the newsletter of first christian church (disciples of christ)march 27, 2012

THEvolume xxv | no. 81

june 5, 2012

Operation Overboard: June 10-14!Dare to dive in and go deep with God!Volunteers and children please register online at: http://overboard.cokesburyvbs.com/SmithvilleFCC

We are still looking for volunteers to help us to make this year’s Vacation Bible School the best it has ever been! Join us as we “dive into faith” and explore God’s love in new ways. Volunteers are needed to help with snacks, recreation, science experi-ments, bible stories, and small group leaders. Anyone can help! Thank you!

If you have articles that you would like included in Summer editions of the Current, please submit them to Jennifer by the following dates for the following publications:

Submit on June 14 to be published in the June 19 issue.Submit on June 28 to be published in the July 3 issue.Submit on July 12 to be published in the July 17 issue.Submit on July 26 to be published in the July 31 issue.Submit on August 2 to be published in the August 7 issue.

The August 7 issue will mark our return to weekly newsletters.

Summer Due Dates for The Current

congratulations, josh milne!Josh Milne received the Excellence in Education award from the Northland Chamber of Commerce. He represented Barry School in the Platte Co. R-3 School District. Congratulations, Josh! We are all so proud of you!

quilt ministry formingA new quilt ministry is forming in our church. The first meeting will take place at the Italian restaurant Luigi’s here in Smithville on Wednesday, June 13th at noon. If you enjoy quilting, knitting, crocheting or embroidery work, we hope you will join us in cre-ating new ways to spread God’s love to one another. If you are interented, but unable to make it to the meeting, please contact Cheryl Merideth.

A Note of Thanks from the Faith Leadership ClassThe first Faith Leadership class wants to express our gratitude for the retreats at Tall Oaks and for being given the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful class. We also want to extend our deep gratitude to our “Faith Leader” Ryan Motter, who knows the importance of this class and made it all possible. This class comes highly recommened by each of us. We would like to en-courage everyone to consider being a part of future classes. “WE ARE COMMITTED,” let our cups overflow showing the love for one another that Christ has shown each of us. God Bless each of you. Thanks! —Greg Atkins, Larry Driver, Shirley French, Joel Hart-man, Jonica Lincoln, and Cheryl Merideth

A Note from Alexander HamiltonI want to thank Rachel Drake for coordinating the Graduation Breakfast and the tribute to all the graduates during services. Thanks also to the youth and members of our church for deco-rating and supplying the yummy breakfast. I also appreciate the cards and well wishes from our congregation, you guys are so kind. The gift of our own personalized Bible is awesome. Thank you! —Alexander Hamilton

food pantry reportPsalm 146: 1&2. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your support in the future. We received a generous donation form the Retired Teachers Organization. Things we need are: boxed cereal, canned soup (no more chicken noodle for now, please) volunteers, plas-tic bags & canned fruit. Any amount is great. The more we give, the more we get...so we can give some more.

Love, Rick romans 11:33-36

current culture

out hesitation. If this is how God gives and we are amazingly created and called in God’s image, then are we too called to this generous work, this grace, this giving freely, abundantly and without hesita-tion? Could it be this simple?

As we journey through June together, exploring more the gospel call for a faithful stewarding of money and of our gifts, I encourage you to ask hard questions that only can be answered individually: how much do I give financially and spiritually of myself right now? Am I giving comfortably? Am I challenging myself in a healthy way? Am I meet-ing God’s abundance with my own?

Come, give with me. Come, receive the Holy Spirit with me.

With gratitude,

Ryan

A Word from Ryan

What a great time for us to focus on Stewardship, during a season of celebrating all kinds of gifts. We have just recently passed by Mother’s Day, Graduation Day, and Memorial Day. Veins of sacrifice, perseverance, honor, and generosity run through each of those days. Now we will run headlong into Father’s Day, marking again many of these gifts. It seems as though our world is beckoning us each day to give thanks for the amazing gifts that we receive, from our nurturing to our education to our citizenship.

The church is in a season of giving too. Just this last Sunday, we ap-proved a new slate of nominees to serve our church as deacons, el-ders, and a trustee. Among those who have stepped forward, we find a healthy mix of women and men, age and experience. I’ve pointed this out to a few of you, but a great celebration for us is to recognize how we this particular nominating process has lifted up the presence and importance of youthful leadership at our church; of the fourteen elected officers, ten are below the age of fifty. This shows us that we value both sides of that scripture from Joel, “Your old men and women will dream dreams, and your young men and women will see visions” (2:28). Those people who have heard the call to serve their church are marking gifts that already exist within them: servants hearts, willing hands, discerning souls. By saying “Yes,” they practice stewardship.

So now in the month of June, our sermons together turn to the idea of stewardship and of giving. Last Sunday, I shared with you “Steward-ship Lesson #1:” Stewardship is nothing more and nothing less than the natural act of giving of ourselves for the help of others. From our holidays to our nominees, our church is in a season steeped in that act of giving that is meant to be as natural as our ability to speak or have faith or love. Giving, as Paul suggests in II Corinthians 8:7, is meant to be a generous work, an act of grace that flows forth out of who we are and who God made us to be.

Financially, we come to understand that “this generous work” really challenges us. We each have things that are our own. They belong to us. We have earned them either by work or merit. Our world teaches us that these things belong to us. So, when someone says that we are to give them away, we might balk: “These are mine, not yours. You didn’t earn them. Work harder.” For some of us, it might be that we have so little that to give would put our lives in danger. For some of us, we have so much that we don’t know how to start. I could go into a million more “what ifs,” trying to touch on the situation of each person in the church and plucking out a little bit more about our giving practices at FCC.

But, perhaps this will suffice: Paul calls us to “this generous work,” a phrase which also translates as “this grace.” By using the word grace, Paul forces us to place our financial and spiritual giving into a theo-logical framework. Grace is a gift, given freely, abundantly, and with-

Stewardship is nothing more and nothing less than the natural act of giving of ourselves for the help of others. From our holidays to our nominees, our church is in a season steeped in that act of giving that is meant to be as natural as our ability to speak or have faith or love.

a look aheada look ahead

june birthdays

JUNE 5: Bob Arnold, Sam Arnold, Anna Priddle, Clint French JUNE 6: Shelby Joyce JUNE 7: Mary Gordon JUNE 8: Lindsey Baber, Logan Miller JUNE 9: Alicia Seevers JUNE 13: Alexander Drake

JUNE 14: Betty Gilstrap JUNE 17: Steve Ward, Lauren Burns, Elise Craig, Brett Novitski JUNE 18: Jessica Arnold JUNE 19: Margaret Otto, Jim Riddle, Jane Woods JUNE 20: Kay Paul,

Brian Mitchell JUNE 22: Michelle Arnold, Don French, Shirley Owen

GREETERS, EAST DOOR: Dale & Susan French

LAY READER: Dee Cooper

DIACONATE: Judy Clough, Peggy Miller, Donna Priddle,Dee Cooper, Les Neer, Patrick Burns, Bruce Hathaway, Margaret Otto [Alt: Jacob Manka/Sam Miller]

CANDLE LIGHTERS: John Manka & Cole French

CLEAN UP COMMUNION: Judy Clough

GREETERS, WEST DOOR: Jerry & Alice Richards

CHILDREN’S SERMON: Greg Atkins

PREPARE COMMUNION: Peggy Miller

ELDERS: Ken Lippincott & Larry Priddle

PICK UP SANCTUARY: Bruce Hathaway

next sunday, june 17

GREETERS, EAST DOOR: Larry & Donna Priddle

LAY READER: Traci Burns

DIACONATE: Traci Burns, Natalie Milne, Cheryl Merideth,Rachel Drake, Michael Hickman, Billy Drake, Dale French,Pam Maedel [Alt: Brady French/Devin Stripling]

CANDLE LIGHTERS: Lauren Frala & Aleigh Porter

CLEAN UP COMMUNION: Dale French

GREETERS, WEST DOOR: Beverly Darling

CHILDREN’S SERMON: Alice Richards

PREPARE COMMUNION: Traci Burns

ELDERS: Bill Drake & Rader Miller

PICK UP SANCTUARY: Pam Maedel

this sunday, june 10

FirstChristianChurch

(Disciples of Christ)

201 North Bridge StreetSmithville, MO 64089-8266phone: 816.532.0773www.smithvillefcc.orgoffice@smithvillefcc.org

Ryan Motter, pastor cell: 913.707.2870email: ryan@smithvillefcc.org

Mark Holcomb, music ministerVelva Fausett, organist Janet George, pianistGreg Atkins, treasurerJennifer Schultz, office managerAbby Carr, communications designer