The Messenger Epochal Epiphany

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1 CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) The Messenger Epochal Epiphany Join us on Sundays! 8:30 AM Morning Watch 9:15 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Traditional Service 11:30 AM Fellowship Hour Contents: New Year s Resolutions Pastor Green s Message 1 1 Epiphany? 2 Meet the Ministry 2 Monthly Events 3 Amazon Smile 3 Elder Devotional 4 Volume II, Issue 1 New Year s Resolutions for You and Your Church An article by Dr. James Emery White from Crosswalk.com. It s that time of year again. We re going to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, stick to a budget, stop smoking, save for the future and spend more time with family. We make resolutions because we want to bring change to bear on our circumstances. We want to improve ourselves and our quality of life. And the top resolutions, for most people, tend to revolve around the same three poles: money, health, and family. But what would a set of New Year s look like for you and your church, your role as a leader, or simply as someone who wants to live a life of strategic Kingdom investment? Though many more could be added, here are fifteen to consider: 1. Pray more. 2. Invest in my spiritual gift(s). 3. Get more intentional about evangelism. 4. Care for myself spiritually. 5. Make the tough decisions I know are best. 6. Confront debilitating patterns of sin. Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility A message from Rev. Dr. Irvin Green. The various ways that the word epiphany is used may seem to be unrelated, or even contradictory. Christians observe a season of Epiphany, following Christmas. An awakening (or bright idea) is referred to as an epiphany. Epiphany Sunday (the first Sunday after January 6) celebrates both the arrival of the Magi and the baptism of Jesus. Although these applications are quite diverse, there is a unifying theme. The literal meaning of epiphany is a dramatic revelation of God. The key to the understanding is in the dramatic nature of the revelation. We would not call the teaching and nurture that we receive over time an epiphany. That is Christian Education. Dramatic revelations take moments, rather than years. All of the examples listed above qualify as dramatic. Bright ideas involve a sudden awareness of something or a sudden solution to a problem. The season of January Do the hard work needed to build community. 8. Keep in touch with contemporary culture. 9. Quit comparing yourself to other Christians, leaders, and churches. 10. Read more. 11. Prioritize your family. 12. Refuse to use ministry to satisfy personal ambition. 13. Love people, not just crowds. 14. Be more open to change. 15. Stay focused on the vision. Epiphany observes the moment that the Christ child was first seen by the Magi. The baptism of Jesus marks his dramatic entrance into public ministry and the audible claim from above that This is my beloved son. God continues to dramatically engage people in our days. Revelation is more than the name of a book in the Bible. God is determined to speak and live in human history, even if it takes shouting the Gospel message from our rooftops.

2 The Messenger Page 2 What is Epiphany? An article from ShareFaith.com. Observed on January 6 th, the Epiphany celebration remembers the three miracles that manifest the divinity of Christ. The name "Epiphany" comes from the Greek word Epiphania, and means "to show, make known, or reveal." The celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361, beginning as a commemoration of the birth of Christ. Later, additional meanings were added - the visit of the three Magi, Christ's baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle at the wedding in Cana. These three events are central to the definition of Epiphany, and its meaning is drawn from these occurrences. While some Greek Orthodox Churches still observe the Epiphany celebration as the Nativity of Jesus, the majority of the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican Churches focus on the visit of the Magi and Jesus' baptism. The significance behind the visit of the Magi is the revelation of Christ as "Lord and King." The Wise Men were the first Gentiles to publicly recognize the divinity of Jesus, by way of their offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River revealed his divinity as the Son of God. John the Baptist, according to Matthew 3:16-17, testifies of the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove, and a voice from heaven saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Several Russian, Coptic, and Greek Churches also focus on the Cana wedding miracle as part of the Epiphany celebration observance. For the Church, the Epiphany represents a responsibility to reveal Jesus as the Divine Son and Savior sent by God the Father to atone for the sins of mankind. It is a time of healing and fellowship, where the Church comes together in the covenant of brotherhood to love one another as Christ commanded. The Church observes a variety of Epiphany rituals and traditions. In places throughout Europe and Latin America, Christians commemorate Three Kings' Day by offering prayers, burning herbs that have been dried and blessed, sprinkling entryways with holy water, and inscribing the initials of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) on structures in order to receive a blessing. For many Christians, the definition of Epiphany is a reminder of God the Father's unlimited love and mercy, which He has extended to all of mankind through the revelation of His Son, and of the hope of salvation that is now manifest for all who come to him in faith. Meet the Ministry! - Christian Women s Fellowship (CWF) As with every new year, we always make a commitment: to change bad habits, or to pick up good habits. For the women in our church family, we encourage you to get involved with the Christian Women's Fellowship (CWF) group. This group of ladies provides opportunities for spiritual growth for all women in the church. They coordinate arrangements for bereavement dinners for funerals, and provide donations to the Cleveland Children's Home, Mercy Manor and Target Dayton, as well as Camp Christian. They organize and run a church wide rummage sale twice each year and use those funds to support these initiatives. In addition, CWF has a group that meets weekly to knit or crochet prayer shawls that can be taken to friends and family who may need one. The shawls are made with much love, and are all prayed over as they work. We also encourage all members to stop by the table in the narthex where they are displayed and also say a prayer over them, that the shawls bring the comfort their recipient needs. This Prayer Shawl Ministry does so much more than that, though. In December, they donated 49 hats and 3 afghans to Dayton Children's Hospital, as well as 34 hats and 24 red cancer awareness hats for newborns to Miami Valley Hospital. And, as if that wasn't already enough, they also made 13 hats, 5 scarves and one set of fingerless gloves for St. Vincent de Paul. All women of Central are encouraged to participate in this ministry in whatever way they are able. Andree Flynn is the chairwoman this year, and Jane Bernard is the contact person for the Prayer Shawl ministry. Andree can be reached via at andree1219@aol.com, and Jane can be reached via at janebernard@ameritech.net. Hats made by Prayer Shawl

3 Volume II, Issue 1 Page 3 Dedicated to December... Christmas Eve Candlelight Service So much has happened at Central during December! The Outreach Ministry gave out gifts to the children of seven different families. They also gave out several Christmas food baskets! We are so blessed to have a ministry that is so involved in our community! The Prayer Shawl Ministry had their annual bazaar during the Sundays of December. They raised a total of $ to help continue their activities. Central graced the community with Caroling on Dec. 10th. Everyone had a great time singing and eating fresh-baked cookies. Central s Youth performed their Christmas program on Dec. 17th: The Silent Night Show. The comedic skit had the congregation laughing with tears in their eyes. Great job to our youth! The Darkest Night Service had a meaningful impact for many. The service included prayer circles where people shared and were supported in this special time. On Dec. 24th, we had our annual Candlelight Service. The air was filled with the magic of Christmas as we celebrated the birth of our Christ. Jump to January! Get excited for January as we jump into the new year! Join Christian Family Life on Jan. 7th after Traditional Service as we have the De- Hanging of the Greens; where we take down the Christmas decorations as we begin 2018! Euchre & Dominoes starts back up on Jan. 26th at 7:00 pm. This fun-filled group meets on the last Friday of every month for games and fellowship! Call Darlene Rogers for more details! The Laudate Ringers are taking a sabbatical during the month of January; however, the Chancel Choir is still going strong! They meet every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. to practice for the following Sunday s service. Come and sing praises to the Lord! Keep warm during this winter season! Be on the lookout for any canceled church activities on Channel 2 and/or Channel 7 News. I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people Luke 2:10 Amazon Smile There are several programs for non-profit organizations that allow shoppers to support their charities by just following their normal routines. For instance, Central is a part of the Kroger Rewards Program. When you do your regular shopping at Kroger, you help financially support Central with no extra charges to you! Central Christian Church has now partnered with Amazon.com with their Smile program. When you are shopping online through Amazon, part of the proceeds go to Central. You don t pay anything extra for your desired items! All you do is login to smile.amazon.com, select your charity by searching for Central Christian Church of Kettering Ohio, and click select. It s easy as 1, 2, 3! If you have any questions on how to sign-up or about the program itself, feel free to contact Melissa Moody or Mila Wiedeman. Start supporting your church today!

4 Epochal Epiphany Page 4 CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) 1200 Forrer Blvd. Kettering, Ohio Contact Us! Phone: office@centralkettering.org Our Mission is to be a Christ-centered people: Visit us online! LOVING one another because God is love. FORGIVING one another as Christ forgives us GROWING spiritually in prayer, worship, and study SHARING our Faith Journey through stories SERVING the needs of others using God s abundant blessings to touch ALL through God s unconditional love. Epiphany - A New Light Interact with us on social media! /cccket A message from Moniqua Suits, Elder Chair. When you look at something that you may have known about for a long time, and suddenly realize that it is very special, much more meaningful that you ve ever acknowledged; then at that moment, you ve had an epiphany. You ve uncovered something that was there all along, but was hiding, in a sense, just below the surface. It wasn t so obvious. It took a second look. The magi realized Jesus was their king, so they went out of their way to yield to Him and bring Him the praise that He deserved. Recognizing Jesus as King is the ultimate realization that anyone can have it s a lifechanging epiphany. (Dennis Bratcher The Voice) Just as the Star of Bethlehem was a New Light, pointing the shepherds and Magi to the Christ Child, we can be a New Light to the world that Jesus is a reality of hope, love, grace, and forgiveness. It takes a conscious effort, open heart, and an expectant mind to recognize then share His presence in our lives. The New Year is a great time to commit to our being a New Light for the world to see. One approach is to build our relationship with God by being still which centers us on being with God. From stopping to admire the intricate patterns of a falling snowflake AND giving God a thank you, to giving consistent time to listen to God for His direction AND responding, we are given amazing opportunities to be with Him. It is from these experiences that our consciousness of Jesus builds helping us to be a New Light the world can see. May God bless us with His love, grace, and courage to be the light He calls us to be.

5 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 New Year s Day OFFICE CLOSED 2 3 7:00 p.m. Inventor s Council 4 7:00 p.m. Focus Photo Club 5 6 8:00 a.m. Girl Scouts Cookie Rally :00 p.m. Girl Scouts 7:00 p.m. Elders Meeting 1:30 p.m. Joanna Group 14 1:30 p.m. Oakcreek Service 3:30 p.m. Walnut Creek Service 15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day OFFICE CLOSED 16 7:00 p.m. Executive Board Meeting :00 p.m. District 8 Clergy 6:30 p.m. Girl Scouts Training :00 p.m. Girl Scouts 1:00 p.m. Lydia Group 7:00 p.m. Euchre & Dominoes 8:00 a.m. Kettering Chorus Workshop 1:00 p.m. Cheers :00 p.m. Kettering Community Chorus Sunday Schedule 8:30 a.m. Morning Watch 9:15 a.m. Christian Education 10:30 a.m. Traditional Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Hour