The Christian Builder May 2, 2013

A weekly publication of First Christian Church Midland Volume 57 No.18

Church Calendar

Friday, May 3 5-9pm SHARE

Sunday, May 5 Youth & Children Open House 9am Contemporary Worship 10am Sunday School 11am Traditional Worship 12pm Picnic on the Grounds 5-7pm CELEBRATE 5-7pm SOLID Tuesday, May 7 7pm PDAP 7:30pm Boy Scouts Wednesday, May 8 7am Men’s Prayer Breakfast 5:30pm Breaking Bread 7pm Choir Rehearsal Sunday, May 12 Mothers Day 9am Contemporary Worship 10am Sunday School 11am Traditional Worship 5-8pm SOLID - God in the Movies

www.fccmidland.org ● 1301 W. Louisiana, Midland, Texas, 79701 ● (432) 682-2541

This coming Sunday we will have our first “picnic on the grounds” as we also celebrate the opening of the newly renovated children’s and youth spaces. The picnic will be held immediately following the 11 am worship

service on the front lawn. Fried chicken, beans & potato salad will be furnished so bring your favorite picnic dish (one that does not need to

be kept warm). Dress casual for the day and stroll through the children’s and youth spaces as you enjoy the company of your church family. In case of bad weather, we will have the event in the FLC and

still enjoy the open house.

Children & Youth Space Open House Picnic on the Grounds, Sunday, May 5th

Elder Meeting News

Our elders gathered for prayer and reflection Sunday evening to discuss the following issues:

*Rejoiced at the news that Tom Jones has been accepted as a candidate for ordination with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

*Received the news of Cory’s call to pastorate in Tennessee.

*Affirmed a trial worship space schedule through the summer.

*Reviewed several resolutions going before the General Assembly this summer.

*Heard report of upcoming vote in the Central Area regarding shared leadership for Area Minister.

Thoughts… Rev. Mike Hunter Senior Minister

It’s not how you start…it’s how you finish. Would you like the world to be a better place for you having been here? - Bob Buford, Finishing Well

Don’t let your good enough be good enough. - Bill Parcells to Tony Romo

By now, through prayer chain communication or email or church grapevine, most of you have heard the news of Cory’s call to ministry in Tennessee and

his departure from our staff. Details are still emerging as we plan the appropriate celebration and closure and yes, turn the page and assemble a search committee and make plans to move forward. Such is the life cycle of church.

The departure of the Glover family is bittersweet for me personally. My relationship goes beyond the professional, to one of nurture and introduction to the Christian Church. This affects me deeply, and feels much like the release of our children when they grow up and leave home.

It is the very thing we are called to do…but that doesn’t make it feel any better.

From the first time I met him, I knew Cory would be with us for only a little while. And in knowing that, I’ve been willing to experience that departure for the second time.

Perhaps I am a slow learner.

But the risk has paid great reward. We did not leave each other as we found. We both grew and our ministry grew. Our perspectives, theologically and demographically are somewhat different…and that is a very good thing.

For the church today is made up of all ages and perspectives. One size doesn’t do it, church wise, anymore. We should learn from that, and thanks to Cory, I have. And while he goes out again to change a little corner of the world in Tennessee, I know some of me goes with him. I find comfort in that, at least a little.

So in this pivotal column when many are watching, I find myself quoting Bill Parcells, words that are attributed to be Parcells’ final remarks to Tony Romo when the coach left the Cowboys.

Don’t let your good enough be good enough.

Yes, Tony, you are good. Don’t rest there. Keep growing.

Yes, Cory, you are good and gifted. Don’t rest there. Keep growing. Trust me…it’s different when you’re on the other side of the senior minister desk.

And the same is true for the church. Don’t let our good enough be good enough. We don’t want the next person to emulate Cory or anyone else who came before. We don’t want to keep repeating what we’ve done before so that we can’t see what comes next.

The start of each new chapter is important, but how you finish, how you lead others to grow in their gifts and to know Christ on their terms…is everything.

My heart and head are in two different places today…and that’s as good as it will get for a while.

We will look with excitement to all you and Marlene and Jade will mean to Paris, Tennessee. I know you will do well, because you have done well to my soul.

This Week’s Sermon

You Have To Want To John 5:1-15

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April 28, 2013

Contemporary Worship 54 Children’s Church 6 Nursery 2 Total 62

Traditional Worship 91 Children’s Church 3 Nursery 2 Total 96 Combined Total 158 Sunday School Nursery 2 Children 3 Youth 18 Adult 64 Total 87

Visitors Corner April 28, 2013

Attendance

Thanks for Thanks for Thanks for Thanks for

worshipping worshipping worshipping worshipping

with us!with us!with us!with us!

Mycah Glover

Robert & Hayley Helms

Ashton Neuman

Jordan Onzures

Brianna Parrino

Curtis Pechacek

Robert Staib

Musings… Rev. Cory Glover Associate Minister

Upcoming Youth EventsUpcoming Youth EventsUpcoming Youth EventsUpcoming Youth Events

• May 5 - SOLID 5-7pm • May 12 - God in the Movies 5-8pm • May 19 - Senior Sunday • May 19 - SOLID - Year End Blow-Out 5-7pm

As an Associate Minister, you only preach every 4-8 weeks or so and have plenty of time to work on crafting a sermon.

The sermon I preached last Sunday was the result of about a month's worth of preparation and thought.

Little did I know that the line in my sermon - “It is difficult to be the church” - would become so much more powerful this week.

On Sunday night, I announced my resignation to our youth. Through tears, we celebrated our new youth space, the time we've had together, and my expectations for them moving forward. Mike also shared my resignation with the Elders at the same time.

I have been called to serve as Senior Minister at First Christian Church in Paris, Tennessee. We will be transitioning sometime in early June.

These kinds of things are never in our plans. But, as we all know, life doesn’t always unfold according to our plans.

Although we are excited about this new chapter in our lives, we are deeply saddened to leave FCC Midland. We are truly grateful for our time in Midland and have formed many meaningful relationships. I am thankful for the hospitality you’ve shown me and my family, especially the way you’ve surrounded Jade with your love. I am particularly grateful to Mike Hunter for his 7+ years of mentoring and friendship. I would never be afforded this opportunity without his leadership and care.

My prayer is that we can continue the momentum we’ve gained for the next short while until God leads your next minister here. I hope you will begin to pray for that person even now.

I am confident that God has great things in store...for all of us.

"I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:4-6

Anniversaries

5/12 - Mark & Pam Branum

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Ponderings… Rev. Paula Brooks Associate Minister

A feral cat had her kittens under my deck a little over 3 weeks ago. Late Saturday evening I kept hearing one meowing. I grabbed the flashlight and headed outside. It took me a while to locate the sound of this baby’s cries.

I finally located it in the far southeast part of my yard. I thought that perhaps she was moving them and would return for this one. I continued to hear its cries. I finally made it a warm bed in hopes that the mother would return to get it. She never did. I picked the little one up to discover that it wasn’t well. Its eyes were matted shut and I knew that it probably had a respiratory issue. The mother knowing it was sick removed it from the rest of the litter in order to protect the other babies. It was a natural instinct for her but not for me. My heart ached. So I bundled this little one up and made it a nice place on the deck. Knowing it must be hungry, I began to feed it kitten milk through a bottle. It couldn’t quite catch on to the process. So all during the night I continued to drop milk, drop by drop into its mouth. I needed to keep it as comfortable as possible till I could get it to the Vet on Monday morning.

When Monday morning finally dawned the kitten had become weaker. We made it to the Vet to discover that not only did it have pneumonia but a small cleft palate which kept it from being able to take milk from its mother and a bottle as well. This precious, innocent little one lost its battle.

During this process I kept thinking about one of Mike’s recent sermons – the one about feeding the sheep. I started thinking about all the people in this world that have been abandoned, pushed away, lost and just wandering around with no purpose, no hope and feeling like no one cares. There are children and youth in our own community who feel hopeless and feel like they have no one to turn to. Questions and more questions began to flood my mind and my heart and spirit became heavy.

My prayer is that God will open doors for FCC to find ways to help the ‘sheep’ in our community to know that there is a place that they can come to, that there is a God who loves them no matter what. I want to invite you to pray with me. I want to encourage you to help us find ways to gentle. Bring these lost lambs into the fold. With God, nothing is impossible. In loving partnership,

Birthdays

5/2 Cierra Stanford Char Womack Jed Heard 5/3 Matthew Glover 5/5 John Ross Espino 5/6 Daina Harguess 5/7 Gwyn Hill 5/8 Mark Branum 5/9 Barbara Estes Zach Kilborn

Sunday Evening Meal

Catered by Freebirds.

Dinner is served at 6pm for a cost of $3.00

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Lectionary Scriptures

May 5, 2013

Acts 16:9-15 Psalm 67

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 John 14:23-29, 5:1-9

Elder - On - Call

4/27 - 5/4 Sandy Faulkner

Online Giving

You can now give to FCC through our website!

You can make a one-time donation, pay the fees for a

children's or youth event, or set up recurring donations.

Online giving is convenient and safe, easy to track, and easy to

schedule on a regular basis.

Church Bulletin Board

Birth Announcement!Birth Announcement!Birth Announcement!Birth Announcement!

On April 19, 2013 Michael & Natialie Morgan welcomed their precious son,

Conner Patrick Morgan, into their family. Conner weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 oz. & was 22” long.

Proud grandparents are Charlie & LuAnn Morgan.

Wedding Announcement!Wedding Announcement!Wedding Announcement!Wedding Announcement!

On Saturday, April 27, 2013 Travis Floyd & Andi Posey were united in marriage in a beautiful ceremony conducted by Rev. Mike Hunter. The newly weds will reside in Fort Worth. Travis is the son the Jerry & Jana Floyd and the brother of Sarah Floyd Esquivel.

Our Deepest SympathyOur Deepest SympathyOur Deepest SympathyOur Deepest Sympathy

We extend our heartfelt sympathy and prayer to the following family who has

recently lost a loved one:

The Family of Sylvia Friday Bell…….Sylvia passed away on April 25, 2013 in El Paso, TX. Memorial services were held on Monday, April 29, 2013 in El Paso. There will be

a visitation here in Midland at Ellis Funeral Home on Friday, May 3, 2013, from

5:00-7:00 pm, Graveside services will be Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 10:00 am at Fairview

Cemetary in Midland. Sylvia is the sister of Tom Friday. Please keep the Friday

Family in your prayers.

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Church Bulletin Board Adult Sunday School Studies

Mixed Blessings/Pairs & Spares Topic: Sunday’s Scripture

II Chronicles 7:14 Topic: Jesus, the Good Shepherd Scripture: John 10 Leader: Class Members

Genesis Topic: Cannonization of the Bible Leader: Clint Hurst

Fellowship Topic: Women of the Bible - Deborah Scripture: Judges 4-5 Leader: Jim Mauldin

Mike Hunter’s Class Topic: Whole Lotta Healing Going On! Scripture: Acts 3-4 Leader: Mike Hunter

Children’s Activities for Sunday, May 5, 2013

Sunday School Lesson: Putting God First: My Life - Turn to God for Courage Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9

Children’s Church Topic: Jesus As Our High Priest

CELEBRATE - 5-7pm (Grades 1-5) Craft Night– Come join us for a great time! A light supper is served at 6pm for $3.00.

Sunday evening meal is pizza,

salad, dessert and drink.

Genesis & Friends Gathering

The Genesis Sunday School Class cordially invites you to join us for an evening of fun and

fellowship. We will be gathering at Logan’s on Monday, May 13 at 6:30 for dinner.

Hope to see you there!

CIA Project Report Now that the CIA project is complete, we would like to express our thanks for everyone who helped make it a great success. Whether you helped with physical labor or provided food and water, thank you for the vital role you played in completing the house. We replaced 17 windows, installed

siding and new fascia, installed 2 storm doors, and repaired the garage. We painted a little of the interior and painted the entire exterior of the house “Midland Sand”, and the trim “Trimble White”. We also installed a hand rail off the front porch. Sixty individuals put in 660 hours over eleven days. We will have pictures for all to see the different stages of completion. Mrs. Linda Kirkpatrick is so appreciative of all who helped change the appearance of her home. The wind and cold will no longer come through the walls and the home will be much cooler in the summer. She told me the most exciting thing was to have windows that she could open and shut. Mrs. Kirkpatrick lost her husband to cancer. She is disabled and must have constant oxygen to get around. She and her husband had many plans to get their house put back to order, but never could find the funds or time to do so. I gave her a leather bound 360 day “devotional” that Christmas in Action provides to all recipients and she was very appreciative of that as well. Christmas in Action is a wonderful ministry that was started here in Midland. I hope that everyone will try to participate with the church in next year’s house.

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Website Don’t forget to check out our

website (www.fccmidland.org) for news, publications, and

previous sermons!

Prayer Room Social Media

Become a friend of ours on Facebook and “Like” us.

www.facebook.com/fccmidland

Follow us on Twitter (@fccmidland)

E-mail Provider

Please be sure that your e-mail provider accepts e-mails from

fccmidland.org. We have had several e-mails sent

back to us, and solving the problem would help us get

accurate and up-to-date information to you.

Special Note: Prayer list names are renewed every three weeks as we seek to keep the list as current as possible and

allow space for new requests. Our joys, concerns

and deepest needs are already on God’s heart long before

we put them to paper.

…for your Father knows what

you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:8

Chapel Lock Box Code #1301

Check out FCC’s Children’s page on Facebook and “Like” us

www.facebook.com/fcccm

Those is the hospital: Hazel Somerville –Manor Park Those in need of prayer: Kayla Stone Pat Kirk Pat Pickle Mike Nance Dee Head Bruce Stanley Bill & Char Womack Judy Spruell Curtis Pechacek Those in extended/long term care: Blanche Alcorn H.G. Bedford Nancy Gill Jerry Johnson Jackie Hanna Charlotte Millican Keith Somerville Mary Jane Strobel Dorothy Wadley Military: Trevor Forbes - son of Stephen & Betty Forbes Joe Henderson - son of Holly Moore Nicky Miller - son of Vicki Miller Damon Darnell - grandson of Floyd & Doris Miller Bennett Dobbs - extended family of the Espino’s Eric Schuff - extended family of the Espino’s Families/Friends beyond FCC: Annetta Arnett – mother of Garry Arnett David & Sherry Harrington – Friend of Jake Spruell Brooks Black – Friend of Jake Spruell Teresa Ledford – sister of Martha Fentem Abbye Irons – friend of Steve Vaughan Ian Carr – grandson of Dorothy Carr Blake Woods – friend of John Ross Walker Hughes – grandson of Steve & Lucille Vaughan The Hickey Family – Sara Cranford Debby Leach Wallace – friend of Betty Conly Pete Herndon – nephew of Vicki Miller The De Lucas Family – Sara Cranford Charles Lout – friend of George & Dee Head Brenda Bradshaw – friend of Lucille Vaughan Corinne Sandifer – granddaughter of Huey & Kristina Sandifer Kerry Arnett – brother of Garry Arnett Phyllis Knauff – aunt of Kristina Sandifer Jo Smith – daughter-in-law of Donna Lathrop Tom Hewitt - brother of Anne Schwiening Sherry Harrington - friend of Jake Spruell Kim Walters - foster daughter of Diane Bailey Fisher Teena Atchley - friend of Kay Hill Families/Friends beyond FCC in long term care: Lori Hays - cousin of Mary Anne Benton Sonya Hopkins - friend of Kelley McCullough

For submission to prayer list contact the staff Or submit via web, or e-mail

prayerchain@fccmidland.org

The Christian BuilderThe Christian BuilderThe Christian BuilderThe Christian Builder First Christian Church 1301 W. Louisiana Ave Midland, TX 79701

432-682-2541

online at: www.fccmidland.org May 2, 2013

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Org US Postage

Paid Midland, TX 79711

Permit No. 145

Come Celebrate Our Seniors! Senior Sunday – May 19th

Make plans to join us on Sunday,

May 19th, for Senior Sunday. We will be honoring our

graduating seniors during a combined worship service at

11:00 AM and a luncheon in the Family Life Center immediately

following the service. The luncheon is catered, and a love offering will be taken to help

offset the cost of the meal.