First Christian Church - Farmville, North Carolina
fccfarmville.org
JANUARY 2015
As I See It
It is the beginning of a new year, a
time when many organizations are
holding membership drives, including
the church.
To entice people to join the church, I
once heard a minister tell a group of
prospects that members of the church
enjoy special member “benefits.” For
example, he said: “You have the
benefit of a pastor to visit you or pray
for you when you are sick or
hospitalized. You have the benefit of
programs that are designed to meet
the needs of you and your family. And
you have the privilege to use the
church’s facilities for weddings or
funerals without a fee.
SOUP-ER
BOWL
SUNDAY
Feb 1
Bring cans of SOUP
to church!
Inside this issue:
Prayer Concerns
2
Missions
2
Serving Schedules
back
And the gospel truth is that church
membership will not eliminate
fees. On the contrary, church
membership, if it is about following
Jesus, will cost you dearly.
Jarrett
MISSIONS IN
DECEMBER
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Although these benefits sound
enticing, I do not believe this is what
Jesus ever intended the church to be.
Church membership is not like an
American Express Card membership,
a Sam’s Club, a country club, or a gym
membership where membership has
its privileges. The gospel truth is that it
is quite the opposite.

Church is not some place to come and
receive, but is a dynamic opportunity
to go and to give. Church is a chance
to fulfill the greatest commandment of
Jesus to love God and our neighbors
as ourselves. Church is an occasion to
deny and lose one’s self in sacrificial
service to others. The purpose of
church is not to meet your needs, but
to have your needs transformed.
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Cookies and Caroling from the
hay wagon
Caroling and gifts for the
Farmville nursing home residents
$400 from White Christmas for
the boat house at Camp Caroline
$800 from Breakfast with Santa
for mission work
Christmas morning party at Vidant
Gift-wrapping with Humane
Society of East Carolina
Poinsettias for shut-ins
Angel Tree gifts
Operation Shoebox with
Samaritan’s Purse
Christmas gifts for several families in need
Soup Kitchen
Handicap ramp built
DEACONS and ELDERS
Training and Refresher
Sunday, January 25
12p
Light lunch planned
PAGE 2
General Board
Meeting Highlights
Congregational Meeting
Nov 30 2014
There was a unanimous approval
to combine the Parsonage Fund
and the Permanent Fund into the
same fund, now called Parsonage/Permanent Fund.
A 2015 budget of $197,200 was
unanimously approved.
2015 Officers of the Board were
unanimously approved:
Chairman Bert Smith, Vice Chair
Danelle Heath, Secretary Kim
Griffiths, Treasurer Leslie Church,
Vice Treasurer still vacant.
General Board Meeting
Dec 14 2014
Coming next month
Next Board meeting: Jan 11
WORSHIP ATTENDANCE
Dec 7
Dec 14
Dec 21
Dec 28
122
126
128
128
Prayer Requests &
Loved Ones Serving
Prayer needs:
John Barefoot, George Burnette, Harold
& Alawoise Flanagan, Wes & Denise
Hankins, Janie Joyner, Mike
McLawhorn, Albert Mosley, Donna
Mosley, Nick Norman, Beth Norville,
Camilla Murphrey.
In service to our country:
Matthew Baldwin, Tyler Benson, Joshua
Hunter, Christopher Hutchinson, Glen
McDustrell, Andrew Parks, Paul Rackley,
Joey Santopolo, Kelly Todd and Chase
Webb.
Please notify an Elder of any additions,
updates or changes.
WORSHIP NOTES
December was a busy month in the life of our Church. We
celebrated the “Hanging of the Greens and Choral Cantata” on
November 30th. The children’s choir, adorned in their new
robes, sang on December 14th. How about the inspirational
Christmas Eve Service? Our decorated candlelit sanctuary provided the backdrop for beautiful music and the Christmas story
was told by students of all ages. What a wonderful service!
The Worship Committee would like to thank all the people
who took part in these services especially Jarrett. We are so
fortunate to be working with a minister who plans in advance,
gets his own participants and directs the final result. It makes
our job easy.
We will be welcoming Lou Ann Wiley as the Chair of Worship
for the coming year.
YOUTH CORNER
Hey everyone! I hope yall all had a fantastic Christmas and New
Years! We've had a lot going on these past couple of months so I
just wanted to thank everyone for all their help with the youth program. Our youth Christmas Party was a huge success and it
seemed like everyone really enjoyed themselves, pictures and
videos are up on the church's Facebook page.
There's not much going on in January but that's because we will
be getting ready for the next couple of months and summer! The
first weekend of February, 6th - 8th, is the Midwinter Retreat at
Camp Caroline for our high schoolers and the keynoter will be
Michael Wetherington of Wilson, NC. If anyone is interested in
going get in contact with me and I will also have the registration
forms posted on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall as well
as on the Facebook page and church website! The deadline to
have our registration forms in is January 28th so make sure you
let me know if you'd like to go.
Next up, February 20th - 22nd, is the College & Young Adult Retreat at Camp Caroline. I wll be attending and if any of our other
college students or young adults up to age 26 are interested in
going, I wil have the form for that posted as well. The Keynoter
will be Rev. Zac Bailes of Barton College and the cost is $60
which includes lodging, Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as
well as Sunday breakfast. The deadline for this retreat is February 13th so we have to have registration forms turned in to the
region before that date.
Lastly, March 6th - 8th is the Chi-Rho Spring Retreat which is for
our middle schoolers. The keynoter is my dad, Rev. Lance Perry,
of FCC Washington and the theme is "Be Still and Know That I
Am God." If any of our middle schoolers are interested in attending please let me know and the registration forms will be posted
at the church and online.
If you have any questions about anything, please don't hesitate to
get in contact with me. I always answer my phone and check my
e-mail daily.
Thanks, Lauren Perry
FCC JOURNEYS OF FAITH
January Servants
Elders: John Moore HE — 227-9675
Mary Steinbauer — 753-3948
Deacons: Sallie Eason HD; Emmitt Brinson,
Butch Heath, Shirley Rhodes, Jackie Bulpett
Acolyte: Daniel Duncan
If you are unable to serve,
please contact someone to take your
place.
Church Staff
1/7
1/14
1/21
1/28
Boomers
DWM #2
DWM #3
DWM #4
2/4
2/11
2/18
2/25
CMF
COVERED DISH
No Name
Choir
Homebound
Communion
If you would like to
receive homebound
communion, please call
the Church Office
at 753-3179.
Church Flowers
Please notify the church
office if you desire to
place flowers in the
Sanctuary for any
special occasion.
Rev. Dr. Jarrett Banks
Lauren Perry
BJ Lawrence
Penny McCreary
Kim Griffiths
Jessica Stepps
Senior Pastor
[email protected]
Director of Youth & Children
[email protected]
Director of Music
[email protected]
Organist
Administrative & Financial
[email protected]
Nursery Attendant
WEDNESDAY
NIGHT SUPPER
SCHEDULE
Mission of First Christian Church
Disciples of Christ
Farmville, North Carolina
It is the mission of First Christian Church (DOC) of Farmville, NC
to provide an environment where all who come can learn,
fellowship, worship, and grow spiritually closer to God. We will
fulfill our greater obligation to spread the Good News of Jesus
Christ by being of service to the members of our community and
to the world. Our efforts will be done in the name of Jesus Christ.
A church for all people!
3776 South Main St.
PO Box 205
Farmville, NC 27828
Church Office: (252) 753-3179
Regular Office Hours:
9 am—3 pm, Mon—Thurs, 9am—12pm Fri
Also by appointment.
[email protected]
fccfarmville.org
GO GREEN— Send us your email address!
Sun
Mon
Tue
SUNDAYS
Jan
10a Sunday School
and Coffee Fellowship
11a Worship
Wed
WEDNESDAYS
Thu
1
Fri
2
3
11a Soup Kitchen
5:45p Wed Night Supper
6:30p Youth meeting
OFFICE CLOSED
Paul & Dottie Bryant
Shelton/Margaret Chesson
4
5
NO YOUTH MTG
6
7
6p 2016 General
Assembly
Planning mtg
7p Quilting Bees
9a Quilting Bees
5:45 WNS—Boomers
($5 or $15/family max)
6:30 Children Mission
7:15 Choir practice
13
14
Cass Santopolo
11
12
8a Elders mtg
6p DWM Exec mtg
6:30 Youth @ church
7p Ministry team mtg
8p General Board mtg
10a DWM 1
7p DWM 4
7:30 DWM 3—
LuAnn Blalock
4227 E Pine
18
Jeremy Joyner
19
8a CMF mtg
6:30 Youth @ church
8
9
10
15
16
17
5:45 WNS—DWM #2
($5 or $15/family max)
6:30 Children Mission
7:15 Choir practice
Hardy Moye
DWM Birthday
Party @
PruittHealth
Spencer Letchworth
Jack Albritton
20
21
22
9-11 FBM
5:45 WNS—DWM #3
($5 or $15/family max)
6:30 Children Mission
7:15 Choir practice
6:15 Hookerton
Dist. Mtg @ Winterville Christian
7p Trustees mtg
Sat
23
24
30
31
Shane Miller
25
26
12p Deacon/Elder
Training
12p Childrens Choir
6:30 Youth @ church
Angie Cowan
Mary Wesley Craft
Becca Harris
27
6:30 Cub Scouts
28
29
5:45 WNS—DWM #4
($5 or $15/family max)
6:30 Children Mission
7:15 Choir practice
Benji Holloman
Jeff Moore
Lee Andrews
Greg Britt