June 14, 2012
Focus on Faith
Faith United Presbyterian Church
June Birthdays 

   

1        Jim Brown

2        Jane Kellogg

3        Bryce Willett

4        Carol Bowman

          Charles Peirce

8        Hallie Lemon

9        Evelyn

             Moschenross 

12      Bill Myers

          Malik Reading

15      Mollie Murdock

17      Chris McLaughlin

19      Pete Sorensen

23      Neil Agan

          Esther White

28      Linda Groves

30      Betty Lee

 

 


 

 

 

 
BillWhat Do You Think?
 
Why We Have Tried to Stay True to Our Heritage

Recently, I came across a wonderful article about the Church of Joy, a once thriving mega-church, and the difficult changes they have endured in their attempts to become more faithful to their calling.  I am sharing the article with you, as I hope it will bring an even greater understanding regarding the mission and identity of our own congregation.  As it is a rather long article, I won't be able to offer much commentary.  However, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.  The article may be found in this issue of William Willimon's "Pulpit Resource".
 
"G. Jeffrey MacDonald takes Jesus' eviction of the money changers from the Temple and makes it into a metaphor that he relates to American church life.  In Thieves in the Temple:  The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul, MacDonald, a religious news journalist who is also a UCC pastor, charges that the market economy with its all-pervasive consumerism has infected the Christian church in America.  The economic environment, says, MacDonald, has rather dramatically transformed the character of proclamation and theology.
 
He opens the book by relating a story that most of us would regard as a story of amazing church leadership success.  In 2002, The Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Arizona, showed all the visible signs of ecclesiastical achievement.  The Church of Joy sprawled on a 187 acre campus and boasted a membership of 12,000.  Here was the epitome of a wildly successful megachurch with an efficient parking lot system, fashionable food court, and bursting attendance numbers at worship.
 
But behind the scenes, all was not well.  The famous senior pastor of the Church of Joy, Walter Kallestad, was having trouble sleeping at night.  The leadership of the Church of Joy seemed to Kallestad to be utterly oblivious to the social problems of the Phoenix area - inner city crime, drug and alcohol addiciton, unwanted pregnancy, broken homes, and more.  Kallestad wondered if the surrounding community would miss his congregation if it happened to disappear.
 
So Kallestad prayerfully and honestly assessed his congregation and concluded:  'They didn't really want to engage with God.  They wanted relief and inspiration.'  Basically his congregants were there to have their needs met, their personal hurts healed, without regard to the needs of others.  So 20 years into his ministry, Kallestad took the courageous step of going before his congregation and with tears he confessed that The Church of Joy had become a 'dispenser of religious goods and services.'  This began a process in which Kallestad cleared his congregation of many of the fashionable accoutrements that it had acquired over the years - professional musicians, square dancing classes, dining clubs that visited local restaurants for dinner parties, and evenings that were given to playing bridge.
 
The response?  One third of his members and almost half of his staff left the church in a huff.  Six years later the congregation had recovered less than a quarter of its previous membership.  However, the congregation had gone a long way to recovering a sense of itself as more than a place of entertainment for spectators and demanding customers.  Kallestad told his people, 'It's time you grow up,' and then gave them the opportunity to do just that.
 
The Alban Institute's James Wind, veteran church observer notes that, 'The Church of Joy is not alone in this struggle with the prevailing ethos of religious and spiritual consumerism.  Some seem to embrace the ethos without reservation.  The $28 million, 120,000 square foot Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York attracts 10,000 people each Sunday to services that proclaim a Prosperity Gospel.  Joel Osteen's 47,000 member Lakewood Church and Creflo Dollar's School of Prosperity in Georgia sound similar notes... [MacDonald] invites us to consider the total impact of the religious shopping that Americans do as they pick congregations on the basis of their ability to satisfy desires, the appearance of giving kiosks in our congregation hallways, the pressure on preachers to offer comfort rather than transformational demands, and the commodification of baptisms, weddings, and funerals.  Are our congregations losing their larger, life transforming (rather than mere enhancing) characters and reasons for being?'"

See you in church!
 
Pastor Myers


This Sunday...
 

"Catching a Glimpse of God's Perspective"

 

The Prophets - Ezekiel 17:22-24

The Epistles - 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

The Gospel - Mark 4:26-34

 

Lay Assistant:  Gene Larson      

Special Music:  Dane Feenstra, Vocal
Ushers:  Buff & Dalton Hottle, Leroy & Joyce Lantz, Brenda Runge       

Greeters:  Erika Solberg & Rob Hale and Pam Youngblood     

Children's Church:  Ann Phelps     

Nursery:  Tammi Hottle        

Coffee Hour:  Crystal Sargent  

 

 

View our  calendar.   

   
Fillman Fellowship
                                            

At 5:00 p.m. today, June 14, Fillman Fellowship will gather at Faith Church parking lot to carpool to the Lutheran Church Strawberry Festival.  Serving time is from 5 to 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are available at the door - $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for children 10 and under.  The menu includes barbeque sandwiches, cake, ice cream, strawberries, and a drink!  A concert by the Monmouth City Municipal Band will start at 7:00 p.m. in the church Sanctuary.


An Invitation to Read the Bible

(06/17/12) Sunday - Proverbs 31:13-Ecclesiastes 3:22, Monday - Ecclesiastes 4:1-8:9, Tuesday - Ecclesiastes 8:10-Song of Songs 1:16, Wednesday - Song of Songs 1:17-7:10, Thursday - Song of Songs 7:11-Isaiah 3:25, Friday - Isaiah 3:26-7:25, Saturday - Isaiah 8:1-11:9, Sunday (06/24/12) - Isaiah 11:10-16:9.     


Annual Strawberry Festival
                                           

Date:  Thursday, June 14, 2012

Time:  5 - 7:00 p.m.

Location:  First Lutheran Church

116 South B Street, Monmouth

Held in the basement Fellowship Hall

BBQ Sandwiches

Strawberries, Ice Cream, Cake and Drink

Suggested donation $6.00 adults; $4.00 children (10 and under)

Monmouth Municipal Band Concert

7:00 p.m.

Held in the church Sanctuary

  

Vacation Bible School
                                           

June 25 to 29th from 9:30 a.m. - noon.  Help is needed in all areas:  teachers, registrars, painters, aids... Please sign up in the Social Hall.  

 

VBS Needs:   

paper towel rolls - lots!

wet suit and mannequin

shaving cream

old CDs or DVDs

paper plates (Chinet)

clothes pins - clip

 

 

85th Birthday Party
                                                  

The Deacons of Faith Church will hold their Annual 85 Years and Older Birthday Party on Sunday, June 24th following the worship service.  All are welcomed and encouraged to stay for the celebration!

   

Jamieson Center
                                                  

Help fill Jamieson Center's food pantry!  You can bring any nonperishable food item and place it under the mirror outside of the office each week.  Thanks for your help. 

   

A Rare Titanic Family - The Caldwells' Story of Survival
Warren County History Museum 
                                                  

Author Dr. Julie Hedgepeth Williams will recount the amazing tale of the rescue of the Albert Caldwell family from the ill-fated Titanic. 
The Caldwells spent time with Albert's father, a minister in Biggsville, IL.  Albert later worked as a principal, teacher, and coach in Aledo, IL.  Dr. Williams, Albert's great niece, will appear in 1912-era dress to provide the fascinating story of this family's real-life adventure.

 

The program is on Thursday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m. at The Warren County History Museum, 238 South Sunnylane, Monmouth, and is open to the public.  A donation of $2.00 is suggested to help support such museum programs.

 

Books will be available for purchase. 
Congratulations

Congratulations to the Murdock family on the birth of their new addition, Easton Cooper Hall, born to Lindsay Murdock and Aaron Hall, on Sunday, June 10.  Please continue to keep Lindsay and her family in your prayers as she remains in critical care at St. Francis in Peoria.  

  

 Thank You

Dear Faith Church,

Thank you to the Deacons for the beautiful rose and nice visit from Ruth Wright.  It really brightened my day.  I am healing nicely from my car accident and hope to be back at church soon.  Also thank you to all of Faith Church for the many cards, and prayers Beth and I have received.  We are blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Sincerely,
Debbie Dingman   

 

Please Keep the Following in Your Prayers

Lindsay Murdock, Peggy Willett, Don Mills, Echo Logsdon, Vern Carr, Carol McCurdy, Don Robeson, Tracey Williams, Joe Cutt, Deb Dingman, Beth Dingman, Kathleen Fannin, Jim &
Janet Paris.