Cross Words November, Phone:

Transcription

1 The Pastor s Pen Last month, Jerry and I spent some time walking on ashes. We travelled to Italy, Sicily, Greece and Turkey and got to spend time at many of the sites where the Apostle Paul visited on his three missionary journeys. We stood in the ancient city of Corinth and listened to church bells calling people to prayer, and we stood in front of the Bema, the raised step where proconsul Gallio heard and dismissed the case against Paul. In Ephesus, we climbed the steps of the library, one of the city s most beautiful buildings and a tomb for the Governor Gaius Julius. The library was built less than 100 years after the crucifixion. As you climbed the library steps, you could look down at your feet and see ancient graffiti carved into the marble (a depiction of a Jewish menorah one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith. In Athens, we climbed the stone steps of Mars Hill. Mars Hill, the Areopagus mentioned in Acts 17. Not far from the Acropolis, it served as a meeting place for the highest court in Greece. This was where Paul preached about the religious idolatry of the Greeks who even had an altar to the Unknown God. Paul used it to introduce the Athenians to the one true God. But those steps! Many in our group chose not to go up Mars Hill, and Jerry had to practically pull me up (see inset)! I would have never made it if I had been travelling alone. In Pompeii, the steps were rugged and uneven. One member of our group, an 88 year old woman, fell and broke her wrist in two places. In Rome, we visited one of the Roman Catholic Church's holiest relics, the Santa Scala or Holy Stairs. Believed to have been climbed by Jesus on his way to trial before Pontius Pilate, the steps were brought to Rome from Jerusalem in 326 AD by St Helena, mother of Constantine. The 28 marble steps are considered so holy that they have been encased in wood for their protection, and worshipers are only allowed to ascend on their knees. However, during a recent restoration, workers found that the sanctity of the staircase had not had an effect on the behavior of some tourists. Chewing gum was found stuck to the underside of the tread! It s a good thing that pilgrims who ascend the staircase are given a full indulgence of their sins which includes gum-chewing. What did I learn on my Footsteps of Paul journey? Sometimes the steps of faith are welltravelled. Sometimes you get shoved. Sometimes you fall. Sometimes you need a helping hand before you can stand on your own. Sometimes you witness acts of great faith. Sometimes you see senseless acts of neglect and abuse. But everywhere I went everywhere I saw the Church, the body of Christ, seeking to know more clearly where it had come from and where it was headed. The Church is on the move! Sometimes the greatest act of faith we can achieve is to choose to walk on ashes. May your journey be blessed and may you always follow the footsteps of the faithful. Blessings, Pastor Sue T Avenue, P.O. Box 278 Phone:

2 Nov. 17th Annual Meeting The Annual Congregational meeting will take place after worship on Sunday, November 17 th. As part of the church s worshipful work, we will receive and vote on the slate of 2014 officers. There is so much happening in God s church in this place! Be a part of celebrating who we are and how we live into God s plan for bringing about the Kingdom. Thanksgiving Dinner in Fellowship Hall follows the meeting. All Saints Day grew out of the early church s practice of remembering the martyrs of the church. A variety of special days to recognize Saints developed over time. By the late 4 th century a day to honor all the Saints was in place. By the 8 th century, All Saints Day was set on November 1 st. Early leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), concerned with restoring the New Testament Church found little justification for All Saints Day. However, in the past 30 years, Disciples have rediscovered a place for All Saints Day in congregational life as an opportunity to enhance worship and reclaim the title Saint for all who are baptized. We will celebrate All Saints Sunday on November 3 rd by remembering those who have faithfully served the church. During worship, we will light candles for the Saints of this Church who have died this past year. You can also come forward and light a candle in memory of a person in your life who is now with God. For all the Saints who from their labors rest! We do important ministry we foster relationships we have receive new members we witness professions of faith and we baptize. Now it s time to be Thankful! One way we celebrate is to gather around the table. Join the feast at our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on November 17 th after worship. Meat will be provided and a sign-up sheet for bringing sides to the table is posted in Fellowship Hall. Nothing says comfort and love like a church bake sale! Stuff your Christmas stockings with homemade cookies, candies, jams, jellies, cakes and more. The Waukee CWF is hosting an All-church Holiday Bake Sale during Fellowship Time on December 8 th. What better way is there to prepare for Christmas than by letting someone else do the cooking? Donations of baked and homemade goods are welcome!! please price them. Proceeds will be used to cover the costs of funeral dinners. These small groups met on Wednesday to organize and begin their prayer life together. If you would like to be part of a caring small group that supports one another in prayer and seeks to know God s will for your life, join us. Pencil in Wednesday November 20 th for the next meeting.

3 Everyone who helped with Shops on T No Adult or Youth Sunday School on Sunday, Dec. 1 st (Thanksgiving weekend). PRE-K meets with Mrs. to learn about God s love and to spend time with caring adults. The children have a lot of fun and would welcome anyone who wants to plant seeds of faith. Parents are welcome to gather in Fellowship Hall for a cup of coffee or join the Adult Sunday School. Workshop Rotation Model WORM WORM Kicks off November 3 rd. K- 5 TH GRADE begins an exciting program! Each month the kids in WORM will focus on a Bible story. But each week, they will learn the story in a new way: arts and crafts, puppets, games, drama, cooking. It s a fun way to discover God s love for us. Kids earn Bible Bucks for achieving certain goals (memorizing a scripture, good attendance, stewardship, and inviting others). At the end of the month they can spend their Bible Bucks on small gifts from the marketplace or save them for a larger item. We are excited to offer WORM!! The HIGH SCHOOL class meets with George in the Prayer Room for Bible study and conversation. Those of you who are giving to Operation Christmas Child Choir! Everyone who said Yes to the Nominating Committee Stewardship Team During Bethalene Finestead s upcoming treatments, she would enjoy Crop Walk hosts receiving s and/or cards. Her For the love and address pastoral is care bethalene@mac.com you gave to the Graham family and her mailing address is NW 102nd Avenue, Granger, IA For hosting Ben and Kristen s wedding shower Worship Team Gardeners who care for our planters I would like to thank the Knit Wits group for the beautiful blanket and hat for baby Thomas! We really appreciate your thoughtfulness! Thank you! ~ John and Carrie Gruber The family of Rolland Graham would like to thank everyone who was so gracious and helpful during Rolland s last days and at the visitation and funeral at the church. A special thanks to Shari Burgus and Cimberly who came to Hospice, to Don Embree for stepping in and doing a beautiful service, to Ruth Sindt for her beautiful music, to Don Foreman for his beautiful voice, to Lanita who helped set up the video and to the ladies at the church for a lovely luncheon. An extra special thanks to Pastor Sue for being so gracious to Pastor Don Embree and to our entire family. Waukee Christian is a great place to be! ~ LeRoy and Linda Graham

4 Monthly Communion Is Available The Elders take communion once a month to those who are homebound, in nursing facilities or hospitalized. If you would like to receive communion, please contact Linda Wilcox, Elder Chair at Come join in the food, fun and fellowship of decorating the church for Advent on Sunday, November 24 th at 5:00 pm. Coat Check Did you pick up the wrong pink coat? A pink coat is hanging in the narthex, and you may have picked up the wrong one instead. If you have a pink raincoat that doesn t belong to you, please let Pastor Sue know or simply exchange it. Thanks! Come enjoy some delicious soup and get in the holiday spirit! Bring yourself, the kids, the grandkids, the neighbor kids. This event is open to everyone. Some help is needed providing food. Look for sign-up sheets in Fellowship Hall. Dates to Remember Nov 2 nd Schempp/Parks Wedding Nov 3 rd All Saints Sunday Nov 4 th Elders Meeting 6:30 pm Nov 6 th CWF 9:00 am Choir 6:30 pm Nov 10 th Board Meeting 6:30 pm Nov 12 th Choir 6:30 pm Nov 13 th WOW Meeting 7:00 pm Nov 17 th Annual Meeting and Thanksgiving Dinner Nov 24 th Thanksgiving Sunday Nov 28 th Thanksgiving Day Your giving is important to the future ministry of God s church in this place. Please give generously and with a cheerful heart. August September Receipts $ 8, $ 9, Expenses 11, , $(2,595.00) $ (273.00) Money available for expenses $ 4, $ 3,952.04

5 Between The Covers book club meets on the last Monday of the month to discuss the book of the month and enjoy table fellowship. If you can join us, great! If not, you might enjoy reading some of the selections anyway. November s Book: In Cold Blood (nonfiction) by Truman Capote WORM Planning Day We will be gathering the morning of December 7th for planning the Youth Sunday School Classrooms for our new Workshop Rotation Model. Bill Pay is online check writing offered by your bank. Bill Pay allows you to use your computer to make payments. By using your own bank's online system, you can set it and forget it, setting up recurring donations on a regular basis and your bank takes it from there. Schedule your recurring donation through your bank's website and the church is not charged any fees. You enter into your computer the amount you wish to give. The bank then issues a check which is automatically mailed to the church (no stamps for you to buy!). Our address is on the front of the newsletter. The church deposits the check just like any other check, and the amount is automatically deducted from your account. The details of Bill Pay vary from bank to bank, but there is one thing that is important: How you want your gift to be used! Write the intended use on the memo line or as part of the address line. You can specify Pledged Donation, Regular Offering or other items such as Christmas or Easter Offering. If nothing is specified, the church will credit your gift to Regular Offering. You can help make our space fun and welcoming for children as they learn about God s love. Upcoming Lectionary 11/3/13 For All the Saints 11/10/13 Trick Questions Big Answers 11/17/13 The Art of Parables: Hidden Treasure/Hallowed Ground 11/24/13 Thanksgiving Alphabet Pastor Sue, Adam, Sarah, Sadie and Eli Infante at Eli s Baby Blessing.

6 Youth Sunday School needs a few items!! Can you help by donating? Prizes or small gifts to put in the Marketplace Long-sleeved shirts for painting smocks Bible Flashcards Camcorder and stand Scrapbooking punches, stamps, stickers Children s Nativity Set Elementary-aged board games TV with DVD 2 Computers Veggie Tale videos As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4: 10 During November worship, the Stewardship Team will present their Thoughts on Giving, sharing how God s greatest gift has impacted them. Then, on November 10 th, your personalized Commitment Card will be available in the Narthex. Please take your card and pray about how God is calling you to continue the holy work of the church in this place. Along with your Commitment Card you will also be given a Puzzle Piece. Do you remember the joy of doing puzzles the mystery surrounding each piece? Where does this one go? How does it all fit together? What picture am I helping to create? Your puzzle piece is one small part of the mystery of the Body of Christ. On it will be one thing your Stewardship supports. You can return your Commitment Card and Puzzle Piece at any time. However, on December 8 th we will celebrate collectively by placing our Commitment Cards on the Communion Table and assembling the Puzzle during worship. We Give because God Gave! Your gift is appreciated! During Shops on T, several of us noticed a loud bang coming from the narthex. It turned out to be the furnace. The repairman shut off the unit because it was too dangerous to operate. The 24 year old furnace had three holes in the heat exchanger. Every Sunday of November, we will be holding a special Thanksgiving Food Drive to help stock the shelves of the Waukee Food Pantry. The Holidays are always a time of great need. Most needed items: Macaroni & Cheese, Canned Meats, Pasta, Cereal, Boxed Potatoes, 100% Fruit Juice, Rice, Beans (kidney, black, chili). Thank YOU! Since the average life of a furnace is years, it didn t make sense to invest in repairing it. It has been replaced. The new 95% efficiency furnace will reduce our heating bills and keep us warm and cozy all winter. It comes with a 10 year warranty and a bill. The furnace cost $2,650 less a $325 rebate. We don t have the funds in the budget to cover this unexpected expense. So we are making a special plea. Our immediate goal is $2,325. But there are two more furnaces 24 years old so let s stretch for another $2,325 each of the next two years. Make a generous contribution (above and beyond your regular offering) to the Furnace Fund. Thank you, The Executive Committee

7 The CWF group will be meeting on November 6 th at 9 AM. All ladies are welcome to attend. The Women of Waukee will meet on Wednesday, November 13 th at 7 PM at Linda Foltz s home. The lesson will be presented by Karen Neese. All women who are interested in deepening their faith, service, and fellowship are welcome! Knit Wits meet at the church every Tuesday morning at 9:30 am. They make many beautiful items and welcome anyone to join their fun group. Cash donations or donations of 3-4 skeins of yarn of one color are also needed. s Several of you have asked for this recipe... Norwegian Apricot Bars 1 cup dried apricots Crust: ½ cup butter (1 stick) ¼ cup sugar 1 cup flour Topping: 2 eggs 1 cup light brown sugar, well packed ½ cup flour ¼ tsp. salt ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts ⅓ - ½ cup powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350. Rinse the apricots. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook Dolores Brown for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Cool and cut into small pieces. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and flour. Blend together until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch square pan (Pat uses a 9 x 13 pan to make a thinner bar and the crust still holds up well). Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, prepare the topping. Beat the eggs and add the brown sugar gradually. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and VANILLA and mix well. Fold in the nuts and apricots. Remove the crust from the oven. Spread the topping over the crust, return to the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes more. Cool, then cut in bars or squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar. It s time to be thinking about packing an Operation Christmas Child box. Fliers with instructions will be available in the Narthex. We are hoping that you and your family will enjoy packing a box together and then return it to church by Sunday, November 10, where we will have a dedication service and see that they get to the drop location. We are also asking that you put $7 in the box to cover shipping and handling (checks made out to Samaritan s Purse). Thank you for your participation. Ring in Advent with your Christmas bells. Bring a bell to church on December 1 st. Pastor Sue has written an Advent Devotional Booklet. They are available for $3 to help you prepare for the Christmas season.

8 Please be patient with us as we adjust the Quarterly Serving Schedule for November through December. We have taken the liberty of assigning dates. However, feel free to switch with someone if that date doesn t work for you. Simply let the office know and write the change on the schedule posted on the bulletin board next to the Kitchen serving window. Date Communion Prep NOVEMBER 3rd Lorrie Audio Visual Matt Greeter Suzanne Koch Youth Greeter Candle Lighter George Children's Moment Reader Call to Worship, Opening Prayer, Scripture Shari Burgus Communion Invitation Shari Burgus Elders Call to Offering, Offering Prayer, Communion Prayer Wayne/Joyce Breckenridge Offering & Communion Server Cimberly & Nursery Attendant Kelsey Baker Fellowship Time Food Pantry Delivery 10th 17th Pat/Jack Carpe Dave Jerry Jason Keller Pat Carpe Jack Carpe Zoey Koch Tammy Hardersen Zoey Koch Sue George Lorrie Suzanne Koch Sue Karen Neese Jan Jensen Sue MacRae Duane Sindt George Suzanne Koch Jerry Jason Keller Kelsey Baker Dolores Brown Dolores Betzold Suzanne Koch Marlene 24th Beckie Myers DECEMBER 1st Dolores Betzold Matt Dave Zoey Koch Jason Keller George Sue Suzanne Koch Karen Neese Sue Shari Burgus Cimberly Linda Wilcox Wayne/Joyce Breckenridge Pat/Jack Carpe Dave/Lorrie Kelsey Baker Pat/Jack Carpe Lorrie 8th Marlene Jerry Shari Burgus Zoey Koch Tammy Hardersen Sue Suzanne Koch Jan Jensen Karen Neese Lee/ Marlene 15th Lorrie Jason Keller Marlene Zoey Koch George George Sue Duane Sindt Sue MacRae Beckie Myers Shari Burgus Kelsey Baker Lois Bannister Velda Morris Beckie Myers 22nd Jack/Pat Carpe Beckie Myers Zoey Koch Jason Keller Sue Sue Linda Wilcox Cimberly Ron/Tammy Hardersen Naomi Brumfield 29th Dave Matt Lorrie Sue Shari Burgus Sue Wayne/Joyce Breckenridge Dave/Lorrie Kelsey Baker Karen Neese

9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday am Sunday School 10 am Worship Dallas Co. Crop Walk 6:30 pm Elders am Sunday School 10 am Worship 6:30 pm Board Mtg am Sunday School 10 am Worship and Thanksgiving Dinner 24 9 am Sunday School 10 am Worship :00 pm Between the Covers Soup Supper Book Club Mtg. 9:30 am Knit Wits 9:30 am Knit Wits 6:30 pm Choir 9:30 am Knit Wits 9:30 am Knit Wits :00 am CWF 6:30 pm Choir 7:00 pm WOW 6:30 pm Group Spiritual Direction Schempp/Parks Wedding Rehearsal Schempp/Parks Wedding

10 WAUKEE CHRISTIAN CHURCH T Avenue P.O. Box 278 Waukee, Iowa SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE Worship Service 10:00 am OUR STAFF Pastor: Reverend Sue Admin. Assistant: Lanita Cavanaugh CHURCH OFFICE... Office Hours Monday-Wednesday-Thursday 8:30AM 3:30PM Phone / Fax Ph: (515) Fax: (515) waukeechristianchurch@msn.com Website waukeechristianchurch.com People of the Table Living Faith on the Edge Living Faith on the Edge NOTICE: If you no longer wish to receive the WCC newsletter, please notify the office at If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically, send your address to waukeechristianchurch@msn.com. Thank you. ~ We are People of the Table ~ ~Living Faith on the Edge of Waukee ~ Connecting people to each other and the world. Growing spiritually through the renewing of our minds. Honoring the Image of God in all people. Like us on Facebook! Waukee Christian Church The Waukee Christian Church Newsletter is published monthly.