NEWSLETTER

January -- 2010

Saint Andrews Christian Church -- Carrollton, Texas

Board Meeting – January 17                                           

         The first meeting of the Church Board for 2010 will be held at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, January 17, in the Fellowship Hall.  Our new Board Chair, Pam Wilson, will lead the group in setting key goals for the year.  Also, the Board will review the financial statements for the end of 2009. 

NTA Leader Event – January 16, 2010

          “Building Community Across Generations” is the theme of the annual leadership event for the North Texas Area of the Christian Church.  Members of congregations across the area will gather to hear Ed Hammett, author of Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60.

         First Christian Church of McKinney is hosting the event from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, January 16.  The address of the church is 1800 West Hunt Street; McKinney.

            Go to the end of this newsletter to find extensive information about the workshops to be offered at the Leader Event and a registration form.

Appreciation                                                                                                                     

           Thank you for your prayers, cards, and support during Tom’s extended stay in the hospital.  We appreciate your providing transportation to and from the hospital enabling Irmgard to visit each day.  We thank God for your caring and your friendship.      Tom and Irmgard Ebel

Gideons Presentation

         Mr. Bob Wilhite, our Gideon’s representative, will bring a report to our congregation on Sunday morning, January 17.  Bob is an active member of First Baptist Church in Carrollton.  We will learn about the special challenges that Gideons face in their work in the north Texas area.

January Bible Quiz

Test your knowledge.  How many can you answer?  Researching the Good Book is allowed.  Answers found below.

1. On what day did God create man?

2. Eve was persuaded to eat the forbidden fruit for three reasons.  Name two.

3. How many humans were kept safe in the ark?

4. The Lord told Abraham to count the stars.  Why?

5. For how many shekels of silver did Joseph’s brothers sell him?

6. Fill in the blanks.  “I am the God of your father, the God of _______, the God of ______, and the God of ______.”

7. When Moses heard the Lord speaking to him and saw the burning bush, why did he hide his face?

8. Where was Moses when he received the Ten Commandments

9. Who took over as the commander-in-chief of the Israelites after Moses?

10. How old was David when he became king over Israel as well as Judah?          

Answers to this month’s quiz:

• The sixth day

• The fruit was good for food, it was pleasing to the eye, and it was desirable for gaining knowledge (Genesis 3:6)

• Eight.

• Because that would be the number of Abraham’s offspring

• 20 shekels of silver

• Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

• Moses was afraid to look at God

• Mount Sinai

• Joshua

• 30 years old (2 Samuel 5:4)

Fellowship Luncheon

         Bring your special entrees to church on Sunday, January 10, for the first All Church Luncheon.  You can take your food to the fellowship hall kitchen before the start of the worship service.  Please bring enough food to share with those who are visiting SACC. 

Elders Meeting

         The first Elders Meeting of the new year will be held on Tuesday, January 12, at 7:00 p.m. at the church.  The group will discuss chapters 10 and 11 of the study book Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart, pray for members and others who have special concerns, and review the Evangelism program for 2010. 

Senior Fellowship

Seniors will meet Saturday, January 16th, at 6:00 for a potluck supper at church.  Our speaker will be Anna Poull, a member who works for the Dallas Museum.  She will talk about her work on a Holocaust project.

A Request From the Worship Department                                             

As the year comes to a close, I want to thank all of you who provided bread and grape juice for our weekly communion service.  It’s such a reassuring feeling to know that our communion supplies are always available.  Now, for the request!  The new list for 2010 will be posted near the front door, so if you would like to provide bread and juice for a month, please sign up. 

                                                                     Thanks!   Louellen Stephenson

                                                                                     Worship Chairperson

January Birthdays and Anniversaries

 CROP Results 2009

 Finally, the CROP figures have been finalized.  Even with the economic downturn, this year was great.  $14, 551.91  That’s like $6000 more than last year!  Wow, the CROP team did a fantastic job!

             Hear Ye!  All are invited to attend  the

The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival

an ancient celebration of the meaning of Christmas in music, drama and dance

Again, as we begin a new year, an ancient Christian holiday festival will

be celebrated at University Christian Church.  Already old in tradition when

presented at Queens College, Oxford, England in 1340, the Boar’s Head and

Yule Log Festival is perhaps the oldest continuing festival of the Christmas season.

All will be welcome to come and experience the joy and mystery of the Christmas as it is told amid the spectacle of the beautiful pageant.  Over 185

persons in costume, an orchestra, handbell choirs and a large chorus will participate in making this Festival an inspiring and beautiful celebration of the Holiday Season.

            Four 2010 Performances   Free and open to the public

Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January 3 – 3 pm and 5 pm

Limited reserved seating $12 each.  Call 817-926-6631, ext. 141

                         or email boarshead@uccftw.com

University Christian Church  2720 South University Drive at Cantey

Fort Worth, Texas  76109

2010 Camping Schedule                           

Disciples Crossing
Athens, TX
Office: (903) 675-3692
After office hours: (903) 316-2032

All camps are open to campers from any of the three supporting Area Ministries: North Texas Area, Northeast Area, Trinity-Brazos Area.

* Camp staff by North Texas Area

For registration forms go to the Camping Information page.  Forms available in March 2010. 

Spiritual Ministries Institute
invites you to save the date

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

9:30 am - 3:30 pm

First United Methodist Church - Richardson

A Retreat Day for Spiritual Directors and Pastors

led by

Rev. Mary C. Earle

Mary C. Earle, Episcopal priest, spiritual director and author of The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from Women of the Wilderness, teaches spirituality electives at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest.  Her most recent book is Days of Grace: Meditations and Practices for Living with Illness, which is also available as an audio CD and as MP3 files.  To learn more about Mary, go to her website,

THE 2010 LEADERSHIP EVENT

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH - McKINNEY

JANUARY 16, 2010

NAME_______________________________________________ CHURCH _________________________

ADDRESS ______________________________________________ CITY _________________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS ___________________________________

_______ I PLAN TO ATTEND THE PRAYER BREAKFAST (8:15 A.M. - Continental breakfast)

_______ I PLAN TO ATTEND THE HAMMETT WORKSHOPS (PART 1 & 2) AND _________ (session 3)

OR

_______ I PLAN TO ATTEND THESE WORKSHOPS (see following pages): _______, _______, _______

(Descriptions can also be found on the Area webpage - www.ntaccsw.org)

_______ I PLAN TO EAT LUNCH

$__________ COST PER PERSON $20.00

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO HELP!

______ I WOULD LIKE TO HELP AT THE REGISTRATION TABLE (SATURDAY 8:00 A.M.)

PRE-REGISTRATION FOR CHILD CARE IS REQUIRED!

Child care will be provided for Pre-School age children. Reservations for child care must be made NO LATER

than January 11 . You will need to bring th a sack lunch for your children (NO PEANUT PRODUCTS). Please check

here G if child care is needed and list their names and ages.

Child’s Name___________________________________________________________________Age__________

Child’s Name___________________________________________________________________Age__________

Child’s Name___________________________________________________________________Age__________

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: NTACC

AND MAIL TO: 3525 Lawler Rd., Ste. 101, Garland, TX 75042-5338

PRE-REGISTRATION FOR THE EVENT IS REQUESTED

PLEASE SEND TO ABOVE ADDRESS BY JANUARY 11th.

WORKSHOP OFFERINGS

Please indicate which three (3) workshops

you are interested in attending or plan to attend:

Workshop Session #1 (9:45 - 11:00 a.m.)

1. Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church for All

Generations (Part 1) - Presenters, Eddie Hammett and Randy Pierce, author and consultants

An overview of generational distinctives and how they impact the way we do church,

exploring various win/win strategies for being church for all generations without minimizing

anyone. How the post modern culture and church culture impacts the way we do church

today and tomorrow. (Their book will be available for purchase).

2. Community Through Leadership - Presenter, Larry Ross, North Texas Area Minister

Church leaders set the tone for community-building in their local congregation. But leaders

can’t model community unless they practice it themselves. Larry will discuss how leaders

can achieve greater spiritual depth in their lives, and how this can translate into deeper

community in their congregations. Elders, deacons, board members and other leaders are

invited to this workshop.

3. Community Through Men’s Ministries - Presenter, Nathan Hill, Associate Minister, East Dallas

Christian Church

An interactive workshop to discuss different ideas and possibilities to help build community

among men of all ages. We’ll talk about being present where men are, giving opportunity

for participation in challenging projects, and allowing men to serve the church passionately

with their gifts. Some time will also be devoted to the future of groups like Disciples Men in

the life of the church – is it a crisis or an opportunity?

4. Mosaic Ministry: Building Community With a New Generation - Presenters, Casey Tanguay,

Minister to Youth, Northway Christian Church and Chris St. Clair, Youth Minister, First Christian

Church, McKinney

A workshop about building relationships with and for the "Mosaic generation". (A term

coined by George Barna to refer to people born between 1984 and 2002). We will explore

theological and strategic approaches to building relationships with this generation (7-25

year olds).

Workshop Session #2 (11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)

5. Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church for All

Generations (Part 2) - Presenters, Eddie Hammett and Randy Pierce, author and consultants

An overview of generational distinctives and how they impact the way we do church,

exploring various win/win strategies for being church for all generations without minimizing

anyone. How the post modern culture and church culture impacts the way we do church

today and tomorrow. (Their book will be available for purchase).

6. Community Through Small Groups - What is Sticky Church? - Presenters, Mary Johnson, and

Donna King-Bohlcke, members of Northway Christian Church, Dallas

Sticky Church tries to create community among people committed to growing in their faith

with God through weekly encounters with the scriptures and each other. Small conversation

groups meet to discuss the weekly sermon using extensive notes on the sermon as the

core for conversation and formation. What emerges is a community of people committed

to each other and to God as they share the same weekly worship and conversation

experiences. This workshop will explain this small group approach to community building.

7. Community Through Elder Care - Presenter, Mike Kearns, Chaplain, Juliette Fowler Homes,

Inc.

The rapid expansion of the senior population in America presents many challenges. How

do we minister to seniors whether homebound or in independent living, assisted living or

long-term care? How are personal relationships established and nurtured to form the

foundation of true community? Based upon his ministry at Juliette Fowler Homes, Mike will

share some of his insights and invite the contributions of participants.

8. Community Through Consensus Building and Decision Making - Presenter, Johnny

Loughridge, Intentional Transitional Minister

Making decisions God's way or your way? Are you willing to scrap Robert's Rules of Order

for a better, spiritual, Biblical way of coming together and deciding how to do ministry?

9. Community Through Extravagant Hospitality - Presenter, Paul Johnson, Business

Administrator, Wilshire Baptist, Dallas and member of Midway Hills Christian Church, Dallas

This workshop will focus on how volunteers and staff impact peoples’ opinion and

experience of church and some hints on how to improve our relationships with members.

Paul will also spend some time specifically on how to deal with difficult members.

Workshop Session #3 (1:30 - 2:30 p.m.)

10. Building Community Through Cultural Diversity in Worship - Presenter, Irie Session, Minister,

New Life Christian Church, Dallas and a panel of participants in the Bible study

This workshop will explore cultural diversity in worship through examining what it means to

worship God in Spirit and Truth; and how such worship can lead to culturally informed

conversations, breaking down barriers, demystifying stereotypes, and building bridges,

resulting in a transformed community of faith.

11. Connected Community - Presenter, Bill Anderton, member, Central Christian Church, Dallas,

developer of Teleworship and media specialist

Technologies such as Facebook, Twitter and websites in general have become part of most

of our lives. How can the local church take advantage of these in a responsible way? Bill

will share how “Connected Community” can help churches develop and improve a sense

of community in their congregational life and beyond – and how the Area and region are

already doing so.

12. Community Through Prayer - Presenter, Larry Robertson, Minister, Cedar Grove Christian

Church, Rockwall

Using a team concept to form a vital prayer ministry, moving from the inner circle of prayer

to the wider community and a biblical study of prayer.

13. Community Through Hospitality - Presenter, Dwight Rodgers, Minister, Bonnie View Christian

Church, Dallas

“It’s not uncommon today to linger after church for a cup of coffee, donut or a chat with

fellow worshipers. The days of get in and get out from church might just be behind us” says

Henry Brinton in USA Today. Members of Bonnie View will share how hospitality enhances

church ministry – from worship to weddings, funerals, and community use of the building.

14. Community Through Team Building - Presenter, Eddie Hill, Minister, Monica Park Christian

Church, Garland

Eddie is also owner of a business that does team building for corporations and

organizations, and will share team-building concepts and techniques that can help the local

church develop a sense of team in its own leadership and faith community.