THE CROSSFIRE. Transform Your World. October is Missions Month! Pray Give Do. Video Presentations:

Transcription

1 Church of the cross Issue 231 THE CROSSFIRE October 2016 Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Pastor s page 2 Clothing Drive for missions 3 Birthdays 3 Creation Mtg. 4 October is Missions Month! Discipleship Corner 4 Crossover Youth 5 Children s Ministry 5 Praises 6 Notes of Thanks 7 Finances 7 Congregational Notes 7 Special Dates in October: Communion Sunday, Oct. 2 Clothing Drive, Oct. 15 & 16 Faith Promise Missions Sunday, Oct. 30 Pantry Days, Oct. 11 & & Over Luncheon, Oct. 19 Men s Retreat, Sept 30-Oct. 2 REFIT, Tuesdays(6:30) & Saturdays (9:00) October 9: October 16: October 23: October 30: Transform Your World Pray Give Do Video Presentations: Matt & Wendy Yeager, ACTS2 Toledo Jessie Stein, Chile, OM Faith Promise Drama Mary Michel, Journey of the Heart (Only 2 Worship Services (NO 8:00 a.m. Service) a 1- hour mission event and a sack lunch immediately following the 11:11 service.) October 15 & 16: Clothing Drive/Stuff the Truck for Germany (Fundraiser for Jake Coon.)

2 Page 2 Issue 231 Church Staff P ASTOR S PAGE In Ministry with you Lead Pastor Keith Luke keith@cotcumc.com Director of Assimilation, Discipleship & Mission Jane Raab jane@cotcumc.com Family Life Pastor Joe Pittenger pastorjoe@cotcumc.com Administrative Assistant Lisa Gleason Visitation Pastor Chuck Albright chuckalbright@ymail.com Traditional/Blended Worship Director Rich Dubler Keyboard Musician Donna Myers Contemporary Worship Leader Andrew Brammer Bell Choir Director Aaron Keaster Custodians Joanne Born Tita Wood Series: Great Expectations October 2 - Going - James 2:14-17 Going out from worship and serving the church and the community. October 9 - Giving - 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Being a good steward of that which God has blessed us with. October 16 - Inviting - Luke 14:15-24 Inviting others to experience the transforming presence of God through Christ. October 23? October 30 - Faith Promise Sunday - Water for Ishmael Guest Speakers November 6? November 13 - Grace --2 Samuel 9 The story of David extending mercy and grace to Mephibosheth is a powerful story that reminds us the grace that God extends to us. (Video Flawless ) Mini-Series: Living With Gratitude November 20 (am) Living with Gratitude: Each Day Psalm 92:1-4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 November 20 (pm) Living with Gratitude: Take the Time Luke 17:11-19 Advent Series: A Christmas Playlist November 27 O Come, O Come Emmanuel Isaiah 7:13-14 December 4 Children s Musical (If not: What Child Is This Isaiah 9:6-7) December 11 O Little Town of Bethlehem Luke 2:1-7 December 18 O Holy Night Luke 2:8-20 December 24 (7:00 and 11:00 P.M.) Christmas Eve Services Silent Night Luke 1-20 December 25 (10:00 a.m. only) Joy To The World Luke 2:25-35

3 The Crossfire Page 3 CLOTHING DRIVE Clean out your closets and make an offering for missions. We will be collecting: clothes, towels, bedding, drapes, shoes purses, small knick knacks, books, fabrics and blankets IN ANY CONDITION! Anything made out of cloth or leather will be an acceptable offering. Our own Jake Coon is in need of $5000 in one time gifts and he also needs to replace some monthly support that has decreased over his time in Germany. Jake will be back in the states to work on raising these funds in November this year. Church of the Cross is partnering with Easter Seals to help raise funds for Jake. The Easter Seals truck will be Saturday, Oct. 15: 9:3 & Sunday, Oct. 16, Please start sorting through your D O YOU KNOW COTC HAS A LIBRARY? C HECK IT OUT! LIBRARY CORNER Don t forget to check out our library! It s a cozy room just to sit and pray or reflect. We have some new additions as well. We are still looking to build our Christian fiction collection. If you have any you would like to donate please leave them in the front office with a note or you can leave them in the Library. Any questions, see Sharon Moore or Corky Suter. The library is located in the back hall just past the restrooms. O PERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD excess now and be prepared to present your offerings to the Lord, to be used for Jake s mission work in Germany! Thank you, Any questions, see Cindy Stein & Marge Sudheimer 10/1 Patricia George 10/2 Ruthann Sielken 10/4 Darrell Hansen 10/4 Haley McClain 10/5 Grant Blair 10/6 Vicki Warner 10/8 Terry Michel 10/8 Ryan Roth 10/9 Betsy Lybarger 10/9 Delaney McDonagh 10/14 Janice Huber 10/16 Karol Zsarnay 10/18 Fred Bryan 10/18 Tracie Noe 10/19 Kiersten Bloom 10/23 Howard Leffel 10/27 Cheryl Heyen Again this year we will take part in Operation Christmas Child. The gift of a simple shoebox has changed the lives of countless children and their families. Along with the boxes, children are offered Gospel literature that tells the story of God s greatest gift to the world - His Son. Many learn more about Jesus through a follow-up Bible study program. They come to realize that God truly loves them and has a plan full of hope for their lives, no matter what their circumstances may be. Get involved! All this month boxes will be on display in the Gathering Area. Be an instrument of God and take part in this worthwhile mission project. Return boxes by Sunday, October 30, our Faith Promise Mission Sunday.

4 Page 4 Issue 231 C REATION MEETING E VOLUTION: NOT A CHANCE! Monday evening October 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Gathering Area. Biologist Dr. David Menton Captivates viewers with fascinating illusions as he explains that evolutionism doesn t stand a chance. His warm teaching style and enjoyable wit make this DVD fun to follow and easy to understand. In a respectful way, Dr. Menton demonstrated why it is true that a person must have a sizeable amount of credulity in order to by into the tale of evolution. And don t worry, it s okay to laugh as you learn! Dr. Menton earned his PhD in cell biology from Brown University. He served as a biomedical research technician at Mayo Clinic and then as an associate professor of anatomy at Washington University School of Medicine ( St. Louis). D ISCIPLESHIP CORNER Compassion Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Compassion is just not sympathy, it is empathy. When it comes to dealing with people in pain, we mistakenly equate compassion with " fixing" them. I know I do. Genuine compassion is first able to feel their pain and the more we experience, the more compassionate we will be. We must learn to use our pain in the right way, not lashing our, but looking within to share the pain of others. There is a choice in every pain, an opportunity in every trial. Pain makes us focus inward or outward. It makes us martyrs or merciful. The choice is ours. We have a choice every time we are comforted with a need. We can either ignore the need, or we can meet the need by giving away part of the comfort God has given us. Galatians 6:2 " Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." If we can't prevent pain, and we can't, we can least lighten the load with compassion. Alan Redpath wrote," You can never lighten the load unless you have first felt the pressure in your own soul. May God richly bless each one of you as prayerfully consider those that He has placed on your heart. DECISIONAMERICATOUR Decision America Tour Our prayer team invites you to you step forward as a prayer warrior on behalf of the November 8, 2016 election. There are several ways to do this: Log onto DecisionAmericaTour.com and view several of Franklin Graham s gatherings at various state capitals thus far. He will be in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday October 6, Would you like to go? Jane Raab is organizing a group to attend the Columbus event. If you are not able to attend we are planning a live streaming event in our sanctuary. Sign up at the Adult Ministry Corner.

5 Page 5 Issue 231 C ROSSOVER YOUTH/ CHILDREN S MINISTRY Crossover Youth: Messy Wars 2016: This will be more fun than you can imagine and will be a great event to invite your friends, your friends friends, and even those who aren t your friends to. October Schedule the Church (6pm) 10/9 Messy the Church (6pm) the Church (6pm) the Church (6pm) 10/30 No Youth Group If you would like to receive weekly updates about Crossover Youth Ministry please text updates to Tricks N Treats We Need Lots of Candy If you can donate candy, please leave it in the bin located by the children s check in station. We Need Helpers This is a great opportunity to serve and reach out to our community. If you can help, please sign up by the kids check in station. Thanks! Sunday School 4th-7th Grade Sunday School class is back from summer break! If you have a child in 4th-7th grade this is an incredible class taught by Betsy Lybarger, who is very passionate about investing in youth. If you are in 7th grade, you have the option to be in the 4th-7th grade class or to go with the 8th-12 grades. Both classes meet in the Zone (4th-7th upstairs, 8th-12th downstairs). Text Updates Text updates is a great way to stay connected with what s happening with CrossKidz! Text the word crosskidz to and you will be signed up to receive text updates on CrossKidz happenings. At the most, one text per week will usually be sent:)

6 The Crossfire Page 6 G OD S ANWSERS TO OUR PRAYERS My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. Psalm 5:3 Praising God as He helps me daily! Praises that I found a bank to process my loan. I thank God for my life, my family and for my friends. I give Him the glory! WE life up praises for the birth of a healthy daughter/granddaughter Praise that I am fully moved and loving my new place! Son/grandson and brother needs no surgery as fractures will heal themselves Praise God! Praising God for His favor on member with swollen lymph nodes! Praising God for the closing on our home, for all the other blessings he continues to do for my family and for the prayers and support from my wonderful church family. Praises that I don t seek out gaining new stuff. Uncle is home from the Hospital. Giving god praise for answered prayer as He held my hand carried me as I moved. Praising God that Mother s heart is in normal rhythm and no damage to it during recent cardiac event. The above praises were taken from requests at the altar, from s or from the Sunday Connect Cards. All Saint s Sunday On Sunday November 6 in the 8:00 a.m. & 9:30 services we will be remembering those persons who have passed away in the last year. If you would like to have the name of a loved one read during the worship services as a remembrance, please submit their name, a picture and their relationship to you by at by Monday, October 31. N OTES OF THANKS & ADDRESS CHANGES Thank you for your prayers, cards, visits and well wishes while I was recuperating from my fall. Phyllis Beaverson Geraldine (Geri) Frosh Grames has been moved in with her daughter. Her new address is: Mrs. Geri Grames c/o Mrs. Sandra Frosch Summit St. Erie, MI Thanks to everyone for helping me while Bob has been at the Glendale. Continue to pray for Bob who has dementia. Directory Changes New Address & Contact Info: Katie Momenee 790 Riverside Dr. #MA New York, NY katiemomenee@yahoo.com Nick Momenee 246 O Bleness House 123 S. Green Dr. Athens, OH

7 Page 7 Issue 231 F INANCES AT A GLANCE AUGUST 2016 & YEAR TO DATE Consider Online Giving Life is busy! And that means you may not be at church every Sunday. We hope you won t forget Church of the Cross even if you are not here every Sunday. Online giving is a great way to continue your financial support of the mission and ministry programs at COTC, even though you may not be able to be here every week for worship. To donate electronically using your debit or credit card or checking account transfer, please visit our website at and click on the link that says give. C ONGREGATIONAL NOTES 55 & Over Luncheon The October 55 & Over Luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 19 at 11:30 a.m. at Charlie s Restaurant ( 1831 Toll Gate Rd.) Sign up at the Adult Ministry Corner. Crossfire Deadline The deadline for the November edition of the Crossfire is October 15 Please submit articles via at or drop them off at the church office. Thank you for meeting this deadline. Ugly Quilts The Ugly Quilters will meet on Saturday, October 8 from 10:00-2:00 at the church. A light lunch will be provided. Please contact Dolly Ryan at if you are able to attend and for any questions. Our Sympathy Our sympathy and prayers are offered to Dave Zimmerman on the death of his father Kermit Zimmerman, Sr. who passed away on Wednesday August 31st. Services were held in Jerffersonville, Ohio. Please keep Dave and his family in your thoughts as they grieve the loss of their loved one. Also, thoughts and prayers are extended to Barbara Duraine on the death of her sister, Charlotte Kuruz who passed away on September 3 at the Elizabeth Scott Home. Remember Barb and her family in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve the loss of their loved one.

8 Church of the Cross, UM 1750 East gate Rd. Toledo, OH Address Service Requested Prepared Especially For: Phone: Fax: Eastgate Rd. Toledo, OH Church of the Cross Phone: Fax: We re on the Web: Church of the cross We re on the Web! Sunday Worship 8:00 AM The Chapel 9:30 AM The Gathering 11:11 AM Cross Community Food Pantry Every 2nd & 4th Tuesday 4:00-6:00 p.m. Community Meal - 4th Tuesday Prayer Line Number# M-TH 8:30am-4:30pm Editor: Lisa Gleason Deadline for copy: 15th of each month. Editor reserves the right to edit for content and space.