In this issue... Published by: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) On the Web: Phone: (309) Editor: Bill Coley

Transcription

1 In this issue...! Trunk or Treat is close! Helmets of Hope fun on ice! Core and More Bible study fourteen sessions away from end! A review of the third Common Table meal! Operation Christmas Child is almost here; time to box up!! Thanks to this year s CROP Hunger Walk team and donors! Meal site ministry needs your support! Celebrating Helen Baker! Thanksgiving basket ministry First Christian Church th Street East Moline, IL ! This and more in your KNOLL NEWS! Published by: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) On the Web: Phone: (309) Editor: Bill Coley First Christian Church East Moline, Illinois October 16, 2015 Volume 40, Number 9

2 And from Bill... We re in an expensive season, at least if you re connected to our congregation. We re selling tickets to a Mallards hockey game and asking for donations of gift cards we will raffle off at that game, all to support our Helmets of Hope ministry to area vets. Within a couple of weeks we will set up at table in the lobby to accept financial donations for this year s version of our Thanksgiving basket ministry. Our collection/creation of Operation Christmas child shoe boxes those small but mighty collections of toys and personal items that will be distributed to children in developing nations is weeks away. And then there will be... It s an expensive season. One thing I worry about in expensive seasons such as this is whether we are asking too much. Should we limit our asks, strategically position our requests for your financial partnership in such a way that you notice them and they annoy you less? It would be GREAT were I able to answer Yes! to those questions. Less anxiety. Less stress. Less concern about what might be called refrain drain, the drain on patience and capacity for generosity produced by too frequent a repetition of the refrain, We invite you to give. But I m not able to answer those questions affirmatively. In fact, to my selfish dismay, I have to answer them assertively No! because there never is a time when as followers of Jesus we re not called to meet needs. For us who have answered his call to accept his lordship, there never comes a time when we can take a break from From a faith perspective, we don t have the luxury of picking and choosing when we give by Bill Coley spiritually healthy management of our financial resources, management which requires first consideration be given to the needs of others, especially the ministries of the church with whom we live out our faith. From media of all sorts we know needs persist. Hunger in large portions of the globe, even in a nation as mighty and prosperous as ours, is a demon we must confront and that takes resources. Children living in developing nations experience the joys of friends and family, but also face the challenges of poverty, civil unrest, and limited educational opportunities. Jesus command to make disciples of all nations expands our sphere of influence to their needs as well. From a faith perspective, we don t have the luxury of picking and choosing when we give, any more than we want God to choose when God cares about what happens to us. The result is that the requests keep coming, the invitations to participate actively through both hands-on and financial involvement will continue. The good news is that God ALWAYS provides. We re fond of saying so when we invite people to attend potluck meals for which they cannot prepare food. It s also true, just in a much different sense, in expensive seasons of faith. The more we give, the more God provides. As Jesus said it: Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. (Luke 6:38, NLT) Especially so in expensive church seasons. N e w s Y o u C a n U s e Meal site ministry needs help for 2016 We ve been a faithful participant in Churches United s meal site ministry for nearly twenty years. This year, circumstances compelled us to reduce our participation to every other month. What we will be able to do next year will depend on the decisions people make. Though the form on which you will be able to express your willingness to participate in the various ministries of our church will be distributed within the next couple of weeks, we post this article to raise awareness specific to our meal site ministry. We hope to continue preparing and serving for people on an every other month basis in 2016, but that will require your help. We ll need people willing to serve and/or prepare. Total time on-site? Less than an hour on the first Monday of the even numbered months of Be in prayer about the ways you might be able to help us continue this long-standing ministry of our church. The best Common Table yet? Thanks to the people of our church who represented us in the third Common Table Potluck meal, held at Mt Zion Baptist Church in East Moline. The food, predictably, was excellent (it WAS a church meal!) but even better was the event s spirit once the team games began. Each Common Table event includes a series of team-oriented activities whose purpose is to bring people from various churches together in quasicompetitive fun. This meal s games included team-oriented versions of two classics: Pictionary and bingo. Just before closing, the tables created unique and sometimes hilarious ad hoc stories in an activity that has to be experienced to be appreciated. Common Table Potlucks are an outgrowth of a vision cast at last year s community praise worship held at our church. We praise God for the blessings of this year s first three Common Table meals. We anticipate the fourth, either in November or December. New special gifts received We have received new and sizeable financial gifts from Helen Baker (per her request before her death) and Joyce Abderhalden. Helen was a long-time faithful financial supporter of our church. Joyce s Godgiven generosity paired well with her late husband Norm s, and has continued throughout the years since she moved away from the Quad Cities. We thank God for every gift people choose to give to support our ministries, including the gifts made possible by Helen and Joyce.

3 N e w s Y o u C a n U s e N e w s Y o u C a n U s e Helmets on Ice means support for local veterans We re excited about our next Helmets of Hope ministry fundraiser, which is set for the QC Mallards hockey game on Wednesday, November 11, at the i Wireless Center in Moline. We re selling $20 face value tickets for $15, then keeping $5 from each sale for our Helmets ministry, which soon will make its first deliveries of cleaning supplies to area veterans. You can help with this effort in a couple of different ways: 1) You can attend the game. Watch some fast action on the ice by purchasing one of 50 tickets/vouchers we have reserved for the game, all the while knowing that you ve helped us take action to provide important service to vets. 2) You can sell tickets or vouchers. Whether you attend the game is not relevant to whether you invite family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, et al to buy from us either a ticket (for the November 11 game specifically) or a voucher (for any Mallards home game). Be sure to emphasize that the tickets are $20 tickets that they can buy from us for $15 and STILL support our ministry. 3) You can donate gift cards or cash. For this game, we ll hold a raffle on what we hope will be some high value prizes as well as a collection of gift cards to area eateries. If you have unused gift cards to offer, want to buy one or more, or simply want to donate financially so we can make the purchase for you, we will thank God for your support. 4) You can pray for efforts. Enough said! Papa s provides service to area vets, too We ve recently made connections with a non-profit service in Rock Island called Papa s, which collects then delivers to area veterans quality used furniture and housewares. It s an impressive work that they do, to which you can lend a hand either by your financial donation or donations of used items. Contact Papa s at Trunk or Treat is around the corner... (and at our church s entrance!) For the ninth consecutive year, a team of people from our church will welcome Halloween night visitors to the 7 th Street entrance to our grounds with a collection of goodies and good times that we hope will leave a great impression. The ministry, called Trunk or Treat, is popular nationwide among churches and other organizations who want to make themselves known to their neighbors. What determines whether Trunk or Treat goes boom or bust is the help it receives. Participating is as easy and involved as you want it to be: 1. DONATE: Last year we handed out thousands of individually-wrapped goodies to a total of close to 400 kids; we re praying for an even more active and satisfying night this year. That means we need lots of candy, which you may donate in the bags you purchase on your own, or which you make possible by your financial donation. If you want to donate financially, be sure to turn your money in by the preceding Sunday, October 25. We ll accept bagged goodies throughout the last week. 2. DISTRIBUTE: Welcoming so many kids and their families to our site is such a joy; if you re physically able, we encourage you to spend some time with our team (and if it s not possible for you, then drive by and say hello; you will encourage our team!) You may park your own vehicle in our array at the church lot entrance, or partner with other team members. 3. VISIT: Come by and bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors, and whoever else you think would enjoy the experience. 4. PRAY: Pray for God s abundant blessing on our efforts, that our guests will notice something genuine in our efforts to welcome them to our grounds. In Brief... CROP walkers and donors make a difference Thanks to our team of seven walkers who represented our church in this year s CROP Hunger Walk, proceeds from which support anti-hunger ministries both in locally and around the world. Our team took with them donations totaling $126. Thanks to all who donated. [This year s walker team was Marley Casselman, McKenzie Casselman, Bill Coley, Olivia Dowell, Dawn Dumoulin, Ashlie Ledbetter, and Noelle Ledbetter.] Help make this year s Trunk or Treat the best ever!

4 U p d a t e s Participation report Here we report weekly participation numbers for worship and our Sunday groups. We look forward to the increases of these numbers as the transformation of our church continues. Date Sunday Worship Sunday Groups September September October October Finances through September 2015 Income $47, Expenses $48, Were income on pace w/2015 budget $52, Recent Concerns Paula Clark - Continuing challenge regarding healing of small part heart surgery incision Colleen Kannenberg - Significant health concerns related to kidney and heart issues Homebound Ethel Dawson th St. Ct. East Moline Fran Littlewood - Rosewood Care Ctr - rm 219, Moline Lois Tallman - Ft. Armstrong rd Ave, #611, Rock Island Ann White - Illini Restorative Care - rm. 26, Silvis Financial Situation If we re anything, it s consistent when it comes to our financial health: Challenged but blessed. New challenges to our income stream have arisen in the last month or so, making it more important than ever that each of us responds to God s call to faithful management of God s provision to us. The good news, of course, is that God WILL provide. New Helmets of Hope banners on 7 th St sign Very soon we install new strip banners on the metal panels just below the lighted portion of our 7 th Street sign. The strips, made of laminated and UV ray-protected adhesive vinyl that should last about four years, identify our church as The Home of Helmets of Hope. Watch for them! Serving in November... Welcome Team: Sheri/Kate McBride Communion Prayers: Bev Hartman Preparing Communion: Shari Coley PraiseLand Team: The PraiseLand team LifeSOUNDS: Jackie Hume Serving Communion: Shari Coley, Deb Langley Providing Childcare: Marsha Jones / Dawn Dumoulin / Nicole Sullivan / Kim Kapple / Deb Langley November Birthdays Noelle Ledbetter Jackie Hume Colleen Kannenberg Fran Littlewood Bill McBride Colton Jones Betty Warren Tonya Casselman November Anniversaries Walt & Eula Mae Clark REMINDER: We can't tell people about your birthday or anniversary unless you tell us. Contact the church office with your information. Core and More group down to final 14 sessions What a long and wonderful journey it has been for our Core and More Bible study group, which for more than four years has met most every Tuesday to examine a group of chapters from the Bible. The goal has always been to talk about every section of every chapter of every Bible book. That ambitious journey will be completed sometime early next year after 188 one hour sessions, the final session before the review sessions currently planned for January 26. We praise God for this very special study group.

5 N e w s Y o u C a n U s e N e w s Y o u C a n U s e Operation Christmas Child: Some of the best boxes you will ever meet A firmly-planted holiday tradition for us at least since 2003 is Operation Christmas Child, the international relief ministry of Samaritan s Purse that delivers shoe boxes filled with age- and genderappropriate gifts and personal items to children in developing nations. If you ve been here for any number of years, you know the routine: You pick up a sheet from Mission Central on which you will find helpful hints and tips for buying items for the box(es) you create. You then buy the items of your choice, given the age range and gender of the children for whom you re buying, place your items in a shoe box, attach an identification label (also available at Mission Central) and it s ready for delivery ($7 is the recommended per box shipping donation). You may, but certainly don t have to, wrap your box(es) (the lid separate from the main box, please). If you don t want to create your own boxes, you may donate individual box items and drop them in the collection bin at Mission Central, OR you may simply make a financial donation and we will do the buying for you. We will hold a special box creation potluck on Saturday, November 14, at 5:00 p.m. Bring food to share in a casual potluck if you can, but if you can t bring food, come anyway God ALWAYS provides and help us create this year s collection of shoe boxes, yours and others! Thanksgiving Sunday 2016 will be magnificent! Plan to join us for the Sunday before Thanksgiving (November 22) as we bring our What Matters? sermon series to a close with a conversation about the importance of gratitude, we celebrate our annual congregational Thanksgiving potluck, AND we join together with Christians from UT-areas churches for another community praise worship, this year, to be hosted by Gaines Chapel AME Church in East Moline (6:00 p.m.) It s one of the most satisfying and action-packed Sundays of the years, one filled with praise, community, and celebration. Make plans now to join us for the day. Help us create thanksgiving baskets We re about ready to accept donations for this year s Thanksgiving basket ministry, our annual collection which results in the purchase of food items sufficient to provide a veritable feast for six local families in need whose contact information we receive from the local ministry known as Christian Friendliness. Once again this year we will set up a table in the lobby at which you may offer your financial donations (you may also deliver them in an offering tray (clearly marked, please) or through the mail. Thanks to the generosity of our people last year, we have every reason to believe this year s Thanksgiving food basket ministry will achieve its goal of making the holiday brighter for six families. Celebrating Helen Baker On the last two Sundays, many of us noticed the empty spot on the lobby bench that Helen occupied before worship for many years. We knew to expect her smile, her energetic stories of concern and satisfaction with her family many times, the people in Missouri she so loved and her faithful, optimistic support for the work of our church. She loved her family, enjoyed her neighbors, read her Bible (staying current with the Core and More group from which she had to disconnect when health issues forced her to step back), and gave generously to our ministries. But her involvements and generosity were rooted in her unflappable faith. Helen had the spiritual gift of faith, which meant she had a special ability to see God at work, even in challenging and painful circumstances. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep. ) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow not even the powers of hell can separate us from God s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Helen died on October 4. We will miss her in her Sunday morning spot, but we will always thank God she sat there. Romans (NLT)