Newsletter

Newsletter

First Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ )                                                 February 2010
P O Box 872
Burnet TX 78611                                                     Rev. Dawn Rosignol, Senior Minister
512 756 2223                                                    Ernest Spiekermann, Associate Minister
                               Website:                                    fccburnettx.org
                               Pastor's Cell Phone:                    830/613-9393

THOU ART THE POTTER; WE ARE THE CLAY.

Dawn reflections….
1/27/10
I read a quote the other day that has kept my attention: “The church exists to offer the community around it a foretaste of the full reign of God.” by Lesslie Newbigin, who was a Scottish missionary to India. An interesting assertion, for sure. I found myself wondering how well the Church (in general) offers a foretaste of God’s full reign. And the flipside, of course, is to consider how the Church fails in its offerings. Have you ever wondered what is God’s assessment of the Church (in general) and First Christian Church of Burnet (in particular)? How would we fair in God’s evaluation of the ministry that we do in offering “a foretaste of the full reign of God”?

Last Saturday at our Elder/Deacon Retreat, we were given the opportunity of beginning a formal evaluation of the ministry we share. This also meant the beginning of discerning what God is calling us to be and do in the future. The initial stages of a long-term visioning process that will need your input. I believe that this quote from Newbigin is a way of assessing what we do and what we should be doing. In some instances, what we do IS what we should be doing. In other instances, what we do may need some re-thinking.

We are listening to God’s Spirit, listening for where God is calling us. I ask that you join us in praying for this process. Please prayerfully think about ministry opportunities that we need to begin, areas of ministry that may need changing, and areas of ministry that are faithful as they are. If the purpose of the Church is “to offer the community around it a foretaste of the full reign of God”, what would that look like at First Christian Church of Burnet?

You’ll see papers on the wall in the Gathering Area that reflect brainstorming possibilities from Saturday’s retreat: “In-Reach” involves taking care of our members (such as fellowship opportunities), “Out-Reach” involves reaching beyond ourselves (such as hands-on mission and youth/children programs), and “Up-Reach” involves connecting us to God (such as Sunday School and Worship). Take a look and see what’s there and what you think is missing. Then, let’s talk. I want to know your ideas.

Grateful to be on this exciting journey with you, Dawn

DISCIPLES WOMEN’S NEWS

     The Regional Vision Gathering for Disciples Women will be February 26-27 in Richardson with Adonna Bowman leading the event. If anyone is interested in going, please contact Dawn or me.
     On March 6, 2010 at 10:00 am, FCC Burnet will host Adonna Bowman at our church for a shortened presentation to both the Hill Country and Town and Country Clusters.
     Plan to be a part of these events and get excited about Women’s Ministries!

Marilyn Petrick

DISCIPLES MEN NEWS
     Get ready ladies, the Disciples Men will host a Valentine breakfast in your honor on the 13th of February at 9:00 am in the fellowship hall. There will be a sheet in the fellowship hall for you to sign if you will be attending. We would like to have all the ladies of the Church to attend so we can show our appreciation for what you are and do for the Church, and also to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day.
     The Area men will be attending a retreat in Gonzales the 19th and 20th of February. The registration forms are in the gathering area on the table by the bulletins. I hope all the men seriously consider going on this retreat. It is a short one and if you have never been it would be a good one to start on. The experience will leave you wanting to go to the next one and the Regional retreat later this year.
     Our Saturday fellowship breakfasts are going great. We had 20 in attendance in January and look forward to cooking for the ladies in February.
     First Christian Church of Burnet is blessed to have an active Men’s group and I am proud to be a part of their ministry.
              Ron Rosignol

A WORD FROM THE MODERATOR…

With the first board meeting of 2010 on January 13 and a planning session the Sunday after “under our belt”, this year is well underway! The church calendar is full of opportunities and exciting plans. Be sure to stop by the office and take a look!

We still have a vacancy for our Special Events chair. If you feel that you have a calling to help in that area, please get in touch with me--Easter is coming soon and there are plans to be made!

Lisa Nance

FROM THE ELDERS
The Elders attended a workshop led by our Regional Minster Rev. Dani Cartwright on Saturday, January 23rd. The time was well spent as we discussed many of our ministries of the church, studying demographics of the area, basic characteristics of different age groups and looking at our church in the future. We had an exercise thinking outside the box as to what was important for us with activities “IN” Church, “OUT” Church and “CLOSER” to God. Great discussions were held concerning the future and life of God’s church here in Burnet.

The Elders have sent out the 2010 Care list. If you have not received one, get in touch with the church office to get a copy. We hope that you will contact your Care Group Elder if you have any need. Ron Petrick

LOOKING AHEAD...
February 7                                  Isaiah 6:1-8
Preaching                                  Pastor Dawn
Worship Leader                        Ron Rosignol
Children’s Moment                        Laura Orr
Nursery                                       Ann Knight

February 14                             Luke 9:28-36
Preaching                         Ernie Spiekermann
Worship Leader                          Ron Petrick
Children’s Moment                 Marilyn Petrick
Nursery                                     Brenda Huff

February 21                               Luke 4:1-13
Preaching                                  Pastor Dawn
Worship Leader                     Jerry Hostetter
Children’s Moment                      Lisa Nance
Nursery                                Brenda Williams

February 28                     Philippians 3:17-4:1
Preaching                                  Pastor Dawn
Worship Leader                            Laura Orr
Children’s Moment               Brenda Williams
Nursery                                   Sharon Tippie

AND BACK...
Attendance December 27            43
January 3                  72
January 10                63
January 17               64
January 24               68

Treasurer's Report Balance, November 30 2009               $27,629.35
Deposits during December                     9,522.71
Disbursements during December          10,674.05
Balance, December 31, 2009              $26,478.01

BBA AREA BOARD MEETING
HIGHLIGHTS
Marilyn Petrick and Laura Orr represented FCC Burnet at the meeting in Beeville on January 16, 2010. Highlights of the meeting include:

The Area ended 2009 with money in the bank which makes us comfortable about the call to Allen C. Allen as the Interim Area Minister.
The 2010 Area Assembly will be April 30-May 1 at Central CC in San Antonio. The theme will be “Newness.” Regional Minister Dani Cartwright and Interim Area Minister Allen C. Allen will be at the Assembly.
The Area Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for Moderator, Third Vice-Moderator and Secretary as well as representatives to the Disciple Oaks Retreat Center board. These positions can be filled by laity as well as clergy.
The Area is fulfilling its pledge of support for Hope United, the new UCC-DOC church start in Georgetown.
Marilyn Petrick reported that Melanie Holtz is the Coordinator Elect for the Area. Adonna Bowman, Executive Director of Disciples Women’s Ministries in Indianapolis, will be the speaker at a Regional visioning meeting on February 26-27 in Richardson, Texas. She will meet later in the month with each cluster in the Bluebonnet Area.
Dale Fowler reported that the Disciple Oaks Retreat Center is celebrating 2009 as a good year because of increased usage by outside groups.
Sandra Imery has been called as the new director of Inman Christian Center in San Antonio. Dan Saucedo is devoting his attention to the opening of the drug treatment facility. The annual banquet will be April 11 at Central CC in San Antonio.
The Regional Assembly will be October 22-24, 2010 at Midland and Odessa.

OUTREACH
OPPORTUNITIES/REPORTS

The October noisy offering for LaCare was $122.34.

Community Kitchen
Mondays
December 28       101
January 4       96
January 11       107
January 18       125
January 25       140

Haiti Earthquake Relief
Hygiene & Baby Care Kits

Thank you for the prompt and generous response to the news that Church World Service was totally out of the hygiene and baby care kits that they give to people who are victims of a disaster. 52 Hygiene kits and 7 Baby Care kits are on the way from our church to help hurting people. What a difference that makes to people in a disaster! People who may have just lost everything they had will have some things that they need, thanks to you making a difference in their lives.

Church World Service running out of these kits tells me that they could use more kits on a regular basis. Please consider collecting the items as it fits your time and budget and we’ll meet the first Wednesday of each quarter at 5:00 pm to assemble and ship new kits.

Wow! Thank you for your generous response also to the relief efforts of Disciples outreach through Week of Compassion.

Your offering of $2,640.00 will help Week of Compassion to continue responding to the horrific devastation caused by the earthquake. Here is a recent entry in the Week of Compassion log:
“It is during times such as these that we learn what it truly means to live in faith, hope, and love. Week of Compassion’s partner agencies on the ground in Haiti and across the border in the Dominican Republic are responding to the crisis. Your generous gifts are making a significant difference in the relief efforts. There are challenges, but there have also been fantastic accomplishments in the immediate aid efforts in Haiti.”

Sunday, February 7
The Souper Bowl of Caring uses the excitement of the Super Bowl weekend to mobilize youth to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities. The children of our church will help announce this offering during worship, and since it’s the first Sunday of the month it will include the noisy offering. Proceeds will go to LACare. The Souper Bowl of Caring provides youth the opportunity for service and leadership within their community.

Bring non-perishable food items and extra noisy offering amounts to show our support for Souper Bowl of Caring. Last year Souper Bowl activities worldwide resulted in $10.3 million in food and monetary donations to local charities.
Marcie Guthrie, Outreach Chair

The Ash Wednesday Service on February 17 at 7:00 pm will mark the beginning of our

Lenten journey. Bible Study opportunities will be offered on Thursdays at 2:00 pm & Sundays at 5:00 pm beginning February 18 and concluding on Palm Sunday, March 28. Look for a sign-up sheet and more information at the church.

Beginning on Thursday, February 18, First Christian Church (FCC) will offer a new evening program for the children and youth of our congregation and our community. This new program, named Friends Claiming Christ (FCC), will meet once a month from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Beginning in March, we will meet the 4th Thursday of every month. Friends Claiming Christ will give young people time to play, relax and learn about God through hands-on activities and lively discussion. This will be open to all children and youth in our community who are currently in grades 1 - 12.

We are setting sail on an exciting new adventure for our church and, once again, I am asking for your prayers, support and help in making this a smooth and successful voyage. This will be a wonderful opportunity to bring young people closer to God as they fellowship and learn together in a fun, new environment. Each month, helpers, food and supplies will be needed. Please prayerfully consider if this is a calling for you. Thank you in advance for your on-going support of the education of the children and youth of our congregation and our community. More information coming soon.
Michele Darling, Education

Scrapbooking is simply preserving your family’s unique stories through photo albums. This group is for everyone, whether you are a longtime “scrapper” or want to learn how to scrapbook. It will be a time to meet, share ideas, inspirations and new techniques.

Items that will be available for your use include: paper trimmer, craft scissors, stencils/templates, color wheel, and paper. Items that you will need to bring: photos, acid free markers, scissors and album or pages to scrap on. Or bring whatever craft you are working on.

Come join us for some fun and fellowship. We will begin on Friday, February 19th, at 5:30 pm in the fellowship hall. Follow-up meetings will be March 12th, April 16th, and May 21st.

Please contact me at (512) 756-8296 if you have any questions.
Brenda Williams

Baby Shower for Darla

It’s a Boy!

All women of the

church are invited.

Sunday, Feb. 21 @3:00

in the Fellowship Hallk

There will be a “gift idea tree” in the gathering area .
Please pick up a bootie for a gift suggestion.

Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours.

First Christian Church
P O Box 872
Burnet TX 78611

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Last updated by Hank Holt February 5, 2010