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 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. 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
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