Annual Chili Cookoff

Jan 10 After Worship

Bring your mild, wild, or out of the box chili to share! If you are not a "chili chef," you can bring cheese, vegetables, desserts or whatever else would go with chili. Let Donna R. know what you are bringing so she can coordinate the meal. No judging/prizes will be done this year.

A Better Organ for CCC?

Special Meeting to Decide on January 3 by Mary A. A called meeting of Christ Community's Church Council will be held Sunday, January 10, for the purpose of voting whether or not to accept the offer of Goddard First United Methodist Church to donate their Rodgers Church Organ to Christ Community. Our organ was recently serviced by Garten Music Company, and their repairman was not able to restore all its functions. He further advised that it could fail again at any time and that spending any more to have it repaired is a waste of funds. A few days later he was contacted by the Goddard church asking if Garten knew of a congregation needing an organ, since they are making changes in their music program. He referred them to our trustees.

The Goddard instrument is verified by Garten to be in excellent condition. It is approximately the size of our organ, and also has a separate sound box. The advantage of accepting it would be to obtain a much newer instrument with full musical capabilities and one that has readily obtainable parts if necessary, and it would allow our music director to fulfill his stated desire to use an organ regularly in our worship services.

Garten will move the Goddard organ to Christ Community and service it to fit our auditorium. Costs of doing this have been pledged. The disadvantage of accepting the organ would be that it is 30 years old, and for what would be spent moving and adjusting it, a very nice keyboard could be purchased. The present organ could be used until it fails, and by then perhaps the purchase of a keyboard would be possible. A keyboard would have much the same sound as an organ, plus other voices, rhythms and recording capability not available on the Rodgers instrument. It would be portable and take up less space in our auditorium. Please plan to stay for the short meeting after worship on Jan. 3 to help make this decision.

Pastor's Column

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As we look forward to a New Year, I ask that we examine ourselves to see where we are in our relationship with God. It is my desire that growing closer to God will be one of our New Year’s Resolutions for 2010.

In the Bible, humanity is determined entirely by our relation to God, to nature, and to the relationship that God wants us to have with each other. The belief that human beings are created in God’s image, defines our relation to God and to the rest of nature. We are not divine or descended from God. We are created for and called to a unique companionship with God, one another, and the world. We are created to be the kinds of beings with whom God can enter into a covenant and who can live in covenantal responsibility with one another and the environment. There is in human beings no immortal part that can survive death on its own account. Human beings are good, indeed “very good”, because we are cherished by God. All human beings, not just our kind, are so treasured, and so are all of God’s other creatures, whom God pronounces “very good.”

However, we are all sinners and come short of the glory of God. Sin is revealed for what it is by what it opposes: Sin is our opposition against life, against well•being, against the freedom to love God with ourselves and our neighbors as ourselves, against the love that frees us to do so, against being loved, against God, and against God’s gift to us of abundant life.

So, as we enter into 2010, let us refocus our hearts, our minds, and our energies on developing an intimate relationship with God, and with each other, so that we can be all that God wants us to be. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year in 2010 and my prayer is that the Lord God will continue to bless you “real good!”

Pastor Harry

Looking For Ideas

The downturn in the economy is hitting most everyone and that includes the church. CCC has been very hard hit economically but the bills continue to roll in and we are looking for ways to economize. We are expected to be good stewards of what we are given. If you have a suggestion on ways to cut the budget, let someone on Finance Committee know. (Wanda R., Shirley W., Pam M., or Carol H.). Meanwhile, check with God to see what He expects you to give.

Reba's Corner (from Jan. 2005)

Reba's Corner

Now that Christmas is all over, we start to settle down to the idea of not thinking about what we can do to make others happy. Then we are made to realize that the only way we could make anyone really happy is for them to accept the one’s birthday that we just recently have gone all out to celebrate. It was the birthday of our Lord and Savior who was sent into this world to tell the people all about what they must do to gain entrance into the blessed place that has been promised for them. It is about how and what they must do to gain entrance to this wonderful place. We know this place as being heaven.

By God sending his one and only son, God had great hopes that his son would make it clear to men that He was offering them a ticket to this place where they could live forever. No more pain or sadness. All we had to do was to abide by the Ten Commandments, which He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. Basically that only meant to serve Him by His rules.

This all seems so simple, but there is a problem that faces all of God’s creations and that is to repel the Devil, who is the father and author of all satanic deeds. Thanks to God, however, His way is the only way. As we go into this New Year, may we go with a clean slate and live each day to please God. Then, when we come down to the end of this New Year, we will be able to truthfully say it has been a good year and that all is well with our souls.

God Bless, Reba

Decoration Teardown - Sun, Jan 3 at 4Thanks to everyone who helped decorate the church for Christmas. It looks beautiful! Now it’s time to reverse the process and put things away. It will go quickly if there are lots of hands to assist. Please come help!

Got Talent? It’s time to rebuild our praise team….let music director Jeremy D. know if you’d like to sing or play an instrument on a regular basis.

Education

One last BIG thank you to all the Sunday, church school and Wednesday evening teachers that worked with the children in preparation for our Christmas Program. Our numbers were small and had to do some last minute adjustments; everyone pulled together and did a wonderful job.

Christian Education Meeting

Tuesday, January 12, at 7:00 at the church.
This meeting includes all those who are teaching any Sunday, church or Wednesday night class, Youth group or Bible Study. We want to start planning 2010 activities. Already have a wonderful idea for VBS to share!

HAPPY New Year “2010” from The Guided Children’s Class!

Guided Children’s Class News

The Samaritans’ purse.
We are collecting money for to help families start a business in order to survive. The children are collecting money to purchase Honey Bees or a Dairy Animal for struggling rural families. The families can then sell honey, beeswax, or milk to pay for education, healthcare, or other basic needs that is necessary. Honeybees also pollinate plants, increasing fruit and vegetable yields. It cost $30.00 to purchase enough bees to start a “sweet” family business. It costs about $70.00 for a cow, goat or other dairy animals. Won’t you please help your child(ren) to learn the true gift of “giving” when it comes to helping someone out?

Ten Commandments Challenge.
When the children learn the Ten Commandments they will win a Pizza Party! Parents please help your children learn the Ten Commandments, as you will find them in the Bible, in Exodus 20. Learning the Ten Commandments not only gives them a Pizza Party, when they memorize them, but it will give them the knowledge that God left them something that, as children, they need to always remember.

Call for help.
If any members of Christ Community Church UM are interested in helping the children with these wonderful on going projects, contact Mollie M. There is a collection can, labeled, in our classroom where you can drop off donations for these two wonderful causes.

Weekly Bulletin.
“The Guided Children’s Class” students will need to watch for future schedule day trips in the church’s weekly bulletin. Mollie’s class, kindergarten through 5th graders, will be going on trips to Lowe’s, Michaels’ Craft store, Home Depot’s, and Wichita Art Museum or local places when funds allow us. Parents will be asked to sign a permission slip before going on these trips. Brothers and sisters younger than 5 years old wanting to go with their older sibling(s) must have a parent go with them.

Mollie M.

Pack 519 Scouts Complete their Religious Emblems

During October and November, 2009, Pack 519, chartered out of CCCUM, had 19 Cub Scouts and Webelos complete the God and Me and God and Country Class, as well as seven Mentors, who completed the respective class with their scouts. The boys received their recognition at the Pack Meeting at Christ Community Church on Monday night, November 30, 2009.
Way to go, Scouts and Leaders! CCC is blessed to have
Pack 519 chartered here!

Wanda R.