The Great Bend Christian

Transcription

1 October 2017 Vol. 50 No. 10 The Great Bend Christian Pumpkins will be here Saturday, September 30th!!!! We have evaluated the past few years and have changed the times the Patch will be open. This year the Patch will be open October 1st October 31st: Sunday-Friday 1:00 pm 7:00 pm Saturday 11:00 am 7:00 pm Have YOU signed up to work the Patch? There are lots of 2 hour shifts available. All you need is a Friendly Smile! No need to lift or move the pumpkins. Sign up Online by going to our website or sign up at the church office. On October 8th, we are starting a new sermon series called "When Religion Gets in the Way!". In this series, we are going to be wrestling with how good intentioned Christians can do horrible sinful things in the name of God, convinced we are on God's side, when in reality we are fighting against God. This is a series that will help us think critically about our own religion, so our religion doesn't get in the way.

2 SPECIAL PRAYERS: Cancer: Cynthia Barnes; Sylvan Bleeker; Dade Cannon; Jane Carney; Lila Drees; Mark Gant; Karla Garcia; Tammy Hays; Connie Metheny Holliday; Don Jones; LiAnna Keith; Judy Manning; Jan McCaulley; Evelyn Mead; Sharla Meisenheimer; Leilani Schenkel; Marvin Sittner; Mike Snyder; Tom-Harders' Friend; Joan Townley; Alice Urban Other Needs: Carol Barnard; Pat Bell; Doug Bender; Myrna Campbell; Bailey Cox; Annette Crosby; Jan Engle; Janis Fairchild; Jake Hittle; Hodes Family; Lucy Jay; Shelby Jones; William Jones; Mayette Keith; Carol Langen; Richard Messerlie; Lilly Morrison; Andrea Nelson; Kenneth Reed; Rich Roberts; Wanda Russell; Arlyn Scheuerman; Crosby Schrader; Dolores Shaheen; Sapphire Shewbart; Chris Soehner; Cal Winter; Mary Woodworth; City of Great Bend CONTINUED PRAYERS: Cancer: Laura Brown, Ashley Gorney, Tiffany Dick, Shelly McFarren, Leona McIntosh, Steve Rusco, Sammy, Doug Schenkel, LeAnna Soehner; Donna Stejskal, Kadin White; Susan Wilson Other Needs: Mabel Bender, Bob Bixby, Cody Clark, Melissa Demel, Lola Donecker, Joyce Elliott, Jerry Ford, Nicki Harders, Brian Hutchinson, Martha Knight, Jaxon Kretchmar, Amber Lloyd, Roger Marshall, Steve Martin, Baby Remi Mauler, Brad Patzner, Ashlee Seastrom, Betty Underwood, Mike Zager MILITARY SERVANTS: Derrick Deason, Steven DeWhitt, Blake Frager, Dan Fritz, Ted Jackson, Steven McGee, Adam Schwartz PLEASE PRAY for our New Service that will begin in January. Pray for God's guidance and direction, and for even more people to join us at the First Christian Church of Great Bend...to Betty Twitchell-Brown and Family upon the passing of her husband, Bob.to Justin & Katie Sperry and Family upon the passing of Katie s Grandmother

3 Lunch Bunch 11:30 am October 18, 2017 New Day Group Lesson: Kathy Lindberg Hostess: Lois Johnson October 23, :00 pm The New Day Group would like to invite all women to come to a special presentation on Monday evening, October 23rd, at 7:00pm in the parlor. Kathy Lindberg will be coming to share a special program, with a message and music. Refreshments will be served. Put the date on your calendar! Looking forward to seeing you there! 2nd & 4th Saturdays 8:00 9:00 am Contact James McReynolds with any questions. The Young Adult Bible Study Class will start again, Sunday, October 1st, at 5 pm. We are going to be picking up right where we left off in the book of Genesis. So if you are 18 to 40ish, make plans to join us as we delve into the depths of Genesis to see what God has to teach us about living our own lives. (As always, day care will be provided.) Adult Bible Study Begins Wednesday October 4th, 6 pm (Continuing in Genesis) On Thursday, October 12th, at noon (EST), Pastor Josh will be doing an opening prayer for the U.S. House of Representatives. This prayer will be broadcast on C-SPAN if you would like to watch.

4 GROUP 1 GROUP 2 Janis Fairchild (Contact Person) Ruth Behrens/Jan Embrey (Contact People) Carrol Jaco Reta Brack Marilyn Deason Steve & Jean Goetz Rachelle Sheets Jeanne Gotsche Loren & Arlene Schamaun Delora Baldwin Julie Ford Jennifer Cauley Paul Mater GROUP 3 GROUP 4 Roger & Leesa Butler (Contact Person) Rev. Sue Bishop (Contact Person) Lane & LaDonna Moore Youth Bob & Patsy Hiss Becky Hill Kenny & Lori Reneau GROUP 5 Glen & Dixie Hughes (Contact People) Susan Brown Donna Marston Lois Johnson Pollie Unruh Dinners are from 5:30 pm 6:00 pm September 27 Group 4 October 4 Group 2 October 11 Group 1 October 18 Group 5 October 25 Group 3 November 1 Group 4 November 8 Group 5 November 15 Group 1 Please give a warm welcome to our newest family member, Betty Underwood. Betty transferred her membership September 17th. We are glad to have you! 2018 is right around the corner, so sign-up now to be an Early Service Greeter/Communion Preparer and/or a Late Service Communion Preparer. See Sharon Engle or John Sheets with any questions.

5 We Give To belong to our congregation is to be a steward. Some may say that stewardship is just a polite way of referring to financial giving to the church. But it s far more than that. One character in some of Jesus parables is the steward-the servant charged by the master to care for the master s property. It is the master, not the steward, who owns the property, but the steward is responsible for it and is accountable to the master. So it is, said Jesus, between God and us. As God s stewards, we have three responsibilities: Our Time Receiving: We receive with joyful thanksgiving the many gifts that God showers upon us; time, talent, treasure, our bodies, our friendships, natural resources, and the beauty around us. Managing: We take loving care of what we have received. We manage these resources wisely-for our own good and the good of others. Giving: Out of gratitude in receiving so abundantly, we want to share with others. We did nothing to earn the hours, the days, the weeks of our lives. Time is a gift of God. How we choose to use it is a matter of stewardship. Some people lead lives of frenetic activity, always over-extending themselves to the point of exhaustion, while others sit around in apathetic boredom. Some spend all their hours serving the needs of others at the expense of their own, while others live only for themselves. As Christian stewards, we try to manage time wisely and in a balanced way. And we give our time gladly to family and friends, to strangers, to the community, the church, and to ourselves. Our Abilities Do you remember Jesus parable of the servants who received different amounts of money to manage while the master was away? We ve each received from God distinctive gifts and talents. How we develop and use these talents is a matter of stewardship. Like two of the servants in Jesus story, we can invest them wiselyor like the third, out of fear we can hide them (Matthew 25:14-30) As stewards, we acknowledge the gifts we have without apology. We develop them further, practicing new skills and putting our talents to work in ministry. Our Resources We may think that our financial resources are our own. But when we recall that the time, the energy, the good health, and opportunities for employment behind these dollars are all gifts from God, we see that the funds belong to God, too. We are the stewards; God is the owner. So, questions about what we earn, how we earn it, how we save, spend, and give it away, are all questions of Christian stewardship. Giving is most effective when we commit ourselves to give a definite proportion of our income through the church. For many of us, it is tithing, for others, it is giving of an offering. We ask you to consider how you can be a steward of First Christian Church Great Bend. Discover and share your gifts which will allow the continuation of the various ministries, events and outreach activities that our church is privileged to offer. Thank you..your Stewardship Committee

6 SUNDAY MORNINGs 9:00-10:00 am CHILDREN S CLASSES (West Wing) PRESCHOOL (3 & 4yr & PreK)-meets in Preschool Rm YOUTH (6th-12th Grades)-meets in the Youth Rm DISCOVERERS ( K-1st Gr.) EXPLORERS (2nd-3rd Grade) NAVIGATORS (4th-5th Grades) PAUL OCT. 1 ALL Music Workshop OCT. 8 ALL Celebration Sunday Gym DIG INTO THE BIBLE OCT. 15 D/E Art Workshop NAV Cooking Workshop OCT. 22 D/E Cooking Workshop NAV Bible Time Workshop OCT. 29 ALL Games Workshop The Children s Ministries of Great Bend First Christian Church Where We Bring Kids into the Stories And Mysteries of God And Immerse Them in God s Love In All that We Do Join Us At THE DOCK YOUTH WEDS. DINNER SEPT. 27 Hey CHI RHO AND CYF! We are scheduled to prepare the Weds. Night Dinner on Sept. 27th. Come when you can after 4:00pm ADULT CLASSES (East Wing) FELLOWSHIP CLASS FRIENDSHIP CLASS October 15 Adults will meet together in the Parlor WEDNESDAY NIGHT CHILDREN S PROGRAM GETS A NEW LOOK & NEW NAME!! Now called KID KONNECTION we will begin at 6:00pm with 4 Stations: MUSIC, STORYTELLING, ART, GAMES At 6:45pm, we will move to the Gym and play while waiting for parents. Parents: your kids are earning points each week to trade in for prizes at the end of the month. Points earned: Participation, Learning Bible Point, Memorizing Scripture Verse, Returning Faith Buzz at Home Card with a parent Signature that it was done at home. CHI RHO [6th-8th Grades] Sundays 5:00-7:00 pm YOUTH MINISTRY CHI RHO meets from 5:00-6:00 pm alone.then are joined by CYF 6:00-7:00 pm for snacks and games.then CYF meets from 7:00-8:00 pm. For the month of October we will be holding our regular meetings out at the Patch. Please drop off and pick up there (except for CYF who will be back in the Youth Room by 8:00.) THESE ARE IMPORTANT DATES FOR WHEN YOUTH ARE WORKING THE PATCH: Sept. 30th PUMPKINS ARRIVE!!!! Youth will be expected to be at the Patch at 10 am to unload Friday, Oct. 13 No School Great Bend, CHI RHO Work: 1-5 pm Thursday, Oct. 19 Early out Great Bend, CYF Work: 1-7 pm Friday, Oct. 20 Larned Youth Work 1-5 pm Friday, Oct. 27 Ellinwood & Hoisington Youth Work 1-5 pm C Y F [9th-12th Grades] Sundays 6:00-8:00 pm

7 Dear First Christian Church, Thank you so much for your donation of $1, to the Clean Water for Peru Effort and international mission efforts of Group Cares. On behalf of Group Cares, our staff and the thousands of people we serve, we want you to know how much we appreciate your support. Tim Gilmour, President Group Cares Dear FCC Women, Thank you for the wonderful bridal shower you held for Madison. It was so kind and loving of you all to honor her. We so appreciate it and a special thanks to Karen and MacKenzie Lindberg for all their hard work! Susan Debes Thank you Rev. Josh for your hospital and home visits during my recent heart surgery. Also, I appreciate all the cards, visits and support, encouragement and prayers from this caring congregation. Thank you all! Arlyn Scheuerman Aubrie Marie Baxa joined our family on August 7th as great granddaughter to Larry and Earlene Arnold and Dick and Nancy Kirmer. Her parents are Ken and Kylene Baxa. Big sister is Kenzie. Local grandparents are Phil and Jolene Kirmer. The plans for the renovation of the youth room in preparation for our new service are moving forward. The construction phase of this project will start sometime in mid October and will conclude sometime before Thanksgiving. Our goal is to have it completed by December 1st. Also, keep an eye out for a couple of evening worship services we will be putting on in December for people to come and see firsthand. The committee is working diligently to begin this new service by mid January. Please continue to pray for this new service, and that God's will be done.

8 First Christian Church Board Meeting Minutes September 13, 2017 Those present: Pastor Josh Leu, Nels Lindberg, Kenny Reneau, John & Vicki Sheets, Jennifer Keener, Lewis Burkes, Mary Drake, Marta Edmonds, Randy Goering, Kevin Stansfield, Donna Marston, Kim Guesnier, Ron Koch, Rhonda Eurich and Bob Hiss. There was a quorum. Nels Lindberg led us in reading the Vision & Mission Statement followed by prayer. Board Meeting minutes from 8/9/17 were approved; Randy Goering made the motion to approve, 2 nd by Mary Drake. Treasurer s Report: Lewis Burkes reported. August Income $ 22, August Expenses $ 29, Year to Date Income $ 217, Year to Date Expenses $ 226, Monthly Budget $ 30, Bob Hiss discussed the current roof project and status. So far there has been approximately $26,000 paid to the contractor with another $20,000 more to pay. The project is taking longer due to the tiles that were originally up there were not fitting with the new underlayment and some were breaking so there is a need for more tiles. The original tiles are no longer made and there was a style found that matched close, however those are no longer available. There has been another tile found that is close and it was suggested that extra tiles be order for any future repairs. The contractor is staying close to the original bid with a little increase due to the purchase of extra tiles. Pastor Josh discussed the Wish Budget and there are only a few changes from last year. At this time the Administration section has no changes as we will wait to see where the needs are and make adjustments as we see fit prior to approving the final budget. These are all estimates and we do our best to set figures as close to reality as possible but there are always the unexpected things that arise and we will address as they occur. Outreach: Pastor Josh reported that we have helped two families with gas bills, one family with a large utility bill, provided a gas stove to a family through the Care Portal, prepared meals for 50 people through Circles, the Central Kansas program (we will hear more about) helps to meet people in poverty to move them at least two levels above the current level. There will be a speaker on Sunday, October 15, to discuss more on this program. Hospitality/Evangelism: No report. Membership Development: No report. Marketing: No report. Worship: John Sheets said everything is going good. Waiting for the nomination of new deacons/elders and will prepare a training date. Administration: Mary Drake reported that the staff meeting this afternoon went well. All that attended had the attitude that it was going well and striving to do better. There are a couple personal issues that we need to keep in the back of our minds. All evaluations went well. Property: Kenny Reneau reported that the roof on the parsonage is complete. The guttering will be done next week. They had to replace the wood behind the guttering and still need to replace the covers for the window wells. No bid has been received yet for the turbines on the church from the current roofing contractor. John Sheets said that he would follow up with them. The screens on the youth room and all down spouts have been replaced at the church. The breaker issue with the A/C unit is still being looked at. The breaker unit is obsolete so looking into other options. Board Meeting Minutes Continued..

9 The Great Bend Christian October 2017 Board Meeting Minutes Continued.. Christian Education: Donna Marston reported that Sue has a full staff for the new Wednesday night programs. Pumpkin patch sign up is up and going. T-shirt sales end tonight and it will be 6 months or so before the next order will be placed. Pumpkins are coming Saturday, September 30, so we need volunteers to help unload the truck as well. Pastoral Relations: Pastor Josh reported the Pastoral Relations Committee will be meeting with Josh and Sue on Sunday, 9/17. New Service: Pastor Josh reported that they have met with sound, light, heating & air and electricity. Everything is moving forward smoothly. The next decision will be the style for coffee bar, stage, etc. There is $70,000 committed to be taken care of including 2 years of the worship leader s salaries. There is $1,000 in the budget for miscellaneous needs along the way. We received bids for an auxiliary heating & air units. The current heat/air system has the kitchen & gym connected and the gym & youth room. It has always been an issue keeping the youth room heated or cooled. There were three contractors called and two bids received. The current system will still be utilized as needed as well as the current duct work. The bid chosen was from Rube s which was the lowest. The proposed unit will be similar to the unit currently in the kitchen. The Trane units were less but not as efficient. There will also be a new breaker box installed. The funds that will be used to cover the cost will come from the excess money in CD s. Marta Edmonds makes the motion to approve the bid from Rube s and Mary Drake 2 nd the motion. Motion approved. It was asked if the kids were being kicked our of the youth room. NO; the kids and new service will be sharing the space and it will be a great space for everyone. The Regional church is working to help expand the doorway connecting the gym & youth room. We are still looking at options for selling the pool table and possibly purchasing a foosball table as it is felt that the kids would enjoy that more. The pool table is a nice, expensive table and it would be nice to sell it to someone that would enjoy it for what it s worth. There will be two TV s put up for the kids video games. There will be another meeting on Sunday, 9/17. Elders Report: No report. Deacons Report: No report. Pastors Report: Pastor Josh reported on behalf of the Nominating committee. Chairman is Randy Goering, Elders are Kim Guesnier and Becky Hill, Deacons are Polly Unruh and Kevin Stansfield, At Large are Sharon Engle and Norma Butler. John Sheets made motion to approve members as mentioned and Marta Edmonds 2 nd motion, motion was approved. Pastor Josh reported on behalf of Pastor Sue that there were 10 youth that attended the summer mission trips, 13 that attended summer camps, 89 kids at VBS serving meals for VBS. For the fall, our Wednesday night programs were reconstructed. We have 6 volunteers to help with rotations from 6:00-6:55pm consisting of music, games, story time and art. Our annual Trunk or Treat will be Sunday, October 29 th from 3-5pm. Please be there by 2:45 (no decorations needed) just come and hand out candy to the kids. There are 10 youth and 4 adults attending the Christian concert at the State Fair tonight (9/13) in Hutchinson. Pastor Josh mentioned that Roger Marshall has invited him to give the opening prayer on October 12 th for the US House of Representatives. It can be watched on CSPAN at 12pm. He will be using this as his week of vacation. Pastor Josh will also be taking vacation the week of Thanksgiving as Pastor Sue will be taking Christmas week off for her niece s wedding that she is performing. Old Business: It is still in the works for a CPR/AED training during a board meeting. Pastor Josh reported that Bill Fairchild is licensed to conduct the training as Kevin Stansfield is just certified to perform CPR and not to lead a training session. New Business: On 9/24 the Friendship class is celebrating 60+ years with a dinner after late service. They actually did some research and found that the Friendship class has existed for 169 years since First Christian Church has been in this community. Discussion: No other questions or concerns at this time. Meeting was adjourned. Pastor Josh closed the meeting with prayer.

10 The Great Bend Christian October First Christian Church of Great Bend Missional Wish Budget At Great Bend First Christian Church, our vision is to bring heaven to earth in all that we do. Our Mission: to inspire ordinary people to live extraordinary lives for Christ by fostering faith, cultivating kids, connecting community, and serving the world. It is very important at FCC Great Bend to make sure that we are using the resources that you have given to make our God-given vision/mission a reality in a responsible way. In what follows, you will find a missional budget to bring some clarity to how we plan on using your money, talents, and time to become the church God is calling us to be in Fostering Faith Fostering faith is the phrase that we use to talk about how God has called us to be a congregation devoted to not only helping our members deepen their relationship with Christ, but also our call to reach out to people with the Gospel Message so they, too, can know Christ. In 2017, to help our members deepen their relationship with Christ we will have held: 107 worship services, 104 Adult Sunday School Classes, 20 Dave Ramsey FPU Classes, 12 New Day Group meetings with a Women s Retreat, 16 Young Adult Bible Study Classes, 16 Adult Bible Study Classes, and 18 Women s Bible Study Meetings to give you a gist. To reach out to our community with the Gospel Message in 2017, we continue to work towards creating a third worship service to reach the younger generations, started having people check in via Facebook (free advertising), continue to advertise all our events via social media and website, along with members continuing to invite others to join us. As a result, we continue to see new faces and have new members join. In 2018 to continue to live into our mission of fostering faith, our plan is to 1) continue improving upon what we already do well, 2) add a contemporary service to minister better to the younger generations, with the hope that it will help all areas of the church grow, and 3) having the faith to unleash God s possibilities, whatever those may be Estimated Need $99,739 This estimate includes percentage of salaries for Senor Minister, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Janitor, Choir Director, Bell Choir Director, Nursery attendants, and organist. along with a percentage of FICA tax, administration, worship, property, and stewardship. Cultivating Kids Cultivating kids is the phrase that we use to talk about how God has called us to be a congregation devoted to raising up the next generation of youth and children in the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. In 2017, to help cultivate our youth and children we will have held: 158 Youth and Children s Sunday School Classes, 35 Wednesday Evening Children s Classes, and 80 youth group meetings, put on VBS for 89 children, conducted a week-long music camp, sent our Jr. and Sr. High Youth (Chi-Rho and CYF) on Mission Trips and to Regional Retreats, sent 13 kids to camp, had the Pumpkin Patch, Trunk or Treat, took fun trips to the Kansas State Fair and Kansas City to give you a gist. Most importantly, we welcomed 6 new children into the faith through baptism. In 2018 to continue to live into our mission of Cultivating Kids our plan is to 1) improving upon what we already do well, 2) update our Wednesday Evening Programing, 3) add a children s choir, 4) attract more youth and children to grow our programs, and 5) raise up even more Disciples of Christ Estimated Need $73,898 This estimate includes percentage of salaries for Associate Minister, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Janitor, Nursery attendants. along with a percentage of FICA tax, administration, property, stewardship, and Youth/Children s budgets First Christian Church of Great Bend Missional Wish Budget Continued..

11 The Great Bend Christian October First Christian Church of Great Bend Missional Wish Budget Continued... Connecting Community Connecting Community is the phrase that we use to talk about how God has called us to be a congregation devoted to sharing our lives and serving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. In 2017, to help us as a congregation grow closer as the Family of God, we will have served around 25 Wednesday Night Dinners, along with a couple of congregational dinners, and a talent show, made around 600 calls, 300 texts, and over 200 visits to members in need. We continue to serve communion to our shut-ins once a month and keep everyone connected via our newsletter, website, Facebook, and any time we get together. In 2018 to continue to live in to our mission of Connecting Community our plan is to 1) improve on what we already do well, 2) provide more fellowship opportunities, and 3) create a morning MOPS program for our moms with young children Estimated Need $88,657 This estimate includes percentage of salaries for Senor Minister, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Janitor, Choir Director, Bell Choir Director, Nursery attendants, and organist, along with a percentage of FICA tax, and administration, worship, fellowship, property, stewardship, and evangelism. Serving the World Serving the World is the phrase that we use to talk about how God has called us to be a congregation devoted to assisting, helping, and serving people in need beyond our walls as the hands and feet of Christ in the world. In 2017, to help make a difference in our community and world we held a Mission Day at Camp Tawakoni, provided 6 home necessity baskets, provided 160 pairs of flip flops to Dream Center Clients, delivered Christmas gifts to our shut-ins, care packages to our college students during finals, raised even more money to dig fresh water wells in partnership with the water 4 foundation, served at the Barton County Food Bank, kept children in their homes through the Care Portal, and continue to help people that come through our doors, to give you a gist. In 2018 to continue to live into our mission of serving the world our plan is 1) continue improving on what we already do well, 2) add an adult mission trip, 3) have more local work days, 3) getting involved in Circles (a local program devoted to helping people get and stay out of poverty), and 4) continue to stay open to all of the opportunities God will give us to be his hands and feet in the world Estimated Need $107,113 This estimate includes percentage of salaries for Senor Minister, Associate Minister, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Janitor, along with a percentage of FICA tax, administration, mission, property, stewardship, and evangelism Estimated Total $369,407 This is how we plan to bring Heaven to Earth in all we do in 2018! Included in this Newsletter is the 2018 Pledge Card. Please pray about what God would want you to give and fill out the pledge card. You may bring it to church and put it in the offering plate, drop it off at the church office, or mail it to the church office. Thank you!

12 Past 5 Weeks Attendance and Gifts Sunday School Early Service Late Service Children s Church TOTAL General Offering 5, , , , , Roof Fund Special Offerings , TOTAL 5, , , , , *Special Offerings include donations to: Sound System Fund, Outreach, Hurricane Relief, Youth Group Nancy Mortimer Memorial, and Wednesday Night Dinner Donations Wednesday Night Activities The Great Bend Christian (USPS ) Published Monthly By First Christian Church 5230 Broadway Great Bend, KS Postmaster Send Address changes to: First Christian Church 5230 Broadway Great Bend, KS Periodicals Postage Paid At Great Bend, KS :30 pm Family Dinner 6:00 pm Kids Konnection 6:15 pm Bell Choir Practice 7:00 pm Choir Practice Sunday Services 8:15 am Early Worship 9:00 am Sunday School 10:20 am Morning Worship 5:00 pm Chi-Rho 6:00 pm CYF (6th-12th) If you need to contact our staff: Rev. Josh Leu, Minister revjleu@gmail.com Rev. Sue Bishop, Associate Minister of Children and Youth im4uth@gmail.com Kathy Rose, Administrative Assistant fcc@cck.kscoxmail.com