MEET OUR INTERNS
We are beginning to award the WIUinternships of First Christian Church of Macomb. There is much excitement and energy that we are receiving from new people among us. The first of three music internships for each semester has been awarded to Michelle Secoy. Michelle is a junior music education major. Her primary instrument is voice, and her secondary instrument is flute. Michelle is an alto and sang with our choir last Sunday morning. Michelle has sung in the WIU University Singers and University Choir. She is from Aledo, IL. Look for her on Sunday mornings during the semester. Our first of two internships for young adult campus ministries has been awarded to Meagan Deerfield. Meagan is a freshman at WIU. She is the daughter of Ray Greenfield, the new pastor at our sister church, FCC-Rushville. She will be attending her father's church on Sunday mornings where she has recently moved her membership. Meagan is majoring in social work. She has great leadership experience, was a thespian in high school in Jacksonville, IL, and was a member of National Honor Society. She works part-time at Neiman Foods here in Macomb. Meagan's primary responsibilities are on campus, specifically targeting Wednesday night worship and gatherings. She lives in the residence hall system where she will be helping us contact and stay connected with our students on campus. Other applications have been received and we're still processing those applicants. Other students are being recruited. We'll keep the congregation informed as these awards are confirmed.

NEW FACES IN THE PEWS
Have you met David & Jan Makuch yet? David is a graduate student in the MFA program. His specialty is lighting design. The WIU Master of Fine Arts is a three year program. Jan, his wife, most likely will begin graduate school in January. We are very pleased that Jan volunteered and has joined our church choir. She is an alto. Look for David & Jan on Sunday morning so you may introduce yourself to them!

CMF
The Christian Men's Fellowship will meet Saturday, October 4, at 7:00 a.m. at the Sunrise Restaurant. All men in the church are invited to attend for some fellowship, food and study.

     Boundaries are always a pertinent issue for humanity. We must determine where we stop and another begins. We must have a clear definition of our responsibility in any given issue or situation. We must also find the place where our influence ends, where our right to know and our right to decide are no longer applicable.
     A prime example of the current skewed sense of privilege and rights is the recent Letter to the Editor mid-week in the Macomb Journal. I don't personally know the man from Good Hope who composed that letter. I'm sure he has the best of intentions. He wrote an editorial condemning the actions of people in another church in another denomination in another state in another region of the U.S.
     I haven't considered whether the gentleman's comments in his editorial are biblical or spiritual. I haven't even considered whether his words are loving or encouraging in their correction. I'm still stuck on why he wrote the editorial. Where did he get his information? How accurate was the information and what parts of the story were left out. We have learned from experience to be leery of media presentations as not presenting all of the information in a two or three minute segment on TV or in five brief paragraphs in print. (See the poster outside my office door!)
     The biggest question I have is why this gentleman in a small town in northwest Illinois would think it necessary and that he has the right to critique what is going on in another church? Why is he concerned? It isn't his church. It isn't his denomination. It isn't his community. It isn't even his state. Why is he putting a value judgement on a situation about which he most likely does not have access to all of the various viewpoints within that issue or the people involved? Why is he able to drag that church through the muck by pointing fingers and spinning truth in one direction whereby calling into question the relevancy of the other peoples' faith and beliefs? Where does the Bible say that we are to spend our time doing that?
     We must be careful how we approach issues. We must be careful as to the words we use and the quick assumptions we make about others without knowing the situation. We've got to "walk a mile in their shoes" before we make too many assumptions or declarations.
     Our Disciples history tells us that we speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent. Yet, even that declaration is open to interpretation and speculation as to how we live that belief.
     I do not want to be responsible for another church. My church, our church, is enough. There's plenty of good work to do here. I hope that our friend in Good Hope is very active and involved in his church, too.
     I'll see you at worship this Sunday where we will thank and praise God for God's activity in our lives and the great future we hold together in this church.

-Steve

One of the goals and emphases of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the end of racism. Racism separates God's humanity and causes great strife in God's kingdom. Our Special Day offering for Reconciliation is a way to support efforts to address and end racism. The offerings are used through a grant process to support specific programs throughout the church. These programs provide education, nurture, and support to a great number of anti-racism efforts across the country. Please support our reconciliation efforts by participating in the Reconciliation Offering this Sunday, 9/28...

AMONG THE FLOCK
Lois Hainline is at Senior Living.
Edith Walkley is a patient at MDH.
Our sympathy to Jack & Mary Keith McKinnon on the loss of his mother, Irene Sights.

CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS
September 28
Connie Workman- Lesson
Eric & Shannon Reed- Art

BUDGET REPORT
Income 9-21-03 $1,977.76
Expenditures 9-22-03 $2,654.52

Christians, keep the faith.....
but not from others!

CROP WALK
...is October 5, at 1:00 p.m. in Chandler Park. See Myron Raymer to sign up to walk or make a pledge.

GETTING GOING ON THE GOALS
     The overall theme of the Plan for Ministry is Evangelism. The congregation met on two different occasions to seek and discover God's vision for First Christian Church of Macomb. Reaching out to others and inviting others to come join with us is what the members of the congregation said we wanted to be and do.
     The first column of the three part Plan for Ministry is specifically targeted as Evangelism – but with caution.
     The first year goal of this part of the Plan for Ministry calls for the identification of up to 12 individuals who are uniquely gifted for evangelism. The effort would be made to find people who have a desire to demonstrate and lead programs of evangelism, those who wish to help bring the church to an evangelistic attitude toward the community. There are several ways to identify these twelve individuals. There are "gifts inventories". The congregation has done several of them before with varied successes. There could be special training events targeting evangelism and those who attend could be considered for entering this group of up to 12. There could be input from the leadership of the church. And certainly those currently serving on the Evangelism Committee of the church might well be uniquely gifted to lead these evangelistic efforts. One might say we'll identify persons with a "heart" for true evangelism – changed lives in Christ, not bigger attendance numbers or more people who we think will give money to the church.
     The church is to train its members, train us for leadership and train us for mission. The hope is the second year goal will train this leadership pool of up to twelve. There are evangelism events through our regions and the general units of the church. There are ecumenical and non-denominational events that might be in accordance with our theology. The hope is to have these people experience as many of these events as possible with one goal in mind for the third year.
     The goal of third year of this plan for Evangelism is to have these twelve people lead the rest of us in training to improve our evangelistic abilities, specifically each one mentoring at least one other person from the local church. Not everyone is gifted for evangelism, but we can ALL attend workshops in our own congregation to make certain that we are able to do everything we can and do it in the best possible manner.
     Remember it does not say that the leadership pool of up to twelve people will do all of our evangelism. Everyone in the congregation will continue to do evangelism, or will begin to do evangelism. Everyone in the congregation will benefit from the learning that this leadership pool gleans from its training. The capital campaign raised money to support and pay for this training of these individuals so that they might return and train the rest of us.
     But also keep clearly in mind that evangelism is not a "program". It is not something you do one time. Evangelism is not having a 3-day "revival" in the fall. Evangelism is going to be an approach. Evangelism will pervade and invade our efforts at Christian education, worship, and our overall programming including fellowship events. Evangelism will influence the manner in which we approach the public with our publicity of the church, how the newsletter is prepared, how "welcoming" we make our physical building both outside and inside, and how "welcoming" we make our hearts to bring more people into a knowing and living faith in Jesus Christ.
     Evangelism is not "what" we do but "how" we do each and every thing in the church. Evangelism is the key to the second half of our Mission Statement: To Receive and Share God's Love.

See the letter to the congregation and the
Plan for Ministry.

STEPHEN MINISTRY MINUTES
The four presentations on Stephen Ministry have been completed by your Stephen Leaders. If you were not able to attend one of the four presentations but have questions about Stephen Ministry, please contact one of the Stephen Leaders (Pauline Dunn, Jean Vaughn, Rev. Workman). The next order of business is a gathering of all previously trained Stephen Ministers. The Stephen Leaders are inviting all individuals who have experienced training for Stephen Ministry on any level -- completed 50 hours or otherwise. The Dessert Meeting has been scheduled for September 22, 7 p.m., in Fellowship Hall.

We are a Stephen Ministry Congregation!

PUBLICITY PASS
The Christian Education Committee is taking responsibility for passing church items to the local media for the month of September. Please send or share your information (a written article, a picture, any details) with Jack McKinnon (Chair) and the members of his committee. Or, a new form for the information is located in the office. Please submit the form 10 days prior to the event. Each department of the church was invited to take on this responsibility for one month as part of our Plan for Ministry to support our new Mission Statement. The goal is to increase the community's awareness of FCC and our programs.

SERVING SEPTEMBER 28

Worship Leader: Shannon Reed

Elders: Tim Adams-Loaf Prayer, Patti Jones-Cup Prayer

Assembly Deacons: Dixie Canon, Chris Dace, Pauline Dunn, Ronda Kimler, Nancy Mathewman-Lane, Francis & Jan Miller, Tweed Mummert, Debbie Smith, Dorothy Summy, Don Hodges, Jean Vaughn

Preparatory Deacons: Pat Ward, Teri Coplan, Debbie Taylor

Greeters-East Door: E. G. & Ruth Morrison
Greeters-South Door: Myron & Mary Raymer

Sanctuary Superintendent: Arlene Westerhold

Ushers: Downstairs South- LouAnn Herriman, Downstairs East- Ivonne Bradley, Upstairs East-Teri Coplan, Upstairs South-Arlene Anderson, Les Herriman (Elevator)

Sunday Morning Office Staff: Monill McClure

Sermon Title: "Praying Sinners Welcome " Sermon Text:
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Other Scripture Readings:
Psalm 124
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

September 21, 2003
Worship Service 108
Sunday School 46

HOSPITAL CALLERS: The week of Sept. 28 - Oct. 4 - Betty Landis & Phyllis Rogers

FELLOWSHIP TIME: Katie Dorethy

FINANCIAL SECRETARY FOR OCTOBER: Joan Hansen

WINDOW DISPLAY FOR OCTOBER: Historian

Sunday, September 28
Prayer Group 8:30 a.m.
Sunday School 9:00 a.m.
Fellowship Time 10:00 a.m.
Worship Service 10:30 a.m.
Wenois Cluster Meeting - Ursa 2:30 p.m.

Monday, September 29
Staff Meeting 9:00 a.m

Tuesday, September 30
Scouts 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 1
Choir Practice 6:30 p.m.
Property Committee Meeting 7:30 p.m.
CaMP meeting 9:15 p.m.

Thursday, October 2
Chamber of Commerce Leadership Academy - Steve 8:00 a.m.
Bible Study Group 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 4
CMF Breakfast 7:00 a.m.

Sunday, October 5
Prayer Group 8:30 a.m.
Sunday School 9:00 a.m.
Fellowship Time 10:00 a.m.
Worship Service with Johnny Wray 10:30 a.m.
Shut-In Communion - Joe & Mary Stipanowich, Dixie Canon, John Worthington