2014 - ISSUE 9 May 6, 2014

Bixby Knolls Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) (562) 426-0428

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PAST AND PRESENT COPIES OF THE FELLOWSHIP NEWS MAY BE VIEWED AT www.scribd.com



So Blessed by You, Mom

A mother who always cares,
A mother whos always there.
A mother who always prays,
A mother who always stays.
When things get rough,
When life gets tough,
When all is just too much to bear,
Gods Word she shares
Gods light she shines.
So blessed God made this mother mine.

(Author Unknown)


Dear Church,
How does one become
good at something?
By practicing.
Malcolm Gladwell,
among others, has docu-
mented how important prac-
tice is. From computer
whizzes like Bill Gates, to star
athletes and musical virtuo-
sos, the one thing they all
have in common is practice.
Lots and lots of practice.
True, some have a
natural talent or ability, but
studies show its practice that
makes the difference.
In this day and age, a
lot of people want to grow in
faith. They long for spiritual
growth. However, they dont
want to practice.
Last month, I wrote
about the similarities be-
tween growing strong physi-
cally, and growing strong
spiritually. Well, if you want
to grow muscles or lose
weight, you need to practice.
You need to exercise. And
you need to do it consis-
tently, regularly, even when
you dont feel like it. In fact,
if you only exercise when you
feel like it, youll probably
never reach your goal.
The same is true for
growing spiritually. You need
to practice often. Every day.
Even on days you dont
feel like it.
Spiritual practices in-
clude prayer/meditation,
study, service to others, and
worship. Every week, you
attend worship; every day,
you should spend some time
engaged in a spiritual prac-
tice. Even if its just five min-
utes. You need to pray, read
the Bible, and find a way to
serve someone besides your-
self.
Even on days you dont
feel like it.
There will be many
days when you sit in silence
and think, Im not getting
anything out of this; this time
of prayer just isnt working.
The same might happen with
your Bible study or service to
others.
Thats okay. The results
dont happen right away.
Your muscles dont grow
overnight, and you dont
achieve your weight loss
goals in a day, a week, or
even a month.
It takes practice. Com-
mitment. Perseverance.
Trust me: one day, per-
haps months or even years
from now, youll have an
aha! moment, and youll
think to yourself, Oh! Thats
what its all about! and
youll find that you have, in
fact, grown spiritually.

A Moment for
You

There are
so many
kinds of
happiness
ahead!
The satisfaction
of jobs well
done, and the
comfort of the
company of
family and
friends. The
delight of
unexpected
blessings, the
excitement
of new
opportunities,
and the joy of
dreams come
true-plus just
plain fun!
Enjoy them all
But only if you practice.

Blessings,
Pastor Danny


Just a Mothers Day Vacation Note!

Thanks to one and all for a Joyous Easter Season. Bells,
ringers, singers and actors made Lent and Easter a time
for reflection and joy at BKCC. Also thanks to every-
one who is covering my Sundays while I am gone this
month, Betsy Hillig, Samantha Kobel, Ioane, Angela Hil-
lig, Madison Kobel, Danny Bradfield and Ken Kobel
( go KINGS).

I will be directing and singing with the Choral Belles
and the California Womens Chorus in Riverside on
May 4
th
and leave on vacation May 5
th
.

Special Praise team practice will be held, maybe, on
May 10
th
.
Ken Kobel is in CHARGE!!

All Choir, Handbell and Improv for God practices are
cancelled until Chancel Choir Sunday, May 18
th
at
9:30am

Hopefully by the time you read this Jim and I will be on
the road to YELLOWSTONE! It will be our first vacation
alone together in 20 years and neither of us have ever
been to the National Parks in Wyoming! Jackson Hole
here we come! Look for us on Facebook if I can figure
out how to transfer pictures!!


Allow us to make a
recommendation. ..
From time to time,
Pastor Danny or
other members of
our congregation
come across a book that they believe would be of
interest to others. Well share a little bit about those
books here in the Fellowship News so you can have
the opportunity to read it yourself if you choose.
Holy Currencies by Eric H.
F. Law is a book that is currently
being read by our church elders,
all of whom agree that it is a won-
derful resource for congregations
like ours. The book is published by
Chalice Press, which is an ecu-
menical ministry of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ). Chalice Press describes
the book as follows:
Money is not the only currency your ministry
needs. Author Eric H. F. Law shows us how the six
blessings of time and place, gracious leadership, rela-
tionship, truth, wellness, and money flow through
successful missional ministries. And they can flow
through your ministry too! Learn how to use these
gifts to rejuvenate, recirculate, regenerate, and ex-
pand your ministry through Law's insightful stories,
instruction, processes, exercises, and activities. Tools
in the book help evaluate how your church uses each
gift and enables church members to measure and
value the six blessings. Holy Currencies will push you
to think beyond your church's current boundaries and
create rich, sustainable missional ministries.
Holy Currencies is available at chalice-
press.com, amazon.com, and elsewhere. The elders
will be reading and discussing this book through the
rest of 2014.
Scrip News
This is the gift time of yeargraduations,
weddings, Fathers Day, and always birth-
daysperfect for purchasing gift cards at
theScriptable.Wewillbeorderingscripon
Sunday, May 11
th
. So, plan ahead to buy
scrip for those special giftsor scrip for your
own everyday purchases. Every little bit
benefitsBKCC.


May 11 - Matthew 16:13-23
What Do You Say
Max Stephens (nephew of Sheri Dubon)
Sumbal Sardar
Virginia Lalla
Keri Clark (daughter of Monica Lanz)
Porter Family, Ruthie Atkin (friends of B. Smith)
Nargis & family in Pakistan (family of Sumbal Sardar)
Keri France & family, Ellis Sparks, Jr., Venus (family &
friends of A. Hillig)
Jean Woodward (friend of Becky Carroll)
GLAD Alliance Membership Challenge
GLAD is an organization of members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) working to
transform the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into a just and inclusive church that welcomes
persons of all gender expressions and sexual identities into the full life and leadership of the church.
GLAD provided much helpful assistance to Bixby Knolls Christian Church as we worked to become an
Open and Affirming congregation, and remains a valuable resource to us as we strive to live out our identity.
Now, GLAD is asking for your help.
At their leadership retreat this past February, the GLAD Alliance Council renewed its commitment to expanding
justice and welcome in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by announcing a new Strategic Vision that focuses on
increasing the number of Open & Affirming ministries in the denomination, educating and supporting the Open & Af-
firming ministries in the pastoral care of LGBT persons, and empowering the Open & Affirming ministries to respond to
justice issues.
The council also made a commitment to increase membership in the Alliance. As a result, GLAD is challenging
every Open & Affirming congregation to inspire 10% or more of its membership to join GLAD.
BKCC has accepted the membership challenge. We can meet this challenge when you become a member of
GLAD. You can do this at contribution.gladalliance.org. Last week, Pastor Danny became the first of our congrega-
tions members to become a member of GLAD. Who will be next?
June 29-July 5: Junior (grades 4-6)
July 6-9: Mini (grades 2-3)
July 6-9: Special Needs
July 10-12: Parent/child
July 13-19: Chi-Rho (grades 7-8)
July 20-26: CYF 1 (grades 9-10)
July 27-Aug 2: CYF 2 (grades 11-12 & 14 grads)


Help cook food for Christian Outreach in
Action (COA). Every 2
nd
Thursday at 8:00
a.m. in our church kitchen.


Our prayer circle meets every 2
nd
and 4
th

Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in room 115. Join this
dedicated group in praying for our church,
community, & world.
Litter pickup: we meet at the front gate
every 3
rd
Sunday at 8:15, to pick up litter
from our neighborhood sidewalks & gut-
ters.


Wednesday Night Dinner: a simple meal
with friends, every Wednesday at 6:00
p.m. Its pay-what-you-can.
Coming Soon! The annual Kim Foot and An-
kle Shoe Drive will kick in (no pun intended).
Keep a look out for the box to place any new
or used shoes. Your contributions mean so
much to others
who are in need.
Thank you.



Healing Touch: Connecting Energy Healing With Faith

Introduction to Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry:
Using Your Hands to Heaven
Saturday, July 19, 9:30-12:30
First Christian Church, Whittier
Suggested donation: $15 (at the door)

The Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry program helps participants connect energy healing with their
faith, and with the history of healing in the Church. This program is rooted in both the Judeo-Christian
perspective and Eastern healing modalities. We recognize that all healing comes from God, and that we
can be conduits of Gods healing compassion.
For churches, HTSM is an effective addition to the work of the Elders, Stephen Ministries and Pas-
toral calling on church members who are hospitalized or homebound.
It may also be used as an effective outreach ministry to your community.
This workshop will explore many healing stories in the Bible, discuss the healing ministry of Jesus
and his Disciples, and the work of the early Church as it continued Jesus call to heal and anoint. We will
also consider how science contributes to our understanding of ancient techniques that come to us from
Eastern traditions. Finally, we introduce a simple technique for the laying-on-of-hands that can be used
in nearly any setting.
Rev. Louise Sloan Goben, Instructor. Louise is an ordained minister of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) and serves as Associate Minister at First Christian Church, North Hollywood. She is
also a Certified Practitioner of Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry and an instructor with the Institute of
Spiritual Healing & Aromatherapy. Louise teaches classes at First Christian Church and at the Holy Spirit
Retreat Center in Encino, CA.
For Additional information contact: Rev. Kel Henderson, Pastor of Community Ministries FCC Whit-
tier at 714-465-6991 or at fcccommunityministries@gmail.com
Thank you Thunder for
taking on the job of water-
ing our plants and land-
scaping. If anyone can help
with weeding, it is appreci-
ated. Pick up a hoe, a rake
and a trash can and do
your part to keep BKCC
looking the best it can be.






CHURCH STAFF:

Pastor Daniel Bradfield
-Minister
Monica Lanz
-Church Secretary
Barbara Neal-Peebles
-Music Director/Organist
Christine Perkinson
- Church Child Care
Suzie Romero
- Custodian

BOARD OFFICERS:
Ken Brown
-Board President
Leo Dittemore
-Vice President
Pat Cohen
-Secretary
Angela Hillig
- Treasurer
Chrysan Naw
- Financial Secretary

-Church Clerk
BIXBY KNOLLS
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(Disciples of Christ)

SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
9:00 a.m. Sunday School for Adults
10:15 a.m. Morning Worship and Childrens Church

OFFICE HOURS:
Monday - Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Friday closed
The Fellowship News

A publication of
Bixby Knolls Christian Church of
Long Beach (a Disciples of Christ
Church)
1240 E. Carson Street
Long Beach, CA 90807
www.bixbyknollschurch.org

Editor:
Monica Lanz
562-426-0428
bkcchurch@aol.com
fax 562-426-0429

Pastor:
Daniel Bradfield

The Fellowship News is published
twice monthly.
Check us out on Facebook

www.facebook.com/bixbyknollschurch
website: www.bixbyknollschurch.org
Bixby Knolls Vision Statement
To know what the Lord requires of us;
to do justice, and love kindness,
and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)
Submit your articles for
the next newsletter by
Sunday, May 18
North Long Beach Christian Church,
111 East Market Street, Long Beach
invites you to celebrate their

85th Anniversary
J une 1

Celebration Highlights will include:
* Honoring the Living Saints of the
Church;
* A Historical Slide Show
* Special Music

Worship: 10:45 a.m.
Celebration Lunch: 12:30 p.m.

RSVP: 562-422-5833 or admin@nlbcc.net