The Good News. Pumpkinville

Transcription

1 The Good News Runnells Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) A monthly publication of Runnells Christian Church ~ Issue #209~October 2017 Coffee Fellowship-9:00am Sunday School for all ages 9:15am Worship-10:30am Pumpkinville Sunday, October 15 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy: hayrack ride to the pumpkin patch mini-maze straw train straw jump granary bonfire hot dogs marshmallows plan to attend? Please sign up: Call runnellscc@msn.com Monday, October 30! 6-8pm Join our Trunk or Treat in our church parking lot! Decorate your car trunk and fill it with yummy treats. Children will go trunk to trunk to get treats and tell their best jokes! ***Trunks needed*** Please be in the parking lot by 5:45pm.

2 Where s the pastor been? Perhaps you noticed I was missing for a few days at the end of September. That s because I spent September on retreat in Atlanta, Georgia with the Bethany Fellows. What s Bethany Fellows? I m glad you asked! Bethany Fellows is a group of young clergy (under age 40) serving in their first five years of ordained ministry. Its mission is to help prepare young pastors to lead the church. Why did Bethany Fellows begin? Studies have shown that up to 40% of pastors leave ministry in their first five years. While many factors contribute to clergy burnout, pastors often cite that the greatest struggle of ministry is loneliness. Following God s call can take pastors far away from friends and family. Many pastors serve alone. It can be an isolating job. Bethany Fellows began in 1999 to try to keep new pastors in ministry. How does Bethany Fellows do this? Bethany Fellows gathers young clergy together twice a year. These retreats are a combination of continuing education (we meet with guest presenters) and spiritual renewal (we observe 24-hours of silence for prayer and rest). Every Bethany Fellow is also paired with a mentor, a more seasoned pastor who is available for consultation, prayer, and support throughout the year. Most importantly, Bethany Fellows connects us with one another; it creates and strengthens friendships among young clergy so that we do not feel so alone in our work. Why does this matter for the church? Over the years, 90% of Bethany Fellows have stayed in congregational ministry. Another 9% serve the wider church. That means that 99% of Bethany Fellows beat the odds and stay in ministry. That means the church is keeping young leaders who will serve long into the future. That s good news! What else needs to be said? THANK YOU! Thank you, Runnells Christian Church, for granting me the time to be away with the Bethany Fellows. When you called me to be your pastor, you also agreed to make a financial gift to Bethany Fellows to help support its mission during my final year in the program. Thank you for that, too! Bethany Fellows had made me a better pastor. I know that what I have learned, the resources and contacts I have gained, and the friendships I have formed in Bethany Fellows will support my ministry long after my final retreat next spring. Thank you for your support of this program and of my participation in it. With love, Pastor Katie

3 Sunday, September 3 and 10 Runnells Christian Church took up a special collection for Hurricane Harvey relief. Our contributions were sent to Week of Compassion, the Christian Church's disaster recovery organization. RCC designated our donation to Hurricane Harvey so 100% of your gifts will go to help rebuild after the storm--no administrative costs. You generously donated over $ ! Thank you so much! Let s get together again with a fun craft project! We are going to make Christmas wreaths for our November 11th Bazaar. We will be meeting on: Monday, October 23 at 6:00pm and again the next day, Tuesday, October 24 at 10:00am. Thank you! To everyone who came to our Halloween wreath night and morning. We especially thank Sue Wilson and her friend, Jean Cook, who donated lots and lots of supplies and gave us all instructions on creating wonderful Halloween, Fall and Christmas wreaths to sell at our Fish Fry. They all sold very quickly, can t wait for the Christmas ones! Jean Cook, a friend of Sue Wilson, has given us some Christmas ribbon and is going to be here again to share her expertise in making our wreaths. Everyone is invited! Come and join the fun! Bring your hot glue guns and glue sticks. If you are able to attend, please sign up. We invite everyone to join us for a potluck dinner following worship on October 22. If you wish to bring a hot dish for potluck, please note that there are two ovens in the kitchen, one oven will be set at 200 degrees for keeping things warm, the other oven is ready to set the temperature for baking or cooking. Table service is provided, as are coffee, tea and water. All you need to bring is meat or salad or vegetable or dessert to share. We hope you will join us! Refundable Cans / Bottles UPDATE! **Please separate your GLASS from plastic and aluminum cans and bottles! We have a permanent enclosure on the southeast corner of our church. You may drop off your refundable cans and bottles whenever it is convenient for you. And put them in tied up plastic bags as they will be open to the weather. [This is a fundraiser for our Youth Groups and they Thank You!]

4 Dear Friends at Runnells Christian Church, Billy Joe was speechless (as well as his family) for such a great turn out for his 70th Birthday. This past year was hard on Bill but he loves his new home and the many new acquaintances he has made. He asked to send all of you this card to Thank You for being such faithful friends. Your presence told him he was still a part of this family. It is hard to put into words how much this meant to him. Please keep him in your prayers and when and if possible, stop by at Prairie Vista to see him. As his family, we are so glad that he has done so well with his new home and friends. Rodney, Sherrill, Marlene and Lyle and all our children Dear Youth and Leaders of Runnells Christian Church, I want to thank you for cleaning out my irises and around the house. Everything looks so much better. I want to congratulate the youth on their excellent behavior and the leadership of their leaders. Thank you again! God Bless you! Bernie Mills Runnells Christian Church Youth Group, Thank You! Once again you strengthened my belief that our church has the most helpful youth of any that I know. I do so appreciate all the hard work you did for me. You are a real blessing for this older generation which has slowed down in our old age. Thanks again to you and your leaders. Love, Dorothy Reed With Prayers and Heartfelt Sympathy Our prayers & Christian sympathy go out to the family & friends of: Cindy Dooley, Lacey Nelson s mom, who passed away on September 17, at the age of 62. Randy Waltz, who passed away on on September 19 at the age of 67. Maxine Phipps, Jan Schall s mom, who passed away on September 21 at the age of 97. May God s peace comfort you in the time of your loss. Noisy Offering Report Our September noisy offering, $192.52, will go to Caring Hands Clothes Hanger. And our October donations will go toward the Caring Hands Hunger Run. Thank you for your support! Book Group News We will meet Wednesday, October 25 at 7 pm to discuss Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (From azarnafisi.com) Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi s living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature. Prairie Vista Village st Avenue South Altoona, IA Doris Miller #237 Nancy Moore #242 Bill Henry #241 Clair & Dorothy Bowers #231 All Military Personnel Veterans Don Beattie Warren Beattie Alice Bolen Lola Bullington Kayle Currie Jodi and Kelly Dirks family Ashley Reese Jimmy Schall Stan Simonsen Sikki Temple Don Townsend Vicki VanEngelenburg Valley View Village: Jeanne Vermie 2555 Guthrie Ave. Des Moines, IA Prayer Concerns Home Communion Our elders are taking Communion once a month to those who are homebound, in nursing homes or hospitalized. If you are not receiving Communion or know of someone who would like Communion brought to them, please contact our elder chair, Katie Temple at In an effort to keep our prayer concerns current, names will remain on the list for four weeks. At that time names will be removed unless you have called the office to ask that a name remain on the list and give an update on the person s well-being. Thanks for your help!

5 Chi-Rho and CYF News On Sunday, September 17th, the youth groups, sponsors, and Pastor Katie headed to church members homes to do community service work. The Chi Rho group helped Bob and Sally Hershey, Myrna Hunt and Jerrine Sanford. The CYF helped Dorothy Reed and Bernie Mills. The kids worked hard raking acorns, pulling weeds, clearing out leaves and loading a dumpster. As always the youth were awesome workers. The youth also planted tulips at each house. Please plan to join us on October 15th, when we join the church for fun at Pumpkinville. We will meet from 4:30-7:30. Please sign up at church. Contact Katie Temple or Deb Bracewell with any questions. Submitted by Deb Bracewell Youth Group Can/ Bottle Drive Thank You! Your donations totaled $159.20, for the pickup load Bob Miller took to the Redemption Center. Thanks for helping our Youth!

6 House Moving After almost two years in the process, the house across the street from RCC has moved and is being renovated and loved by a new family. We look forward to a much needed new parking lot in the future. Thanks to everyone who helped with this project. Under the regulations of the Hippa Law, hospitals are unable to release any patient information. This includes contacting a church or pastor if someone is admitted to the hospital. If you or a family member is taken to the hospital and would like pastoral care, please contact the church office immediately so that care can be provided.

7 (U. S. Post Office requires P.O. Box 30 on all church mail.) COUNCIL MEMBERS: Deb Bracewell Chairperson MaryBeth Martin Vice Chairperson Tiffany Phillips Secretary Jack Merkle Membership Coordinator Katie Temple Chair of Elders Jill Simonsen & Beth Sagar Education Co-Coordinators Bill Ingle Finance Coordinator Sheila Aukes Missions and Evangelism Bob Miller/Jeff Robbins Property Co-Coordinators Ben & Cindi Leal Worship Co-Coordinators September 2017 COUNCIL SUMMARY The Church Council met on September 13th, In old business, we got an update on moving the house project. It is still progressing. Reports were received from each Committee Coordinator and more details are in the monthly minutes. We approved Bob to move forward with the driveway repairs, MR2 Services will do the work. Penny Edwards will fill the bookkeeper position. Save the date for Pumpkinville October 15th. Check the calendar for future events in October The next council meeting is October 11th, 2017 at 7:00pm. All are welcome to attend the council meetings. Submitted by Tiffany Phillips Thank You for Recycling Ink and Toner Cartridges You may bring your empty cartridges to Church or Drop them off at Staples. (Church acct is Runnells Christian Church/Barb) If you donate 20 a Month the Church will receive $ a year for office supplies. Runnells Christian Church J E The Body of Christ: Place Stamp Here S U S Runnells Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ) Address Service Requested 309 Brown Street P.O. Box 30 Runnells, Iowa (Please use P.O. Box 30 when addressing all mail to Church) Phone: runnellscc@msn.com Website: Church Staff: Ministers: The Congregation Pastor: Rev. Katie Russell Council Chair: Deb Bracewell Church Secretaries: Barb Miller/Sherry Johnson/Deb Bracewell Choir Director: Mike Miller Children s Choir Director: Tammy Feeley Bell Choir Director: Sheila Aukes Pianist: Tammy Feeley Custodian: Leonard Northway Nursery Attendant: Ann Hammen Building Growing Serving