of Central Christian Church (DOC) February 2015 Inside this issue: Prayer List 2 Activities at Central 2 Our Church Family 3 Serving 4 Building God’s Realm 5 Elders & Deacons 5 Rebecca’s Revelation 6 Safe Kids Training 6 Worship Ministry 7 Pictorial Directory 7 Mission Trip 8 February Calendar 9 Youth Bowling 1 Kids Club K “God calls Central Christian Church to be a welcoming and open faith community where Christian love, action, and discipleship unite.” Vision Statement of Central Christian Church (DOC), Terre Haute, IN "February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March." - Dr. J. R. Stockton "Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream." - Barbara Winkler Clarion Page 2 Prayer List A new Prayer List is started on a quarterly basis. You may submit names for the Prayer List by filling out a Prayer Request form located in the Pew Pads and placing it in an offering plate. Greeter: Will Hine Prayer Cards: Kathy Ocampo Attendance Pads: Kathy Ocampo Cindy Wondra Harold Blackwood Jordan & Devin Klaeger Joanne King Judy Juhala Ed Ocampo Martha Gray Willa Dickey Lynn Gray & Family Carol Mullen Shirley Britton Diana Chavis Chloe Hammond Kevin & Kristen Crist and Family Connie Rouquette Mary Heller Dawn McKillop Dick & Dorothy Fox Penny Wilkinson Freida Nelson Family of Chris Evinger Danny Bailey Dori Marshall Maria Dellarosa Austin Spencer Mason Spencer Diane Manning Matt Mullen Vic Mullen Rachael Manning Shirley Chavez Randy Garloch Lillie Lawson Dee Ugo Brant Blackwood Family of Bob Jerry Sally Leonard & Karie Tharp Christine Kennedy Patrick & Rose Kennedy THANK YOU! I would like to thank everyone for the Christmas gift It was greatly appreciated. You all mean so much to me. You have greatly blessed my life. Thank you for all your kindness and all the beautiful children you’ve let me take care of and watch grow. It blesses my soul when they keep coming to see me when they grow up. Children are a blessing from God Thank You! Paula Switzer. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT CENTRAL 4 p.m. Sunday, February 8th at the church This will be our first ever mystery dinner and we hope to have a great turnout. A special thanks to Koinonia Ministry team member Mary Beth Ripple who suggested we have this dinner. Her sorority has had them in the past and she talked about how much fun they are. She is organizing this event for the entire family and said everyone needs to come prepared for a fun evening with good food which is part of the mystery. If you haven’t signed up yet at the information center, please contact Mary Beth (234-1086) so we’ll know how much food will be needed. It will be a wonderful opportunity for an evening of great food and wonderful fellowship. Mardi Gras Mystery Dinner Active Adult Movie Night at Church The deadline for the Clarion is the next-to-last Wednesday of the month at 10AM Deadline for the bulletin is Tuesday mornings at 10AM. 6:30 p.m. Friday February 13th Rather than going out to dinner this month we’ll order pizzas and enjoy spending a relaxing evening together at church. We can all chip in to cover the cost of the pizza. We’ll have lemonade and iced tea but persons are welcome to bring soft drinks, salad, dessert, etc. Our plan is to show the movie “The Drunk” which was filmed here in Terre Haute. Central members Doug Sloan and Susan Edmondson were included as extras in the film. The rating of the movie is geared to adults so if there are kids/youth here that evening we can have an age appropriate movie playing in the toddler/nursery room for them. Please sign up at the information center so we’ll know how many people will be attending and what child appropriate movie we’ll need depending on the ages of any youth who will join us that evening. Active Adults to set up for the Evening at Central and then go out to dinner 6 p.m. Friday, March 6th We’ll meet at church at 6 to set up tables for the “Evening at Central” that will be the next evening and then go to dinner at MCL Cafeteria afterwards (approximately 6:45 p.m.) (Upcoming Activities—continued on page 3) Page 3 Our Church Family Please report items for Our Church Family to the church office. In addition to the prayer list please remember the following in your prayers. Vicky Clark’s ten-year-old Sandra Lang as she deals great-niece, Chloe Alexander, with the aftermath of a burst as she battles cancer sprinkler system in her apartShirley Britton as she con- ment We extend our deepest sympathies to the following: Richard and Barbara Hunt and family at the death of tinues cycles of chemo and flucSusan Edmondson’s son, Jar- Richard’s brother, Charley. tuating blood cell counts rod Michael, as he recovers Susie Gumm and her sister, from an emergency appendecDiana Chavis as she deals Joyce, at the death of their tomy with ongoing seizures mother, Phyllis Jackson. Nel & Lily Frazier as Nel deals with ongoing health issues and as they both offer support and care to extended family members Mary Jo Brown’s son and daughter-in-law, Eric & Jane Ann Siepman, as Jane Ann receives treatment for a recurrence of cancer Twyla Edinburgh’s brother, Ramon Hughes, as he recovers from a serious nail-gun injury Dinah & Carroll Vasbinder as Dinah continues chemotherapy treatments (Upcoming Activities—continued) Evening at Central Norma and Martin Plascak at the death of their long-time friend, Harry Nelson. February 1 Kathy Ocampo Betsy Hine February 8 Dianne Mansfield Sherrie Mansfield February 15 Mary Beth Ripple Phil Ewoldsen February 22 Betsy Hine Dianne Mansfield th 5 p.m. Saturday March 7 This will be a fun, informative evening for all of our newer members and visitors (and anyone else who hasn’t be able to attend one of these special evenings). It will begin with a meal prepared by the Koinonia Ministry team followed by a Power Point presentation about the history of the Disciples of Christ and our own Central Christian Church.. We thank Doug Sloan for his hard work in putting together the presentation. Rev. Rebecca will have current members share about how they came to be a part of Central Christian and there will be time for questions. It’s always a great evening of information, good food and great fellowship. Invitations will be sent to our visitors and new members, but it you are a current member who hasn’t been able to attend one of these events in the past and would like to join us, please contact Sharon Crist (535-3359) by March 1st so we’ll know how much food to prepare. Building God’s Realm through Mission and Outreach Angel Tree Update Thank you to everyone who participated in our Angel Tree Outreach in December. Every tag was taken and filled! Outreach Chair, David Rose, estimates that the total amount of gifts and gift cards we provided for Christmas was between $1,700 - $2,000+! Excellent job, church! February Focus on Week of Compassion Every year during the month of February, Disciples of Christ congregations across the US and Canada focus on the ministries of Week of Compassion in preparation for the special offering taken the last Sunday of February. Week of Compassion is the Disciples of Christ world-relief, rehabilitation, and development ministry. Every Sunday in worship during February this year we will hear stories that highlight some of the many ways our gifts have been used to offer hope, compassion, and new life in some of the worst situations. One of the very impressive things about Week of Compassion is the breakdown of where our gifts go. Out of every $1 give to Week of Compassion: 50 cents goes to emergency response 25 cents goes to sustainable development 8-10 cents goes to our ecumenical partners, mission stations, and volunteer work trip grants’ 8 cents goes to refugee and immigration ministries 6-8 cents goes to administrative costs We will gather and dedicate our Week of Compassion Offering on Sunday, February 22. February 1 Prep-Melanie & Twyla Serve –Susan Edmondsen Serve-Carol Sloan Serve-Patrick Meyer Cleanup-Kelly Majer February 8 Prep-Beth Truax February 15 Prep-Kathy Ocampo Serve-Susan Edmondsen Serve-Carol Sloan February 22 Prep-Melanie & Twyla Page 4 Rebecca’s Revelation Safe Kids As members of the Christian Church… In Christ’s name and by his grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all people. Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God. Within the universal church, we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture…that we serve the One whose kingdom has no end. Excerpts from the Preamble to the Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of the one who called you out of night into marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9 Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ! I am currently working on a number of different events/projects that keep drawing my attention to a long-held, cherished understanding of the Disciples of Christ. Preparing worship elements for Laity Sunday, teaching weekly Pastor’s Class, and looking ahead to An Evening at Central I have been reminded of the importance of the priesthood of all believers. From the beginnings of the movement that would become the Christian Church (DOC), it has been affirmed and practiced that all followers of Jesus Christ are called to ministry and mission. Each one of us has different gifts and each one of us hears a different call from God in how and where to use our gifts, but it is not up for debate that all of us are “ministers.” We are. I know this can be difficult for some to fully embrace, especially those who come from other Christian traditions or congregations, but as an ordained member of the Disciples of Christ, I take this very seriously. For example, I LOVE serving at the Lord’s Table. I love issuing the invitation, saying the Words of Institution, and praying for the bread and the cup on behalf of the faith community; HOWEVER, I learned early on in my career that if the Elders of the church are to truly grow and be recognized as spiritual leaders, then they should do these things at the table. (Side note: this is exactly what many Disciples congregations practiced before they started employing paid clergy.) As Senior Minster, I have plenty to do in ministry and service within our membership as well as in our larger community. I try to be encouraging and supportive of all the various ministries Central currently is doing. If, though, someone has a good idea for an event, a ministry, etc. I am NOT going to do it for that person. If it is truly a good idea and someone feels passionately about it, he or she should be the one to answer that particular “call.” I am in awe of all the things that are accomplished through Central Christian Church (DOC). I can’t remember a week in all my time in Terre Haute that I did not witness the presence and power of God at work through someone/something at Central. You are the Beloved of God. God has given you gifts that are to be shared and used. God entrusts particular mission and/or ministry to YOU. Rejoice in this! Rejoice in being part of the Priesthood of all Believers. Rev. Rebecca Training Set for February In keeping with our own church policy and fulfilling the requirements of the church insurance carrier, we will have a Safe Kids Training session on Tuesday February 24 at 6:00 PM in the Cornerstone Room. This session is for all adults (18+ years old) who work with our congregation’s children and/or youth in any capacity: Nursery, Sunday School, Youth groups, VBS, etc. If you have any questions. Please contact Rev Zelensky or Educaton Chair, Theresa Vaughn, Clarion Page 5 Worship Ministry News Lent is a time to renew wherever we are in that process that I call the divine therapy. It's a time to look at what our instinctual needs are, look at what the dynamics of our unconscious are. Thomas Keating Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18 this year and ends on April 4 which is the day before Easter. Palm Sunday is March 29 and Easter Sunday is April 5. This is a season of prayer, soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Traditionally the color of Lent is purple so you’ll see that starting February 22, the first Sunday in Lent, in the vestments and in the choir stoles. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. Some faithful observe fasting and/or some sort of self-denial during Lent, but however one chooses to keep Lent, the purpose is to set aside time for prayer and reflection on Jesus Christ - his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection. Some ways that we will observe Lent at Central Christian Church will include: Ash Wednesday Service on F ebruary 18 at 6:00; Maundy Thursday service at St. Mark UCC at 7:00 on April 2; Good Friday service at Central Christian at 7:00 on April 3 ————————————————————————————— In addition, Rev. Rebecca has been leading a membership class on Sundays following the tradition mentioned above of preparing for baptism; There is often a special Lenten series that focuses on preparing for Easter by examining a spiritual topic for exploration and discussion; We will also take orders for memorial flowers for Easter Sunday. Watch for dates and times for these special observances of this holy time in the Church calendar. Page 6 PICTURE THIS A NEW CHURCH PICTORIAL DIRECTORY AND WE WANT YOU TO BE INCLUDED!!! It was June 2011 when pictures were taken for our last pictorial directory so it’s definitely time for a new one. We want all of you to be a part of the new directory, whether you’re a member, visitor or shut-in. Once again we have partnered with Lifetouch, a company that specializes in church directories, to do our new directory. A new pictorial directory committee has been formed and a meeting has been scheduled with the Lifetouch representative at 6 p.m. on Feb. 5th. If you are interested in helping with the directory please feel free to join us that evening. More details and specific times will be provided after the meeting with Lifetouch, but please mark your calendars that the photographers will be here to take our pictures on the evenings of Thurs. April 30th and Friday May1st and during the day on Saturday May 2nd. Unless you will be out of town on vacation during those three days, our goal is to have everyone, with the exception of our shut-ins who are unable to make the trip to church, make appointments to have their pictures taken by Lifetouch. There is no obligation to purchase any pictures. Every group photographed will receive a free 8x10 picture of the pose they chose to go in the directory along with a free directory. Your extended family, friends, etc. are also welcome and encouraged to make appointments to have their pictures taken. They can just designate that the picture isn’t to be included in the directory but they will still receive a free 8x10 and the church will receive a directory that can be used to give to new members in the future. Our church will receive points for each group Lifetouch photographs which will enable us to earn free activity pages of pictures in the directory. The more people who have their pictures taken will increase the number of activity pages featuring the ministries here at Central. The last time we were allowed to submit pictures for up to 5 shut-in members at no cost but there was a charge for each additional submitted picture, so we are hoping to have a big response from persons to come in and have their pictures taken by Lifetouch. I checked my records from the 2011 directory and we had 21 submitted pictures so we hope to eliminate that cost by giving you the opportunity to have professional quality pictures taken without a requirement to purchase anything. You’ll still get the free 8x10 and a directory. We are getting an earlier start this time in planning ahead for our new directory in order to give everyone lots of time to “save the dates” to have their pictures taken. We will provide the information as soon as it’s available on when you can begin scheduling your appointments. I extend a special thanks to Doug and Carol Sloan and my husband Frank who said yes when I asked them to serve on this temporary committee. If anyone else is interested in helping, please let me know. We will need host/hostesses to be there to register people when they arrive for their scheduled appointments on those dates. We’ll have more information after our meeting with Lifetouch but our goal is that we will have our new directory ready to hand out by the end of summer. Thanks for your support in making our new directory a big success! Sharon Crist MISSION TRIP So far, about 20 persons, youth and adults, have signed up for the mission trip to New Orleans scheduled June 12-19, 2015. Vehicle, fuel, and food costs will be determined by the number of people going. The non-refundable fee of $75 is due by February 8, 2015. We hope to have some fundraisers and sponsors to cover a good portion of our expenses. Page 7 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 13 14 Elders at 12 noon 8 CKC Noon—1:30 ———————————- YouthVigo Bowl 12:30-2:30 9AM Bible Study 9 Worship 6 PM 10 9AM Bible Study 6:30PM Choir Rehearsal 11 Taizè 7 PM Active Adult Dinner & Movie at church 7 PM 6:30PM Choir Rehearsal Happy Valentine’s Day ——————————- Mystery Mardi Gras Dinner 4pm at church 15 Noon Board 16 17 9AM Bible Study 18 Phoenix Hilla Home Assoc 6 OR 7 PM 19 20 21 Holy Cow Meeting at church 6:30 PM ASH WEDNESDAY Service 6 PM 6:30PM Choir Rehearsal 22 Week of Compassion Offering 23 24 9AM Bible Study 1st Sunday of Lent 2 2 4 12 14 Cody Crist Kristine Kennedy Dorothy Armstrong Twyla Edinburgh Garrah Johnson 25 26 27 28 Safe Kids Training 6:00 PM 6:30PM Choir Rehearsal 14 20 20 21 23 Rachael Manning Abbie Ritchie (Hammons) Susan Evans Hallie Whitley Sarah Seybold 23 Frank Crist 23 Kathy Ocampo 24 Clayton Minger 27 Theresa Vaughn 10 Paul & Phyllis Myers 16 Richard & Barbara Hunt ♥♥ Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 4950 East Wabash Ave P.O. Box 3125 Terre Haute Indiana 47803 Phone: 812-877-9959 Email: centralchristianchurch@ frontier.com We’re On The Web www.cccthdisciples.org Worship Services 9:30 AM (Nursery for Infants & Toddlers Open 9 AM 12Noon) Sunday School for All Ages 11 AM CHRISTIANS KIDS CLUB February Event CKC will meet on Sunday, February 8th at church from noon to 1:30pm. Our youth group will meet at Vigo Bowl from 12:30 —2:30 on Sunday, February 8, 2015! Each game costs $2.25 and bowling shoes cost $2.25. This is by far, the best price in town. Bring enough money to play 2-3 games, rent shoes, and buy lunch/snacks. Friends are welcome. If you need a ride, let Teresa Vaugn or Shelly Manning know in advance. Please bring a sack lunch. After lunch Mary Beth Mullen has planned a special ♥ Valentine project. ♥ All elementary age children are welcome to join the fun and fellowship. Hope to see you there!