September 19, 2017 Accepting nominations for leadership at CCC www.centrallive.net 2001 E. MAIN STREET STREATOR, IL 61364 (815) 673-1581 EMERGENCY PHONE (815) 257-1582 STAFF Dr. Rory Christensen, Lead Minister Tony Ross, Creative Arts Minister Jessica Pastirik, Director of Involvement Ministries Chelsea Davis, Children s Minister Rico Diaz, Director of Student Ministries SUNDAY WORSHIP 1st Worship: 8:15 a.m. 2nd Worship & Bible classes: 9:30 a.m. 3rd Worship & Bible classes: 11:00 a.m. You can have a voice in selecting those who serve as leaders at CCC. As we prepare to select Elders and Deacons, please read 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 this week and ask God to help guide you. Think of men who are qualified to serve as leaders. Nomination forms will be in the worship guides for Sunday, September 24, October 1, and October 8, 2017. You may complete your nominations and place the form in the offering plate. Nominations will be accepted until October 8, 2017. The following Deacons have expiring terms and may be nominated: Kevin Missel, Mike Pastirik, Bob Brown, Charles Bivens and Erik Gallick. Brad Austin, Mike Benner, Jim Cox, Lyle Follmer, Vince Magana, Glen Peters, and Joe Skaff are Deacons whose terms have not expired. Please don t nominate them. Troy Dimmig s term as Elder has expired and he may be nominated. Please do not nominate Jim Blalock, Jim Bressner, Todd Galyen, Tom Hallam or George Smith, as their terms have not expired. Mark your calendars! Trunk or Treat is taking place on Saturday, October 28, 2017 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. There will be live music, games, food, and tons of candy! You can register online at centrallive.net to help out with games, food, parking, or secure your spot for your vehicle. Trunk or Treat is a great Halloween alternative that allows families and friends to dress up and have fun in a safe environment. Candy is passed out by families and friends from their decorated vehicles. Each vehicle can be decorated however you would like, the only thing we ask is that the decorations be kid friendly (nothing spooky or scary) as we want this to be a fun and welcoming environment for kids of ALL ages. Each entry should bring a minimum supply of 450 pieces of candy. Back up candy will be made available. If you are not able to supply your own candy, but would still like to participate, make a note of that on your registration form in the comment section. If you would like to volunteer and participate, but not register a vehicle, email Chelsea Davis at children@centrallive.net or call 815-673-1581. Annual Ladies Casserole Night Monday, October 2, 6:00 p.m. Guest Speaker: Erin VandeLinde Bring your favorite dish to share! Erin VandeLinde is passionate about sharing God and his goodness to growing families of all cultures all over the world. Since she was a child she has been fascinated by God s vast creativity in the design of the world and his people. As a teenager she pledged to follow God to the ends of the earth to serve as a missionary. After over a decade of mission trips to Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the inner-city of Indianapolis, God led Erin and her family to serve as full-time missionaries in the Dominican Republic. Erin has served a missionary with Eastern Dominican Christian Mission for over eight years. She currently lives in Roanoke, VA with her three children, Micah (11), Josiah (7) and Analise (3), and her husband, Ryan.
Fellow Co-workers, Dr. Rory Christensen F or this month s article, I thought we would kick the year off with a bit of an amen montage. Hang around the church for any amount of time, and you will likely trip across the word, Amen. It is a word we use to acknowledge that something is of God. Taken literally it means let it be, as in let it be on earth as in heaven, or, let what s routine in heaven happen and become routine in God s people and church. It is essentially noticing and naming verbally the work or a word of/from God. It s something we do together, as an act of worship. Today, I thought we could have some fun noticing and naming God s work among us through an Amen Montage and through riffing off the worn call to worship, And all God s people said (Amen!). Here s how we ll do it: I ll list a few of the ways we ve seen God moving in and through Central over the past few months, and then we ll join together in adding an Amen! at the end. Ready? Here we go! Jessica s stoked to tell you that we have 13 people who are leading out as new small group leaders this fall (We re looking at you Clint and Jami Hanafin, Lyle and Shannon Follmer, Kyle and Megan Decker, Jason and Erin Barrow, Chelsea Davis, Heather Smith, Leanne Schell, and apprentice leaders, Gary and Vicki Vickers!). And all God s people said! We also had two people step up from our Outreach Team to start a group dedicated to visiting our shut-ins, or those who need a home visit, prayer, or encouragement (That s what we re talking about, Marsha and Harriet Dennis!). And all God s people said! Rico is kicking off the fall with three new leaders who stepped up recently to serve in our Student Ministry (Take a bow Ben and Erica Reum, and Nick Dimmig!). And all God s people said! Chelsea is excited about her new Children s Ministry workers for fall 2017 (Give a shout out for Kim Henert, Lexi Zavada, Jennifer Blanchette, Tonya Armstrong, and Ann Swiskoski!). And all God s people said! She s also stoked about her new AWANA workers (Give a shout out for Clarissa Mascote, Jennifer Olesen, Jenny Duffield, Dave Lawless, Mary Kay Eccleston, Tammy Shimmons, Kristi Hendricks, Emily Smith, Tonya Olson, Mitch Lamb, Matt Olson, and Miya Christensen!). And all God s people said! Ask Chelsea and she ll tell you that she continues to be amazed at the faithfulness of our children s ministry Kingdom workers, and the length of time they ve served (You know who you are, Difference Makers for Jesus!). And all God s people said! In August, we hosted our first ever Global Leadership Summit. It s the largest leadership conference in the world, and we live-streamed it to our location. We had 31 who attended, and who gave it an overall rating of 4.83 (out of 5). And all God s people said! Next year, we make the conference available to our community. We already have 31 preregistered for the 2018 conference, and we haven t even started the push for it yet. And all God s people said! And, over the past few weeks we ve seen 35 people make a decision to follow Jesus in baptism. Life change is a HUGE mission accomplished, and this is a visible sign of it (So, c mon, let s make some noise!). And all God s people said! While this list is just getting the party started (we ll keep highlighting more and more of the ways God has moved and is moving in and through us in the upcoming months), let s not miss what God s doing. Start your own Amen Montage, write it down, and share it (if you put it on a Connection Card, we can make it a part of future lists we make public). Never forget that what we do matters. Never forget that the church doesn t exist for us; we are the church and we exist for the world. Never forget to notice and name what God is doing. And, let that little word, amen, serve as a reminder. Be bold. Stay faithful. Amen. Rory Your donations help keep others warm The Streator Rotary Club and Streator Salvation Army are accepting donations for coats (mostly for children) and blankets. They will also accept winter hats, scarves, gloves and blankets. Everything should be clean and in good repair. There will be a box in the Ministry Center Foyer for these items until about the middle of October. Coats will be distributed at the Salvation Army October 19 and 20, 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Page 2
Central Kids Chelsea Davis, Children s Minister Fall brings about a new wave of smells, taste, and activities. As families visit orchards and enjoy the fruits and vegetables of the season. Fall is a special time to enjoy some quality time outdoors by the fire. I just love this season and seeing families get back in the routine of school and sports, it s a busy time but it is so much fun. Don t forget to take some time and enjoy these precious moments with your little ones, whether they are your children, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Today is a great day to create memories that they will treasure forever. The love of a family in a child s life can make such a huge impact on their character and who they grow up to be. Make a positive impact on their lives and show them God s love every moment you get. I was listening to WBGL the other day and they were talking about how an act of kindness doesn t have to be some grand gesture and that really made me think. The same is true for our children and grandchildren making an impact and being a positive role model doesn t require some big grand gesture. It is small moments of intentional love that makes the biggest impact on our children s lives. Ask about their day and really listen, listen to their dreams and instead of saying how say wow, support them in their creativity, and encourage them to explore the world around them. Some day they will grow up and not share as much information with you. We all know the teenage response to questions: uh, I don t know, good, or fine. Treasure the here and now. As Andy Stanley says, Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise. Involvement Ministries Jessica Pastirik, Director of Involvement Ministries The Central Women s Ministry Team invites all ladies to a Fall Craft Party to be held on Friday, October 20, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Plan to set some time aside for yourself and come to the church to work on a craft project of your choice. You may choose from the two fall crafts we will have available, or bring one of your own projects from home. The two fall-themed projects we will provide will be available for a small fee of $5 each. Please also bring a snack to share. Sign up at the Involvement desk starting October 1. The signup sheet will include photos of both craft items for you to choose at that time. This enables us to be prepared with supplies for everyone. Central Youth Rico Diaz, Director of Student Ministries When we wake up the morning the ground is covered with dew and there is a crisp cool feeling in the air. This only means one thing, fall has arrived! Fall is probably my favorite season for so many reasons. One of the main reasons that I love fall is because that is when we end our break from thegathering and get the students back together to grow in Christ! On September 10 we had our kickoff event for the new school year. Going into the night all of our Core Leaders (youth sponsors) were so excited to get to hang out with the students. We had 56 students show up! I was surprised with how many new students came because our current students brought them! I was so proud of our students reaching out to their peers! Church, we need your help! Psalm 127:1 says, Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. I have been gripped with the reality that if God doesn t breathe on this ministry we can do everything right and still come up short. We need to grow in a real relationship with Jesus, not something that just resembles that. So, that s where you come in, we need your prayers! Can I ask you for a big favor? Every time you see a student, in that moment, will you just ask God to help that student grow in a deeper relationship with Him? Like I said earlier, we could have all the right resources and do everything all the big churches are doing to see growth, but if we aren t consistently asking God to breathe on the students, we ll never see growth that lasts a lifetime! Page 5
Discover how God used an Operation Christmas Child shoebox in my life... Guest Speaker Jaki Steward Date: Saturday, October 7, 2017 Time: 12 1:30 p.m. Place: Central Church of Christ, 2001 E. Main Street, Streator, IL 61364 Join us for a free luncheon as we hear from our guest speaker Jaki Steward. You will also learn more about Operation Christmas Child and how you can take part this Christmas season. To RSVP call Jessica Pastirik, Involvement Director @ 815-673-1581 JAKI STEWARD was left at an orphanage in Guatemala by her young mother when she was only a few months old. Sharing a room with 12 other girls, Jaki learned to protect the few possessions she had. One December, when Jaki was 5 years old, she received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. Cuddling the stuffed animal she received in her shoebox, Jaki felt special, loved and cared for. She had something to call her own. One year later, she was adopted into a family in the United States and she started packing shoeboxes to share the love of Jesus with other children like herself. To hear about God s love in her life, please join us for a special time of Jaki sharing her testimony. Thank You Note Central Church of Christ, Thank you for the use of tables and chairs and bringing coffee and donuts to all those who helped search for my son. Thank you so much. Very thoughtful and very much appreciated. The Rodriguez Family August 9-10, 2018
THE TORCH 2001 E MAIN ST STREATOR IL 61364 PHONE: (815) 673-1581 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 296 STREATOR IL 61364 Dated Material Return Service Requested In Sympathy Our sympathy and prayers go out to: Jim (Trudy) Cox and family at the loss of his father, Walter Cox, who passed away Aug. 13, 2017. Troy (Kristi) Reinhold and family at the loss of his mother, Cheryl Reinhold, who passed away Aug. 17, 2017. Bill (Karen) Stith and family and Jim Stith at the loss of their sister, Barbara Carter, who passed away Aug. 25, 2017. Butch Ringwald and family at the loss of his wife, Ruth Dian Ringwald, who died Aug. 29, 2017. Marie Zeilman, Susan Dietman, Margie Graff, Vicki (Gary) Vickers and families at the death of their brother and Pam Jolly s brother-inlaw, Mark Jolly on Sept. 3, 2017. Diane Flanery and family at the loss of her husband and Nona White at the loss of her son-in-law, Jim Flanery who died on Sept. 3, 2017. Page 6 Baptized Randy Henert Kim Henert Lexi Cantello Transfers Leon and Kristi Hendrix Offerings E Giving Since April 2016 34 Givers Offerings needed to meet Budget-Y-T-D for 2017: $500,460 Offerings given to-date: $471,502 Financial Statement available at the Information Kiosk or the Church Office Statistics for Aug. 20, 2017 1st Worship 67 2nd Worship 250 3rd Worship 96 Total 413 Bible Classes 167 Statistics for Aug. 27, 2017 1st Worship 81 2nd Worship 234 3rd Worship 121 Total 436 Bible Classes 172 Statistics for Sept. 3, 2017 1st Worship 68 2nd Worship 205 3rd Worship 92 Total 365 Bible Classes 139 Statistics for Sept. 10, 2017 1st Worship 76 2nd Worship 219 3rd Worship 207 Total 402 Bible Classes 154 Statistics for Sept. 17, 2017 1st Worship 66 2nd Worship 238 3rd Worship 141 Total 445 Bible Classes 176