Over the last year, the Ladies Ministry has gone through a transformation. Several ladies from our church were asked to form a planning team to create a ministry that would encourage, educate and empower the women of FCC with the goal of expanding the ministry of service done by the ladies of FCC and

enriching their daily Christian walk.

Our ladies ministry will be known as LACE (Ladies After Christ’s Example). It is the goal of the planning team that there will be familiar and new activities that will challenge many women to go outside their “comfort zone” to make an impact on our church,

our community and our world.

On May 6, LACE will host a Ladies Night Out: Night of Service. We will be having a meal, fellowship, devotion and a time of service. We will be making meals for families and individuals who are dealing with serious illnesses and are under hospice care. There will also be an opportunity to craft an item for them as well. All ladies are welcome to attend and enjoy this night of

service and fellowship.

RE:fcc

Monthly Newsletter of First Christian Church, Fairfield, IL

5.1

Elder’s Meeting

5.5

Ladies Book Club

5.6

Mommy & Me

L.A.C.E.

5.7

The Big Lunch

5.12

FCC Pre/K Graduation

5.15

Graduation Sunday

Mission Meeting

5.20

Mommy & Me

5.30

Memorial Day - Office Closed

GriefShare every Thursday @ 6:30 pm

Mark Your Calendar

MAY 2016

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful

instruction is on her tongue. She

watches over the affairs of her

household and does not eat the bread

of idleness. Proverbs 31:26-27

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, this is how we describe our Savior and our God. If He truly is our king why do we want Him to serve us? I think we treat Him as a servant. I know I do at times. We have expectations of how He should treat us and what we expect Him to do for us or for our families. Rarely do we truly understand and tremble at the majesty of our God and our king. It seems we’re always in the mode of questioning our King or asking for something instead of following faithfully. Our view of our king must change. Isaiah gives us a picture of our king in chapter 6 of his book it says:

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

I believe that if the King requires or requests something of us, whatever it is, we have committed that all we are, and all we have are His. Whatever He needs should be His for the sake of the King and the kingdom. It should be His without question. He is worthy, majestic, awesome, holy, wise, almighty, powerful, great and good. He is “I am”. He is King.

Craig’s Notes

Ladies Book Club

May 5

6:00 pm

Library

The Gypsy Moon

By

Gilbert Morris

http://www.joycemeyer.org/ProductDetail.aspx?id=O0020720

SATURDAY, MAY 7 11 AM - 1 PM

EAST BASEMENT

Family Mission Trip Info

Dates: July 24 - 30, 2016 Deadline to sign up: Sunday, May 15, 2016

Cost: To be determined but we’re trying to keep the cost at no more than $500 per family of 4. There will be some meals and admission fees that are not included in the cost of the trip. Kids must be entering Kindergarten next fall to go on the trip. What are we doing?

1. Helping with the sports camp. Flag Football, Basket Ball, Volley Ball, 4 and 5 year olds will learn fine motor skills

2. Helping with an Arts camp Singing, Drama, Art, Dance

3. Cooking We’ll need people to help feed not only our team, but possibly the campers as well.

4. Teaching Both of the camps will have bible lesson times that we will be helping with

5. Serving There will be a work project that we will for the church.

6. Having Fun On Friday, our team will head into Chicago to a museum or the aquarium or ???? (Admission and meals on Friday and while traveling will not be covered by the trip costs.)

Kids who are the ages of those going to camp, will be part of the camp; Older kids will help alongside their parents. See Jeff if you have any questions.

Deadline to sign up is Sunday, May 15

Parish Nurse

Time to start thinking about summer, end of school, gardening, swimming, baseball, picnics and sun-- all the fun outdoor activities we enjoy. While thinking about the fun, do you consider the common danger? Sun! Excessive sun exposure can cause many health problems. Sunburns, skin cancer, macular degeneration, and cataracts are the major problems.

Cataracts and macular degeneration cause the slow loss of sight as you age from accumulated damage to the eye. Your doctor or optometrist can check for these during your regular exams. Since you can’t wear sunscreen in your eyes (that would really hurt!), sunglasses and hats are the best protection.

Sunburns are not a good way to start your summer tan, like so many of us were told growing up. Burns are indications of damage to your skin that hurts now, but can lead to cancer later. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US. The primary cause? Ultraviolet radiation from sun or tanning booths. A dark tan used to be a sign of health, someone who was active and vibrant. Now, a dark tan may be a precursor to cancer. True, skin cancer can be seen easier and removed earlier than many kinds. But most people don’t pay attention to the signs and melanoma (the worst skin cancer) can spread before it is caught.

Identification of potential problems is something you can do with a mirror. Look for the ABDCs of melanoma. “A” is for asymmetry in a mole or freckle. If you split a mole in half, so both sides look similar? “B” is for border irregularity, unevenness or ragged edges in the color. “C” is for color. Is the color even throughout the mole or mark? “D” is for diameter. Is it larger than the end of a pencil or is it changing size? Checking your back is difficult, you will need help from your spouse or a good friend. If you see any of these ABCDs, have your doctor check out any suspicious places.

Sunshine has benefits. It can improve your mood. It is needed for your body to make vitamin D. It is pure enjoyment to be outside in God’s nature. But we need to be wise as we do so. There are ways to prevent most sun related problems. Wear sunscreen. Use a hat. Light colored, light weight, long sleeves to protect from the sun. Avoid tanning beds or lights. Use sun glasses with UVA and UVB protection. Try to plan outdoor activities before 10 am and after 2 pm to avoid the strongest radiation.

So go out and enjoy the beauty around us.

Sunday School 202

Morning Worship 360

Evening Worship 144

Fund Beginning Balance Income Expense Ending Balance

01 General $131,054 50,263 45,172 $136,145

02 Mission $83,503 38,812 23,867 $98,448

03 God’s Plan Our Hands $32,013 0 0 $32,013

Totals $246,570 89,075 69,039 $266,066

Royce Carter Phil Hall

8:00

Royce Carter Phil Hall

10:00

Kent Vinson Kevin Kakac Jr. Worship

Bruce Reeves Dennis Mitchell Hospital

Homes Gary Gain Jess Duckworth

1 - Doug Aman 2 - Carl Hayes 3 - Nate Carter 4 - Joe Holman

5 - Charles Dalton 6 - John Basnett 7 - Steve Liston 8 - Steve Bruce

9 - Alan Kemp 10 - Doyle Hucker 11 - Ron Gain 12 - Jerry Carter

1 - Charles Coget 2 - Jim Gruner 3 - Rick Doty 4 - Bruce Reeves

1 4:30 Elder’s Meeting

2 3 11:05 Taco Tuesday

4 8:00-3:00 E Basement in

use

5 8:00-3:00 E Basement in

use

6:00 Ladies Book Club

6:30 GriefShare

6:30 MPR in use

6 8:00-3:00 E Basement in

use

9:00 Prepare Bulletin

6:00 L.A.C.E. Service

Night

7

11:00 - 1:00 The Big

Lunch

9

10 11:05 am Taco Tuesday

11 12 6:30 GriefShare

6:30 Pre-K Graduation

13 9:00 Prepare Bulletin

3:00 Sanctuary in use

14

15 Graduation Sunday

4:30-5:30 MPR in use

5:00 Mission Meeting

16 17 18 19 8:00-1:00 MPR in use

5:00-6:30 MPR in use

6:30 GriefShare

20 9:00 Prepare Bulletin &

newsletter

21

22

23 5:00 E Basement in use

24 25 26 6:30 GriefShare

27 9:00 Prepare Bulletin

28

29 31

Jim Meritt

Bryce Kovacich

Bob & Mildred Gain Ron & Thea Gain

Pre-K – 5yrs Ruby Green & Clinton Hayes Linda Reeves & Ethan Kakac

Jacob Hall

Foyer 9 & 10 am Shirley Miller Office 9 & 10 am Callie Carter

Sarah Keck

May 1

EJ Klaffer

May 2

Caleb Vaughan

May 3

E. N. Carter

Eileen Clark

May 4

Richard Smith

May 5

Dennis Brant

Kim Liston

Kelsey Scott

Jerry Vaughan

May 6

Mike Dinsmore

Caroline Kakac

May 7

Eli Gray

Clark Griffith

Delmar Hale

May 8

Amy Taylor

Bill Taylor

May 9

Kathy Bramlet

May 10

Drew Vaupel

May 11

Chris Simpson

May 12

Jackie Grepares

James Gruner

May 13

Grace Borah

Janice Gubbins

Ross Otey

May 14

Kendyn Basnett

May 15

Kenlee Bramlet

James D. Cox

Sarah Simpson

May 16

Brenda Overbee

Jakeb Pollard

May 17

Bob Gain

Sawyer Neuman

May 18

Sharon Fenton

Bob Gubbins

May 19

Darla Bankston

Brenda Helm

May 20

Justin Braddock

Neve Carter

May 21

Phil Williams

May 22

Ron Gain

Landon Smith

May 23

Nancy Jones

May 24

Alexander Aman

Alicen Bruce

Michelle Combs

Keith Wilson

Maxine Young

May 26

Mary Gain

Lacie Willett

Laura Willett

May 27

Lance Davis

Michael Molt

May 28

Frances Carter

Journey Withrow

May 29

Ella Gonzalez

Terry Stahl

May 31

Lydia Duckworth

Jacob Hall

Duane Parrent

Shelbi Simpson

8:00 9:00 10:00 6:00

Week 1

0-1 year

Rosemary Judge Matta Gray

Cristy Pearce Barbara Bozarth

Shirley Miller

Amy & Ryan Duckworth, Volunteer Needed

Lisa Lyon Amber Lyon

1-2 years

Josh & Selena Musgrave

Melissa Simpson Amber Lyon

2-3 years

Carol Jackson Jeff & Tara Billington

Week 2

0-1 year

Toby Hucker Volunteer Needed

Frances Carter Volunteer Needed

Callie Carter Volunteer Needed

Terri Shreve 1-2

years Josh & Selena Musgrave

Kelly Basnett Kendall Green

2-3 years

Carol Jackson Jeremy & Hillary Vaughan

Week 3

0-1 year Drew Vaupel

Volunteer Needed

Pam Holman Sonja Hall

Jackie & Cindy Grepares

Sonja Hall Julie Aman

1-2 years

Josh & Selena Musgrave

Jodi Poole Volunteer Needed

2-3 years

Carol Jackson Josh & Selena Musgrave

Week 4

0-1 year

Carol Jackson Toby Hucker

Connie Mitchell Volunteer Needed

Thea Gain Volunteer needed

Connie Reid Jean Duckworth

1-2 years

Josh & Selena Musgrave Cheryl Basnett Lori Kovacich

2-3 years

Carol Jackson Bob & Dena Hall

If your birthday is not listed please call the office with month, day & year of birth so we can update our records

Week 5 Lauren Brake & Makayla Rogers

0-1 year

Jacque O’Daniel Bob Bunting

Cristy Pearce Toby Hucker

Heather Neuman Volunteer Needed

Ruth Braddock Volunteer

needed

1-2 years

Josh & Selena Musgrave Sonja Hall

Carol Jackson 2-3

years Carol Jackson Curt & Stacey Robbins

MOTHER’S DAY Mother’s Day… oh the emotions that well up in me on Mother’s day. As a kid, I made the typical coffee filter flowers for my Mom. We’d go to Grandma’s for lunch where even I got a Mother’s Day gift — just for being a girl in the family. After Joel and I were married for a while, I began to resent Mother’s Day as I struggled to have a child of my own. I put on the fake smile, but inside I just wanted it to be Monday again. And then Grandma died…then a few years later Mom died…. If it hadn’t been for my one remaining Grandma and the Mother’s day happenings at church, I would have simply ignored the day.

But now, I have two blessed little ones of my own and I can celebrate Mother’s Day again. They don’t understand the whole meaning of it yet, but in my own heart I can celebrate this wonderful role in life God has given me. As I contemplate the task ahead of me, I think about my Mom, and her mom and wonder how they really felt about motherhood. My family isn’t much for showing our feelings—and now they are gone. What were their greatest joys, memories, fears, regrets?

I am still in the early stages of this thing called motherhood, but I pray God will bless my children, in spite of the mistakes I will make. I couldn’t love them more and of course what the best for them, as every mom does, but I know there will be wrong choices and missed opportunities. But when it’s all said and done, I hope my kids say I did it well.

I found this poem by Erma Bombeck on my Facebook newsfeed recently. She wrote this after learning she had cancer. Its not just about motherhood, but all of life. It reminds me to be mindful of my

priorities as a Christian mom and wife.

Laura Ethridge, Children’s Minister laura@fccfairfield.com

If I Had My Life To Live Over by Erma Bombeck If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" …

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.

JUNE 5

JUNE 7 (sign up by June 5) TINY TOTS (Ages 0-kindergarten) LEAVE: 8:30 AM, LUNCH @ CiCi’S

An adult must accompany child See Laura for cost

12 things teens need to know about their faith by Bob Bunn

1. Personal Identity – (Gen. 1:26-27; Ps. 8; Col. 3:1-10). God loves the human race. He proved that through creation and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Ground students in who they are in the eyes of God. Remind them that they are created in His image and are transformed through

Christ into His likeness.

2. Worship – (Ps. 5:1-3; 95:1-7; John 15:4-11). In our culture, many teens check out of worship and their connection to a local church once they leave home. Help students understand the importance of maintaining intimate connections with God, through personal times alone with Him and through

service within the body of Christ.

3. God's Will – (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 5:15-21). To a lot of teenagers, God's will can seem like some mystical, inaccessible Utopia. Work with students to examine the numerous passages that clearly state God's will in particular areas, such as Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; 5:18. Also emphasize the importance of walking with God each day and listening to God's voice

when He reveals His plans.

4. Priorities – (1 Sam. 15:17-23; Matt. 6:25-33).Once teens leave home, they will be bombarded with options like never before. Challenge them to pay attention to the things they consider most important. Help them plan strategies to battle the distractions. Most important, reinforce the truth that the

one true priority in their lives should be obeying God at every turn.

5. Values – (Dan. 3; Rom. 6). Help parents understand their key roles in determining their teens' values. Guide parents to make sure their teen's know where you stand on vital issues and direct students to stand on God's Word

as they develop their own worldviews.

6. Stewardship – (Mal. 3:10; Matt. 25:14-30; 2 Cor. 8:1-5; 9:6-8).Handling money is a matter of control. Either you control is, or it will control you. Help students understand that they are stewards of their material resources, not owners. God wants us to freely give as He directs, and that includes giving

ourselves to Him first.

7. Forgiveness – (Ps. 51; 103:11-12; 1 John 1:8-10).Nobody's perfect! While students must not use that as an excuse in life, they should understand that sin is a real struggle - even for Christians. Remind them of God's forgiveness

when they fall, and encourage them to be forgiving others as well.

8. Friendship – (1 Sam. 20; Prov. 17:17; Gal. 2:11-14).Friends will always play an important role in students' lives. Help students understand the challenges of being a good friend (which sometimes includes confronting or standing against a friend who is heading down the wrong path). Teach them to rely on

the ultimate Friend who will never leave them - Jesus.

9. Sex – (Gen. 2:24-25; 1 Cor. 6:15-7:5; 1 Thess. 4:3-5; Heb. 13:14).God created humans to be sexual creatures. Sometimes teens struggle with how to handle their sexuality in a way that honors God. Guide teens to let the

Bible be their guide.

10.Servanthood – (Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45; Phil. 2:1-11). Encourage students' determination to succeed but remind them that Jesus defined greatness much differently than the world around Him. Teach students the importance of being a servant and how servanthood reflects the attitudes and actions of

God.

11.Goals – (2 Cor. 4:7-10; 12:7b-10; Phil. 4:13; Heb. 11). As students learn to follow God more closely, they may come face to face with a task that seems impossible. Help them remember that God specializes in impossible situations because our weakness provides the perfect showcase for His strength in us. As God leads students to set God-sized goals, students can rest in the assurance that He will give them the power to complete what He

has called them to start.

12.Absolute Truth – (John 8:31-32; John 14:6; 2 Tim. 3:10-17). Recent research confirms that a majority of teenagers deny the existence of absolute truth. The postmodern worldview denies the reality of absolutes in order to provide "freedom" for any lifestyle choice. Challenge your students to take the temperature of their high schools in relation to absolute truth and to consider how that will be different or the same after graduation - whether in school, the military, the working world, and so forth. Emphasize Jesus as the incarnation

of absolute truth and God's Word as the standard for all that is true.

Located on college campuses across the nation, MOVE provides a program for 27,000 high school students every summer. Students are challenged through intense, interactive worship, dynamic preaching,

small group study and community building.

Students at MOVE not only learn and worship together – they spend quality time with their church youth groups, discovering ways that

God will use them to impact the world.

MOVE is more than just another conference or camp – it’s an experience! It’s an all-inclusive event providing food, lodging, recreational activities and an amazing program. Adult leaders are provided small group materials prior to the event, and then meet with CIY staff each morning to go over each day’s lesson. And MOVE curriculum is made available to all groups after the event. This includes curriculum that will take your students deeper into MOVE’s

theme for four more weeks.

MOVE is committed to helping students take their mountaintop experiences beyond the event by challenging them to become Kingdom workers. To encourage that commitment, each student has the opportunity to open a Kingdom worker card on the last day of MOVE. On that card is a challenge to complete something over the

next year, no matter how difficult the task.

LOCATION: ANDERSON, IN

$50 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT IS

DUE WITH YOUR REGISTRATION

US POSTAGE PAID

FAIRFIELD IL PERMIT NO. 25

NON-PROFIT ORG BULKMAIL

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH 100 W. CENTER ST. FAIRFIELD, IL 62837

618-842-4311 WWW.FCCFAIRFIELD.COM

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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