Jonah certainly gave it big licks when he was baptized! His family will look back on a video with great joy, and so will we...

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1 March, 2015 Gather, Grow and Go, In the Name of Jesus Christ Slowly but surely we are happy to see more young families in our midst. Young families often means BABIES, and we have three new babies to welcome Jonah Jericho Lindsey, who was baptized recently, plus Julianne Kate Eckhoff and Brooke Victoria Geistfeld. Looks like we will have more baptisms to enjoy, plus two adult baptisms soon. Thus we follow the practice of the Early Church from the first days of our existence, as children and adults are baptized in the name of the LORD as the sign they have received GOD'S blessings and they are sealed as part of the Body of Christ, His Church. A child's baptism is a joyous occasion, and as we witnessed last week, sometimes a noisy one! I truly do not mind a crying baby, so long as I know he or she is OK. My mother told me I was one also! A baby crying for the sake of crying is one of the great sounds to be heard within the church family. Besides, the presence of a baby is GOD'S way of showing us life will go on until He comes. Jonah certainly gave it big licks when he was baptized! His family will look back on a video with great joy, and so will we... But his crying was nothing compared to one time when I had four babies to baptize and each one of them was showing Jonah how it's done. Their bawling was so loud I could not be heard so I quit talking and just baptized them. That was the noisiest Sunday in Church and everyone including myself grinning from ear to ear (except the parents, of course, who were mortified!). Then there was another baby who bawled and bawled, but became silent when I took her in my arms. Two elderly ladies were heard to say "He's holding her so tight he's knocked the wind out of her!" Incidentally my record so far in one service is nine babies and not a cheep from any of them! It all adds up to say two things: Baptisms are a sign of blessing and growth for Congregations, and I JUST LOVE BAPTISMS! God bless everyone! Love to all, Pastor Chas

2 Clerk s Notes By Hank Holcomb At the time of publication Hank was in the hospital but should be back home soon. Please join me in praying that the doctors did a good job and that he recovers quickly. Church Life We have had some cold days recently so it might be nice to talk about some of our summer programs. The Vacation Bible School this year will be from July 6 to July 10 and will have the theme Under the Big Top. You can find more information on this elsewhere in the Crier. DCC Soccer Camp this year will be the following week from July 13 to July 16. Once again the program will be at the East Recreation Fields. For children ages 5 to 7, the program will run from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM and the cost will be $55. For ages 8 and up, the program will run from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and the cost will be $65. All the kids will receive a t-shirt and a soccer ball and will have a great time. Again this year we will be holding a Cuddly Toy Program that will benefit children at Hope Haven. The teddy bears and other stuffed animals we collected last year have all been given out and put to good use to comfort children who find themselves in need of shelter and help. This year s goal is to collect 450 stuffed toys, new or clean, and last year s favorite were the teddy bears. Please consider donating a cuddly toy to help comfort a child. The drive has begun and will run through Sunday, March 29, when the toys will be dedicated and picked up by Terry Latham the Director of Hope Haven. The next Providence Dinner will be held on Monday, March 16 at 6:30 PM. The guest speaker at the time of publication has not been confirmed but check the bulletin for additional information. Please don t forget the Lenten Luncheon Series that is currently be held each Wednesday at noon. The theme this year is: When Jesus says Come. Come spend an hour in fellowship with your friends and neighbors, enjoy a light lunch and learn more about your faith. Have you ever considered assisting at Sunday Services? Pastor Chas doesn t do it all by himself. We have a need for Greeters, Offering Stewards, Ushers, Lay Readers and people to count the collection. If you are capable of helping, please consider it. Contact the church office you have any questions We have a new Adult Christian Education Class on Sundays at 9 AM. Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You, is the newest available class. Learn a new way of living with God by taking care of the most overlooked, underrated, and least understood part of your body. Other classes that are on-going include: Practical Christian Living on Sunday morning, The Matthew Devotional Group each Wednesday morning at the Kanaka Room of the Country Club, and The Study of Luke on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM. Please consider attending one or all of these groups to learn more about your faith. God Bless You All, Mike Skeen

3 Mission News Each year we are asked to pledge and contribute funds to further God s work here in Diamondhead and elsewhere. It is easy to see how your contributions are used in Diamondhead. We have a beautiful church, a hard working staff, bible studies, Sunday schools, youth programs, including special programs in the summer like Vacation Bible School and our popular Summer Soccer Camp. What you might not realize is that your contributions go far beyond Diamondhead in helping to accomplish God s work. A portion of your funds help to support organizations throughout our community, our nation, and the world. Below is a list of organizations that you helped support in 2014 through your donations to our church. Presbyterian World Missions $1, Living Waters Project $ Brazil Mission $1, Presbyterian Unified Mission Fund $3, USM Campus Ministry $ Natchez Children s Home $1, French Camp Academy $1, Palmer House $1, Outreach/Brazil Cisterns Project $ Medical Benevolent Fund $ Hancock County Food Pantry $2, Hope Haven $2, Gulf Coast Women s Center $1, Red Cross Fire Family $2, Mission Outreach Projects $ So on Sunday when we pray that our gifts are used to further God s work here on earth, it is easy to see that God has given us many opportunities to do just that.

4 March Birthdays Ellie Scotton Mar. 1 Bettisue Hendrix Mar. 2 Rose Lange Mar. 2 Tabitha Mitchell Mar. 2 Sue Hebert Mar. 3 Eva Hirsch Mar. 3 Rob Knapstein Mar. 4 Ginny Eblen Mar. 6 Mary Ann Nelson Mar. 6 Harry Hirsch Mar. 8 Clare Hanson Mar. 9 Savannah Peterson Mar. 9 David Bassett Mar. 11 Eileen Jones Mar. 12 Renee McClendon Mar. 12 Lee Seglund Mar. 12 Bianca Vellon Mar. 12 Chuck Garrison Mar. 13 Jan Farnsworth Mar. 14 Susan Holcomb Mar. 14 Elizabeth Jenkins Mar. 17 Lily Fontenette Mar. 19 Hillary Rowe Mar. 19 Christian Bradley Mar. 22 Susan Burwell Mar. 22 Lois Anderson Mar. 23 Jim Bodamer Mar. 23 Ava Mims Mar. 23 Steve Bullock Mar. 24 Zak Shultz Mar. 24 Ted Ballard Mar. 25 Diana Moore Mar. 27 JoAnne Smith Mar. 27 Haley Duplantis Mar. 28 March Birthdays Continued Carl Reavis Mar. 29 Ursula Kaley Mar. 31 Dana Nelson Mar. 31 March Anniversaries Renie & Fred Dack 03/06/2010 Lisa & Chris Lanier 03/10/2007 Shelia & Duan Pace 03/14/2002 Penny & Michael Glassman 03/21/1987 Kim & Cecil Pettway 03/27/1999 Ursula & Donald Kaley 03/31/1995 The Men of the Church will meet for their monthly breakfast on March 21, 2015 at 8:00 AM. Please Plan to attend.

5 NEED A RIDE? The Deacons coordinate transportation to medical appointments and DCC church events with an advance notice for members, their spouses and Active church friends. At the present time, the Deacons are available to drive only to local medical appointments in Diamondhead, Gulfport and Biloxi. Call one of the Transportation Coordinators if you are in need of a ride. Deacon driver coordinators for the month of March are Dawna Meyn, and Susan Burwell, FINANCIAL REPORT FROM THE TREASURER Where Do We Stand? January 2015 Year-to-Date Actual Projected Actual Projected Income $ 31,609 $28,563 $ 31,609 $ 28,563 Expenses $ 24,950 $31,377 $ 24,950 $ 31,377 Budget Bal. $ 6,659 $- 2,814 $ 6,659 $- 2,814 Last year was very successful for God s Church in Diamondhead. We reached or exceeded all of goals concerning Stewardship. An expansion is starting now, which is almost completely financed. This expansion is necessary because of growth in the Church and this growth means God s Word is reaching more people in our community. We are not finished, but just getting started and we must continue our good Stewardship. Stewardship is not only returning a portion of God s money for his work, but it is also giving of our time and talent. May God bless us all.

6 Gather, Grow, and Go In the Name of Jesus Christ We see those words on the front of the Church Bulletin, but did you realize how much we are growing each year? During 2014, the membership of the Diamondhead Community Church grew from 325 to 341 active members. Even more exciting is the fact that in 2014, our church baptized nine children. For those who have been members for awhile, that is very special. So not only are we growing in the number of members; but in the number of families, which is important in the future growth of our church and our community. This year we are ready to go again for another big year. During March we will welcome 12 new members to our church. Please make it a point to welcome them to our church family. Their names are listed below, and their pictures will be on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall and on the website very soon. Betty Perry Gina and Christian Bradley Jeannine Jacks Stone Patricia Ann Noeller Sue Hebert Barbara Linville Diana and Wayne Moore Carol and Bob Benzing Kerry Goldsmith PRIME TIMERS CORNER The gathering of the prime timers grows each month. Here s hoping we see you there on Monday, March 2 at 10 A. M. The coffee, Danish and your fellow prime timers will be there for fellowship and much more. Our devotion will be The Fruit of Generosity. This is taken from the scripture 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. Well,we pulled it off in February, we were able to attend the world premiere of The Prodigal composed by Dr. Mack Wilberg, conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This was possible because the Church purchased a bus which holds 22 passengers, and we filled it to the brim. Our many thanks go to James Carambat for driving us there. We had a ball! If you are not participating, now may be the time for you to start. God Bless All!

7 UNDER THE BIG TOP DCC VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Every year one of the biggest events of the summer is Vacation Bible School. This year s program will be from July 6 to July 10 and will run from 9 AM to 11 AM each day. We are going UNDER THE BIG TOP for a great time while we learn about Jesus and all the excitement His love can bring us. The program is for all the children in the community between ages 5 to 5 th Grade. We do have one problem, our volunteers are being stretched to the limit. We need your help. Please consider volunteering for this worthwhile program. To volunteer or for more information, contact Kristi Lindsey at or kristilindsey@gmail.com or contact the church office.

8 , Diamondhead Community Church 5301 Diamondhead Circle, Diamondhead MS Follow us on Facebook. THE DEADLINE FOR THE April CRIER is Mar. 24,2015 Send your articles to Just give us the Who, What, When, Where & How for anything you want published, and we will do the article for you!