FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

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1 2By Mattie Wesson FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH ch, July 2016, 100 Water Street, PO Box 367, Belton, TX Pastor s Corner Michael Dunson Fellowship Luncheon Salad Kings DWM Meeting Retreat Follow-Up Meeting Newsletter Deadline Children s Outing at the Powerhouse Board Meeting July 3 July 18 July 18 July 20 July 22 July 29 July 31 Each day God is calling to us. Often we will find the voice of God in the words of scripture and the solitude and solace of our personal prayers; we may see God s fingerprints in the beauty and wonder of nature and the immensity and complexity of the universe; we may sense God s presence in the warmth of friendship. We may take these as signs of a caring Creator who is always near; we may be comforted by the constancy of things: the birds sing in the trees, each spring the flowers decorate the landscape and fall brings the cooling breezes; every dawn we rise to meet the new day, and we feel that we are part of all that is. Yes, there is much that is beautiful and hopeful, and we should be glad and thankful for those many things. But what do we do with the unlovely things, the irrational things, the pain and brokenness we all experience? Are we able to believe even then that God is reaching out to us? Those days when nature turns terrible and destructive, or when our relationships turn cold, or when the quietness of our devotions becomes the silence of God, even then, in the darkness of confusion and hurt, can we know God is near? This is the test of faith. But it is also the voice of God with different pitch and tone. If we remain faithful in the difficult times, then we may hear the voice of God speaking with the words of our own need; we may hear that holy voice in the weeping of the desperate world. The faithful hearing of God s call understands that God abides not only in beauty, not only in the best people, not only in sanctuaries. But that God may be calling to us from the lowly and broken places in the world and from the hurting, lonely places in our lives, and will meet us there when we answer.

2 Page 2 The month of July is an exciting time for our Sunday School Upper Room children. Summer is in full swing now and with the days heating up, we have some very exciting events planned. The children all enjoyed our last outing in June to the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum and Whistlestop Park. We learned many exciting things about trains and history and played various outside games to keep us cool near the playground. This month our next outing will be on Friday, July 29 th at 11:00 AM at the PowerHouse. Next year we will substitute in the Bowling Alley, since our children are growing up so fast and are ready for a more challenging outing. All are invited and permission slips are available. Please contact Mrs. Kern or find them in the Fellowship Hall and bring them back to reserve your space. In addition to our outings this summer we will continue to have exciting learning experiences in our Sunday School classroom. During the month of July we will be discussing the fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, and Kindness. These concepts will tie into our Bible Verse this month: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5: 22-23). Our activities will include completing mazes, creating maps, picturing these fruits of the Sprit and coloring, and working together in small groups to learn the importance of these concepts in our lives and within the church. Please continue to have an enjoyable and safe summer, Blessings to all, Kern Smith Food for Thought THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often. One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body in the shape of a cross. Instead of diving, he knelt down and asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on. The pool had been drained for repairs.

3 Page 3 DWM Circle By Mattie Wesson The DWM ladies have continued to stay busy throughout the summer months with church activities in full swing. In new news we would like to notify everyone of Kurt and LaQuita s new home address, which is: 208 Midway Lane, Hudson Oaks, TX Thank you to Ann Meisenheimer for the wonderful fellowship BBQ meal she furnished last month. This month we will be having our fellowship luncheon on July 3 rd, which Sharon and the men s group will host, please come and join us for wonderful food and fellowship. Thank you to those of you who helped with the children s outing last month to the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum, the children really enjoyed this summer activity and appreciate all you do. Also, thank you to Pastor Mike and Kirk Wallace for their help chaperoning this activity. The DWM will be meeting again on July 18 th at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall, from there we will decide where we will go out to eat. At the last board meeting Tom and Kay Korsmo offered to wax the wooden floors in the sanctuary with help from Dusty Smith, and the Wallaces. We thank you all so much for your service, your time, and all you do for our Church. God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, Thank You?. William Arthur Ward. Blessings, Mattie Wesson Membership Committee News and Events By Kern Smith The Membership Committee met in June to discuss furthering ideas and brainstorming creative ways to increase membership within the church. Another committee was formed as part of the Retreat Follow-Up that shared in some common ideas that we plan to implement over the next few months. One of our main priorities and goals in the coming months is to create an impressive website presence. Thank you to Marvin Sneed again for his generous donation in starting this project. Although the new website is up and running, we will still be adding quite a few changes to it over time to ensure that it accurately describes our church and what we offer. Our presence within the Belton and Temple Chamber of Commerce continue to be beneficial and provide the church with outreach that has allowed us to be recognized by many individuals within the community. Furthermore, our advertisement in the Grand Avenue Movie Theater brochure and guide has brought some positive new attention and interest to the church. We continue to hand out our FCC brochure that the committee created as well as welcoming bags with goodies and information in them to newcomers and visitors, and we remain optimistic for new and continued presence within the church. The retreat last month was very successful, the members enjoyed this experience and would like to thank Paul for speaking and Charlene for helping to plan such a special and rewarding event. God truly is great. We welcome any new ideas or thoughts to keep our membership growing, so please feel free to share. Thank you to those who currently serve on this team and dedicate their time and service. Thank you and God Bless, Kern Smith

4 Page 4 July 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Schedule 9:30am Sunday School 10:15 Choir Warmup 10:30 Fellowship 11:00 Worship 12:15pm Choir Rehearsal Fellowship Luncheon DWM Meeting Salad Kings Retreat Follow-Up Meeting Newsletter Deadline Children s Outing at Powerhouse 31 Board Meeting 2 David Thomas 22 Averill 22 Brian Rogers 5 Missy Fritz 27 Allyson Mains 13 Gene McKnight 29 E.J. Malone Lectionary Readings July 3 July 10 July 17 July 24 July 31 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Psalm 30 Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16 Luke 10: 1-11, Amos 7: 7-17 Psalm 82 Colossians 1: 1-14 Luke 10: Amos 8: 1-12 Psalm 52 Colossians 1: Luke 10: Hosea 1: 2-10 Psalm 85 Colossians 2: 6-15 (16-19) Luke 11: 1-13 Hosea 11: 1-11 Psalm 107: 1-9, 43 Colossians 3: 1-11 Luke 12: 13-21

5 Page 5 July 2016 Service Calendar July 3 July 10 July 17 July 24 July 31 Communion Elder Sharon Moore Amy Larson Mattie Wesson Amy Larson Mattie Wesson Offertory Elder Mattie Wesson Kirk Wallace TBA Mattie Wesson Kirk Wallace Early Deacon Dusty Smith Dusty Smith Dusty Smith Dusty Smith Dusty Smith Deacon 1 Terri Holwerda Mylessa Wheeler Mylessa Wheeler Mylessa Wheeler TBA Deacon 2 Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Terri Holwerda Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Deacon 3 Tom Korsmo Dusty Smith Diane Pressley TBA Tom Korsmo Deacon 4 Kay Korsmo Diane Pressley Kirk Wallace TBA Kay Korsmo Communion Preparation Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Greeter Kern Smith Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Judy Wallace Refreshments Fellowship Luncheon Kern Smith Joyce & Priscilla Tammy Tapman Judy Wallace Children s Moment Pastor Mike Pastor Mike Jaime Daniels Jaime Daniels Pastor Mike Worship Leader Terri Holwerda Terri Holwerda Terri Holwerda Mylessa Wheeler Mylessa Wheeler Prayer Requests Lee Banks David and Rita Bartlett Virginia Carden Gladys Cockrum Marlene Eastman Dayna and Jeremiah Ebling Jabe Evans and Family Keith and Karen Fruehan Mary H Debbie Hamner Mary Harris Pete Helmitz Eva Higgs Susan Johnston Rachel Korsmo Ellen Leinfelder Joyce Klutts Long E.J. Malone Dwain and Jane McDonald Rick Montgomery Kathy Pavlica Margrit R. Juanita Rodriguez and Family Doris Sanders Bob and Joan Savage Joyce Spindle Harvey Strunk Marilyn Van Schoelandt Jan Tucker Elsie York

6 100 Water Street, PO Box 367 Belton, TX Phone: (254) Pastor Reverend Michael Dunson Choir Director/Pianist Marilyn VanSchoelandt Song Leader Amy Larson Media Team Dusty Smith, Mylessa Wheeler Nursery Attendant Jaime Daniels Ministry Assistant Kern Smith I am America. I am the part you won t recognize. But get used to me-black, confident, cocky. -Muhammad Ali Come and See We re on the Web! Visit us at: fccbelton.org PO Box 367 Belton, TX Customer Name Street Address City, ST ZIP Code