The Karusograph. A ministry of. Volume 58 May 2016 Issue 5. clintonfcc.com

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1 The Karusograph A ministry of Volume 58 May 2016 Issue 5 clintonfcc.com Take a look at what s happening at FCC in May! Beginning in May, our church will be starting a new sermon series on prayer entitled Extreme Prayer. The series will be based on the book, Extreme Prayer: The Impossible Prayers God Promises to Answer by Greg Pruett. In addition to this sermon series, we will have an extra teaching on prayer and different ways to pray depending on personality, prayer as spiritual warfare and several other aspects of our call to be people of prayer. This 4 week class will take place on Wednesday nights from 6pm - 7pm starting May 4th in the Family Life Center. We hope (and pray) this month helps us become an even better PRAYING church! Please join us!! Extreme Prayer books are for sale on Sunday mornings in the foyer or in the office for $9.

2 The Gospel According to Greg Greg Taylor I am very excited about what the month of May will bring at Clinton FCC! We will have a month long emphasis on PRAYER, using the excellent book Extreme Prayer by Greg Prue from Pioneer Bible Translators. Here is our plan for the month: The first four Sundays in May will bring sermons on PRAYER based on the truth of God s Word and will also include prac cal ps on making PRAYER a priority, and personal tes monies from within our congrega on. Dr. Neal Windham from Lincoln Chris an University will be our special guest preacher on Sunday May 15 during both 8:15 and 10:45 services. Dr. Windham is a student favorite at LCU, and also served as interim Preaching Minister at Jefferson Street Chris an Church in Lincoln during Our own Samuel Green will be teaching on Wednesday evenings from 6-7pm in the Family Life Center on PRAYER and SPIRITUAL FORMATION. Sunday evening May 22 will bring our quarterly PRAYER GATHERING! Please make every effort to join us in May as we strive to grow as a church in PRAYER! The following events are happening in the next couple of months: MOBILE FOOD FCC two dates are set:: -Saturday April 30 food distribu on from 10am 11:30am help needed from 9am un l noon -Wednesday June 15 food distribu on from 3pm 4:30pm help needed from 2pm un l 5pm.

3 The Gospel According to Greg Please consider signing up at the welcome center or in the office to serve! 5K to Raise 5K Saturday May 21 help us send our Jr. High and Sr. High students on their summer trips and get in shape who s in? ONE Service Sunday Remembrance Sunday Kent will once again read the list of names of loved ones lost during the past year our one service Sunday in May will be led by our first service worship team and will begin at 9:30am. Vaca on Bible School June 6-10 we need YOU to help! Talk with Allison or Cassandra if you are interested in serving! Camp at Li le Galilee once again, Clinton FCC will pay half-tui on to send your children/students to camp at LGCA! Cody and Allison are once again leading a week of Junior camp (5 th /6 th graders) and I will be morning preacher our week is June 26-July 1! Finally, we are in the process of pu ng together a new church directory and would like you to consider one of two op ons in terms of photos: First you can submit a photo of your choice via to office@clintonfcc.com. Second we will be available to take your photo on a Sunday morning we will have a photographer available on Sunday May 8 and Sunday May 15, and will have addi onal slots available moving forward. Have a great month! GT

4 Kent s Corner Kent Hickerson Being A Friend is essentially a very natural thing. Listening, touching, giving our full attention, praying - all of these are simple things that any of us can offer to another. It takes no special training or official helping profession role to be a friend to a person with a life-threatening illness. Each of the skills we have explored is something that can be applied in any relationship, whether it be between a doctor and patient, family members, ministers and parishioners, or simply friend to friend. Yet it would be unfair to move into such a friendly relationship without awareness of two particular problems which the person seeking to minister may face. The problems can be overcome, but they should be understood. 1) Dealing with Personal Feelings It is helpful for us as friends to explore our attitude toward death and dying. Here Christian faith makes a vital contribution. While death brings its sorrows, we do not sorrow in the same way as others who have no hope. (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13) 2) Responding to Anger and Attack Hostility is likely to be expressed toward any handy object or person. It helps greatly if we understand the root of the hostility and see attacks as revealing deep need. Realize that when a person strikes out at us in anger that the cause is likely to be fear, disappointment, and hurt. Ministering to the Terminally Ill By Larry Richards & Carol Johnson, M.D. Area Men s Fellowship When: Tuesday, May 7pm Where: Little Galilee Who: Les Evans, FCC Moweaqua Menu: Pork chops, sides & dessert

5 This n That May Shut - In Birthday 3rd 8th Larry Chapman Manor Ct/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane Clinton, IL Theda Adams Manor Ct/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane Clinton, IL th Tom Owens 97 years 322 E. Van Buren St Clinton, IL Send a card to help celebrate their birthdays or send a note to others on the nursing home list. You will make their day! We rejoice with & congratulate: Josh and Kiley Daly, 1805 Christopher Circle Apt 8, Urbana, IL 61802, on the birth of their daughter, Kyndal Rene Daly, born on April 13, Proud grandmother is Lisa Sunderland and proud great-grandparents are Dean & Patty Sunderland.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 members & relatives of those at First Christian Church, Clinton Updated Manor Court/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane, Clinton, IL Theda Adams Donna Arnold Thomas E. Bray Mildred Burns Betty Burris Dorothy Campbell Larry Chapman Helen Dorrell Delbert Fields Marie Jackson Gene Jones Betty Kyle Ray Martin Eleanor Mears Wilma Mestinsek David Mosley Lura Murphy Margaret Murphy Dora Neal Al Perring Dena Polen Helen Polley Norma Reilly Georgia Sobolewski Virginia Stein Kathy Strange Treva Torbert Shirley Utterback Allan Webb Hawthorne Inn/Liberty Village (Supportive Living) 1 Park Lane, Clinton, IL Mary Burton Audrey Fields Norma Hollibaugh Ike Leisner Mildred Meeks Good Samaritan W 151st St. Room 106 Olathe, KS June Cheatham Evenglow Lodge 215 E Washington Pontiac, IL Bob Adcock Helen Shelton Ernest Thorp Helen Thorp Dorothy Yedtman Brookdale North Phoenix 4050 E Bluefield Ave. Room 122 Phoenix, AZ Colleen Stephens Woodside at Friendship Village 1390 N Drake Rd Kalamazoo, MI Dody Thomason Aspen Ridge Care Center 2530 N. Monroe, Decatur, IL Shirley Thompson

7 Young at Heart David Buck, Coordinator Sowing and reaping is a spiritual law which we see opera ng on the earth, but it also operates in the spiritual realm. We sow seeds, and reap material blessings of all kinds. Our words are seeds. Every ac on is a seed we sow, and we will reap a harvest from our seeds. - Joyce Myers We were very apprecia ve of Lincoln Chris an Church for giving us the opportunity to a end their program on April 26th. A great me was had by all! Our next potluck mee ng we will have Dr. Stephanie Cluver give us some health ps on May 4th. Make sure to bring a friend and a dish to share! If people could laugh 15 mes a day, there would be fewer doctor bills. - Joel Goodman On the 3rd of May, we will travel to Moline, IL to the Celebra on Bell Riverboat for a lunch cruise with a classic review of music of the past. We are leaving at 8am. It will be a fine day for a cruise up the river. Then on May 25th, we will go to the White Pine State Park to see and hear the Templeton Family featuring a father and mother and 9 children bringing us folk music. Age is a ma er of feeling, not in years. - George William Cur s It is not enough to be called. It is not enough to just pray. It is not enough to read the Word of God. We have to do what the Word says. And the Word says we are to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and hide not ourselves from our own flesh and blood....it is not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your home when you see the naked, that you cover him, and you hide not yourself from your own flesh and blood. Isaiah 58:7 Mark your calendars. June 1st - Bring your favorite game and enjoy some fellowship with friends! 1:30pm in the Family Life Center. Finger foods will be provided. July 6th - We will have our regular potluck and program. 10:30am in the Family Life Center. Bring a dish and a friend! August 7th - Hymn Sing at 4pm in the sanctuary. Following the Hymn sing, we will serve sub sandwiches, chips, cookies and a drink! You won t want to miss it!

8 This n That IF: Table is a place to gather women of all ages and share a simple meal and dive deep with people over real stories and Christ centered conversations. Our next IF:Table is Thursday, May 12 at 7pm in the Family Life Center. Hope you will join us! If you have any question, please contact Mandi Ries, Discover FCC Class We are offering another Discover FCC class on Sunday, May 15th from 5:30pm - 7pm. This class is an opportunity to learn more about FCC s history and theology. Childcare will be provided for ages nursery thru 5th grade. A light meal will also be provided. To RSVP please call the church office, Men of All Ages: On May 3 and 17, the Men s Ministry group, Reload, will meet from 6am 7am at the Cable Building. Please come, bring a friend and enjoy some great food and fellowship. Any questions, contact Adam Brucker, RELOAD Date Night Returns!!! May 13 from 5:30pm - 8:30pm Child care is for infant thru 5th grade Cost: FREE!!! A meal will be provided for children 2yrs & up. *For allergies, please contact Allison or Cassandra We here at FCC think that you are important and to show you how important you are, we are bringing back Date Night!! Whether your kids are grown or you still have littles at home, we know life can get busy so this night is an opportunity for you to enjoy some quality time with your friends or spouse! Any questions, please call the office,

9 Next Steps Update With the blessing of the gift from the Smith estate, our Next Steps building renovation program is moving forward in a major way. The design work is now complete and the construction documents have been finalized and bid packets are out to general contractors wishing to bid on the project. The areas of renovation that we are hoping to complete at this time include: The Lower Level Pre-Kindergarten Suite, Lower Level Kitchen Remodel, Upper Level Adult Education Suite, Office Suite, Hallway Renovation, 7 Toilet Rooms, Flat Roof Replacements, HVAC Upgrades, Sanctuary Upgrades, Moving Benevolence To Grade Level, Expansion & Upgrades to our Narthex, Fire Doors and Lower Level Sprinklers. Our plan is to award construction contracts on May 9, 2016, with construction starting June 13, 2016, which will be immediately following our Vacation Bible School. Our hope is that the Pre-Kindergarten Suite and the Adult Education/Office Suite will be complete and ready for occupancy by early to mid September and the balance of the renovations should be complete by the end of November. Many hours of work have been put into the design by the staff, Dana Korneman and the Next Steps Design committee to make this design exciting and inviting and we are excited to see how God will use this to further the work here at First Christian. While we are very thankful for the estate gift, we know, because of the extent of these renovations, that unless the bids come back very favorably that some of the project will not be completed at this time. We covet your prayers that when the bids are returned that our funds will be enough to cover our renovations. We will not award contracts for more than we can currently pay for as we continue our commitment to renovating debt free as God provides. If you feel led to give to our Next Steps program we would appreciate your gift prior to May 9 so we know how much of the project we can complete at this time. Gifts after May 9 will still be needed to complete our renovations. BLOOD PRESSURE FCC will be offering free blood pressure checks Sunday, May 1 Where: Library When: 9 am - 9:30 am 11:45am - 12:30pm This is not a diagnosis, just a measuring & recording of your blood pressure.

10 Worship Samuel Green We have been talking about our next series Extreme Prayer for a while now but it s finally here! For the first four weeks of May we will be diving into the topic of prayer. We will be using the book Extreme Prayer by Greg Pruett, president of Pioneer Bible Translators, as a resource and guide to go along with the series. This will not be a chapter for chapter summary of the book for each week s message but instead help us dive even deeper into the power and mystery of prayer. These books are available in the foyer after Sunday morning services. Here is the schedule of topics, chapters, and events for Extreme Prayer: Sunday, May 1 st -Topic: Our Posture & Participation in Prayer -Extreme Prayer chapter to read: Intro, Chapter 1 Sunday, May 8 th -Topic: The Power of Kingdom Prayers -Extreme Prayer chapter to read: Chapter 2 Sunday, May 15 th -Topic: Prayer as Faithfulness -Special guest speaker Neal Windham, Professor of Spiritual Formation at Lincoln Christian University will be tackling this week s topic -Extreme Prayer chapters to read: Chapters 3, 4, & 7 Sunday, May 22 nd -Topic: The Power of Unified Prayer -Extreme Prayer chapters to read: Chapters 5, 6, 8, & Conclusion Prayer Class Wednesdays in May from 6-7pm (the 4 th, 11 th, 18 th, and 25 th ) -This 4-week class will seek to supplement Sunday teachings and the book (Extreme Prayer) by going deeper into topics on prayers not normally addressed May 22 nd Prayer -What better way to wrap up our prayer series than to gather together and pray some Extreme Prayers? I ask that you would join me and the leadership in praying together that we would become even more intentional as a praying church throughout this series. The Lord is working in incredible ways at FCC and I cannot wait to see what He can do with four focused weeks on prayer. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.

11 The Dunkin Pick-Me-Up With Cody Cody Monkman From June 6-June 10, 2016, we will be having our annual Junior High Vaca on Bible School programming at First Chris an Church. This year we will be doing a new ini a ve called Project Faceli where we will be willing to perform the following tasks on your property within city limits: trimming and removing brush, plan ng flowers and bushes, outdoor pain ng, window cleaning, yard trimming, front porch cleaning, sweeping, mulching, and gardening. Our plan for the week of June 6-June 10 is to do service projects from 9:30am-11:00am. If you would like to be a part of Project Faceli we ask that the property owner or a secondary individual who has a good standing rela onship with the property owner, be present while our group is working. A er you submit your applica on we will put you on our schedule of projects for the week. You do not need to provide a week s worth of work. We also limit the work that we are willing to do in an effort to make sure we do a great job. We need as many service projects as possible so that we can cul vate a servant's heart in our JH students. If you, or someone you know, are interested in being a part of Project Faceli please pick up an APPLICATION FORM and RELEASE OF LIABILITY FORM from the First Chris an Church main office. Once you turn in these two forms I will contact you to finalize what exactly needs to be done, and can be done. Our office is open Monday-Thursday from 8:00am-4:30pm. Our tradi onal VBS week is just around the corner! With Dunkin Love, Cody

12 Junior High Breakfast Club meets Friday mornings at 7:15am in the Cable Building JH Reveal will meet at 10:45am in the Cable Building JH Sunday School meets from 9:30am - 10:30am in the Cable Building JH Community Groups will meet 5:30pm - 7pm in The Edge. May 1st will be our Reveal Celebration Night to end the school year. It will take place from 5:30pm - 7pm. Be ready to have some fun!! Next Phase Sunday May 15 we want to meet with families of 8th grade students and talk about the next phase of life. We will meet from 9:30am - 10:30am in the Family Life Center. We will be serving breakfast so please RSVP to the office. High School Breakfast Club meets Friday mornings at 7:15am in the Cable Building HS Sunday School will meet from 9:30am - 10:30am in The Edge HS Reveal & Community groups will meet from 5:30-7pm in the Cable Building. May 1st will be our Reveal Celebration Night to end the school year. It will take place from 5:30pm - 7pm. Be ready to have some fun! Next Phase Sunday May 15 we want to meet with families of Senior students and talk about the next phase of life. We will meet from 9:30am - 10:30am in the Family Life Center. We will be serving breakfast so please RSVP to the office Visit to stay up-to-date on student events.

13 Allison Hitchings - allison@clintonfcc.com Cassandra Benton - cassandra@clintonfcc.com Wow, the first part of 2016 has flown by and we are heading into May! First Kids has so many awesome things coming up! Allison and I are looking forward to the special programs and events we have scheduled for the next couple of months. Cross Training is a new 4-week class for 5th grade students. The first four Sundays in May, 5th graders will spend the Sunday School hour exploring what it means to be a Christian. Kids will be encouraged to develop spiritual habits that can impact the rest of their lives. First Kids Youth Groups are ending with a family party at the YMCA! First Kids families can meet at the YMCA on May 1 to swim and play from 4:30pm - 6 pm. A light supper will be provided. Mother s Day in Pre-K is an awesome chance for moms to check out what Pre-K Sunday School is all about. The kids are looking forward to showing Mom how they learn about Jesus each week. Date Night is Friday, May 13 from 5:30pm - 8:30pm. We know raising a family is rewarding, but also challenging and tiring. What a great opportunity to spend some time doing whatever YOU want! The staff of FCC will be taking care of the kids...have Fun! VBS will be June Remember that the Lord is great and awesome! Nehemiah 4:14b, CEB. Kids 4-years through 5th grade will experience just how awesome God is as we worship God, listen to Bible stories and raise money to bless In His Hands Orphan Outreach. Whew...that was a LOT! Check your calendar and see in which events your family can participate. Don t miss out on the fun! &

14 Choir Cantata Our choir will be performing a Cantata on Sunday, May 8th during 1st service. We hope you will join us in hearing some of the great vocal talents in our church! It s that time of year again! VBS is June 6-10 and we would love your help! There are many ways to get involved and we would love to find the perfect fit for you! Please contact Cassandra if you would like more information! 5K To Raise 5K May 21, 2016 at 8 am Registration: 6:45 am - 7:45 am This 3.1 mile run/walk fundraiser will be supporting our JH & SR High Mission Trips this summer. Registration forms can be picked up at the information booth or in the office. Register by May 1st for an early bird price of $20! $25 after May 1st. Refreshments, rewards & goodie bag provided post race Camp season is almost upon us and Little Galilee needs our help with cereal for the campers. Cost of food continues to go up every year and this is a great way our church can help this wonderful ministry. Below are a list of cereals they need: Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Cinnamon Crunch, Golden Grahams and Rice Krispies. There is a box located in the church foyer to drop off or cereal or it can always be dropped off at the church office. Thanks for helping this great ministry!

15 Adventures with Adam Adam Brucker In December we announced that the Christmas offering for 2015 would go towards some sanctuary technology upgrades. Many of you gave faithfully not knowing exactly what we were planning on doing. I want to start off by saying thank you for your support and blind faith. I would like to assure you that your money will be spent diligently and prudently. Our sanctuary is approaching 20 years old and since it was built, technology has changed dras cally. The upgrades that we are planning are going to help to facilitate a be er worship experience year-round in our sanctuary. I say year-round because one of the highlights around Christmas me is our incredibly decorated large tree. While the tree is universally loved, it does block the projec on screen from a por on of our audience. In addi on to the Christmas tree, there are frequently things on the stage that can block some of the audience from seeing all that is on the screen. We have also recently learned that the format of our screen will soon no longer be supported among computer and projector companies. So the most no ceable addi on of our technology upgrades will be dual screens that are mounted slightly higher than the current one. We will have one that is above the choir lo (which will not obstruct the view of the choir when it is down) and one that is above the current loca on. Another upgrade that we are very excited about is the addi on of a camera system that will allow us to have video footage of the service displayed on our screens for be er viewing and the ability to distribute the video to other parts of our building such as our First Kids area so they would know when to expect service to end. There is a team that is working with a company that specializes in church technology. We have nego ated with them to allow us to do some of the work ourselves to save some money. We are very excited about what these upgrades will do to enhance our worship experience for years to come.

16 Information About First Christian Church Greg Taylor Minister of Preaching & Teaching J. Kent Hickerson Minister of Pastoral Care Adam Brucker Associate Minister Cody Monkman Student Minister Samuel Green Worship Minister & College Age Cassandra Benton Children s Ministry Administrator cassandra@clintonfcc.com Allison Hitchings Children s Ministry Program Director allison@clintonfcc.com Karen Rice Office Manager karen@clintonfcc.com Mandi Ries Administrative Assistant mandi@clintonfcc.com Jennifer Causer Financial Secretary financial@clintonfcc.com Office Phone (217) Office Fax (217) Office karen@clintonfcc.com or office@clintonfcc.com Office Hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday First Christian Church THE KARUSOGRAPH (USPS ) is published monthly by Corner of W. Main & N. Jackson FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 100 N. Jackson St., Clinton, Illinois N. Jackson St. Periodicals postage paid at Clinton, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Clinton, IL The Karusograph First Christian Church, 100 N. Jackson St., Clinton, IL 61727