A Magazine of Christ Community United Methodist Church

CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP

On the web at: ChristCommunityUMC.com Volume 6, Issue 3

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

Christ Community is seeking to “Transform the World for Jesus Christ . . . One Person at a Time.” We believe that this t r a n s f o r m a t i o n happens when we gather together (for worship, study and service); when we Grow in Christ (through community, prayer, fellowship, study); and when we Send Disciples (into Mission {outside our walls} and Ministry {within the community}.

It is our belief that significant spiritual growth happens when we choose to move deeper in our relationship with God. This push deeper happens through Worship (loving God with our heart, soul,

mind and strength). We offer 4 weekly w o r s h i p experiences. Sunday morning worship is at 9:00 and 10:45. There is a Grace and Healing service

every Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. We also offer a mid-week service called WOW (Worship on Wednesday) offered every Wednesday at 6:00.

This push deeper happens through Small Groups. This magazine has many articles about small group opportunities for children, youth and adults. We offer Bible studies, book studies, prayer groups, fellowship groups, support groups and many more.

Finally, the push deeper happens when we give

May 2009

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

Welcome to Church! A message from Rev. Dr. B. J. Norrix, Senior Pastor

ourselves away in mission and ministry. This magazine will outline many mission and ministry opportunities – l o c a l l y , r e g i o n a l l y , nationally and globally – where you can engage. There are opportunities that are “one and done” types and there are opportunities that will require longer term commitments.

We believe that there are only two important questions: 1) What is God calling you to Be? The Bible teaches that we are called to be followers of Jesus, good spouses, good parents, and good friends to each other and to a hurting world. 2) What is God calling you to Do? What we do is an extension of who we are!

I look forward to helping you on your journey.

God’s blessings, B.J. Norrix, Senior Pastor,

Lead Servant, Coach

Les & Linda Green Concert--May 17!

We have the privilege to host Les & Linda Green for an evening of praise and worship on Sunday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. Each year, The Greens perform in over 200 churches and venues, preaching and singing Jesus Christ in a variety of musical styles, ranging from Bill Gaither to lively Southern Gospel. Each concert is a blend of the different styles, with The Greens skillfully weaving their own pre-recorded voices to their live perform-

ance, creating beautiful, yet lively, trios, and quartets. They have appeared on such television programs as "The 700 Club," and singing on stage with ministries like "The Gaithers," "The Cathedrals," and more. There is no admission charge, but a love offering will be taken to cover their expenses.

PAGE 2 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

Jim and I visited Gulf Breeze UMC in February, it was one of three churches we were going to visit, and ended up being the only church we went to while on vacation. So many things that I did in Gulf Breeze were out of character for me, and yet I never felt out of my comfort zone. Must have been a God thing.

I picked up a brochure for Naomi’s Table, a ministry for widows, and my mind and heart went back to 1997 when I became a widow. Then, it was suggested that I go to a ‘bereavement group’, somewhere in a strange town, in a strange building, with strangers. That wasn’t appealing to me then, or even now.

I went to a Naomi’s Table gather-ing in Gulf Breeze, knowing only one person, Gail Eggiman, the founder of Naomi’s Table. When I walked into the room that evening, I knew that every woman there had experienced the same loss, the same pain, and the same fears. Those who have been widows for a long time were there to give encouragement to those who may have just become widowed. The woman I sat next to had been wid-owed only a few weeks. She got to see the others functioning, talking, laughing, and they looked and acted normal. She may have been trying to

Naomi’s Table: A ministry for widows

Nancy Karins remember what normal was. By be-ing there with other widows, she at least had hope. They had been re-stored; she would be as well.

I was impressed with the fact that church family was ministering each other in their home church. Every-thing about that was in my comfort zone.

Gail Eggiman had a dream. She told her friend, “I think I am sup-posed to give a party,” and told her about the dream. After lengthy dis-cussions about the dream, her friend said, “Gail, this is a ministry.” For two years Gail prayed and dreamed. She would talk to her friend about the dreams and they prayed and lis-tened for God’s direction. Gail wanted to be absolutely sure every-thing was in God’s will and plan. The ministry, the name, and even the artwork on the brochure were all de-livered to Gail in dreams.

Our first Naomi’s Table gathering will be May 21, 2009. We will meet at 5 PM for a light supper, and then proceed with prayer and conversa-tion. At our July gathering we will meet Gail and hear her amazing story. She will be traveling from Gulf Breeze, Florida just to meet you!

A friend said to me, “Isn’t it just like God to send you fourteen hun-

dred miles to find a ministry?” At first I said, “why yes it is”. But now I think, ‘I wasn’t looking for a minis-try’…and I wasn’t. Sitting on the sidelines is where I am most comfort-able. God had other ideas!

Please come, you will feel loved and needed, as a part of this healing ministry. Hope will return to your vocabulary!

Simply Gardening for ALL CCUMC Members and Guests Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30pm at 4825 Hopkins Rd Liverpool, NY

Master Gardener Lisa Ballantyne, AAS, Owner of Ballantyne Gardens and past President CNY Nursery and Landscape Association-2008 will be giving a presentation on organic

gardening. Ms. Ballantyne will be presenting on topics our attendees are most interested in. There’s a sheet on the Women’s Ministries table in Fellowship Hall to sign-up and indicate

your interests. Carpooling will be available from the church.

For more information see Randa Greer, Amy Kremenk, or Rachel Vallis

Presented by: Women’s Ministries

PAGE 3 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

Just last week, Allison and I took some time and visited two of the seminaries approved by the United Methodist Church governing body for such things as being good for the training and formation of UM Pas-tors and Deacons. The seminaries – Ashland (OH) and Asbury (KY) were quite different in many ways – popu-lation, founding bodies, physical lay-out, location, etc. In other ways they were very similar especially in em-phasizing that, as important as their ability to educate individuals seek-ing to enter into a future of full time ministry was, they valued something else just as much – Christian Com-munity.

Both institutions agreed that Christianity is not understood, propagated or prospered in a vac-uum. Christianity is lived out in close relationships with other Chris-tians, in obedience to the commands and examples of Christ, according to biblical principles and in mission and ministry – not as an occasional or required event, but as a matter of lifestyle and regular choice.

For those in the Christ Commu-nity “community” this would not be an unusual or new thing. This ech-oes what we preach, teach and ex-pect and attempt to model within our community. Authentic, live, committed Christian living. Note that this does not imply perfection, nor does it suggest that it is easy, always done right or even always done. Communities made up of falli-ble human beings will always have hiccups or glitches in the execution of a life well lived.

Within the allowances for human-ity, however, we strive to live with one another in ways that build up, that forge bridges between our dif-ferences, that encourage and allow each other to grow in our under-standing of our faith and its practi-cal applications, and to seek out, hone and put to use our individual gifts and graces for the good of the whole body.

The seminaries we visited under-

Coordination Station Roger Parker, Adult Ministries Director

stood this. They knew that Christi-anity does not happen without daily choice. It does not happen without daily action. It does not happen without Christians helping other Christians to grow spiritually, while themselves seeking to grow continu-ally, purposefully, intentionally. They knew that I cannot do this on my own. And neither can you.

This understanding; at the heart of their teaching and growing future pastors, counselors, church workers, and leaders; is that I need you, and you need me, and together, daily, by choice, we enter into this life we call Christianity. Sometimes it gets messy. Other times it can hurt or be difficult. And at times it can make us angry or upset. But pur-sued with the same vigor as we do our favorite pastimes, it will help us grow, become the women, men and children that God intends for us to be, and in the community life that God intended his Church to be.

What does all of this mean on a practical level? Simply put, that we need to be purposeful in our growth as Christians. I cannot grow unless I choose to. I cannot become more like Christ unless I choose to. Once that choice is made (daily) then I can actually do something about it. I can get into a study so that I can learn more about God. I can sched-ule times when I am awake, alert and quiet so that I can spend qual-ity time with God, enhancing my relationship with him. I can join a small group so that others can actu-ally enter into my life in a deeper way, encouraging and helping me to grow, and allowing me to do the same with them. I can find others on the Christian journey that I can partner with for encouragement and accountability and who will allow me to do the same with them. I can come alongside someone whom I can personally share my experiences as I grow with, and invest my experi-ence into. I can find someone who will do that for me. I can discover my specific gifts, talents, passions,

and abilities. I can test them out in various ministries and missions op-portunities. I can listen closely for God’s voice and start something new that he is calling me to. I can choose to look and listen for, and put myself in position to share Christ with all those God opens doors to. I can choose to prepare myself to at all times be ready to give an accounting of what God has and is doing in my life so that others can know that this is a living God and a living faith.

Opportunities for all of these things exist at Christ Community, even the opportunity to start a new thing. The only deterrent is us. We need to choose to enter into the life that God calls us to. For some of us that may mean “un-retiring.” For some, it may mean a choice to follow Jesus in the first place. For some, it may mean finishing our sabbatical away from the life God is calling us to. And for others, it may mean making that choice again this morn-ing, or this afternoon, or even again this evening. It may even mean taking some time to unload the bag-gage that is keeping us on the side-lines looking in.

For all of us, both at Christ Com-munity and at seminaries, it means being purposeful about being a part of the Community God designed and gave us. The Christian life can only be truly lived and experienced when we are actively in the game. Won’t you choose today to participate in the life that awaits you?

If you want to start and do not know how, please do not hesitate to talk to any of our staff at Christ Community. If you would like to talk about choosing to follow Christ, un-retiring, finishing your spiritual healing sabbatical, finding a men-tor, getting a fresh start, finding a ministry or mission to plug into, or any other aspect of your Christian walk, please talk to BJ, a CCUMC staff member, or myself. If you have an idea for a new ministry that God is talking to you about or wish to become part of a small group, please do not hesitate to talk to me.

PAGE 4 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

Hi from Children’s Ministries! Julie Valeski, Director of Christian Education

I would like to start off this arti-cle by thanking everyone in our congregation for all of the support you have given us so far this year. You all have given

so much of your time, talents, and money that I can’t begin to thank you enough!

For this article, I have been asked to let everyone know how they can plug into Children’s Ministries. Whether you have children in our ministry, or not, your talents and gifts are needed!! Here are our cur-rent needs and some ways that you can help:

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

♥ Be a Sunday School teacher for 9:00 am service

1 ½ hrs per week ♥ Be a Sunday School teacher for

10:45 service 1 ½ hrs per week ♥ Be a Junior High Youth Group

Leader and/or chaperone 4 hrs per month ♥ Join the Social Committee 4-6 hrs per month depending on

event ♥ Be in charge of decorating and

updating the Sunday School bul-letin board

1 hr per month ♥ Be in charge of keeping the SS

closet stocked, cleaned and or-ganized, as needed

♥ Sign up to bring in snacks for either service

♥ Donate materials to the closet for classes to use for crafts and ac-tivities

♥ Be a prayer partner for a class, youth group, or coordinator team

♥ Help with Clover Leaf Choir, time varies depending on when choir practices and sings

♥ Be a special needs one-on-one helper

1 ½ hrs per week ♥ Help organize fundraisers ♥ Paint an ark mural on the wall in

Fellowship Hall ♥ Help with Vacation Bible School

(VBS) ♥ Be a substitute teacher ♥ Sign up to help in the nursery

As you can see, there are many ways for you to use your gifts accord-ing to the time you have to give! Our ministry can’t grow without you! Please meet with me to talk about the ways you are being called to help. Blessings to all!

5th Annual Children’s Ministries Flower Sale

Order Now, Pick-up May 24

$3 per pack, $10 for 4, $18 for 8 Marigolds, Pansies, Petunias, Begonias,

Alyssum, Verbena, Snapdragons, Impatiens, Salvia, Dianthus, Lobelia, Coleus

PAGE 5 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

Christ Community UMC Junior High Youth Group The Junior High group will be meeting on: ○ May 17 from 5pm – 7pm at the church. ○ June 5 from 5pm – 7pm at the church. We are in the process of designing a group for the youth by the youth. All Jr. High youth are encouraged to attend so we can get their important input. We need your help and partici-pation to grow. We had great time at our recent Game Night and glad to get some new faces to join us. If you are a Junior High student interested in getting updates about youth group and have had a change in address, phone number or any other contact informa-tion please let Tim and Kathy know at ccumc_jrhighyouth@yahoo or call at 247-3755.

Family Bowling Day

Saturday, May 16

1:00 to 4:00 pm

$10 each

Includes 3 games, pizza, soda &

snacks

Sportsbowl in Baldwinsville

Sign-up in Fellowship Hall

An All-New Holy Land Adventure: Paul and the Under-ground Church Rome immerses learners of all ages in Bible-times culture, helping kids and adults explore what it might have been like to live as the church was just beginning. Families will experience new traditions, taste new foods, try new arts and crafts projects, and discover that God’s love is the most powerful gift, saving us from our sins.

The Apostle Paul is your Bible teacher!

Each day your family will visit Paul’s home, soaking in Scripture as Paul shares what he’s writing and applies it to kids’ experi-ences. To hear from Paul, chained to a Roman guard…it’s memorable learning—and powerful! See Suzanne Dibble or Sue Acker to find out more!

Christ Community UMC Senior High Youth Group Are you in grades 9-12? Do you want a fun place where you can hang with friends and worship God? Do you want to do different things that can help the community, or bring people closer to God? If you have said “Yes” to any of those questions, then check out CCUMC’s Senior High Youth Group. Run by two amazing adult leaders, Betty Jo Flask, and Brent Bowden, the Senior High Youth Group meets every Sunday, at the church, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm (unless marked otherwise) We welcome any and all new faces, so bring your friends! 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 5 , ISSUE 6

In celebration of Mission Sunday, the Missions Team led us in a "Parade of Mission" which featured the flags of the dozen countries Christ Community has either had mission teams in or has helped people from. These flags included USA, Iraq, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Costa Rica, Peru, and others. CCUMC Missions at home: • CCUMC Food Pantry • CROP Walk • Paige’s Butterfly Run • Samaritan Center • Street Ministry in Syracuse • ACTS (Alliance of Communities

Transforming Syracuse) CCUMC Missions in the USA • Disaster Relief

Flood Cleanup, Conklin, NY Gulf Coast Mission Central (PA)

• Red Bird Mission • Youth Works - Youth in WV • UMCOR Missions around the world: Costa Rica: We sent a 5-person team who helped a Methodist school in Costa Rica. Ghana: Family connections with Medical Missions

CCUMC Mission Team News Mark Cavanaugh & Cathy Cronk, Mission Team Co-Chairs

India: We’re sponsoring a Gospel for Asia missionary in India. We also have family connections to folks who were long-time missionaries in India. Indonesia: We have family connections to missionaries with New Tribes Missions to Indonesia Iraq: CCUMC sponsored a family from Iraq several years ago, and may sponsor another family soon. Myanmar: We’re current ly sponsoring two refugee families from Karen. We set them up in an apartment in Syracuse and we’re helping them get settled into a new life. Peru: The Wolfson’s went on a Literacy Trip in 2008.

PeruPeruPeru

Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica

The USAThe USAThe USA

IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe

UgandaUgandaUganda GhanGhanGhan IndiaIndiaIndia MyanmarMyanmarMyanmar IraqIraqIraq

SudanSudanSudan

Upcoming Missions at CCUMC

May 17 Mission Sunday “Dress Our People” See Carol Harper, Barb Walter for more info Team Meets on Thursday at 6:30 pm

6/6 Paige’s Butterfly Run (and walk) See Pam Youngs-Maher for more info

7/10 & 11 Seneca River Days – Selling Root Beer Floats See Cathy and Don Cronk for more info

Sudan: We sponsored the Wohl’s—a refugee family from the Sudan. We set up an apartment for them in Syracuse and helped them get settled here. Uganda: Pastor BJ and friends make an annual trek to teach in seminary and do evangelist work in the country Zimbabwe: - We sent a team who worked in a school and mission. And sponsored the Container Project to send medical and school supplies to Mutumbara. We also sponsor students at Ishe Anesu. We supporting a new orphanage project and helping with micro-loans to help families be self-sufficient. We’re are also sending members on a mission trip in 2009.

Ishe Anesu students

during Bible study

PAGE 6 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

PAGE 7 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

Barnabas Team Barnabas is the group within our church who make themselves available to assist members who are in nursing homes or hospitals, or for some reason cannot leave their homes (shut-ins). The name "Barnabas" is taken from Acts 9:27. Following Paul's Damascus Road experience and his conversion none of the other believers accepted him, fear-ing a trap, but Barnabas did and became Paul's first partner in the mission field. Our Barnabas group is always looking for more volun-teers, especially to visit and take communion to shut-ins. If you would like to accompany Linda Prell on hospital visits, or visits to nursing homes or shut-ins to see if this ministry is for you, contact her directly and she will set up a time and day for you. Board of Trustees The Trustees meet the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. The trustees are charged with the task of making the decisions that apply to church property. As a group we perform and or coordinate all facets of re-quired maintenance to the building from blacktop to the roof top and all points in between. Assistance is also given to other ministries to make changes or upgrades to the property where needed. We also set policy for the use of this property for church or family events. To be a trus-tee you merely have to have the want to give of your time and talents to improve the facility for all. See Bill Dibble for more details. The Church Council provides leadership to the church in be-tween regular and special charge conferences. It is comprised of those in leadership positions of Missions and Ministries of the Church. We meet on the 2nd Tues-day of each month at 7:00 PM at the Church. If you are interested in this ministry, contact Joe Cole.

Cloverleaf Children’s Choir is a music ministry for children. Kids from the second grade and up are welcome to be a part of this exciting and fun ministry. We usually start up at the end of September and go until the beginning of June. We re-hearse Sunday mornings from 10:15 to 10:45 in the choir room. We try and sing for the church approxi-mately once a month. We are always looking for adults to help us with this ministry. We can use help keeping the children focused during rehearsal times, getting the children in their robes on performance days, etc.. If your child loves to sing praises to the Lord and wants to have fun while singing, then they should come and see what we are all about. Please contact Shelly or Chris Peters, if you want to help with this ministry. Drama Team This group provides dramas for worship, running the gamut from funny to serious. It is an enjoyable way to praise God and enhance the worship experi-ence. This group needs not only actors but also writers, artists, technicians and directors. It is open to all, regardless of age or ex-perience. Contact Betty Kline for more information or to join. Finance Team This team is com-prised of four parts: Treasurer, Tellers, Finance Chair and Stew-ardship Committee. The current Treasurer is Kathy Hurd. Her re-sponsibility is to monitor church finances, especially payables, and to provide a check/balance on the checks of the church. The tellers

are responsible for counting and recording weekly tithes and offer-ings. The Stewardship Committee helps to plan and execute a yearly stewardship strategy to be run each spring. The Finance Chair, Ken Prell, oversees the whole fi-nance process and is in charge of fundraising and overall financial strategy for the church. See Ken Prell, if you’re interested. F.I.S.H. ("Friends In Service Here”) This group serves both as a ministry to those in the church and as a mission to those outside our church family. It is primarily re-sponsible for organizing and clean-ing the kitchen and pantry, keep-ing both stocked with the supplies necessary for use in luncheons, din-ners and other ministry functions; providing funeral and other lunch-eons as a ministry outreach; pro-viding frozen meals for those in need of heat-and-eat food; and the delivery of these (as well as fresh, hot meals) to those of our church families that may need such help from time to time. There is always a need for volunteers to clean, cook, pack, deliver, set up and break down luncheons. All are welcome to join as there is no age limit. In fact, children often comfort other children at funeral luncheons and love to help parents cook meals for others. Financial contributions towards this ministry are always welcomed and put to good use. Just contact Lynnie Janson directly for more information. Health Ministry This mission provides a wide variety of opportu-nities to improve the health and welfare of those at Christ Commu-nity as well as the wider commu-nity at large. These opportunities include (but are not limited to) health care screenings, regular blood drives, blood pressure moni-toring, health fairs, and informa-tional sessions on important health

CCUMC Ministries and Missions—A place to get in the game!

PAGE 8 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

topics. If helping others to be healthier moves you, this could be the mission for you. Contact Lois Cole directly for more information or to join. Hospitality Team The mission of the Hospitality Team is to create a process to identify and greet guests, to help guests make connections with members of the congregation, to an-swer guests’ questions regarding on-going ministries, to identify guests for future follow-up by Pastor BJ. The Hospitality Team invites each of our Mission and Ministry teams to take a turn welcoming folks on Sun-day morning. If you’d like to serve on the Hospitality Team see Laurie Noll. Inspired Expressions Dance Team Inspired Expressions is Christ Community's dance team, which began about 8 years ago as a way to express our love for the Lord. Our choreography is very simple and is loosely based Ameri-can Sign Language. We usually have a new dance every couple of months. We occasionally travel to different churches and to nursing homes. No prior dance or sign lan-guage experience is necessary. We are an open group, meaning anyone can join at any time. We do ask that children under the age of 7 be supervised during practice by a parent. We follow the Baldwinsville School calendar and meet Wednes-days from 6:00-7:00, starting in October and finishing in June. Call Christine Haskins at 455-7129 or email her at chaskins03@msn.com Liturgists The Liturgists provide a variety of voices during worship while leading prayers of the people and often reading scripture selec-tions. This group is open to anyone who is not shy about speaking in front of a group. Please see Heather Claver, if you have any questions or are interested in join-ing this group.

Men’s Ministry The CCUMC Men's Ministry exists to allow men to experience life in Christ together, through fellowship, bible study, small groups, ministry and mission opportunities and special events. The group is open to all men at CCUMC from high school on up. Some of the Men's Ministry spon-so red even ts in c lude the May/October chicken BBQ's, Satur-day morning bible study, Family Hockey and Baseball nights, "Big Game" Night, the Moving ministry, etc. Come and be a part of what the guys are doing here at Christ Com-munity! For further information, call Bill Dibble, Joe Frega, Burt Lamb, Rick Major or Roger Parker. Also, check the Men's Min-istry Bulletin board or the CCUMC Website's Men's Ministry page for current information and future events. Mission Team This mission ex-ists to provide everyone at Christ Community the opportunity to be involved with Missions work re-gardless of their skills, abilities or interests and is open to all ages. The opportunities range from lo-cal to international and include prayer, sponsorships, short-term missions opportunities and local events. If you want to help others while spreading the gospel, this is the team for you. Contact Mark Cavanaugh or Cathy Cronk di-rectly for more information or to join the Mission Team.

Praise Choir The Praise Choir is a group of energetic participants who love to sing and praise the Lord in song. The only real require-ment is some energy and excite-ment about praising—being able to sing is a plus. We learn everything by ear, so reading music is not a requirement. We meet every third Tuesday, year round. We sing on the following Sunday. Rehearsals are pretty important since we learn what we will sing on Sunday at the Tuesday rehearsal. Everyone is wel-come to join. Please contact Denise Weeks-Bush for more information or to join. Prayer Ministry This ministry is comprised of a variety of compo-nents and is open to anyone inter-ested. The Pastor's Prayer Part-ners meet monthly for prayer, learning, discussion and a light meal. The Prayer Chain uses both phone and email to distrib-ute prayer requests to those who have volunteered to do interces-sory prayer. There is a group that meets regularly for intensive prayer for the church and its ser-vants. If you like to pray, see re-sults when you pray, or feel called to this ministry, see Lois Peery. The Reluctant Gardeners A group of cheerful but reluctant volunteer gardeners that want the front garden to look inviting to members, friends and visitors to the church. No special skills are needed. The gardeners do not meet regularly, but instead meet when there is a need—to spread

HUGE FLEA MARKET & CRAFT SALE

June 20th at CCUMC

We need vendors and donations for silent auction, white elephant table and bake sale.

Save the date and watch for more details.

See Roger Parker to see how you can help!

PAGE 9 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

mulch, to do spring clean-up, to do fal l c lean-up, or to pull weeds. Team members are also needed to water the flower pots during the dry spells. See Randa Greer if you can help. Sonrise Choir The Choir is open to all singers high school age and older who like to sing in 2-, 3- and 4-part music. Generally the choir sings at the 9:00 AM service only, but occa-sionally will also sing at the begin-ning of the 10:45 service. There are no auditions and the only require-ment is regular attendance. See Phill Sterling for more information or to join this ministry. Special Music If you play an in-strument, like to sing, write or compose music and would like to share your creations with the con-gregation as an offering to God, see Phill Sterling or Denise Weeks-Bush. They can arrange accompa-niment, as well as schedule an op-portunity for you to use your gifts. Staff-Parish Relations Commit-tee This team is the liaison be-tween the church and the pastoral and non pastoral staff. They over-see the hiring and firing of all per-sonnel except for the Senior Pas-tor. This is one of two teams here

at Christ Community that is only open to those nominated and elected to the position. Transportation Ministry There are many within our church fam-ily who cannot drive or do not have their own transportation. This ministry exists to provide rides to church, church events, doctors appointments, etc. We can use the help of all who feel they can provide transportation to the church community on a regular or on-call basis. For information on needs, opportunities, or to join this ministry, contact Rick Major. W o m e n ’ s M i n i s t r y ‘Transforming the World for Je-sus—One Woman at a Time.’ A mission statement very much like the CCUMC mission statement; and one that encompasses our purpose and goal for Women’s Ministries. Because there is a need for women to have opportu-nities to get to know each other; and because there is a need to have opportunities to grow in Christ alongside your sisters in Christ; and because there is a need to have opportunities to serve each other in ministry and serve others outside of the church in mission, the Women’s Minis

tries’ team was formed. The goal of the Women’s Ministries’ team is to provide and promote oppor-tunities to gather together, to grow in Christ, and to send disci-ples. We want the women of CCUMC to use their gifts and tal-ents to serve Christ. We want to mobilize the women of CCUMC into a community. We want the women of CCUMC to get to know each other in a personal, spiritual way. See Randa Greer, Amy Kre-menek or Rachel Valis for more information. Worship Coordination Team The worship team is responsible for making our worship celebra-tions memorable. This is done through the organization of the various worship teams and their offerings (dance, music, drama, etc.), the selection of appropriate music, new worship themes and ideas and providing seasonally appropriate sanctuary decora-tions. This group meets each Tuesday at 4:00 PM to work on these things. If you like to exer-cise and stretch your creative side, this is the group for you. Contact Jan Maier or Pastor BJ directly for information or to join.

TRUE STORY (honest!) From Lois Peery When my brother was in Sunday School his class learned the 23rd Psalm. When he got home my parents asked him to recite it for us. He did very well in the beginning, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pas-tures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” but it got a tad mixed-up toward the end. His eyes got very big and he said with great drama, "They rob and they stab and they come for me!"

Lois & her brother Albert

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At My Mother’s Knee I have worshipped in churches and chapels I have prayed in the busy street, I have sought my God and have found Him Where the waves of the ocean beat, I have knelt in the silent forest, In the shade of some ancient tree, But the dearest of all my altars, Was raised at my mother’s knee I have listened to God in His temple, I’ve caught His voice in the crowd, I have heard Him speak when the breakers Were booming long and loud; Where the winds play oft in the tree tops My Father has talked to me, But I never have heard Him clearer Than I did at my mother’s knee. God make me the man of her vision And purge me of selfishness! God keep me true to her standards And help me to live to bless! God hallow the holy impress Of the days that used to be, And keep me a pilgrim forever To the shrine of at my mother’s knee.

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

Pastor Roger Parker, Director, Adult Ministries Roger@ChristCommunityUMC.com 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, Interim 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, Custodian 457-9382

CCUMC Prayer Chain Barb Jesmer is our prayer chain

coordinator. You can contact Barb at 422-7266 (weekdays) or 451-7177 (evenings and weekends). Also there’s a link on our webpage to email y o u r p r a y e r r e q u e s t s a t www.christcommunityumc.com.

Your prayer request will be lifted up in prayer for one month—or longer if needed. All information is kept strictly confidential.

Call Barb, or visit our website to add your request to the prayer chain. Remember, God answers prayer.

Looking for a Small Group or Bible Study?

Monday 7:00 PM Bible Study at Church with Pastor BJ 7:00 PM Couples Group at the Suddabys

Tuesday 5:30 PM Men’s Bible Study

Wednesday 11:00 AM Brown Bag Bible Study at Church with Pastor BJ 5:30 - 9:00 PM Worship On Wednesday (W.O.W) 5:30 Dinner, 6:00 Worship 7:00 Classes and Small Groups

• Really, Really Bad Girls of the Bible with Julie Valeski • Teen Bible Study with Allison Parker • Learning to Read the Bible with Pastor Roger • Mere Christianity (by C.S. Lewis) Book Study with Pastor BJ • Christian Believer Study with Tom Eckrote • The Shack Book Study with Jim Karins

Saturday 8:00 AM Men's Bible Study

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 Phill Sterling, Director of Music

What a joy on Easter to have the ranks of the Sonrise Choir increased to celebrate our Risen Lord! We are truly blessed at Christ Community to have so many talented musicians. In addition to our singing groups, we often include instrument performances at our celebrations. There are no auditions and we have a flexible rehearsal schedule to meet the needs of our performers. 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.

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Pastoral Ministry Musings Linda Prell, Interim Director of Pastoral Care

B.J. or myself and we will help you connect with a ministry where you can use these gifts. Has God laid a ministry on your heart that needs to be started in order to provide encouragement to others? Please come and share your ideas. Let us join together in Christian community to meet the needs of our church family.

As I write this, two scripture verses come to mind. From Proverbs 12:25, it says “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” And in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul writes “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” These verses exemplify what we attempt to do at Christ Community UMC.

In closing, I would just like to extend my thanks to all who have stepped forward in ministry to one another as we travel together during this time of transition. With our Lord leading the way, there is no end to what we can accomplish. No idea is too big or too small. May God bless you all.

be with us at church services. The F.I.S.H Team stands for

Friends in Service Here. We prepare meals and freeze them to have on hand when someone is in need. We also provide luncheons following funerals and memorial services.

The Forget-Me-Not Ministry is another visitation ministry that also checks in on numerous people in our congregation. In addition to our shut-ins and nursing home residents, we visit many other people to provide prayer and encouragement.

We also have two new ministries preparing to launch. There will be a greeting card ministry and a new ministry for widows that are in the organization process.

All of these ministries provide encouragement, support, and Christian love to others. It gives us a chance to make connections and build relationships with others. They help us to remain in community with one another. If you have a gift for encouraging and nurturing others, please see Pastor

As we enter into the spring season, I am filled with great excitement. It is a time of new birth. As I look around at our church family, it is with great joy that

I am humbled to witness the new birth that is taking place at Christ Community United Methodist Church. With the influx of guests, I am reminded that we have even more pastoral needs within our church family.

We are blessed to have many ministries in place to help provide pastoral care for our folks. The Barnabas Team is a ministry that supports and meets a variety of needs for Christ Community members and their families. We provide prayer for members before day-surgery, and check in with those folks once they are home. We offer prayer and visits for those who are shut-in at home and for our members who are residents in nursing homes. We also provide communion for those who cannot

PAGE 12 CHRIST COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 3

June 6, 2009

Team CCUMC is now forming! Join the team for a fun, healthy way to support a great cause!

Sign- up with Pam Youngs-Maher at church. You’ll find brochures with more information on the Mission bulletin board near the coat room.

Sponsors are also needed.

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.