A Magazine of Christ Community United Methodist Church

CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

On the web at: ChristCommunityUMC.com Volume 6, Issue 4

Christ Community Staff Pastor: Rev. Dr. B.J. Norrix 457-9382 (church) 345-5604 (cell) PastorBJ@CCUMC.com* Church Secretary: Dona Dalton 457-9382 (church) Director of Adult Ministries : Roger Parker 635-5266 (home) Roger@CCUMC.com* Director of Christian

Education : Julie Valeski 457-9382 (church) Julie@CCUMC.com* Pastoral Care: 457-9382 Music Director: Phill Sterling 638-4956 (home) Choir@CCUMC.com* Associate Music Director: Denise Weeks-Bush 635-7175 (home) GraceAlone@CCUMC.com* Ministry Assistant & Close-

Up Editor: Heather Claver 468-6811 (home) Heather@CCUMC.com* * All email addresses are @ChristCommunityUMC.com

One of the things I have noticed in my nearly 30 years of pastoral leadership is that things are constantly changing. The medical folks tell me my cells are replacing each other at an alarming rate—new skin every so many days, a new kidney every seven years—that kind of thing. Cells are made, they do their job, they die and are replaced and life goes on. This same level of change is happening all around us. People come into our lives and people exit our lives. Some of those who exit we stay in touch with, but others we lose track of and their role in our lives is replaced by others. The thought that we could ever stand still in this life is a dangerous illusion. Growing things are changing things; dieing things are changing things. It is the nature of life.

C.S. Lewis notes that because this is the nature of things we have born within us an inherent appreciation of change. We celebrate the changing seasons. The curious part is that even though we have seen the crocus every spring since our youth, that first crocus of spring is still new, novel, and wonderful. That is part of our appreciation – it happens every year and, yet, it is new every year.

I have found myself saying “we have had a lot of

transition” these past few years. But the truth is we have been in a state of transition since the beginning. Sitting here at my desk I can remember previous staff members, previous church leaders, previous friends – all people who played a significant roll in my life and the life of the Christ Community family. They came, they made a difference and touched our lives, and, just as quickly they moved on and moved to the next chapter of their lives.

This brings me to our most recent transitions:

Roger Parker has been a valued staff member and a good friend to me and to our church. He and Allison have made deep friendships in their covenant group; in their ministries and across the congregation. Roger will be missed. I will miss hearing his robust laugh on

June 2009

Christ Community United Methodist Church 3474 Stiles Road Syracuse, NY 13209 (315) 457-9382

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

a near daily basis. I will miss that look he gives me when thinks I have gone completely off the rails. I will miss his sense of honor and his unique sense of time. We knew from the day we added Roger to our staff team that he was preparing to leave. His goal was never to stay at Christ Community forever. His goal has been to finish school, go to seminary, and eventually be ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church. His appointment to Brewerton is the next logical step on that journey. I know you all join me in wishing him well. Roger I will miss you as a team member.

Linda Prell has been added to our team (effective June 22). Linda has been on a journey of discovery these past few years and has discovered that she has unique and strong gifts in the area of pastoral care. I am very pleased to have Linda join our staff (officially). As many of you know, Pastor George had been mentoring and grooming Linda to be his eventual successor. We did not expect that eventuality to be quite so soon but I am grateful to George and to L i n d a t h a t t h o s e preparations were well underway. Linda, welcome aboard!

We will be increasing Julie Valeski’s roll in our ministry (beginning in

Continued on Page 3

PAGE 2 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4

Rogers leadership has set a rather high bar for Bill Dibble and I to maintain, we are both excited and honored to serve the Lord and our Church in our new roles as Co-chairs of Men’s Ministry.

We have a number of upcoming events in the works, and hope you will be inspired to attend and partici-pate. All Men’s Ministry events are open to all our members and their guests over the age of 18 unless oth-erwise published. So please come and see why we are so very excited.

We will be serving the hot foods at the Rummage Sale on June 20th, come check out the Hoffman Hots and Coneys, or the hand crafted hamburgers, or grab a chicken speedie sandwich. Soda and chips are included, so bring your appetite, we’ll be set up in the lawn next to the par-sonage. All of the proceeds will bene-fit our churches missions.

A Strong Foundation to Build On

Men’s Ministry at CCUMC by Joe Frega The next new major event is our

Fall Kick-off dinner on September 18, no it is not a football theme but rather an opportunity to get to-gether and set our sights on ser-vice. We will have a speaker from Habitat for Humanity and lots of very good food. We are anxious to see how we can positively impact our community. If you have a de-sire to serve, if you have even a little time to give, you are needed. Come join with us as we learn more about this wonderful organi-zation and their mission here and around the nation.

There is so much more to Men’s Ministry than our 2 (rapidly ex-panding) Chicken Bar-B-Ques here at Christ Community. Come see what you can do.

Yours In Christ, Joe Frega

No, this isn’t the title of Ellen Yeo-men’s newest book, the “Stu” in this case is Stewardship. As summer ap-proaches and you head for beaches, woods, and camps, I know that you will make sure your mortgage, car payment, electric bill, etc. continue to get paid. Please remember that throughout the summer we still pay our staff, make mortgage payments, and pay the utility bills so we can all worship in air-conditioned comfort. Historically, as attendance wanes during the summer months so do our tithes and offerings, and this makes it difficult to meet all of our financial obligations. Therefore, I ask you to pray first for the continued flow of resources necessary to carry out the mission and ministry we are called to do through Christ Community, and then pray for your own resolve to stay as current as possible with your offerings. If you pay your bills elec-

Stu Never Goes on Vacation

Ken Prell, Finance Team Chair tronically, you can set up CCCUMC to automatically receive a check every week, every two weeks, monthly – whatever your current offering schedule. If you still write checks for all your bills, please write your offering check at the same time and mail it to us. These are actually very efficient methods of giving throughout the year, not just sum-mer time. There is no requirement that tithes and offerings can only be

dropped in the box on Sunday. If you have any questions concern-

ing the easiest way for you to stay current with your offerings during the summer, please see me, I will be happy to help. I thank you for your faithfulness in supporting the mis-sion and ministry of this Church, and wish you a happy and healthy sum-mer. And remember, wherever you go, there you are – no that’s not it – wherever you go, remember to wor-ship God and give Him thanks for all your blessings (and your trials).

Finally, I want to wish Roger P a r k e r a f o n d “ s e e y o u later” (because it’s not farewell), and the best of God’s blessings for him, Allison, and the community in Brewerton. Thank you Roger for your past, present, and continued future service and faithfulness.

Wishing You God’s Peace, Ken Prell, Finance Chair

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Seneca River Days Mercer Park Baldwinsville

July 10 & 11

The CCUMC Mission team will be selling root-beer floats.

See Cathy or Don Cronk to help!

It seems hard to believe, but this June marks my last month here at Christ Community. It is a turning point in a relationship that began in 1963 when I began attending this little white church in the Town of Van Buren. Much has changed since I was a kid. The layout and size of the church has changed drastically, there are many different faces in the congregation, the pastor, staff and Sunday school have changed, the music and worship styles are differ-ent, etc.

Much however, has not changed. The warm hearts, the desire to know and serve God more each day and the genuine family style fellowship and discipleship remains the same as it ever was.

As I head to Brewerton to pastor that congregation, I will take much of Christ Community with me. The love, encouragement, prayers, les-sons and partnership I have enjoyed in this unique faith community and that have been integral in molding and shaping who I am as a servant of God will go with me and continue to do so.

Christ Community has provided me with many things: good mentors, not the least of who is Pastor Dr. BJ; a wonderful group of co-servants-in-Christ in Phil, Denise, Heather,

Coordination Station—So Long For Now Roger Parker, Adult Ministries Director

Julie, Linda, Gail, Amy (and George); a community of grace that has allowed me to try, fail, grow, and try again; a wonderful opportu-nity to benefit from a hands-on edu-cation; good friends and family to grow and serve with; and a whole lot of encouragement and love.

As I head out to continue my growth and more fully answer the call to full-time service that God has placed in and on my life, it is with no small amount of sadness mixed with the excitement of a new chal-lenge that I heed this call. It is never easy to leave family. It is usually not easy to leave a place that one considers “home.” How-ever, I cannot fully become what God intends for me by staying, how-ever comfortable and convenient it might be.

Please note that I am NOT saying goodbye. I am simply saying “so long for now.” Do not be surprised to see me here and there and around from time to time. Allison and I are not leaving our home in Seneca Knolls—our phones and emails and facebook pages will be the same. You will just see less of us.

We will, however, still need your prayers as we wrestle with semi-nary and the demands of shepherd-

ing a new church family. And we want people to feel free to visit us in Brewerton from time to time as they have the opportunity. We will, from time to time, ask for “missionaries” from CCUMC to loan us their exper-tise, talents and gifts so that these can benefit our new congregational family.

In the meantime, however, I per-sonally (and I know I speak for Alli-son as well) want to thank this fam-ily for taking us under their wing, for allowing us to grow, and for sharing us with the wider church family. I will always be grateful for all that each of you has done and will always consider this particular church to be my home.

Peace to all of you, and “so long for now!!” —Pastor Roger

Transition continued from page 1

September) and we will be increasing Heather Claver’s roll in our ministry as well (beginning in September). The wonderful truth of it all is that we have great people ready to step up and we have great people being developed all across our ministry. I do not know what the next change will be but we are praying, we are trusting in God and we are not afraid to step up into the great adventurous future that God has in store for us.

Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. My goal in life, and in our ministry, has been to make the kind

of changes that enhance and encourage growth. That is, to make sure that we were not changing for the sake of novelty but changing for the sake of sharpening our focus, our drive, our desire to “Transform the world for Jesus Christ . . . One Person at a time!” These are the changes that matter to the Kingdom.

Two rules of the universe. God never changes. Everything else does.

To everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven...

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Thank You from Children’s Ministries Julie Valeski, Director of Christian Education

I’m having a hard time believing that our Sunday School year is over! The time has just flown by! I have so many rea-sons to thank God for all of the bless-

ings and grace He has poured into my life. I also thank God for all of the people that have walked with me this year on this amazing journey! Mere words can not express the gratitude and love that I have for all of the peo-ple that have made this first year for me so wonderful! You are all not just my colleagues, but also my friends and family. I would like to say “Thank You” and “I love you” to:

♥ Sue, Karen and Marsha for their support and encouragement as Sunday School Coordinators

♥ Amy for being our Nursery Coor-dinator

♥ Marsha for pulling double duty as Snack Coordinator

♥ Beri, Lois, Suzanne, Darcie, Sarah, Janice, Georgia, Patti, Dannie, Laurel, Karen, Candy, Gary, Joe, Sherrie, Rick and Cathy for loving the children in this ministry as much as I do, sharing their gifts with me, and not laughing too hard as I flew by the seat of my pants many times

♥ Betty Jo, Brent, Tim and Kathy for leading our Youth Groups

Children’s Ministry Team ♥ Julie Valeski: 635-9516, Julie@ChristCommunityUMC.com

♥ Susan Rayo: 635-8937, SLRayo@twcny.rr.com

♥ Karen Woodside: 695-4514, RicknRed@aol.com

♥ Amy Tyler: 672-5184

♥ Marsha Dillon: 487-0923, MJTDillon@verizon.net

Congratulations Confirmation Class

On June 7th, we celebrated the confir-mation of Josh Cadwell, Kyle Ma-tousek, Britni Flask, Dallas Hockey, and James Swindon! Thank you also to Pastor BJ and Betty Jo for teaching them and to the confir-mands mentors: Wade Marvin, Joyce Bidlake, Joe Frega, Eric Noll and Mark Cavanaugh.

♥ Our prayer partners who prayed faithfully for the teachers, coordi-nators, students and their families

♥ Everyone that donated snack and juice, craft supplies, monetary gifts and other goodies

♥ Hazel Pugh for sending out birth-day cards and adding those extra special touches

♥ Linda and Matt for all that you did for Cloverleaf Choir

♥ Heather for all of help she has given me with “tech,” overhead and bulletin stuff

♥ Sue Dibble and Sue Acker for tak-ing on VBS

♥ Astrid, Don, Mark and everyone else that filled in as Teachers

♥ Pastor B.J. for having faith in me and helping me grow in Christ

♥ Linda Prell for mentoring me this past year as “A Woman After God’s Own Heart”

♥ The many congregants who have given me such inspiration and words of encouragement and sup-port

I’m sure that I have missed someone along the way and just know that even if I didn’t mention your name; your help has been greatly appreci-ated!

SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL

“The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything”

July 12th – August 16th 9: 00 am

Preschool – 6th grade

I can do all things through Christ

because he gives me strength."

Philippians 4:13

Through six weeks of exciting site-based Bible exploration, kids experience the stories of Bible

heroes and, through multi-sensory activities, become involved in

their own quest to be heroes for God. Nothing is wasted. Every ac-tivity, every song, every craft is designed to reinforce the Bible

teaching.

Flea Market — June 20

The Sunday School will have a few tables at the craft sale here at our church on Satur-day, June 20th. Anyone that has items they wish to donate to the Sunday School to sell should see Julie or one of the coordinators.

PAGE 5 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4

Strap on your sandals for fun, adventure, and God's love--in Rome! Join your kids as they explore a crowded Roman marketplace...tiptoe past Roman guards...encourage Christians

in an underground church...and visit Paul for daily discoveries about God's love!

Rome...where the Bible comes to life! Race a chariot, try on a toga...nibble on rat (actually it's chicken)...and experience the power of Scripture

and the courage of the early church!

Rome...where the Apostle Paul is your Bible teacher! Each day your kids will visit Paul's cell, soaking in Scripture as Paul shares what he's writing and applies it to kids'

experiences. To hear from Paul, chained to a Roman guard...it's memorable learning--and powerful!

Rome...perfect for families! Marketplace adventures...the thrill of sneaking past Roman guards...exciting meetings with Roman Christians

in a secluded cave...kids of all ages love Rome! It's the most exciting week of summer! We will need lots of adult and teen volunteers to make this VBS all that it can be….so when you are asked to

help by Suzanne Dibble or Sue Acker; I pray that your answer will be “YES!”

Christ Community UMC Senior High Youth Group Senior High Youth Group will still be meeting through out the summer. There are certain events already planned. Before we get to the schedule, we want all the parents and youth to know Kingdom Bound will be coming before we know it. Our main fund raiser are the Pizza Kits this is what pays for most of the trip. The orders and money are do to Betty Jo no later than June 15th. We’ll be selling items at the sale on June 20th, so look for us there.

• Sunday, 6/14 - Movie Day form 4 pm to 7 pm • Saturday, 6/20 - Sale Day at the church 9am to 4 We need helpers to take turns giving people relief. • Sunday, 6/21 - NO YOUTH GROUP • Sunday, 6/28 - Refugee Picnic • Sunday, 7/5 - NO YOUTH GROUP and 7/12 - NO YOUTH GROUP • Sunday, 7/19 - MANDATORY Kingdom Bound meeting 12:15 Then street ministries from 1 pm to 3 pm • Sunday, 7/26 - Longbranch Park Picnic if we have good weather 4 pm to 7 pm (not so good weather 5 pm

to 7 pm at church • Saturday, 8/1 - KINGDOM BOUND here we come! Meet at the church at 5 pm we come back on

Thursday the 6th • Sunday, 8/9 - NO YOUTH GROUP

Upcoming Events are listed on the “Senior High Youth” page on the church’s website: www.ChristCommunityUMC.com. You can sign-up to receive monthly Email updates and events too, or email Zach at ccumcsyg@ChristCommunityUMC.com

PAGE 6 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4 PAGE 6 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4

Christ Community United Methodist Church (315) 457-9382 www.ChristCommunityUMC.com

Christ Community Staff

Rev. Dr. B.J. Norrix, Senior Pastor BJNorrix@ChristCommunityUMC.com 457-9382

Dona Dalton, Church Secretary 457-9382

Julie Valeski, Director, Christian Education Julie@ChristCommunityUMC.com 635-9516

Phill Sterling, Music Director Choir@ChristCommunityUMC.com 457-9382

Denise Weeks-Bush, Associate Music Director GraceAlone@ChristCommunityUMC.com 457-9382

Linda Prell, Pastoral Care Linda@ChristCommunityUMC.com 487-0561

Heather Claver, Ministries Assistant Close-Up Editor, Webmaster Heather@ChristCommunityUMC.com 468-6811

Amy Tyler, Nursery Coordinator 457-9382

Gail Thompson, Nethanim (custodian) 457-9382

ANTS AUGUST BARBECUE BASEBALL BEACH BEES BICYCLE BLUE SKY BOATING BREEZE CAMPING FISHING FLIES FLOWERS GARDENING GOLF GREEN GRASS HAT HIKING HOLIDAYS HOT ICE CREAM JULY JUNE MOSQUITOES NO SCHOOL PICNIC

ROLLER BLADES SANDALS SKATEBOARD SOCCER SOLSTICE SPRINKLERS SUNBURN SUNGLASSES SUNSCREEN SUNSHINE SUNTAN SWEAT SWIMMING U V RAYS WASPS WATER FIGHTS WATERMELON

SUMMER! Find and circle all of the summer words that are hidden in the grid. The remaining letters spell an ad-ditional summer item.

Christ Community Worship Times Sunday Morning Celebrations

9:00 a.m. Worship and praise with the CCUMC Adult Choir and acoustic sound

10:45 a.m. Worship with our praise band and the CCUMC Praise Choir

Sunday Evening Grace & Healing Celebration

7:00 p.m. Praise & Worship and Healing Prayer with our worship band “Grace Alone”

Sunday School, K-12

9:00 am and 10:45 am “Worship on Wednesday” (WOW) begins with light supper at 5:30 pm

Did you ever get to Wednesday, hoping that to-morrow was Saturday?! We can help you out. Join us on Wednesdays for a light supper followed by a special worship time. Bridge the gap be-tween Sundays and be fed physically and spiritu-ally. Good food, good conversation and a chance to refresh and renew your spirit await you!

For more information visit our website:

www.ChristCommunityUMC.com or call us at 457-9382

Choir News From Denise Weeks-Bush

A reminder that the Praise Choir will sing in July and August. Whoever is here to help out—would be great!! the 2nd Tuesday of the month is rehearsal. We may talk about going back to the 3rd Thursday in the Fall. Also, a quick note about Roger—It has been wonderful to see how much he has grown in terms of the messages he has delivered over the years. Also, his deep laugh is infectious and endearing. I will miss his positive attitude and his sense of humor - and his commitment to community and to Christ. Blessings on the next phase of your journey!

For those of you who have a gift of music, please consider sharing your talents with us! See Phill Sterling, Music Director, for more information on the Sonrise Choir and special music for the 9:00 am worship celebration or email Phill at Choir@ChristCommunityUMC.com Contact Denise Weeks-Bush, Associate Music Director, for information on the Praise Choir and special music for the 10:45 am worship celebration or email GraceAlone@ChristCommunityUMC.com.

PAGE 7 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4 PAGE 7 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4

Women's Ministries Presents

Friday Evening September Eleventh

Tastefully Simple offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare gourmet foods designed to help people

spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives. Computer Desk for Sale

Very good condition — $40 Call Mickey Sweet-Popilarksi

at 484-7989

To list your free classified ad in the CCUMC Close-Up see Heather Claver or email

Heather@ChristCommunityUMC.com

Pastoral Ministry Musings Linda Prell, Interim Director of Pastoral Care

life, I can see that the Lord was preparing me for this type of ministry. My journey is far from over. Ten years ago I never would have imagined that God had all of this planned. The Lord has a plan for each of us. It is so exciting to watch it unfold.

When I think about this wonderful spiritual journey that we are all on, I think of hiking through a forest. There are many twists and turns. We never know what might be around the next bend. We walk with anticipation wondering what we will see and experience next. Will we come upon a pond or waterfall? Will we see a rare bird or a deer? Will we meet up with someone else to journey with? Yes, some of the trail may be difficult to get through, but the rewards at the end make it all worth it. We even discover during this time that we are stronger than we ever thought. We journey with the assurance that God is there with us. When it gets too hard, He even picks us up and carries us. There is no better place to be than in our Savior’s arms. He is the source of our joy and our strength. He is the source of our hope.

I am thrilled to be on this wonderful journey with all of you. Know that I have you in my prayers always.

God bless you all, Pastor Linda

check. For an active person such as myself, this all seemed to drag on forever. I think I am finally starting to develop patience, but I know I still have a ways to go. During these past years, many of you have been praying for me, encouraging me, and affirming for me God’s plan for my life. Without your support, it would have been very difficult for me to get to this day. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I would also like to thank my wonderful husband, Ken, and my children for their love and continuously believing that our Lord would open the doors needed for me to answer His call.

The SPRC has hired me to be the Pastoral Care Director here at CCUMC. My first “official” day is June 22. Bishop Matthews has presented me with a letter of appointment and my Local Pastor License. It is official! Even though I am extremely elated, I am humbled even more so. The Bible verse that keeps running through my mind is from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Looking back on my

Before I sat down to write this article, I paused for a while to gather m y t h o u g h t s . Things seem to be h a p p e n i n g a t whirlwind speed. Pastor B.J. has

asked us all to pray concerning the transitions that are happening at Christ Community United Methodist Church. We have been having many within this past year. One of those transitions concerns me.

I have been a member of CCUMC since 2001. Four years ago, the Lord made it very clear that He wanted me to explore clergy ministry as a calling. I started the process and quickly discovered that it moves very slowly. It consisted of some smooth roads and many bumpy ones. It was during the rough moments that I learned the most. I have been through the Ministry Inquiry process, the Ministry Candidacy process, and I finished Local Pastor Licensing School this past April. Also during this time it was required that I have a complete psychological evaluation (Yes, I am sane) and a very comprehensive background

PAGE 8 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 4

HUGE FLEA MARKET & CRAFT SALE

June 20th at CCUMC 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Paintings, jewelry, afghans, other crafts,

HUGE flea market room sponsored by the Sunday school, bake sale, burgers, hot dogs,

spiedie chicken and more!

If you have items to donate to the Sunday School bring them in this week, or Friday evening. We can use help with set-up on

Friday night, and Saturday morning.

Grace and Healing Celebration With our praise band, Grace Alone!

Praise and Expressive Worship! Every Sunday Night at CCUMC at 7:00 pm

Prayers for Healing Follow Every Service.