|
Winter Bible Studies Coming Soon!
Tuesday Morning January 13 9:00 - 11:30 am
Wednesday Evening January 14 6:45 - 8:30 pm
How to Find Joy and Contentment in a Crisis
(Based on Philippians) By Julia Staton
Worried about your future? Feeling depressed because of what is happening in your world?
We will learn from the life-example of the Apostle Paul and his teaching in the book of Philippians how we are to act and react in the perilous and panic-inducing days in which we now live. Look expectantly toward being blessed!
Julia Staton has been writing and teaching Bible studies
for over 30 years. She is also a popular speaker at women's events and leads day and weekend long Prayer and Spiritual Discipline Retreats.
Registration is available after each service, or sign up at www.fccyuma.org. Plan to spend time in God's Word and share girlfriend time this fall on Tuesday mornings or Wednesday evenings.
Sassy Scrappers - January 9 from 7-11 pm
Bring your latest scrapbook, card-making, stamping, or home decor project and get it completed! Bring a snack to share, and we'll have a great evening. E-mail Noel at
Kteachjnm@hotmail.com for more information.
Save the Date! Friday, February 20, at 6 pm at FCC
"Girlfriends Italiano"
Catered Italian dinner, fun activities, girlfriend chats,
door prizes. This evening was designed with YOU in mind!
Dear FCC Family:
If you participated in the "Angel Tree" project this year, we owe you a great deal of gratitude!! We sorted, wrapped, and delivered over 100 packages this year. This ministry helps provide gifts to prisoners' children who would have otherwise not received any presents for Christmas. You have made a difference in the lives of these children by your gracious giving!
Thank you,
Deborah Rapp, Prison Ministry Coordinator |
|
The Special Christmas Offering amount totalled: $121,491.76 | |
|
The staff sends a heartfelt "Thank you" for the many cards, gifts, and treats you presented us with during the Christmas season. We appreciate each and every one! |
FROM THE MINISTER'S DESK:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" II Corinthians 5:17
Happy New Year! It's 2009...sounds strange, doesn't it? Time flies when you are having fun. We need to make sure that this New Year is a happy one. It is up to us. We can buy into what the world calls a "crisis" and just sit by and wait to go down the tube. Or we can get out and do some things to secure a happy new year!
You say, "Like what?" Let me share again what I shared Sunday before my sermon. "Tap into Christ and His Church!" How do we do that? The word "TAP" is an acrostic. The "T" stands for "Time for Discipleship!" Get into God's Word like never before in your own daily quiet time, and make sure you are involved in one of our small group Bible studies!
The "A" in "TAP" stands for "Ask two families to come to church with you this year." If everyone would bring two families with them to Church, we would have to add another service to take care of everyone.
The "P" in "TAP" stands for "Play a part and tithe!" Remember, the biblical interpretation of the word "tithe" means 10% of your income. I promise that if we will all take the focus off of self and TAP into Christ and His Church, this will be one of the best years ever.
The Church has always thrived during tough times. God is good-all the time! Let's watch Him move in His Church during this New Year!
Because of Him, Dan
|
Happy New Year!
I don't know about you, but I am really excited about this year. I am always excited when I think about the passing of time. But this has not always been so. There was a time when I, like many of you, dreaded the passing of time. The passing of each year reminded me of missed opportunities and lost time. But then I remembered that each day that passes brings us one day closer to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If this is not something to get excited about, I don't know what is.
Let me encourage you this year (as you make plans, set your calendars, and resolve not to miss opportunities to plan, schedule, and resolve) to spend as much time as possible praising Jesus and worshipping His name. May our excitement about the return of our King be uncontainable! May our thoughts and minds be always encouraged that we are drawing closer to His glorious reappearance where every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To Him alone be all glory, honor, and praise.
Once again, Happy New Year!
Alan Dyson | |
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
"...hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5 (New International Version)
Recently, I read a story about hope and the future. Here is the story: "During my senior year of high school, my dad took me fishing on Mountain Fork of Little River in southeast Oklahoma. After a few days of roughing it and campfire cooking, we longed for something to drink that had ice in it. Dad suggested we go to a little village nearby named Hotchitown. He told me of a great old time general store there that was stocked with all sorts of mouthwatering goodies. He had visited it many times during similar fishing trips when he was a boy. So off we went. As we drove along toward the village, we began to sense something eerie. Everywhere we looked things were in disrepair. Trash and great piles of garbage bags were stacked by homes. Lawns were not mown and trash littered yards. Houses were not painted and many were obviously abandoned. Streets were full of potholes. Fences were down, and there were broken windows in the school. Weeds grew in the churchyard. It was like something from a weird horror movie. When we arrived at the general store, the shelves were nearly bare. The storekeeper answered our questions. "They are building a dam down at Broken Bow. This town will be underwater in a couple of years. People just don't care anymore," he sadly reflected, "They've just let everything go." As we drove back to the river we understood the curious sights. There was no pride. The people were indifferent to their homes and town because their town would soon be no more. The Corps of Engineers had bought all the property. People were moving away. This was a town without a future. When they lost their future, there was nothing to live for. No point to paint the house. No reason to fix the roof."
[*If you go there today, a vast lake covers what was once Hotchitown. The name doesn't even appear on current maps. Once the decision was made to build the dam, the Postal Service refused to assign Hotchitown a zip code. They said, "You have no future."]
Everything falls apart when we do not have a tomorrow to look forward to. This is true in a family, or a town, or a nation; and it is also true of the church. Remove the hope of tomorrow, and today becomes meaningless.
It is tempting to feel a sense of hopelessness today. We drive by neighborhoods with For Sale signs out front, and many homes have been foreclosed. The recent stock market plunge has devastated many senior citizens' retirement funds; so, many are cutting back on their church giving. Despair is in the air!
It is time to refocus on our future. Our priorities may need to be re-examined. God must become number one in our lives, or our future is indeed bleak. Family must be our most important investment in our relationships. Church must be a priority of our love because Christ died for the church. We have an unshakable hope for the future because we have Jesus Christ! We will not be disappointed when we place our hope in Christ! "Encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
- Phillip | |
Worship Choir Resumes
Rehearsals for the Spring season will begin on Tuesday, January 13, at 7:15 pm, in Room 113. This ministry opportunity is open to all FCC MEMBERS. For more information, call Darrin at the church office or e-mail him at darrinakin70@yahoo.com.
| |
Southwestern Christian School 
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10
As you move into the new year, are you following God's will for your life? Are you letting the Holy Spirit lead you in all things? Our SWCS teachers and staff are trying to help our students gain vital knowledge of God and His word so that they can trust God in all things and allow Him to lead their lives. I would ask you to evaluate your life and see if God is urging you to make a change. One of the ways you could make an impact for Christ is to pray for the SWCS teachers and staff to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all interaction with students and families to help them see Jesus more clearly. Please lift up our students and their families in prayer that they would be given a spirit of boldness and empowered to follow God's calling in their lives. Your prayers are powerful. We value others interceding in prayer on our behalf. May God bless you and guide you through this new year! Thank you for your ongoing support of this ministry of First Christian Church.
In Christ,
Debbie Stewart, Principal
|
|
New Members' Orientation - Dick Osness will be teaching a New Members' Orientation class beginning Sunday, January 11, at 9:30 am in Room 256. If you are a new Christian and would like to know what is expected of us as a part of Christ's church, this is the class for you! Come join us as we fellowship and grow together in Christ. | |
International Initiatives
Dee Dee Baumgarner to Teach English in Iraq- If you were not in church on Sunday, you missed the elders praying for DeeDee Baumgarner who is leaving for Iraq. The following is the introduction I gave prior to the elders praying.
DeeDee went to Chile with the second team FCC sent out almost ten years ago. Since that time she has wanted to serve cross-culturally. When she retires from teaching she plans to serve on a foreign field full time.
A few weeks ago, some information came across my desk about a need for people, with ESL certification, to teach English at a University in Iraq. In a unique partnership between the Iraqi and U.S. governments travel expenses, salary, and housing will be provided. I forwarded the information on to several others including the head of the inter-cultural department at Hope International University, some fellow mission ministers, and the Mission Ministry Team of which DeeDee is a member.
Many things have been orchestrated by God since that time including DeeDee being given permission by her principal, superintendent, and school board to take a semester off to embark on an adventure in the Middle East. The other teachers, in her department, at Yuma High School, are each taking one of her classes so the district does not have to hire a long-term substitute. Six teachers were needed for this project. Six applied and were accepted, then four dropped out; and it looked like the project was over. In the space of two weeks four more volunteered, the exact number needed.
Consequently, in the next few weeks, DeeDee will be joining the others in Iraq where they will take advantage of the opportunity to live in another culture, learn another language, and live out the love of Christ among the Kurdish people.
Through all of this I have been constantly reminded that the economy can turn sour causing our earthly retirement funds to be depleted. But God's work will go forward. His plan for eternal retirement for people of every nation, tribe, and tongue WILL be carried out.
Please keep DeeDee and her teammates in your prayers as they face this new and exciting opportunity.
International Trips for 2009
Because of the shortfall in giving for the past year, the eldership has asked all departments to cut back in all areas possible. They have asked the Missions Department to not raise money for international trips this year. We plan to use this year to strengthen our involvement in our Judea (Yuma). There is much that can be done at the Living Free Recovery Center, a ministry of FCC. Crossroad Missions always needs help with chapel services and in other areas. Not training teams will free up my time to further develop the outreach to International Students at AWC. Plus, I will be training new short-term trip leaders. It has been several years since we have done this. If you are interested in leading trips in the years to come, please give me a call. I will be recruiting and training new members for the Missions Ministry Team. We will be looking at ways to get the entire church involved in praying for the needs of the world. Sometimes we get so caught up in doing the same thing over and over we overlook new opportunities. We will, of course, continue to pray for and keep in contact with our ministry partners around the world. The Ridgley and the Robertson families plan to be home for two months this summer. We will have many opportunities to minister to them.
Someone just stopped by my office to wish me a "Hopeful New Year!" I wish the same to all of you. Our God is in control, we have read the back of the book and we win! We have every reason to be hopeful and thankful.
Because He Lives,
Laretta K. Shrader, Missions Minister |
|
FCC Youth Happy New Year! Welcome to 2009! This will be an exciting year, and I'm looking forward to spending it with you! We kicked off the year with an amazing New Year's Eve all-nighter, and we intend to keep the fellowship and spiritual growth going! As we head into the new year, let's concentrate on doing what the church did in Acts: loving and growing together! Seize every opportunity available to fellowship and study with other Christian teens. It's a tough world out there for teens, but together you can win the world for Jesus, one student at a time! - Jeff Elzey, Youth Minister
Fellowship opportunities:
Sundays
Middle School - 9:30 am - Room 207
High School - 9:30 am - Room 208.
The Zone High School Study - 7-8 pm - Room 207
Wednesday
Midweek Worship - 7 pm - Upper Room
| |
|
FaithWeaver Friends is back in full swing!
Time: 7:00 - 8:20 pm
Location: FCC
Every Wednesday Night
Ages: 3 years through 5th grade
See you there! |
Full Throttle Faith Oh, my goodness! We are already into the second week of Full Throttle Faith here at First Christian Church, and we are really excited about it. We hope you can make it a point to start out this new year with a new faith that is more vibrant and evident to all those around you. We don't do these series just for fun (though they are). But instead, we do them because we truly feel that God works through different means to accomplish change in our individual lives. Teaching through a Biblical book in expository form, or through a series, are both two excellent ways in which First Christian Church can help equip people who call this their home.
We hope to see you here on Saturday nights at 6 pm. Bring a friend or two. Or bring a family. As the Senior Minister said this past weekend, "...imagine what would happen here at FCC if we each brought a family to church with us." Wow. That would be awesome! Again, I hope to see you (and a new family) here at FCC during 2009!
With passion, Paul Mondragon
Media Minister and Twenty4/7 Director
| |
|
Valentine's Day Celebration 2009 Valentine's Day 2009 at FCC is truly a reunion-celebration of old friends and new neighbors. This year our celebration is on Saturday, February 14, at 6 pm at Gila Ridge High School, our new neighbors just down the street and around the corner from FCC on East 24th.
Another new neighbor and old friend, Mr.Valles, of John and Margie's Ranch House Restaurant, along with our fellowship team, will provide a fully-catered dinner in the school cafeteria including everything from appetizer to dessert!
Our dear friend and former FCC choir member, Alonzo Strange Jr., will be performing both spiritual and Valentine's Day songs for this grown-ups only special event.
Tickets are $18.00 each and will go on sale Sunday, February 1, in the Main Lobby. This event is open to all adults, married or single. Senior adult transportation and on-campus assistance will be available as needed. Come join us for this very special Christian observance of Valentine's Day 2009.
Thanks! -Eva Elzey
"working for the Lord, not for men."
(Col. 3:23, 24b) | |
|
|
|
|
Staff
Daniel Trautman,
Senior Minister
Phillip Krueger,
Associate Minister
Rick Lathrop,
Business Administrator
Darrin Akin,
Worship/Music Minister
Jeff Elzey,
Youth Minister
Rick Keeling,
Children's Minister
Les Gompert,
Associate Children's Minister
Laretta K. Shrader,
Missions Minister
Jerry Elzey,
Pastoral Minister
Alan Dyson,
Involvement Minister
Paul Mondragon,
Media Minister
Deborah Stewart,
School Administrator
Elders
Jack DeLange
Tom Dyson
Ron Miller
Lynn Ware
Mike Watson
Glenn Wright
Worship Services: Sundays
9:30 and 11:00 am
Alternative Worship:
Saturdays, 6 pm
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday,
9 am-5 pm | |
|
Worship Service Attendance:
12/7 1516
12/14 1571
12/21 1851
12/28 1326 | |
| Congratulations to Karla and Nathan Houk on the birth of their son, Alan Quinn, born December 27. He weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and joins siblings Brandon, Jamie, and Paris at home.
Congratulations to Kovia and Kenny Lown on the birth of their son, Kalvin Robert, born on December 29. He was 9 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 20-1/2 inches long. |
|
New Members:
Baptisms:
Gabrielle Cervantes, Nikki Hansen, David Tillery, Amy Tillery, Mackenzie Lewis, Chris Iloff, Jason Magana, Angela Rivera, Joseph Startz, Carson Fricke
Transfers:
Logan Gray, Candace Gray |
|
Our Deepest Sympathy to the families of the following people who recently passed away: Robert Parish, Gary May, Ruby Craig, Kim Buntin, Kendra Chamness. Please keep their families in prayer during this difficult time. |
Members of FCC,
Please know that any peace and joy Robert had came from God's love for him. Robert's passions were highlighted when he spoke of his Lord. Robert is now folded in eternity with his Jesus.
Our family will always be grateful for all of you. A million thank you's.
With love, Billie May Pierce, mom of Robert Clayton Parish |
|
Please Pray for:
Cancer Patients
Otto Rapp, Rebecca Cole, Ruby Winter, Tim Rice, Vicki Peterson, James Frazier, Phyllis Sollers, Marilyn Garvin, Sharon Fraser, Jamey Thimell, Luanne Watson, Judy Dyson, Mike Boren, Debbie Roberson, Yvonne Estes, Paul Voss
Health/Recovery
Gladys Reynolds, Arthur Guiles, Tim Beeman, Deborah Rapp, Sharon Womer, Grace Weatherly, Judy Stroh, Richard Parks, Ray Rodgers, Rose Coble, Marion Tompkins, Shirley Johns, Michelle Wheaton, Cal Macon, John Rapp, Bonnie Canan, Mirle Fett, Pauline Cochran, Randy Creek, Jose Rivas, Shirley Flermoen, Marguerite Ware, Jim Wedemeyer, Juanita McCauley, The Mullins Family, Scotty McGregor, Jim Iwan, Gus Lovmark, Larry Autrey, Knofel Staton
|
|
Rancho de los Ninos Needs for This Month are: Sugar, flour, rice, and cooking oil. These items may be brought to the office at any time. Thanks for caring and sharing! |
|
|
