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The Visitor
1900 WEST MARKET STREET
GREENSBORO, NC 27403-1715
The Visitor A publication of
January 21, 2020
Dear friends,
Early in my first interim pastorate, I heard peevish comments about the length of sermons. These
weren’t directed at me; I’d barely arrived. But the subject became somewhat of a joke as someone
always seemed to be timing the length of the sermon. One Sunday,
when my year there was nearly finished, the youth minister preached
and broke the taboo by preaching for about 40 minutes!
An analysis of 50,000 sermons from 6500 congregations
showed the following median lengths of sermons among
these types of churches:
· Catholic – 14 minutes
· Mainline (white) Protestant – 25 minutes
· Evangelical Protestant – 39 minutes
· Historically black Protestant – 54 minutes
When I began my second interim pastorate, the wife of a Search Team member enthusiastically en-
dorse my preaching. Why? Because my sermons were short! I can’t say they continued to be as short
as those she endorsed, but her remarks revealed something worth considering.
Some people want to feast on the Word, to savor it, to dwell on it and in it. As long as what they’re
hearing is good news, why not hear a lot of it? Also, some preachers say it takes a good while to fill in
the blanks of everything people have forgotten from the previous Sunday. Other people see the ser-
mon as a “lesson,” a time for applicable teaching of the scriptures. It takes a while—say, 39 minutes?
—to show what the text says, to analyze what it meant way back when, and to instruct listeners in
how to respond to the spoken word.
Still others ask the preacher to get to the point before their attention meanders out of the room.
Melissa Guthrie Loy has worked to present the Word in ways that people with various kinds of disa-
bility can relate to through multiple senses, which sometimes involves them in an activity. With all of
these preferences and patterns and possibilities, I approach the pulpit each Sunday with you, dear
reader, in mind, and pray that somehow the words of my mouth might stir the mediations of your
heart in ways both acceptable to the God of love and useful in your journey of discipleship.
+ Phil Miller
Page 2 The Vi s i tor
MANY THANKS
Each of us serving in a staff position with First
Christian Church received a Christmas
“bonus,” an expression of the church mem-
bers’ appreciation. It’s such a privilege to work
with the remarkable people of this church, to
share your vision, to participate in your mis-
sion, and to do what we can to fulfill God’s
calling. Thank you so much for your generosity
and kindness!
Thanks from our Church Staff
Phil Miller Tamara N. Dix
Woody Faulkner Pamela Reese
Leslie Gooding Laura Hutchens
Chassidy Crump Amanda Desselles
Thank you notes have been received from the families of JoAnn Alley and Ed
Wagoner. These have been shared in the Update.
Dear Disciples Women:
Thank you for your generous gift to Disciples Mission Fund
(DMF) in November! As an employee of a (DMF) , supported
ministry, I'm so grateful for your commitment to the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada.
Because of your support, Disciples are starting new churches
combating racism, and advocating for the least of these from
our own doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
In Christian Love,
Emily Martin
Office of the General Minister and President
Community Opportunity
Pa
ATTENTION: Children & Youth
SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY— February 2 is fast approaching!
We need - Cooks to prepare the meal for our youth
- Donations, Soup, Drinks, Snacks and Games
For more information call Rev. Helena Epstein @ 330.221.3095
You Need to Know
Page 5
Sanctuary Sound System Issues Resolved for Now:
If you were in the Sanctuary Christmas Eve, or the Sunday after Christmas Day, you know that the sound system was causing some “feed back” squealing. The immediate remedy was to just turn it off.
But, that is not an acceptable solution to the problem. Accordingly, we reached out to Ed Poindexter, who has worked with us on just about all of our sound system issues for years, to come take a look at
the problem. He came to the church on New Year’s Eve to see what he could find. Woody Faulkner
and Rev. Miller worked with him to help recreate the issue so he could diagnose the problem.
Ed found the problem, and made the necessary adjustments on the Sound System mixer. He also found
a few other lingering issues with the lapel microphone, Communion Table microphone, as well as the pulpit and lectern. He corrected those too. Going forward, if the feedback issue reoccurs, we have a
way to immediately respond (assuming the source of the feedback is the same) without turning off the entire system. Many thanks Woody and Phil for taking time to work with Ed in recreating the problem.
Also, many thanks to Ed Poindexter; your continued friendship to our church is a true blessing!
Church Bus Tires Slashed:
New Years Eve was celebrated by some local vandals, who remain unidentified, by slashing two of the church bus tires. According the Greensboro PD, they got a large number of vehicles in the neighbor-
hood. So, it is important note that the church was not singled out for their midnight work. We were able to get the tires replaced while the bus was sitting in the parking lot. So, we now have new tires in-
stalled and balanced for a total of $454.30. Our bus insurance comprehensive coverage paid the claim
less a $250.00 deductible. We have already received their check.
Cliff Greaves, Co-chair Property Team
Always in our Prayers
Condolences
RECENT ATTENDANCE January 5: 91 January 12: 106 January 20: 140
PRAYER CONCERNS Contact the church office if you would like a name added to or removed from the prayer list. Angie Wethington
Ann Fry
Leroy Bymaster
Gary Yeager
Billie Pierce Alley
Roger & Ann Stanley
Phyllis Collins
Emo Wagoner
James Alley
Steve Ball
Amanda Oliver
Bev & Dick Isaacson
Karen Watson
Robin Lund
David Greaves
Doug Sumerford
Steve Ball
Betty Reynolds
David Greaves
Prayers for Brad & April Murray and family. Brad is on a 9 month deployment with the Army.
Former FCC member Tommy Wilson passed away early this year. If you
would like to “attend” his funeral, you may do so virtually at https://boxcast.tv/
channel/mbs9yjnhe3potrkm1yqq and search for the Tommy Wilson
funeral held at Brookhaven Christian Church, January 11, 2020.
News and Notes
Page 4 The Vi s i tor
Just Wondering….
What was the purpose of Luke's Gospel?
We'll look for the answer in the introduction to this Gospel by Eugene Peterson who authored
the translation of the Bible entitled "The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language". He
tells us that most of us at some time feel left out, that we don't belong. One answer to this is
to start a club, or join one that will have us. Now we're "in" and others are "out". This unfortu-
nately is in the history of religion. When he writes his account of the life and teachings of Jesus,
you easily see he is the champion of the outsider. He shows most clearly how Jesus includes
those typically looked upon as "outsiders": women, common laborers, shepherds, the racially
different, the poor, the sick, etc. He openly challenges any understanding that religion is a
"club". Christianity has "open doors", the "lowly" are welcomed.
- JT Moore
A Men’s Rally
WHEN: Sunday, March 22
WHO: Middle Fork Christian Church
WHERE: 2216 East Street - Winston Salem, NC
Registration starts at 3 p.m. Then the program begins at
4 p.m. A meal will be served after the program, please
bring a friend and your bible. “Good fellowship, good
speaker, and good food” at the Men’s Rally of Blessings!
Ervin Tate
President of the Central District C. M. F.
Page 5 The Vi s i tor
FROM THE STEWARDSHIP & FINANCE TEAM
2019 SUMMARY OF INCOME AND EXPENSE FOR THE GENERAL OPERATING FUND
BUDGET ACTUAL
Income Expense +/- Income Expense +/-
January 21,972 -22,836 -864 20,327 -20,184 143
February 21,972 -22,833 -861 18,261 -14,678 3,583
March 21,970 -22,832 -862 46,922 -18,769 28,153
April 21,970 -22,832 -862 21,165 -14,411 6,754
May 21,968 -22,821 -853 20,348 -16,152 4,196
June 21,968 -22,821 -853 18,886 -24,519 -5,633
July 21,968 -22,819 -851 18,101 -20,322 -2,221
August 21,968 -22,818 -850 15,910 -27,234 -11,324
September 21,967 -22,806 -839 20,007 -22,059 -2,052
October 21,967 -22,804 -837 20,826 -29,463 -8,637
November 21,967 -22,805 -838 16,938 -18,704 -1,766
December 21,967 -22,804 -837 44,780 -25,608 19,172
Total Budget
$263,624 ($273,831) ($10,207)
Year-to-Date
$263,624 ($273,831) ($10,207) $282,471 ($252,103) $30,368
Sixty-four individuals/couples/families made a pledge for the year 2019. As of 12/31/2019,
99.3% of those pledges have been paid. Way to go, everyone!
We began the year 2019 with a planned deficit of $10,207, but ended the year with a $30,368
surplus! There was almost $20,000 more revenue than we had budgeted, and we spent about
$20,000 less than our plan. There were a number of contributing factors, not the least of
which was that we were without a Senior Minister for 4 months.
It’s still not too late to submit a 2020 pledge card. Grab one at the reception desk, fill it out,
and turn it in. It’s so simple. Doing so will add certainty to our plan for 2020.