Dec/Jan 2016 CBN PRINT copy - Central Baptist Church

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foster families through the James. Project, supported the youth of New. Berlin in powerful .... 01/30. Willow Smith. 01/
Central Baptist Church MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH DECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017

Hope rises whenever we have a sense that God is with us. As we enter the season of Advent and close out another year of shared ministry together it is important that we remember the God who loves us, is for us, and walks with us through all of life. As we reflect on all that has taken place in the life of our church family in 2016, my prayer is that hope rises within us as we sense God with us. We have had an eventful year as we have lived out the mission God has given us together. We have stepped into new ways of Loving God through intergenerational worship. After much prayer and discussion together we created a worship service that invites each of us to sacrifice and make space for those who may not be exactly like us each week.

Hope rises within me as I think about the power this practice has in shaping us as disciples of Jesus. We have Loved People by committing to authentic Christian community together. In Sunday School classes and missional communities we set aside time regularly to learn, pray, and do life together. Hope rises within me as I consider the network of love, grace, and discipleship you have created in these community groups. We have Served the World together through a variety of opportunities throughout the year that constantly remind us that a vital part of the church’s life is to demonstrate God’s light in all the world. You have mentored Graham students through Compass, fed foster families through the James Project, supported the youth of New Berlin in powerful ways, created space for the community to gather on Thanksgiving through Feast of Plenty, and loved families through the Graham Christmas Gift Mart. (continued on page 2).

Church Events Dec 4th - 50th Anniversary Celebration
 Dec 10th – Graham Christmas Gift Mart
 Dec 11th – Miracle Sunday
 Dec 14th CH Christmas Program
 Dec 24th Christmas Eve Service Dec 25th - Christmas Day Service Dec 31st - First Night Jan 1st - New Year’s Day Service Jan 13th - 16th - SKWIM Jan 18th - Quarterly Business Meeting Jan 28th - Millikin Choir

Off The Shelf The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans Thinking no one is reading, a blogger who calls herself LBH writes about her most personal feelings, especially her overwhelming loneliness. She goes from day to day showing a brave face to the world while inside she longs to know how it would feel if one person cared about her. Alex Bartlett cares. He’s reading her posts in Daytona Beach, Florida. Nursing his own broken heart and trust issues, he finds himself falling for this sensitive, vulnerable woman whose feelings mirror his own. Following a trail of clues LBH has inadvertently revealed, he discovers that she lives in the small town of Midway, Utah. He makes his way there just after Thanksgiving, determined to find LBH. Maybe she’s a Lisa, Lori, or a Luanne. Instead, he finds a woman named Aria, a waitress at the Mistletoe Diner, who encourages Alex in his search while serving his pie along with some much-needed sympathy and companionship. Alex finally finds his LBH, a woman who is as beautiful and kind as he imagined she would be. How can he tell her that he knows her secret? What’s holding him back? Could it be his feelings for Aria?

Up Front

HOLIDAY ISSUE 2015 - PAGE 2

This is the third book in the Mistletoe Collection. The other tiles are The Mistletoe Promise (2014) and The Mistletoe Inn (2015). These are all standalone books and may be read in any order. This book may be found on the New Book Rack in the Library. (2016, 320 pages, 4.5 Amazon rating) Check-out one of these Christmas Movies in the Library (located behind the Librarian Table) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Annabelle’s Wish (1997) The Christmas Angel (2009) The Christmas Candle (2013) The Christmas Card (2006) Christmas Child (2010) The Christmas Hope (2009) Christmas Lodge (2011) Christmas Oranges (2012) Christmas With Capital C (2010) Angel in the Family (2006) The Heart of Christmas (2011) Midnight Clear (2007) The Nativity Story (2007) One Special Night (1999) A Song for the Season (1999) The Ultimate Gift (2006)

Jim Filler On behalf of the Volunteer Library Team

(Continued)

Hope rises within me as I think about the picture Central is to the world of God’s goodness, generosity, sacrifice, and love. December will be a busy season for us as individuals and as a church. Don’t allow that busyness to rob you of the awareness that God is with us, God is working, and the best is yet to come.

Allow the 50th Anniversary Celebration Downtown, Graham Christmas Gift Mart, Miracle Sunday, and our Christmas gatherings to remind you of the hope we have in Jesus and the beauty that flows from the ways that love rises up through the church! Your Partner in Mission,

HOLIDAY ISSUE 2015 - PAGE 3

Merry Christmas! My, how this year has flown by so quickly! This month marks the fi;h year of ConnectEdPAIRS at Central BapFst. I thank you all for conFnuing to help me feel a welcome part of your church family and I feel very blessed. As a small token of my appreciaFon, please stop by the counseling office or drop me a note to get your 2017 Thankfulness tear-off magnet calendar. Here we are in the holiday season already. Focus on the Family offers these Three Tips to Help You Work Together For a Blessed Christmas Season. 1) Plan a. Get on the same page of what theme is important to the two of you this Christmas season. Some words to consider are peace, joy, fun, family, together, worship, rest, recovery, giving, charity, hospitality, and home. b. Put some other everyday things on hold to create room in busy schedules for Christmas activities. c. Disagree early in November rather than waiting until December to decide where to celebrate Christmas this year.

2)

Prepare a. Declutter now to tidy your home so that you are not creating chaos by trying to decorate on top of clutter. b.

Get a jump on the little things, such as making your Christmas card list, buying stamps, gathering family recipes, ordering gifts online, and shipping to out-of-town family and friends.

c.

Gather supplies, such as scissors, tape, bows, ribbons, tags, boxes, gift bags, tissue paper, and wrapping paper.

(continued on page 5)

It is certainly easy to agree that the Christmas season is full of joy and love. However, sometimes the hustle and bustle of this holiday can draw us away from it's true meaning. The staff of Children 's House will be working together this month as we focus on the Christmas story as told from the Bible. Through age appropriate songs, hands-on activities, art and games, teachers will be able to share the wonderful experience of Christmas with the children in their care. Matthew 2:1 will be our focus Bible verse this month. Pastor Josh will lead chapel this month for the preschool classrooms. The children always enjoy this Christmas focused chapel. We invite everyone to help us spread the joy of Christmas though the joyful sounds of Christmas music. Lead by their teachers, the two's, three's and four's will be the stars of the annual Children's House Christmas program. It will be held on December 14th at 6:30 in the Central Baptist Church sanctuary. Staff in the spotlight: Miss Kathy will celebrate her second year here at Children's House on December 3rd. She plays an important role in the daily care of the infants in the Baby Bunnies room. We are so grateful for Miss Kathy and the gifts she brings to the families of Children's House. Judy Vlach Children’s House Director

Birthdays And Anniversaries DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

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JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
 


12/08 12/09 12/12 12/14 12/16 12/16 12/16 12/17 12/18 12/20 12/23 12/24 12/26 12/27 12/29 12/29 12/29 12/30

Tricia Allen Anne Tankersley Rachel Crain David Dalbey Barbara Burris Jennifer Hanson-Russell Helen Richardson Ralph Billings Jim Lear Colleen Pinto Jim Nelson Jerry Phillips Jerry Fite Heather Southwell Gregg Harwood Paul Thompson Stephanie Beal Selden Bernauer

01/01 01/01 01/01 01/01 01/02 01/03 01/06 01/07 01/10 01/13 01/17 01/17 01/18 01/18 01/18 01/18 01/19 01/19 01/21 01/21 01/21 01/21 01/23 01/30 01/31 01/31

Roy Beal Ruth Todd Esther Crotchett Carolyn Ferrel Kathy Cooke Diane Martin Ethan Alt Carol Matheson Betsy Dunbar Mae Moore Sue Filler Josh Sabo Sarah Ashebir Sophia Ashebir Tony Crain Craig Martin Don Anderson Mary Alice Barnes Pam Corey Dave Matheson Doug Meyer Judy Thompson Gail Stivers Willow Smith Kay Summers-Orr Dick Oglesby

DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES

JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES

12/03 12/03 12/12 12/22 12/24 12/27

01/01 Dave & Carol Matheson 01/03 Brett & Pat Miles 01/27 Jim & Sue Filler

Phil & Debbie Maxwell Dick & Judy Oglesby Bob & Joy Jones Herman & Evelyn Nagel Fred and Suzanne Stericker Mike and Kiersten Large

Around CBC Thank you to the team of people led by George Tankersley who spent two days trimming trees in New Berlin! Our yard is looking great thanks to you.

HOLIDAY ISSUE 2015 - PAGE 5

Kumler Food Pantry December is here and for many of us our attention is focused on the holidays and family but for the food insecure in Springfield supplying food for their family remains the primary focus. We can help the Kumler food pantry in this endeavor by picking up a can or two when we are at the store and put it in the Serve the World Center at church. For December the focus is on fruit and vegetables but all non perishable food is welcome.

Special Care Members Bags Update This year, the team that heads up this project has opted to prepare and deliver these gifts around Valentine’s Day rather than Christmas. As always, we look forward to and appreciate those who contribute to this ministry.

SKWIM Our youth and volunteers return to Green Lake once again in January for a weekend of skiing, swimming, and worship. Please contact Mason Wickham if you would like to attend. The dates are January 13th - 16th.

Christmas Service Schedule This year, Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on a Sunday. We will plan to gather at our normal downtown service time of 10:45 am.

Feast Of Plenty Thank you to everyone who helped create space around the table on Thanksgiving through Feast of Plenty! Through your generosity of time and finances, God used Central to serve close to 1,000 meals. A special thank you to Nancy Langford who led the planning for the effort this year and to Lynn Martin who worked side-by-side with Nancy in the kitchen to prepare the feast!

Inside News Connected Pairs continued from page 3


HOLIDAY ISSUE 2015 - PAGE 6

Wednesday Night Dinner January


 
 3. Play As a couple, decide how much time is spent with family and how much is spent together as a couple. You might consider “dating with a purpose” activities. a. Shopping, wrapping, decorating, or baking together. b. Have a “food and finances” night where you have dinner together and review your shopping budget. c. Make a list of favorite Christmas movies to watch together.

I hope these tips help you feel closer to one another on December 26 than you did at the beginning of the month and that the closeness lasts all through 2017! Best wishes for a blessed and meaningful Christmas season.

Warmly, Stephani Cave, LCPC ConnectEdPAIRS 217-972-4851 [email protected] Are you wondering if your relaFonship might need a tune up? Take the RelaFonship Maintenance Survey to find out. For monthly couples, individual, and family Fps, please sign up for our enewsle]er. For daily relaFonship Fps, follow us on facebook. For more informaFon about any ConnectEdPAIRS service, please visit our website at www.connectedpairs.com, stop by, call, or email me in the counseling office. I look forward to talking with you soon.

We are so grateful to so many who have stepped up and pitched in to organize meals, help cook, set up, serve and clean up this fall while our Wednesday Night Food Coordinator has been out for knee replacement surgery. After Thanksgiving, we will have 3 more meals before we take a break for Christmas. Unfortunately, after Christmas, our Coordinator still will not be able to return and some of our regular volunteers also will not be available, so we are going to take the cold winter month of January off from serving meals. We will continue to provide meals for Contact Ministries and the James Project Homes. If you have interest in providing and packing up food for those ministries, please let Mary Ellen know. We hope to break bread together with you all again in February.

Update On Robert Reynolds’ Role At CBC Effective December 1st, Robert will be a bit less available to us as we have been used to for the last few years. He will be transitioning to a part-time role because a great opportunity has come his way to become the Digital Media Specialist at Horace Mann. We are excited for Robert, Laura, and Audrey...and also excited for the church as Robert stays on board as Worship Arts Director. Robert's role will return to being focused primarily on tasks related to the Love God/ worship part of our mission. We will come up with a new plan for the newsletter, website, social media, and outreach responsibilities that Robert has given energy to. Robert, we're excited for this new journey for you and grateful to have you as a partner in ministry! Josh

What’s Happening

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Dec 4th - 50th Anniversary Celebration

Monthly AB Men’s Breakfast 1st & 3rd Saturday; 8 am; (Merriam Hall) Hegarty Circle 2nd Monday; 9:30 am; (Weber Lounge) Beth Long Circle (New Berlin) 3rd Thursday evening; various locations Newsletter All submissions must be made by the 15th of every month Girl Scouts 1st & 3rd Tuesday; 6 pm; (New Berlin)

10:45 am Downtown Campus Luncheon to follow in Merriam Hall


Dec 10th – Graham Christmas Gift Mart 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, Merriam Hall


Dec 11th – Miracle Sunday
 Dec 14th CH Christmas Program
 6:30 pm - Downtown Campus, Sanctuary

Dec 24th Christmas Eve Service

Weekly SUNDAY 9:15a

Sunday School (Downtown)

10:15a  

Fellowship Time (Downtown)

10:45a

Worship Service (Downtown)

7:00 pm, Downtown Campus

Dec 25th - Christmas Day Service 10:45 am, Downtown Campus

Dec 31st - First Night   9:30a

Worship Service (New Berlin)

10:30a

Sunday School (New Berlin)

Jan 1st - New Year’s Day Service

  6:00p

Youth (New Berlin) 


10:45 am, Downtown Campus

Meet bi-weekly TUESDAY

Jan 13th - 16th - SKWIM

3:00p Compass

Green Lake, WI

WEDNESDAY 4:45p   Wednesday Night Dinner 5:00p   Face2Face (Rm 309)

Jan 18th - Quarterly Business Meeting 6:30 pm, Merriam Hall

5:45p Wednesday Night Programming 6:45p   Choir Practice THURSDAY 


7:00p  

Worship Team Rehearsal

All events at Springfield location unless otherwise noted.

Jan 28th - Millikin Choir 7:00 pm, Downtown Campus, Sanctuary