The Karusograph. IF: Clinton Gathering. A ministry of. Volume 58 February 2016 Issue 2. clintonfcc.com

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1 The Karusograph A ministry of Volume 58 February 2016 Issue 2 clintonfcc.com Take a look at what s happening at FCC in February: IF: Clinton Gathering In Clinton, on February 5th & 6th, we are coming together with women all over the world to see what could happen IF we all lived like Jesus. We re building a simple + pure experience in Clinton, with the goal of seeing women gathered, equipped and unleashed to live out God s calling on their lives. Do you picture yourself being a part of this 2 day simulcast? We hope so!! Please call Mandi in the church office for more details or to register. Journey to Easter Prayer Gathering Please join us for an all church prayer night to kick off the Easter season. This 45 minute prayer gathering will begin at 5:30pm in the sanctuary on February 10th. You won t want to miss it! Wild Game Potluck Feast February 8th at 6:30pm FCC Family Life Center Please bring your favorite wild game dish to share. If you can t bring a wild game dish, please bring a side dish or dessert. We hope you will join us for this fun event! If you have any questions, please contact the church office.

2 The Gospel According to Greg Greg Taylor We are smack dab in the middle of winter the cold, the snow and the wind! Sometimes it is easy to get discouraged and complacent when the weather outside is frightful. With that in mind, let me share with you several opportunities we have to shake the winter blues and connect with others in the name of Christ: Fan the Flame IX Sunday, January 5:30pm (pre-concert at 5pm) Featuring Carrollton and the Prodigal Worship band from LCU (Samuel s group), why not spend the last night of January worshipping and praising in FCC s sanctuary? Tickets are just $10, all seats are general admission and all money raised will support FCA! IF Gathering Friday and Saturday, February 5 & 6 Ladies don t miss this great opportunity to grow in your faith with other women! ALL are welcome! See Mandi Ries, Trina Brucker or Leanne Sosaman for more info. Wild Game Potluck Monday, February 6:30pm Raccoon! Deer! Goose! Duck! Elk! Walleye! YUM! Join us for the 10 th annual Wild Game Feed bring a dish to pass! Easter Season Prayer Kick-off Wednesday, February 5:30pm. Why not start the 6 ½ weeks of the Easter season off right by joining us for a 45 minute prayer gathering in the Sanctuary? MOBILE Food Pantry Saturday February 20 Help us give away a truck-load of food from the Eastern Illinois Food Bank we need an army of volunteers from 9am to noon on the 20 th! We are currently in the midst of a sermon series on Current Issues and Biblical Answers that will take us through the month of February. Among the issues studied on Sunday mornings will be: Politics, Abortion, Immigration, Homelessness/Poverty, Sports, Marriage, Education and Social Media. I would love to hear testimonies

3 The Gospel According to Greg Continued related to any of these issues and your life as a believer! Then in March, we will look at the words of Jesus at Calvary four weeks looking at Cross Words. Make the most of these opportunities. Other dates to keep on the calendar as we move toward spring: Saturday March 12 Pancake and Sausage Breakfast Fundraiser Sunday March 27 Easter Sunday April 8-10 Spiritual Disciplines retreat at Little Galilee April 23 Intentional Church Conference in Decatur May 21-5K to raise 5K race at FCC June 6-10 VBS Have a great day see you Sunday at FCC! GT Financial Secretary Position The personnel committee is seeking qualified applicants for a part-time (approximately 20 hours week) financial secretary. Ideal candidates should have strong PC skills, and be task oriented with attention to detail. For applications and a full job description please stop in the office. If you have questions you can contact John Rodgers, chairman of the personnel committee. Our Proverbs 31 ministry is in need of new leaders. Holly Goldsmith, Dana Karcz & Teri Schaefer have been doing the planning & preparation for cooking for over 10 years and are ready to move on to other things. Proverbs 31 cooks 6 times a year, preparing meals for the freezer, to individuals or families that are in need due to an illness, hospital stay, or loss. When someone needs a meal or 2, the food just needs to be warned up & a delicious meal is ready to eat. Maybe your small group, Sunday school class, or a few individuals would be willing to take over the planning & implementation of this ministry. Please contact Greg Taylor or Karen Rice, , if you might be interested in helping with this ministry

4 Kent s Corner Kent Hickerson An excellent way to size up a religion, writes Dr. Kenneth Scott, is to look at it s response toward human suffering and need. The Buddist says of suffering, Forget it. These problems exist only in your mind. Pay no attention to them. The Hindu says, You deserve it. It s what s coming to you. You should try harder in the next reincarnation. The Muslim says, It s Allah s will. Suffering is inevitable. Don t resist it. The Christian response, Scott rightly observes, has to be different. The Christian says, God loves you and I do too. Let me do what I can to help you. He does this remembering the words of His Lord: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. -Matthew 25:40 As caring communities, we have a very specific responsibility to serve others. Paul tells the Christians scattered throughout Galatia that they were not to become weary of doing good, but rather as you have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers - Galatians 6:9-10 RELOAD Men of All Ages: On February 2nd and 16th, the men s ministry group, Reload, will meet from 6am 7am at the Cable Building. Please come and bring a friend! Any questions, contact Adam Brucker. We would love to have you join others from our church as they travel to the Christian Village in Lincoln, IL. We fold laundry, clean tables or just talk with the many residents who reside at the Christian Village. We will leave at 8:30 am on Thursday, February 18th & return between 2:30-3 pm.

5 This n That February Shut - In Birthdays 1st Dorene Smith 91 years 817 E Johnson St Clinton, IL th Norma Reilly 95 years Manor Ct/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane 12th Mildred Horn 92 years 615 N Quincy St Clinton, IL th Margaret Long 92 years 1043 Kleeman Dr Clinton, IL th Faye Ogg 91 years 700 N Madison, Apt 1B Clinton, IL th Fayetta Isaac 96 years Manor Ct/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane Clinton, IL Send a card to help celebrate their birthdays or send a note to others on the nursing home list. You will make their day! We rejoice with & congratulate: Gayle & Jhon Barnes, 22 Beech Dr, Clinton, IL, on the birth of their son, Kolton Gail Barnes, born January 5th, Proud grandparents are Karen & Bob Rice. Jennifer and Jeffrey Moore, 613 N Elizabeth, Clinton, IL, on the birth of their son, Mason Jeffrey Moore, born January 4th, Proud grandparents are Marvin and Nancy Hubbell

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 members & relatives of those at First Christian Church, Clinton Updated Manor Court/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane, Clinton, IL Theda Adams Donna Arnold Thomas E. Bray Mildred Burns Betty Burris Larry Chapman Helen Dorrell Delbert Fields Nancy Hubbell Fayetta Isaac Marie Jackson Gene Jones Betty Kyle Dave Lewis Henry Martin Ray Martin Wilma Mestinsek David Mosley Lura Murphy Margaret Murphy Dora Neal Al Perring Don Polen Dena Polen Helen Polley Norma Reilly Louise Smith Georgia Sobolewski Virginia Stein Kathy Strange Treva Torbert Juanita Turney Shirley Utterback Allan Webb Aspen Ridge Care Center 2530 N. Monroe, Decatur, IL Shirley Thompson Hawthorne Inn/Liberty Village (Supportive Living) 1 Park Lane, Clinton, IL Mary Burton Audrey Fields Norma Hollibaugh Ike Leisner Mildred Meeks Good Samaritan W 151st St. Room 106 Olathe, KS June Cheatham Evenglow Lodge 215 E Washington Pontiac, IL Bob Adcock Helen Shelton Ernest Thorp Helen Thorp Dorothy Yedtman Brookdale North Phoenix 4050 E Bluefield Ave. Room 122 Phoenix, AZ Colleen Stephens Woodside at Friendship Village 1390 N Drake Rd Kalamazoo, MI Dody Thomason

7 Young at Heart David Buck, Coordinator Learn to enjoy life more. Relax, remembering God is with you. I cra ed you with enormous capacity to know Me and enjoy My presence. When people wear sour faces and walk through their lives with resigned rigidity, I am displeased. When you walk through the day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in Me, your ever present Shepherd, the more you can enjoy life. Glorify Me through your pleasure in Me. Thus you proclaim My presence to the watching world. Taken from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11 KJV The programs are kind of up in the air the next couple of months. We certainly had a good response to the Hymn Sing on January 17th. We really enjoyed the event and plan on doing one again next year. March 2nd, we will have our regular potluck and program. We ll try to line up some special programs for you. God s fingers can touch nothing but to mold it into loveliness. - George MacDonald Our first trip of the year is to Starved Rock State Park Dinner Theater for the show, Love Songs on February 23rd. We will be leaving at 8:30am.. We will have more wonderful trips as the year goes on so keep your calendar open! You are as young as you feel a er trying to prove it. - Lou Erickson When problems arise, deal with it an unemo onal, ra onal way. Refuse to give it anymore power than it deserves. Imagine that problem to be a drop of rain hi ng your windshield. Turn your wipers on, and watch it disappear! When God is involved, anything can happen.be open. Stay that way. God has a beau ful way of bringing good vibra ons out of broken chords. - Charles Swindoll Area Men s Fellowship When: Tuesday, February 2nd at 7pm Where: Heyworth Christian Church Who: Jerry Dusenberry, HCC Senior Minister Menu: Ham loaf, scalloped potatoes, peas and carrots, slaw, rolls, and dessert

8 Next Steps Update NEXT STEPS SET TO TAKE IT S NEXT STEPS These continue to be exciting times at First Christian Church!! God is good and we are blessed. In May of 2013 our church stepped out in faith and launched our Next Steps program. Next Steps is a four step plan to renovate and upgrade our building to better protect our children, attract new people to our church and to enhance our ministries. The stepped approach allows us the opportunity to continue our ministries while the renovations take place, and also it will allow us to complete the work debt free and we will complete each step as we have the funds available. To God s glory, and with your faithful over and above giving, we were able to complete, this past year, the five hundred thousand dollar renovation of the First Kids and Edge spaces. This is ministry space for our elementary and junior high youth. When this renovation was complete, the Next Steps fund was depleted and the leadership prayed for His blessings and wisdom on how to proceed. Malachi 3:10 states Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. We are excited to announce that God has thrown open the floodgates of heaven in a very obvious and tangible way! Our church, along with six other not-forprofit organizations, have been blessed with gifts from the Kenneth Wayne Smith estate. Mr. Smith was a retired Amtrak engineer who also had a strong interest in farming and passed away April 25, Our portion of his estate totals $2.2 million and we had no knowledge of being named as a beneficiary in his will, until notified by the attorney last summer. Even then we didn t know the amount that we would receive. Mr. Smith attended our church for a period of time in the late 1960 s and early 1970 s, and for a long period of time since, has had no contact with our body of believers. The leadership is committed to continue to pray about being the best stewards of this gift and being transparent with the congregation on its use. In June of 2013, soon after the launch of Next Steps, the leadership voted to deposit all undesignated estate and memorial gifts into the Next Steps fund with 10% of any gift over $1, going to missions. This was consistent with past uses

9 Next Steps Update cont. of estate and memorial gifts and seemed appropriate considering the fundraising need. Our missions committee has started to pray about their $220, blessing and how it can effectively and prudently bless others. These funds are in addition to their budgeted MAP funds. The balance of the estate gift has been deposited in the Next Steps fund. Currently, there is a Next Steps design development committee meeting is working with our architect to design the main floor adult education and office suite and the lower level pre-kindergarten suite. Along with the lower level kitchen remodel and new accessible toilet rooms, we hope to have construction complete on these areas by this fall. Conceptual drawings of the newly designed areas will be available for your viewing. While the intent and purpose of Next Steps has not changed the scope of the project, it has expanded slightly beyond the original building master plan to include some necessary major building maintenance, and also to update and improve our twenty year old sanctuary technology to enhance our worship experience. The leadership has prioritized the projects and will complete only those that funds are available for. It is important to stress that none of this estate gift is being deposited into the general fund and your continued faithful giving is very important to maintaining our ministries. Also, this estate gift will not complete the Next Steps renovations. Your prayerful over and above giving to Next Steps will be necessary to complete the fourth and final step. We close by praising God for His faithfulness! 2 Corinthians 9:8 states, And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. *brochures are available at the information desk or church office Spiritual Disciplines April 8-10 At Little Galilee Christian Camp Come and join us for a weekend of spiritual growth as we learn how to make time in our lives to get silent before God using spiritual disciplines to guide us. This retreat is open to both men and women

10 Worship Samuel Green Creating Space Part 2 Last month we talked about creating space for God, specifically in the area of solitude and silence in the form of some kind of weekly, monthly or yearly retreats. If you re interested in this, I would encourage you to look into going to the next Spiritual Disciplines retreat at Little Galilee on April If you d like details, talk to me or call the church office. This month we tackle the idea of creating space in our everyday lives for Jesus and for what he has for us. Let s be honest with ourselves for a second and admit that we are all busy. We get pulled in twenty different directions every day: by our bodies, our thoughts, our feelings, our families, our hobbies, our emergencies, our desires, our obligations, our work, our friends and our responsibilities. The only way to truly rest in the peace of God is to make space for Him. This means sacrifice. Matthew 10:39 says, Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. We must choose to give up things that may be important to us for the sake of the Kingdom of God here on earth, and more specifically for the sake of our own relationship with our creator and King. In these moments of sacrifice, we find true life. I dare you to believe this truth. Jesus says similar things in Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, Luke 17:33, John 12:25 and Matthew 16:26. Anything Jesus says so often we should take to heart and relentlessly pursue living out of its truth. It is difficult, but it is simple. Where does your life lay? Is your worth and value found in the things you do, the roles you play and the relationships you have? Or is it in the One who died for you? You and I may say this is true, that Jesus is Lord of our lives but do our daily lives reflect this? Are we making our relationship with Jesus the only thing that matters? I promise no, Jesus promises that if you do, all of these things will be added to you as well (Matthew 6:33), and in the mystery of the Gospel, all of our busyness, responsibilities and relationships become subject to the gracious, loving, and wise rule and reign of King Jesus where they find true significance, value and life. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4 (ESV)

11 The Dunkin Pick-Me-Up With Cody Cody Monkman We are now in the middle of the spring semester and there is A LOT happening! Prepara ons for 2016 mission trips are now underway, and along with that are several things happening in both JHM and HSM. February 7th is Super Bowl Sunday which means we will have several different Super Bowl par es put on by our small groups. Contact your student's small group leader to get a loca on and me! Below is specific informa on to take note of for each student ministry. JH Ministry February 14 Sign ups begin for CIY Believe. Parents...if your student signs up by March 6 the cost is $40. A er March 6th it goes up to $80. We are doing a new sponsorship ini a ve called "Take A Stake" that allows us to keep the cost of this awesome mid-year trip as cheap as possible. This is also "Friend Sunday!" If we get at least 25 students to join us at JHM at10:45am, I will be doing something crazy for the students! Not sure exactly what that is...lol, kinda nervous saying that, but hey!...let's do it! "Friend Sunday" it is! February 21 What JH student doesn't like pizza? Oh wait...i mean pizza for breakfast. Yep! We will be having pizza during JHM. Come join us at 10:45a.m. in The Cable Building! February 28 No JHM, but JHM Sunday School Classes and Small Groups will be having a Small Group XP. Contact your student's Sunday School teacher or Small Group leader to get details.

12 HS Ministry February 19 "That Friday Night Thing" from 7pm-10pm in the Cable Building. Pizza, snacks, movies, games and a co-ed dodgeball tournament. Come join us! Invite a friend. February Winter Retreat You don't want to miss this! Cost is $90. Hope you can join us! Invite a friend to join you. February 28 There is no Sunday Night ac vi es for HSM since we will be gone on Winter Retreat. So much is happening. Brace yourself! BB King sang it so perfectly..."let the good mes roll!" With Dunkin' Love, Cody Junior High JHM meets on Sunday in the cable building from 10:45am - 11:45am JH Sunday School meets from 9:30am - 10:30am in the Cable Building JH Community Groups meet on Sundays from 5:30pm - 7pm in The Edge CIY Believe is April 1st & 2nd. Mark your calendars for these dates! Fan the Flame is Jan 31st. Students may attend for free with their small group. Please meet at the Cable Building at 4:30pm to get a ticket Mission trip sign up deadline is January 31st. If you have questions, see Cody. High School HS Winter Retreat will be Feb 26th - 28th. Sign ups are going on now. Students must sign up through the Reveal website. Deadline to sign up is Jan 31st. HS Reveal meets on Sundays from 5:30pm - 7pm in the Cable Building. Fan the Flame is Jan 31st. Students may attend for free with their small group. Please meet at the Cable Building at 4:30pm to get a ticket. Mission Trip sign up deadline is January 31st. If you have questions, see Cody. Visit to stay up-to-date on student events.

13 Calling all 4 th and 5 th graders! Allison Hitchings - allison@clintonfcc.com Cassandra Benton - cassandra@clintonfcc.com If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32 Mark your calendars for Friday, March 11 th, because we are going to SUPERSTART!!!!! Below is an overview of this year s theme and direction for the weekend: Preteens are part of a generation where information is more readily available than any other generation before them. They spend their days in classrooms listening to teachers and peers. They spend their afternoons practicing skills through sports and academic clubs. They spend their evenings with their families around meals and television sets. And interwoven through all of this is a constant connection to the Internet and social media. The only time preteens aren't downloading information is the few short hours when they re asleep. They re essentially bombarded with data, facts, opinions and all other types of knowledge. As a result, they ind themselves in the never-ending process of sorting through what they believe to be right or wrong, real or unreal, true or false. As Christian leaders of this age group we know how important it is that they hear God s truth. He has created an amazing life for them in Him, and understanding His truths helps keep us all involved in that amazing life. Finding and owning God s truths in the midst of the world s false teaching can be a lot like solving a mystery. This year at SuperStart! our goal is to help your students understand that all truth can be found in Christ. By looking at John 8:31-32, we ll give them the tools they need to ind truth in Him and challenge them to share truth with the world around them.

14 Allison Hitchings - allison@clintonfcc.com Cassandra Benton - cassandra@clintonfcc.com Here are some early details: Continued 1. The event is from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, in Bloomington at Eastview Christian Church. Tentatively, we will leave Clinton around 5pm Friday and return by 4pm Saturday. Students will need to eat supper before they come! A detailed agenda will be published as we get closer to the event date. 2. The cost for the event is $50 payable in advance. This includes the ticket to SuperStart! as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday. *If your child wants a souvenir, please send additional money. 3. We are going to have a lock-in at the church Friday night after we get back from the evening activities so please send a sleeping bag and pillow. Also, be on the look out for sign-ups to bring snacks and drinks for our night at the church. 4. Finally, and more importantly you will need to register before the event. There will be forms at the Welcome Center in the foyer, at check-in in First Kids and in the of ice. The deadline to sign up is February 21 st, 2016 so don t wait! Forms and payment should be turned into the Main Of ice or to Allison. If you have questions or would like to volunteer to help with this event, please contract Allison by phone ( ) or (Allison@clintonfcc.com) Online registration is now open. Visit to sign up today! &

15 Adventures with Adam Adam Brucker

16 Information About First Christian Church Greg Taylor Minister of Preaching & Teaching J. Kent Hickerson Minister of Pastoral Care Adam Brucker Associate Minister Cody Monkman Student Minister Samuel Green Worship Minister & College Age Cassandra Benton Children s Ministry Administrator cassandra@clintonfcc.com Allison Hitchings Children s Ministry Program Director allison@clintonfcc.com Karen Rice Office Manager karen@clintonfcc.com Mandi Ries Administrative Assistant mandi@clintonfcc.com Office Phone (217) Office Fax (217) Office karen@clintonfcc.com or office@clintonfcc.com Office Hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday First Christian Church THE KARUSOGRAPH (USPS ) is published monthly by Corner of W. Main & N. Jackson FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 100 N. Jackson St., Clinton, Illinois N. Jackson St. Periodicals postage paid at Clinton, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Clinton, IL The Karusograph First Christian Church, 100 N. Jackson St., Clinton, IL 61727