EXPLORE WILL START ON SEPTEMBER 11

Adult electives --- 5:00-6:15 p.m.Children’s choirs--- 5:00-6:15 p.m.

Middle school and high school youth ---- 5:00-6:30 p.m.Adult choir --- 6:30-7:30 p.m.

We will be cancelling programming for Cornfest on October 2nd and the 50th Anniversary of FCC October 30th.

EXPLORE NURSERY VOLUNTEERS Nursery for Explore Sunday night programming & Adult Choir Practice in the evenings begins September 11th. This allows single parents, both spouses, or spouses who attend alone to be able to participate. Please contact Trudy, Tim or Alaina if you are able to help with these child care needs.

50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

SAVE THE DATE for Sunday evening, October 30th at 5:00 pm as old and new from FCC gather together to celebrate ALL that God has done through our church family. EVERYONE who has and is attending First Christian Church is invited to join us! We’re really excited preparing for FCC’s 50th Anniversary. Plan on an all church potluck, along with a stroll down memory lane with old photo’s and entertainment sure to bring a smile! So please, if you have any photo’s taken at FCC or at ANY FCC event (camp, retreats, etcs) we’d really love to have them to scan and share. If you want the photo returned, please mark the back clearly with your name and address. Sign-ups are available in the foyer and online to help us plan and prepare for this monumental event! Get your FREE tickets in the foyer to help us with the head count to know how much meat to order. We’re collecting recipes to make the 3rd FCC cookbook, while also compiling the old recipes of the past two cookbooks into the new one. Please email your recipes to info@fccmorris.org as soon as possible. We plan to have the cookbooks available for distribution by Christmas. More information to follow on that. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Holliday or Coral Bleifield.

LIFE GROUPS PROMOTIONGod grows us through community. Personal growthdoesn’t happen in isolation. Playing ping pong byyourself is boring. Jesus said, “I have come that theymay have life to the full,” John 10:10. Living life to thefull is not living life in isolation.

When Jesus began His ministry, He called 12 disciplesto join His community. Why did Jesus do this? He is

God. He can accomplish His mission alone right?Yep! Yet, Jesus chose to lovingly pour Himself into relationships and thus launch the first “small group!” Community isn’t an option. We need community just like we need food and water. God’s word describes the kind of community Jesus wants us to build with one another. Here are just a few verses... “ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7 ”And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.“ Hebrews 10:24.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16In fact, there are 50-plus “one another” verses in the New Testament that reveal various aspects of community. Ok, enough said. Are you ready?

LIFE GROUPS are FCC’s groups of 12 - 15 people that meet together each week for 60 - 90 minutes in convenient locations across Morris and surrounding areas.These groups are the perfect place to meet new friends, grow in your faith, and learn more about the Bible…all in a relaxed and fun environment. Sign up for a life group during the month of September. All life groups begin on/after Sunday, October 2nd and will meet for approximately 10 weeks. Go to fccmorris.org and check out our new “groups” tab today.

OUR STORY CLASSThe FCC family is part of a bigger story- God’s story. This one-day “Our Story” class intends to educate and mentor each person through

God’s story for the purpose of carrying out God’s mission for His church.In other words, we want to help you connect with and live out His story. We want everyone to start their journey with FCC by attending this class! This class meets throughout the year. • Next class: Saturday, September 10, 2016• Time: starts at 9:00 a.m.• Location: Room 112• Length: 1 day

MOBILE MEALS FCC will be responsible for delivering Mobile Meals in October. This program helps the elderly remain independent by delivering meals to their homes each day at Noon. If you are interested in taking a route, contact Kim Carr at 815-942-4956.

SAVE THE DATEWe will need many volunteers for our Fall Trick or Treat Party on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Please sign up online to help with this event.

NEW MEMBERS

BAPTIZED AUGUST 7, 2016 BAPTIZED AUGUST 14, 2016Grace Beland Gwyneth CatoJohnny Clower Sophie CatoMarsha Flagg Aubrie JacksonChris GrovesKaylee GrovesJennifer LeoLila LeoGavin LeoBrianna LeoRachel LobbKarin OehlweinJim ParrishRiley ProdehlPeggy Vota

CONDOLENCES

Cindy Underwood, on the passing of her father, Ken Edwards on August 24, 2016.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDIES TO BEGIN

TUESDAY MORNINGSOne is a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land by Priscilla Shirer encourages women to fully engage in the abundant life God has waiting for those who will allow Him to take the lead in daily living. One in a Million is an opportunity for you to experience your deliverance from strongholds, to conquer your wilderness living, and to claim your God-given inheritance. Come and join us on Tuesdays from 9 - 11 am in room 113 starting on September 6th (brunch) through October 18th. Leading this study will be Kim Carr. Sign up in the foyer to attend. Cost is $13 for workbooks.

TUESDAY EVENINGSAll day, every day, an invisible war rages around you. Join Priscilla Shirer in a 7-session Bible study that will challenge you to suit up, stand firm, and secure victory in your life. Join us on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m. starting September 13th for this 7 week study. Leading this study will be Terri Clemmons and Diane King. Cost is $13 for workbooks.

MINISTER’S CORNER

When I was young, I was afraid of the deep end of the pool. I always wanted to feel safe and know that I could touch bottom. Then my dad tossed me in the deep end one evening and ever since then I realized that the deep end can be pretty fun. So much more to explore there and more freedom to move, jump, dive and splash around. That picture really parallels much of our experience with scripture.

We tend to like to stay safe, study and know the things we are comfortable with like being able to touch bottom. But the deep end of scripture can provide a greater experience of exploration and discovery that will enrich our lives and obedience to God even further. Try it sometime. Allow your heavenly Father to toss you in and start swimming. You might just like it!

All of that leads us to an opportunity to do just that...jump in! Beginning Sunday evenings on September 11th from 5:00-6:15 each Sunday night, we will begin a new ministry aimed at the deep end of Bible study and exploration. We are calling it EXPLORE! Explore the story of scripture in even greater depths so that you will be inspired by your discoveries of who God is and the obedience He is calling us to. Knowing the story better enables you to tell it better, celebrate it better and become it better. So here is the lineup for EXPLORE…

SEPTEMBER 11, 18, 25 -- We will do a book study over the book of Galatians and learn how to combat legalism and what grace looks like in telling the story.

OCTOBER 2 - Take a week off and enjoy the Grundy County Corn Fest.

OCTOBER 9, 16, 23 - We will cover the theological theme of “forgiveness”. Why does the Bible emphasize this concept as critical to who we are as Christians?

OCTOBER 30 - Take a week off and celebrate our church’s 50th Anniversary celebration!!!

NOVEMBER 6, 13, 20 - We will dive into a very culturally relevant topic: LGBTQ community. How should we approach the topic, stand firm, and show God’s love?

After these 3 sets of EXPLORE classes, we will break for Thanksgiving and December and come back in January for another class. If you truly want to take your faith to the deeper end of the pool, then we invite you to dive in and EXPLORE scripture like never before.

Hebrews 6:1-3: “Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ andbe taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.”

CHRISTMAS 2016Yes, it’s time to start thinking about our Christmas project, “Shepherds and Kings.” For many, Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, a time to be spent with family and friends…a festive, happy time. But for others, the same holiday season only serves to underscore the loneliness, pain, and hopelessness of their own lives. Through this musical we will follow the story of Susanna who, in spite of her own struggles, is trying to let a lonely, bitter woman know how much God loves her and restore her joy. We will need lots of help with this project – vocalists, actors, stage construction, decorating, costuming, greeters, and refreshments. If

you’re interested in being in the choir, music is available in the foyer you can also sign up online. Practices will be on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM in the worship center starting September 11.CHILD CARE NEEDEDIf you would be willing to be in a rotation to provide child care during the adult choir practices this fall, please contact Trudy at tmoore@fccmorris.org. Resources will be provided. Practices will be from 6:30 – 7:30 on Sunday nights starting September 11.

CALLING ALL KIDS!Ages 4 yrs old (by September 1st) thru 5th gradeThe Solid Rock and Sonshine Singers staff are so excited to introduce to you our 2016 Christmas Musical “All About That Baby”. Rehearsals will be on Sundays, starting September 11th from 5:00 pm-6:15 pm with the presentation date set for December 4th at 6:00 pm. Sign up online to attend. Look closely around the Children’s Wing for everything you will need to begin our adventure back to Bethlehem, where we will sing, show, and tell of Jesus’ birth through the eyes of a young shepherd and his very cool talking, rapping, dancing sheep!! Come be a part of God’s Story of Jesus that starry, Holy Night!

PASSION 2017 We are so excited to be taking a group to Passion 2017 in Atlanta, GA. Here are a few things you might need to know before signing up to go:• The conference runs from January 2-4 in Atlanta, GA.• We leave the morning of January 1st and return the evening of January 4th. • Total Cost $225 (includes Registration, Lodging and

Transportation) $75 deposit is due by October 1, 2016. The FIRST 20 people to put their deposit down will receive this price. After the first 20 sign up, the cost goes up $25. (30 is our max) This is because we have to buy more tickets at a higher price. $150 balance is due by December 1, 2016

• Sign up online through our website if you plan to attend.

JULY 31 AUG 7 AUG 14 AUG 21

Weekend Services 621 648 698 685

Missions $40 $70 $70 $20

Benevolent Fund $115 $135 $130 $165

Scholarship Fund $0 $0 $0 $10

General Fund $28,165 $31,063 $22,243 $24,250

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH STATS

Joining our community of Faith in 2016: 34

First Christian Church

455 W. Southmor Rd.Morris, Illinois 60450

(815) 942-3454(815) 942-0806 fax

info@fccmorris.orgwww.fccmorris.org

See us at: facebook.com/fccmorris

CHURCH GOAL

Current Total: $2,560,629.34

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$750,000

$1 Million

$2 Million

$3 Million

$3.6 Million

MOBILE FOOD PANTRYThe next Mobile Food Pantry will be held on Wednesday, September 14—Mazon@Mazon Verona Kinsman Middle School, 1013 North St.

COLLEGEADDRESSES

Students, please make sure to give the church office your scool address and email for

the upcoming school year, so we can keep you informed of events.

CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED

The church office will be closed on Monday, September 5th in observation of Labor Day.