The Central Courier. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! From Rev. Ng... Psalm 8:9

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1 The Central Courier June 2014 Central Congregational Church United Church of Christ O Lord, our Lord, Rev. Christine Ng Senior Minister Kathy Lowrie Minister of Music Steve Wilson Pastoral Intern Kitty Ammann Director of Preston Royal Preschool Dr. Charles S. Hastings, Jr. Pastor Emeritus Council Members Moderator Eric Gachelin Vice Moderator Doug Willis Finance Coordinator Ann Stockert Property Coordinator Kent Binfield Outreach Coordinator Teresa Morrow Church Life Coordinator Steve Wilson Education Coordinator Kiira Russell 5600 Royal Lane Dallas, Texas / (Fax) 214/ ccchurchdallas@aol.com Website: how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 8:9 From Rev. Ng... Summer is upon us. After Pentecost on June 8th we move into a summer series on Creation that will include both a worship series and an adult education series one day of Creation explored each week. I am looking forward to seeing what the first story in the Hebrew Bible has to teach us about who we are and our relationship to God. What is lost in the whole debate about creationism and a literal reading of the first chapters of Genesis is the beauty of these scriptures and their wisdom, which is so relevant to us today. The Adult Education series for this summer will use The Book of Creation by a personal favorite of mine, John Phillip Newell, an expert in Celtic Christianity. This won t duplicate the themes of the worship series but should dovetail it nicely. Along the way we move into the Sanctuary for Summer Worship a more flexible and informal space that allows us to offer different experiences of worship not practical in the Sanctuary. While we worship in the Fellowship Hall, we plan to perform much needed upgrades to the audio and visual systems of the Sanctuary. It s going to be a great summer. I hope you will join us. Peace, Chris 1

2 Sundays in June June 1st 7 th Sunday of Easter Communion/ Family Sunday. On this last Sunday of Eastertide, our worship text comes from Matthew 11:16-19, We ll celebrate communion and enjoy lots of recorder music. Chancel Choir rehearses at 9:30am before worship. After worship, please plan to attend the annual meeting of the congregation with light lunch. June 8 Pentecost Sunday. This is the traditional birthday of the church, based on the story in Acts 2:1-21; but we ll also look at some of the other lectionary texts for the day, like John 7:37-39 and 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13. Always a festive service. We ll enjoy the gifts of music of our Chancel Bells. Bells will rehearse before worship. The Adult Confirmation Class meets at 12:30 after worship. We are doing it again DIFFERENT VOICES A summer sermon series offering us a chance to hear a variety of perspectives. If you are feeling called to preach, now is your chance. This series was very successful when we did it a couple of years ago, with people both from within our congregation and guests sharing their thoughts with us. Dates available in July and August. See Rev. Ng for more information. June 15 1 st Sunday after Pentecost Father s Day. This week we begin a worship series based on the Creation text of Genesis 1:1-2:4a. This first Sunday we look at the First Day, as described in Genesis 1:1-5. So the theme for the day is God s Light. Our Adult Education Series based on John Phillip Newell s book Creation begins before worship at 9:30am. June 22 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost. Today we look at the Second Day of Creation in Genesis 1:6-8. Our theme is Living Water. Our Adult Education series on Creation meets at 9:30am before worship. During and after worship, our kids will enjoy a Splash Sunday so they should come prepared to play in water. And appropriately enough, we will enjoy a Fish Fry after church as a fundraiser for the Pride Parade. June 29 3 rd Sunday after Pentecost. This will be our first Sunday of Summer Worship in the Fellowship Hall. Today we will look at the Third Day of Creation in Genesis 1:9-13. We will also dedicate our Garden and the Peace Pole in it today. We ll continue our Adult Education series on Creation by John Phillip Newell before worship at 9:30 am. Save the Date! Annual All-Church 4th of July Picnic 5:00pm at the home of Rev. Ng June

3 Summer Book Study For centuries, the view that the world is alienated from God has damaged our understanding of creation, but today, as more people are recovering their Celtic heritage, we are again learning to reverence creation as the dwelling place of God. This original and exciting book guides us through the seven days of creation as recorded in Genesis and introduces us to a very practical Celtic spirituality which will open our eyes to the presence of God all around us. Join Rev. Ng as she leads this discussion of one of her favorite writers in a study that dovetails nicely with the worship series on Creation we will explore over the summer. Adult Education & Bible Study The Book of Creation: An introduction to Celtic Spirituality By J. Phillip Newell Seven Sundays at 9:30am beginning June 15 th The back cover of the book reads: In the Celtic tradition, God is understood as speaking through the two books of the Bible and through creation. Influenced by the wisdom tradition of the Old Testament and the mysticism of John s Gospel, Celtic spirituality sees creation not simply as a gift, but as a self-giving of God whose image is to be found deep within all living things. Sin may obscure God s living presence, but never erases it. The divine voice can be heard speaking through all created things. We are GROWING in our adult education. There are 7 people in our current adult re-confirmation class, 5 participating in The Journey Continues (our previous adult confirmation class), on average 5 joining for Circles of Sharing, and Allen Pope s bible study is open to all. If you can think of something you would like to read, study, or talk about, create a group and we can provide you with resources. Remember that the church isn't the only place that groups can meet. Calling all graduates We are planning a Sunday to recognize those in our congregation who have graduated from high school, college, or graduate programs within the last 12 months. Please let Rev. Ng know of graduates who need to be recognized at that time. June

4 Strengthen the Church Special Mission Offering June 8 th On Pentecost, we traditionally collect our Strengthen the Church special mission offering. This is one of the 5-for-5 special mission offerings. Each day, visions and dreams are created in the hearts of many in the United Church of Christ. Through the Strengthen the Church offering, these visions and dreams can become a reality. As God calls our congregations to be church in new ways, your generous gifts will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches, and develop spiritual life in our youth and young adults. Because of this offering, many more will hear the good news that God is still speaking, All gifts are directed to activities and programs within our local Conference, as well as the UCC s national ministries. Please give generously. If you will not be in worship on June 8 th, you can still contribute to this special offering by sending a check to the church office designated for this special offering. Please mark your calendars for our annual Fish Fry, June 22nd after worship in the Fellowship Hall. The Fish Fry will cost $10.00 a person. Kids eat free. All proceeds will go towards the cost of the Pride Parade. Check out our church website: and Like us on Facebook. Be a lazy evangelist and share our Facebook posts. June

5 Council Notes The Executive Committee met on May 12 th and the Church Council met on May 22 nd and May 25 th. Plans for the upcoming Annual Meeting were discussed, including lunch and opportunities for brainstorming by the congregation. Tim Reichard presented a proposal for upgrades to the Sanctuary A/V system, having received a second, and much lower, bid. After review of available funding sources, the proposal was approved. The intention is that the work will be completed over the summer while the church worships in Fellowship Hall. This will include upgrades to the main audio system, the video system, and the hearing impaired sound system. Control of the system will be moved to the rear of the Sanctuary, so the operator is better able to hear how the system is performing and make appropriate adjustments. Moderator Eric Gachelin announced that he intends to step down before the end of his current two-year term. This is because of the demands of his new job in Ft. Worth, and his upcoming move to be closer to that job. He will remain a member of Central and will participate in other ways. The Council will recommend Property Coordinator Kent Binfield to fill out the remaining year of Eric s term, and Vice-Moderator Doug Willis to serve out the remainder of Kent s term as Property Coordinator. That would leave a vacancy at Vice Moderator. Dee Shuttlesworth has been nominated for that position, and the Council welcomes other nominations. A vote will be held at the Annual Meeting. In response to comments raised in the last set of Town Hall meetings, the Council has been discussing the possibility of hiring an Assistant Music Minister. This would help the music ministry, in which a very large portion of the congregation participates, rise up to the next level. An assistant would allow more than one musical ensemble to rehearse at one time, and allow Kathy to conduct the choir in more complex works because she would not also need to play the accompaniment. Kathy Lowrie informed the Council that in its May meeting the Central Congregational Church Endowment Foundation committed to covering 4 months of the cost of an assistant. This would allow an assistant to be hired for the Fall, with the salary then included in next year s regular budget. This proposal will be presented to the congregation at the Annual Meeting. The next meeting of the Executive Council is scheduled for June 9 th, and the next meeting of the Council is scheduled for June 16 th. The Annual Meeting of the congregation will be June 1 st after worship. Notice of Annual Meeting of the Congregation Sunday, June 1, 12:30 pm (after worship) Box lunch provided. June

6 Announcements Prayer Concerns Prayer Concerns: Kathy at Denny s, Ruthelma Doerr, Family of Vickie Garrison, Family of Larry Hastings, Mishall Hereford, Jonille Hines, Barry Kaiser, Alison Mutsumi Komabayashi, KC Lam, Earl Lawrence, Janice Matthews, Claire Maxwell, Betty Metcalf, Beverly Miller, Laura P Argo, Ann Peterson, Royce Peterson, Charles Rice, Margaret Richards, Terry Ripley and family, Nancy Shamblin, Family of David Swartz, Jennifer Wardle, Family of Margaret Whitaker, Nancy Wilson and family, Aileen Wussow, Ana Wyatt. June Birthdays Timothy Farnsworth 6/6 Don Ginzel 6/6 Elaine Ginzel 6/8 Lucille Dir 6/8 Philip Suomu 6/11 Amaya Harumi 6/21 Lucy Anne Downing 6/13 Eric Gachelin 6/23 Tim Reichard 6/23 Prayer Shawl Ministry Meets every second Tuesday at 7:30 pm in the Parlor. June Anniversaries Mark & Pam Denesuk 6/16 Jim & Eleanor Bahr 6/21 Robert & Mary Helen Smith 6/24 Please keep us informed! Tell the office if your birthday or anniversary is not listed or if there is any change of address, or phone for you. June

7 June 2014 May 2014 S M T W T F S June 2014 S M T W T F S July 2014 S M T W T F S Birthdays Holidays in United States Central Congregational Church Dallas Personal Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday White: Communion - Laura 12:30 PM Annual Meeting of the Congregation 2:00 PM Model T 1 2 7:00 PM Journey Continues 3 and piano 6:45 PM Bells SCConference Annual Meeting 7 SCConferenc nual Meeting Red 12:30 PM Adult Confirmation 2:30 PM Stephen Ministries/Chapel 8 7:00 PM EC 9 7:00 PM Neighbors meeting 7:30 PM Prayer Shawl Knitting 10 and piano 7:00 PM Circles of Sharing 11 7:00 PM Chess Club Fishing Trip 9:30 AM Tai chi 14 Father's Day Green Fathers' Day 9:30 AM Creation Book Study 15 7:00 PM Council 16 6:00 PM Womens EMG 17 11:00 AM Canterbury Book Club and piano Confirmation Retreat 21 Green 9:30 AM Creation Book Study 12:00 PM Fish Fry :30 AM Women's Fellowship 24 and piano Green Worship Fellowship Hall 9:30 AM Creation Book Study and piano 2 3 Independence Day 4 5 Page 1/1