the flame september / october 2011

8/4/2019 The Flame September / October 2011

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The FlameThe magazine of Christ Church

Rev. Shane BishopSenior Pastor

Rev. Troy BentonAssociate Pastor

Donna HarrisonEditor

Justin AymerDirector of Communications

Fairview Heights Campus

Sunday - 8:30am, 10:30am, 6:00pmSaturday - 5:00pm

Collinsville / MaryvilleCampusSunday - 10:00am

Barbara GermanyProof Reader

Christ Church339 Frank Scott Pkwy EFairview Heights, IL 62208618.277.4659

For a complete listing of the ChristChurch Staff and to learn more aboutChrist Church please visit:

www.mychristchurch.com

Copyright 2011, Christ Church.Questions about the Flame?Contact Donna Harrison at:[email protected]

A Note From The Editor

Matthew 9:38, Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers intoHis harvest eld.

What an exciting time to serve God at Christ Church. The satellite site opensSeptember 11, a mission team leaves for Honduras, food banks will be lled,the UMW will hold a rummage sale for missions, and people will be connectedto Jesus Christ.

Lord, use me and those at Christ Church to labor with You in the work Youvecalled us to do.

In His Mighty Name, Donna Harrison

Contents3 Kneeology 101By Rev. Troy Benton

4 God ProvidesBy Debby Creagh, BSN, RN

5 The Harvest is PlentifulBy Nick Turner

6 Mix, Mingle and PrayBy Rachel Frazure

7 AWANA You Are Approved!By Steve Barrett, AWANA Commander

8 The World as I See itBy Rev. Shane Bishop

9 Getting to Know You

10 Ministry Spotlight - Feed My Sheep Ministry

11 Dont Fall into the Professional Ministry TrapBy Demian Farnworth

12 What is Prison Fellowship?By Chaplain Bobbie Woods

13 C/M Campus Update

13 UMW Harvesting for Christ

14 Food Drive

14 A Potato What?

15 Watch Us Grow


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Kneeology 101By Rev. Troy Benton

How few workers! On your knees andpray for harvest hands. Matthew 9:38(The Message)

Jesus was right at one of the peaks of Hisministry when He spoke to His disciples,The harvest is great, but the workersare few. So pray to the Lord who is incharge of the harvest; ask Him to sendmore workers into His elds. Matthew9:37-38 (NLT)

I like the way its written in The Messagebible. Its the calling card God has usedfor me during my early days here atChrist Church. Quietly, constantly, Ive

been back in the school of seeking Godsface for clarity and a vision for ChristChurch. What is powerful for me as I consider thesewords of Jesus is that the people who Jesus speaksto are busy. These persons (some disciples) are not

just standing in place, waiting on Jesus to come byand speak. They have lives that are busy and full.However, when Jesus leaves a focused calling cardon the table of these persons lives, their attentionshifts, the focus becomes singular, and they followdivine instruction and passion. This is what Im asking

God to reveal to our Serving Christ Ministry Team, andwhat Ive been instructed to seek.

Christ Church is a place where Ive learned there aretwo things always present: hungry people and hungrysouls! Besides the additional requirement to workoutoften, I have found myself in love with the spirit andenergy that exudes from the people that make up thisincredible church. Part of my work includes seeking along-term vision for our work in the area of outreach.Known to us as the Serving Christ Ministry Team,those who have been a part of the hands and feet of

Christ in this specic area always looking to see howthey can make a mark in the lives of people and inthe communities we impact that will never be erased.This is wonderful, but this is not the best part of thisministry area. I have discovered that the best partof this ministry area isits an insatiable hunger formore!

Among the many things Ive done in ministry, I count

none more important than the times Ive spent in prayerTaking time to stop and listen for Gods instruction andcounsel. I call this kneeology. Kneeology is thestudy of Gods voice and heart in ways that teachtrain and help us triumph over limit, lack and lazinessIn the scripture passage the workers had become lazyas they were unsure of the purpose for their laborJesus call provided a passion that recharged theirbatteries and propelled them to a work that was (and

is) always worth it. Here at our church, the energy isgreat, but what about the next great call God will giveus? Do we have enough souls, hands, feet, heartsand knees to do what He will send us forth to do?Im praying, believing and asking for more of all thesethings: more people and more hearts for the needs ofthe thousands we will touch for His glory in the comingmonths and years.

In my own way, in joining the Christ Church family andserving as a leader, Ive returned to the classroomof my heartprayer. During the weeks and months

ahead, the most important thing I do for Christ Churchmy family and myself is remain in the school okneeology. I am convinced God will speak His planfor what The Serving Christ Team is to do, where it is togo. The key will be to listen. In our corporate listeningthrough prayer, God will provide answers that focusus for the future on the mark we will make. I pray youheart is called to the classroom of Kneeology 101as well.


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God ProvidesBy Debby Creagh, BSN, RN

Jeri Horowitz RN, FCN asked God for workers for theParish Nursing Ministry. He sent nurses, an EMT, anda care technician to connect Christ Church peopleto the health, wellness, and wholeness that Goddesires for His people. Then Jeri asked for workers forShepherd Care Ministry to connect elderly folks aloneor in nursing homes with their church. God sent agroup of lay people to minister to them. God is faithful!Many lives had been impacted by these ministries.But then, Jeri had to ask God for someone else tocome lead them: a very difcult thing to do.

In January 2010, my husband, Mike, and I moved toBelleville for his job with the Boy Scouts. My prayerwas, God please show me what you want me to dohere. Christ Church became our church home. Aftera couple jobs, more resumes, prayer, and waiting (notmy favorite thing), I was wondering where God was inall this. In June 2011, a slide went up on the big screenat church: Christ Church is accepting applications for

a Parish Nurse. I cant say there were visible reworksand trumpets, but that is what it felt like! Amazing! Godanswered both Jeris and my prayers, and I became aworker, the new Parish Nurse Coordinator.

Rev. Shane has said that Christ Church is goingto keep growing. We need to prepare now in ourministries, because God is up to something GREATOur church is a wonderful example of when we GOwith the gospel, we GROW individually and as thebody of Christ. So, now I am praying, Lord of theharvest, send out workers Nurses and Shepherds into the harvest eld.

Shepherd Care: This ministry connects our oldesaints to Christ Church when they are not able to doso on their own. Has God gifted you with a heart tobuild a relationship with one or two of these peoplethat have served Him faithfully and give 1-2 hours amonth to them? One of our Shepherds said recently,

am the one who is blessed by the relationships wevebuilt. One of those we serve told me recently, I amso grateful for the visits. We love Christ Church. Isthe Holy Spirit asking you to be the love of Christ toour elderly?

Parish Nursing: We focus on the health, wellnessand wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. We fullthe roles of health advocates, educators, assessorscoordinators and resource developers for ourcongregation and beyond. Nurses, can you give 1-2hours a month to plan, serve, and implement thehealth programs for our people? Recently, because oour care, a man came to know Jesus as his Savior, awoman became aware of her high blood pressure andsought treatment, another woman became ill during achurch service and was cared for, people have beencomforted in their loss of a loved one. Are you willingto let God use your skills and passion to care for Hispeople?

God provides the workers. Is He tugging on your heartto help care for His ock? How awesome it is to serve

as Jesus hands and feet in caring for people downthe hall, around the corner, and around the worldConnect with Parish Nursing and Shepherd Care!


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The Harvest isPlentifulBy Nick Turner

It was the spring of 2007. I was about to graduatecollege with a degree in Business/Economics when Iwent to a small park to seek the Lord about whether ornot I should serve as the director of Student Ministriesat Christ Church.

Earlier in 2007, I went to speak with Rev Shane aboutpre-marital counseling. We talked little about pre-marital counseling and much more about life, baseballand ministry. A couple days following our conversationhe asked me to pray about applying for the StudentMinistry position.

I had ministry in my heart throughout college, but

student ministry? I didnt feel like the right candidate.I didnt feel that I was cool, nor equipped to reachteenagers. Yet as I prayed and thought about theposition, a desire grew in my heart.

So there I stood at the park seeking the Lord. Then Ilooked up and saw a corn eld (a surprise in Illinois,right?). The verse in Matthew 9:37-38 came to mind:

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest tosend out laborers into his harvest.

There was no writing in the sky, just a coupleverses from Gods Word. I didnt walk away feelingoverwhelming peace as if the Lord made it crystalclear that I was to take the job. All I saw was that theharvest is plentiful in the Metro East there are manyteenagers who do not know Jesus and I could investmy life in sharing the Gospel with those teenagers. SoI broke off a small piece of a plowed cornstalk, whichis still in my ofce at Christ Church today.

I do not see myself as the sole laborer. I desire topartner with our parents. I am constantly looking foradults that love Jesus, love life, and desire to take theGospel to students. The Lord has richly blessed thischurch with many adults who give themselves to thestudents so that they may know Jesus.

Further, the adult team desires to minister with the

students. We want to equip students to take the Gospeto their friends. The students are the key laborers forwhom we should pray.

This harvest thing is bigger than student ministryThe Lord has positioned Christ Church strategicallyto reach this area with the Gospel. Do you see theharvest in the workplace, in the line at the grocerystore, in your neighborhood, and next door? There isan urgency to take the Gospel, there is a heaven andhell, and there is Jesus who gave Himself so that wecan have life. The harvest is plentiful.

All I saw wasthat the harvestis plentiful in the

Metro East.[ ]


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Mix, Mingle and PrayBy Rachel FrazureAs He saw the crowds, His heart was full of pity forthem, because they were worried and helpless, likesheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

His heart was full of pity for them. As I encounterpeople in life, I can say that I feel sorry for someone orthat I have pity for them. However, I am just a human,so it is easier for me to turn the other direction andhope that someone else will meet their needs.

Think about Jesus and His heart. He went out tothe masses, announcing the Good News, but He isGod. He has a birds eye view - He is able to look intoevery eye and every heart, knowing the needs thatare there. For Jesus, it is more than acknowledgingpeoples confusion and helplessness. These are Hispeople and He wants to act because He loves them.Jesus came to die and rise again for you and me - Hehas a vested interest in the harvest. The harvest - thelost - was why He came to earth. Jesus is saying that

the harvest is ready - bring them in to Me.

For me, it is like Jesus is saying that I will never be ableto have the same amount of love and compassion thatHe has for the lost, but He can help me love othersmore. Jesus is asking us to lean into Him, love Him,know Him, believe in Him and have a steadfast faithin Him. Why? So that we can love and care with thestrength He gives us and not of our own.

Simple faith. We often think we have theworld on our shoulders. As ChildrensDirector, I admit that I can sometimes feethat all eyes are on me if I dont produceenough workers for the harvest. I oftenthink that I must be doing something wrong

We all have room for improvement. know that I often have to work on buildingextrovert skills. Learning how to establishand build relationships is a frequent petitionfrom me to God.

We can always work on improving ourselvesand how we relate with others. But aspeople of faith, we must never forget to dothe one thing we often take for granted..pray.

So He said to His disciples, The harvest is

large, but there are few workers to gather it in.Pray to the owner of the harvest that He will send outworkers to gather in His harvest.Matthew 9:37-38

Jesus knows I need volunteers. He knew thousandsof years ago and He knows today that the harvest wilalways be plentiful but the workers - often few. So Hesaid to pray. Pray to the Lord who is in charge of theharvest to bring more workers to the eld.

Never underestimate the importance of gettingsmarter, working on your people skills, mixing andmingling and getting to know people and their heartsBut more importantly, never underestimate the powerof prayer.

We must never forget to

do the one thing we oftentake for granted...pray.[ ]


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AWANA You Are

Approved!By Steve Barrett, AWANA CommanderAWANA. Weve heard the acronym. Weve seen thekids in their colorful shirts. Weve seen the lines ofparents and children on Sunday evenings. But whatis AWANA all about? AWANA stands for ApprovedWorkmen Are Not Ashamed and stems from 2Timothy 2:15. Do your best to present yourself toGod as one approved by Him, a worker who has noneed to be ashamed

AWANA is an international organization devotedto the Christian formation of our children. To coin aphrase used at Christ Church, AWANA exists toconnect kids with Jesus Christ. The way we do this isby engaging the kids at multiple levels including largegroup discussions and classes, time spent in Scripturememorization, and games that teach the children howto engage in fun, competitive games with a Christianframe of mind. Each child belongs to one of several

clubs appropriate to their age group or grade levefrom our youngest clubbers (age 2) to our older kids(8th grade). Over the course of a year, these kidsget a chance to spend time with friends, deepeningtheir knowledge and faith in God and developing theirsocial skills. All in 90 minutes a week!

Our kids are only part of the equation, however. Everyweek, scores of volunteers give a little of themselvesto speak words of life to the children who attend. Fromour volunteers who spend time listening to kids reciteScripture, to those who teach fun games or teachlarge groups, we have some of the most dedicatedChristians spending time with the clubbers. But thereare never enough

I have been blessed to have had the opportunity towatch some of our kids grow from children into youngadults. Some of these young adults are makingdecisions that impact them and those around them

Its my prayer that the small part AWANA has playedin their lives will continue to provide a foundation thatwill enable them to make the right choicesto makeGodly choices. Thats where you come in.

We are in need of anyone able to devote just a fewhours a month to the kids who attend AWANA at ChrisChurch. For around 40 hours over an AWANA yearyou can be part of the growth of these wonderful kidsIf you cant make yourself available every night, thatsokay. We need whatever you can provide. You dontneed to be a Bible scholar; you just need to be willingto make a choice. Choose our kidschoose AWANA

For more information, please contact Steve Barrett at618.567.0629 or [email protected]


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The World as I SeeitBy Rev. Shane Bishop

The harvest is great, but the workers are so few. Sopray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; askHim to send out more workers into His elds. Matthew9:38 (NLT)

I have always been fascinated by historic movementsof God. I did my SIU-C graduate school work on theGreat Revival that powered across our region duringthe early 1800s and left so many Methodist churchesin its wake. I am intrigued by camp meeting preacherslike Peter Cartwright and Jesse Walker and leaderslike William McKendree who harnessed that spirit-energy into new congregations, charities, hospitalsand schools. Can you imagine the army of volunteers

it must have taken to organize a fall Camp Meeting,found a college or establish a hospital in the nameof Jesus Christ? Their individual names may not beetched in the annals of history, but because they werewilling to be used by God in their generation, they ledsignicant lives and our generation is better for it.

As I wrote my thesis, I dreamed of being swept upin a powerful movement of God like the churches infrontier Illinois. It is easy to forget that the folks Godused back then were people just like us right now.

2nd CampusLocation AnnouncedThe Bishop of Illinois Great Rivers Conference,

Gregory Palmer, has announced the next Christ

Church campus will be located in Millstadt, Illinois.

Although no exact date has been set for the rst

worship service, the Senior Staff has begun the

discussions necessary for the development of the

new timeline as well as beginning to identify possible

leaders for the site. If you are feeling called to be a

part of this campus, please contact:

Larry Weber, Director of Ministries

[email protected]

They made history but do you realize we are makinghistory? In a declining denomination, Christ Churchhas been engaged in 14 consecutive years of revivalAs we grow, our vision for what a church could becontinually increases and our capacity for doinggood enlarges exponentially! We are growing closeto God, growing closer to each other and movingcloser to becoming the people God created us to beIt is exciting to read about great revivals past, but iis even more exhilarating to personally experience agreat revival present!

For sustained revival to occur there must be somethingGod wants to do and available, empowered someonesto do Gods something. The former comes at theinitiative of God but the latter is determined by ourwillingness to be an active part of what God is doing.As revival res blaze at Christ Church, we have a needfor laborers for the harvest; committed Christians whoare willing to participate in an historic move of God

Lets be the people about which future generationswill read. May our grandchildren thank God in theigeneration for our service to God in this generationLets pray for laborers for the harvesteven as weare laboring in that harvest!

And thats the Worldas I see it


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Getting to Know YouName: Troy BentonJob Title: Associate Pastor

Would you sing Karaoke in front of co-workers?NEVER!!!

Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.The age.oh, the age!!!

What bible character do you most relate to?Timothy

What marriage advice do you have for newlyweds?Chase each other as much as possible!!!!

What makes you feel most alive? When I am withmy family during a great moment!

What is one food that you would never give up?Still investigating!

What is your weirdest quirk?

Im a Felix Ungar; especially in my closet! (Googlehim if you dont know who that is!)

Name your most favorite time of the year?Autumn..so much I named our child after it!

What is your taste in music?Eclectic, but Jazz soothes me!

Do you have a special talent?Yes, but Im not telling!!

What are your hobbies?Watching The West Wing, Jazz, and I want to takea cooking class.

What word describes you best?Passionate

What drives you every day?My God, love of my wife & kids; belief I have a purposeto fulll.

Where do you like to vacation?Myrtle Beach, SC..HEAVEN!!!

Who do you admire?Bishop Greg Palmer, Howard Thurman, my sisterCheryl, and my wife Emma! (really!)

What advice do you have for the young people at

church?Heed 2 Timothy 1:7-8

Where are you from?Born in the great Cleveland, OH, raised ShakerHeights, OH

Which sport do you like?Basketball, but football has caught up really well. sneak golf shows when Emmas not looking (dont telher!)

Do you have a nickname?Yes, but youll have to nd out!

Have you ever gone sky diving?You have got to be kidding!!!!!


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Ministry Spotlight

Feed My Sheep Ministry

This October Christ Church and Feed My SheepMinistry will go on their 13th Honduras Mission Trip.The Missionaries going on the trip will bring the totalnumber of people who have gone to Honduras with usto over 100. We have over the years seen over 10,000patients at Medical Clinics, fed nearly 200,000 mealsto kids, and are now sponsoring more than 300 Christ

Church Scholars. It is our hope that by completingtheir education and receiving regular medical careand nutrition assistance, that these kids will not onlybreak the cycle of poverty for their families, but be ableand willing to give back to the people of Honduras theblessings that they have received. So, Ask the Lordof the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into Hisharvest eld (Matthew 9:38), so that we can continueto change Honduras one person at a time, and to

change the hearts of those who go to the harvest eldwith us.

You can join with us in the harvest by providing biblesshoes, clothing, nancial donations and prayerTo donate bibles, please contact Brian Safarian [email protected]; for other donations contact

Marvin and Karen Steinke at [email protected]

Dios te bendiga,Marvin and Karen


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Dont Fall intothe ProfessionalMinistry TrapBy Demian Farnworth

In Matthew 9:36 Jesus highlights themagnitude of the evangelical mandate: WhenHe saw the crowds, He had compassionfor them, because they were harassed andhelpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Hisresponse in Luke 9:37-38 was to encourageHis audience to pray that people would besent to help evangelize the lost.

When we obey Jesus and pray, some of usmay feel a longing to do more. To be one ofthe harvesters, to go out and evangelize the lost, be

a missionary or even pastor. Noble ambitions indeed,but we miss a great opportunity when we limit theevangelical mandate to these professional positions.Let me explain.

Probably like a lot of you, I struggled with my positionin the Christian faith ever since I was born again. Ivedabbled in nearly every area--apologists, scholar,seminary student--looking for my place to share theGospel with the lost. Funny thing is, at times I felt lost.Like I wasnt contributing if I was not on the missioneld or on a college campus.

The trouble with this mindset is that I neglected themission eld under my nose, namely the workplaceand my home.

Clearly, we are not all called to professional ministry.Its the same reason we are not all called to beengineers, writers or hair stylists. However, we are notexcused from participating in Gods redemptive planfor creation. We have a call and its rather simple: Gotherefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son andof the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Ihave commanded you.

The only reason I say its simple is because Jesusassured us that the victory was His: All authority inheaven and on earth has been given to Me. Thelogical extension of that is the victory is ours as well.We just need to act.

But if we view that commission as a professional onewe will be paralyzed. I know I was. The sheer scopeof preparing for professional ministry is daunting. Addthe burden of a family and occupation, and we arelikely to throw our hands in the air.

Yet its those two burdens--home and workplace--thatoften get neglected when we talk about evangelizingI use the word burden in the same sense thatJesus felt compassion for the crowd. Our instincas husbands, fathers, employees/employers andneighbor should be to care for those with whom we

are close, too. And you dont have to be a professionato do that.

When we obey Jesus and

pray, some of us may feela longing to do more.

[ ]


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What is PrisonFellowship?By Chaplain Bobbie WoodsPrison Fellowship is a Christian prison outreach andcriminal justice reform organization. Its programsreach prisoners, ex-prisoners, and families ofprisoners throughout the United States and throughPrison Fellowship International ( PFI ) in 112 countriesworldwide.

Charles W. Colson founded Prison Fellowship in 1976after spending 7 months in prison for obstruction of

justice where he became a born again Christian.Prison Fellowship targets the root (restoringcriminals, victims, and the community) through faith-based programs. These programs include in-prisonprograms (mentoring, educational training, biblicaltraining) and ex-prisoner transitional care (church-based aftercare and mentoring). One of the programsat Christmas time is Angel Tree (reaching half a million

prisoners children).

I have been the coordinator for the Ministry ofCriminal Justice which is under the umbrella of PrisonFellowship for the past 14 years. If you have a lovedone or know someone who has been incarcerated,no one need tell you how painful it is for all involved,inmates and families alike. The Ministry of CriminalJustice is for Jail Ministry. Men and women go into the

jail in St. Clair County in Belleville, IL. and hold Bible

studies. Giving everyone who attends the opportunityto listen to Gods Word and offer them the opportunityto accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personaSavior, letting them know that no matter what theircrime was, there is forgiveness through the Love ofOur Lord Jesus Christ.

If you would like more information regarding theJail and Prison Ministries, please attend the PrisonFellowship meeting held on the third Monday of eachmonth at 7:00 pm in the Coffee Caf. I would liketo personally thank Alan Prass and the AdministrationStaff for allowing us the accommodations of the CoffeeCaf.


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UMW Harvesting for

Christ(Jesus) said to them, There are a great many peopleto harvest, but there are only a few workers. So prayto God, who owns the harvest, that He will send moreworkers to help gather His harvest. Luke 10:2 (NCV)

The United Methodist Women (UMW) are greatexamples of Christs workers, and they are a blessingto our community. One way they serve is to host arummage sale twice each year. The next rummage

sale will be held Thursday, October 6, from 8:00 amto 4:00 pm and Friday, October 7, from 8:00 am to2:00 pm in the Christ Church Gym. Please watchthe Enews and bulletin for drop off times for donateditems.

With the help of John Roach and George Buehler,women volunteers work tirelessly to ready the gymfor the big event. Volunteers to help with sorting,pricing, selling and witnessing the love of Jesus to the

community are needed. Men are encouraged to helpon the nal day of the rummage sale to get the unsolditems ready for the Salvation Army truck.

Our November 3rd Ham and Bean dinner is anotherfundraiser done by the UMW. The work starts a dayor so ahead of time, the beans soak, cornbread isstarted in bags for efciency and, of course, fellowshipand laughter ensue. On the morning of the dinner, wedebate who gets the honor of chopping the onions, asit is not a terric job, but it always gets done.

The UMW donates to missions down the hall, aroundthe corner and around the world. Supporting familieswith funeral dinners, missionaries in the Philippinesand Paraguay; the UMW work to harvest the eldsLadies, join us for fun and fellowship, great speakersand terric food; help in the harvest.

C/M Campus UpdatePreview Worship services are underway at Christ

Church Collinsville/Maryville located in the YMCA at

Maryville! The equipment and furnishings have arrived

and the set up teams are trained and functioning

effectively. The pre-launch evangelism activities havebeen a huge success at increasing the awareness

of Christ Churchs presence in the C/M area. Thank

you to all who were a part of those events. The

launch team leadership has done an incredible job

of preparing for the establishment of Christ Church in

multiple locations.

The C/M site will have worship services led by Jon

and Robyn Clark at 10:00 am with a live praise band

led by Jeff Allen and sermon messages by Rev

Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor. A full complement o

childrens and student ministry, as well as small groupactivities, are planned for the C/M Campus. To God

Be the Glory! And from God be the increase; pressed

down, shaken together and overowing.


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Food DriveProverbs 22:9 Blessed are those who are generous,

because they feed the poor.

Jesus heart is especially attuned to the cry of the

poor. Their prayers rise to the throne of God, where

they are answered in a wonderful way, and we are

blessed to be a part of Gods answer. Not only does

God provide the opportunity, the Holy Spirit prompts

us to respond. Here is one such opportunity.

Christ Church will host a food drive in October to share

with those in need. A list of items needed by the area

food pantries are listed below.

Food Items: Canned fruit and vegetables, cooking

oil, 1 lb. cans of coffee, soup, tea, boxed potatoes

(all kinds), boxed or bagged rice (not larger than 1

lb), crackers, pepper, salt, ketchup, mustard, peanutbutter, salad dressing, jelly, sugar, canned meat

(chicken, ham, salmon, etc.), tuna, beans (chili, pork-

n-beans, navy, butter, pinto, etc.), cake mixes and

other boxed dessert mixes.

Personal Items: Toilet tissue, shampoo, deodorant,

toothpaste, andbar soap.

Household Items: Household cleaning products,

paper towels, laundry detergent, and dishwashing

liquid.

Please check the bulletin and Enews for more

information.

A Potato What?What happens when harvest time comes to Christ

Church? You get a Potato Drop, thats what!

On Saturday, October 29, the Serving Christ Team

will be hosting this most unusual mission event you

will not want to miss! We will literally be *dropping*

45,000 lbs. of potatoes on the church parking lot to

bag up and give away to area food pantries, homeless

shelters, and under privileged households.

Why, you ask? Well, quite simply, because God lef

very clear instructions on how we were to treat those

less fortunate than ourselves. He says in Deuteronomy

15:11, There will always be poor people in the land

Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward

those of your people who are poor and needy in

your land. Gods Word encourages us to share ou

abundance with those who do not have enough. Weat Christ Church are going to stand in the gap for

those less fortunate. Please join the Serving Christ

Team and the St. Louis Food Bank as we connect

others to Jesus Christ by providing food for the body

and the Word for the spirit.

Be watching the bulletin and Enews for more

information regarding ways to serve during the Potato

Drop.

For additional information please contact Chery

Shoffstall at [email protected] 618-660-5033.


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Watch Us GrowNew Members--------------------------------JuneCheryl Lynne Six, Melvin Dean Six

JulyKen Martin, Laura Martin, Mary W. FloresJanice Jennings, Terry JenningsStefanie Ann DaubachAugustAndrea L. Sy, Ralph T. BuddemeyerValla (Val) BuddemeyerBaptisms

--------------------------------

JuneTerry Lysakowski, Nicholas WilhelmJulyMadison Alexis Carey, James Jeffrey NashAlexi Kimbrough Nash, Skyler Mackenzie OliverGrace Evelyn Morgan

Weddings--------------------------------Melissa Underwood and Ben Peterson June 18Casey Abernathy and Chris Schafer July 2Joshua T. Benitone and Sarah E. Nation July 9Jon Schwebke and Janel Lawson July 22

Attendance--------------------------------July Worship avg. = 1402July Connection Classes avg. = 358Year Avg. Worship = 1543

Finances (as of 06-16-11)--------------------------------General BudgetYTD Giving = $938,935.46

YTD Expenses = $906,774.50Annual Budget = $2,041,873.99

Building Fund Total$172,872.83


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339FrankScottParkwayEast

Fairv

iewHeights,IL62208

ScanthiswithafreeQRreader

525 kids received school supplies.

Families in need were shown Gods Love.

because you gave

the flame september / october 2011

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