CONNECTION

A publication of First Christian Church of Edmond, OK Vol. 5 No. 10 March 14, 2013

The Chalice

Moving On

By Rev. Dr. Jerry Black, Associate Minister

It began with a simple desirethe desire to know what is already good and right at First Christian and an even deeper desire to know what God is calling us to do and be in the coming years. So, we listenedto each other and the voice of God. We spent time in prayerful discernment. And now, thanks to committed participation, a future story is in place. To every person who participated in re:NEW 2011, the prayer triads of 2012, and the two teams who led us in this journey of faith, dreams, discovery, discernment, and focus, thank you! Your participation and your leadership are profound. Not only do we have a viable vision for the coming years, but a clearer picture of what God is calling us to do and be. Thanks to you, we are a community of faith purposefully and passionately singing a song filled with the rhythms of Gods own heart and the purpose of Christ for every generation in our community. May God continue to bless and guide us into the next stepthe process of putting this song into a workable, achievable, strategic plan that will launch ministries in full compliment of the storythe Story of Christ and First Christian Church at 2nd and Boulevard in Edmond, OK, now and into the immediate future. And may we always remember: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) This promise is ours. Thanks be to God!

Continue to celebrate 40 Days of Compassion with us. Here are some of the upcoming events: Friday, March 15 Bradford Village At 2 PM, we will take an Ides of March Birthday Party to the Bradford Village nursing unit residents. If you would like to join in the festivities, you are welcome to bring cupcakes or small presents to

hand out to the residents. (Contact: Penny Shorow)

We have TWO opportunities on Saturday, March 16: HOPE Center Donation Day Bring your donations (non-perishable goods and clothing) for the Hope Center to the church from 9 AM to noon. (Contact: Steve Hanson) -orRenewing Hands Join us from 10 AM to noon - lend a hand by raking some leaves for a member of our church, Judy Berry, weather permitting. Bring a rake or leaf blower and work gloves. (Contact: Marcia Tunison) Monday, March 18 Refuge Fellowship Join us from 5 to 8:30 PM, where we have spots for a few volunteers, to worship with and feed the homeless in downtown Oklahoma City. (Contact: Mickey Stufflebean) Come by the 40 Days of Compassion table on Sunday in the rotunda and see even MORE opportunities still available!

For our Habitat for Humanity build day, on March 7, Rebecca Prestwood and Chris Gibson joined some of the regular crew (Gary Bartley, Roger Stilwell, and Jack Smith). Everyone participated in a framing layout for a new home in the Habitat for Humanity neighborhood, Hope Crossing. Thank you to those who volunteered - it was a great event for the 40 Days of Compassion series!

Easter Sunday March 31

8:15am Chapel Service

Palm Sunday March 24

8:15am Chapel Service 9am Contemporary Service 10:30am Liturgy of the Palms & Palm Parade Shannon Miller Park

Maundy Thursday March 28

7pm Service of Holy Communion
Our Maundy Thursday service will provide a powerful worship setting in which members of the 2013 Pastors Class will celebrate their first communion. Come share in the wonder of Christs first Holy Communion and encounter the Bread and Cup in new and familiar ways!

9am Contemporary Service

On Easter Sunday, the Children Worship & Wonder story will be told during the 11am service. We invite your children to worship with you in the Sanctuary!

11am Traditional Service

Join us for an ecumenical gathering with St. Marys Episcopal Church. Our brief liturgy will be followed by a palm parade returning to our Sanctuary for the 11am worship service.

Enjoy an special breakfast with your church family before you go to worship or Sunday School! Hosted by Membership Ministries
Please Note: Due to scheduling conflicts, there will be NO Easter Egg Hunt as previously advertised. If you have questions, contact Michelle Fritz.

EASTER BREAKFAST from 8:30-10:30am Fellowship Hall

Members of the 2013 Pastors Class will be bapitzed during this service. (Children Worship & Wonder will be in the Sanctuary during the 11am service.)

11am Traditional Service

Buy an Easter Lily

Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed. (John 17:1)

Bring the beauty of Easter into our worship spaces with beautiful white Easter lilies! These beautiful flowers symbolize new life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Honor the memory of a loved one by sharing a lily with your church family. Each plant is $15 available for purchase through March 24. 1) Complete a form at www.fccedmond.org/lilies 2) Complete an order form found in worship bulletins, or, 3) Contact Iris Muno Jordan at 341-3544, ext. 110. Sales of Easter Lilies help fund youth summer mission trips and other youth projects. Thanks for your support!

Sign Up Now!
The Elders of First Christian Edmond invite you to take part in one of the most important traditions we celebrate each yearour Annual Easter Prayer Vigil. There are still times left - so sign up on our Prayer Vigil sign-up board in the Rotunda. Come and pray! Do you or a loved one need prayer? Please share your prayer concerns with us. Please contact Rev. Jerry Black at (405) 341-3544, ext. 109 or by email: jblack@fccedmond.org

There are three ways you can order an Easter lily:

Prayers of the People

OUR PRAYERS FOR THOSE IN THE HOSPITAL Virginia ONiel in St. Anthony; Betsy Jones in Mercy Rehab Hospital THOSE IN NEED OF PRAYER Gabe Wiechmann (Don & Jenny Wiechmanns son), Loree Rice, Dale Wehr (Connie LaRues brother), Judy Joy, Phyllis Jarrett, Gayle Jones (Jennifer Cains mom), Lori Snider (Loretta Parks daughter), Cynthia David (Winnie Halls daughter), Bill & Mary Lou Womble, Nancy Gallop OUR SYMPATHY AND PRAYERS TO the Jeff & Michelle Fritz and family in the death of Michelles sister, Samantha Branscum on March 6. Services were Saturday, March 9 at 1pm at the St. Peter Lutheran Church in Gun Barrel, TX AND TO Judy Berry in the passing of her husband, Ed Berry, on Saturday, March 9. Memorial service will be Thursday, March 21 at 11am at FCC - Edmond AND TO Donna Combs in the death of her uncle, Tommy Summerford AND TO the family of Mary Hope Nicar in her death on March 8. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 11am at the First Christian Church of Norman. Dear First Christian Church Family, We would like to express our deepest thanks for the reception on Sunday celebrating 17 years of ministry. What a tremendous journey it has been, and we feel very loved and appreciated. Thank you so much for the cards and gifts, and for all the hugs! We are very grateful for the friendships we have made at FCC, and we will miss all of you dearly! As we begin this new chapter in our lives, know that you will always be in our hearts and we will be praying for you and the ministry of FCC. God is doing great things, and we are so thankful to have been a part of it for the past 17 years! And remember, when you need a little Rocky Mountain High, our door is always open! - God bless! Greg, Julie, Kayla, and Brody Bunton

Happy Birthday!
3/17 Stacy Luton 3/18 Shirley McClain, Mary Webb, Ura Lee Denson, Tatum Stuke, Steve Suarez 3/19 Jacky Anderson, Jacob Hall 3/20 Chuck Hogancamp, Vern Lawson 3/21 Jake VanOsdol, Nick Jackson 3/22 Helen Williams, Mary Lou Smith, Robert Hendershot, Ellie Robertson, Betsie Polk, Danette Farrah 3/23 Payden McGann, Alissa Meadows, John Humphrey, Bobbie Wallace 3/24 Cameron Woods, Nate Good, Adam Gossen, Charlie Brown, Barbara Henthorn, Cassidy Thornton

Save Those Extra Items!

The Youth Garage Sale is coming up very soon (in May)...so start saving your donatable items now! Watch the church newsletter, The Chalice Connection, for more information. If you have questions about the garage sale, contact Mark Taylor at mtaylor@fccedmond.org.

Find the Warmth of God This Summer!

Summer Church Camp is filled with fun activities, Bible study, and adventure that will build close friendships and create warm memories that will last a lifetime. Campers register ONLINE for camps based on GRADE COMPLETED by June 2013. First Christian offers partial scholarships to campers that are members. How do you register your child? Here are the steps: 1) You register online at: www.fccedmond.org/camp 2) You will receive a confirmation email which will include the health forms that need to be completed and returned to FCC. 3) You will return the completed forms to FCC, along with the payment. Earlybird Rates: Register online now - April 15. Regular Rates: Register online April 16 - May 12. For anyone who registers online by April 15, you will receive an additional $35 off of your rate (thanks to the Regions Mens Ministry Leave No Child Behind.)

The following camps are available:

CAMP LOCATION RATES (Earlybird/Regular) Chi Rho, grades 6-8 (Oakrige Camp, Anadarko) $300/$350 Kid-N-Kin*, grades 1-2 (Camp Christian, Chouteau) $170/$200 (*Kid-N-Kin is grade 1 & 2 plus an adult family member attending camp.) Discovery, grades 2-3 (Central Camp, Guthrie) $180/$200 Junior, grades 4-5 (Central Camp, Guthrie) $295/$335 CYF, grades 9-12 (Central Camp, Guthrie) $295/$335 DATES June 3-7 June 6-9 June 7-9 June 17-21 June 24-28

Mark Your Calendars!

Worship
8:15, 9 & 11am

at First Christian
March 17, 2013 5th Sunday of Lent

Sunday, April 7 Join the Classics on an outing to the Armstrong Auditorium to see the Byron Berline Band, with FCCs own Greg Burgess! Sunday, April 28 Blood Drive! FCC Edmond will be saving lives in Fellowship Hall North from 8:30 am to Noon. Dont bring money just your best vein! Friday, June 21 FCCs Annual Golf Tournament, Kickingbird Golf Course, 1 pm. Coming Soon: Its almost THAT time again...Vacation Bible School is coming up! VBS is scheduled from Monday, June 10, through Friday, June 14. This years theme is Athens: Pauls Dangerous Journey to Share the Truth. Mark your calendars!

Message: Rev. Dr. Jerry Black Rev. Chris Shorow Scripture: Matthew 5:6

Summer Internships Still Available

March 24, 2013 Palm Sunday

Message: Rev. Chris Shorow Mark Taylor Scripture: Matthew 5:7

The Chalice CONNECTION

Jennifer Humphrey, Editor jhumphrey@fccedmond.org Read News Online @ fccedmond.org/news Submit Articles to news@fccedmond.org

The Childrens and Youth Education Committees are pleased to announce summer internship programs for Childrens Ministries (ages birth-5th grade) and Student Ministries (grades 6-12). The internship is open to college students that grew up at First Christian Church of Edmond and participated in the Children and Youth programs. The Childrens Education Committee will be hiring one intern for the summer, and the Youth Education Committee will be hiring up to 3 interns for the summer. If you are interested in finding out more about these internships, or want to apply for one of them, go to www.fccedmond.org/internship Application deadline is March 31. Selected interns will be notified by Sunday, April 14.

Wild At Heart

The mens Wild at Heart Boot Camp is Thursday, April 11, through Sunday, April 14, 2013. This camp is limited to men, ages 19 and older. For details and sign-up information, go to: www.truenorthokc.com or, contact Barry Gagnon with any questions at bgagnon@es2ok.com or (405) 326-9019.

(USPS 210-360) is published weekly (except weeks of New Years Day and Christmas Day). Periodicals postage paid by First Christian Church, 201 E. Second, Edmond, OK 73034-456 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Chalice CONNECTION, PO Box 3548, Edmond, OK 73083

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