Events and information are published in our monthly newsletter. The Easter season provided many activities.
National Office (Indiana) Regional Office (NC)
Calendar Congregation Directions Home Minister Minister Emeritus Newsletter Worship
Because communication is important, our board publishes a monthly newsletter which includes articles by our pastor as well as a summary of the monthly board meeting. Watch for excerpts/summaries from the newsletter each month, distributed in hard copy the Sunday following the board meeting.
THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLEToday, June 13, we are enjoying a church and community–wide lunch, which will both offer us an opportunity for fellowship amongst ourselves and with friends we invite, and also help us with our budget deficit. We hope everyone will stay for lunch and make whatever donation you feel able to make.
We are also celebrating entering into new avenues of cooperation with our sister church, St. Matthews United Church of Christ. Some of us may not realize that our denomination is in a formal partnership with the United Church of Christ. We are 'on the same page' theologically, and share similar roots in the congregational movement in American church history. We recognize and share ministers, and our two global mission boards formally merged over a decade ago. We are encouraged to cooperate with local UCC congregations, and they with us. Recently I met with the minister at St. Matts, to discuss ways in which we might cooperate. We are beginning with two 'steps forward' this summer:
First, each church is inviting the other to its Vacation Bible School. St. Matthews' VBS comes first: it will meet in the evenings, beginning at 6:00 p.m., from June 21—25. We already have a good list of participants in the foyer, and we hope for even more. Theirs is an all–age VBS, with a class for adults taught by their minister. In return, we are inviting them to our VBS, which will be on Saturday, August 15th.
In addition, we are beginning joint junior and senior youth groups with St. Matts. Our youth are keen to take part in this, and we are looking for volunteers to be our youth advisors and accompany our youth to youth group events. They normally meet on a Sunday evening, once every two weeks. Let's support these two concrete efforts at mutual cooperation, and strengthen our church in the process.
This past month or so, in the lead–up to and following Pentecost, I have been thinking a lot about the Holy Spirit. Churches are often like a lot of other organizations: they begin with a vision and a sense of passion and urgency, but over time they tend to fall into predictable patterns. Sometimes holding on to tradition becomes so important that the original visions and passions fade a bit. Our denomination is now considered one of the 'traditional' 'mainstream' churches. We are dignified and, as the Presbyterians say, we tend to do things 'decently and in good order.' We don't like to be too surprised; we cherish decorum and feel comfortable when we do things the way we've grown accustomed to. We're a bit uncomfortable with a Pentecostal approach to worship, where the Spirit sweeps through the congregation and who knows what might happen!
I too cherish our traditions. I too feel more comfortable with a reasoned, dignified, serious approach to the sacredness of worship. And yet—and yet—as I look back at how the church came into being, and how the church has propelled itself forward throughout church history, I cannot help but ask myself, 'how do we make room for the Holy Spirit in our congregational life?' I'm not talking about speaking in tongues or totally free–flowing worship, but about how we make room for the movement of the Spirit in our worship, our governance, our teaching, our deliberations, our decision–making, our relationships. In recent weeks, the lectionary passages have, in various forms, led me to ask this question: How do we make room for the unexpected?
I ask that question of myself too, especially the older I get. What might God be calling me to do that pulls me out of my comfort zone, that leads me to take a leap of faith? And how might we as a congregation answer that question? I have believed ever since I came here that the Holy Spirit is present at First Christian Church, calling us to explore what 'new life' means for us as a Christian community. I can't answer that question by myself; it is something that the whole congregation must answer. It's not just something for the board and other leaders to answer: it's for everyone, old–timers and newcomers, young and old. When I sat down with the minister at St. Matthews UCC recently, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in our conversation about how we might cooperate as congregations. When I met recently with our Membership & Evangelism committee, I felt the Holy Spirit guiding us as we seek to strengthen our witness both to our own members and to the wider community. I pray that all of you will share with me your sense of vision for the church, and your practical ideas about how we might further that vision. Jesus told his followers that the Holy Spirit would be given to them after his earthly departure, to guide them, comfort them, call them, nurture them, and inspire them. We are the inheritors of this Spirit, and it awaits our response.
Exciting news is that we have secured a booth in this year's Apple Festival, on September 18th. This is an initiative of the Membership and Evangelism Committee, and we are thankful for the work done in securing our booth, in the children's section. Two of our members will be doing face–painting, assisted by several other people. We are permitted to distribute our promotional brochures, and since we will be encountering many hundreds of people (if not more!), this provides us a unique opportunity to let others know about our church. In addition, we are required by the festival organizers to charge a fee, so this should be a major boost to our church coffers. We will be letting you know further details as we get closer to the event, and there will be a variety of ways to support this. For example, we will need a banner, helpers to collect money, perhaps gifts of food to keep our booth staff strong during the day. Let's all get behind this wonderful opportunity!
At its monthly meeting held on June 6, the following matters were discussed:
Minister's Report: The minister reported that the highlights of the month of May for her were the Pentecost service, the quarterly Table Talk (focusing on 'Christians Coping with Loss'), and the CWF fundraiser dinner. She filled the board in on her meeting with the minister of St. Matthews United Church of Christ, and asked for support for the two churches' invitations to each others' Vacation Bible School, and the plan to have joint junior & senior youth groups. The minister had nine pastoral visits in May, and spoke of a number of ongoing health concerns among members. She enthusiastically endorsed the Membership & Evangelism committee's plans to host a children's booth during the Apple Festival in September.
Worship Committee: The chair reported that this committee hopes to meet within the next two weeks, and needs to decide whether or not to pay an annual membership fee to Brendtwood Music Co., which allows the choir to purchase music at a considerable discount.
Christian Education: The chair reported that the CE committee had met recently and had decided to amalgamate a couple of classes, at least for the summer season. The 20's&Up class will meet for the time being with the Adult 1 class. By combining a couple of classes in this way, we will save on curriculum ordering costs. The committee wholeheartedly supports the mutual invitations for Vacation Bible School with St. Matthews UCC, and the plan for joint youth groups. Due to several scheduling conflicts, it is not possible for our youth to attend summer camp at Christmount this summer, but we hope to plan ahead for camps next summer.
Membership & Evangelism: The chair reported that this committee had met on May 19th, and progress is being made on a number of fronts. The major initiative of the committee, securing a booth at the Apple Festival in September, has been achieved, and members will be in charge of face–painting, with assistance from several others. It was suggested by the board that we charge $3 for each child's face–painting. This should bring in significant funds for the church. Cards have been completed which the committee will send to regular attenders who have missed three weeks at church, featuring four beautiful photographs of the church and grounds. Our visitors' packet folder is also being re–designed, as we are running out of the old ones and they are no longer in stock.
Mission and Outreach: The chair noted that the Food Bank item for June will be cooking oil, something which Christian Ministry is greatly in need of. It was also noted that the new homeless shelter is near completion, and as soon as we have more information about this we plan to support it actively.
Property: The chair reported on the meeting held recently by a special sub–committee with a representative of the company which had originally installed our sound system. There will be several stages involved in improving the sound system, which we will have to complete as funds allow. The board approved the first stage, which is purchasing an improved 'condenser' pulpit microphone. This will involve new wiring, and will be done as soon as possible. In the meantime, anyone experiencing difficulty hearing is urged to sit closer to the front of the sanctuary. It was also noted that the air conditioning is not working in the parsonage, and the church computer is not functional. These will be fixed this week. The minister also requested that the pulpit presently in the foyer be replaced with a table, as there is no longer sufficient room on the pulpit for all the information we need to make available.
Finance: The treasurer reported the income, expenses, and checking balance for the month of May. She also stated the amount needed to meet our budget and the income for the first 22 weeks of the year. Our deficit is greater than we had hoped, and this continues to be an ongoing concern. We are aware of the difficult economic times, and the numbers of members on fixed incomes. At the same time, all members need to be reminded to be in prayer about our financial situation, and to do everything possible to maintain their commitments.
CWF: The CWF is holding a church–wide clean–up on Saturday, June 12, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
CMF: The CMF will be placing a Christian flag in the cemetery, to honor all those buried there, thanks to a gift given for this purpose.
The monthly calendar is printed in the hard copy edition of the newsletter. Visit our online calendar page for activities, announcements, and updates.
Please indicate your interest in helping with any of the Sunday Roster Duties listed on the insert in today's bulletin.
You're sure to receive a warm welcome whenever you visit with us.
National Office (Indiana) Regional Office (NC)
Calendar Congregation Directions Home Minister Minister Emeritus Newsletter Worship
Submit comments, suggestions, and/or questions to terrell.brenda@gmail.com.