Corner of W. Main & N. Jackson FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 100 N. Jackson St., Clinton, Illinois

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1 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: The Karusograph First Christian Church, 100 N. Jackson St., September 2017 Contact Information Phone (217) Fax (217) Office Hours 8am-4:30pm Monday Thursday Greg Taylor Minister of Preaching & Teaching Samuel Green Minister of Modern Worship & Spiritual Formation Cody Monkman Minister of Community Impact & Care Ben Pertl Director of Student Ministries Cassandra Benton Minister of Children - Early Childhood cassandra@clintonfcc.com Allison Hitchings Minister of Children - Elementary allison@clintonfcc.com Lindsey Moody Connections & Community Groups lindsey@clintonfcc.com Melinda Heinlen Connections & Community Groups melinda@clintonfcc.com Kim Rose Office Manager kim@clintonfcc.com TACKLING TOUGH TOPICS Everyone has questions about tough topics. What happens after I die? Why do people do bad things? Why are Christians hypocrites? How do I respond to a broken relationship? We would love to help you find answers to tough questions, such as these, and maybe other topics you wrestle with, too. Join us for TELL ME MORE, a four week sermon series exploring what the Bible has to say about these tough topics. This sermon series begins on September 10th. This is a great opportunity to invite anyone in your life that might benefit from hearing these messages! Mandi Ries Ministry Administrative Assistant mandi@clintonfcc.com Jen Causer Financial Administrative Assistant financial@clintonfcc.com Volume 59 Issue 9

2 United we stand divided we fall. These are famous words of our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln. Our 16 th President was inspired by the New Testament and Jesus himself a house divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand (Mark 3:25). It seems to be pretty straightforward unity is the goal and division is the enemy. And yet, we seem to live in the Divided States of America, don t we? Our politics are as divisive as any time that I can remember in my lifetime. In 2008, following the election of Barack Obama as President, we were led to believe we were on the verge of becoming a post-racial culture and yet racism is still alive and well. Even the church in America is divided in 2017 possibly the greatest tragedy of all. So what is the answer? Where do we go from here? How can we as followers of Jesus live out his heart we read about in John 17, his call for unity and impact in his name? I have four thoughts I want to share this month: #1 Never forget what our faith is ultimately about - JESUS: It s not about your political party platform. It s not about the latest cultural trend or deviation. It s not about the greatest triumphs or shortcomings of America. It s about JESUS. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. #2 Let the truth of GOD S WORD be the ultimate authority: Out of town Aspen Ridge Care Center 2530 N. Monroe, Decatur, IL Shirley Thompson Good Samaritan W 151st St Room 106 Olathe, KS June Cheatham Evenglow Lodge 215 E Washington Pontiac, IL Bob Adcock Brookdale Desert Ridge 4050 E Bluefield Ave, Room 122 Phoenix, AZ Colleen Stephens Woodside at Friendship Village 1390 N Drake Rd Kalamazoo, MI Dody Thomason Heartland Healthcare Center 520 Broadway Room 192B Normal, IL Terry Havlin Hickory Point Christian Village 565 W Marion Ave Forsyth, IL Norma Hollibaugh Vonderleith Living Center 1120 N Topper Dr Mt. Pulaski, IL Helen Thorp Local Manor Ct/Liberty Village 1 Park Lane Theda Adams Donna Arnold Thomas E Bray Tom Bundy Betty Burris Larry Chapman Marie Jackson Gene Jones Betty Kyle Mary Lane Ray Martin Eleanor Mears Wilma Mestinek Al Perring Helen Polley Helen Shelton Georgia Sobolewski Shirley Utterback Allan Webb Hawthorne Inn/Liberty Village (Supportive Living) 1 Park Lane Mary Burton Audrey Fields Fayetta Isaac Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves: Do what it says James 1:22. Do we allow God s word to be truth for us? Or have we compromised our ultimate truth and authority in a dangerous attempt to become all things to all people?

3 #3 Realize not every DISAGREEMENT needs to turn into a battle or debate: Remember the James 1:19 principle - Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man s anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires. "I will show my love to the one I called Not my loved one. I will say to those called Not my people, You are my people ; and they will say, You are my God. " Hosea 2:23b (NIV) In keeping with our Lord, we at YAH are here to embrace all who enter our doors. We welcome friends from the community outside of FCC. Reach out to your friends and neighbors and invite them to join you. Eighty-one showed up at the August YAH Get Together to enjoy the Uke Krazie s musical entertainment. We learned a lot about the Ukulele! Del Naxi, owner of Ted s Garage, shared with us about his new Mexican restaurant Cinco De Mayo to open soon out Route 54 West in Clinton. Thank you to Cody Monkman for bringing our devotion. Sometimes it might be best to take a pass on that heated Facebook debate or intense political shouting match and let silence and love reign! By the way, I m personally not very good at this too many times pride and the drive to win gets in my way! #4 Look for opportunities to LEARN from others: The September 8 YAH Get Together will be a Fall in DeWitt County, guaranteed to make you laugh as we have a visit from some personalities from HEE HAW. Lunch will be IGA fried chicken and Apple Cake. Please bring a salad. Remember this is the 2nd Friday in September due to Labor Day Weekend. EXCURSIONS: Sign up in the FCC Church Office or at YAH Get Togethers! Thursday, September 14th, Aikman Wildlife Adventure Park in Arcola, IL. $15 for the trolley wildlife drive-through park. Bring money for brunch at Cracker Barrel and shopping in Arthur. Leave 10:00am/return at 5:30pm. Never quit growing. Never stop learning. Never be so confident and locked in personally you cannot attempt to understand where others might be coming from. And do it all under the umbrella of Jesus. I have a dream! My dream is that the Church would be different and distinctive and declarative. My dream is that UNITY will win the day for followers of Jesus and division will not invade and advance. My dream includes that campfire song from my childhood they will know we are Christians by our love more than just simple lyrics but instead a lifestyle motto we claim and wear proudly! BRANSON TRIP CANCELLED. Due to lack of interest, we have cancelled the Branson trip for October. We will be looking into another day trip to take its place. I have a dream... what about you? Sat., November 11th, $18 to learn about the Amish life with a family style Amish lunch at Sarah Helmuth s Amish Kitchen in the Arcola/Arthur area. Let s have a great fall at FCC! God is good! Johnny & Marcia Wise ( ) and Roger & Jan Dial GT

4 Bible Study Fellowship is coming to Clinton! First Christian Church will be hosting a women s satellite discussion group for BSF on Tuesday evenings beginning September 12th at 6:30pm. God is using BSF to help people discover joy, freedom and satisfaction in their lives as they encounter God in the Bible. No matter if you are a beginner or an advanced Bible student, you ll find there s a place for you in BSF! We hope you will join us. Beth Moore Living Proof Simulcast Please mark your calendar for September 16th for the Living Proof simulcast with Beth Moore. This free event will take place from 9:00am - 3:30pm at FCC with an hour break for lunch. You can register for this event by visiting the FCC Facebook page, ing karen@clintonfcc.com, or call Mandi in the church office at You definitely won t want to miss this event, so sign up today! Moms & Tots Playgroup will meet on September 1st at 10:00am with a special brunch kick-off in the First Kids area. This is a great opportunity to get to know other moms in the community while your kids play together. September 10 is Friend Sunday! Friend Sunday is a great chance to apply the Core Value: Invite! Reach out to a co-worker, neighbor, friend, gym buddy, someone you just met and invite them to attend church with you! Mark your calendars First Kids Youth group is back in full swing starting September 13th at 6pm in the First Kids Area. Reveal for JH & HS students will be back on September 10th with JH Students meeting 5pm - 6:30pm and HS Students will meet from 6:30pm - 8pm. Choir practice resumes on September 6th at 6:30pm. If you are interested in joining, please feel free to join us at practice. For questions, contact Ruth Davidson Impact & care. They go hand-in-hand if we want to bring The Gospel of Jesus Christ to our families, neighbors, and communities. I couldn't be more excited to start a new ministry here at First Christian Church that is all about helping the church be The Church. In another sense, I like to view this new opportunity as a way of mobilizing the church by being on the front lines with people and the community - looking people in the eyes and asking, "How can I serve you?" "Do you want to get well?" - Jesus, with the sick man next to the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. I see this new ministry being abundant in opportunities to be next to so many people, from so many different backgrounds. I can't help but envision that moment where Jesus knelt down, looked this man in the eyes, and asked him "Do you want to get well?" And then Jesus listened to the man. He listened to his heartaches and worries. He loved him. If you read the rest of this account of Jesus' ministry from John 5, you will see that this is a story of care, love, and compassion. And what happens in the end? Jesus made an impact on this man's life that was full of GOOD NEWS. It was Gospel-centered with the fingerprints of God all over it! I'm excited to join some of the ministries that FCC currently does that are full of impact & care. But I'm also excited to be able to create new ways that we as The Church can make a Gospel-centered impact & care on our community. Stay tuned for more! With Dunkin' Love, Cody

5 September Shut-in Birthdays Eleanor Mears September 13 Manor Ct/Liberty Village Albert Morgan September E Jefferson St Don t forget to stop by Coffee at the Crossing on Sunday mornings to get a tasty beverage. All proceeds will benefit Casas por Cristo in Acuna Mexico! Elder s Corner A few announcements regarding roles and personnel to share With the recent retirement of Kent Hickerson and then Adam Brucker s departure earlier this year we have some gaps to fill. The staff has done a nice job picking up the slack, but the elders have decided to make a few additional changes. As you know we ve added Lindsey Moody and Melinda Heinlen, both as part time staff (about ten hours a week), to focus on connections, small groups, and welcome teams here at FCC. We are also shifting Cody Monkman into a new role which we are calling Associate Minister of Community Impact and Care which will include some of the existing prior responsibilities held by the other staff members but also what we see as an expanded role in the following areas: a much broader benevolence ministry including pastoral care, hospitals, nursing homes, shut-in and personal residences visits, Grab and Go/ONE, Community Clothing room, Resume Classes, Celebrate Recovery etc., Missions team liaison providing and organizing opportunities for the FCC community to participate in service projects and mission trips, as well as teaching a Bible School Class and some preaching responsibilities. A more detailed job description for Cody will be finalized in the coming week and will be made available. Taking over in the Youth areas will be Ben Pertl serving as our Director of Student Ministries. Several of our staff and some parents of our youth have met with Ben and interviewed him in the past few weeks. Ben has been leading youth groups down in Charleston, IL and will be relocating to Clinton in the near future. Please introduce yourself to Ben as you see him in the coming weeks. Funeral dinner dishes are located in the brown cabinet at the south end of the Family Life Center. Please pick up any dishes that belong to you. Contact the office if you have any questions. 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, September 21st & return between 2:30-3 pm. This ministry is open to anyone, men & women! We need volunteers for the Beth Moore simulcast Living Proof on September 16th. We have several different service opportunities for this event, and we would love to have you! If you are interested in serving, please call Mandi in the church office o r e m a i l K a r e n R i c e a t karen@clintonfcc.com. Are you a medical professional that attends FCC on a regular basis? We are compiling a list of medical professionals and the service they usually attend, so we have several contacts in case of a medical emergency on Sunday mornings. If this is something you are interested in, please contact the church office. Thank you in advance for helping provide the best care for our church family on Sunday mornings.

6 Sabbath End Beginning September 10th at 5:00pm, please join us for Sabbath End. A time to worship, praise, practice and pray - at the end of the Sabbath Day. Please be on the lookout this month for a booth in the foyer to sign up or ask questions! You may also contact Susan Klein with any questions, at or at kpksmk@gmail.com Area Men s Fellowship Little Galilee Christian Camp Tuesday, September 5th at 7pm We hope you will join us for a great night of fellowship! We are set to have a great speaker and a wonderful meal. We hope you will join us! Questions? Please contact the church office for more information. Are you a new attender to FCC??? Join us in the FCC foyer for a Meet & Greet on September 17th at 9:30am. We are excited to introduce you to FCC and our staff! Coffee and light snacks will be provided. For more information, please contact connections@clintonfcc.com. We look forward to meeting you! Fan the Flame featuring Michael W. Smith Please join us on September 23rd at 7:00pm at ISU Braden Auditorium for what will be an amazing concert! Tickets are $17.50, $22.50 and $ Tickets can be purchased from the Braden Box Office, Ticket Master website or by phone, This concert will benefit Midwest Food Bank in Bloomington, IL Men s Ministry Reload September 12 & 26 Please join us at 6am in the Family Life Center for wonderful food & fellowship! Contact the office with any questions. A Tale of Two Houses: Casas por Cristo This past month I had the privilege of traveling with 14 other men from FCC down to the Mexican town of Acuña, located right across the border from Del Rio, Texas, in order to build two houses for families in need. I wanted to spend my time with you here while you read this K article filling you in on the trip a bit, especially if you were unable to attend services here the week after we returned when we showed a recap video and one of our elders who went with us (Gage Lyons) bawled his eyes out while sharing how God worked throughout the week. Alright, I guess he wasn t bawling, but he certainly had some tears! But I digress. It was certainly a powerful, moving, and emotional week for us as our 15 from FCC joined Scott Dewitt and 3 of his Casas staff to build two houses in 3.5 days. Yeah, you read that right. Two houses in 3.5 days. I couldn t believe it either. Scott was awesome and I got to know him fairly well throughout the week (I came to FCC after Scott s time here, so I had just met him once or twice before). For those of you who wonder how Casas has treated him since he left FCC, I would say that in my opinion he has certainly found the crossroads of where his gifts and passions intersect with a really great organization that is doing a ton of good down in Mexico as well as Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Throughout the week, we got to know some of the local Casas staff, David and Conrado, who were amazing builders and both had incredible stories. David has been with Casas for years and his wife leads an amazing cooking ministry with several women that helped feed us all week and employ local Mexicans to support their families. So not only were the houses a blessing to the community but even the food we ate was helping create sustainable and impactful change! Both of the families that we were able to build the houses for were amazing and they also made meals for us all week long, which for them was a great sacrifice of time and money. Both were elderly couples who had been praying for a house for a long time and because of the generosity of FCC in raising money for the second house we were able to bless them both with new homes. Their gratitude was indescribable and the trip was an amazing experience for all of us who went. If you would like more details, feel free to ask me whenever you see me! Until then Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.