May Christ Presbyterian Church

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Shannon Owen
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May 2018 Christ Presbyterian Church In the fall, Christ Church began walking a renewal journey. We re seeking fresh aliveness to God s call to live Jesus mission today.

April 28, we began Phase 2, fittingly, on the first day using renovated Fellowship Hall, holding a Vision Retreat in which we shared dinner and considered the kind of life God would have the church

Out of these, this group will draft a vision statement to focus our discernment God s energy and urgency for joining his mission in our neighborhood.

1 May 2018 Christ Presbyterian Church In the fall, Christ Church began walking a renewal journey. We re seeking fresh aliveness to God s call to live Jesus mission today. December s Heritage Event and the Lent Bible study were Phase 1 of this journey. In these we listened to what we, including Jesus, value in God s church. April 28, we began Phase 2, fittingly, on the first day using renovated Fellowship Hall, holding a Vision Retreat in which we shared dinner and considered the kind of life God would have the church live. Next in Phase 2, a Vision Panel made up of Karena McCandless, Frank Mormino, Logan Moritz, Shirley Wood, and myself, will reflect on and pray over our renewal journey findings thus far. Out of these, this group will draft a vision statement to focus our discernment God s energy and urgency for joining his mission in our neighborhood. Then, in coming months, we will hold events and conversations within and beyond the church to help us know our neighborhood better and imagine how CPC s ministry might intersect peoples need. This renewal will take a while, stretching into This is a good thing! It meets what we find in the Bible: God s new-making work with people takes time. Recently my Bible reading has included the chapters of Exodus in which God leads Israel through the wilderness to the Promised Land. This renewal journey takes forty years. At times the people can only think about the way things were. Some complain that there s no point, they re going to die anyway. Sometimes they receive profound visions of God and commit to faithfulness as God s people. More often, they have more questions than answers, and skepticism than confidence. Their journey isn t short, doesn t proceed in a straight line, and contains few assurances other than that God is with them to provide. Israel s work is mostly to trust and keep walking. Let s just say it: walking by faith, accepting God s terms and God s timing, is hard. But the Bible shows God will challenge his peoples faith and perseverance. I write this column on the first spring day that really feels like spring. People are driving with windows down, music literally fills the air, and the wind that so bites in winter feels like a gift. If I ve learned one thing about Northeast Ohio, it s that journeying toward spring s renewal takes persistence! Just like the church s renewal in God. It comes as a gift, but only to those who wait, persist, and sometimes struggle to receive it. While our renewal season is partly about making fresh focused plans for the church, it s also, perhaps even more, about knowing God anew, with all God s mystery and wonder, faithfulness and patience. This keeps us walking together, growing further into God whose mission is the restoration of everything. God grant that we live open to it in our part of God s world.

2 WEST GEAUGA SENIOR CITIZENS RECOGNITIOIN DINNER, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 4:30PM: West G senior citizens are invited to an enjoyable evening of delicious food and music provided by West G Students. For reservations please call the West G Board of Education Office at by May 9 th. SOUP CEREAL PRESENTS Shakespeare s Twelfth Night May 4 th & 5 th at 7:30, and May 6th at 2:00 Here at Christ Presbyterian Church. Thursday, May 17

THE RED BAG ITEMS FOR CPC ANNUAL SPRING CLEAN-UP MAY 12 th 8:00am Noon Our annual CPC Work Day is at hand!

Bring your work gloves and tools AND your appetite lunch will also be served!

For more information, contact Jane Lyon: 440-256-8944.

To make it as easy as possible, we are now using the website TakeThemAMeal.

com is an online tool for coordinating the delivery of meals to our church families.

You ll receive an email through TakeThemAMeal.com.

Most people prepare meals in their own kitchens or order local carryout/delivery for the meal recipient(s).

Please keep your eyes out for future email invites. ST.

3 THE RED BAG ITEMS FOR CPC ANNUAL SPRING CLEAN-UP MAY 12 th 8:00am Noon Our annual CPC Work Day is at hand! Please join us on as we work together to beautify the Christ Church building and grounds. Bring your work gloves and tools AND your appetite lunch will also be served! Sign up in Fellowship Hall so we know how much we need to feed the masses. For more information, contact Jane Lyon: MAY A well-timed meal delivered to a friend in need is one of the best gifts imaginable. To make it as easy as possible, we are now using the website TakeThemAMeal.com to help us with scheduling the meal train. TakeThemAMeal.com is an online tool for coordinating the delivery of meals to our church families. When someone is in need, we as church members rally around these families to take them meals. You ll receive an through TakeThemAMeal.com. Simply sign up for the day or days you will provide meals to the recipients. Most people prepare meals in their own kitchens or order local carryout/delivery for the meal recipient(s). You will receive an reminder the day before they are to provide the meal. Please keep your eyes out for future invites. ST. PAULY SHED HELP US SPREAD THE WORD Roughly 7,000 garments were donated this past year. This was enough to clothe over 800 people. We raised over $ for the Food Pantry. Please let everyone you know about the shed! Tentative Date. Late May will be the first S Sunday to worship in the new new Fellowship Hall while the sanctuary renovation is being done. The Deacons did an amazing job pulling together coffee hour every Sunday in the Narthex. It was not easy making trips downstairs for water and refrigerated items, but they pulled it off seamlessly and always with a smile! Looking forward to using our new coffee maker! We should be able to make enough coffee for all of Chesterland!

Elizabeth Goodin Children's Ministry Director elizabeth@christpcusa.org Kingdom Classrooms In children s ministry, we have high aspirations.

And it s not enough for our children to learn about God s will for his Kingdom, we want them to live it.

4 Elizabeth Goodin Children's Ministry Director Kingdom Classrooms In children s ministry, we have high aspirations. It s not enough that our children learn about God, we want them to build a personal relationship with God. And it s not enough for our children to learn about God s will for his Kingdom, we want them to live it. Reading through our purpose, values, and vision statements (hung outside the preschool classroom window), one would see that we have great confidence in our children s ability to learn and grow as Christians. We also care deeply about the environment within which they are learning, the relationships being formed, and our own mission as equippers for life. So, at the same time that we re teaching our children about God in their world, we also seek to teach them about Kingdom values such as love, compassion, consideration, respect, self-control, and most importantly a sense of their own worth. These are the attributes that breed success in life and, not coincidentally, also form the building blocks of an effective learning environment. As with everything we do for our children, we are committed to teaching and practicing these values within a culture of positivity and fun. Recently, the Children s Ministry Committee learned about the PAX Good Behavior Game, a well-tested and proven classroom strategy for motivating best behaviors. With PAX, students are invited to consider the characteristics of their ideal environment and are then empowered to influence their experience by the actions they choose. Would they like a peaceful and safe learning space, where kindness is valued and individual wellbeing matters? What would that look, sound, and feel like? How would they like to monitor this and how would they celebrate when that goal is reached? Perhaps it would be with a 15 second Happy Dance or a Make-Me- Laugh challenge (teachers or students). We appreciate this approach because it encourages the children to take ownership of their time together, it requires self-regulation, and it empowers them to set and reach their own behavior goals. These are all skills that will serve them well both inside and outside the classroom. We ll call our version of PAX The Kingdom Game, because while we re teaching about God s Kingdom, we ll also be working to create it - with every interaction. It s learning by doing and teaching with love. Parents, look for signs of these efforts, ask your children about their personal and group goals, and celebrate along with us, our Kingdom classrooms. God Bless, The Joyful Noise choir continues to rehearse for their final Spring performance: Sunday, May 13 th We ll be singing an old favorite, so all CPC kids are welcome to join in for remaining rehearsals. Sunday mornings 9:30-10:20 a.m. Room 8 Stay tuned for news about our upcoming Joyful Noise Summer Family Picnic!

Some of you may be familiar with Laura Joffe Numeroff s If You

My children loved If You Give A Mouse A Cookie about the

Íf you give a mouse a cookie, he s going to ask for a glass of

t have a milk mustache which leads to a hair trim, a big

reminds him that he wants a glass of milk And what goes best with

If you show love, you show God, and the consequences of that are

5 Some of you may be familiar with Laura Joffe Numeroff s If You Give books. My children loved If You Give A Mouse A Cookie about the consequential sequence of events triggered by one simple act. Íf you give a mouse a cookie, he s going to ask for a glass of milk Later, he ll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn t have a milk mustache which leads to a hair trim, a big clean-up, a nap, a picture hung on his refrigerator, that then reminds him that he wants a glass of milk And what goes best with milk? God s world is full of cause and effects: If you listen to someone, they ll feel heard. If you show someone kindness, their day will be instantly better. If you say I m sorry, wounds can heal. If you forgive someone, you can heal. If you show love, you show God, and the consequences of that are without limit. It s fun for kids to see all the zany things that can happen when you give a pig a pancake or a moose a muffin, but we can also help them to see where giving of oneself can go. As with the cookie, it always comes back.

6 UPCOMING EVENTS: May 18th Movie Night 6-10 at Cory s House May 13th No Youth... Mother s Day Cory Fetzer Youth Ministry Director cory@christpcusa.org (cell) Hey remember that time we didn t eat for 30 hours, raised money to fight poverty around the world, did a service project, and had an amazing weekend together? Me too!

ANNIVERSARIES John & Barbara Bodmer 4-May Vic & Miriam Strebeck 14-May Victor & DiDi Bello 19-May John & Dolly Carlton 19-May Pam & Matt Lyman 20-May Michael & Liz Haggerty 21-May Bob & Barb Albrecht

Morgan Johnson Beth Bouchek Jerry Gibson Ron Schmidt Dick Sulc Aland Smith Andrea Milnar Shirley Balogh Greg McCandless 11-May 12-May 14-May 15-May 15-May 17-May 18-May 20-May 20-May 20-May 21-May

christpcusa.org Church Office e-mail: office@christpcusa.org Pastor Matt's e-mail: matt@christpcusa.

7 ANNIVERSARIES John & Barbara Bodmer 4-May Vic & Miriam Strebeck 14-May Victor & DiDi Bello 19-May John & Dolly Carlton 19-May Pam & Matt Lyman 20-May Michael & Liz Haggerty 21-May Bob & Barb Albrecht BIRTHDAYS 22-May Peggy Evans 2-May Morgan Palchick 2-May Bob McKenzie 4-May Adam Nitz 4-May Paul Lawrence 8-May Dave Varner 10-May Jared Lyon Simon Fischer Edna Beharry Nathan Keller Kelly McCandless Morgan Johnson Beth Bouchek Jerry Gibson Ron Schmidt Dick Sulc Aland Smith Andrea Milnar Shirley Balogh Greg McCandless 11-May 12-May 14-May 15-May 15-May 17-May 18-May 20-May 20-May 20-May 21-May 23-May 24-May 24-May Church office hours: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm Monday - Thursday Contact Information Christ Presbyterian Church Chillicothe Rd. Chesterland, OH Website: Church Office office@christpcusa.org Pastor Matt's matt@christpcusa.org FLORAL ARRANGEMENT If you desire to purchase a special floral arrangement for a Sunday morning worship service, please contact: Shari McCaslin at: or pnsmccaslin@windstream.net COFFEE HOUR If you wish to host a special Sunday morning, Coffee Hour in honor or in celebration of someone, please contact: Amy Rau at: or arau@lincolnelectric.com Ron Congdon 26-May Benjamin Chenoweth 27-May Deloris Cunningham 28-May Bob Brooks 30-May Mim Gripp 31-May

8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00pm Alphabet Theatre Rehearsal 6:00pm Cub Scouts/Tiger 7:00pm Alphabet Theatre Rehearsal Office Closed 7:30pm Alphabet Theatre Performance 7:00am Christian Meditation 8:00am Men s Bible Study 7:45pm Children s Ministry Meeting 7:30pm Alphabet Performance *Sunday Morning Schedule 2:00 pm Alphabet Performance 6:00pm Youth 7:00pm Deacons Meeting 7:30pm Men's Discussion 7:00pm Girl Scout Leader Meeting FH Office Closed 7:00am Christian Meditation 8:00am Noon Annual Spring Clean Up 13 Mothers Day *Sunday Morning Schedule 9:30am Mother s Panel 11:45am Mission Committee RR 14 7:30pm Men's Discussion 7pm Youth Ministries Meeting 15 7:00pm Session Library :00pm Worship Committee RR 18 Office Closed 19 7:00am Christian Meditation 8:00am Men s Bible Study *Sunday Morning Schedule 6:00 Youth 27 *Sunday Morning Schedule 6:00 Youth 7:30pm Men's Discussion 7:00pm Property & Maintenance Mtg 28 Memorial Day CPC Office is Closed 7:30pm Men's Discussion Office Closed 7:00am Christian Meditation Sunday Morning Schedule 9:15 Adult Choir Rehearsal 9:30 Parent Support 9:30 Sunday school (all ages) 10:30 Worship Service

written and video stories of the church s past in worship and church communications artifacts and slide shows telling the church s story.

written and video stories of the church s past in worship and church communications artifacts and slide shows telling the church s story. May 2017 Christ Presbyterian Church This year Christ Church celebrates 60 years! The official date is October 13, close to which we will hold an anniversary banquet giving thanks for the church s six decades