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The Christian Courier The Christian Courier The Christian
Courier The C Vol. 65, No. 4 Bellingham First Christian Church
April 2015
Come Celebrate Easter!Monday, March 30 thru
Wednesday, April 19 a.m. Breakfast and Taize Worship
Maundy Thursday, April 27 p.m. Worship
Good Friday, April 37 a.m. - 7 p.m. Prayer Vigil
7 p.m. WorshipEaster Sunday, April 5
8:30 a.m. Worship at Zuanich Park9:30 a.m. Breakfast
(Church)10:30 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt
11 a.m. Easter WorshipPhoto: Stained glass window, St. Sebastian
Catholic Church, Fort Lauderdale. FL
Take the Pastors Easter ChallengeJoin us in an Easter Challenge,
as we take a close look at our own lives and reaffirm our decisions
to follow Jesus. As we read the words of Jesus, we find ourselves
asking how we might best serve Gods people and Gods creation and
what it might take to do so.
Consider these commands: Matthew 5:13 - 7:28
Be the salt and light of the world Keep the commandments and
teach others to
do the same Be reconciled to those with whom we are angry No
lust in your heart No divorce (except for specific reasons) No
false promises No revenge, just compassion, generosity Love and
pray for your enemies Beware of piety - give your tithes and
donations
privately Pray privately (well, be reasonable) and pray as
Jesus taught us Fast in private - if youre doing it to be closer
to
God, dont be so dreary! Dont store up junk - just treasures you
can
keep in your heart Keep a sound eye - or a good attitude/
perspective Choose whether you will serve God or $$$ (you
cant have it both ways) Stop worrying - God knows what you need
and
your energies are better spent working for Gods people
Dont judge people - really! Just dont. Dont waste that which is
holy on those who
wont appreciate it Ask, search and find - God has so much to
offer.
Do you see it? Keep the golden rule. Remember that the narrow
gate may be
difficult, but it leads to life (not destruction) Beware of
false prophets, bad influences Remember that just claiming to love
God, follow
Jesus, is not enough - you must walk the talk Build a firm
foundation for your life and your
faithContinued on page 2
CourierThe
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495 East Bakerview RoadBellingham, WA 98226
360.734.6820office@bellinghamdisciples.orgwww.bellinghamdisciples.org
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)A movement for wholeness
in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we
welcome all to the Lords Table as God welcomed us.
All of UsMinistersRev. Gary
[email protected]
Mary Ann TeetersFinance/Membership
[email protected]
Rev. Tamalyn KralmanDirector of Ed. & Community
OutreachCourier [email protected]
Amelia NyeAccompanistTBDChildcare ProviderRev. Sandy
MessickRegional MinisterRev. Sharon WatkinsGeneral Minister and
President
Sunday Schedule9:30 a.m. Sunday School10:50 a.m. Gathering
Time11 a.m. Worship12:15 a.m. Fellowship Time12:30 p.m.
Out-to-Lunch Bunch (4th Sunday)2 p.m. Someone Cares! Community Meal
(2nd Sunday)
Office HoursMonday - Friday9 a.m. - noonOur staff are in and out
of the office throughout the week. Please feel free to stop by
during their office hours or make an appointment that fits your
schedule.
OfficersDon Hoffman, ChairMegan Shoemaker, SecretaryCheryl
Perry, Treasurer
Easter Info
2 April 2015
First Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)
Matthew 25:34-40 Feed the hungry Give drink to the thirsty
Welcome the stranger Clothe the naked Visit the sick and
imprisoned
As we walk through this season of Lent, reflecting on our
relationships with God, and as we journey towards Easter morning,
when we celebrate new life and resurrection, may our faith and our
lives be renewed. May we truly love God with all our hearts, souls
and minds, and love our neighbors as ourselves. (Matthew 23:27)
Wishing you peace, fortitude, faith, and joy as you journey
toward the cross and beyond,
Pastor Gary and Tamalyn
A Thank You ReceivedMy family and I want to thank you so much
for your thoughtfulness and compassion when we lost our beloved
Dad. To all who made his memorial service service so special, our
sincere thank you.
With love, Marian Crim, Julie, Debbie, Gary, Randy, and Stan
Be Sure to Help the Easter BunnyThat famous bunny will be making
his rounds Easter Sunday, April 5. Children ages toddler - 5th
grade will begin their search for eggs at 10:30 a.m. But prior to
that, the bunny needs your assistance.
Please bring plastic eggs and/or small individually wrapped
candies (they must fit IN the eggs) to the church by Palm Sunday,
March 29.
Remember: no hard candies, nuts, or palm oil We must protect our
children AND Gods creation.
Memorial Flowers for Easter
If you would like to honor a loved one in a very special way,
bring an Easter flower to church and add it to the display for
Easter Sunday morning. Please sign up in the fellowship hall if you
plan to provide flowers. A list of memorials will be printed in the
Easter Sunday bulletin. You may also bring your flowers to the
office anytime prior to that day.
Remember: please remove the yellow pollen from Easter lilies.
Those with allergies will thank you!
(Easter Challenge, continued from page one)
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A Message from Our Mission Partner Joys and Concerns
Joys and Concernsof Our Congregation
Please submit written requests to update this list.New to Our
List:
Bill Franks, health issuesMary Ann Teeters, who will be
undergoing surgery for breast cancerTerry Buchanan, friend of Cyndy
Koehn, dealing with breast cancerRuss and Bekki Weston, on the
death of Russs mother, Mary WestonJohn and Brenda Riselands, on the
death of Johns brother JoeRev. Debbie and Gary Little, on the death
of Debbies father
April 2015 3
The Activity Centre has zero books.
My students learn by copying notes that the teachers write on
two blackboards that are positioned on easels. When I arrived the
former English teacher arranged for a copy to be made for me of the
students workbook. It was a very, very old English primer with
short stories and a few questions at the end of each chapter. The
problem with the primer is that every year new copies are made from
the book that suffered the least amount of lost pages, which means
that there are still a lot of missing pages. The questions at the
end are pretty much useless because past students have written the
answers in the margins.
I went to South Africa last December and was very excited to
pick up an English grammar workbook and an English composition
workbook, both around a sixth to eighth grade level. I could only
get one of each though, and I use them to teach all 10 of my
students, which isnt technically legal. While I was in SA I
committed copyright infringement again by typing out the first nine
chapters of a book and printing 10 copies for my students...
At the beginning of class we take about 30 minutes to read aloud
from the book. They read a paragraph at a time. The book moves so
slow in the beginning that I was worried they would get bored, but
they love it and their spoken English is improving monumentally. It
has also helped me to figure out what words they dont understand,
and the more advanced students help those who struggle on longer
words and those with difficult pronunciations. Having them read
aloud and seeing them become invested in the story has been
great.
But Id rather not be committing copyright infringement.
Tonight I read about Worldreader.org on Jason Kottkes website
kottke.org. They give e-readers preloaded with
Kristine in AfricaKristine Tisinger is our Global Mission
Partner serving in Ghana. Here is an excerpt from her blog.
Cooking class benefits from e-readers in Ghana
books to kids in Africans schools. Their FAQ page is pretty
interesting. They are currently operating programs in Ghana, Kenya,
Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and
Zimbabwe. The books are available in English and some African
languages like Twi and Kiswahili as well. Theft hasnt been an
issue, either.
I sent an email to inquire about enrolling the Activity Centre
in their program. E-readers in the classroom would help our English
class immensely. Besides the obvious benefits of having textbooks
and new classroom reading books legally at our fingertips, it would
be another form of technology my students can become comfortable
using. Only two of my students have email accounts. Hardly any of
them know how to type. None of them knew how to turn on a laptop or
open a Word document until about two months ago when Melanie (a
German volunteer) and I started bringing our laptops to class to
help them learn how to use them. Now we have technology class as
part of English composition on Mondays.
English isnt the only class that would benefit from e-readers,
though. The social sciences, entrepreneurship, health sciences, and
mathematics classes could also use the textbooks. Heck, Id be
willing to teach the teachers how to use the e-readers myself. And
if theres a cookbook available to download I know the cookery and
baking teacher would be all over that. Shes always asking me to
find new recipes online for her to use in class.
To read more, find Kristines blog at
kristineinafrica.wordpress.com.
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Whos on First?!
4 April 2015
Sunday, April 5Elders: Melody Hoffman (O), Gregg Heyne
(C)Lock-Up: Brenda RiselandIn Home Communion: Lillian Moir, Don
HoffmanDeacons: Jane Kletka, Lynn Plancich, Alexis PinkstonReader:
Don HoffmanGreeters: Jane KletkaFlowers: TBDFellowship Time:
TBD
Sunday, April 12Elders: Lillian Moir (O), John Riseland
(C)Deacons: Marian Overcash, Linda Heyne, Max PerryReader: Melody
HoffmanGreeter: Connie PageFlowers: TBDFellowship Time: TBD
Sunday, April 19Elders: Don Hoffman (O), Brenda Riseland
(C)Deacons: Lois Oswalt, Pat Whitney, Connie PageReader: Lillian
MoirGreeters: Charles SchmidlingFlowers: TBDFellowship Time:
TBD
Sunday, April 26Elders: Leslie Pinkston (O), Joe Plancich
(C)Deacons: Ardythe Hannah, Kathy Wheeler, Jayne WitmanReader: Mary
Ann TeetersGreeter: Mary Ann TeetersFlowers: Esther GroupFellowship
Time: Esther Group
Sunday, April 5 Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 118:1-2,
14-24 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10-24-43 John 20:1-18 or Mark
16:1-8Sunday, April 12 Acts 4:32-35 Psalm 133 1 John 1 - 2:2
John 20:19-31Sunday, April 19 Acts 3:12-29 Psalm 4 1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48Sunday, April 26 Acts 4:5-12 Psalm 23 1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
Happy BirthdayPat Whitney 1Sarah Wheeler 2Mary Ann Teeters
2Ethan Heyne 4Connor Hoemann 4Jon Cavnar 5Frances VanDyke 9Tanner
Klemann 11Abigail Hulbert 14David Ruther 15Megan Wheeler 15Allison
Ronney 17Dan Perry 18
Greg Smith 23Maija Haggith 25Elise King 28
Happy AnniversaryKelly & Tom Gilson 10
This Months Lectionary
April
Be a Part of A Small Group (nurture your soul) Women's Spiritual
Growth Groups - Please contact the
church office if you would like to be a part of a group.
Out-to-Lunch Bunch, 12:30 p.m., 4th Sundays - This informal
gathering, visits locally owned and run restaurants.
Book Group, 7 p.m., 4th Sundays - This group explores books to
expand their minds and their hearts.
Esther Group, 11:30 a.m., 3rd Mondays - this group meets for
lunch and fellowship in a local restaurant.
Bible Study, Noon, Tuesdays - Meeting in the church library,
this group explores the weekly lectionary scriptures.
Wild Goose Worship, 6:30 p.m., 1st & 3rd Tuesdays - An
alternative worship experience for young(ish) adults.
Pub Theology, 6:30 p.m., 3rd Thursdays - Beer, conversation, and
God! (Or any beverage of your choice.)
Checking in Group, 5 p.m., 4th Thursdays -supportive group of
people who share life's journey together.
Men's Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Saturdays at Denny's - All men are
invited to join this weekly breakfast group for fun and fellowship.
A sense of humor is strongly encouraged.
Be the Hands of God (nurture the world) Community Meal Josephs
Closet Disciples House CAST
Socks on the Street Spring Creek Worship Care Packages
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Calendar
March 2015 7
Ap!l 2015Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Saturday
30 31 1BulletinDeadline
6p Bell Choir7p Chancel Choir
2Maundy
Thursday
7p Worship
3Good Friday
7a - 7pPrayer Vigil
7p Worship
47:30a Mens Breakfast, Dennys5:30p Choir Rehearsal
5Easter Sunday
8:30a Early Worship,
Zuanich Park9:30a Breakfast at the
Church10:30a Easter Egg Hunt10:50a Gathering Time11a
Worship12:30p Fellowship Time
6 7
Noon Bible Study
6:30p Wild Goose Worship
8
BulletinDeadline
6p Bell Choir7p Chancel Choir
9 10 11
7:30a Mens Breakfast, Dennys
10a Board Meeting
129:30 a Sunday School10:50a Gathering Time11a Worship12:30p
Fellowship Time2p Someone Cares! Community Meal & Josephs
Closet
13
6:30 p.m.Stewardship Committee
14
Noon Bible Study
15Render unto
Caesar!
Bulletin & Courier
Deadline6 p Bell Choir7 p Chancel Choir
16
6:30 p Bellingham Brew Theology,Hops N Headz
17 18
7:30a Mens Breakfast, Dennys5:30 p.m.Prayer Vigil for Peace in
the Middle East, location TBD
197:30a Elders Mtg9:30 a Sunday School10:50a Gathering Time11a
Worship12:30p Fellowship Time1:30p Spring Creek Worship
20
11:30aEsther Group
21Noon Bible Study
6:30p Wild Goose Worship
22Earth DayBulletinDeadline
6 p Bell Choir7 p Chancel Choir
23
5 p.m. Checking In Group
24 25
7:30a Mens Breakfast, Dennys
26Earth Stewardship
Sunday9:30 a Sunday School10:50a Gathering Time11a Worship12:30p
Fellowship Time Out-to-Lunch Bunch (Location TBD)7p Book Group
27 28
Noon Bible Study
29
BulletinDeadline
6 p Bell Choir7 p Chancel Choir
30
9a Lenten Breakfasts and Taize Worship
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A 98226-9168. PERIO
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First Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)A church of grace and
welcome for all!495 East Bakerview RoadBellingham, WA
98226-9168
PERIODICALS POSTAGE ATBellingham, WA 98226-9168
USPS 0589-870
Contact UsOffice [email protected] 360.734.6820
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Bellingham, WA
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Save the DatesSat., May 16 Open Mic Night at FCC: A night of
music, laughs, fellowship, & dessertSun., May 31 Summer
Schedule begins Sunday School on hiatus thru Sept. 13Sun., June 21
Longest Day Worship, 6 p.m.Sun., Sept. 13 Back to (Sunday) School
Day Blessing of the Backpacks & Bible presentationsSept. 19-20
All Church Retreat
Open Mic NightDid you love our every seven years whether we need
it or not talent show?
Were happy to announce that your talents will be showcased once
again - or for the very first time. Start practicing and plan to
join us Saturday night, May 16 for drinks, desserts, and decibels -
or something like that!
This event is open to the community.(Invite your friends.)
All acts must be family friendly.