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Visitors
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DID YOU WELCOME ......??????
07/18: Carolyn Cooper, Pensacola; Jim Kelly, Pensacola; Christian, John and Leeanne Anderson, Pace; and Sarah Williams, Pensacola; Brianna Schultz, Pace; Reneé Prince, Jerry Paris, Pensacola. Kathy Mensen; Judy Thedford
We were blessed by the presence of these visitors.
Members be sure to say hello, exchange names with and invite our guests to return!!
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08/14/10
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“THANK YOU”
The Worship Committee would like to thank the following people for making the July 4th services memorable: Emily and Sara Vigilone; Bob and Ryan Boyero for presenting the flags; The Praise Band; Joe and Lisa Humerickhouse, Tani Godfrey, and Mike Matkowski for their song presentations. It’s wonderful to see members witnessing for God and Country! Thanks!!
Did you know that the overhead presentations that you see each week are prepared by Carl and Betty Neels? Take the time to tell them what a great job they are doing!
WORSHIP LEADERS FOR AUGUST
The following is a list of those who will serve as Worship and Communion Leaders for the month of August:
1st - Betty Miller & Joe Humerickhouse
8th - John McDonald & Cary Reeves
15th - Bill and Sharon Oakes
22nd - John Eichelberger & Tani Godfrey
29th - Larry & Kaki Chambers
SINGLES UPCOMING EVENTS
On Sunday, August 1st at 4:30 PM, the Singles will meet at the Village Inn on 9th Avenue for a birthday celebration. We hope you see you there.
Saturday, August 14th, we will be having dinner at Chet’s Seafood Restaurant at 5:30 PM. Please contact Better Keller to make reservations.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
NOTE: Game night cancelled – hosts are not available this month!!
The Membership Committee’s next Quarterly Family Game Night is August 21st between 6:00 and 8:00 P.M. You can bring a personal favorite game or play one of the several games available. Please feel free to bring a friend or two, as well. Snacks (popcorn and/or cookies) and drinks will be provided. So come on out for a fun evening!
STEWARDSHIP MEETING
The next Stewardship Meeting will be held on August 5th at 5:30 P.M.
SPIRIT GROUP MEETINGS
The Spirit Group will not meet during the month August.
JEWISH FEASTS
The Jewish Feasts with Fran Hunt has a new meeting place and will no longer be meeting here at First Christian. Information will be forthcoming as soon as we learn of the new location.
NEW GROUP MEETING
Each Monday at 5:30 PM and each Wednesday at 12:30 PM, AA will hold meetings in our C.H.O.W. room. The Board has approved of their use of the building. We hope they will feel welcome and that this ministry will benefit all those concerned.
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STAY YOUNG WITH ME
We all need to read this one over and over until it becomes a part of who we are!
How to Stay Young
1. Try everything twice. On Madams tombstone (of Whelan’s and Madam) she said she wanted this epitaph: “Tried everything twice...loved it both times!”
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!!)
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long, and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. If you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him/her.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive!
7. Surround yourself with what you love. Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity. I love you, my special friend!!
11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.
Lost time can never be found. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!
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08/14/10
WEEK OF COMPASSION
Our Dear Friends and Partners in Ministry:
We write to you with hearts heavy with grief. Like most of the world, we have watched as the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf Coast has continued, seemingly unabated. We have watched as those we have entrusted to prevent such tragedies have puzzled over how this could have happened, and we have watched as attempt after attempt to stop the leak have failed.
We are angry, hurt, and disappointed. We are also well aware that your proximity to this disaster sharpens your emotions. Beaches marked by oil, wildlife sticky with oil, struggling economies – these are happening not just on your televisions, but in your communities, perhaps even in your backyards. We grieve with you, pray for you, and have hope for an end to the damage done by this spill and for the healing of the Gulf Coast.
We know, too, that the damage done by hurricanes in the recent past makes your hurt all the more palpable. We weep with you as we remember the recovery work that still needs to happen across the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, and we pray with you as we anticipate the current hurricane season.
Above all, we share with you a commitment to ministry in the midst of such uncertainty. Though our hearts are heavy with grief, they are full of faith as well. From the office of the General Minister and President to the seminary classrooms, God’s call to respond continues to resonate.
Those of us who serve as Regional and Area Ministers along the Gulf Coast are here to listen and to respond to pastoral needs as best we can, and we are committed to connecting you with the services you need.
Those of us at Week of Compassion stand ready to collaborate with our Regions and congregations to help provide relief to those affected by the spill – whether that means collaborating on recovery efforts with our ecumenical partners or providing resources to our congregations and church members for whom the economic fallout from this disaster is proving to be a disaster in itself.
Please let us know how we can be of assistance. All of us make up the Church – the very Body of Christ, and as we know from the oft-repeated letter of Paul, whenever one member suffers, the rest of us suffer as well.
We send to you our tender love, our fledgling hope, and prayers that the one who calls us to be signs of grace in a harsh but holy world might continue to push us toward wholeness and healing.
In Christ’s Peace
Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President; Rev. Amy Gopp, Executive Director, Week of Compassion; Rev. John Mobley, Regional Minister, Alabama and Northwest Florida; Rev. Rebecca Hale, Transitional Regional Minister, Florida; Rev. John Richardson, Regional Minister, North Carolina; Rev. Sotello Long, Regional Minister, South Carolina; Rev. Dani Loving Cartright, Regional Minister and President, Southwest; Dr. Beth Dobyns, Transitional Area Minister, SW Coastal Plains Area; Rev. Allen C. Allen, Transitional Area Minister, SW Bluebonnet Area; Rev. Barbara E. Jones, Executive Regional Minister, Great River Region; Rev. Michael Elmore, Regional Pastor, District 1, Great River Region; Rev. Ron Degges, President, Disciples Home Missions, and Rev. Carl Zerweck, Disciples Volunteering
DEVIL’S BEATITUDES
Whew...take about the hot seat!!! This one will make you stop and shudder! If the devil were to write his beatitudes, they would probably go something like this:
1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with
their fellow Christians—they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are those Christian who wait to be asked and expected to be thanked – I can use them.
3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church—they are my missionaries.
4. Blessed are the trouble makers—they shall be called my children.
5. Blessed are the complainers—I’m all ears to them.
6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister’s mannerisms and mistakes—for they get
nothing out of his sermons.
7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church—for his part of the
problem instead of the solution.
8. Blessed are those who gossip—for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.
9. Blessed are those who are easily offended—for they will soon get angry and quit.
10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God’s work—for they are my helpers.
11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister—for he shall be with me
forever.
12. Blessed are you, who, when you read this think it is about other people and not yourself—I’ve
got you, too!
Pass this on—we all need to be reminded that this can happen to any Christian, including you and me. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it!!
HAPPINESS IS....
It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 a.m., when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 a.m. I took his vital signs and had him take a sear, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him.
I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On examination, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the need supplies to remove his sutures, and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years.
I was surprised and asked him, “and you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are.” He smiled as he patted my hand and said, “She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.”
I had to hold back tears as he left. I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, “That is the kind of love I want in my life.” True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be!
We Worship Him
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ATTENDANCE
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July
4
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July 11
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July
18
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Sunday School
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48
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33
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37
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Contemporary
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25
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22
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15
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Traditional
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96
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89
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92
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WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP HOURS
9:00 am – Contemporary Service
10:00 am - Sunday School
11:00 am - Traditional Worship
12:00 pm - Fellowship Hour
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