November / December 2010 EditionChrist Church Newsletter

339 Frank Scott Parkway EastFairview Heights, IL 62208618.277.4659mail@mychristchurch.com

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www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

When God Came DownIn the midst of darkness, He stepped into our worldLiving scrolls of salvation,

immaculately unfurled

Christ, Comforter, Creator, KingKnees bowed down,

hopeful hearts did sing

With honor and praise, to the One who gave all

Restoring again what was lost in the fall

He listened, then answered by providing the plan

Teaching love of the Father, and of our fellow man

A promising new life, found in the One True Crown, Perfect Love was revealed,

when God Came Down!

~Daniel A. Rice

What I Want for Christmas By Rev. Shane

My daughter Lydia called me last week and asked what I wanted for Christmas this year. I told her I either wanted a Rolex Watch or a black dress belt.

The reality is that I don’t need anything at all. I have all of what I need and most of what I want. Prayers for “daily bread” seem far away from my life right

By Michael Harrison

From ages allHe saw the endHe loved each heartHe would call friend

From ages allHe knew the dayHe’d put on fleshAnd leave His place

now and I am grateful. But they are the prayers of many around the corner and around the world this Christmas. Be-fore we rush out to get kids who want everything things they don’t need and adults who have everything things they don’t want, let’s remember those cry-ing out for the necessities of life: clean water to drink, food to eat, preventable diseases prevented and the hope that comes only through Christ.

We are going to offer several opportu-nities to give during this holiday sea-son and I ask those of us who have been generously blessed to show our gratitude toward God by generously blessing others.

From ages allThe lost were foundWhen God’s one SonTo earth came down

From ages allHis love profoundHe saved mankindBy coming down

HE CAME DOWN

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

At the first of this year, I outlined an agenda for Christ Church in 2010. I want to let you know how we are doing.

Here were the “planks” of our 2010 “plat-form.”

1. Open the new Nursery: Creation Corner opened to rave reviews and a good deal of local press coverage on Sunday, March 28. The impact of this incredible facility has exceeded our most optimistic expectations!

2. Rethink Easter: It occurred to me that we essentially take four Sundays a year to celebrate Christmas and only one to celebrate Easter. This year we spent four Sundays creatively exploring the Palms, the Passover and the Passion followed by four Easter services on April

4. Our Easter attendance of 2,282 set a new all-time record and was a powerful encounter with God.

3. Get Green: We are now a huge physical plant that consumes significant resources. It was time to think “Christ Church Green.” Paper recycling recep-tacles were placed on the grounds this spring; the office is recycling and the Trustees are working hard to reduce the size of our carbon footprint.

4. Get More Involved Around the Cor-ner: Increasing our homeless ministries, 16,000 items collected for the Food Pan-try, 250 bicycles collected for inner city children, 300 filled back-to-school back-packs for children in East St. Louis and a family local missions day highlighted our

Rev. Shane Named 2010 Distinguished Evangelist

Rev. Shane Bishop has been named The 2010 Distinguished Evangelist of the United Methodist Church by the Foundation for Evangelism. Founda-tion Director Jack Ewing will travel to Fairview Heights to personally present the award in front of the Christ Church

congregation on November 21 during both morning worship services. The Distinguished Evangelist of the United Methodist Church Award is presented annually to an individual whose per-sonal ministry in evangelism has been recognized throughout the United Methodist denomination. Rev. Shane commented, “This is an incredible hon-

or that I did not see coming. It will put Christ Church in a wonderful position to impact our denomination for Christ.” Former recipients include Adam Ham-ilton, Mike Slaughter and Kirby John Caldwell. The Foundation for Evange-lism is an affiliate of the General Board of Discipleship of The United Method-ist Church.

“around the corner” outreaches in 2010. Our Student Ministry is being honored this fall by the City of Fairview Heights for their service to the community. Our softball teams are out in the region shar-ing the good news of Christ and new ministries are popping up everywhere!

5. Add a Third Worship Service: On September 12 we introduced a 6:00 p.m. evening worship service that is an exact replica of our 8:30 a.m. service. With a full team of security, greeters, welcom-ers, ushers, nursery volunteers, Café staff and 100 pioneers having agreed to provide critical mass for our first year, we were ready to launch! Response to this has been nothing short of phenomenal! As of this writing, the service has aver-aged over 375 per week with an explod-ing AWANA ministry for children running concurrently.

Every one of these “planks” required an army of staff and volunteers. To those of you who give of your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness so generously, I offer my deepest thanks!

And That’s the World…as I see it

The WorldAs I See It

by: Rev. Shane Bishop

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Sometimes it is really hard to believe in the arrival of anything new. The

birth of Jesus, all the prophecy and all the praise surrounding the Child seems too good, too wonderful for us. It seems too good to be true. Like everyone who gathered around the Christ Child, we, too, insist on some verification. Even at Christmas time, we may take on the mentality of wanting something fully explained. But what we quickly realize is that Jesus is not fully explained. “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

The Christmas season keeps us hopping. Weeks away from

Christmas, we tend to hunt for bargains as we gather up gifts to be ready when Christmas gets here. But the closer we get to Christmas, I believe we think less about bargains and turn our attention to a baby born in Bethlehem: Jesus. As we turn our attention once again to Bethlehem, there is mystery around the manger. Everything isn’t easily explained. There is simply awe – “When the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.” (Galatians 4:4)

Psalm 8 echoes – “O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills all

the earth! Your glory is higher than

the heavens. You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your hands – the moon and the stars you have set in place- what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?”

With joy and awe, Jesus comes into our lives once again through the

arrival of Christmas. Over time, Jesus will be known as our Shepherd. He will care for us and lead us. Jesus will sacrifice and He will turn the values and the workings of the first century world upside down. He will call people to live in a different way. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. It is markedly personal. He knows us by name. He is fully committed to us. He will guide us, giving us second chances, third chances, and more. Jesus gives compassion to the strong, the weak, and those who struggle. In the dark times of our lives when everyone seems to fail us, remember that God is with us in the form of Jesus Christ. The 23rd Psalm declares, “I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” God is with us – through all our lives, through the unimaginable. God gives us hope through Jesus Christ-- unending hope and comfort. In our search for comfort, comfort unfolds in two ways: We go to God or God comes

to us. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6)

The Lord cares for us. The Lord comforts us. And, the Lord leads us.

The Lord is all about care and leadership. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. I have everything I need. This Season we await the Return of Jesus. We are expecting Jesus. We await the return of the Shepherd in a manger in Bethlehem.

Christmas is the season for miracles. God can provide miracles as well as

amazement when it’s needed most. As we get closer and closer to Christmas, give God some space to work in your life – in your heart. In a season where miracles can happen, turn your eyes to Jesus – and take some questions with you: Does Jesus play a role in my life? Yes, He’s your Lord and Savior, He’s the Authority in your life and He’s the Forgiver of your sins, now: what else is Jesus to you? We are at the edge of Christmas. Join me this Christmas season in expecting Jesus! My invitation to you is to fill the void in your life – fill whatever emptiness you experience with Jesus. Aside from all the gifts we can put our hands on (I once received a Chia Pet from my brother), consider a gift that lasts: the wonder of finding Him – seeing Jesus in your life.

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

The Christmas season is basically here. By the time you read this,

we’ll still have most of November and Thanksgiving yet to happen, but for the most part the commercial world has its sights set on the holiday season. Almost every department and discount store has their Christmas decorations on display. (At Cracker Barrel they’ve had their trees up since Labor Day, if not before.) We are inundated with Christmas this and that. As Christians, we know what Christmas is really about – JESUS. But a song in this year’s Christmas musical has made me ask myself, “Is there any wonder?”

At Christ Church, more than any church I’ve ever attended, we do

Christmas well. Our decorating team does an amazing job each year. As for the worship team, we’ve been planning for Christmas since June. The Christ Church Choir began working on their music in September, as did the Kids for Christmas. The tech crew is already working on staging and lighting designs. Before the first note of Joy to the World is played, there will have already been months of preparation in order to make Christmas time at Christ Church something special – not just for us, but for the people who need to know Jesus and meet Him for the first time. While our intentions and hearts are in the right place, I do want us to take a moment and reflect on the wonder of Christmas.

Rev. Shane just finished his Before sermon series from Genesis.

During that series, we explored how God created a world for us where we

had a perfect relationship with Him. But we messed it up. Our sin separated us from God, and He was the only one who could bring us back. Now here is where the “wonder” part comes in for me:

John 1:1-3 (NLT)In the beginning the Word already ex-isted. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the begin-ning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.

From the very beginning, God had a plan to send His one and only Son,

Jesus Christ. Jesus, who was God from the beginning, knew full well what was in store for Him. He was there when His Father made the covenant with Abraham and all through the Old Testament until the time was right for Him to come to earth as a baby – the promised Messiah. Long before there was a cross or an empty tomb, God’s love for us was so immeasurable, that He planned to leave His throne in glory and come down to earth to be one of us - to live with us, and to die for us. That is the wonder of Christmas for me. The hymn writer says it best in a verse from The First Noel:

Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, Who

hath made heaven and earth of naught, And with His blood mankind hath bought. Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel!

December 5“The Joy of Christmas” with the Christ Church Band and Vocal Team leading us in contemporary remixes of Christ-mas Carols.

December 12“The Memories of Christmas” with the Kids for Christmas presenting “Aar-on, the Allergic Shepherd” and Christ Church Orchestra leading us in great Christmas Carol arrangements.

December 19“The Wonder of Christmas” with the Christ Church Choir, Orchestra, Band and Vocal Team presenting musi-cal worship experience entitled “God Coming Down.”

December 24 Christmas Eve Services – 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00 p.m. – all services are identi-cal and will feature a blend of musical styles from traditional to contemporary. Nursery will be provided at all services.

December 268:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. wor-ship services.

November 7Communion (all services).

November 14Rev. Shane concludes the Before sermon series.

November 21Distinguished Evangelist presentation, Christ Church Choir and Orchestra.

November 288:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. worship services.

November Worship Calendar

Christmas at Christ Church

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Events & AnnouncementsChrist Church

As Thanksgiving approaches, what better way to say thanks for all you have than by making a generous contribution to the Fairview Heights Food Pantry. Right now the Pantry shelves are nearly bare, and re-quests for help continue to increase. Any-thing you can do is much appreciated!

Staples such as flour, sugar, coffee, tea, ce-real, dried and canned pasta, rice, cooking oil, shortening, canned and dried beans, instant potatoes, canned vegetables (not corn or green beans), canned meats and fish, bottled fruit juice, boxed pudding and jello, pasta sauce, pickles, olives, catsup, mustard and mayonnaise are all needed. In addition, cleaning items, laundry soap and personal care items such as tooth-paste, deodorant and shampoo are in de-mand. Anything your family uses is just what the Pantry needs.

Please include the Pantry in your prayers and in your giving this holiday season. You will be richly blessed!!!

Mary Pierce

Fairview HeightsFoodPantry

Safety & SecurityMinistry

WANTED: A few men and women who would like to help keep our church safe and secure. The Safety and Security Min-istry is having a membership drive in No-vember and we’d like you to take a look at what we have to offer. Check out our table in the Coffee Café between services on Nov 7 and 14. We’ll have some of our members there to answer your questions. If serving God in this ministry interests you, please come to an introduction session on Nov 7 or 14 at 10:30 a.m. in the Safety and Security office.

For further information contact our director, Jim Hutchison, at 618.792.5902 or umcguardian@yahoo.com

Project Christmas CheerThe Nursing Home Ministry will continue its annual tradition of collecting Christmas gifts for the needy residents in our local nursing homes. We supported 13 nursing homes and more than 200 residents last year. We expect to support more this year since our congregation has been blessed with such wonderful growth. The enve-lopes will be ready for distribution on No-vember 21 and 28 at each of the Sunday services. Each envelope will contain the name of the nursing home, the residents name, suggested gift ideas and sizes. Please follow the enclosed instructions, wrap the gift and return it to the church no later than December 12. Volunteers will then distribute the gifts to the appropriate nursing homes.

Thank you for your caring spirit. This is one way Christ Church serves our commu-nity around the corner. God bless.

Jean Casey

First ThursdayEach month many in our congregation are fasting from midnight on Wednesday through noon on the First Thursday of the month. In Acts 14 Paul and Barnabas en-courage “believers to continue in their faith, reminding them that they must suffer hard-ships to enter the Kingdom of God.” The Bible goes on to say in Acts 14: 23b, “With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”

Just as Paul and Barnabas used prayer and fasting, we can use prayer and fast-ing to increase our trust in God. Dedicate your meal planning, preparation and eat-ing times to prayer for the Kingdom, our church, its leaders, and our congregation. Break your fast by stopping by the Sanctu-ary at 11:30 a.m. for a time of prayer fol-lowed by Communion at 12:00 p.m.

Do you have a family member or friend who serves in the US Armed Forces who will be deployed this Christmas? Would you like them to receive a care package from the Hearts for Heroes Ministry here at Christ Church? If so, please sign up at the Activity Center in Scripture Hall. Please give their name and address no later than Sunday, November 28.

If you have any questions or would like to help out in any way, please call Kathi White, Hearts for Heroes Coordinator, at 257.2538 or email at jkatec4@ymail.com

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Events & AnnouncementsChrist Church

Moms in TouchATTENTION ALL MOMS!!! Do you have a student at O’Fallon High School or one off in college? Here is an opportunity for you to become part of a group called Moms in Touch International. It is a group of moms who meet for 1 hour each week to pray for their children and the schools/campuses they attend. We know our children face much pressure at school and to “stand in the gap” through prayer is the best gift we can give them.

If you are interested in being part of our praying support groups, please contact Peggy Hutchison at hutchhaus@charter.net or 628.0746.

O’Fallon High School prayer time is Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and college age prayer time is Friday at 9:00 a.m.

Now on Facebook!Want to know what is happening at the church relating to health and wellness? In addition to all the usu-al forms of advertising, you can now check out The Parish Nurse Minis-try on Facebook. All of our presen-tations, up-to-date article links, and wellness information will be posted. If you have questions, please feel free to send them in.

As always, you can reach the Par-ish Nurse Office Monday-Friday at 277.4659 ext 1881.

Blood Pressure ChecksBlood pressures will occur as usual in November on the first Saturday and the 2nd & 4th Sundays. How-ever, in December they will only be done on Saturday, Dec 4 and Sun-day, Dec 12. In addition, your Par-ish Nurses are now checking blood pressures each Tuesday morning at the Fairview Heights Food Pan-try from 9-11 a.m.

Another Fall Rummage Sale and another annual Ham & Bean dinner are on the books. With the help and support of Christ Church, the UMW looks forward to 2011 as a terrific year for mission giving. Thanks to you all!!!

Our November general membership meet-ing will be Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 9:30 a.m. Our speaker will be a representative from Christian Home Care Services. We hope you can join us.

A blessed Thanksgiving to all.

Marge Oppedal, President

United Methodist Women

Creation Corner Ages 6 Weeks through Kindergarten

Children are welcomed in the classrooms 15 minutes prior to the start of each wor-ship service.

Nursing room available in Creation Corner with live audio feed of the worship service.

December 26: All Sunday School for 1st grade through adult is cancelled. AWANA and all adult Sunday evening classes are also cancelled. Creation Corner will be of-fering classes/childcare for ages 6 weeks through Kindergarten (8:30 a.m.,10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.)

January 2, 2011: Sunday School for ages 6 weeks through adult will meet at both 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday eve-ning adult classes will meet but AWANA is cancelled. Childcare will be available at Creation Corner in the evening for ages 6 weeks through Kindergarten.

Rachel FrazureDirector of Children’s Ministry277.4659, ext. 1877rachel@connectingwithchrist.com

K i d s F o r C h r i s t

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Praise God and thank you Christ Church! The Sight Ministries

glasses collection totaled 638 complete pairs of glasses. Your glasses will start being used on Sight Ministries trips worldwide this fall. Some of them will be used for the planned trip next fall with Feed My Sheep Ministries.

Please stop to think a minute what a huge gift this is to

people in developing nations. Think of yourself or a family member with a significant glasses prescription. How could you function without them? This is the gift you have given.

When I was in Kenya an elderly woman walked an entire

day leading her “blind” 15-year-old granddaughter to bring her to our clinic. They were sleeping at the front gate when we arrived in the morning, as were hundreds of others. While they all patiently waited their turns with a doctor, local pastors were sharing the Word of God with them and leading them in praise songs. I had the opportunity to examine the “blind” girl. She was significantly nearsighted and could not see more than a couple of inches past her face. When we gave her glasses and she could see her grandmother across the room,

they saw it as a miracle. In America we take science for granted. To them we had given her the ability to lead a normal life. And we had the chance to give all the glory to God before them.

Sight Ministries is the perfect mission for me as a practicing

optometrist. I can imagine nothing better than bringing people who do not have access to eye care the gift of physical sight while at the same time

others in our group are bringing them the gift of spiritual sight through Jesus Christ. We will be looking for others to join our trip next year, with or without optical experience. And one of the glasses receptacles is in the missions room, if you still have glasses to donate.

Again, thank you, Christ Church!

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Lives touched. Hearts changed. That’s what is happening in Winter Patrol!

But just whose life and hearts were changed? The answer might surprise you...it was ours!

Every time we go out to serve, we al-ways start the night thinking we are go-ing out to serve others. But something strange happens almost every time…we each discover that while serving, Christ starts to move within our own hearts, and we all return home receiv-ing so much more than we were ever able to give. This year, as we sought to serve others, our lives were forev-er transformed...we will never be the same, we will never look at the world through the same eyes again.

Watching the people of Christ Church grow in their own spirituality because of this ministry has been, by far, one of the most exciting things I have ever been privileged to witness firsthand. We think we are going out to serve others, but what really happens is that we are the ones who are served. Christ moves in the hearts of those who serve in this ministry in a way that cannot be explained...only witnessed.

Thank you, Christ Church, for your continued generosity. Because of you, we are able to hand out much needed items on each and every trip. Every Bible, coat, hat, blanket, pair of socks, food or personal hygiene item that is donated gets personally hand delivered into the hands of real live people -- just like the ones our team have come to know and love.

Winter Patrol Needs Your Help!!!

The weather is getting cooler and we are getting ready to hit our peak sea-son for ministry. We desperately need the following items:

Blankets

Coats (L, XL, XXL,)

Heavy Socks

Sweatshirts (L, XL, XXL )

Hats/Gloves/Scarves

Hygiene items

Please make sure the clothing is new or like new (no holes, tears, or stains). Place all items in the donation bin marked WINTER PATROL in the Mis-sions Room.

Hello Parents,

As a new parent, I often have trouble leaving my daughter with new people (or with anyone who isn’t me). I have listed a few reasons here that I chose to place my child, Kailin, in the nursery.

Parents are welcome at any time in any classroom, especially the first few times that you bring your child to the nursery.

The nursery staff is CPR/First Aid/AED trained and certified.

Placing your child in the nursery allows parents a chance to focus on worship. It also allows children a more engaging experience since the entire curriculum is age specific.

Children start learning about fellow-ship and building a sense of commu-nity early.The mission of the staff is to “Connect Children with Jesus Christ” in a safe and fun environment.

According to the Bible, we should “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not de-part from it” (Proverbs 22:6). I invite all of the parents who are not utilizing the nursery to come and try us out!

Michele BarnesEarly Childhood Coordinator

WINTER PATROL

Real people...just like you and me…who are sleeping outside; real people who are overwhelmingly grateful for something as small as a toothbrush and toothpaste or a pair of socks to warm their feet.

Serve one another...by the strength that God supplies...in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. — 1 Peter 4:10-11

by Cheryl Shoffstall

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

by Larry Weber

The Fall Connection Classes for God Is Calling You have been well-received. Kudos to those of you who took advan-tage of the opportunity to grow in your discipleship. And a big thank you to all the teacher leaders for the classes.

Our Winter line up of classes will in-clude at least two offerings of the In-vitation Short Term Bible Study series. The Invitation Short Term Bible Study series is exactly like Disciple Bible Studies except they cover smaller seg-ments of the Bible for each series and are 8-11 weeks in length. They follow the same format of daily Bible reading and lesson questions that many of you are familiar with from when you were enrolled in Disciple I. The opportunity to take Disciple I , Disciple II, Disciple III or Disciple IV will occur again in the fall.

We will also have at least one Beth Moore study during the day and in the evening. The Authentic Manhood class will resume after the first of the year. Men’s accountability groups continue to meet on a weekly basis. If you are not a member of one, contact Craig Le-Quatte. Adult Sunday School classes continue to meet regularly. If you are not sure which one to join, check with the Activity Center or contact larry@connectingwithchrist.com for assis-tance.

We will also offer a Marriage class en-titled, Built to Last. These class ma-terials are written by Chip Ingram and feature interviews with Dave Ramsey and Kurt and Brenda Warner.

Watch for the new God Is Calling You brochure and information online com-ing soon. If you believe God Is Calling You to lead a class, contact Larry soon to discuss the possibility.

JESUS

Dear Christ Church,

On behalf of the Christian Activity Cen-ter, I want to tell you how much we ap-preciated the back packs and school supplies. Please convey our gratitude to everyone who collected the supplies, loaded up the packs, and the wonder-ful delivery crew! The Back-to-School event was held on Friday, August 6th. On that day, all the back packs were distributed, and a total of 750 children received school supplies, uniforms, shoes, socks and underwear. It is such a good thing to help families in need send their children back to school with the dignity of “new stuff.” Thank you for your partnership in this endeavor and your compassion for children!

Again, know that we are grateful. Please keep us in your prayers this year. Pray for the children who attend the CAC each day, our staff and volun-teers, and our community. May God richly bless your fellowship!

Sincerely,D. Chet CantrellExecutive Director

FilmJust wanted to keep you up to date on what’s going on here with me at the Je-sus Film. I will be going with two other team-members to record the children’s version of the Jesus Film in Russia; we will be working with/recording the local kids in the town.

Our specific region will be the Komi. The Komi area is just west of the Ural Mountains and just south of the Arctic Circle, so should be a good dose of cold after all the St. Louis and Orlando heat! We’re all very excited to go and see what God has planned for us and the Komi people. I really appreciate all your prayers and support and please continue to pray for us as we head far north with God’s good news!

God bless,Noah Burner

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Watch Us Grow!

Attendance

Baptisms

September Worship = 1348

Sep. Connection Classes = 446

Year Avg. Worship

Year Avg. Connection Classes

= 1345

= 386

General BudgetYTD Giving$1,353,916.11

YTD Expenses$1,347,444.06

Annual Budget1,680,054.00Finances

as of Oct. 24, 2010

Change The WorldGifts to Date$1,839,615.00

Pledge Goal to Date$1,987,532.88

Worship Opportunities:Saturday: 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

Sunday: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 6:00 PM

New MembersJulyFrank (Tad) Barncord IV Michelle Barncord

AugustPatricia L. Beckner Lisa L. Bird Blake Rodgers Jennifer Rodgers Gary Steffen Jenna Elizabeth (Kellogg) Showers William Showers Suzanne Gale Wurtz JoAnn Creson Forrest Stephen Creson Josh Kelley Tanya Kelley Josh Theodore Ferrell Sara Christine Ferrell John Luecking Lyndelle Luecking

SeptemberAllison Cugier Christopher David Cugier

JulyCameron Oliver Scher-Millan’ Peighton Elizabeth Cox Madeline Elizabeth Fiedler Jackson Daniel Schubert Ava Elizabeth Asunskis Calla Lee Barncord Frank Ellsworth Barncord V

AugustYeabsera Evelyn Tesema Rodgers Kaelen Rebecca Rodgers Landen Scott Stawarski Grace Leann Lirette

Members PassingMarion Diaz – July 19Donald L. Porter – August 11Mary Elizabeth Green – August 22Harold Bauer – August 30

MarriagesWilliam T. Showers & Jenna E. Kellogg Martin S. Mora & Carolyn J. Carmack Lindsay M. Hanson & Zachary D. Bisto

OctoberCarolyn Blair Kenneth Robert Krzyzewski Shannon Joy Peiffer Michael Adam Peiffer Emily Russell Justin McNutt Earline Todd Jewell Todd Cassie Weber Jonathan Weber Matthew Steely Norma “Jean” Harper Lindsay Steely Brent Alexander Kim Alexander Lynanne Keleher Brendan O’Donnell Heather O’Donnell Becky Dortch Jerry Dortch David L. Merrill Rebecca A. Merrill Bruce Shurtleff Sarah Shurtleff Richard A. Parker Wendy S. Parker

SeptemberChristopher David CugierJaidyn Cali Cugier Hannah Jeanette Cook

OctoberJohnathan Donald Gross Justin McNutt Luke Owen Bell Alexander Edward Folkerts Alayna Grace Menard

www.mychristchurch.com NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

I always thought no one had seen the face of God. However, that isn’t true.

According to numerous references throughout the Bible, many had seen the face of God. In the Old Testament alone, the amount is amazing - 83 according to my count! For example: In Genesis 12:7, the LORD appeared before Abraham to make him the “land promise.” In Genesis 26:2 & 24, the LORD appears before Isaac. In Exodus 33:18-23, God permits Moses to see His “back” because it would be too much for Him to see His “face.” In Genesis 28:13, Jacob has a vision of God in a dream. In Exodus 24:9-11, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 of the elders of Israel saw God. In 1 Kings 3:5, the LORD appeared before Solomon in a dream. In 1 Kings 22:19, the prophet Micaiah saw God sitting on His throne. In Job 42:5, Job says that he “sees” God. (I believe this to be “the workings of God” rather than God Himself.) In Daniel 7:9, in a vision, Daniel saw the Ancient of Days seated on His throne. In Amos 9:1, Amos saw the Lord standing by the altar and spoke to Him. In Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah says that he saw God “sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.”

Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to see the Creator face-to-

face, to sit and have a conversation with Him? Just imagine the questions you would have for Him.

When I was a young child, my family had a clubhouse in southeast

Missouri. My father loved to fish, so every single weekend in the summer we went to the clubhouse, a beautiful

40-acre lake fed by 32 springs. There was a path by the spillway we had to cross to get to our clubhouse. (We were across the lake, because no one else had children.) Below the spillway were rocks and a waterfall. I would walk the path to the bottom and sit with my cane fishing pole, some grasshoppers, and feed the bluegill. I don’t think I ever caught a fish big enough to keep, but I certainly kept them well-fed. My brother and I would joke if you put in your bait and counted to ten, you either had a fish or no bait! (It was the truth.) At that young age, I thought that it was as near to Heaven and seeing God as I would get. I have changed my mind.

My travels have taken me on a road trip through Germany with a friend

who couldn’t read maps. We took turns driving the rental car. We would get lost when I drove because she didn’t understand the maps written in German. Our rental car logged 3,807 miles, 807 of which we were lost! We went across the same border between Switzerland and Germany twice. (I still don’t know how that happened.) However, we also saw mountains God had created, and realized the face of God was there also.

Paraguay holds a special place in my heart. I have so many friends down

there, some from the United States, some Brazilian, and some Paraguayan. The face of God is there, too. The families are poor in money, but the love they feel for Christ is overflowing. The first time I was there, the prayer in the service was nothing I had ever witnessed. My closest description of it

is to imagine you are in a garage with 50 of your closest friends, and you are all praying out loud at the same time. Each person thought if their prayer was just a little louder, surely God would hear it. It has taken me a long time to be able to pray out loud, and I thank God for that. However, during those days in Paraguay, I was almost overwhelmed by the voices. On the border of Paraguay and Brazil is Iguazu Falls, a series of 275 waterfalls. The final one is an enormous waterfall called the “Devil’s Throat”; God’s face was there also.

His face was in Israel, along the Sea of Galilee and the hills where Jesus

divided the loaves and fishes while preaching. It was at the Tomb of Lazarus where Jesus commanded Lazarus to “Come forth.” There are so many things associated with Jesus in Israel, you yearn to stay longer and experience more.

God is everywhere. He created us, and the best gift of all was sending

His Son, Jesus Christ, down to earth to be with us. God knows our every thought, need and prayer before we even ask Him. God came down. He sent His Son, “And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.” So we have seen God’s face, too. It is all around us, every day. God came down, He sent His Son, and we are so blessed for it.