CCUMC March Magazine 2010

A Magazine of Christ Community United Methodist Church

CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

On the web at: ChristCommunityUMC.com Volume 8, Issue 2

Christ Community Staff Pastor: Rev. Dr. B.J. Norrix 457-9382 (church) 345-5604 (cell) [email protected]* Church Secretary: Dona Dalton 457-9382 (church) Director of Christian

Education : Julie Valeski 457-9382 (church) [email protected]* Pastoral Care: Pastor Linda Prell 457-9382 [email protected] Music Director: Phill Sterling 638-4956 (home) [email protected]* Associate Music Director: Denise Weeks-Bush 635-7175 (home) [email protected]* Director of Communications: Heather Claver 468-6811 (home) [email protected]* * All email addresses are @ChristCommunityUMC.com

STEWARDSHIP is our theme for most of Lent at Christ Community and leads up to Consecration Sunday on March 21. Stewardship is a Biblical principle that recognizes that all that I have and all that I am and all that I hope to be is a gift from God. God expects us to faithfully and properly utilize the gifts he pours into our lives. God calls us to be good stewards of the earth he gave us. God calls us to be good stewards of the talents and abilities he has given us. God calls us to be good stewards of the relationships in our lives. God calls us to be good stewards of all the resources he pours into our lives. Stewardship is more than how we use our money it is about how we live faithful lives.

I will be preaching a series on Stewardship beginning February 28. The sermons are titled: • February 28: “Benefits of

Lifestyle Stewardship”; • March 7: “Poverty or

Prosperity: which is Biblically correct?”

• March 14: “If God owns it all what am I doing with it?”; and,

• March 21: “One plus One Equals . . .?”

Money, Sex and Power are the primary i d o l s o f A m e r i c a n culture. I get very excited a b o u t p r e a c h i n g about stewardship because it is an opportunity to take on (and take down) one of the most paralyzing and destructive idols of our time. We even call it the “Almighty Dollar!” In the four part series on Stewardship I will be addressing why having this aspect of our lives under control (those lifestyle issues) frees us from the control money has over many of our lives. I will be addressing how

March-April 2010

Christ Community United Methodist Church 3474 Stiles Road Syracuse, NY 13209 (315) 457-9382 ChristCommunityUMC.com Sunday Worship 9:00 &10:45 am, 6:30 pm Sunday School 9:00 & 10:45 am

Stewardship A message from Rev. Dr. B. J. Norrix, Senior Pastor

there is a lot of false teaching about poverty and prosperity i n t h e A m e r i c a n church and h o w t h e question of

poor or rich is biblically irrelevant. What matters is the question: are you being a good steward of what God has placed in your life? We will see that the power of regular d i s c i p l i n e d g i v i n g amounts to the ability to make an enormous difference in this world for Jesus Christ.

I look forward to our time of teaching and preaching in the weeks ahead.

CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 2

W e are holding our first ever coffee house, right here at Christ Community! On Friday night, March 19, at 6:30, the doors will open. Our first act: National Comic Act Brad Todd will be bringing clean, Christian humor to our sanctuary as our headliner! Between Brad Todd and his opening act, along with our emcee, the lovely Betty Kline, we have put together some fabulous entertainment for you and your family to enjoy. The Dominican Republic group has been assembling tables that attach right to the sanctuary chairs (Curious? You should be!) so the inside of the sanctuary will be transformed into a comfortable, family-friendly Christian environment, to just bring your friends and relax. Enjoy a fun evening out with laughter and fellowship. We will be charging $10 presale or $12 at the door, to raise money for the Dominican Republic Mission Trip. Children under 12 are free; childcare will be provided. Your coffee, tea, soda, juice or water is included in your ticket price, as is your cake, cookies, and whatever other goodies our fabulous bakers come up with. We look forward to seeing you for “warm coffee and warm fellowship.” See you on the 19th! Comedian Brad Todd

Check out Brad Todd's website: www.bradtoddcomedy.com. A top-flight writer with a knack to think on his feet, Brad Todd has been making people smile, laugh, snort and applaud for years. His ability to take the many things that happen in everyday life, and see the funny in them leaves audiences saying things like Its funny because its true. He's really not all there, but its true. Always unconventional, while many of America's comics started out performing in comedy clubs, Brad would go to Karaoke nights, poetry slams, music open mics and crash the party. After the initial brief surprise, audiences came to know Brad and look forward to his comedy as a welcome break. Brad moved quickly through the ranks to perform in some of America's most respected Comedy Clubs including Catch A Rising Star, Bananas, and New York's famed Gotham Comedy Club. With a wife and three kids, Brad happily gets out of the house for nearly 100 dates every year in front of comedy clubs, restaurants, churches, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and anywhere else that will have him.


Are you dreading getting your gardens ready for Spring? Do you need someone to clean the attic and bring down those boxes?

Can't find someone to watch the little ones so you can run errands or go to a movie? Then you are in luck because the hard working Senior High Youth are here for you.

PUT OUR YOUTH TO WORK FOR A GREAT CAUSE. To raise funds for this year's youth mission trip to the Dominican Republic they are willing and eager to work. Our talented teens will be available to help with housecleaning, packing, moving, cooking, yard-work, babysitting and many other jobs. If you need help let us know and we will find a few or a team to help. To get more information look for the work information table between services or contact Tim Cadwell at (315) 247-3755 or email at [email protected]. To support the Christ Community United Methodist Church Youth Group Mission Trip send your check to: CCUMC, 3474 Stiles Road, Syracuse, NY 13209 (Please put D.R. Mission Trip on the memo line.) To donate online and for more information on Orphanage Outreach visit our website: www.ChristCommunityUMC.com

Ron Jones has graciously offered to the Senor High Youth Group and the Dominican Republic Mission Team the proceeds of all maple syrup that we can produce and sell. We are in the first phase of the project, which so far has involved: removing taps and couplers from old sap tubing and reassembling it into usable tubing; and taking the tubing and taps out into the woods, attaching the taps to the trees, connecting the taps to tubing (several trees are connected to form a "sap line" which is then connected into the main line which delivers sap to a holding tank. These photos show: several of the team members working with Chris to get the tubing connected to the taps: the tubing before it is in place; and the tubing after it is in place. We will continue to work on this project through the tapping, collection, boiling, bottling, and selling process. Look for more information as the work progresses.

Youth Group Given Sweet Fundraising Opportunity! Anita Brittain

Senior High Youth Group Will Work for Donations

Amy Eastwood & Jon Cadwell running tubing Aubrey Dibble, Chris (expert) & Josh Cadwell


Thank you to all of you who have supported this ministry! Thanks to you, we have sold about half of the fundraising discount cards for Fill the Ark! We still have more, so ask y o u r f r i e n d s a n d neighbors!

Sunday School is always in need of cookies and juice, so don’t be shy! Even if it’s not the week that you signed up for, you can always bring it in! The kids really appreciate it!

W e h a v e s o m e upcoming events that I want to draw your attention to: • On March 13, we will be hosting

a National Ministry Seminar called Walk Thru the Bible Old Testament. Adults and children in Grade 3 and up are encouraged to participate. It is from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and there will be a lunch offered for $5. Child care is also provided. This seminar will teach your children not to be afraid of the Bible and to know all of the important people, places and events in Christian History. I encourage you to attend this seminar as a family to open up communication and worship at home! The cost of this seminar is only $17 per person and is well worth every penny! If you have any questions about this event, please see me!

• Sunday, March 14, is when we will be celebrating Scout Sunday. I encourage all scouts, and those involved in scouting at any level, to wear your uniform to church!

• Saturday, March 27, the Sunday School will be hosting a pancake breakfast with the Easter

Hello from Children & Youth Ministries Julie Valeski, Director of Christian Education

Bunny. This event will be from 9:00 am to Noon and costs just $5 (kids under 5 are free). Come have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny, have breakfast. Proceeds go to help Fill the Ark! Holy Week is fast approaching! There are four services that are planned for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and b o t h E a s t e r

morning worship times. Adults and children are welcome to become involved and have a part in this wonderful event. This would be a great way for our kids to experience firsthand the Amazing Story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. See Betty Kline if you are interested. All Sunday School classes will be participating in the Good Friday “Stations of the Cross” service by making the poster-boards for the Stations of the Cross. Come travel with your family!

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be on Saturday, April 3rd at 11:00

am. This event is for children in 6th grade and younger. The Social Committee will be leaving empty eggs to fill under the Sunday School table in Fellowship Hall. Please take as many eggs as you can and fill them with small toys and candy (some people last year even used spare change!). All eggs need to be filled and returned by Sunday, March 28th.

There will be no regular Sunday School on Sunday, April 4, which is Easter Sunday. There will, however, be activities for children at both morning services in a one room schoolhouse setting. If you would be willing to help with these activities at either service, please see me or a coordinator!

Sunday, April 18th, is movie and pajama Sunday for Sunday School classes. Don’t forget to bring your favorite stuffed animal!

Sunday, April 25th, is our Teachers and Youth Workers’ Appreciation Brunch. More details to follow on how you can sponsor a Sunday School worker!

As always, thank you to everyone for their continued support of our ministry. The prayers, donations and love have been a blessing! I love all of you and am truly blessed to be a part of this church family!

Julie with her Bean Dip at Game and Movie Night.

Her recipe is in the Fill the Ark Cookbook.

Hearty Lentil Sausage Soup From Tiffany Rozzelle 1 lb spicy hot sausage 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced Brown in a large pot and add: 2 cups lentils 1 Tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. marjoram 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 1 quarts water Simmer 30 minutes, or longer until lentils are tender.

Tiffany at Game & Movie Night


Children’s Ministry Team

♥ Julie Valeski: 635-9516, [email protected]

♥ Susan Rayo: 635-8937, [email protected]

♥ Karen Woodside: 857-1818

♥ Marsha Dillon: 487-0923, [email protected]

♥ Laurel Frega: 218-7128, [email protected]

♥ Amy Tyler: 706-5664

Pancake Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

Fundraiser

March 27, 2010 9:00-Noon

$5.00 (kids under 5 free)

All kids get a free picture with the Easter Bunny!

Supercuts Auntie Anne’s Pizza Hut Mark’s Pizzeria Thunderbird Lanes Burger King The Fun Warehouse Friendly KFC

Moe’s Tassone’s Valvoline Taco Bell Sbarro’s Family Video Quaker Steak & Lube Litter Caesar’s

Participating Merchants:

2010 Children’s Ministries Activities Breakfast w/the Easter Bunny March 27 9-Noon

Easter Egg Hunt April 3 11am.

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL: EASTER, April 4

SS PJ’s & Movie Sunday April 18

SS Teacher & Worker Brunch April 25

Family Bowling May 15 2-4 pm.

Congregation Appreciation May 2

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL May 30

Confirmation Sunday June 6 9am.

Education Celebration June 13

Vacation Bible School August 15-19 6-8:30pm “EGYPT”

See Julie Valeski or one of the Sunday School Coordinators

for more information on any of these events.

On-Going Bottle and Can Drive!

It’s easier than ever to donate to the CCUMC Mission Team! Bring your returnables to the B’ville

Bottle Return at the P&C strip-mall or J's Bottle and Can in Lakeland on State Fair Blvd and tell them you want your deposit to go to Christ

Community Mission Team. THANK YOU!

CCUMC Classifieds*

House Cleaning Services We can all use a little extra help

around the house! Call Amy Tyler 706-5664 for details.

References available.

*To place your free classified ad in the Christ Community Close-Up email:

[email protected]

CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 2 PAGE 6 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 2

have been participating in our Confronting the Controversies class. On March 4th, we will be discussing Prayer in Public Schools and our April class will be moved to the second Thursday, which is the 8th, due to Holy Thursday service on the 1st. Classes are from 6:30-8:30pm and childcare is provided.

March 13th is our Walk Thru the Bible Old Testament seminar from 9am-4pm. There is still room if you haven’t yet signed up. The cost is $17. Money is due by Sunday,

Christian Education Julie Valeski, Director of Christian Education

This winter was (and still is!) a busy and exciting time! Thanks for all of the encouragement, words, and prayers of support! Thank you to all of you! As we enter into the season of Lent and Holy Week, I would urge ALL of us to remember why we are Christians! Because we have faith in God and believe that Jesus is our Savior!

I want to thank the people who have been joining me every Wednesday evening to view Rob Bell’s NOOMA DVD series. It has been enlightening on both a spiritual and personal level as we share our thoughts and our feelings of God’s word to us and in us. NOOMA will return to its regular time of 7:00 pm on Wednesdays starting March 10th. Childcare is now provided at WOW services and for NOOMA class.

Thank you also to all of you who

March 7th to myself or Heather. There will be a lunch available for purchase for $5. Please let me or Heather know if you would like a lunch. Child care is also provided the day of the seminar. For more information, please see me or Heather.

Our Holy Thursday service will be a candlelight tenebrae service where we will recreate the emotional aspects of the passion story. Please come and reflect on what Jesus did for us. For Holy Friday service, we will be walking the stations of the cross in groups. Please come and experience this powerful journey together! Then join us on Easter Sunday at any of our morning worship services to praise and rejoice in HIS resurrection!

Be on the lookout to “Rock the Routine” on Sunday, May 16th! More details to come!

Happy Christ Days to all of YOU! Peace and Love, Julie Valeski

9:00 AM Sonrise Choir Anthems presented in the early part of each morning service, so those that work with Sunday school can participate as well. If you can sing at either or both services, that'll be great! Contact P h i l l S t e r l i n g a t [email protected] if you'd like to be included this season. 10:45 AM Praise Choir Our praise choir rehearses the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome! Contact Denise Weeks-Bush for more details. Cloverleaf Children’s Choir Sing Praise to the Lord! With the Children's Choir. All kids are welcome to join us!

Musical Notes Inspired Expressions Dance Team Our Dance Team practices on Thursdays at 6:30 pm. New members of all ages welcome. See Chris Haskins or Lynnie Janson for more information.

Drama Team DRAMA TEAM is open to anyone who likes to have fun and praise God through drama. We’re looking for actors, writers, and behind the scenes people. All ages welcome! See Betty Kline or Joe Frega for more information.


Christ Community Close-Up This magazine is a publication of Christ Community United Methodist Church.

Do you like to write? We need: Features on our many projects, ministries and missions; columns on a variety of topics; inspirational stories; poems; and short stories;

FREE Classifieds for goods and services.

Also, send photos from in and around church.

Give your submissions to Heather Claver or email her at: [email protected].

PAGE 7 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 2

Friday, March 12, 2010, 7:15pm-8:30pm Christ Community Fellowship Hall

Special Guest Speaker – Frieda Weeks

President of the Hope for Heather Foundation

Women of all ages should consider coming to hear Frieda tell us about the Hope for Heather Foundation’s goal of raising awareness about Ovarian Cancer.

• ALL WOMEN ARE AT RISK OF OVARIAN CANCER • 1 in 70 women develop the disease over their lifetime

• Risk increases with age. Ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40. Most ovarian cancers develop after menopause. Half of all ovarian cancers are found

in women over the age of 63.

Desserts and coffee will be served. Childcare available. Sign-up Sheets are on the table in Fellowship Hall.

Looking for a Small Group or Bible Study?

Monday 7:00 PM Bible Study at Church with Pastor BJ 7:00 PM Couples Group at the Suddabys

Wednesday 11:00 AM Brown Bag Bible Study at Church with Pastor BJ 5:30 - 9:00 PM Worship On Wednesday (W.O.W) 5:30 Dinner, 6:00 Worship 7:00 Classes and Small Groups

Friday 10:00 AM Bible Study with Shelly Peters at Carousel Mall (by H&M 2nd Fl)

First Thursday of the Month: 7:00 PM, Confronting the Controversies

Saturday 8:00 AM Men's Bible Study


The center of the Christian story is an event that happened over an eight day span about 1,980 years ago. It cannot be understated or underemphasized that these events were not invented in someone’s head but happened in a real place (Jerusalem) to real people and that they happened in real time. The eight day span is the week we call “Holy Week”.

Palm Sunday (March 28) is the beginning of the end that leads to a new beginning (did you get all of that?). Jesus and his entourage (12 Apostles, many women, and many more disciples) have made the 70 mile walk from the Sea of Galilee in the north, down the Syrian rift, along the lower Jordan River, through the city of Jericho and up to Jerusalem. On this Sunday, Jesus climbs to the top of the Mount of Olives. At the top of Olivet the entire city of Jerusalem is at your feet. From Olivet He can see across the Kedron Valley to the gleaming temple on Mount Moria and the hustle and bustle in the temple court yard. Jesus mounts a donkey, and begins the journey down the Mount of Olives. His Disciples remove their cloaks and cut branches from the fields and make a cloth and branch “red carpet” for the donkey to walk on. The noise begins with shouts of “Hosanna” (meaning save us) and songs and psalms of joy (probably psalms of ascents that were song as pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem for the festivals). The crowd winds its way down the Mount of Olives and passes the ancient Jewish cemetery on the western slope of the Mount of Olives down into the Kedron Valley and up through the gate called Golden. The noise and parade draws a crowd, and many in the crowd join in the songs,

Lent and Easter—A Story about REAL People and REAL Events Rev. Dr. B.J. Norrix

psalms and shouts of “Hosanna!” The religious leaders tell Jesus to stop the noise and Jesus responds “if these didn’t shout the very rocks would cry out.” In another place Jesus weeps over Jerusalem saying “she failed to recognize the day of redemption when it arrived.”

Jesus returns to Bethany (about a 45 minute walk from the Temple) for the night (and makes this journey daily until Thursday). Daily in the Temple courts there is teaching and confrontation. Sunday becomes Monday becomes Tuesday. One of Jesus companions and an Apostle named Judas son of Iscariot loses patience for Jesus and (here it is difficult to tell what his motives are—is he only interested in money? Is he trying to force Jesus to do something? Is he expecting some other kind of response?. Judas goes to the religious leaders and sells Jesus out for the price of a common slave, thirty pieces of silver.

Thursday, Jesus and the entourage meet in a furnished upper room of a public house and there they eat together the highly symbolic Seder Meal that recalls and, to some degree, reenacts the

plagues and deliverance of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Jesus breaks bread and shares the cup and transforms these items from a memory of being delivered from slavery in Egypt to being delivered from bondage to religion and sin. Jesus demonstrates servant-hood. Jesus teaches them and (according to John’s gospel, spends 4 chapters [13-17] doing so) with his final words and teaching.

Late Thursday (early Friday) Jesus is arrested and, in a mock trial before the religious leaders, is judged, condemned and verbally and physically abused. He is put in a holding cell until morning. Early Friday the leaders take him to the Roman governor and man named Pontius Pilate. Who, though he seems to not want to condemn Jesus, nonetheless condemns Jesus and orders him crucified as an insurrectionist. The charge of insurrection is made clear by the mocking sign Pilate has put on the cross: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.

The crucifixion is brutal and horrible. They all were. They hang Jesus up on the cross about Noon on Friday. He hangs for three hours and then surrenders his life saying: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” There is some confusion about what happens next. One reports a great storm, another reports an earthquake. There are reports of dark skies, high winds and an incident with the curtain in the Temple. There are reports of dead people being seen and people making astonishing discoveries about who this Jesus person really was (is) and what it all might mean.

Jesus is taken down, and because of the generosity of a rich man named Joseph, Jesus body is washed, wrapped in perfumed

Continued on Page 9


Easter, continued from Page 8 cloths and laid in a brand new

tomb. They roll a stone in front of the tomb and go home to rest (as was commanded) on the Sabbath. Friday afternoon becomes F r i d a y n i g h t ; F r i d a y n i g h t becomes Saturday morning; Saturday passes on into Saturday night; and Saturday night marches on to Sunday morning.

The details of Sunday morning’s event are somewhat f ragmented . Some repor t lightening, another reports and angel descending from heaven, another source reports another earthquake—regardless of the

external details there is one central unanimous fact: the tomb is empty on Sunday morning. This is the report of the guards, it is the

report of the religious authorities, and it is the report of Jesus followers, friends and disciples. Moreover, it was been reported that Jesus was seen by Mary, by Peter, by the 11 remaining disciples, by 500 believers at once . . . Why does this story matter? If it didn’t h a p p e n t h e n Christianity is a sham. All Christian teaching is

predicated on this core event: that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died and was buried and on the third day he rose again from the dead. Either he did

or he didn’t. There are many who try to prove this event never happened.

There are many convincing proofs that it did. I will offer only one: In March of 1973 I met Jesus of Nazareth. No, this wasn’t like seeing Elvis working in a Burger King in K a l a m a z o o . W h e n I surrendered my life to Jesus I wasn’t surrendering to a myth, to a legend, to some critical character from history. When I surrendered my life to Jesus I was surrendering to a real, live, present being whose love in that one encounter changed my life for ever. As I said, you may want or have other proofs (and there are many). But this is my witness: Jesus is alive, he can be known, and knowing him changes everything!

Her name is Ruth Beers, or as the “mean” kids would call her—Root Beers.

Ruth was born 1n 1904 on a farm in an area called Quaker Settlement in rural New Jersey. Her father was a dairy farmer, and they lived in a big old house with two staircases. The front stairs led to the family’s bedrooms, and the back stairs were the access to the dormitory style sleeping quarters of the hired hands.

When Ruth was eight years old, her mother died, leaving four young children. As Ruth liked to say, “We were, 2, 4, 6 and 8.” With no woman at home to care for the two youngest, Ruth took them all to the one-room schoolhouse she attended in the Settlement. When the youngest got sleepy, she did her best to keep him awake. At her age she knew sleeping in school was bad manners. It must have been hard being an 8-year-old “mother” of three. That experience is bound to shake your character.

The one room schoolhouse turned out to be a training ground for Ruth. Her teacher saw her

My Hero Lois Peery

potential, allowed her to teach the younger children, and encouraged her father to allow her to attend high school in town. By this time Peterson Beers had remarried and could spare his oldest to live away from home.

At age 14, Ruth moved into the hotel in town. In exchange for her room and board, she worked in the kitchen in the morning before school and in the evening was a waitress in the dining room. A woman who was a frequent guest, took a liking to Ruth and learned about her background and that her dream was to go to college and become a teacher.

Ruth graduated from high school at age 16, and at the ceremony was awarded a scholarship from the local women’s club whose president was the benevolent diner. The award covered her tuition for 2 years.

Considering the times and circumstances, it is surprising her father allowed her to go to the city,

but he did. The college town was a wealthy community, and Ruth was hired as a live-in nanny. When she was not in class, she was responsible for two young children, again, in exchange for room and board. Ruth graduated from college at age 18, and with her newly won teaching credentials, was hired in a much

larger city in the shadow of Manhattan. After working there for two years, she and her two apartment mates took their savings and spend the summer driving a 1920 Packard to California and back, camping and sight-seeing through most of the national parks.

A teacher friend introduced Ruth to the man she married in 1931. The were married for 60 years and raised two children.

Thanks, Mom, for all the footprints you left around for me to walk in. You ARE my hero.

PAGE 10 VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 2 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

“Painted Red” A Candle-lit Catacombs-Style Service. Saturday, March 27, 2010, 6:00pm - 8:30pm

Led by Jennifer and Cory Fujimori, "Painted Red" is a candle-lit catacombs-style service blending both ancient and contemporary sounds and songs to create a multi-sensory worship experience. What does this mean? Times of spirit-led prayer and scripture reading as well as constant "soundscape" music and a time of sacred dance will be interwoven throughout the service. Communion will also be served. The songs will focus on Christ's death and the forgiveness and mercy we receive because of it. Lent is the perfect time for this event. Come and experience God in a new way. Pray, worship, or just watch. Bring your friends, and family, or come alone, but do come. We believe God is going to use this event to reach into the hearts and lives of all who attend. A dinner of fresh-baked bread and soups begins at 6:00, and the service will begin between 6:45-7pm. There is NO CHARGE for this event.

Ruth Beers King & Albert King


As the economy has been struggling so has Christ Community been recently struggling to pay our bills, and likewise, I have been struggling with the message I want to communicate as we approach the time that we ask you, the congregation, to make your annual giving estimates before we embark on our version of March Madness®—the annual budget process. So aside from my blatant copyright infringement there will be no more eloquent prose or humorous anecdotes this time around—just some serious heart to heart conversation.

In John 21:15-17, a familiar passage to most of us, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Each time Peter tells Jesus he loves Him and each time thereafter Jesus tells Peter to “feed my sheep.” What does this have to do with stewardship? Bear with me, I’ll get there.

I am currently serving on team for an upcoming Emmaus weekend which, for those who don’t know, is a three day cloistered period of worship, prayer, healing and fellowship for men (or women, on a separate weekend). During this weekend I will be giving a talk about leadership and what it means to be a Christian leader. In my talk I discuss this passage in John, where Jesus challenges Peter, that if he wants to be a leader for Christ then he must “put his money where his mouth is” or, in reality, put his actions where his heart is. Peter was using the word for love translated as phileo, meaning affection or brotherly love. Jesus, meanwhile, used the word translated as agape, meaning self-sacrificial love, when asking Peter if he loved Him.

Feed My Sheep Jesus was telling Peter that he could say he loved Him all he wanted but unless he made sacrifices for His people—His sheep—then those words rang hollow. I gave this talk during a preparatory weekend, and then began thinking that I needed to put my

money where my mouth was, put my actions where my heart was, and made a decision to do something, the details of which aren’t important here. The point of the story is that we are all called to be leaders for Christ in some fashion, to influence people by our actions to draw them toward Christ, and that servant-hood— “feed my sheep”—is a mandate to us all from Jesus.

Engaging in missions and ministries, and working on and contributing to fundraisers that support these activities is certainly “feed my sheep” servant-hood and is an area in which our congregation excels. However, “feed my sheep” servant-hood also means ensuring that the building is clean and sufficiently heated so people can worship without getting sick. “Feed my sheep” means providing safe child care, sound Christian education for children and adults, pastoral care for those physically and emotionally hurting, inspiring spiritual music, and a host of other services which are part of our ongoing operations (and budget)—all of which helps bring us, and hopefully all others who come through our doors or check us out on the internet, closer to Christ. All of this requires financial resources, resources that Jesus is asking you, rather requiring you, to use to feed His sheep.

Jesus does not want you to put your money where your mouth is, but rather where your heart is. Actually, He knows that your money is already where your heart is, so He is really asking you, “where is your heart” (“do you love me”), and then asking you to show Him (“feed my sheep”).

If you are supporting the ongoing operations of Christ Community through regular giving then you are feeding His sheep. If you give only to operations but don’t support special missions and ministries then you have decided that you’ll help feed some sheep but not others. Likewise, if you are giving to mission and ministry fundraisers but not giving regularly toward operations, then you have decided that you’ll help feed some sheep but not others. Jesus did not tell Peter to feed only the white sheep, or the black sheep, or the healthy sheep or the sick sheep—He said, “feed MY sheep”—so I ask you, which sheep do not belong to Jesus?

Remember, when asking Peter if he loved Him, Jesus used the word for agape or self-sacrificial love. There has to be sacrifice, otherwise we are only giving from what is left over after our “wants” are satisfied. Jesus did not tell Peter to feed His sheep when it was convenient or after he had everything he wanted. What is a sacrifice and what is a leftover is between you and God, but please know that God doesn’t want your leftovers, He wants your agape love and He wants you to feed His sheep (and not leftovers) and feeding His sheep does include faithfully supporting the ongoing operations of Christ Community so its missions and ministries can continue to make a difference here and throughout the world, changing the world for Jesus one person, or one sheep, at a time.

Baaa, Ken Prell, Finance Chair

Pastoral Care at CCUMC Pastor Linda Prell, Director of Pastoral Care

Cards of encouragement are sent to numerous folks each month. • Medical Liaison – This person supplies medical equipment such as shower chairs, walkers, canes, etc. to folks in need.

These teams are made up of many different people and I would like to say Thank You to each and every one of you who has stepped forward to assist in these valuable ministries of encouragement. Some of these ministries are still in need of a few more folks to help. I will continue to pray for God to direct me and I would ask for your prayers as we continue to journey together.

In the book of Romans 12: 7-8 Paul writes “if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” These verses give a good description of what it is we do in pastoral ministry. If you feel that God is calling you to serve Him in this type of ministry, please contact me. There may be a good chance that I have already been in prayer about approaching you!

May our Lord continue to bless you.

that! Ministry is not a solo act. I can’t do it alone, and I have been blessed to have wonderful people come along side of me.

I would like to let you know of the different pastoral care ministries that we have at our church: • F.I.S.H. – Friends in Service Here is a ministry that provides funeral luncheons and ready made meals to those in need. • Naomi’s Table – A ministry for widows as they journey together following the death of a spouse. • The CCUMC Prayer Chain – notifies our church family regularly of prayer needs. • The Communion Team – Takes the elements to our shut-ins and nursing home residents each month. • The Visitation Team – checks in on our shut-ins, nursing home residents, folks who are home recovering from surgery, and others who are in need of encouragement. • A new Greeting Card Ministry – this has just gotten off the ground.

It has been a very busy winter at CCUMC. The pastoral care ministry has been extremely busy for the past few months. It seems as though many of

our people have been going through a great deal. We have had numerous surgeries, illnesses, families in crisis, and the ongoing ministry of providing spiritual care for our shut-ins and nursing home residents. It could appear to be overwhelming, but with God at the center of all we do, it is obvious that He has been present through it all. He has provided all that has been needed in each and every situation.

The most valuable gift He has provided has been each of you. It is amazing how He works. I have been in the process of building some teams to aid in this wonderful ministry. God has placed certain people in my heart to approach and I find those same people approaching me first. How cool is

PAGE 12 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 2

To all of My Church Family,

Only a very caring family could share the amount of love you have shown us since my recent diagnosis with cancer. All of the prayers, visits, calls, and cards have done so much good, not only for me, but also for Karen, Laurel and Samantha. I happily sit here writing this with my new prayer shawl keeping me warm, inside and out, thank you so very much. I find this all to be just a bit overwhelming and at the same time very humbling and comforting. I look forward to a complete recovery and sharing the story with you all soon.

Thank You, we love you all, Joe Frega Joe, surrounded by cards and his shawl

CCUMC March Magazine 2010

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Transcript of CCUMC March Magazine 2010