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March / April EditionChrist United Methodist Church Newsletter

339 Frank Scott Parkway EastFairview Heights, IL 62208

[email protected]

www.connectingwithchrist.com

www.connectingwithchrist.com MAR / APR 2010

“We exist to connect people with Jesus Christ.”

This is our mission and the foundation for everything we do at Christ Church.

As Director of Volunteer Ministries, I have the opportunity and the

privilege of meeting new people and helping them discover their spiritual gifts and how they can use them to please and to glorify God. “For it is the Lord Christ that we serve” (Colossians 3:24).

Opportunities to serve at Christ Church are almost endless, ranging

from sharpening pencils and stocking the pews to participating in family mission opportunities to help our neighbors around the corner and around the world. We do this through a program called CEPIM (Connecting Every Person in Ministry).

Each year, we have a church-wide CEPIM campaign at Christ

Church. This is an invitation for everyone in the church to make a personal commitment to serve Christ.

On the three Sundays in April following Easter (April 11, 18, and

25), CEPIM packets containing the new 2010 CEPIM Catalog, commitment card, and devotional will be distributed to all church families in Scripture Hall.

On Sunday, April 25, a Ministry Fair will be held in Scripture

Hall. At this event, you will not only be able to see the displays of ministries available at Christ Church, but you

will have the opportunity to speak with ministry leaders and ask questions before making your commitment.

Sunday, May 2, is Commitment Sunday. During both worship

services (and also during the Saturday evening, May 1, worship service) you will have the opportunity to take your commitment card to the altar and commit to the areas in which you feel God is calling you to serve in the coming year.

Commitment Sunday is not only an opportunity to sign up for ministries;

it is also an opportunity to “sign out” of ministries. On the commitment card beside each ministry, you will have the option of checking “New,” “Continuing,” or “Remove Name.” Therefore, you can sign up for a new ministry, continue in the one where you are already serving, or opt out of your current ministry and serve elsewhere.

We ask you to be in prayer about where God is calling you to serve in the coming year.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in ad-vance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Diane KrugerDirector of Volunteer Ministries

The Hearts for Heroes received the following letters in response to the Christmas packages sent to the troops serving overseas. I would personally like to thank the congregation for their support in providing the items for the packages. Christ Church, you are a blessing to the men and women giving their time and lives to serve our great country. “Serve the Lord with glad-ness...” Psalm 100:2Blessings, Kathi White

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The box was a wonderful surprise. Your kindness was greatly appreciated by the Marines and myself. You made our day! I am leaving for home, so the snacks will help me while traveling. Thank you and God bless.Your Brother in Christ,Edwin

I want to say how thoughtful your care package was to me and how much I appreciated it. Thank you so much for thinking about us while we are overseas. We absolutely love getting packages!Thank you again,SPC Alcala

My name is Jennifer, and I got your care package. I wanted to take the time to let you know how much we appreciate hearing from everyone at home! We truly feel the support, good wishes and prayers from the USA. Your care pack-age was a nice surprise and very useful. We always share everything we receive and nothing goes to waste. All the items were snatched up right away. This is my second deployment to Afghanistan and there is a notable difference in the level of support we are receiving from home. It’s almost overwhelming. Thank you all!Capt. Jennifer LuomaKabul, Afghanistan


the JourneyCome, hear and experience real life stories meshed with powerful wor-ship music. Three women like you and me have experienced the love of Jesus Christ, and their lives will never be the same. “Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21:5

The Spring Journey features three women whose lives have been trans-formed through the power of Jesus Christ. As each woman testifies to God’s work in her life, rejoice with them and believe “all things are pos-sible.” Matthew 19:26

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor. 5:17

Three “Ordinary” Women; One Extraordinary God.

Friday, April 30, 2010Doors open 6:00 p.m.Dinner 6:30 p.m.Worship & Program 7:30 p.m.Cost $5.00

Childcare available (birth to age 12)Register in Scripture Hall Sunday, April 11,18, 25

www.connectingwithchrist.com/events

Call Carolyn Ellis for more information at: 618.207.8112 or 618.917.0175

“When I look back on my life, it is all somuch clearer to me how God was using me to be a blessing to others someday.And somewhere along my life’s journey, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and began to appreciate the trials and tribulations God saw me through thathelped me into the person I am today.”- Deb Clark

“The story of how God transformedmy life is not my own, but the handwriting of God. It is a joy forme to share with others the redemptionof His daughter so that others may hear and see His glory through this life that God has given me.”- Allison Turner

“We all experience pain and sufferingin our lives, and no one is exempt from them. Perhaps my testimony of God’sHand through my suffering and paincan offer hope to other women who have experienced similar situations.”- Maggie Wakeman


Mt. Nebo rests in western Jordan and sits 2,680 feet above sea

level. It seems higher because most of what it overlooks is below sea level. In March 2008, I stood atop Mt. Nebo and saw what Moses saw some 3,500 years ago. Moses would not enter the Promised Land but before his death, God took him up the mountain for a visual. Deuteronomy 34 reads, “Then Moses went to Mt. Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land…and the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I told them I would give it to their descendants. I have allowed you to see it…Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there.” Let’s climb atop what the hymn writer called “Pisgah’s lofty peak” for a visual and look at five things coming up at Christ Church in 2010!

1. Nursery Grand Opening We will hold the Grand Opening of our new nursery wing called Creation Corner on Saturday, March 27 at 2:00 PM. Mark this date on your calendar and come and celebrate with us. We will open the nurs-ery on Sunday morning, March 28!

2. Easter Times Last year we topped the 2,000 mark for the first time on Easter weekend. This year we are going to offer four Easter services on April 4. At 6:00 in the morn-ing, we are going to open up the Chapel and hold a traditional Easter service with a piano, organ, hymns and strings with me preaching. We will then hold three identical Praise and Worship services with choir, band, and orchestra at 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. By chang-ing our regular worship times, we can hold three services and have time to clear the parking lot before the next ser-vice begins.

3. Getting Green Christ Church is now a massive physical plant that consumes a lot of resources. In the early spring, not only is our church going to recycle our paper, we are go-ing to offer a receptacle on the grounds for the community to recycle! The cool thing is that we will be getting paid by the recycling company and then we will turn that money into ministry! Christ Church is going to get a lot greener in 2010.

4. Around the Corner In November of 2009, this congregation determined to collect 10,000 food items needed by the Fairview Heights food pantry by Thanksgiving; by the time it was all over, we collected over 16,000 for the largest single donation in the his-tory of the pantry. On Sunday, March 14, I am going to meet with the various leaders of our “around the corner” minis-tries and we are going to get our hearts around what it would take to make such outreaches the norm, rather than the ex-ception at Christ Church.

5. Third Worship Service As of September 12, we will offer a wor-

by Rev ShaneThe World As I See It

ship service on Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM that is an exact replica of our 8:30 AM morning worship service. The praise band will be here in mass and when the choir and orchestra sing on Sunday morning, they will sing on Sunday eve-ning as well. Don, Jeff, Nathan and I will all be here live and we will have a full contingent of people to work the Café, serve as greeters, security and ushers and make sure the quality of this service is every bit as good as what we offer on Sunday mornings. In addition, I will also be asking an additional 100 pioneers to commit to attending the 6:00 PM service each week for one year to give us the critical mass we need to get started.

There is true excitement in my heart today. I feel a bit like Moses

overlooking the Promised Land. I believe God has good things in store for us because God is Good…All the Time.

With hands and minds in work and praise

We serve You, Lord, in these few daysAll that we are

and all that we ownCame by Your grace for one plan alone

The glory to You in these gifts we bring

Sweet fragrant aroma, our offering

Accept, O dear Lord, what is already Thine

So whatever we do will lead them to Christ

WE SERVE- Michael Harrison


Easter SeriesPalm Sunday – March 14Passover Sunday – March 21Passion Sunday – March 28Easter Sunday – April 4

Easter Sunday Service Schedule

6:00 a.m. – Traditional Sunrise Service in the Chapel with Rev. Shane. Hymns with piano and string quartet led by Don Frazure

7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Easter Services in Sanctuary with Rev. Shane. Music by the Christ Church Choir, Orchestra, Band and Vocal Team

Christ Church Choir and Orchestra will begin a new program cycle that will pre-pare music for Easter Sunday. Rehears-als begin on Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 PM. Anyone wishing to join the choir for this program cycle should contact Don Frazure at:[email protected]

The Easter series is a great time to get plugged into the Worship Production Team. There are opportunities for ser-vice in the areas of sound, lighting and video. If you would like to become a member, or just want to find out more in-

formation, contact Nathan Tobin at: [email protected]

Thanks,Don FrazureDirector of Worship

I have been walking through the Transformation Journal and have

experienced a combination of joy and frustration. It started out fine, but by the time I got to about the third week, I felt as if I was banging my head up against a wall. I was trying to understand why, after being a Believer for most of my life, that Philippians 2:1-4 was so hard for me. In verse 1 it says: “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit?” I realized that I wasn’t gripping onto the Truth that would set me free.

I wasn’t encouraged or experiencing comfort or feeling that fellowship

together in the Spirit because I had lost sight of how much God loves me (Ephesians 3:16-19). As I write this, I realize the Lord has been working on me in incredible ways, showing me His love in difficult and trying circumstances. I am beginning to experience the fullness of life and power that comes from God. He is becoming more and more at home in my heart, and my roots are going deeper and deeper in the soil of God’s love – so much that daily I depend on the Holy Spirit to quench my thirst and on Jesus, Himself, to shine on me.

What does this have to do with serving? It has EVERYTHING

to do with serving. Once we grasp the deep love of God and how He deserves glory forever, we are spurred on to our “And so, dear brothers and sisters” (Romans 12). The apostle Paul writes how we are to respond to such a love. We are to give our bodies to God as the kind of sacrifice He will accept. He begins to transform us by changing the

way we think. We begin knowing what God wants us to do with our lives – His good, pleasing and perfect will. We all have different work to do, and God wants us to do that work well. Paul also says that “since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” (Romans 12:5).

I also respectfully giggle at the practicality of Romans 12. We are to

not pretend that we love others (which can be so easy to do), but we are to really love them with genuine affection and find joy in honoring them. Finally, with a full dosage of practicality, it says in Romans 12:11, “Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.”

I encourage you to hold tight to that transformation that is occurring in

your thoughts, hearts, minds and souls and enjoy the ride. Never forget how much the Father loves you and serve the Lord enthusiastically!


Please remember the needs of the Fair-view Heights Food Pantry...More and more families are turning to the pantry as the lo-cal job situation continues to suffer.

Needs include:canned and boxed pasta

laundry soap breakfast cereal

toothpastecanned meat items/tuna

face soapsoup

deodorantcrackersdiapers

bottled and canned juicecleaning supplies

canned fruit

Anything your family buys at the super-market will be a blessing to someone less fortunate. Drop your items in the marked box in the vending machine room. What a great way to share the blessings that God has given.

Fairview HeightsFood:Pantry

The UMW will hold its annual spring rum-mage sale on Thursday, April 8, from 8 AM to 4 PM and Friday, April 9 from 8 AM to 2 PM. Donated items, clean and gently used, may be dropped off in the gym be-tween 7:30 PM on Sunday, April 4 and 5 PM, Wednesday, April 7. Nothing can be accepted after 5 PM on Wednesday.

The church family is invited to pre-shop the sale Wednesday evening. Remember that the proceeds of the sale are used for the mission outreach of the Christ Church United Methodist Women. Our mission giving last year exceeded $11,000, most of which was made possible by the rummage sales.

We could use a few able-bodied men to help with the takedown at 1:45 PM on Fri-day, April 9. Just come to the gym. Thanks to all who continue to make our rummage sales successful and a blessing to those we serve.

Rev. Shane will be our speaker at the March 23 general membership meeting, and a representative from the Violence Prevention Center will be with us April 27.

Blessings,Marge Oppedal, President

United Methodist Women

Events & AnnouncementsChrist Church

Want a fun place to serve and get connect-ed with new friends?

Vacation Bible School 2010 is a great place to get involved in children’s ministry. It is five evenings of fast paced, exciting, creative fun and fellowship. Our VBS vol-unteers (adults and teens) look forward to this week every year. It takes 75 volun-teers each year to make VBS happen. If you have been at Christ Church for many years or you are new to the church, we would like to have you as part of our VBS team. We need leaders and helpers in the following areas:

Teaching, Assistants, Music, Crafts, Rec-reation, Missions, Snacks, Registration,Decorating, Prayer, Attendance, Kick-off Event, Construction, Name Tags, Painting, and Drawing.

There will be an informational meetingSunday, April 119:45 – 10:30(between services)Room B-9 in the Fellowship Hall

Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS is July 19-23, 6-8 PM

For more information please contact:Liz [email protected]

Hey Wranglers!Pack Your Saddlebags!Vacation Bible School is taking you to Big Sky country toSaddle Ridge Ranch

Bible stories, music, crafts, recreation, missions, snacksWatch for details

July 19 – 236:00 - 8:00 p.m.3 years through completed 5th grade

CEPIM Leadership Retreat for all CEPIM team leaders, ministry leaders, and staff liaisons.

Monday, March 22 at 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Child care provided.

Sponsored by Central Illinois Community Blood CenterRegistration will be in the gym

GIVE WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART

CEPIM Leadership RetreatMarch 22, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Christ Church Blood DriveMarch 29, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Newto Christ Church?


I received this wonderful testimony from Destiny McNair, one of our MOPS mem-bers here at CUMC. She used some ideas from a recent meeting to make great changes in her daughter’s stockpile of toys

“After our MOPS group organizational meeting, I started exploring ideas for my daughter’s room. It was always a disas-ter and she was constantly stressed out. There were too many toys jammed into her space that it stressed her out. We had a playroom before we moved here, so we lost that wonderful space....now her bed-room became the playroom! I purchased 5 large plastic bins, printed out Monday through Friday tags and la-beled each for a day of the week. I de-cided against Saturday and Sunday be-cause I want that reserved as family time. I evenly distributed toys, puzzles, dolls, games, musical instruments, all that won-derful stuff and divided it by day. I let her keep books, art/crafts, dolls and dress up as every day playthings, but all the other odds and ends are in the 5 bins stacked in her closet. It teaches her to recognize the day of the week and how to spell it. Now each morning, she gets so excited to see what is in that particular day box. She only sees those toys once a week but truly plays with them now. There are less toys floating around her room, and it’s a breeze for her to clean up at the end of the day.” What a great idea! MOPS doesn’t only help you with finding time for yourself … it also gives you terrific tools to help you find success in the job of motherhood. Check us out on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 9:30 AM. Childcare is pro-vided and visitors are always welcome. For questions, call Wendy Arneson at 416.3434.

Events & AnnouncementsChrist Church

HEALTHEVENTSFirst Aid and Basic CPR ClassContemporary Lifesaving Training will be here on Saturday, March 20, to teach a first aid course as well as a basic CPR class. First Aid will begin at 9:00 AM and CPR will follow. You may take one or both classes. If you are taking the CPR class for recer-tification, please bring your old card with you. The cost is $25 for First Aid, $25 for CPR Recertification, and $40 for CPR if it is your first time.

These classes are open to everyone. There will be nursery care available for children ages 0-6 years old. Please sign up at the Activity Center or by going to the web site at www.connectingwithchrist.com and go to EVENTS. For more infor-mation please contact Jeri Horowitz RN at 277.4659 in the Parish Nurse office.

Autism Awareness ProgramPlease join the Parish Nurse Ministry on Monday, March 29 at 7:00 PM in the Chapel for a presentation on Autism. Our speakers will be Sandra Rodenberg, the principal of the Illinois Institute of Autism, and Elise Field-Dixon, the Family Support and Education director of the same school. They will present an overview of autism and offer information on treatment as well as programs available to both children with autism and their parents. This program is free, open to the public and no registration is required. It is sponsored by the Parish Nurse Ministry. Please contact Jeri Horow-itz RN at 277.4659 for more information.

Conference for CaregiversIf you or someone you know is a caregiver, you may want to attend a local free confer-ence designed just for you. On April 24 from 9:30 AM-2:30 PM, the Area Agency on Aging is presenting a conference to care-givers of all-aged patients. It will be held at St John’s Home and Community Care in Collinsville and includes a free lunch. For more information, please contact Jeri Horowitz RN Parish Nurse at 277.4659.

Christ Church, you are invited to attend the open house for Creation Corner on Saturday, March 27 at 2:00 p.m. This is a church-wide grand opening event. Re-freshments will be served.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21

myChristChurch – Christ Church Online

Get connected to your life at Christ Church with a few simple clicks. Did you know you can tithe online, sign up for just about any event and class that is happening, and you can even buy a Transformation Journal via our website?

Look for this link at the top of every page on our church website.

It is as simple as signing up for an email account to get set up with a myChrist-Church account. Pick a login name and set a password and you are good to go. Here is a short list of the benefits of having a myChrist-Church account:

-View all of your ministries, classes, small groups, and events that you are involved in.-Check meeting times of scheduled events.-View a full Christ Church calendar that is customized for you.-View your family information such as con-tact information and giving.-If you lead a class or small group you can mark and view attendance for your classes as well as send out group emails to your class members.-Gain access to the online Christ Church direc-tory.

We invite you to get plugged into myChrist-Church today.

Justin AymerDirector of Communications

Creation Corner Open House


The time is almost here to move into the new building – Creation Corner!

Children’s Ministry is very excited about this new facility for our children ages birth through 4 (PreK). It is going to be a beautiful building, and even more than that, we know that the children will experience the love of God as displayed by our staff and volunteers, that they will have FUN, and that the parents will feel secure knowing that the children are receiving loving and quality care. We want to highlight some of the features of the building and of Early Childhood Ministry at Christ Church:

The building has 7 classrooms, a nursing room, and a large worship

room for music, drama and puppet shows. It also has an indoor play area!

Before you enter Creation Corner, parents will be able to check in

their child in the area outside of the new

wing, near the cry room. We will also have a new check-in system called Z3.

Most of the building will have eye-catching artwork created

by Jonathan Martin Creative, INC. Their artwork was the inspiration for the name “Creation Corner.”

Our Early Childhood Staff is CPR and First-Aid trained, and works

diligently each week to ensure that the children are receiving quality and loving care. Our Staff gets the kids into the Bible with concrete Bible lessons that include crafts, drama, puppet shows, and music! Michele Barnes, the Early Childhood Sunday School Coordinator, and the Early Childhood Staff welcome any questions you may have about Early Childhood education at Christ Church.

On Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 AM, we are having a special grand

opening preview, just for expectant parents and parents of children ages birth through 4 (PreK). Also, we want the kids to come, too! At this special grand opening, parents and children will have the opportunity to walk through the building and meet our Early Childhood Staff. During the event, children will have some time in the classrooms with

the Staff, where they will receive snacks and will partake in fun activities. During that time, parents will be treated to refreshments in the Worship Area and will hear the heart and vision of this ministry from the Children’s Directors and Rev. Shane. Please come to this special Grand Opening and invite a friend! Creation Corner will be open for ministry on Sunday, March 28.

As a parent, if you are not already utilizing our early childhood ministry

on Sunday morning, we encourage you to do so! We want to partner alongside you, as we provide excellent care for your child and connect them with Jesus!

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” - Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Creation Corner!

Rachel Frazure, Director of Children’s Ministry

Leslie Damann, Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry

Looking over the past few years of this ministry, our team has met and

built relationships with so many different people on the streets and in the shelter...we have been able to share Jesus with countless people. We all have so many stories to be told. Every member of the Winter Patrol Team has a story to share. Stories of how serving Jesus on this team has changed our lives.

Not only have we been able to share the unconditional love of Christ to

a population that most ignore, but we each discovered that by serving, Christ started to move and do something within their own hearts, and we all walk away receiving so much more than we were ever able to give. Over the years, as we sought to serve others, our lives have been forever transformed; we will never be the same, and never look at the world through the same eyes again.

Watching the people of Christ Church grow in their own spirituality

because of this ministry has been, by far, one of the most exciting things I have ever been privileged to witness firsthand. We think we are going out to serve others, but what really happens is that we end up being the ones who are served. Christ moves in the hearts of those who serve in this ministry in a way that

cannot be explained...only witnessed.

Thank you, Christ Church, for your continued generosity. Because of

you, we are able to hand out much needed items on each and every trip. Every Bible, coat, hat, blanket, pair of socks, food or personal hygiene item that is donated gets personally hand delivered into the hands of real live people. Real people just like you and me, only they are sleeping outside...real people who are overwhelmingly grateful for something as small as a toothbrush and toothpaste or a pair of socks to warm their feet.

Serve one another...by the strength that God supplies...in order that

in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. — 1 Peter 4:10-11


Recently, Rev. Shane asked for volunteers in five areas that the

Church was experiencing great need. One of those areas was referred to as the Visiting Ministry, or “Shepherd Care”. What this means is Lay Pastoral Caregiving, and you might be just the right person for the job if you knew a bit more about it. Pastoral care is generally thought of as the pastor or his assistant visiting with a patient in the hospital or nursing home, or at the time of a death or tragedy in the family. At Christ Church,

Rev. Allen Miller heads up the pastoral care and is assisted by the Parish Nurse and a few lay visitors. However, with a growing congregation, the need for pastoral care has greatly increased. In an effort to give more people the high-touch care that they need and deserve, Shepherd Care (Lay Pastoral Caregiving) becomes an essential element of the Congregational Care model.

Shepherd Care involves volunteer ministers showing love and

caring by their presence and by their attentiveness to those they visit. For example, you may visit a shut-in at their home or someone confined to a nursing home. The visit may involve talking to that person about where they grew up or what they remember from their military days. It might include reading to someone who can no longer see, or taking someone outdoors in a

wheelchair to experience some sunlight and fresh air. What we hope that you will be able to convey by your presence and attitude is the love and compassion of God in Jesus Christ. For many, our visit is the only “church” that they get.

The requirements for this ministry are few: a cheerful, compassionate

attitude, a willingness to serve, the ability to get yourself to where you will be visiting, and a few hours of training. If you feel that God is calling you to Shepherd Care, please call:

Jeri Horowitz, Parish Nurse, at 618.277.4659 for more information.

Almost Home is a family style, transitional home that provides a safe

shelter for up to fifteen homeless, young mothers, ages 12 to 19 and their children. These young mothers are empowered to develop their emotional, social, economic, academic and family skills to become self-sufficient, responsible adults and caregiving parents to their children, positively affecting future generations.

I was inspired to serve in this particular ministry because I love children and it

warmed my heart to know that I would get to be a part of celebrating with a child that may not have otherwise been provided a birthday party and equally important, to be able to serve the mothers of these children by giving them what they sadly would not have been able to provide on their own. This has made me truly realize how much I routinely take for granted. The mothers never say “thank you,” but they never

have to; I know they are grateful that we come. This is something I just know.

I can also relate to the young mothers as I myself was a struggling young mother and

know first hand how God can turn ev-erything around. We take a prayer re-quest bag for the girls to anonymously drop their prayer requests in each month and the sincerity and simplicity of their prayers absolutely melts my heart.

In a nutshell: We lead with a devotional and a prayer. We want to be sure that

these girls know at the start of each visit that we are all there serving Jesus Christ and that He loves them. My daughter says that she can see their interest when the devotional is being read and this makes the entire trip worthwhile. We serve snacks and drinks for everyone then we offer the mothers games and crafts to do while the children are busy playing with and being entertained

by volunteers. (The children are so incredibly adorable!) When it’s a birthday month, we finish with birthday cake and gifts for all children and something special for the birthday child.

To say that being a part of this group is amazing just doesn’t

feel like it’s saying enough.

Adrienne Rogers said it best, “Service is not doing something for God,

but letting God do something for you.”

Amen!Elkie Origliosso

Jeri Lyn Horowitz RN Coordinator, Parish Nurse Ministry


Watch Us Grow!

AttendanceFebruary Worship = 1268

Feb. Connection Classes = 483

Year Avg. Worship

Year Avg. Connection Classes

= 1260

= 483

General BudgetYTD Giving$305,108.64

YTD Expenses$276,541.10

Annual Budget$1,680,054.00Finances

as of Mar. 9, 2010

Change The WorldGifts to Date$1,525,666.29

Pledge Goal to Date$1,505,301.74

Worship Opportunities:Saturday: 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

Sunday: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM Worship & Sunday School10:00 - 10:30 AMFamily Fellowship in Christ Church Café

Sunday Evening:

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Fellowship6:00 PM - 6:30 PM Praise & Worship6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Connection Classes

JanuaryFrank Shewmaker Jackie Shewmaker

FebruaryPeggy Sue Brown Betty L. Cockran Dartan D. Cockran Erin N. Hanson Nathan J. Hanson David Howe Kenny Krieg Jill Lane Krieg Phyllis J. LaFollette Arleen Nolte Amanda Oliver Chad Oliver Samantha Schuetzenhofer Elizabeth Smith

MarchJoshua T. Benitone Karen L. Heimrich Larry J. Heimrich Erich Jascaek, Jr. Mary Alice Jaschek Sarah E. Nation Jack Richards Bobbi Richards

New Members BaptismsFebruaryElla Kate Murphy Mia Grace Mullenix

MarchSamuel Thien Oliver

Members PassingDon Blunt – February 23Helen Perry – February 28

Removed by RequestTed CrincoliBarbara Jean Crincoli


Jesus lived His life to the fullest and then He died for all, He died for all

of us on a cross. For Jesus, life to the fullest meant giving His life – dying for everyone on the planet. Usually when someone is dead they stay dead. Not Jesus! Stranger than fiction, through the extraordinary power of Almighty God, Jesus rises out of the Grave! Resurrection – rescued – redeemed. He is alive again to rescue each one of us. The story of Jesus’ Resurrection appears five places in the Bible: in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and 1 Corinthians. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact. Jesus is exalted and glorified. Theologians are split over

Jesus’ Resurrection as a historical fact. Theologian Wolfhart Pannenburg affirms that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was a historical event. Amen! Jesus’ Resurrection is cemented by the appearance of Jesus to lots of people after His death. His Resurrection is cemented by the discovery of the empty tomb. The tomb where Jesus’ body was supposed to be is empty. In 1 Corinthians 15:14, the Apostle Paul writes – “If Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe.”

Jesus rises from the grave, and He appears to more than 515

eyewitnesses over a period of 40 days. Over 500 people tell the truth about Jesus’ Resurrection! For 40 days after His death, Jesus appears many times in ways that prove beyond doubt that He is alive. Jesus appears to Peter, then to the 12 apostles, then to a group of more than 500 at one time, to James, and finally to Paul. Jesus sees them all, and He talks with them about the Kingdom of God.

Through His life and through His death and through His resurrection, Jesus

sets in motion endless possibilities for

us as well as for the rest of the world to be restored/redeemed – won back, joined into a right relationship with God. That’s the joy of Easter! Talk about your do-over, or your second chance – God provides them all to us through the Resurrection: the living again of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ means more than life after death. The Resurrection of Jesus points to the fact that God raised up Jesus when the world had condemned Him. That Jesus rose from the dead is a statement of 1) Christian faith, and 2) human hope. Without Jesus’ Resurrection, there is no Easter. We tell the story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We tell of the vibrant, strong, unstoppable hope that rules inside each one of us, regardless of whether it’s been a great year or a lousy year for each one of us! We cherish and celebrate Christ’s Resurrection. Up from the Grave He Arose! This is a prime time to recognize Jesus and commit to Him. Invite Jesus into your life; that’s life to the fullest. Invite Jesus in and He will change you. He will stretch you. And, Jesus will bless you. Jesus can transform you – a little at a time or all at once. It’s time for a change!• • • • • • • •

Time for a Changeby: Rev. Allen Miller

Did you know that only 40% of East St. Louis youth g r a d u a t e from high school, and

only 25% go on to college or trade school? At the Christian Activity Center (CAC), which serves the most under-resourced neighborhood in East St. Louis, the num-bers are very different. In fact, of the kids who attend the CAC, 90% graduate from high school, and 75% go on to college or trade school. This quiet ministry around the corner from Christ Church engages in-ner-city children during the critical risk-tak-ing hours of 3-8 PM. The CAC welcomes more than 165 school-aged children (6-18) into their doors daily, providing everything from after-school snacks to homework tu-toring to karate practice.

Ways you can help:

1) PRAY over the children in East St. Louis.

2) VOLUNTEER at the CAC. Contact Drew Phillips, chaplain and volun-teer coordinator at the CAC, at [email protected]

4-6 PM Tutoring in the homework area

3-5:30 PM Kids 4 Christ - work with 6-8 year olds

4-6:30 PM Computer Clubhouse - work on projects and games

4-7 PM Recreation - play ballgames and build relationships

3) DONATE to the Christ Church Young Chefs program. This spring, Christ Church plans to host a group of 10 children ages12-18 from the CAC to complete a 4-6 week cooking course! Talented industry professionals will work directly with the children in our church kitchen to teach them about kitch-en safety, nutrition, meal planning, cook-ing, and baking. Our mission is to teach them practical skills they can use when they graduate from the program, as well as

create something yummy and fun! To help provide them with a chef starter kit, (pan, mixer, bowl, decorating tips) please go to Walmart.com and choose from the Young Chefs Wish List.

Contact Julie Eichholz at 618.233.2812 or [email protected] for more in-formation.

4) COLLECT supplies for the CAC. The CAC website has an updated list of needed items, but they can always use paper towels, hygiene products, canned food, printer paper, and school supplies. Deliver supplies to the church vending machine room and label “CAC,” or contact Amy Walter at [email protected] for delivery options.

To learn more about the CAC, visit www.cacesl.org

God Bless,Amy Walter

Cheryl and I are blessed in that God has chosen us to serve in areas of

ministry which we both have grown to love. Our Lord has given Cheryl a heart driven to serve the needs of those who are homeless, with a particular emphasis on women and children. I have been given a heart driven to serve men by way of the Men’s Softball Ministry at Christ Church. Each of these ministries also provides us with an opportunity to serve God’s people alongside one another as husband and wife. She spends a great deal of time with me around the softball diamonds, and I have the privilege of helping her prepare and serve meals to those who otherwise wouldn’t be eating that night. We both enjoy every minute we are allowed to serve (even during those times when stress takes a jab at our guts).

We have all been called into the service of God. I would like to share what

I learned when God led me to build the Men’s Softball Ministry at Christ Church:

1) Pray: venturing into unknown territory is shocking at best, especially when you are answering God’s call in your life. Spend time alone in prayer asking God to give you answers and direction re-garding His will for your life. Ask for wisdom and discipline to carry out the work He is placing on your heart to do, then wait for the Holy Spirit’s guid-ance.

2) Let the Holy Spirit be your guide: my true transformation moment oc-curred February 2002 while sharing the gospel during the New Orleans Mardi Gras. I told my group leader there was no way I was going to stand in the middle of that crowd and preach. The men of our group surrounded me

and prayed for God to give me the strength to die to myself and live for Him. Next thing I knew I was shouting out scripture. When the Spirit comes upon you, you will know it. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in whatever God calls you to do. Had I tried to build the softball ministry according to my blue-prints, it would have taken me about 2 hours to mess things up.

3) Be prepared for Satan’s attack: those who choose God and surrender to Him will become enemies of Satan. Those who advance further by getting involved in ministry work will become an even larger target of the evil one. Satan becomes angrier every time a lost child turns from Satan and runs to God. That anger will only be mul-tiplied when we start to reach out to others who are on Satan’s side and share the life changing power of Jesus Christ. The attacks will follow, you can bank on it! Therefore, continue to pray, spend time in scripture daily, and build relationships with mature Christians who will join in your defense.

4) Be prepared to sacrifice: God will provide you with the resourc-es which you will need to carry out the work He has asked you to do. We are commanded to use those gifts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. This means you may have to alter your spending habits to accommodate the financial needs of the ministry, because God must become first and foremost in your life.

5) Be prepared for joy: as you realize that the Creator of the Universe is using you to build His king-dom, there will be inexpressible joy in

your life. However, it is during those times we also need to be on our guard against pride. Keep in mind that the success of a ministry depends on God’s intervention; it is His working through you that builds the ministry.

6) “Do nothing out of selfish ambition...” Phil. 2:3: we are commanded to share the gos-pel and let God take care of the rest. So keep working.

Jim Shoffstall

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