The Karusograph. A ministry of. Volume 58 June 2016 Issue 6. clintonfcc.com

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1 The Karusograph A ministry of Volume 58 June 2016 Issue 6 clintonfcc.com Take a look at what s happening at FCC in June! June 6-10 from 9:00am - 11:30am Surf s up! This year at FCC s Vacation Bible School, kids will be equipped and invited to plunge into the incredible experience of knowing God. They will encounter God s awesomeness through Bible stories of the amazing ways God has moved in the lives of others. All kids 4yrs old through 5th grade are invited to join us! Jr High students will be doing Project Facelift during VBS. This a great opportunity for your student to serve in the community! Registration forms for both age groups can be picked up in the church office. Please call the church office with any questions.

2 The Gospel According to Greg Greg Taylor Summer is upon us once again and several thoughts are rolling through my mind as I type my K article: Congratulations to Cody Monkman on his engagement to the lovely Emilee Houchin! So happy for Cody and Emilee! Special gratitude to Samuel Green from our staff for his hard work on Extreme PRAYER month at FCC. So thankful to have the opportunity to hear Samuel teach on Wednesday evenings and begin to blossom in the area of Spiritual Formation! With summer comes another season of ministry at Little Galilee Christian Camp multiple reminders: FCC will once again pay ½ tuition for a session of camp for you, your children or grandchildren we would love to see 100 s of campers from FCC this summer take advantage of one of God s special places! LGCC is in the process of raising funds for a new, state of the art Dining Hall and the initial drawings are quite impressive! If you are interested in giving to this worthy project, contact Bob Phillips at ! Excited that several from our church will be a part of the summer staff team at LGCA this year including Jordan Taylor, Alexis Hammer and Jeremiah Chitwood let s pray for ALL of the Little Galilee staff this summer. Several from our church will be part of the faculty for Junior 2 Main Camp June 26-July 1 Cody and Allison from our staff are serving as Co-Deans for the week, and I will be the morning preacher. If you have students going into 5 th or 6 th grade this fall, we would LOVE to have them at Junior 2 Main Camp!

3 The Gospel According to Greg VBS is just around the corner June 6-10 are you helping? Are your children/grandchildren signed up? See Cassandra or Allison for more info. I am currently training for the 2016 Ragbrai bicycle ride across Iowa July my purpose with this ride is to raise money for the Kuki Christian Church Mission in Northeast India (Dr. T. Lunkim). I m setting a personal goal of raising $25, and the FCC mission team has agreed to match this dollar for dollar up to an additional $25,000.00! Support letters will hit the mail in mid-june please prayerfully consider giving to this incredible, difference making ministry! For the months of June and July, we will journey through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings, looking at the irst 12 chapters of Acts, and the growth of the church in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria. Why not begin reading the book of Acts now? You will be blessed! Finally, several save the date reminders: Sunday May 29 ONE Service Sunday at 9:30am June 6-10 VBS at FCC June 27 July 2- Jr High Mission Trip to Wisconsin July HS Mission Trip to New England Month of August Won t you be my Neighbor? month at FCC Sunday August 28 2 nd annual FCC Block Party! September 11 October 9 Finding your way back to God Sunday September 25 ONE Service Sunday at 9:30am Have a great month! GT

4 Kent s Corner Kent Hickerson Watch and Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Mark 14:38 NIV Watch. They don t come any more practical than that. Stay alert. Keep your eyes open. When you see sin coming, duck. When you anticipate an awkward encounter, turn around. When you sense temptation, go the other way. All Jesus is saying is, Pay attention. You know your weaknesses. You also know the situations in which your weaknesses are most vulnerable. Stay out of those situations. Back seats. Late hours. Movie theaters. Whatever it is that gives Satan a foothold in your life, stay away from it. Watch out! Pray. Prayer isn t telling God anything new. There is not a sinner nor a saint who would surprise Him. What prayer does is invite God to walk the shadowy pathways of life with us. Prayer is asking God to watch ahead for falling trees and tumbling boulders and to bring up the rear, guarding our backside from the poison parts of the Devil. No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado Invitation to PRAY for 2nd service We have a vision to have 1 person PRAYING during 2nd service every Sunday in June, July & August Location to be determined. We provide prayer lists and guides for praying during a church service. Sign up for a Sunday to PRAY at the information center in the foyer or church office. Area Men s Fellowship When: Tuesday, June 7pm Where: Wapella Christian Church Who: Jeff Higginson Menu: Roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, salad, corn & pie

5 This n That 18th Norma Hollibaugh 95 years Hawthorne Inn/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane Clinton, IL st Edna Mae Seaton 91 years 209 S Grant St Clinton, IL st Velma Kennedy 92 years 999 Route 10 West, Apt 17 Clinton, IL June Shut In Birthdays 13th 14th June Cheatham Good Samaritan W 151st Street, Room 106 Olathe, Kansas Wilma Mestinsek Manor Ct/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane Send a card to help celebrate their birthdays or send a note to others on the nursing home list. You will make their day!

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 Dorothy Campbell Larry Chapman Helen Dorrell Delbert Fields Marie Jackson Gene Jones Betty Kyle Ray Martin Eleanor Mears Wilma Mestinsek David Mosley Lura Murphy Margaret Murphy Dora Neal Al Perring Dena Polen Helen Polley Norma Reilly Georgia Sobolewski Kathy Strange Treva Torbert Shirley Utterback Allan Webb 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 Aspen Ridge Care Center 2530 N. Monroe, Decatur, IL Shirley Thompson

7 Young at Heart David Buck, Coordinator We all have a great tendency to exaggerate horribly when we feel pressured. We magnify things, blowing them all out of propor on and making them sound much worse than what they really are. The careless words we speak in the heat of the moment may not mean much to us, but they definitely carry weight in the spiritual realm....for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 KJV June 1st we will have a game day at 1:30pm. There will be many games and finger food provided in the Family Life Center. It will be a fun day for all. On July 2nd, we will head to Arthur, IL to have a fabulous meal and enjoy a wonderful play. More details to come. July 6th we will have a singer from Decatur that has been highly recommended to us for our regular potluck program. Then on August 7 at 4:00pm, we will have a hymn sing followed by a light dinner. He made you so you could share in His crea on, could love and laugh and know Him person to person. - Ted Griffin Sowing and reaping is another spiritual law which we are experiencing in the earth, but it also operates in the spiritual realm. We sow material seed, and we reap material blessings of all kinds. Words are also seeds. We sow word seeds and reap according to what we have sown. - Joyce Meyer Decisions for Christ & His Church Debra Peavler, 4571 Center St, Lane, IL, 61750, was baptized on May 8, Please feel free to encourage Debra by sending her a card or note.

8 Next Steps - What An Exciting Testimony In our worship services, the entire month of May we are having an emphasis on prayer. Let me give you a testimony of the power of prayer as witnessed in our Next Steps building renovation program. Three years ago now in May of 2013 Mark Witzke, then chairman of the elders, stood in front of our church and presented the Next Steps building renovation plan and stated As God moves, we will move. While always trusting that God would provide we did not know what form that provision would take. You were asked to give sacrificially, over and above your regular giving to our church and you responded generously giving over $570K to the Next Steps program. With those funds we were able to complete our First Kids and Edge ministry spaces this past year and our funds were depleted and we continued to pray. Because of your faithful giving we believe that Luke 6:38 was blessed upon us. Luke 6:38 states: 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. So how has God continued to answer our prayers and meet our needs? Last summer we learned that our church was named in the Kenneth Smith estate and were excited at an initial estimated gift of $750K up to 1M. Then at the end of the year we received from the estate a gift of $2.2M which was more than double what we originally expected. 10% of this gift was given to our mission s team to bless some of our mission s partners with and they will be sharing some of those testimonies in the near future. Our architect and the Next Steps design committee have been working diligently on the designs for renovations and developed a phased approach so that only areas that funds would be available for would be renovated. By our architects estimates some of the project would need to be completed later after additional funds were received as we maintain our commitment to complete Next Steps debt free. Again, we prayed for God s blessing with favorable bids from the contractors so that as much of the renovations could be completed at this time. God again granted His favor on our church with favorable bids that will allow us to complete all of the currently planned renovations. These renovations include: The Lower Level Pre-Kindergarten Suite, Lower Level Kitchen Remodel, Upper Level Adult Education Suite, Office Suite, Hallway Renovation, 7 Toilet Rooms, Flat Roof Replacements, HVAC Upgrades, Sanctuary Upgrades, Expansion & Upgrades to our Narthex, Fire Doors and Lower Level Sprinklers. Additionally some funds are being reserved to be applied toward a new benevolence center.

9 Next Steps - What An Exciting Testimony, cont d A construction contract has been awarded to Johnco Construction who is a general contractor out of Mackinaw IL. We anticipate construction to begin soon after our upcoming VBS with hopes of completion before the Christmas holidays. Please continue to pray that God will protect us from unforeseen issues which will cost additional funds, pray for the worker safety, and pray now for the dynamic ministry that God has planned in our new spaces. God is so good and we are so blessed: 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. 2 Corinthians 9:8 We rejoice with & congratulate: Ryan and Leann Sosamon, 3211 Hilltop Dr, Clinton, IL, on the birth of their son, Duncan Velde Sosamon, born April 30, Proud grandparents are Doug & Rhonda Sosamon and Mark & Betty Smith. FCC College Scholarship - If you are attending a Bible college or university or a Christian liberal arts school and pursuing a degree in ministry, this scholarship is for you! Applications are available on our website and in the church office. Completed applications & transcripts must be received by July 1, You can turn them in to the church office. You are invited to a 24 hour Silence & Solitude Retreat at Chiara Retreat Center in Springfield, IL. The retreat is Friday, June 17, 6:00pm - Saturday, June 18, 6:00pm. To register call Chiara Center at Cost: room & breakfast is $70 or room & 3 meals is $89. For more information, pick up a brochure at the information center, church office or see Becky Glenn, Susan & Ken Klein or Rachel Emery.

10 The Dunkin Pick-Me-Up With Cody Cody Monkman On May 15 we had our Next Phase Breakfast for our current 8th grade students, high school seniors and their families. Our goal was 3-fold: GATHER, CELEBRATE and EQUIP. And we did just that. We GATHERED together in the Family Life Center for breakfast. Towards the end of our time, I handed them some practical advice rooted in The Gospel that, hopefully, will EQUIP these students and their families into their next phase of life. BUT... before we got to that I wanted to take some time with the students and CELEBRATE some of the greatest memories they had from Reveal Student Ministries this past school year. I want to now welcome all of you into cyber world to CELEBRATE the great memories God has blessed those of us within Reveal Student Ministries this year. Here it goes... "Reveal Kick-Off with the bounce houses and Fusion Brew was the best!" "My best memory would be at Reveal Celebrations Night. It was nice to see people who can't make it in the morning." "My favorite memories were at Believe and Winter Jam." "I loved it when we went to our community group leader's house one night." "No doubt Winter Retreat!" "Winter Retreat." "Small Group XP Night." "Reveal Celebrations Night!" "Playing gaga ball with my community group." "Going to the movies and Cocomero with my community group. Cody eating fray in the playhouse that specifically said no eating in the playhouse."

11 I loved Believe! We got the flashlights for it and every time we could relate to something we would shine our light and the whole place would light up. It was so cool! Afterwards we had our little group time and we went back to our hotel. We ordered pizza and watched TV." Great memories were made by these 8th graders and seniors. I wait eagerly to see what their next phase of life will look like for them and how God will use them. With Dunkin' Love, Cody Junior High Ministry JH Sunday School meets from 9:30am - 10:30am in the Cable Building Project Facelift sign ups are going on now!! This takes place during VBS week, June Please pick up a form at the information booth or in the church office. HS Ministry HS Sunday School will meet from 9:30am - 10:30am in The Edge. Take A Stake initiative for CIY Move starts today. Come check out our wall outside the Sanctuary before or after services. CIY Move students please make sure you turn in your final payment for the upcoming trip. If you have questions, please contact Mandi in the office. Visit to stay up-to-date on student events.

12 Allison Hitchings - allison@clintonfcc.com Cassandra Benton - cassandra@clintonfcc.com We are only a few short weeks away from one of the best weeks of the year for the Children s Ministry department. What week is that you ask? Vacation Bible School week, of course!! From June 6 to June 10 the church building will be illed children, ages 4 to 5 th grade learning about God s amazing love at the Surf Shack. Our key verse for the week is Nehemiah 4:14b Remember that the Lord is great and awesome! The children will learn through various stories that God creates, God helps, God loves, God calms and God sends. Not only will VBS provide daily Bible stories, but each day children will also experience a new rotation different from previous years. Typically, we do a daily craft that relates to the story. This year, we will have crafts, combined with science experiments, and a music lesson. We are so excited to provide the kids with a variety of creative opportunities that will reinforce the daily lesson. We are supporting In His Hands Orphan Outreach this year. Cassandra and I are especially excited to be partnering with Michelle McGowan and her team. In His Hands is based in Rochester, IL and ministers to orphan children in various ways. We would ask of a couple things of our FCC family: one, if you could, be praying for the volunteers, children and staff that are involved. So many lives can be impacted by these few days and we would love to have you praying over the week. Also, if you feel so led, we would appreciate inancial support as well. The money you give will be used faithfully to help tell the children in the Clinton community about the amazing love of Jesus Christ! It is going to be an amazing week. We hope to see you there! &

13 As we move toward the start of our Next Steps building renovation, all areas affected by the renovation need to be cleared and ready for construction. The current plan is for construction to start June 13, immediately after VBS. With VBS running from June 6-10, we have a tight window to get moved so we need your help!! If you can spare a few hours the afternoons of June 6-10 and Saturday, June 11, we could use your help. Please sign up in the office, Thanks for your support of our Next Steps building program. Dana Korneman VBS Snacks Want to help with VBS snacks? We need some microwave popcorn, goldfish & plain M&M s. If you could donate 12oz. bottles or cans of pop, that would make our volunteers happy! Please bring items to the church office. Thank you in advance, Karen Rice Camp season is almost upon us and Little Galilee needs our help with cereal for the campers. Cost of food continues to go up every year and this is a great way our church can help this wonderful ministry. Below are a list of cereals they need: Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Cinnamon Crunch, Golden Grahams and Rice Krispies. There is a box located in the church foyer to drop off cereal or it can always be dropped off at the church office. Thanks for helping this great ministry!

14 Worship Samuel Green The Ministry of Reconciliation At the time of writing this I am only 3 days away from the ceremony ordaining me for ministry. But really, what does this even mean? The term ordination was used often in the early church, but in a slightly different way than what it has become in the 21 st century. The modern idea of ordination is the act of granting leadership or authority to a religious leader. As with my upcoming ceremony, we think of an ordination service as a time when someone is commissioned or set apart for a ministry position in the church. However, biblically the word ordain more specifically refers to a putting into place or designation. Some examples of this from the New Testament are that Joseph was ordained as a ruler in Egypt (Acts 7:10). The steward in one of Jesus parables was ordained to take charge of a home (Matt. 24:45). Deacons in the church of Acts were ordained to serve in the church of Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6). Pastors were ordained in each city in Crete (Titus 1:5). The primary idea behind all these occurrences was a simple appointment. We re not told any details, simply that they were placed in charge. It was based on need, wisdom and gifting and it was something that just happened. It was something many people were often called to. It wasn t an event, rather simply a faithful act of taking charge as a leader in the church. It was an important but fairly common, almost casual occurrence. These were rarely fully-fledged Bible college trained Christians. No, they were common men and women in the house churches Paul and others helped set up all over the Roman world. My point is that I am no different once I become ordained. Ordination is not a step up; it s not an act of gaining higher status. It s an act of faithfulness that certain common people in the church lean into while trusting God. Let me clarify. Here s what I am not saying; I am not saying ordination isn t a significant event; I m not saying that I am not thankful to FCC, its leadership and its staff for the opportunity to serve; I m not saying that ordination is not a good thing. But I am saying, that ordination is more circumstantial and simple than we treat it in our evangelical church culture. I am saying that it gives all of us an even greater responsibility and is more widespread than we think. I am saying that we are all ordained to something. We are all called to the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:11-21). We are all integral parts of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:1-7). We are all set apart for the work of the Lord (Eph. 2:10). What is your role? What part are you playing? Your worth, your value is priceless. Your role in the church is likewise as significant. What is your call?...whatever you do,

15 Worship Cont. whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Col. 3:17). I encourage you to wrestle with what God is calling, or ordaining you to in your life. As this will not be read until after the ordination is over, I will speak both presently about the past and to the future. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve here at the First Christian Church of Clinton. I am thankful for the faith and support of Greg and the rest of the staff, to the eldership, and to the many friends I have made here who are walking alongside me. I am grateful to my family, for my parents, Ed and Sally, and to my sister, Anna, for without them I would not be who I am now in character or in faith. I am grateful to the congregation of FCC, for their belief in me and for giving me a chance to live out my calling as a young man of the faith straight out of Bible college. I am exceedingly grateful to my wife, Mykenzie, after an amazing first year of marriage. She is my rock. Most of all, I am thankful to my Lord Jesus, who has walked with me the entirety of my days, whether or not I recognized him among the different seasons of life. It is by His power and authority that I lead and serve, and His sacrifice and love that I live. His Spirit is always with me, but also with you. I am thankful for this life I am able to lead, and grateful that I get to join you in the great journey during my time here at FCC. Until next time, go in peace to love and serve. Proverbs 31 is scheduled to cook in July, September & November. If you are interested in getting a team of volunteers together to cook one of these months, please contact the church office. Groceries and recipes will be ready to go, we just need volunteers to do the cooking. This would be a perfect service opportunity for a small group, Sunday School class or just a group of friends! Please consider giving an hour of your time to this wonderful ministry that blesses so many in our community!

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 Jennifer Causer Financial Secretary financial@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