December 2015 Vol. 64 No. 12

Church Office 217.732.7618 I Fax 217.732.5683 I lcchurch@lincolnchristianchurch.org

Join us in reading through

the New Testament in a

year! Pick up your Bible

Reading Plan at the

Welcome Center.

Begins Friday,

January 1, 2016!

in

Ministry Sign-Ups

and Spring Sign-Ups Sunday, January 10 & 17

In the Family Room -

Join a Bible Study!

the best results. It takes a lot to get these men to

finally start working together smoothly, but it does

happen. Eventually, they are sent on their mission,

and with some major hiccups and the mission

nearly being sabotaged, they get their act

together and great things are accomplished.

The funny thing is, that pretty much could

describe God's plan for His church. And, unfortu-

nately, the first half of The Dirty Dozen pretty much

describes the way it often works out for churches.

It certainly describes the way the church was func-

tioning (or malfunctioning) in Corinth. However,

we can learn from their messy church.

Our winter sermon series is going to take us

verse by verse through the book of I Corinthians.

We’re going to look at what messy church is today

and how we can move ourselves toward spiritual

adulthood and functional ministry.

God gave us this material for a reason. He

wants the church to learn and grow from the

experiences of the Corinth church. Starting in Jan-

uary and continuing through Easter, we will dive

deeply into the book of I Corinthians.

Upcoming Sermon Series

Jan 3 Introduction to Paul and Corinth

Jan 10 Something is Broken 1:1-17

Jan 17 We Need God’s Wisdom 1:18-31

Jan 24 What We Need from Preachers 2-3

Jan 31 Keep Christ Center 4

Feb 7 Moral Disorders 5-6

Feb 14 Married or Single…Loving Jesus 7

Feb 21 True Freedom 8-9

Feb 28 A Warning from Israel’s History 10

Mar 6 The Cup We Choose 11

Mar 13 The Divine Design 12 & 14

Mar 20 Love is… 13

Mar 27 Because We’re Resurrected/Easter 15

Ron Otto

Preaching Minister

Messy Church My adult children still laugh and tease me about it,

but when my wife and I were raising them as teen-

agers, I would often need to remind them that

“Adulthood is this direction!” I did so because

sometimes teenagers regress and act childish.

Occasionally, we parents need to remind them,

“Let’s keep growing here. Let’s not go back-

wards.”

The same could be said of the book of I Corin-

thians. The Apostle Paul watched a church

become a messy ministry and writes them a letter

calling them to grow up. “Adulthood is this direc-

tion, people!”

Now, no church is perfect! But wow, the early

church of Corinth was about as dysfunctional as

any church could be. It was marked with numer-

ous difficulties, divisions, immature and carnal peo-

ple, controversies, skepticism, and sin. However,

God still had a big heart for them, and Paul cer-

tainly wanted to see them mature in a way that

would thrill the heart of God. Paul believed as

messy as this ministry may have become, they

could still be the church God dreamed of.

How does a messy ministry move toward

maturity? Keep ringing the bell for purity. Keep

ringing the bell for unity. Keep ringing the bell for

God’s truth. Remind the people not to regress. Af-

ter all, “adulthood is this direction.”

I don’t remember what year it was when I

watched a TV airing of an old WWII movie titled

The Dirty Dozen, but I do remember it was with my

father, and we enjoyed it together. It is a film

about an unusual top-secret, pre-invasion, mission

against the Nazi’s. The idea was to gather a small

band of the Army's worst ex-soldier convicts, those

awaiting court marshal, and turn them into an elite

fighting commando team. Those felons who sur-

vived would have their sentences reduced and

returned to active duty.

The only problem was these soldiers had a hard

time banding together. For the first half of the

movie, they were at each other’s throats. They

squabbled. They backbit. They pushed each other

around and threw a few punches. They distrusted

each other's motives. As a result, they failed to see

Interested in Membership?

Ready for your Next Step? Join our LifeStep 1: Discover Lincoln

Christian Church. Explore your faith

and the beliefs of Lincoln Christian

Church in a relaxed setting with Ron

Otto and Brandon Boyd. You’ll get

to ask any questions you have as

well as meet others who are explor-

ing the same journey. This class meets on Sunday,

January 31 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. It’s free, it’s casual,

and we provide dinner (but not childcare). Sign up

at the Welcome Center.

Spring Sign-Ups On January10 and 17, 2016, you will have a great

opportunity to sign up for your next steps at Lincoln

Christian Church in two important areas:

LifeGroups, Sunday School, and Bible

Studies On these Sundays, you can find out how to join a

smaller group that emphasizes Bible study, friend-

ships, and growth in faith. We will have studies for

couples, for men, and for women. There will be

opportunities for those with questions about their

new faith, and opportunities for those who want to

take their faith to the next level.

Ministry Teams Another important way to grow in your faith is by

serving others. It takes over 400 people each week

to help with all the ministry of Lincoln Christian

Church. On our sign up Sundays, you will be able

to find out more information and sign up for an

area of service where you can make a significant

impact. Watch for more details.

Man on Fire Study Begins January 13 Join Tim Becke as he leads

a men’s study discussing

the key issues, needs, and

Biblical solutions for men.

God is calling each man

to authentic Christian

manhood. This study begins on Wednesday, Janu-

ary 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Women’s Bible Study Begins February 1 & 2 This semester’s study focuses on

Kelly Mitner’s study of 1, 2, and

3 John. Two sessions are availa-

ble beginning Monday, Febru-

ary 1 at 6:30 p.m. or Tuesday,

February 2 at 1:00 p.m. Cost is

$15. Sign up in the Family Room

on January 10 and 17.

New Wednesday Study Join us for a ten-

week study fol-

lowing Jesus dur-

ing the final

week of His life.

Each study will

be led by a dif-

ferent Bible

scholar. These

sessions will help you understand the cultural back-

ground and theological significance, as well as

make a lasting impression on your soul as you pre-

pare to celebrate Easter. Begins Wednesday, Jan-

uary 13, 6:30 p.m. Registration is free.

Discipleship Website For the latest information on the adult discipleship

ministry, check out the website—

lccdiscipleshipministry.wordpress.com.

Local Impact Highlight Christian Child Care, Inc. One of the missions we support is Christian Child

Care, Inc. CCC exists to serve families in the great-

er Logan County area by providing quality Christ-

centered care, programs, and services in a nurtur-

ing, educationally-oriented environment. They

opened in the basement of Lincoln Christian

Church in September of 1989. In 2003, CCC relo-

cated to its current location at 721 Wyatt Ave.,

which was originally the Odd Fellow’s Children’s

Orphanage. The center is a non-for-profit organi-

zation that is supported by private tuition, grant

opportunities, and donations of funds and talents

by our community. They offer a non-discriminative

environment and strive to reach out to all families

who may need child care services. They extend

child care to all families with children ages six-

weeks to thirteen-years. CCC strives to support

children’s social, emotional, and physical develop-

ment. They do this by providing high quality edu-

cational experiences that foster a child’s spiritual

and cognitive development. For more information, call 217.732.5750.

Brandon Boyd

Minister of

Adult Discipleship

CIY Scholarship

8th Graders who go to Believe get $100 off the

price of Move!

Move – Incoming 9th Grade Through

Graduated Seniors Move is July 4 – 9 in Holland, MI. $350 plus 4 meals.

We will have our “Buy a Stake” Fundraiser in April to

help you raise funds for your trip. Be sure to grab a

packet for more information at the Youth Info

Desk (back of Welcome Center). Non-Refundable

deposit of $80 is due Sunday, March 6.

Mission Dominican Meeting

Our next Team Meeting will

be Monday, January 25 at

7:00 p.m. in Rooms 15/16.

Friendly Kroger Reminder If you are interested or already have a Kroger Plus

Card and would like to help fund raise for LCC's

General Youth Fund by easily earning rebates on

shopping you'll already be doing, please see the

1/2 pink sheet &/or Jenni at the Youth Info Desk

(back of Welcome Center) on Sundays or in the

Office during the week! If you enrolled your Kroger

Plus Card with LCC in 2015, we thank you for your

earnings! If you'd like to continue (or start now!)

you'll need to re-enroll every January, and this is

our annual friendly reminder with detailed instruc-

tions at the Youth Info Desk to get ready to earn for

2016! :)

Hey Juniors and Seniors! Check out

LCU’s LEAP Program! Lincoln Christian University’s

Early Achievement Pro-

gram (LEAP) is a great

opportunity for high school

juniors and seniors to get a

practical and affordable

jump on their college edu-

cation. Through the LEAP dual enrollment program,

students have the opportunity to enroll and

receive credit for college courses while still in high

school at a discounted rate. Begin your college

journey now by enrolling in LCU classes either on

campus or online! For more Information - Go to

https://www.lincolnchristian.edu/academics/

programs/ and click on the Dual Enrollment tab.

Family Ice Skating Night! We’re going ice skating Sunday, January 3, 6:30—

8:30 p.m. at the Nelson Center in Springfield, and

you won’t want to miss it! Bring your whole family.

Grab a Spring Calendar! Jr. High and High School Calendars are available

at the Youth Info Desk (back of Welcome Center).

These calendars have important information about

all our spring events.

The Gathering The Gathering (9th-12th Grade

Youth Group) resumes Sunday,

January 10, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Doors

open at 6:00 pm.

FUEL

FUEL (5th-8th Grade Youth Group)

resumes Wednesday, January 13, 6:30-

7:50 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.

Ski Trip – High School Saturday, January 30, we will head up to Cascade

Mountain in Wisconsin to go skiing. It is going to be

a blast! Watch for details in the bulletin and at the

Youth Info Desk (back of Welcome Center). $75

plus 3 meals. Non-Refundable deposit of $25 due

Sunday, January 10.

SuperStart – 5th Graders Only! Hey 5th Graders, SuperStart is March 11-12 in

Bloomington, IL. $65 plus 3 meals. Be sure to grab a

packet for more information at the Youth Info Desk

(back of Welcome Center). Non-Refundable

deposit of $30 due Sunday, January 31.

Believe – 6th-8th Grade Hey 6th-8th Graders, mark your calendars. Believe is

April 16-17 in Anderson, IN. $110 plus 3 meals. Be

sure to grab a packet for more information at the

Youth Info Desk. Non-Refundable deposit of $55

due Sunday, February 28.

Zach Ramsey

Student Ministry

https://www.lincolnchristian.edu/academics/programs/https://www.lincolnchristian.edu/academics/programs/

KIDS WOSHIP—Spelunkers

January 2016

Explorers Kids will be on a spe-

lunking adventure during the

month of January. Through

the life of Paul and David, kids

will DISCOVER how to live from

the Bible. Our Bible Words for

the month are found in Psalm

119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet

and a light for my path.” Parents, if you want

to look at our studies and talk with your kids

about them, here’s what’s coming up!

Paul’s Charge to Timothy—2 Timothy 3:14-

17; 2 Peter 1:20-21. We believe the Bible

because it’s from God.

Paul Preaches at Antioch.—John 20:30-31;

Acts 13;16-23. We know God loves us

because of the Bible.

David Loves God’s Word—Psalm 119:11.

We follow God’s Word every day.

Paul Explains How Christians Grow Strong—

Hebrews 5:11-6:3. We learn how to live from

the Bible.

KIDS CLUB

Kids Club will resume

January 13. Explorers

will be investigating

the book of Luke at

Truth Labs! Kid scien-

tists will DISCOVER that

we can trust Jesus as

we faithfully follow

Him!

M.O.M.s Group will resume on January 13, and there

will be studies for Dads, too! Mark your calendar for

these great opportunities in 2016.

Friday, January 15, 5-9 p.m.

It’s back!!!!! Mini Golf at Lincoln Christian

Church! Join us for this CONNECT event on

January 15. It’s a great way to start the week-

end! Bring the family and some friends. This

event will be held in the Fellowship Center, so it

will be nice and warm no matter what the Jan-

uary temperatures bring! Cost is $3 per game.

Monies will help LCC Preschool. Mark your cal-

endars today and remember to bring your

friends!

Valentine’s Pretzels

It won’t be long until

Valentine’s Day! This

year LCC Preschool will

once again have deli-

cious chocolate cov-

ered pretzels available

for you to purchase for

your sweetheart! They

will be available Febru-

ary 7 and 14.

Mark your calendars. February 29, March 7, 14,

and 21, 3:30–5:00 p.m., we will offer “Becoming

a Christian Class” for children 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

grades. Watch for sign ups during February.

Marcia Wells

Children’s Minister

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjTtNO8s8vJAhWvhoMKHSyYCrQQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fballbarians.com%2Fminigolftourney.html&psig=AFQjCNEpyDClPJi89C-kmDQCMPKrg3WPjQ&ust=1449634480299182

Good News and HeartSong meet

again January 10!

Open enrollment thru January Good News, for 7th – 12th grade students and

HeartSong for 5th – 8th grade students will be tak-

ing a break for the holidays and resume rehearsing

on Sunday, January 10. There is open enrollment

until the end of January (Sundays - January 10, 17,

24, 31) to make a commitment to the tours. If you

would like more information on either group,

please contact Laurin Hill at 217.732.7618 or

laurin.hill@lincolnchristianchurch.org.

Good News meets each Sunday from 5:00 –

6:00 p.m. and HeartSong meets from 6:00 – 7:00

p.m. each Sunday. Now is the time to invite your

friends to join us for our upcoming tours.

HeartSong will go on mini-tour April 23-24, 2016

with our home concert Sunday afternoon, April 24

at 4:00 p.m.

Good News will be on tour from June 7-14, 2016,

heading southeast to Orlando, Florida through Mis-

sissippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee,

Kentucky, and Illinois. Our Good News home con-

cert is Monday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Kid’s Choirs resume January 10! The Kid’s Choirs (3 years old through 4th graders)

rehearse from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. each Sunday in

preparation for our spring musical coming up Mon-

day night, April 18. We’ll be working hard and

having a ton of fun in the coming months. See

you Sunday nights!

Sanctuary Choir resumes January 6! The Sanctuary Choir resumes rehearsing Wednes-

day, January 6, from 6:30-7:45 p.m. Come and lift

your voice!

We will begin working on our Easter music in

February since Easter is early this year. The Service

of Shadows is Thursday, March 24 with Easter fol-

lowing on Sunday, March 27, 2016.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everyone who contributed to Cele-

brate! Christmas 2015 “Let Heaven and Nature

Swing!” Wow! What fun! As I reflect on my sixth

Celebrate! Christmas, with almost 200 participants,

what a great experience and a blessing to work

with each of you. I pray you are as blessed by par-

ticipating as I was! Thanks to all of the choirs, the

jazz band, the handbells, and technical crew for

your hard work and hours of rehearsal and prepa-

ration. Thanks to those who helped to set up and

decorate the building. Thank you all for your gift of

service! I pray all who celebrated Christmas with

us will continue to let the light of Christ shine in their

hearts! “Joy to the World! The Lord has come!”

May you all have a blessed Christmas!

UNdecking the Halls! Everyone’s help is needed to take down our beau-

tiful Christmas decorations throughout the building

to be stored properly for their next use. If you love

seeing the halls decked out for Christmas, won’t

you consider coming to help us take it all down

and put it away? We will be UNdecorating Mon-

day, January 4, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Many hands

make light work! Your help is needed.

Happy New Year 2016!

You!

Laurin Hill

Worship Minister

mailto:laurin.hill@lincolnchristianchurch.org

Global Impact Highlight

Rondal and Janice Smith

Pioneer Bible Translators

Rondal continues to travel a great deal of the

time, especially in Kherson, Ukraine, which is now

the Eastern European location of PBT. In Novem-

ber, he and a team, made up of another Ameri-

can, a French woman, and two men residing in

Kherson, met to make plans to get Bibles trans-

lated and into the hands of 900 unreached peo-

ple groups in Eastern Europe.

The team worked with Kremenchug Regional

Bible College’s faculty and students and area min-

isters to develop plans to reach every unreached

ethnic group in this area with a Bible in their moth-

er tongue. One focus was to sponsor a Kairos Sem-

inar with area churches to teach the biblical view

of fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. Another

aspect was to distribute copies of Extreme Prayer

by Greg Pruett (worth your buying on Amazon for

about $10) to encourage Christians to pray fer-

vently for this work.

The plans are extensive with a focus on devel-

oping relations and cooperation with other theo-

logical schools in the Ukraine and mobilizing

churches and students to pray and become

involved in various ways. PBT is partnering with

Johnson University (formerly Johnson Bible College)

in developing online courses in Russian.

New recruits were interviewed to work with PBT

in the Ukraine Branch. Rondal instructed the

Ukraine leaders on what is involved in developing

and carrying out a language project. He reviewed

the application process and what training require-

ments are for various roles in a translation team.

Another exciting event in this trip involved reading

I John aloud in the newly translated Bible in the

Roma language and in the Cyrillic Script to Chris-

tians of that language. They will hear it and evalu-

ate its effectiveness to connect with the Roma

people.

Due to health conditions, Janice remained in

Dallas. She and several others made up a team of

prayer warriors for the goals of this trip. God hears

the prayers of His people. Pray along with them.

Hopefully, Rondal and Janice will be in Lincoln in

early January as they often are for Rondal to

teach a linguistics course at LCU. We are working

to arrange to have him here to tell us personally of

the results of this trip.

News for the Family New Members by Baptism: Nora Morris—11/22/15

Alex Schmidt—11/29/15

Frank Trimby—12/10/15

Welcome to the Family!

Congratulations! Congratulations to Chris & Amanda Rempe on the birth of

their baby boy, Devon Christopher on November 23.

Sympathy and Prayers Our sympathy and prayers are with Bob Wilson and family

at the passing of Bob’s wife, Patsi Wilson; with Doris Bree

and family at the passing of her husband, Herbert Bree;

with Laura Hendrickson and family at the passing of her

grandmother, June Pierce; and with Marsha Darlington

and family at the passing of Melvin Darlington.

Weekly Statistics Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015

Worship—802 Worship—803

Sunday School—321 Sunday School—323

Offering—$19,826.13 Offering—$21,726.93

Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 Sunday Dec. 13, 2015

Worship—854 Worship—853

Sunday School—327 Sunday School—349

Offering—$27,900.77 Offering—$24,161.81

Free 8x10 Directory Pictures The free 8x10 directory pictures are in and ready to be

picked up at either the Church Office (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-12

p.m. & 1 p.m.-5 p.m.) or at the Welcome Center on Sun-

days. If you ordered other photographs, you should have

received your free 8x10 with them. Our new 2016 Family

Albums should be delivered sometime in January.

Sanctuary Flower Dedications for 2016 The schedule for 2016 is being made. If you would like to

dedicate a flower arrangement in memory or in honor of

someone, or in celebration of a special occasion on a

particular Sunday in 2016, please contact the Church

Office at 217.732.7618 or at

lcchurch@lincolnchristianchurch.org by Wed., Dec. 30.

The cost is $20.

End of the Year Contributions According to the IRS rules, all contributions for 2015 must

be to the Church Office by Thurs., Dec. 31, 12:00 p.m. or

post-marked on or before Dec. 31, 2015. If you have any

questions, please contact the Church Office at

217.732.7618.

Elder Affirmation Vote A brief congregational meeting will be held on Sun., Dec.

27 at the end of each worship service for the members of

Lincoln Christian Church to affirm the following men as

elders: Kenny Golden (2-year term) and Paul Bone, Gary

Hall, Brad Neal, and Aaron Roemer (3-year terms).

2016 Offering Envelopes The boxes of envelopes will be available at a table next to

the Welcome Center. If you don’t have a box but would

like one, please leave your name, address, and phone

number on the clipboard at the table, and one will be

provided for you.

The Call is published monthly by Lincoln Christian Church,

204 N. McLean St Lincoln, IL 62656-2847. U.S.P.S. 559620

periodical postage paid at Lincoln, IL 62656-9998 Postmas-

ter: Send change of address to Lincoln Christian Church

204 N. McLean St, Lincoln, IL 62656-2847