Facts & Figures for February 10, 2013 Attendance (125 and 142)...........................267 Sunday School.....

118 General Fund Receipts....$7,824.00 Capital Fund Receipts..........................$615.00 Loose Offering/Sunday School....$63.00 Project Funds Receipts..................$6,168.11 Facts & Figures as of January 31, 2013 YTD Budget Receipts...........$33,967.86 YTD Budget Expenses..$40,179.41 Net Receipts over Expenses($6,211.55) Presented by Kay Smith, Treasurer, dkwsmith@suddenlink.net

Volume 2013
Announcements Care and Feeding of a Candle Birthdays & Anniversaries Facts & Figures

The Stillwater Christian

1 2 3 4

February 27

In This Issue

Official Board Meeting Thursday, Feb 28th @ 7:30

Make plans to attend the board meeting Thursday night. This is a reschedule of last weeks meeting, which was delayed due to weather. WNF: THRIVE This Week! Meal: 6:00 - 6:30 Class: 6:30 - 7:30 Join us at 6pm for a buffet style meal. Also, Sondra has fun surprises each week! Then stay for an encouraging class.

MENU: "A Bit of Southern Comfort": Navy Beans & Ham, Chicken & Sausage Etouffee, Rice, Sauteed Cabbage & Carrots, Corn Bread, and Carrot Cake For the kids: Lil' Smokies with BBQ Sauce, Mac & Cheese

Central Area Churches Praying for Churches This week we are praying for: FCC in OKC

Find us on Facebook for the latest news, pictures, and discussions! facebook.com/fccstillwater
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Of Stillwater, OK, Inc. 411 W. Mathews Ave. Stillwater, OK 74075-7517 Do you have email? Switch to the email version of the newsletter! Just let the office know youd like to make the switch

WAYfarers Class to Begin Lucado Study You are invited to join the WAYfarers class in the church library on Sunday mornings at 10am for a new study, beginning Sunday, March 10. Max Lucado, well known Christian minister and author of 20 books, has added to his authorship a book titled, Grace, More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. Grace is described as, "the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off." Each class will begin with a video followed by group discussion. A Participants Guide is available in paperback for about $10. Please call Cara Beer at 624-9549 if you'd like to order a guide. Childrens Sunday School Teachers Meeting Sunday There will be a Sunday School meeting during pie making (12:15 or so) on Sunday, March 3rd. We will be introducing everyone to the exciting new curriculum and signing up for the weeks wed like to teach. We will also become familiar with the Resource Room, where you can find the supplies you may need for your sessions. The new program begins on March 10th. Questions? Contact Amy Goad, Disciple Development and Education Department Chair. Sunday is Apple Pie Day Pies may be preordered by contacting Sheri Gumm at sgumm@ymail.com, Sondra Ladd or the church office. Pies will be available for pick up on Sunday from 10:00am - 2:00pm. Please plan to pick up pies on Sunday, if at all possible, freezer space is limited. Prices: Regular Apple pies: $12.00 each Full size Sugar Free (available by pre-order only): $14.00 each Mini pies (made with sugar, available by pre order only): $5.00 each

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

The Stillwater Christian is a weekly publication of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The deadline for articles each week is 1pm Monday. Tracy Freeman, Editor editor@fcc-stillwater.org Church Office Phone: 405.372.7722 Fax: 405.372.7726 Find The Stillwater Christian and more information at www.fcc-stillwater.org

Send prayer requests and general email to office@fcc-stillwater.org

Join us this Sunday for Owen Caytons Message, Dancing in the Darkness: Recovering from Abuse based on Luke 13:1-9 and Psalm 63:1-8 Traditional 9:00am Sunday School 10:10 Contemporary 11:10

Owen Cayton, Senior Minister

The Care and Feeding of A Candle

pastor@fcc-stillwater.org

CHILDREN & YOUTH MINISTRY NEWS

Sondra Ladd, Children/Youth Ministry Director youth@fcc-stillwater.org

I recently listened to a sermon provocatively entitled Im Your Pastor and I dont Care What You Believe. Interestingly enough, it was not a sermon preached in a Disciples congregation, though it should be at home with us. We have a long history of anti-doctrine and anti-dogmatism. We, I hope, still cling to the phrase in Philippians 3:12 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Incidentally, I dont think that means go to your corner and believe whatever you want to believe and a Ill go to my corner and do the same, and well never meet in the middle to talk about it.) One of the points of this thoughtful sermon was that agreement with certain tenants of the faith or believing certain things is not a prerequisite for following Jesus, and agreement with the Pastor or the others who are also following Jesus has never been a prerequisite either! Indeed, when Jesus speaks of faith, very rarely, if at all, does he speak of a particular belief. Instead, he says things like, Go, your faith has made you well, or it is said of him, When he saw their faith... In the Gospel of John, the noun faith never makes an appearanceit is always the verb form (for which we have no English equivalent); faith itself is an action. When Jesus says, Your faith has made you well, he is not offering a commentary on the persons ability to recite the Nicene creed, or the Apostles Creed, or agree with in its entirety the Westminster Confession. In fact, when Jesus is asked by the future disciples (almost literally), Hey Jesus, where you comin from, man? he responds, not with a long theological explanation but with, Come see for yourself! He invites them to follow him. In our culture filled with the Spiritual but not Religious, this is important to keep in mind. We encounter people all the time who have preconceived notions about what Christians believe. When we as Christians engage them, they may be listening to hear if they can believe everything we are saying. Or, more particularly, they may be listening for things they dont believe. Either way, as we are sharing the gospel, as we are sharing our faith with others, we have to keep in mind that it is not our job to convince people that our beliefs are the right ones. And we dont have to have all the answers to any questions they may ask. And we dont have to know all the right things. I hope it comes as a relief to know that evangelism is not trying to convince someone that we are right and they are wrong. It has been said, No one ever became a Christian by losing an argument. Think about it this way, Peter does not make his confession at the beginning of his relationship with Jesus, he does so after he has been following him for a while. Our task in evangelism is Jesus invitation, Come, see for yourself. It is out of that encounter with Jesus, the practice of following Jesus, that faith stems. People learn over time who Jesus is. It is our job simply to invite people to that relationship. Shalom, Pastor Owen

Amy Goad will be the Worship and Wonder leader this week. Tammy Ward will serve as the adult helper. Prodigal Son Rehearsal Children with speaking parts and solos will be rehearsing Wed. at 5:00. Full cast rehearsal will be held following the WNF meal. Sign Up to Assemble Pies ATTENTION JAMAICA MISSION TEAM, AND PARENTS AND YOUTH ATTENDING SUMMER CAMPS AND CONFERENCES We need your help assembling apple pies. We will be doing things a little differently this year. We need a group of adults at 8:00am on Sunday morning to help mix dough and measure ingredients. Additional teams are needed 9:00-11 OR 11:00-2. This will allow you to attend first or second service for worship services. Please sign up at www.signupgenius.org or call Sondra. Mission to Jamaica Payment Due and Meeting Jamaica Mission Team Second Payments are $250/per person and due by Sunday March 3rd. We will have a mission team meeting at 2:00pm, immediately following pie making. It is very important that all Mission Team Members Plan to Attend this very important meeting. If you have not yet submitted passport verification, please plan to bring it with you to the meeting.

Happy Birthday to: 2/27 Marie Miller, Pars Tornakian; 2/28 Kerry Canada-Smith, Jean Sharp, Abby Traylor; 3/2 Polly Taylor; 3/3 Jay Croft, Mark Johnson, Jack Stout; Chuck Willoughby Happy Anniversary to: 3/4 Don and Judy Mitchell