The Great Bend Christian

Transcription

1 November 2014 Vol. 47 No. 11 The Great Bend Christian Bringing Heaven to earth paying it forward random acts of kindness or being the hands and feet of Jesus. These are just a few of the terms that we hear. But what does it all mean? Pastor Josh just completed the sermon series Catch, Becoming Fishers of Men. (The series can be heard by going to info center, sermons.) He challenges us to develop our mission to answer the call of what God is asking us to do. The opportunity of sharing sharing what we have, money, food, time, a smile and our faith. But to share share with whom? Blessings can be shared with a neighbor, the person walking into the store, the child down the street, a mail person, the bank teller, a nurse, only to start the list of the many people with whom we have contact. But what can be done for them pay for a treat, offer to read stories or play games at schools or retirement centers, offer a compliment to a stranger, pay for a bus fare, be a positive person, mow a lawn or rake leaves, bake some cookies, pay for food or a bill, open a door, pet sit, let someone cut in line, visit with a person sitting on a bench and really listen to what they have to say, or tip generously. Be creative; the choice is yours. Evangelism does not have to be hard and awkward. It is just sharing why church is important to us. To help convey your story, Bringing Heaven to Earth cards are available in the church office to attach to your deeds when possible. A couple of key points that Pastor Josh shared God has a heart for the lost; we are to care for people who are different from us, and invite them to join us; we are stronger when we join forces. The world was changed with 12 disciples. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus said to them (and to us), Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. We are encouraged to open our hearts and eyes to see the opportunities that God has placed before us to make a difference in another person s life, to create community, and bring Heaven to earth. Annette, Outreach Committee

2 A sermon series designed to get us back to the foundation of the Christian Faith! SPECIAL PRAYERS: Karl Brack; Larry Dannebohm; Cody Deason; Merlin Enabnit; Lisa Jonesupcoming surgery; Martha Knight; Brock Steinert; Ione Strohm; Tim-Jan Embrey s brother; Connie Weiser-recovering from rotator cuff surgery CONTINUED PRAYERS: Orvalee Aldrich, Cora Allen, Marcie Amerine & Joe Fross, Mabel Bender, Joyce Bray, Maddi Braymer, Bob Brown, Laura Brown, Myrna Campbell, Derek Christendon, Cody Clark, Corina Dean, Amanda Degenhardt, Lola Donecker, Denise Ehrlick, Tammy Flowers, Jerry Ford, Mary Lynne Grandclair, Mildred Harders, Mabel Hiss, Sarina Johnson, Don Jones, Babette Kinderknecht, David Kirby, Todd Klein, Jaxon Kretchmar, Gayl Lee, Amber Lloyd, Evelyn Mead, Doug Nairn, Stacy North, Brad Patzner, Lana Penney, Terry Piland, Rose Rein, Doug Schenkel, Ralph Stalcup, Jessica Stephens, Juanita Thomas, Mike Tysver, Doris White, Kadin White, Barbara Winkey, Terry Worthington MILITARY SERVANTS: Chris Batchman, Brandon Deason, Malcolm Deason, Steven DeWitt, Ted Jackson, Steven McGee, Jake Myers, Adam Schwartz, Justin Sperry Our deepest sympathy to Jim and Susan Debes Family upon the loss of their niece, Stephanie Rhoads.

3 The family of Carolyn Sheets would like to thank the funeral dinner ladies for a delicious meal after the funeral. Also, special thanks to Josh for his visits to Carolyn during her illness and his support after she passed. Thanks to all of you for the many cards, thoughts, prayers and food delivered during this time of loss. It is a blessing for us to be a part of this congregation. John & Vicki Sheets and the Carolyn Sheets Family Thank you for all of your support with the Pumpkin Patch this year! Thanks to everyone that helped with unloading, helped with set up, brought food, purchased pumpkins, worked in the patch, and participated in trunk or treat. I thank everyone who prayed, sent cards, or made food these past months. I have one more surgery in November in Wichita and hope I ll be blessed one more time. Thanks to Rev. Josh for his hospital visits, phone calls, and prayers. Betty Hartle Thank you for prayers for the girls: Lilly s tonsils & adenoids surgery in July and Sapphire s ear surgery in August. Tyrone & Amber Shewbart Martha Group Hostess: Louise Gunn Program: Anneliese Ward November 12, 2014, 1:30 pm Lunch Bunch November 19, 2014, 11:30 am Joy Group Hostess: Nelva Grimes November 25, 2014, 12:00 pm New Day Group Hostess: Rhonda Glenn Program: Stacy McReynolds November 24, 2014, 7:00 pm Be sure to turn your clocks back 1 hour before going to bed Saturday night, November 1st. Daylight Saving Time ends.

4 Read Kansas Read Winners Include Great Bend Student The Governor and First Lady of Kansas honored 17 youngsters as the top readers in the state. One of them was from Troy, Kansas. The winners of the Read Kansas Read summer reading program, and their families, joined Governor Sam Brownback and First Lady Mary Brownback for a lunch reception at the governor s mansion on Saturday. Troy, Kansas, 7th grader Faith Kitzman joined 16 other winners for the reception at Cedar Crest. The statewide summer reading program is a collaborative effort by the Governor s Office, Kansas Book Festival, Kansas State Library and the Kansas State Department of Education to challenge Kansas children to read while they are not in school. Students across Kansas spent the summer recording the time they spent reading on their reading logs, and top readers were chosen from each age group in the seven library regions. The Read Kansas Read top readers for Grades 1-12 are: Slade Cauley, Great Bend; Vasumathi Raghavan, Manhattan; Megan Roy, Palco; Courtney M. Elbert, Americus; Jessica Van Orden, Americus; Chiara Crisanti, Delia; Faith Kitzman, Troy; Kimberly Lister, Lyndon; Josiah Draven Sayre, Atwood; Janaeha Dinkel, Sharon Springs; Gracie Poirier, Derby; Lauren Regier, Newton; Shea DeBoard, Goddard; Brooklyn Monk, Neodesha; Alyssa Allison, Elsmore; Jordan Thompson, Elsmore; Jayson Resendiz, Garden City These students put in a lot of time reading over the summer, and I am proud of their achievements, Governor Brownback said. Read Kansas Read is a great program that encourages students of all ages to read even when classes are not in session, and I d like to thank all of the parents, teachers, and librarians who encouraged their students to participate. First Lady Mary Brownback and State Librarian Jo Budler joined Governor Brownback for the celebration. The First Lady presented representatives from Clearwater Public Library with the $500 Kansas Book Festival grant. The Clearwater Public Library was selected from the dozens of libraries that participated in the Read Kansas Read program. I am pleased to congratulate Clearwater Public Library on receiving this year s Kansas Book Festival library grant, said the First Lady. Library participation is critical to the success of our state s reading initiatives, and I would like to thank them for their support. Care packages for the fall semester will soon be prepared for our college students. Donations of snacks, items such as pens, post it notes etc. can be left in the box in the foyer of the church. Financial donations marked for this project are also being accepted. If you have questions please contact Annette Goering or Lynne Scheuerman.

5 What we give today, Builds the Church of tomorrow! At the end of 2014, the First Christian Church of Great Bend, Kansas, will have: 1) Conducted 110 worship experiences, averaging about 175 people. 2) Conducted over 500 different learning experiences. 3) Served over 50 meals. 4) Made over 500 personal phone calls to people who are in need in our church. Made over 150 visits to members in the hospital or shut-in. 5) To give you a gist of the people that we will have helped in 2014, let us give you a sampling of what we have done for people in need: given out more than 15 different prayer shawls, provided food for quite a few people who have visited our food pantry, purchased a baby bed for a child with no place to lay his head, provided hotel rooms for some parents and their children who have come on hard times, paid the rent of at least 5 people keeping them from being evicted, sent out around 30 different college boxes to support our students during finals, help to pay electric and water bills to make sure that families have the basic necessities, just to name a few. 6) Given free rent for the Central High Plains District Office. 7) Donated thousands of dollars to the different special offerings that we hold each year. 8) Sent more than 15 kids to camp. 9) Put on a Vacation Bible School for around 97 kids. BUT we believe this is only the beginning of what it is God is planning to do through our church. We believe that we are being called to do even bigger and better things for the sake of Christ in our community and in the world in the coming year! For instance, we are planning to do a complete remodel of our Sunday school rooms to create vibrant spaces where our kids can come and experience God. We are going through a church wide long range planning process to discern who and what God is calling us to do and to be. We are planning to do even more missions in our community, which will involve 2 different projects where the whole church can come together and get their hands dirty to bring some more heaven to earth, along with maintaining and expanding our other areas of ministry. SO in the spirit of expectation, we want to invite you as members of this incredible church to begin to do, and give even more in 2015, so that we can do and be even more as the First Christian Church! The truth is, the more you give your time, talents, and resources in support of the ministries of this church, the more we will be able to do for the sake of the Kingdom in 2015, because What we Give Today, Builds the Church of Tomorrow. SO please take some time to prayerfully consider what it is you believe that God is calling you to give in support of the expanding ministry of the First Christian Church of Great Bend. Once you have made a decision, please take some time to fill out the pledge card that has been included with this letter, which will help us to create a budget that will support our work for the next year. THEN get ready to get involved as God s spirit begins to move through this church in even more powerful ways, using us as his hands and feet to transform lives, our community, and the world. Yours In Christ, Your Stewardship Committee P.S. Pledge Cards are due Nov. 3 rd. Sunday morning. These can be mailed in, brought to the office, or put in the offering plate on

6 Please welcome our newest members, Betty Twitchell-Brown, and Kevin & Debbie Stansfield. We are glad to have you with us! The Fellowship Sunday School Class will be hosting a breakfast on Sunday, November 2nd. Come and enjoy breakfast with us! You don't even have to get up early, as you will be setting your clocks back for the time change. We will serve pancakes, sausage, Mexican quiche, fruit, orange juice, milk and coffee. This yummy start to the day can be yours with only a donation for Operation Christmas Child shipping costs, so join us before or after church (depending on your choice of service). We will serve from 9:00 am 9:45 am. If you want to get to Sunday School, come a few minutes early and pick up some breakfast we will accommodate you! See you there! Operation Christmas Child time is coming. Several ways of helping are packing a shoebox and bringing it to the church or you can buy items and place them in the OCC donation box and we will pack a shoebox. Suggested items are small toys, bar soap, wash cloths, combs, school supplies, coloring books, toy cars, small dolls, etc. You can donate money to help fill the boxes, and we will do the shopping. We need donations by November 9th so that we can get the boxes packed. The boxes will be blessed on November 16th. Web Site: FCC's podcast: Facebook:

7 Past 5 Weeks Attendance and Gifts Sunday School Early Service Late Service Children s Church TOTAL General Offering 4, , , , , Special Offerings , , , TOTAL , , , , *Special Offerings include donations to: FCC Food Bank, Outreach, Sound System Fund, Carolyn Sheets Memorial, Pumpkin Patch, Operation Christmas Child, Reconciliation Offering, Wednesday Night Dinner Donations, Funeral Dinner Donations First Christian Church 5230 Broadway Great Bend, KS 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 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) Wednesday Activities 5:30 pm Family Fellowship Dinner 6:15 pm Pre K 2nd Grades (Discoverers) 6:15 pm 3rd - 5th Grades (Navigators) 6:15 pm Chancel Bell Practice 7:00 pm Chancel Choir Practice 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, Church Secretary fcc@cck.kscoxmail.com