce in his man swagger as he flashed his flirtatious smile on his way to give me a hello hug and kiss. Those twinkling blue eyes... My goodness. For a minute I wondered if Id exaggerated his actions and attitudes. No. I needed to not doubt myself. I calmly told him that no one, not even the man I was married to and divorced, had ever talked to me with such hatefulness and treated me as rudely as he had the last time we were together and that I respected myself too much to be treated that way. He ended up telling me, You shouldve been born a man. That cut. At that age and stage of my life I didnt feel like I was very feminine. The weight of his words hung in the air over my head like an
Charlottetown Community Church
P.O. Box 1081 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7M4

accusing, mocking storm cloud that taunted me until I ran into the mother of the girl hed married a couple years after I broke up with him. He physically abused his much younger wife. Her brother finally intervened, got her to safety and she ended up divorcing Marlboro man. As I listened to the woman relay the events that led up to her telling her son to go and get her daughter out of the abusive situation I suddenly remembered his words and immediately understood why hed said them. In his twisted view of male and female he had no tolerance for a woman that voiced her opinion so he purposefully chose a younger, timid female that wasnt strong enough to stand up for herself. That happened over twenty-six years ago but it keeps circulating through my mind today. I dont know, Im constantly amazed at the power of connection and being able to feel someone far away. Perhaps theres ayoung woman who will read this and see a similar pattern in a man shes with. If so, please dont be blinded by his good looks, charm and sweet words. Pay attention to the flash of anger and hatred in the depth of his eyes. The eyes truly are the window to the soul. Seeing a vast hollowness also needs to be a reason for great concern. When he coolly lashed out at me and said, You shouldve been born a man,I shouldve replied, You too.

Serving:

CO ARRON SIM COLIN TOM ZA

WORSH SOUND

IP

MONS

SPEAK

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WACKI

LYDIA A

RENS CHILDTRY MINIS TEAM BANKS

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AN CAROL IDYN) A (WITH J

ER TODDL RY MINISTD JULIE -UP

A P TEAM U N A E CL LORI JOHN & NALD, MACDO SHULTZ, JILL TOM & ER JENNIF JOHN & , RE CUDMO LINDA ND JOHN A NE RLA MACFA

CLEAN

Pastor Tom Zawacki (902) 892-5001

communitychurch@pei.aibn.com www.charlottetowncommunitychurch.com

Part of the Vineyard Network in Canada

CHURCH NEWS
Church website is updated with all activities. If you would like to get something in the newsletter (prayer request, announcement, etc.), please email it to communitychurch@pei.aibn.com by Wednesday of each week.

CHURCH FINANCES
Four Week Average: $1,297.73 Lets keep praying for God to supply all we need! Four Week Average Needed: $2,000.00

DAVID RUFFIN: DOWN AND OUT ON EASTER MORNING

CBN.com David Rufn: I woke up one day and found myself in the streets homeless. Something had been taken away from me. Its like, to me, like a fall from society. David Kithcart [reporting]: When David Rufn left his home in Greensboro, North Carolina, he had dreams of making a life for himself in New York City. But what he wasnt prepared for was how quickly the city chews up and spits out into the street the nave and the uneducated. David soon found himself demoralized, alcoholic and homeless. Rufn: At the time I was sleeping in an abandoned truck, and there were other people sleeping around me. One of the guys had a home inside one of the trailers. There were many nights when I prayed to be here, but at the same time I prayed to leave. Because even though it was dangerous in here, I thought that it was even more dangerous out there in the street. Sometimes the same guy who ve minutes from now is your friend, later he might be your worst enemy. Kithcart: Was your eye injured out here? Rufn: No, this happened to me while I was over on Flatbush and Empire Boulevard. Unfortunately, this happened by someone who was very close to me. This happened by my brother when we had gotten into an argument, a ght, and he hit me with a baseball bat. Kithcart: How do you feel about life when youre in a situation like this? Rufn: Being homeless was about the worst thing that could ever happen to me. You grow up always expecting to do something with your life. Then to nd yourself in a situation like this it was really horrible. [It] hurt me the most one day [when] it started to rain. I would see people scurrying, scattering all over the place, just going different directions to their homes. I looked at myself, and it was like, Now where do I go? The Brooklyn Tabernacle is one of the places I used to hang out. On an Easter Sunday when I got saved, I came here at the end of my route for just rest. As I sit here, I can hear the choir singing on the inside. The music was so heavenly. It sounded so good that I could feel that there was something wonderful going on inside of this building. I felt that I really wanted to be a part of that. As I was sitting here, I was arguing with the thought of whether to go in or not. I was looking at myself, dirty, lthy, smelly, drunk. Im thinking, Well, with all of whats going on inside of here, should I really present myself that way? But I knew it was the Lord who communicated the thought to me that this was His house and that Im supposed to come in there any way I want. So with that in mind, I went inside. Well, when I came into the building that night, I walked up to the balcony and sat there, being a little surprised that under the conditions that I was in nobody asked me to leave. This woman got brought out of a horrible background, a drug addiction, something similar to myself. All of a sudden, she just stopped, just like that. I knew that people just dont do that at the end of the service. When the pastor gave the altar call, it was already in me to respond. So I went forward and surrendered my life to the Lord. Pastor Cymbala: I see this guy three rows back sheepishly looking at me in the center aisle, and I said to myself, as God is my witness, Oh, man, what a way to end an Easter Sunday. Someone is going to hit me up for money, which happens a lot here. As he gets close to me, he smelled worse than any human being I had ever smelled in my life. The odor was so horrible -- of the street, of lth, of sweat, of urine, that when I talked to him I had to look away to inhale. I would look back at him breathing out. He put his nger in my face, and he said, Reverend, I dont want your money. I want this Jesus that you were talking about. Im going to die out there. I dont have a hope in this world unless somebody changes me. At that moment I became so convicted of my lack of love, of my lack of compassion. At that moment, I forgot about David, and I said, God, forgive me. God baptized me afresh with such love and compassion that I began to just weep for my own need and for what I saw God doing in David, and David sensed it. I dropped my hands to my side; he came against me, and he fell -- his face, matted hair, lthy -- fell against my chest and tie, and I put my arms around him. Rufn: When I embraced him, I felt that I embraced something that was real, that this man really stood for the Lord. It was that love that drew me. Pastor Cymbala: Suddenly, that smell became the most beautiful perfume I had ever smelled in my life. It was as if God was saying, If you have any value, its this smell that I sent you for, because thats the smell of the world that Jesus died for. Jesus didnt die for a nice, clean, neat little world. He came for that which was lost and ruined. That night David gave his heart to the Lord, and now his testimony is being used to bless countless people. Hes one of our most trusted workers now here in maintenance and security. David Rufn is a man of God. Kithcart [reporting]: Davids story doesnt end there, because on October 8, 1994, David Rufn married Cherba Christian in a ceremony ofciated by Pastor Cymbal. In attendance were friends and family, which included Davids brother, John. This is the same brother who attacked David with a baseball bat while they were both homeless. At the reception, John gave his heart to Jesus Christ. David has seen his own life change from destitution to blessings, because of how God reached out to a lthy outcast from society and gave him a new life. Rufn: God delivered me out of a horrible situation and gave me this testimony, so that I could tell others about His mercy and His grace. When I needed Him the most, He did not forsake me.

NOTICES
CLEANUP TEAM NOTICE
Please note that all chairs are now stacked on dollies and stored in the furnace room. There is also a change to the room set-up after Sunday morning. See your team leader or Tom Zawacki if you have questions.

GROUPS

There is lots going on, be free, go where the life is, family first.

OPEN TABLE

THE MONTH OF APRIL Small group and book clubs will be on a break. ALL GROUPS WILL BE ON HOLD UNTIL MAY FOR OPEN TABLE THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD BOOK CLUB Mondays 7:00 PM
At Donna Wigmores House

OFFERING NOTICE
If donating cash please use envelopes This allows us the ability to provide you with an accurate giving record at years end.

ONLINE DONATIONS
Go to www.charlottetown communitychurch.com At the top of the page click the word Donate (next to Newsletter) Secure donations via PayPal Can donate with or without a PayPal account

SO YOU DONT WANT TO GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE BOOK CLUB Wednesdays 7:00 PM at Zawackis WOMENS GROUP Wednesdays 7:00 PM
At Linda MacFarlanes house.

REGIONAL GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

11:00 AM, FRIDAY, APRIL 18TH FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 235 PRINCE STREET, CHARLOTTETOWN

NIGHT OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER First Friday of the Month 7:00 PM at Zawackis THURSDAY NIGHT QUESTIONS GROUP Thursdays 7:00 PM
This group is currently full due to space capacity. If you are interested in hosting and/or leading a new Questions group, please contact Tom Zawacki.

GET INVOLVED AT CHARLOTTETOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH

OUR ELDERS TEAM
The elders are: Wayne & Natalie Simmons, Errol & Shelagh Campbell, Garfield & Brenda MacDonald and Tom & Nadine Zawacki. Please feel free to contact us anytime with your thoughts, questions or ideas.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Positions we are often looking to have help with are:

OFFERINGS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

We are looking for people willing to take up the offering and make weekly announcements. Please contact Tom if interested to be added to a schedule.

COMMUNION
We do communion on the first Sunday of each month. We are looking for volunteers to offer a meditation and lead us through that part of the service. Please see Tom if interested to be added to a schedule.

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