VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL June 28-July 2 6:30-8:30 p.m. Family Night Sunday, June 28

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1 May 2015 Vol. 64 No. 5 Meet New People with Similar Interests - Register for a Fun Group for the Summer! Many to Choose From! Pick up a Brochure at the Welcome Center and Fill out a Registration Card OR Register on Our Website! Fun groups begin june 1 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL June 28-July 2 6:30-8:30 p.m. Family Night Sunday, June 28 Church Office I Fax I lcchurch@lincolnchristianchurch.org

2 Ron Otto Preaching Minister OUTNUMBERED? It was back in 1966, during the Vietnam War, deep in the Vietnamese forest, an amazing story surfaced of hanging tough during unbearable odds. And instead of it being about U.S. soldiers, it was about 108 Australian soldiers (our allies) surrounded by over 2,000 Vietcong. Those are 20 to 1 odds. After the Australian base came under heavy Vietcong mortar fire, several soldiers headed out to search for their attackers. However, instead of finding the mortar squad, they found an entire VC regiment with one objective: convince the Aussies to go home. The Vietcong poured heavy machine gun fire into the trees that the Aussies were moving through. The next hours were spent in shallow foxholes, exchanging heavy machine gun fire. The Australians held off wave after wave of assault. These 108 soldiers were down to their last 100 rounds, when reinforcements arrived forcing the Vietcong to abandon their ideas of a siege. Up against odds of 20 to 1, when the smoke cleared and the dust settled, what was discovered was literally hundreds of Vietcong dead on the battlefield and only a few Australians. It was an amazing victory, and an amazing story of being outnumbered. What have we just learned? Outnumbered does not mean outmatched. Everyone loves a good story of an underdog. You know the one - someone with all the odds stacked against them but somehow they still rise up to take an amazing victory. It is the classic Hollywood script. Remember the Bad News Bears? (I know, very dated, right?) Regardless, there are countless true stories of just such victories as well. Remember the 1980 Olympics and a team of college hockey players going up against Russia s all star, all professional team? The American victory is now known as Miracle on Ice. The first time football players were integrated in Virginia in 1971, it inspired the film Remember the Titans! Remember young David against Goliath? David was the classic underdog. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all underdogs. It would appear God loves a good underdog story as well. Outnumbered does not mean outmatched! What is making you feel outnumbered right now? Finances? A job threat? A loss of relationship? Schedule demands? Health issues? It could be any number of things. As you can see, it s not difficult to fall into despair and a loss of hope. Humans can live without a lot of things, but hope is not one of them. Hope is essential right up there with oxygen. So, how does one face overwhelming odds? How do we face our moments of being Outnumbered? That s the exact question we re about to answer in our upcoming summer sermon series. Join us as we look at Great Comebacks of the Bible. Outnumbered is a series of sermons looking at the seemingly unwinnable battles we find throughout scripture. They are there to inspire us. They are there to teach us about God. They are there to give us hope! June 7 June 14 June 21 June 28 July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26 August 2 Moses and the Red Sea Joshua and Jericho Gideon and the Midianites David and Goliath Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Elisha and the King of Aram Job vs. Satan Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Daniel and the Lion s Den

3 Brandon Boyd Minister of Adult Discipleship FUN Groups This summer, take the time to make new friends and share in some good, clean fun. You can register for a Fun Group through June 5. We have lots of activities to choose from--things like: Euchre, eating out, scapbooking, and more! We have groups for men, women, couples, and families! Join a group and get to know some great new people. Most groups meet once per month during the summer. Sign up at the Welcome Center or online. As a church, we are committed to Jesus definition of a disciple: A disciple is one who is following Jesus. A disciple is a person who is being changed by Jesus. A disciple is a person who is serving in the mission of Jesus. I hope these principles will help you as you grow in your faith. Adult Discipleship Website For the latest information on the adult discipleship ministry, check out the website lccdiscipleshipministry.wordpress.com. Local Impact Highlight Thank You from Little Galilee Christian Camp & Retreat Center Little Galilee Christian Camp & Retreat Center is one of God s special places where good things happen! Thanks, Lincoln Christian Church, for being a partner. You help make it possible with your prayers and financial support. Financial gifts are important because fees charged campers is slightly over half of what it costs to operate the camp. Gifts from churches and caring individuals help make up the difference. We plan to keep fees low so more can attend. Last year, 1,882 youth attended (a record); 112 confessed their faith in Jesus and were baptized; campers gave a total of $23, to world missions; 62 rededicated their hearts to the Lord and asked for prayer; 9 made known their intent to prepare for vocational ministry; 889 adults attended adult camps/retreats. This is the 60 th year of Christian Camping at Little Galilee. There will be 55 different sessions offered; 9 for adults. Two family camps are scheduled, one over Memorial Day weekend and the other over Labor Day weekend. Other adult opportunities are a Dad N Lad Retreat, Mother N Daughter Retreat, Scrapbooking Retreats, Senior Saints Day, Ladies Retreat, Men s Day, and Sacred Rhythms Retreats. When facilities are not used for our own programs, they are rented for retreats/camps by Christian Campus Ministries from State Universities and Lincoln Christian University, for church leadership team retreats, church youth group retreats, family reunions, and weddings, just to mention a few of the ways the facilities are used. The old pool house has been renovated and is now used for the camp offices. The old chapel will be enclosed and used for storage and maintenance needs. Because of God s blessings and the faithfulness of His people, all capital improvements are accomplished debt free! We have plans for a new dining hall (the oldest building at the camp) and have begun a gathering funds phase for that major project. All Larger Vision (Building Fund) gifts will now be placed in a restricted account for the new dining hall. No construction date has been determined. Any investment in Christian Camping results in eternal dividends! Thanks for your partnership with Little Galilee. Your continued prayers and financial support is needed and appreciated. Bob Phillips, Development Director

4 Zach Ramsey Student Ministry Parent Texts Hey Parents, please sign up for our text messages for Jr. High and High School. For Jr. High, test Join Fuel to For High School, text Join Gathering to This is the easiest and fastest way to get updated news about the ministry. Summer Calendars Be sure to pick up Summer Stuff Calendars for both Jr. High and High School at the Youth Info Desk (back of Welcome Center) or online at lccsmparents.wordpressl.com. Summer Sunday School Starting May 31, High School Sunday School (Incoming 9th-Graduated Seniors) will meet upstairs in Rm Incoming 6th-8th Graders will meet in Family Rm. 2. Current 5th Graders will start in their current room (Rm. 17), and then walk over to the Jr. High Room during the Sunday School hour on May 31. Jr. High Bible Study Bible Study starts June 17! Grab a Summer Calendar for more information and more dates. Greenhouse - High School Our High School Bible Study called Greenhouse starts July 1! Grab a Summer Calendar for more information and more dates. Six Flags - High School Hey Incoming 9th-Graduated Seniors, join us for a trip to Six Flags Great America in Chicago on July 7. It is going to be awesome! Grab an information packet or Summer Calendar for more information. Introducing Our New Fundraising Program We will continue to use on-hand physical gift cards/ certificates that earn rebate percentages for Students and Families to use for trips, but we re now calling it Family Fundraising Accounts because we re adding Scrip; an online option, featuring many stores and instant electronic cards whose rebates credit your individual family account. Because of this addition, you can go online and order electronic gift cards/certificates that you can print out and use immediately, or even to family or a friend! For more details about how to register and order, please see Jenni at the Youth Info Desk (back of Welcome Center). At-a-Glance: IGA-$10 on-hand rechargeable cards=10% to General Youth Fund quarterly Kroger-Use your Kroger Plus Card. Varying % to General Youth Fund quarterly (See pink 1/2 sheet at Youth Info Desk--back of Welcome Center--for instructions on registering) Sorrento s-$10 on-hand certificates=15% to Individual Account monthly Thornton s-$10 on-hand rechargeable cards=2% fuel / 7% food to Individual Account quarterly Walmart-$25 or $100 on-hand cards=2.5% to Individual Account monthly Scrip-online of various amounts for hundreds of stores to use instantly & credit Individual Accounts!

5 Marcia Wells Children s Minister KIDS WORSHIP Kid Serve Service- June 2015 Kids, join us for Kids Church in June, where we learn more every week about daring to live our faith 24/7! We will be exploring how people in the Bible chose to serve God and that we can, too! We ll discover that each of us can use our talents in service! Our key verse for the month is found in Deuteronomy 13:4 Serve only the Lord your God! Vacation Bible School June 28-July 2; 6:30-8:30 p.m. We are now working hard toward this summer s Vacation Bible School. If you would like to get involved, here are some ways you can do just that. Pray for our volunteers and kids! Pray specifically that kids will discover God s plan for them = Jesus! Sign up to volunteer at the Welcome Center. Help prepare craft items before VBS. Sign up to bring supplies for crafts or snacks at the Welcome Center. Invite kids in your neighborhood to join us! You may pick up registration sheets at the Welcome Center. If you have any science type items we could borrow for decorating, that would be awesome! Lab coats would be useful as well! VBS PLANNING MEETING Thursday, May 28, :30 p.m. Join us as we come together to prepare for this year s VBS!!! We need ALL of our volunteers to come so we can coordinate our efforts! See you then! We will meet in Rms. 15/16. We still have spots left in LCC Preschool for next fall, but we are receiving calls every day, so don t delay. Sign your preschooler up today to make sure we have a spot for your child! LCC Preschool provides a Christian environment where children can learn skills needed for Kindergarten readiness. To receive an application or more information call

6 Laurin Hill Worship Minister Thank You to the Sanctuary Choir! Thank you, Sanctuary Choir, for lifting your voices this year! We will take a break for the summer months. Mark your calendar for August 26 - Sanctuary Choir kickoff! MOVE THAT BUS! continues... The bus has 596 miles still to go of our 2,310 mile tour. We currently have 1,714 miles sponsored, so the bus is in Tulsa, OK on its way to Webb City, MO for our 2nd to the last concert. Each mile of our Good News tour can be sponsored for $3.72. Please pick up a MOVE THAT BUS! envelope from the table under the big map in the Family Room, and place your gift in the offering or bring it to the Church Office. Check the map each week to see the progress of the bus. There are 44 students on Good News tour this year, and, with sponsors, it brings the total group to 61. Help us MOVE THAT BUS! on down the road so we can share the Good News of Jesus! Upcoming Events for Lincoln Christian Church Get These on Your Calendar: Saturday, May 30 Princess Tea (for Harvest of Talents); 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Monday, June 8 Good News Home Concert; 7:00 p.m. June 9-16 Good News Tour to Colorado and Texas Tuesday, June 16 Good News Welcome Back Concert; 7:00 p.m.; Williamsville Christian Church Saturday, June 20 - IGA Bake Sale and Cookout (for Harvest of Talents); Lincoln IGA Sunday, June 21 - Father s Day - Bacon for everyone! Sunday, June CIY Move for High Schoolers Sunday, June 28-July 2 VBS

7 June Global Impact Highlight The Shaws: Scott, Kerryn, Ellie, Rachel, and Timothy Team Expansion in Asia News for the Family New Members By Baptism: Dorothy Maddan - 5/10/15 By Transfer: Tim Kerns - 5/3/15 Janet Kerns - 5/3/15 Welcome to the Family! Congratulations! Jason & Jodi Coble are proud parents of a beautiful daughter, Jaelyn Nicole, born on May 5. Scott and Kerryn have developed a deep concern for a least reached people group not too far from them by Chinese-size standards: two hour train ride and a day on the bus. Both have visited these people who still worship idols. Even the few Christians among them keep idols and a picture of Jesus in their homes. Kerryn was motivated to develop a 7-day prayer guide for the N. Dong. It has been written, translated, printed, and distributed to Christians in their city. One family has decided to move to this area. God is working, Scott says. Another praise: women studying John s Gospel ask thoughtful questions and would like children s Bibles to read to their children. Pray for the husbands to see the need for a Savior and desire to study the Word. Pray for families to come to Christ. Another praise: Christians are being trained in story telling of the Bible to share with unbelievers. One Christian tells stories to a dumpling restaurant owner. The owner takes a break from cooking and enjoys a nip of spirits while listening to stories of Jesus. God takes people as they are. Scott s older brother, Haydn, and his wife visited Scott and his family in April. Haydn spoke to employees of Leadership Development International during their spring conference in Beijing. His book Sticking Points has been translated into Mandarin. The publishing company interviewed him on TV using the company translator. Scott said he hoped that person was not the one who translated the book. The three of them flew to Wuhan for a four-day visit with the family. Such a blessing for Scott s family; family and visitors from home are not a common occurrence. In Sympathy Jeff & Abigayle Hill and family at the passing of Jeff s uncle, Max Jones; Lee & Ruth Woods and family at the passing of Lee s aunt, Wenona Myers; and Evelyn Last and family at the passing of her sister-in-law, Violet Robinson. Thank You Thank you sincerely for sharing our sorrow. Your kindness is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered. We want to thank the church and everyone who worked to provide the lunch for our family and friends after Les Last s Memorial Service. We appreciate everyone who contributed. Thanks again. Evelyn Last, Leanna Culp, Lavonna Boyd and family Lost and Found Please check the Lost and Found area this Sunday in the Youth Hallway to the left of the pop machine for any jackets, sweatshirts, Bibles, etc. that you or one of your family members may have left behind. Unclaimed items will be donated to Mission Mart on June 1. Bacon for everyone on Sunday, June 21 in honor of our Fathers!

8 The Call is published monthly by Lincoln Christian Church, 204 N. McLean St Lincoln, IL U.S.P.S periodical postage paid at Lincoln, IL Postmaster: Send change of address to Lincoln Christian Church 204 N. McLean St, Lincoln, IL