CONNECTION

A publication of First Christian Church of Edmond, OK Vol. 5 No. 7 February 21, 2013

The Chalice

So, Whats Next?

By Rev. Dr. Jerry Black, Associate Minister
Its Presidents Day. And Im walking passed Mark Taylors office. Within, I hear the wonderful sounds of church youth. They are out of school for the day of course, laughing, and having a good time. A fun lunch in Bricktown is still the talk. Needless to say, there are few dull moments in the life of First Christian Church. Like the early church, First Christian is dynamicever sharing, ever giving, ever doing. Something good is always happening. So around here, its often whats next? Over the past two years, we have been through some amazing moments of discovery. Through our 2011 re:NEW and round table discussions, we found our core valuesOpen Doors, Open Arms, Open Minds, Open Table, and Open Hands. We did some dreaming about how to enrich this life and work together. But, for any number of reasons, we didnt quite get around to prioritizing or strategizing for the future. Enters Dick Hamm, former General Minister and church consultant. He does a thorough analysis of our church and community, and in August 2012 gives us a detailed report of who we are, what we have going for us, and opportunities for ministry. Then, some 42 prayer triads are meeting and praying together to discern a deeper sense of what God is calling us to be and do for the next five to seven years. Those insights and discussion notes are now in the hands of our Future Story/Vision Team. So, whats next? While we journey through Lent and our 40 Days of Compassion, moving to Easter and new life, our Future Story is coming together. The date for hearing that story is Sunday, March 10, and the place is in each morning worship (8:15, 9, and 11 a.m.). Plan to attend now the worship of choice, listen, discern, and affirm the next chapter in our ministry together.

Celebrate 40 Days of Compassion - every day for the 40 days of Lent we will have an outreach project that you can participate in to prepare for the miracle of Easter. What better way to celebrate the Resurrection than to give new life and hope to others through our volunteer efforts of compassion? Here are some events for the next few days: Friday, February 22 Green Compassion: Coffee, Containers & Conversation Join us from 6:30-8:30 pm for an evening of coffee tasting and discussion on sustainable and fair trade practices from Gwen Shaw, Sarah Combs and a Starbucks barista. Dont forget to B.Y.O.M Bring Your Own Mug for the mug drive to help decrease the amount of Styrofoam going into our landfills! Saturday, February 23 Peppers Ranch Tour Join us for a tour of Peppers Ranch, a facility designed to help children break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Plan to meet at Peppers Ranch, located at 3200 S. Western, Guthrie, at 11am. A chili luncheon will be provided in the Learning Center where an overview of the ranchs history, mission, program and services will be shared. A tour of the center and a couple of homes will show you firsthand what Peppers Ranch is all about. There will be a time for questions and interaction with some of the families. RSVP at the 40 Days table in the rotunda. Come by the 40 Days of Compassion table on Sunday in the rotunda and see even MORE opportunities that are still available for serving during our 40 Days. The calendar is also available on our website. Challenge yourself this Lent to make it to at least one event every week during our 40 Days!

Automate the Important!

Online Giving Options Available in the hub

We live in a digital age. Paying bills online is common, increasing tenfold in the last decade. Debit and credit cards are so convenient that an increasingly larger percentage of people who attend church do not carry cash or checks. Time and again weve heard the question when will First Christian offer an easy way to give online? When Rev. Bruce Barkhauer of the Center for Faith and Giving visited with our stewardship leaders last fall he encouraged us to provide this service. He explained this convenient method of receiving contributions can allow everyone to practice generosity and the faithful discipline of stewardship, even those who seldom carry cash or checks and pay their bills online. Ministry leaders took all of this to heart as we searched for a new community building tool for our church. Online giving is one of the important features in our new online community the hub.

the hub online giving system enables you to...

n n n n n n n n n n Make one-time gifts Set up recurring donations to support the ministry of First Christian Church Control HOW you give and WHEN you give Give via electronic debits (ACH Transactions) from your checking or savings account Give from your debit card or credit card View your previous giving history and print your giving statement 24/7/365 Save the expense of writing checks Simplify when travel, illness, serving in another area of the church, or other circumstances prevent you from being present in worship, you can remain consistent with your giving rather than trying to catch up later Reduce distractions instead of fumbling for your offering or quickly writing out your check during worship service, you can be fully engaged in the service knowing youve already given your offering Help First Christian online contributions require less processing since they are deposited automatically and provide a more predictable income flow for better planning.

the hub offers you control...

n n n n You choose the fund to give to from a list of options You select a donation frequency: one-time, weekly, monthly, or annually. Indicate the amount of the contribution and any special notes you may have for the donation (e.g. offering envelope number). Youll receive an e-mail confirming your gift amount, fund given to, payment method and frequency. You can view all of your giving history transactions and print giving statements 24/7/365.

Traditional Choices Remain Sunday morning offerings will remain a vital part of our worship. Providing electronic giving options is a step to allow everyone to practice the discipline of stewardship and generosity. Nothing has changed with our other giving venues whether you prefer the act of worship in putting your check or envelope in the offering plate, giving cash anonymously, prefer donating appreciated stock for the additional tax benefit, or spontaneous generosity. Online giving isnt taking any of these options away; it is simply adding another way to give back to God. So explore the online giving options available through the hub, and embrace them if they will simplify your life as you support ministry and mission! If you have questions about giving to First Christian, please contact Business Administrator, Karla Mahan at kmahan@fccedmond.org or 341-3544.
* the hub is built on CCB (Church Community Builder) cloud based software which provides a secure system for managing online giving. Our transaction processing uses industry-standard SSL encryption technology, validated by Comodo, and is handled in partnership with BluePay, a payment processor certified by TRUSTe, Trustwave, and McAfee.

Prayers of the People

THOSE IN NEED OF PRAYER Randy Clark, Gabe Wiechmann (Don & Jenny Wiechmanns son), Ed Berry, Loree Rice, Dale Wehr (Connie LaRues brother), Judy Joy, Bob & Nancy Gallop, Phyllis Jarrett, Gayle Jones (Jennifer Cains mom), Jean Troutman (Carol Sterlings mom), Samantha Branscum (Michelle Fritzs sister), Lori Snider (Loretta Parks daughter), Virginia ONiel, Cynthia David (Winnie Halls daughter), Bill & Mary Lou Womble OUR SYMPATHY AND PRAYERS TO the Family of Letha Hubbard in her death on February 18. Services will be Monday, February 25 at 2pm in the chapel at Chapel Hill Funeral Home in OKC with burial following at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

Happy Birthday!
2/24 Emily Shipley, Lori Nordstrom, Mark Mades, Ola Drennon, Carter Coleman 2/25 Barbara Thornton, Valerie Storey, B. Ann Cole 2/26 Judy Freeman, Ryan Simpson, Betsy Jones, Pierce Theobald, Sarah Penland, Rita Ward 2/27 Richard Ireland, Diane Ball 2/28 Errol Myers 3/1 Lauren Wheeler, Annette Vaught, Letitia Anthony 3/2 Betty Neal, Taylor Wheeler, Emily Farley 3/3 Thomas Fondren, Mac Mecoy, Leo Webster, Phoebe Eaton

FCC is looking for a full-time Childrens Minister (or Director of Childrens Ministries if you are not ordained or licensed) who loves children! Announcements regarding the availability of the position are being posted this week. If you know someone who might be interested in the position, copies of the job description will be available at www.fccedmond.org/jobs Resumes can be submitted to jobs@fccedmond.org through February 22, 2013.

Job Opening: Childrens Minister/Director of Childrens Ministries

On Sunday, March 3, the youth of First Christian Church will be holding their annual Dodgeball Tournament to support their World Vision child in Africa. The event is a round robin style tournament, allowing all teams to play each other. No one is eliminated! It will be held in the FLC beginning at 1:00 p.m. Cost to play is only $5.00 per person. This tournament is not just for the youth, but adults as well. We encourage you to get a team together and register. Put a team together from your Sunday school class or rally the neighbors for a team! We dont care how you do it, just find 6-8 willing people and register! You can register at www.fccedmond.org/dodgeball as an individual or as a team. Registration deadline is this Sunday, February 24.

Dodgeball Tournament Sunday, March 3

Save Your Pennies!

The children have started a penny drive during the 40 Days of Compassion for Lent. Our pennies will be going to the Week of Compassion - the relief, refugee and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The children will be collecting them throughout the 40 Days, so if you have extra pennies, find a child! They will be glad to take them because EVERY PENNY COUNTS.

Come to the IAS Bean Dinner: This Sunday, 10am-1pm!

The International Affairs Seminar, or I.A.S., is a study trip to Washington D.C. and New York City that exposes student participants to a larger worldview and challenges them to gain an understanding of their responsibility as Christians in our world today. It is a trip where faith, politics, and global issues come head to head, igniting deep discussion and transforming lives. I.A.S. opens eyes, changes minds, and touches hearts! Each year we host the annual IAS Bean Dinner to raise funds to help support this trip. Although this is an off year, it is important to raise funds for the IAS trip happening in 2014. Please join us anytime 10 am to 1 pm on Sunday, February 24, for beans, cornbread, slaw and fellowship. Thank you!

Summer Internships Available

for Student and Childrens Ministries

Worship
8:15, 9 & 11am

at First Christian
February 24, 2013 2nd Sunday of Lent

Message: Rev. Dr. Jerry Black Rev. Chris Shorow Scripture: Matthew 5:3

March 3, 2013 3rd Sunday of Lent

Message: Rev. Chris Shorow Rev. Greg Bunton Scripture: Matthew 5:5

The Chalice CONNECTION

Jennifer Humphrey, Editor jhumphrey@fccedmond.org Read News Online @ fccedmond.org/news Submit Articles to news@fccedmond.org

The Childrens and Youth Education Committees are pleased to ! help announce its summer internship program for Childrens Ministries I can (ages birth-5th grade) and Student Ministries (grades 6-12). The internship is open to college students that grew up at First Christian Church of Edmond and participated in the Children and Youth programs. The purpose of the internship is as follows: n To provide our college students the opportunity to give back to the church and programs that nurtured them as children and teenagers n To provide the opportunity to be a positive role model to our children and youth, and to the life of our Children and Student Ministries. n To provide the opportunity for our college students to hone their leadership skills as they help to plan and implement various programs and ministries. The Childrens Education Committee will be hiring one intern for the summer, and the Youth Education Committee will be hiring up to 3 interns for the summer. If you are interested in finding out more about these internships, or want to apply for one of them, go to www.fccedmond.org/internship Application deadline is March 31. Selected interns will be notified by Sunday, April 14.

Save The Dates!

Sunday, February 24 Children Worship & Wonder Greeter Training at 12:15 pm in the CW&W Center in the basement. If you are interested in being a CW&W Greeter, please contact Michelle Fritz at mfritz@fccedmond.org Sunday, April 7 Join the Classics on an outing to the Armstrong Auditorium to see the Byron Berline Band, with FCCs own Greg Burgess! Friday, June 21 FCCs Annual Golf Tournament, Kickingbird Golf Course, 1 pm.

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