Newsletter of the. First Christian Church

Transcription

1 Newsletter of the First Christian Church June 2017

2 Our Purpose Statement To minister to our community by expressing Jesus' love through service, which will take Christ to our Community and bring our community to Christ. What We Believe We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the Savior of the World. Jesus is eternal and divine with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He was born of the Virgin Mary by the agency of the Holy Spirit. His words are in the truth the words of the Father. Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, died for our sins according to Holy Scripture. He rose bodily from the grave on the third day. He is coming again for his church at a time determined only by the Father. Eternal life is through Jesus only. God is LOVE and Creator of all. The Bible is our only authority for life in Christ. Though members may hold different views on non-essentials, we are united on the essentials of Christian faith. Further, those who have doubts and questions are respected and encouraged to share. We believe in the ministry of all believers. Lay and clergy alike are all responsible for ministry. We baptize by immersion, but accept those from other Christian traditions who have been baptized by other methods. Importantly, the Lord's Supper is central to our worship service and is celebrated each Sunday. The Risen Christ invites you to His table. All are welcome at the Lord's table. We seek to cooperate in ministry with other churches around the world in Jesus' name.

3 Pastor s Keyboard For June and July my sermons will focus on the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. In every verse of this SERMON, Jesus' teaching is PRACTICAL! For instance, it remains a sin to murder someone, but Jesus addresses the source of murder--a heart of anger!! Purify the heart and our actions will follow. The SERMON demonstrates heaven's teachings and values. Jesus did not speak on his own, but he spoke the words His Father in Heaven gave Him. We cannot hold to some of His teaching and reject other parts. When we speak, we speak our opinion, but when Jesus speaks He is professing the words of the Creator. These words call for our submission. Jesus' teaching in the sermon is the SOLID ROCK upon which we are to build the house of our lives!! His teaching does not change like the shifting sand. When the storms and uncertainties of life flood in upon us, we go to these words time and again. As we do, we find a place to center our lives. This is the Gospel House built upon the ROCK! So, my goal is to preach practical sermons, sermons based upon the authority of the Master, and sermons founded upon the solid rock that is the foundation each of us can build our lives and relationships. Doug

4 Church News A Chill in the Air We have held many fundraisers and received generous donations. We have talked and prayed for this for quite some time. Now the fruits of our labors have been realized. The air conditioning units have been installed in the sanctuary. Thank you so much to everyone who participated in any way to make this possible. If you haven t visited for a while, won t you join us for worship and enjoy our cool surroundings? Spaghetti Dinner We will have a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser Sunday, June 4 from 11:30 am until 3:00 pm. Prices are $8 for adults and $5 for children under 10. The price includes spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread and butter, dessert and beverage. Dine-in and carry-out are available. Community Outreach We have not had requests for help with utilities or rent and have had very few requests for food and gas certificates. CWF Thank you to all who helped in any way with the CWF Spring Rummage Sale. A reminder, CWF meetings are the first Thursday of the month at Noon. Pentecost Offering Pentecost Offerings will be collected on June 4 and June 11. A portion of these offerings is designated to our area in an effort to start and sustain new churches. The offerings also help fund the recruitment, assessment, training and coaching of new church leaders.

5 Bible Study A reminder that Bible Study is now held on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm instead of Sunday mornings. We encourage you to join us. Vacation Bible School Vacation Bible School is schedule for July This year s theme is Maker Fun Factory. The children will explore that they are created by God and built for a purpose. We look forward to seeing the children for this week of fun in July. The Lisbon United Methodist Church has scheduled their Vacation Bible School for June Lisbon Church of the Nazarene s VBS is scheduled for July The Banquet The Banquet will be held on June 19 from 5-7 pm at the New Lisbon Presbyterian Church. Hosting will be the Winona Methodist Church. The menu is chicken and biscuits, applesauce, salad, brownies, ice cream and beverages. Website We are looking for photos and church history to include on the website. If you have something you believe would be of interest, please it to the church office fcclisbonohio@gmail.com. Newsletter Submissions for next month s newsletter are due the last week of the month and may be made by or submitted directly to the office.

6 Stewardship Report First Christian Church is blessed by the faithful financial support of church members past and present. Generous offerings to the church on a weekly basis have enabled FCC to continue our ministry and mission. Complete financial reports are available from the church office. Please consider this short summary and pray for guidance in your continued financial support of Christ s work. General Fund March 2016 March Year to Date Income $ 4, $ 3, $ 16, Expenses $ 5, $ 5, $ 18, Net - $ 1, $ 1, $ 2, General Fund April 2016 April Year to Date Income $ 5, $ 4, $ 21, Expenses $ 6, $ 5, $ 24, Net - $ 1, $ $ 3, May Attendance Report / / / / / / / / /

7 Chairman s Insight Submitted by Bob Garwood Grace I want to start this month exploring just how God saves people. If you were to say, I know, God sent Jesus to die on a cross to take away my sins. You would be right, of course, but what if someone were to ask you how dying on a cross can take away your sins? The answer to that questions is that I want to explore over the next few months. The Bible clearly says that God must punish sin. In fact, the Bible goes further and says God hates sin and all sinners must be punished. What is the punishment for sin? Death, which was the warning god gave Adam. Genesis 2:16 says; And the Lord God commanded the man, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you of it you will surely die. If you think that only applied to Adam and Eve, the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-2; As for you, you who were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you use to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. Sin is disobeying God and the Bible says all of us are guilty! When Paul says, you who were dead in your sins he is saying we are dead spiritually, meaning we do not have a relationship with God. When I talk about being saved, I mean our relationship with God is restored. Before we look at the Christian doctrines (teachings) of; Justification through faith, Redemption, and Propitiation, we MUST understand GRACE first. I want to begin with a story about Dr. C.S. Lewis. Dr. Lewis ( ) was a British Novelist and Poet as well as a Christian apologetics. Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that presents historical, reasoned, and

8 evidential bases for Christianity, defending it against objections. There was a conference held in London, England to compare and examine all the major religions of the world. Religious leaders from all over the world came to this conference. During the conference, a group of different religious leaders began to examine Christianity and what made it different from any other religion. There were no Christians in this group. They talked about the virgin birth, Jesus sacrifice, the resurrection and Christian teaching. Yet, after long discussions they could not come up with anything that made Christianity different. About that time, Dr. Lewis came in the room so they asked him what makes Christianity different from all other religions. Without any hesitation, Dr. Lewis answered their question with just one word, GRACE. God s grace truly is amazing and humbles all Christians. You see all the other religions of the world teach works. What do I mean by works? As a person follows or applies the religious teachings in their life, they become better people and more acceptable to God. People who believe in works think they are better than other people, or believe God made them better. This is what Jesus taught in the Parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector that we looked at in April s Newsletter. The parable is found in Luke s gospel, in the 18 th chapter. The Pharisee believes in works. In verses 11 and 12, the Pharisee prays; God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. The Pharisee believes he is a better person because God made him better. He also believes his works, fasting and tithing, make him more acceptable to God. The tax collector is very different. Jesus tells us that he stands a distance away from everyone and beats his breasts. His prayer is also very different. In verse 13 he prays; God have mercy on me, a sinner. The tax collector realizes

9 something very important. He is not right with God. But it is more than that because the tax collector understands there is nothing he can do to get right with God on his own. How do we know this? He asks God for MERCY. He does not deserve mercy; he deserves to be punished for his sins. Yet in verse 14, Jesus tells us something most people would not expect. Jesus says; I tell you this man (the tax collector), rather than the other (the Pharisee), went home justified before God. How can the tax collector, who has done a lot of bad things to people, be justified before God while the Pharisee, who is very religious, is not? The answer is the same answer Dr. Lewis gave the religious leaders, GRACE! Grace can only be found in Christianity, it is God who makes it possible to have our relationship restored with him. Through our faith in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, the Holy Spirit creates a new spirit in us. We cannot do any of these things, only God can. What s more, none of us deserve or merit God doing these things for us. We are guilty of sin and deserve to be punished. I am reminded of a wonderful verse that Paul wrote. Romans 6:23 says; For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift is grace. Christians are more than humbled by grace, we are transformed by it. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. You see it is through faith in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us that the Holy Spirit creates a new spirit in us. In the March Newsletter, we looked at a conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus found in the third chapter of John s gospel. Jesus said, Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. In this conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said we must be reborn to enter the kingdom of God. What does this have to do with grace? In all the other religions of the world

10 people do works to improve themselves. There is no change in their spirit; they are still dead to God spiritually. Without a new spirit, they are still the same sinful people just trying to put a better face on themselves. God s Grace is completely different because we are in a hopeless situation. There is nothing in our power or ability to help us. When we receive God s grace, we realize that we are no better than anyone else. It is only because God has mercy toward us that we are transformed, and we pray that God will transform other people as well. Christians follow Jesus teachings and commands out of the NEW spirit. Always looking at the cross and seeing the price that had to be paid for their sins. Christians do not thank God for making them better than other people. Instead, they thank God for his love, mercy and grace. That he sent his Son to die on the cross for their sins and ask for the Holy Spirit to be in their hearts and minds guiding them each day to be more like Jesus. I ask you now, do you know God s grace? Has your relationship with Him been restored? Do you have the peace that transcends all knowledge? If you answered yes to these questions, then you understand that you really are a new creation and that each and every day God is working through you to make you more like Jesus. If you answered no, then I encourage you to pray to Jesus and ask him for faith to believe in Him. Ask for mercy like the tax collector and that the Holy Spirit will create a new spirit in you. That will be my prayer for all who say no, that God will show mercy to all who ask. Til next month, I pray that god will be gracious and merciful to all of you and God s peace be in all of us. -Bob

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12 Manna Layered Lemon Dessert Submitted by Doris Grafton Crust: 6 Tbs Butter 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup chopped pecans Cut butter into flour and stir in pecans. Press into bottom of ungreased 9x13x2 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool. Filling: 1 8 oz cream cheese (softened) 1 ½ cups powdered sugar 1 ½ cups whipped topping Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust and chill. Top Layer: 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1/3 cup cornstarch ¼ cup vinegar ¼ tsp salt ¼ lemon juice 2 cups water 1 Tbs butter 1 tsp lemon extract In saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and ¼ cup water, stir until smooth. Add eggs and mix well. Add vinegar, lemon juice and remaining water; stir until smooth. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and add butter and lemon extract. Spread over cream cheese layer. Chill 2 hours. Makes servings.

13 Olive Garden Pasta Soup Submitted by Dian Moore 1 lb ground chuck, browned and drained 4 cups beef bouillon 2 cups water 3 Tbs minced onions 1 t Sugar 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup sliced carrots 1 (15-16 oz) can dark kidney beans 2 (15-16 oz) cans diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano 1 cup dry pasta (I use small bow ties mini farfalle.) Simmer celery, onion and carrots in bouillon cubes with 2 cups boiling water for minutes. Put prepared meat in 5-quart crockpot along with this mixture and remaining ingredients except dry pasta. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. One hour before service, add one cup dry pasta in crockpot to cook. Serve with garlic toast. Chocolate Pretzel Rings Submitted by Sue Bigelow small pretzel rings 1 pkg milk chocolate kisses (unwrapped) M&M s Place pretzels on greased baking sheet; place chocolate kiss in center of each ring. Bake at 275 for 2 to 3 minutes until kiss is softened. Remove from oven. Press M&M on each, pressing down slightly so kiss fills ring. Refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes. Store at room temperature.

14 June 2017 June 4 Sermon: Inherit the Earth? Scripture: Matthew 5:5 Worship Leader: Vicki Garwood Elders: Bernard Smith & Jennie Scheel Deacons: Debby Hinchliffe & Pam Flory Deaconess: Glenna Vargo & Marlyn Coleman Special Pentecost Offering June 11 Sermon: Blessed are the Hungry and Thirsty Scripture: Matthew 5:6 Worship Leader: Judy Carpenter Elders: Bob Garwood & Judy Carpenter Deacons: Connie Shive & Laurie Steeb Deaconess: Connie Shive & Judy Carpenter Special Pentecost Offering

15 Worship Services June 18 Sermon: Blessed are the MERCIFUL Scripture: Matthew 5:7 Worship Leader: Elders: Deacons: Deaconess: Jennie Scheel Bob Garwood & Judy Carpenter Connie Shive & Laurie Steeb Connie Shive & Judy Carpenter June 25 Sermon: Blessed are the PURE Scripture: Matthew 5:8 Worship Leader: Elders: Deacons: Deaconess: Judy Rae Noel Dian Moore & Jodie Flory William Wixon & Nancy Wixon Vicki Garwood & Pam Flory Alternates: Elder: Nancy Wixon Deacon: Bill Stanley

16 June Celebrations Happy Birthday! 2 nd Adyson Andric 3 rd Jane Wallace 5 th Reese Carpenter 5 th Ryan Carpenter 8 th Pam Baith 11 th Andy Garwood 11 th Connie Hoppel 12 th Karle Peterson 14 th Michelle Johnston 29 th Wayne Wilson Happy Anniversary! 2 nd Al & Lori Ash 7 th Charles & Linda Manning 9 th Ian & Stacy McNally 15 th Brian & Lorie Butler 15 th Rob & DJ Vargo 18 th Randall & Connie Hoppel 21 st Don & Eleanor Carman 23 rd Dan & Vicky Sawman 24 th Scott & Sue Bigelow 25 th Kevin & Carrie Smith 29 th Matt & Michele McCulley

17 Sick and Shut-In Update Visiting Elder for June Dian Moore Mary Combs, Room 144 Karle Peterson Alliance Community Hospital State Route East State Street Lisbon, OH P.O. Box Alliance, OH Paul Peppel, Room 40 St. Mary s Alzheimer s Center 1899 West Garfield Road Donna Viets, Room 114 Columbiana, OH Vista Center Vista Drive, Room 114 Lisbon, OH Paul & Margaret Smith S. Lincoln Ave., Apt. 303 Salem, OH Please remember our shut-ins in your prayers and with cards, phone calls and visits.

18 Our Prayer List Here at the First Christian Church, we sincerely believe in the power of prayer. Following is the current list of people for whom we are praying. Some of these individuals are church members, some are family members, some are friends. If you are in need of prayer and would like to be included, please let us know by ing us at or call Bill and Nancy Wixon Margaret and Paul Smith Sylvia Shoaff Jerry Carman Jean Ann Cook John David (J.D.) Traggiai Amanda Medure and Family (especially Amber & Abby) Church Leaders Jim Courtney Kiane Henderson Daniel James Saunders Brad Walker Mary Combs Donna Viets Paul Peppel Karle Peterson

19 Wisdom from the Elders Submitted by Judy Carpenter Why Me God I'm sure you are asking, "Why me, God?" because something has happened that caused you to feel somehow singled out. Perhaps you feel that God must be punishing you for some reason. Why else would this be happening to you? Be assured. You are not alone. God has not abandoned you and He has not singled you out, no matter how you feel right now. Whatever you are going through, God's promise is that He will see you through and give you the strength and direction you need. God wants you to know that He understands how you feel, that He knows more about your situation than you do, and that He saw it coming before you did. Above all, He began to work on His resolution for you before you even knew to ask! The reality here is that God is for you. He is not against you. Peoples feelings of "Why me, God?" are real. They are based on real events, but their conclusions may not be accurate. While no one wants to minimize the pain, you feel in any way, we do want to try to help you look more closely at why you feel singled out and if you've arrived at a valid conclusion. The answers to why we conclude anything, even why we question God's intent or purpose in any event, can be found in our beliefs. Even though we are all the same faith at times we have different beliefs. We absorb our beliefs from our parents, teachers, life experiences, books, etc. Some of what we have come to believe may sound right, but, our views might be too narrowly defined or inaccurate. We have bought into many ideas and concepts that distort our right thinking and work against us. One of the worst beliefs we have, at least with our

20 first reaction, is that we are the victim, either of circumstances or of our past. Thus, causing us to cry out in pain, "Why me, Lord?" God's answer is that we are not victims but victors. God has said that we can trust Him in everything and that every event in our lives should be counted as ALL joy (James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sister, whenever you face trials of many kinds). He has also told us And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28). When we ask, "Why me, God" it's really because our faith in God is being put to the test. Our belief system is being tested, so we feel singled out and victimized. Most of us believe, at least on some level, that we need to understand everything. We just need to know why. When we don't, we may feel God has betrayed us in some way., it s not God who is confusing us or betraying us, it is our belief system. All those inconsistent, partially correct beliefs cause us to question God's fairness in what we are experiencing. For example, somewhere in our belief system, we may have come to believe that we deserve to be blessed because we have been diligent to honor God, been a good person, fed the hungry, or helped our neighbor. We often believe that the things we do should keep us from harm's way. Then when something bad happens, we are confused and ask God why. When something happens that deeply touches us, we often ask, "Why me, God?" We are quick to judge the event as good or bad. What if we were to eliminate the possibility that anything that happens to us is inherently bad and choose to believe that everything that happens to us is always good? Impossible, you say? It must be one or the other, doesn't it?

21 Belief systems are changeable. When we discover that something we have believed, even for a long time, is no longer valid, can we not simply change our mind and fully embrace the new? If you are crying out "Why me, God?" you must believe there is a God out there who hears you and you have hoped He would answer you. Maybe there was a time when you didn't believe there was a God at all. If you changed your mind and opened your life to God, then you can also change your mind about judging events as being bad for you. When we choose to believe that ALL the events in our life are good for us, even the ones that seem frustrating and painful for now, we are agreeing with God! When we choose to believe and trust God that there will always be a good outcome, we are trusting Him! Only God knows why we are going through these circumstances. Our new dialogue with God will be, "God, this is going to be an interesting journey. I'm excited to see how you are going to bring good out of this one. I trust you will!" Never forget: Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you. - Judy C.

22 Grandpa and Grandson Grandpa and grandson walked in a park and came to a pond. There were many children who swam their remote-controlled boats. Grandson looked at the shiny boats and how children were racing them, making waves, chasing each other s boats. The water was broken into tiny waves that glistened in the sunlight. It looked like so much fun. He could hear the laughter and shouts of the other children and his heart felt heavy. Grandpa and grandson stood there for a good while, not speaking. The little boy knew there was no way his parents could afford to buy him such a boat. And grandfather for sure had no chance of giving such a gift. His pension was so small the boy s mother had invited him to live with them. Grandpa looked at his grandson, saw the somber look on his face and felt the little boy's envy. He looked around until his eyes fell on a bench right next to a big pine tree. "Why don t we sit here," grandpa said and started walking towards the bench. Grandfather and grandson walked together to the bench and sat down. The little boy sighed deeply, his eyes following the boats. "Grandpa I would so like to have a boat like that," he said quietly. "I know, I know " grandfather patted the boy on the shoulders with a manly gesture, "Sometimes life feels so unfair, I know." He bent over and picked something from the ground. A big piece of pine bark had fallen from the huge tree by their bench. Maybe the squirrels had dropped it when they were running around the tree, chasing one another. The boy could hear them making tsk, tsk - noises above them even now. He looked up but the tree was so bushy he couldn t see a thing.

23 For a while both grandpa and grandson looked up into the deep green of the pine tree. Then grandfather took a little pocket knife and started to carve the bark delicately. Grandson looked curiously at what he was doing. He carved the sides of the bark to a shape of a leaf, the other end was pointed, the other was flat. Then, with the tip of the knife, he carefully carved a tiny hole in the middle of the bark. It was a perfect round little hole, the boy noticed. Grandpa raised his eyes from his work and looked around. "There - go and get me that twig on the ground, would you? My knees won t bend anymore, I can t get it up myself." The boy hopped down from the bench and went to fetch the twig grandpa had pointed at. "Perfect," the old man said, "Straight and strong and not too dry so it would snap. Good! Now scoop some resin from the pine tree on the other end of the stick. Be careful not to get your clothes dirty! That s right, thank you!" Grandpa had to make the tiny hole a bit larger, but soon he managed to put the stick into the hole. Some of the resin was squeezed out from the hole, but grandpa seemed pleased. Then he looked around again. "There! Bring me that twig! And some of that grass." The little boy ran to the next twig, scooped a handful of grass and brought them to grandpa. This was getting interesting. He edged in even closer and soon grandpa and grandson were sitting there, both heads bent over what grandpa was doing. First grandpa cut the long twig into two. Then he made a small rope out of grass and used it to tie the first twig horizontally to the twig that was standing vertically from the bark. It formed a broad cross. Then he did the same with the other twig, this time he tied it to the base of the standing twig.

24 "I need you to promise you won t tell your mother what I shall do now," grandpa winked at the boy. "I promise!" The little boy said eagerly. A little conspiracy was always fun. "Good!" Grandpa reached for his pocket and out came a handkerchief with some lace around it. The boy sniggered. "Oh, I know," grandpa sighed, "As dear as your mother is to me, she doesn t quite understand we men are not too keen on lace But this time it comes in handy. Just look!" Grandfather threaded the handkerchief to the mast - for it was a mast - using grass that fit nicely through the lace. First along the upper beam, then the lower one. And suddenly they had a big bark ship with a beautiful white square sail. "Now, let s see how this swims! Put it in!" Grandpa gave the ship to the boy. Together grandpa and grandson walked to the water s edge. The boy carefully lowered the boat into water. A remotecontrolled boat curved by, raising waves that splashed their boat wet. "Oh no!" the boy cried. "Wait!" Out of nowhere came a cool breeze and the sail caught the wind. First slowly, then faster the boat braved the open waters. It looked so different from all the battery-operated boats people started pointing at it from the shores. Some boats came near but not one collided with the bark boat. It floated like a feather on the waves.

25 They stood there, grandpa and grandson, for a long, long time, watching how the breezes carried the boat around the pond. And then, like a miracle, the winds drove the boat right back to them. The boy took the boat from the water and looked at grandpa with eyes that were no longer envious but full of joy. "They are great, aren t they, those expensive boats," grandpa said to the boy, "But I hope you remember one thing from all of this. When you looked at those other boats, they were steered by people like you and me. They collided with each other, they ran ashore. You saw how the batteries run out on two of them, didn t you?" The boy nodded. "Our boat, on the other hand, was remote controlled by another source entirely. One that never runs out." "The wind?" "Well, you call it wind. But who gave that wind? Who remote controlled our boat so that it sailed proudly for an hour and then came back safely?" The little boy looked at his grandpa. "I didn t see anyone," he said. Grandpa smiled and ruffled his hair. "Our boat was remote controlled by God himself. We humans make errors, we collide, we run ashore, our energies run out when we try to control everything. But when we give up our need to control and let God steer our boat, it's journey is a wonder to look at. Will you promise to remember this story all your life?" "I promise!" the little boy said. "And now I believe it is time to move on. I do believe someone is selling ice cream somewhere in this park, and I am sure you could use one." "Yes! Yes!" The little boy jumped up and down, all previous sadness and envy gone. And so, grandpa and grandson walked away from the pond, the little boy holding the bark ship carefully in his arms. -- Author Unknown

26 Holy Humor Two Trouble Makers A couple had two little mischievous boys, ages 8 and 10. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons would get the blame. The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed and asked to see them individually. So, the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon. The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open. The clergyman repeated the question. "Where is God?" Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. So, the clergyman raised his voice some more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "Where is God!?" The boy screamed and bolted from the room. He ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?" The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied: "We are in real BIG trouble this time! God is missing, and they think we did it!"

27 Church Information First Christian Church 225 East Washington Street Lisbon, OH Website: Facebook: First Christian Church YouTube Channel: First Christian Church Lisbon Charles Douglas Shoaff, Pastor Bob Garwood, Board Chairman Judy Carpenter, Head Elder Jean Cook, Membership Secretary Judy Rae Noel, Clerical Secretary Office Hours Monday thru Thurs: 4:30 6:30 p.m. Friday: 12:30 4:30 p.m. Worship Times Sunday School 9:00 am Church Service 10:15 am Spiritual Growth Bible Study 6:30 pm

28 The Good News First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 225 E. Washington Street Lisbon, Ohio Sunday School & Bible Study 9:00 am Morning Worship 10:15 am Return Service Requested «Organization» «JointSal» «PriFirst» «Last» «Address» «SecAddress» «City», «State» «Zip»