WHAT'S HAPPENING @ FIRST ASSEMBLYSunday8.15AM - Intercessory Prayer9AM - Christian Education*9AM - Celebration Service*10.45AM - Celebration Service*10.45AM - Kidz Church2PM - Spanish Service6PM - LINK Young Adults (Every other Sunday)Wednesday7PM - Adult Bible Study7PM - Student Discipleship Groups7PM - Missionette's & Ultimate Sports ChallengeThursday7PM - Evidence Youth Ministries (Youth Group)*Nursery AvailableFor a more detailed calendar of events click one below:January 2012February 2012March 2012

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MISSION'S CONVENTIONThis is a yearly event in which we as a church turn our minds onto missionaries and their ministries around the world. Every year we have a few that will come to the church and speak.The first reason for having a Mission's Convention every year is to support these missionaries. Each missionary that comes to speka is supported to them specifically. They are blessing us by being here, and blessing others around the world. So we bless them so that they may continue to spread the Word of the Lord. (continued below)The second reason is to keep missions on our hearts and minds. We can get so lost in our own busy lives, that we forget that their are other places where people need to hear the Word of the Lord. And this Convention reminds us that their are others out there, just like us, who are spreading the Word. This convention reminds us to pray, give, and love on the missionaries that are showing people all over the world the love of God.

GOOD FRIDAY COMMUNITY SERVICEThis will be a service held in the community of Christians in the Wyoming Valley. It will involve mutliple churches beyond Assemblies of God. Stay tuned for more information!

LIGHT THE NIGHTThis is a great time for food, fellowship, and family. It takes place every year on Halloween. It is a great substitute for Halloween for anyone and everyone. There is food, costumes, music, sno-cones, popcorn, candy, candy, and more candy.This is a great opportunity for us to show the love of Christ to our neighbors. There is ministry throughout the night, whether it be through song, talking with people, or just helping out cooking hot dogs. Showing other people the Love of God in even the smallest form is a blessing to them.So come on out on Halloween and enjoy the fun, food, and excitement of a million children enjoying themselves.(Also there is candy)

KIDS' CHRISTMAS EVENTThis past year's "The Christmas Puzzle" was absolutely fantastic! Stay tuned for what is in store for next year!

CHILI COOK-OFFDo you like to make things that are hotter than the surface of the sun? Do you like to make things that have more spices in it then actual meat and beans?Do you like to eat things that will melt your tongue to the roof of your mouth? Do you like to eat things that give you heartburn?Do you like chili? Do you like food? Do you like a good time with friends?If you answered yes to any of these then this night is the night for you. It is our annual Chili Cook-Off. Bring your own chili and enjoy other's chili as well. Every year the chili will be judged and the top ones will get prizes. Stay connected for the time and the date!

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDYThe Women's Bible Study is a time where women of all ages can get together to read and study the Word of God. It takes place every Tuesday at 10am at the church.

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CONTACT USFIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD424 STANTON STWILKES-BARRE, PA 18701EMAIL/PHONEinfo@wilkesbarreag.com570.829.0989

WOMEN'S MINISTRYIt is our desire to connect women to women through outreach, fellowship, and ministry.During the year we attend and sponsor worship seminars which help to foster our relationshipforemost with God. We also sponsor a wide variety of social events to foster our relationshipwith one another. We also volunteer time and services to the different ministries in the church.

OUR PURPOSEWorship God - As we come together we enter into HIs courts with singing, with praise and with worship. Everything that is done in the sanctuary, private homes, on the job, at the school, or in transit, individually or collectivlely, is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father.Disciple Believers - To edify, comfort, exhort, encourage, and to reprove with love is the goal of the church in its relationships with the family of God. No distinction is to be made between the rich and the poor, educated and uneducated, mighty or weak.Share the Gospel with the World - Sharing God's Word will be a continuous emphasis of the church. Altar calls and appeals should be made to men and women, boys and girls, to flee from wrath and to come and draw near to Christ.Demonstrate God's Love Through Compassion - As Christ was moved with compassion for people, so we will be moved to minister unto people through compassion ministries.

Pastor Carrie Maurio was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, in1984 and after a few moves as a child, settled with herfamily in Caribou, Maine. She first felt called into theministry as a junior in high school and attended ValleyForge Christian College to pursue that calling as a youthpastor. During college, she served as a youth leader andmedia coordinator for Great Valley Christian Life Center(church plant). She received her pastoral Credentials withthe Assemblies of God in 2006 and graduated from VFCCin 2007. Upon graduating, she served as a youth leader atSpring Valley Community Church until 2008 when shebecame the full time youth/associate pastor at Chapel onthe Hill A/G in Emlenton, PA. Her heart is to connect withand disciple teenagers, to help them discover their truepotentials in Jesus Christ, and to challenge them to followJesus in every area of their lives.Pastor Carrie enjoys being outside – running, hiking, orjust going for long walks; reading, spending time withfriends, hanging out with teenagers, watching movies, andscrapbooking. She also LOVES telling stories and usuallyhas a real-life “Carrie Story” for any situation you canthink of! She is passionate about life, youth, and JesusChrist.

CHURCH PICNICThe Church Picnic is a anual event that takes place in the summer. It is a time for us to get together and share in our love of God, family, and of course food. It is a time to build community in our church, a time to really sit down and talk to the person in the front (or back) row. A time to "break bread". Find out the date here.

SENIOR'S LUNCHEONThis is a time for food, fellowship, and Scripture for anyone over the age of 55. It is a great time to be with people that are willing to seek God and follow His commands for their lives.This is open to the entire community. So if you are interested come down and enjoy a fantastic time. They meet on the third Fridays of various months. For more information on the dates and months that this takes place give us a call. Contact information is here.

NURSING HOME MINISTRYEveryone is welcome to join us on the thrid Sunday of the month at the Hampton Home on the Sans Souci HIghway. We make sure that every resident gets a warm smile, a handshake, and a prayer of encouragement.Come and bring your music gift of song, or instrument, or a word of testimony to bless these neglected people in the Body of Christ. Volunteers needed and welcomed (young and senior alike).From the leaders,Brian & Mary Helen McCartney

CHRISTMAS PARTYThe Christmas Party is a time when the church as a whole gets together to celebrate one of the best times of the year. We celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD SMALL GROUPS Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. - Acts 5:42The purpose of these small groups is to build relationship within God's family. We see in Acts 2 that those early disciples broke bread together and “fellowshiped” in one another's homes. Discipleship and prayer were also a big part of these groups. As we see in the above scripture (Acts 5:42) the Apostles went house to house teaching God's Word. Growing in God's Word is foundational to growing as disciples of Jesus. As far as prayer is concerned, we see in Acts 12 that a group of believers had assembled in a home to pray for the apostle Peter who had been imprisoned. How important it is to pray for one another. These groups could also be a platform to share the Good News of Jesus with our neighbors and community. In Acts 2 the scripture says that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”.

EVIDENCE YOUTH MINISTRYEvidence is defined as something that makes another thing easy to see or understand...Our purpose at Evidence Youth Ministry (EYM) is to create environments for students to know Jesus in a real way, to learn how to follow Jesus in every area of their lives, and to serve Jesus with their time, talents, and treasures; so that our lives become the EVIDENCE that makes Jesus known.EYM is designed to give students in 7th-12th grades, a place where they can feel unconditionally loved and accepted the way they are, but challenged and encouraged to become more like Jesus. We know that this generation faces unique pressures daily and we work hard to help them to make positive life-choices and encourage them as they live their lives differently than the world around them. Through fun, team-building games, contemporary worship services, student-led ministries, small groups, and Biblical teaching on REAL life-issues, we strive to help students connect with one another and with God. Our heart is to exist not just as a group of students and leaders, but as a youth FAMILY, who loves and supports one another and genuinely cares about each other and the world around us. We know that not everyone has the same perception of "family," so at EYM we say: "We're not family how you've always known it, but family how you want it to be." We meet every Thursday night from 7:00-8:30pm in our youth room, The Warehouse. Come check us out and join the family!

ALL PRO MENTORChampion Men’s GroupThe Champion Men’s Group is a perfect outreach to your friends who may not typically attend “church”. Events are scheduled at different times throughout the month. We have partnered with other churches to run events that focus on the three primary roles for men, Husband, Father and Friend. If you are looking to fellowship with other Christian men from our church and other churches and comfortably invite your friends to non-church events to express your faith through your actions, this group would be for you!All Pro MentorThis group will meet one Saturday morning per month from 8:30AM to 10:00AM at our church. It is for men, but the theme will be mentorship, so male youth and children are encouraged to attend with a male adult. If you don’t have a male adult to attend with them please see Mark DiPippa and he will find a mentor for your boy. The curriculum we are using is called Squires2Knights and the lessons focus on defining manhood. This program will mainly serve men and boys who attend First Assembly of God, but non-members of the church are always welcome!Ultimate Sports ChallengeThis ministry meets on Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30PM during the school year. Boys from Kindergarten through sixth grade can attend this sports oriented time. The curriculum we use for this program is called Grapple. The goal is to help young men find Christ and train them in the way they should go. Boys should encourage their friends to come and enjoy the sports we play and our Bible-based lessons (and weekly snack)!

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.John Testifies Again About Jesus 22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.John Testifies Again About Jesus 22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

KIDZ MINISTRIESThe Kidz Ministries at First Assembly teach Biblical principles and reinforce the principles using drama, games, videos, music, and personal interaction to prepare kids to live, act, and react to issues faced in their daily lives. Our purpose is four-fold: To partner with and help parents disciple their children. To create an environment of safety while providing a Jesus-centered, Bible-based teaching for all kidz, no matter their background, race, or creed. To reach, teach, and keep boys and girls for Christ. To help kidz understand God’s purpose for their life.

LINK – To link to Christ while linking together. This is the thrust of LINK young adult ministry. It is to build a closer relationship with Christ first. But in doing that we should not be alone. “No man (or woman) is an island”. And as such LINK is meant to build relationships not only with Jesus Christ, but also with each other. Relationships in this life are key. After all when we talk to someone at work, school, or even at the counter at the coffee shop, we have relationships with everyone we meet. LINK gathers together 18 - 25 year olds to worship God, create fellowship, and have fun. Oh, and most of the time food is involved.We meet on every other Sunday at 6 PM at many different places. For instance on night will be at someone's apartment, one night will be at a coffee shop, one night will be at the local mini-golf “club”, and other places as well. Keep up to date on the days by looking at the calendar here, give Pastor Dan an e-mail, or keep up on Facebook.

WELCOME TO FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD"Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"Isaiah 58: 6,7These two scriptures give us deep insight into the heart of our Father. The Israelites had been humbling themselves and fasting before God with the intent of seeking him out. Yet they were complaining that God had not seen them or taken notice of them and what they were doing. Why? The answer may surprise us: They were not taking care of the poor, the needy and the oppressed. They were humbling themselves and fasting, seeking after God, yet they had neglected those who were in need.How about us? God's heart has not changed. His call for us is the same as it was for the Israelites in the days of Isaiah. Jesus said of Himself in Luke 4: 18, 19, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Brothers and sisters, we are the Body of Christ. Let us carry out His will for the poor, the needy and the oppressed. Lord, may we have your heart.

SUNDAY SCHOOLSunday School takes place on Sundays at 9am in the morning, during the first service and of course before the second. It is a time of teaching and learning for all ages.Every age group has their own group. The kids meet in The Warehouse, the teens meet in the kitchen, and there are always many different adult Sunday Schools as well.

OUR BELIEFSWe believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of GodWe believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy SpiritWe believe that all have sinned and the only means of being saved from sin is through faith and repentance in Christ Jesus.We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of Speaking in Tongues, is available to all as a free gift from God.We believe that the Holy Spirit enables us to share, with power, the message of Jesus Christ to our world.We believe that spiritual and physical healing is God's desire for all mankind.We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is currently preparing a place for all believers in Heaven, and will some day return for all who are in Christ.

Pastor Daniel Evans grew up in the Wyoming Valley. He went to school first in the Northwest Area School District before moving on to Bishop Hoban High-school. He then went on to Wilkes University to study mathematics. It was there that God called him to full time ministry. So Pastor Dan went to Valley Forge Christian College to study Pastoral Ministry. After graduation in 2010 he worked at home until 2011 when he began work as the Pastor of LINK Ministries (Young Adult Ministry) at First Assembly of God in Wilkes-Barre.Pastor Dan's favorite pastimes include hanging out with friends, watching a good movie, talking about anything dealing with science fiction, and spending time with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pastor Michael Smith is a former-practicing attorney from Massachusetts. Using online Berean Courses and other resources, Pastor Mike received his credentials in 2009. Pastor Mike attended Riverside Assembly of God, Methuen, Massachusetts, for 14 years and volunteered in many capacities including Kidz Church, Sunday School, Royal Rangers, Vacation Bible School, foreign Missions trips with an emphasis on children’s ministries, and many other ministries. Pastor Mike and his wife Debbie are called to win children to Christ, to instruct and disciple on Biblical principles, to encourage children to seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and to assist them in discovering who God wants them to be. Pastor Mike and Debbie have 3 children of their own, Rebekah, Leah, and Elijah who love the Lord with all their heart. Rebekah is 9 years old and loves to create crafts, draw, and paint. Leah is 7 years old and enjoys singing, dancing, and making up tunes. Elijah enjoys cars, playing, and having a good time like a normal 5 year-old boy.Pastor Mike’s and Debbie’s favorites include spending time with each other and their kids, watching the Boston Red Sox win, eating Asian cuisine as well as making (and eating) chili, glorifying and worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus, and spending time with the people of God.

Pastor Jason Gornicz was born in Staten Island, New York, in 1973 and grew up in the Poconos. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Mansfield University and Ordination through Berean University of the Assemblies of God. From 1999 to 2007 he served as Youth Pastor and Associate Pastor over outreach ministries and administration at Lighthouse World Prayer Center in the Pocono Mountains. From 2007 to 2010 he served as Lead Pastor at Glendale Assembly of God in Coalport, Pennsylvania. Pastor Jason met his wife, Wendy, at Pocono Plateau Christian Camp. They were married in March of 1998. Pastor Jason and Wendy have five children: Joshua, Rachel, Josiah, Jeremiah, and Anna. The Gornicz family enjoys spending time watching the New York Giants, hiking, wrestling, and reading the Word together.

Service TimesSunday Mornings @ 9 & 10:45Spanish Church @ 2Other Services here