Servants in Worship The Bridge Newsletter • February 1, 2015 Worship Leader................................................................Betty Woomer Greeters .................................................................................Kemp Class Acolyte(s)......................................................................Sam Edmondson Red Book Pickup .....................................Betty Floyd / Jennifer Atchley Deacons Coordinator.....................................................Sherry Baldwin Ushers & Servers .........................Shannon Beattie, Peggy Brannen, Debby Demos, Judy Duncan Other Servers .........................................Jim Grant, Darby Standefer, Barbara Voss Elders at the Table Pulpit Side (Prayer of Consecration) .........................John Holcombe Pulpit Side (Pastoral Listener) ...................................Dan Summerlin Lectern Side (Prayer of Thanksgiving) ...........................Sally D. Hunt Lectern Side ((Pastoral Listener)................................Lonna Williams Scripture.......................(Mark 1:21-28) ...........................Betty Woomer Proclamation................”“Sin, Healing, and Witness”” ..............Pastor Mark The Week Ahead Sunday, February 1 9:45 am 10:35 am 10:45 am 12:00 pm 12:15 pm 6:30 pm Sunday School Classes Elders’ Prayer Circle; Meditation Chapel Morning Worship; Sanctuary Fellowship; Parlor Lobby Committee Meeting Faith Collective: Group for Young Adults 10:00 am 10:30 am 3:00 pm 7:30 pm Staﬀ & Oﬃcers Meeting; Conference Room Ladies Prayer Group; Fellowship Hall PAWS Meeting NA Monday Group; Fellowship Hall 7:00 pm NA Tuesday Group; Fellowship Hall 9:00 am 6:00 pm Food Bank Volunteering Choir Practice 7:00 am 3:00 pm Men’s Study Group; Bluegrass Grill PAWS Meeting 7:30 pm NA Friday Group; Fellowship Hall Monday, February 2 Tuesday,February 3 Wednesday, February 4 Thursday, February 5 Friday, February 6 Saturday,February 7 No Scheduled Activities Sunday, February 8 9:45 am 10:35 am 10:45 am 12:00 pm 6:30 pm Sunday School Classes Elders’ Prayer Circle; Meditation Chapel Morning Worship; Sanctuary Boy Scout Sunday Fellowship; Parlor Faith Collective: Group for Young Adults Words of welcome... Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7, NIV). Welcome to the Lord’s house for worship! In Our Thoughts & Prayers... Caroline Moore; Marty Dunagan (Friend of Bea Lyons & Betty Proctor); Walter Hershey (Linda’s husband & Darby’s dad); Brenda Russell (Louise’s daughter-in-law); Ansel Rogers (Ardian Totten’s son); Lisa Wilkes, Debbie Demos & Judy Duncan; Katie King; Greg & Diane Givens & Family; Sandra Riddle (friend of Chuck Martin); Scrappy Moore; Jo Bevilaqua; Kyle Cutsinger; Doug Beuoy (Brannens’ son-in-law); Liz Love; JoJo Wise; Luther Whitaker; David Blackburn; Doris Aldrich; Jim Northcut; Harrison Gill; John Black (Barbara Voss’s Brother); Melvin Smith; Bob Lewis; Bettye Gerow; Joel Westbrook; Sharon Narey; Bill Allen; Tim Suits; Judy Kirby (Larry & Barbara’s sister-in-law); Erick Griggs; Bill Hobbs; Leona BonDurant (Carl’s Grandmother); Don Baldwin; Paul Shoun; Oscar Hurley; Lauren Niemeyer (Barbara Voss’s sister) Church church@ﬁrstchristian-chat.com Pastor Mark Lenten Living Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18 this year. Christians have observed this season of the church year since the fourth century. It’s traditionally a time of reﬂection, penitence and spiritual renewal before Easter. During Lent, some Christians give up something that hinders their relationship with God. Others do something extra for their spiritual growth or make a special sacriﬁce. The key is to make Lent a memorable season of sincere spiritual growth — a time that can set the tone for the rest of the year. mark@ﬁrstchristian-chat.com Jonathan Hyde [email protected] Chuck Martin chuck@ﬁrstchristian-chat.com Beth Harris beth@ﬁrstchristian-chat.com Russ Draeger [email protected] BRIDGE Deadline Monday, NOON Website www.ﬁrstchristian-chat.com Facebook www.facebook.com/FCC.Chattanooga February: 2 Susan Haymes 5 Matt Smithson 10 Forrest King, Gayle Mingledorﬀ 11 Emily Auten, Luther Whitaker, Sarah Flynn 14 Justin Givens 18 Sherry Baldwin 20 Joni Sharp 22 Dreema Adkins 23 Laura Richie, Jilly Fulgham 24 Bryce Lee Wynn 25 Rachel Allen 26 Matthew Hamilton March: 1 Halah Hipp 4 Bettye Gerow 5 Ruby Lewis Mark’s Musings The initial phase of my ministry with you is just about complete. This past Sunday the Board blessed the work of the Search Committee, giving credence to a fresh mission/identity statement. The statement and its supporting values represent the information gleaned during the Cottage Meetings in October and November of last year. You will receive your copy soon. Someone asked me, “How is this statement going to beneﬁt the church?” That is a very important question. First, it could have little aﬀect if it is left lying on a shelf of the pastor’s oﬃce. That happens with the results of much strategic planning, sad but true. However, if your leadership uses the document, it will focus the congregation for the foreseeable future. How? First, it will serve as a means of informing ministerial candidates of who you are and what you wish to accomplish in ministry and mission. The statement is the 4” brush: painting wide strokes that talk about your dreams and hopes for FCC. The candidates for the settled pastor position want to know “where you want to go”, and this document provides them that direction. It’s not just for the candidates that are being interviewed, though. It is a tool for you and the congregation’s leaders. It will provide a framework for designing a new church structure that is nimble and responsive to opportunities of ministry and mission. FCC needs to redesign its governance and service structures to be faithful and effective. Your identity/mission statement will ground the work of developing a system of governance and staﬃng that makes good stewardship of your time and resources. Finally, the document will serve as a ﬁlter as you consider both new and existing program and ministry. Your church is not so very diﬀerent from most: A committee assess that the congregation must grow. So what do they do? They explore the great variety of evangelism programs on the market, make a selection and buy the materials, then try to ﬁgure out who is going to organize and implement the new program. Sound familiar? What if that committee used the identity/mission statement and its support data to establish criteria for why growth is important and how best to accomplish that, then found persons with passion to develop and implement a ministry to meet those ends? It is a new way of thinking about your church, but one which seeks to do authoritative mission and ministry that is focused and true to who you are becoming. Well, there’s your “teaser.” Watch for your copy of the mission/identity statement. Be sure to tell Dan and members of the Search Committee how much you appreciate their work. Their work has been faithful. Most important, this is your document, your statement. Give it legs and life. Memorize it. Share it with your friends. Make it your own. Pastor Mark Chattanooga Area Food Bank 1st Wednesday, monthly Betty Woomer: [email protected] Feb 4 Community Kitchen: 727 E. 11th St. 1st & 3rd Friday, monthly; 9:00 to 11:45am Rona Gary: [email protected] Habitat for Humanity 2nd Saturday, monthly; 8:30am Larry Kirby: kirbychat@epbﬁ.com Room In The Inn Meals Prepare a meal for the families at Chattanooga Room in the Inn, 4 times a year on any ﬁfth Sunday - Shannon Beattie at 423-883-9083 or [email protected] Family Promise of Chattanooga Feb 6&20 Feb 14 March 29 Help us host families for a week, several times each year. Julia Martin: [email protected]