THE WEST DES MOINES CHRISTIAN CHURCH NEWS AND INFORMATION

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1 THE June 26, 2018 Vol. 22, Issue 8 WEST DES MOINES CHRISTIAN CHURCH NEWS AND INFORMATION CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY TROPICAL STYLE The annual West Des Moines Independence Day Parade is just around the corner everyone is invited to be a part of this fun annual church tradition on Tuesday, July 3! Our 2018 float theme: God's Love: An Oasis in the Storms of Life. Don't miss this rare chance to ride on a beautiful rolling tropical oasis! Many float riders and walkers are needed to hand out candy and favors. We'll meet at 4:30 p.m. by the church garage. You can ride the float GOD'S LOVE: an oasis in the storms of life. to Valley High School and back to church after the parade. See the full parade route on page 9. If you're unable to ride the float, but still want to participate, donations of many bags of individually wrapped, non-chocolate, hard candy are needed. Or you can make a monetary donation and we will purchase the candy. Earmark all donations parade and place in the offering tray. Thank you for your support as we show WDMCC's presence in our community. To give us an idea of how many participants we can expect, please sign up at the kiosk or contact the office during the week. Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July! THE STAFF OF WEST DES MOINES CHRISTIAN CHURCH Sunday, July 1 Welcome New Associate Pastors! On July 1, we will welcome our new associate pastors, Luke and Mark Ehrhardt, sons of Dr. Randy and Sue Ehrhardt. In May, Mark and Luke graduated from Duke University with Masters of Divinity degrees. On June 2, they were ordained into Christian Ministry at WDMCC. above: On June 2, Rev. Bill Spangler- Dunning ~ Regional Minister of the Christian Church (DOC) in the Upper Midwest presented the ordination candidates. below: Rev. Dr. Darren Middleton ~ John F. Weatherly Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University presented the ordination sermon. SAVE THE DATE August Outdoor Movie Night Enjoy a summer evening with a movie* on WDMCC's back lawn on Saturday, August 4. We'll have delicious food available, live music, a bounce house, and lawn games, beginning at 6:30. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, have a family picnic, and bring a friend, or two! As the sun sets, we ll settle down with popcorn and the movie at 8 p.m. * The movie will be determined by your votes at a later date. Mark Rev. Dr. Darren Middleton Luke We're excited to see what God has in store for WDMCC! May we put our faith and trust in God as we move forward.

2 2 Farewell To The Bles Family After worship on Sunday, June 10, a farewell reception was held for our associate pastor and friend Robyn Bles, husband Jordan and daughter Rosey Jo. We are grateful for the caring ministry she has shared with us and the community for the past three years. Robyn accepted the call to become Senior Pastor at Wakonda CC beginning July 15. We wish God s best blessings upon Robyn, Jordan and Rosey Jo as they begin a new chapter. Celebrating Our Volunteers Join us on Sunday, July 8 as we celebrate our volunteers at a reception in their honor, following the 10:00 worship service. The ministries and programming at WDMCC could not be accomplished without our faithful volunteers. We hope you will join us as we honor all the faithful servants who help us move forward and strive for the best for all who walk through our doors. Come Sing With Us In Summer Choir! Ever thought about singing in the Adult Choir during worship? Want to try it out? This summer, there are two low commitment and no stress opportunities for you to do that very thing! On July 15 and August 12, we'll meet in the Music Room (behind the sanctuary) at 9:15 a.m., learn a Ready to Sing anthem (which generally takes less than 30 minutes to rehearse) and share it at 10:00 worship that day. It's a fun way to meet people and share the joy of music with our Questions? Contact Pam Redford at pam@wdmcc.org. Join Y.E.S. For Amana Trip The Y.E.S. group invites all church members/friends to join them for lunch (on your own) in the Amana Colonies and then attending the 2 p.m. theater production of "A Comedy of Tenors" on Wednesday, September 26. This brand new comedy "hits all the high notes for laughter, entertainment, and surprises. Ticket price will be no more than $30 per person, depending on the size of our group. We'll take the church bus plus separate cars as needed, leaving around 10 a.m. To reserve your theater seats, contact the church office or sign up at the kiosk. Hurry these shows tend to sell out quickly. Young Adults (Post H.S.) Are Invited......to a summer Bible Study on Sunday mornings from 9-10 in the Chapel (Fellowship Hall building). Come join us; bring a friend! Facilitated by Emily Murphy. Dining Disciples WDMCC has two monthly going-out-to-eat ministries. Enjoy great food and fun fellowship! All ages are welcome (working or retired couples & singles). Let Martha know if you'd like to be put on an reminder list. MUNCHING WITH MARTHA is a monthly LUNCH get-together. Join us on Tuesday, July 11:30 at Nick s Tenderloins in West Glen-WDM. Family-owned, no-frills restaurant specializing in pork tenderloin sandwiches, plus pizza and burgers. Game Day follows at the church at 1 p.m. for those who wish to join in the fun! This once a month out to lunch event is for anyone wanting to enjoy the company of other good people for a relaxing lunch at local eateries. Signup deadline is Sunday, July 15. Don t miss out on the Fun, Food and Fellowship! If you want to carpool --we ll leave the Fellowship Hall building at 11:00 am or meet at Nick s Tenderloins at 11:30 am. Please note on the sign up sheet if you are carpooling. DELISH is a monthly 6 p.m. DINNER. Join in the fun at Martha & Terry McDanel's home (1213 Locust St.- WDM) on Thursday, July 12. Bring a dish or two to share and we'll grill hamburgers. Table service and beverages will be provided. Please sign up by Sunday, July 8 at the kiosk or martha@wdmcc.org. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be rescheduled.

3 Crossroads Class Summer-Read, Fall-Study Kick off your summer reading with this #1 Bestseller, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown. In a time when we feel more disconnected from one another, God, and our very selves; the Crossroads class will discuss ways Brown, and our faith, can bring us back to our best selves. By doing so, we can help shape our community and our world to be it s best self. Books are available at the kiosk for $20 each. YOUTH ministries Join Us For Back-to-Back July SEARCH(ES)! (1) Meet at church at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 5 for dinner; then we'll head to West Grand for some fun mini-golf. RSVP by noon Monday, July 2 so that we can plan transportation & food. (2) We'll meet at church at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 6 and then head over to Valley Stadium for a fun Des Moines Menace soccer game. Please eat before you come! RSVP by noon Tuesday, July 3. Hope to see you all for both of these fun summer activities! summer 2012 Memory Garden Update This year's engraving has been delayed due to the spring weather. Eventually there will be two new memory markers and seven new bricks engraved. To be a part of this ongoing beautiful project, please contact an one of the Memory Garden Trustees through the office or pick up a brochure, located at the door to the Memory Garden. SCRIP Strange Name, Easy Fundraising $5, has been raised since we began this great program in March of You can buy cards as gifts or for your own shopping pleasure. These are great to use for back-to-school shopping shoes, clothes, supplies, etc. Every order, big & small, adds up to help pay down our sanctuary debt retailers! Questions? Call Stephanie in the office or stop by the kiosk on Sundays. The next order will be taken Sunday, July 15, with pickup by July 29. CONGRATS TO OUR NEWLY INSTALLED These officers were elected at the annual Congregational Meeting on June 3 and were installed on June 24. 3

4 small groups, bible studies, and adult ministries Small groups are a great way to get connected to other people and build lasting relationships at WDMCC! ADULT CHOIR resumes the end of August. See summer choir opportunities on page 2. Contact Pam Redford (pam@wdmcc.org). CONNECTIONS CLASS will resume in September. This discussion class looks at current issues from a faith and scriptural perspective and is led by Dr. Randy Ehrhardt and class members. CROSSROADS CLASS resumes in September. See article on page 3. DELISH! For all ages (working or retired couples & singles) wanting to dine with fellow Disciples. Everyone is welcome to join the group on Thurs., July 12 (6p) at the McDanel home. More on page 2. FRIDAY BIBLE STUDY resumes in September. All women are welcome! GAME DAY meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday (July 17) at 1 p.m. in the Library. Everyone is welcome to enjoy fellowship and play a variety of fun games (Dominos, Cribbage, cards, etc.). GOOD FELLOWSHIP BIBLE STUDY resumes in September. This multigenerational Bible study class meets on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in the Library. Led by Rev. Mike Armstrong. All adults are welcome! HELPING HANDS This volunteer group meets on Mondays at 8 a.m. in the kitchen to do light housekeeping and enjoy fellowship. MEN S CURRENT ISSUES DISCUSSION GROUP meets 7 a.m. at Panera Bread (4150 Westown Pkwy Ste 202) or Jim All men are welcome! MUNCHING WITH MARTHA This fun monthly lunch group is for all! On Tues., July 17 at 11:30 a.m., they will meet at Nick's Tenderloins (West Glen; WDM). More on page 2. THERAPEUTIC THURSDAYS meets 9 a.m. in Gym Bldg-111 for crafting, creating, and working on various mission projects: hats/scarves for the annual collection, table decor, items for a Romanian orphanage, gifts for volunteers and more. WOMEN S BOOK GROUP resumes in September. WOMEN S BREAKFAST GROUP meets monthly on the 1st Friday. On Fri., July 6 at 9 a.m., they will meet at Perk Up (2700 University WDM). All women are welcome! Contact: Phyllis Clark ( ). Y.E.S. GROUP (Young Energetic Seniors) meets for Church School, social and mission events, and breakfast on the 1st Saturday of each month (July 7:45 a.m. (Hy-Vee 1725 Jordan Creek Pkwy). Contacts: Karen/Ron Townsend ( ). Attention Y.E.S. Group: Mark your calendars! 2018 Christmas Event December 14 (5:30 pm.) Mills Civic HyVee Club Room School Supply Drive Coming Social Concerns will be soon be collecting school supplies for eligible low income households in WDM. Please bring donations of basic school supplies on these three Sundays: July 29; August 5 and 12 and place them in the collection box in The Gathering. In August, all items will be delivered to WDM Human Services for distribution to kindergarten through Sr. High students. If you prefer to give a cash donation, please write School Supply Drive on the memo line of your check made out to WDMCC. Thank you for donating supplies and making a difference in our community! Items Needed Include: Pencils Pens Crayons Markers (reg. & dry-erase) Colored Pencils Highlighters Glue Scissors Post-it Notes Rulers Paper Notebooks Folders 3-Ring Binders Index Cards Calculators Kleenex Hand Sanitizer Backpacks 7

5 6 CONGRATULATIONS GOLDEN MEMBERS! Congratulations to the following who have been WDMCC members for 50 or more consecutive years. Thank you for your faithfulness! DSM Area Disciples Disaster Relief Drive WDMCC has issued a challenge to DSM area Disciples churches to help replenish Church World Service s greatly depleted Disaster Relief and Hygiene kits. Due to stronger storms in greater volumes, CWS is running seriously low on these much-needed supplies. With predictions of stronger than normal tornado and hurricane seasons, we invite you to become the greatest giving congregation in the area! The cost for a Hygiene Kit is estimated at $17, with a Disaster Cleanup Bucket estimating $78. Monetary donations will be collected on these Sundays: July 8 and 15. Earmark all donations Disaster Relief. Checks should be made out to WDMCC. Thank you for your support! When disaster strikes, these kits are very tangible tools, and reminders that people are loved. Help us share this love with others! Care Partner Ministry Helps Keep Us Connected An important part of the mission of being a caring church is reaching out to those in our midst who, for various reasons, are less able to participate fully in the life of the church. The Care Partner Ministry was started six years ago to serve as a link between the church and those individuals to ensure they remain connected to the church and know they are valued members of our church community. This past year, WDMCC was blessed by 20 members who served as Care Partners. Through phone calls, cards, and visits, they nurtured a connection between their care recipients and the church. We thank these individuals for their ministry in : Janet Allen, Mary Armstrong, Ginny Baker, Kathy Borlin, Mel and Fae Bosworth, Mary Jo Bracken, Vicki Gausman, Vivian Geerdes, Joyce Hopwood, Kendra Kirkpatrick, Lisa Lewis, Joni Nicoll, Darlene Obr, Rochelle Porter, Marilyn Rutherford, John Terry, Gene and Nancy Tychsen, Angela Wehrspan, and LaVae Willson. If you would like to be a part of the Care Partner ministry, or know of someone who might appreciate having a Care Partner, we invite you to contact Claudette Sederburg (claudette@wdmcc.org) or the office.

6 More VBS FUN! 5

7 Thank You VBS Volunteers! God has truly worked in awesome ways through the many youth and adult volunteers at VBS. 143 children, youth, adults and staff enjoyed a week of singing, Bible stories, fun snacks, great games, and fantastic crafts! The children collected $ and 359 food items for DMARC Food Pantry. What an incredible response by the children to the needs of others! The winner of this year s friendly competition is the boys with a close second by the girls. A special thanks to our VBS directors: Kacie Behrens, Jan Moore, Angie Porath, and Sarah Smith, along with staff Martha McDanel for their devotion, dedication, many hours of planning, preparing and finding volunteers (and thousands of other details!) resulting in a successful, smooth running week. A huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers and staff. We couldn t do it without you! 4

8 Church School Offering Update Since September, Church School offering for all classes children through adult benefits the International and U.S. Mission trips of WDMCC. Over the past years, numerous homes have been repaired from the devastation in the aftermath of floods, hurricanes and tornados. The total donated from September 2017 May 2018 is $2, Isaiah 58:6-11 reminds us that God calls us to help those affected by injustice. When we help, we rejoice with our brothers and sisters whose lives are forever changed. Thank you for giving! Join Us In Thanking VBS volunteers (see page 4). Garage sale volunteers, those who donated items and baked goods, and all who supported it by attending and purchasing treasures. all who helped with and attended Luke and Mark Ehrhardt s Ordination and gave them love and support over the years. weekly worship service volunteers; elders, ushers, deacons, sound techs, bus drivers, and greeters. other weekly or monthly volunteers: Helping Hands, Care Connection, Chore Corps, office, plant care, laundry, children and youth volunteers, Stephens Ministry & communion and visitation prep volunteers, We value our volunteers, who give many hours of their time to make this such a wonderful church. If you know of a person or group that needs thanked or would like more info on any of these groups, contact the office and let us know. Consider volunteering a little of your time. The rewards are heavenly! June 2 Ordination Photos Garage Sale Update by John Terry & Butch Feeney co-chairs What a great group of volunteers! They set-up, picked up, sorted, organized all kinds of items and clothes, brought in baked goods, worked the bake sale table, and set-up and worked the collectibles room. Then greeted, cashiered, bagged, and kept the remaining items neat and organized. Finally, with the help of Chore Corps...took down, boxed and loaded onto the Salvation Army truck...a great team effort that lead to a total profit of over $7,600! The majority of the proceeds will go toward the security of WDMCC. Thank you all for making this garage sale a HUGE success! Included in that thank you, is for the people who donated all the nice items that people wanted.

9 JULY ushers JULY SOUND TECHS JULY deacons JULY GREETERS Sunday Greeters Needed To be a Sunday Greeter, contact Joy in the office (joy@wdmcc.org). OPERATING INCOME Received year to date as of June 17, $353, Expected year to date as of June 17, $399,485.00!(!(!( 9

10 SUMMER WORSHIP One 10:00 AM Service Church School resumes in the fall. UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES JUNE 24 Dr. Randy Ehrhardt Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer Psalm 131 JULY 1 Dr. Randy Ehrhardt The Responsibility of Freedom! Galatians 5:1 and JULY 8 Rev. Alice Bolen Him? You're kidding! 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 10 JULY 15 Dr. Randy Ehrhardt Why Integrity Matters! 1 Corinthians 6:1-13 JULY 22 Dr. Randy Ehrhardt Keep on Laughing! Genesis 18:9-15 WEST DES MOINES Christian Church 4501 Mills Civic Pkwy. West Des Moines, IA (515) Fax: (515) Office Hours: M-F 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. wdmcc@wdmcc.org A Stephen Ministry Caring Congregation facebook.com/wdmcc Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Christian Church in the Upper Midwest If you no longer wish to receive the Caller newsletter, please notify the church office. If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically, please send your address to stephanie@wdmcc.org. Thank you. wdmcc staff Dr. Randy Ehrhardt Senior Minister randy@wdmcc.org Rev. Mark Ehrhardt Associate Minister mark@wdmcc.org Rev. Luke Ehrhardt Associate Minister luke@wdmcc.org Rev. Mike Armstrong Pastoral Minister Rev. Alice Bolen Pastoral Minister Martha McDanel Children and Elder Ministries martha@wdmcc.org Stephanie Murphy Office Administrator stephanie@wdmcc.org Joy Butler Creative Ministries, Caller Editor joy@wdmcc.org Claudette Sederburg Hospitality Ministries/ Financial Secretary claudette@wdmcc.org Pam Redford Music Director pam@wdmcc.org Nathan Green Music Specialist nathan@wdmcc.org Blaine Burright Facility Ministries blaine@wdmcc.org Becky Chaloupecky Bell & Ensemble Director/ Accompanist becky@wdmcc.org Sheryl Neal Accompanist Lisa Lewis Accompanist Kelley Ridgway Food Hostess The Caller newsletter is published monthly by West Des Moines Christian Church. Editor: Joy Butler Submit articles to joy@wdmcc.org. The next issue of this newsletter will mail out on July 24. Deadline to submit info: Monday, July 16.