Karusograph. The. Plan now to attend this special service as Ernie Harvey will be preaching.

Transcription

1 The Karusograph A ministry of Volume 54 December 26, 2012 Issue 52 Plan now to attend this special service as Ernie Harvey will be preaching. There will be no programming at 8:15 or 11:00 a.m. on December 30

2 The Gospel According to Greg Greg Taylor This will be my final in a series of five Christmas articles I hope you have enjoyed them. Charles Swindoll has written a rather telling poem about what many feel on the day after Christmas: 'Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the place There were arguments and depression even Mom had a long face. The stockings hung empty, and the house was a mess; The new clothes didn't fit, and Dad was under stress. The family was irritable, and the children no one could please; Because the instructions for the swing set were written in Chinese! The bells no longer jingled, and no carolers came around; The sink was stacked with dishes, and the tree was turning brown. The stores were full of people returning things that fizzled and failed, And the shoppers were discouraged because everything they'd bought Was now on a half-price sale! 'Twas the day after Christmas the spirit of joy had disappeared; The only hope on the horizon was twelve bowl games on the first day of the New Year! That sort of says it all, doesn't it? Thanks a ton to Melanie Cheatham and the entire team that made our Christmas Eve services flow to tell the story of God With Us via Christmas Rewind (thanks also Marcia, Dixie, Daryl & Dana). Many hours went into this presentation, and I m so thankful for Melanie, Stephanie, Jim, Gage, Ruth, Abby, Ethan, Michaela, Shawn, and Ernie! Blessings to each of you! And thank you to everyone from the adult choir to Dixie and all our pianists, as well as our second service worship team for making worship services in December so special. Finally, don t forget to join us this Sunday morning for our one service Sunday at 9:30am as Ernie Harvey preaches his final sermon as a ministry staff member at FCC. Let s show Ernie a lot of love and encouragement this week! Blessings, Greg

3 December 23, Facts & Figures Our Witness Through Giving General Fund Giving this Week $21, M.A.P. Weekly Need $19, Surplus $ 1, Our Witness Through Attendance Worship: =716 ( 12 Ave. 642) Bible School: 227 ( 12 Ave. 276) Christmas Eve: =759 Decisions for Christ & His Church This Week Yearly Totals Baptisms: 4 28 Transfers: 0 11 Rededications: 0 6 Christian Service: 0 0 Total 45 Sunday, December 30, :30 a.m. Distributing Bulletins Ruth Harvey Ann Marie Hubbell Louise Moore Linda Webb Genevieve Farnsworth Marvin Hubbell Jan Griffin Audrey Sessions Greeters Information Center Attendants Linda Cooper Connie Hantla Tracy Ryan Door Assistants Danny Bundy Allan Bell Bryan Martin Joe Alexander Serving Outside Communion Shut-Ins: Dick Koritz Hospital: Roger Dial Manor Court: Kevin Peterson Martha Deavers Phyllis Green Information About the Church Greg Taylor Minister of Preaching & Teaching greg@clintonfcc.com (217) J. Kent Hickerson Minister of Pastoral Care (217) Ernie Harvey, Jr. Minister of Children & Jr. High ernie@clintonfcc.com (217) Adam Brucker Minister of High School, College Age & Technology adam@clintonfcc.com (309) Jim Coonce Minister of Worship jim@clintonfcc.com (217) Karen Rice Office Manager karen@clintonfcc.com Peggy Jones Ministerial Admin. Assistant peggy@clintonfcc.com Leslie Gwozdz Financial Admin. Assistant leslie@clintonfcc.com Office Phone (217) Office Fax (217) Office karen@clintonfcc.com or office@clintonfcc.com Office Hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday A donation was given to First Christian Church in honor of Dave & Bev Duff

4 Young at Heart David Buck, Coordinator You will need to find ways to enjoy the present moments in your life. Certainly, learning to be happy while you work may be one way, but there are many others. Begin now to think about what you can do to find more joy in every experience. The present moment is all we are guaranteed, so don t wait until later, until you get married, until you retire, until you go on vacation, until your children finish college, to enjoy life. Nobody knows what is going to happen next in their lives or in the world. You are alive now, so maximize it, embrace it, and celebrate it. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (KJV) We will not have a program in January. Our meetings will resume in February. We ll enjoy singing and music from our long-time friends with the BeMent Country Opry: Kenny and Chrissy on February 6. More programs to come in the coming months of the year! This is my command: Love each other. - John 15:17 (NIV) Our trip in February is to the Conklin Barn in Goodfield, Illinois. We will enjoy a fine stage play and eat excellent food. There will be laughter that will make your heart light. March 28th will bring us to Starved Rock State Park. Then on April 11, we ll travel to White Pine State Park for a nice stage play and a delightful lunch. May will bring us to the Illinois River for a time with big band music and sailing on the river. There is always a lot to be thankful for if you take the time to look for it. Right now, am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don t hurt. - Barbara Johnson When we are not facing a crises or having problems, we tend to think we can handle things on our own. But the minute we have a problem we cannot solve, we suddenly realize we need God after all. Let s honor God by putting Him first in everything, not only when we find ourselves in situations we can t handle on our own. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37 (KJV) A special thank you love offering for the Harvey family will be taken on January 6. (IRS guidelines indicate a love offering is not a tax deductible item.) Lest We Forget Those We Love Memorials were given in memory of Juanita Crowell Tom Lamkin Jeff Crang

5 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 Hospital Prayer List John Warner Sherman Taulbee Decatur Memorial Sharon Shaw St. John s Merla Hickerson Our Christian Sympathy to the Family and Loved Ones of......carolyn Campbell, Butler, IL, sister of Kenny (Dee) Porter...Travis Talley, McLean, IL, brother of Crystal (Mike) Leach...Lloyd Fagerstrom, Heyworth, IL, fiancée of Barbara Butler Nursing Home Updates Kate Arnold to Heartland HealthCare, 510 N. Broadway, Normal, IL Please keep us updated for individuals on our special prayer request list. Since we have limited space it is important that we keep the names as current as possible. Please let us know when they improve. Carl Anderson Nick Armstrong Duane Avery Reba Bateson* Sadie Bell Linda Berry Craig Brock Garry Bryan Charles Buck Julie Burger Pat Butler Brad Campbell Edna Carter Freck Cooper Bill Cox Merle Cox Lois DeJaynes Patty Douglas Carol Duncan Candi Evans Grayson Fields (infant) Owen Fields Allen Follis Betty Fortune Special Prayer Requests Patricia Foster Ron Fulfer Shelly Finfrock Gardner Sandy Gaston Brenda Griffin Tricia Haley Elaine Hallick Cheryl Haynes Judy Hedrick Kyle Hendrix Jackie Hunt Jerrod Hurst Cooper Kennedy (infant) Kathy Kirchgesner Rachel Litherland Lauren Martin Mark Martin Carol Meischner Carl Bud Miller Deloris Miller Roger Miller Alex Moore Jimmy Moore Tammy Moore * New Names Nick Nosbisch Lynn Norris Kirt Oakley Helen Perkins Robert Peters Nancy Remmers Randy Roy Mary Shofner Bob Simmons Gary Simmons James L. Smith Shirley Smith Bonnie Sprague Deborah Strain Sheryl Swearingen Rebecca Tellefsen Emily Titus Jessica Torres Jill Monroe Utley Dave Ward Elbert Hank Watkins Jerry Wesley Chris Winebrinner Vernadine Witt

6 This N That The IRS rules state that year end offerings to the church must be received by December 31. If you mail your contribution, it must be postmarked by December 31, The church office will be closed on Monday, December 31. Contributions received or postmarked after the 31st will be recorded for 2013 even though the check may be dated December offering envelopes are available in the foyer. If you don t have offering envelopes, but would like to have a box assigned to you, please call the church office or Peggy at peggy@clintonfcc.com. A box will be assigned to you and put out in the foyer for you to pick up. Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace University Beginning for 9 weeks on Wednesday, January 30-6:00 to 7:30 p.m. We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! Dave Ramsey s class will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more. It teaches God s ways of handling money. Through video teaching, class discussions and interactive small group activities, FPU presents biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you ve dreamed you could be. - FPU website A special preview night will take place at FCC on January 9 at 6:30 p.m. for anyone wanting to know more about FPU. The cost of the class is $89. It will be led by Bret & Allison Hitchings and Andrew & Lindsey Hanes. If you are interested, please call the church office or write FPU on your attendance card on Sunday morning. Ladies Escape...a new ministry for ladies of all ages to come together to build relationships through various fun and social activities. Be on the lookout for our first event coming on Saturday, February 9, Be sure to invite a friend to join in on the fun! Therefore encourage one another and build each other up Thessalonians 5: 11 (NIV) This year s Christmas offering at FCC will be designated for current and future building needs. With the move to Brotherhood Mutual Insurance, several changes have become necessary to both our physical building and our safety and security policies. All monies given for the Christmas offering will help offset these unexpected and non-budgeted items. A thank-you note has been received from Jill Monroe Utley. It is on the bulletin board for you to read. Decisions for Christ and His Church Lauren Henson, daughter of Karyn Henson and Rich & Sharon Henson, was baptized into Christ on December 23, Her address is 724 N. Mulberry St., or 5054 Birch Dr., Clinton. Kaitlyn Jason, daughter of Heidi Heft, was baptized into Christ on December 24, Her address is 608 W. Adams St., Clinton. Anna & James Moore, daughter and son of Heather Moore & Mike Moore were baptized into Christ on December 24, Their address is 6100 Green Valley Rd., Clinton.

7 More This N That Pictures Needed! We are in need of pictures of the Harvey family to use at their send off on January 6. If you have any pictures of Ernie, April, Derrick, Shawn or Micah that you would like to share, please them to Adam at adam@clintonfcc.com or bring them to the church office. We need them by December 30. If you are interested in participating in a grief class, led by Joyce Trummel, please call the church office at If enough people are interested, the class will be held after the first of the year. WOW! What a great Grab n Go! Thank you to all who donated diapers or gave a monetary donation. We were able to supply 56 packages of diapers and 20 packages of wipes that were greatly appreciated. Your donation touched many lives! Children, Jr. High & Sr. High & College Ministries Youth groups for preschool and grade school and Reveal for junior high and high school will resume Sunday, January 13, so that everyone can attend the Harvey Family Send-Off on Sunday, January 6 at 6 p.m. The high school ski trip is January 26-27, Cost: $ Please give your money to Adam or Peggy, using a brown payment envelope. Christian college scholarship applications are available at the information booth or the church office. Please complete the application and return it to the church office by Sunday, December 30.

8 This Lord s Day December 30, :30 am: Ernie Harvey will be preaching for our one service Sunday. There will be no programs at 8:15 or 11:00 a.m. See you Sunday. There will be no evening youth groups or Reveal. First Christian Church THE KARUSOGRAPH (USPS ) is published weekly 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