Facts & Figures for May 29, 2011

The Stillwater Christian

Nonprofit Organization
Attendance (123 and 115)...................................238

US POSTAGE PAID
Sunday School………………....………..…...…98 Volume 2011 May 31

Permit No. 280

Stillwater, OK
General Fund Receipts……......................$3,255.90
Capital Fund Receipts..................................$465.01
Loose Offering/Sunday School…....…...….$149.00
Non-Budget Funds Receipts…..….….......$4,108.09
2011 Facts & Figures as of April 30, 2011
YTD Budget Receipts……......…….....$173,410.89
YTD Budget Expenses…….....…….....$171,462.04
Net Receipts over Expenses……..........…$1,948.85
Presented by Kay Smith, Treasurer,
dkwsmith@suddenlink.net
100th Red Cross Blood Drive
at FCC!
The Blood Drive on June 26th
will be the church‟s 100th
drive! Plan on being a donor
and helping us celebrate this
wonderful accomplishment.
In This Issue First Sunday Food Drive, This Sunday!
Remember to bring items for the local food banks. As always, PB&J are needed
Announcements 1
along with pastas, beans & rice. Boxed meals are also nice to have, along with
Care and Feeding 2 canned meat; like tuna. Thank you FCC Family!
of a Candle
Children & Youth 3 Reception Honoring Don Gibson, June 26
Birthdays & 3 A reception honoring Don and Saramay Gibson is set for June 26 for his year of
Anniversaries service as our Interim Associate Minister. Reception will be held during the Sun-
Facts & Figures 4 day School hour. Questions? Contact Sandi Ireland.
Vision Team Drafting New Vision Statement
The Vision Team is forming a new vision statement and for the next few weeks will con-
tinue presenting draft versions of it. Please review this statement and let us know what
you think. You may send your responses to editor@fcc-stillwater.org and Tracy will
compile responses for the vision team.
As Disciples of Christ, we are called to be a community of faith that exhibits an inclusive environ-
ment where all persons are welcome. This welcoming posture recognizes an openness to God‟s
leading as we seek to be examples of our commitment to grow spiritually and lead others to share
in this commitment. As Disciples, we are also called to love and care for each other and extend this
care as we broaden our mission to serve both those in our local community and throughout the
world. We are committed to seek God‟s guidance as we create new avenues of service and stew-
ardship. We continue to listen for the Holy Spirit to lead this church with renewal and unbinding
dedication.

Expanding the Table: Pentecost Offering Taken This Sunday and Next Sunday
Saturday Over 20 years ago, Reverend Richard Hamm created the 2020 Vision for Disciples. He envisioned
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

June 11 starting 1,000 new churches by 2020. Today the new church ministry is thriving with 692 congre-
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

gations and counting! "We are reaching more the 42,000 new Disciples," according to Rick Morse,
7:30am Vice President of New Church Ministry & Mission Initiatives. "Inspiring and well equipped New
Stillwater, OK 74075-7517

Church planters are expanding the table by discovering unique ways to partner with other Disciples
Of Stillwater, OK, Inc.
411 W. Mathews Ave.

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
ministries and regions. Supporting the Pentecost Offering means Disciples congregations are sup-
porting a movement that is vital to the future of the church," he says.
Thank You From The Ladds
Tanner and I would like to thank everyone for their generosity and kindness. We were
able to deliver 3 full car loads of supplies to Joplin to help the Denison family and
their friends. They are very thankful for everything. Losing their home was devastating, but with
the love you all showed, they were able to start the recovery process. Ashley Ladd
Join us this Sunday for Owen Cayton’s Message;
“All the Way to Kingdom Come” based on John 17:1-11 and Acts 1:6-14
Traditional 9:00am · Sunday School 10:10 · Contemporary 11:10
 The Care and Feeding of A Candle
Owen Cayton, Senior Minister pastor@fcc-stillwater.org
I have had a number of conversations recently in which the question has either been
raised overtly or has been the backdrop of the conversation: Why the Bible?
In our congregation, as in the larger Church, there is a wide range of views about the
Bible, particularly about what kind of book the Bible is:
The Bible is the inerrant (without error) word of God (usually along with some quali-
fier such as: in its original form).
The Bible is inspired by God but as written by human beings, it contains a mixture of
divine and human words, thoughts and intentions.
The Bible is a human document written by people earnestly seeking after God in their
own lives.
The Bible is simply a collection of stories and moral teachings that one can follow.
You may find yourself squarely in one of these categories or perhaps even on a spec-
trum between a couple of them. Wherever you find yourself, however, my answer to the
initial question will begin in the same place: the Bible is the Church‟s book. What I mean
when I say that is that the Bible is the primary set of texts the Church uses to understand
what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
There are many texts that are written (some particularly good ones I might add) that
talk about life and offer wisdom or help us to ponder meaning and morality. Some that
come immediately to mind: Aesop‟s Fables, “Common Sense” by Benjamin Franklin,
even religious texts from other faiths can provide wisdom and offer points of convergence
with the Bible and Christian faith. While those texts might be helpful to some degree in
our living out the Christian faith, they are not normative of the faith. They cannot tell us
what it means to be disciples of Jesus, nor do they necessarily have interest in doing so.
As the Church engages in the process of interpreting the Bible; the Church begins to
discover its identity and mission. A part of that interpretation has to be an engagement
with the Church‟s (or a church‟s) context – social, historical, political, geographical,
demographic, etc., as well as taking seriously the context out of which the texts themselves
arose. In this way, the narratives, instruction and meaning of the Bible can begin to come
to life. In this process, we learn to be disciples of Jesus right now.
Throughout history the Church has involved itself in that process by-and-large sur-
rounding the texts of the Bible as we know it. There are other texts that are not a part of
the Bible that were authoritative for particular Christian communities. However, with
these texts we have the opportunity to engage in conversation with those who have gone
before us in faith about the meaning of discipleship – a wide, often diverse conversation.
Taken together, they help us come to terms with our own living out of the faith.
I offer these thoughts, not as an exhaustive argument, but as points for conversations.
Shalom, Pastor Owen
CHILDREN & YOUTH MINISTRY NEWS
Sondra Ladd, Children/Youth Ministry Director youth@fcc-stillwater.org
June 5th Last Worship & Wonder for this session.
All children are encouraged to attend this final session. Worship folders will
be distributed to participants which will include their artwork.
During the Summer, children will enjoy Children‟s Worship. They will meet
in the sanctuary for worship and dismiss together after the Old Testament
scripture to the upstairs youth room. They will watch Old and New Testa-
ment story videos and then return to worship in time for communion.
BOATS STILL NEEDED FOR MISSION CAMP!
300 participants are currently registered for mission camp. We will have 25 small groups which
will be participating in lake activities on Monday, July 25th from 10-4 at Lake Carl Blackwell. If
you have a boat or jet skis and would be willing to help us with lake activities, PLEASE contact
Sondra Ladd immediately. We currently have three boats, drivers and riders and are in need of
at least three additional water craft/drivers.
GUYS CAMPOUT/GALS WEEKEND - June 10-June 11
All Chi Rho and CYF youth are invited. Cost is $10 and that includes everything. This is a cele-
bration of our year of youth and an opportunity to enjoy a little quality time together. Parents are
invited to attend, but attendance is not required in order for youth to participate. HOWEVER,
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT REGISTRATON FEES BE TURNED IN NO LATER
THAN SUNDAY, JUNE 5TH. A „What To Bring‟ list will be provided on Sunday, June 5th.
We need to be aware of adult attendance and transportation needs.
Chi Rho/CYF Summer Class Session
Rick and Sondra Ladd will be teaching the Sunday School class this summer. Beginning Sun-
day, we will study, “When Christians Get It Wrong” by Adam Hamilton. Although summer is
busy, please plan on attending Sunday School and worship. You‟ll be glad you did.
ALL CHURCH VOLUNTEERS Mission Camp Planning Meeting - June 26th
Meeting immediately following the Contemporary Service. If you plan to be a part of Mission
Camp, and we hope that you will, please come and find out where you can plug in. You can be a
part of this amazing ministry opportunity!
Happy Birthday to: 5/31 - Leanita Shelby; 6/1 - Ken Beck, Olivia Traylor,
Janet Varnum, Troy Williamson, Katie Yates; 6/2 - Ruth Maxey, Lisa Croft
6/3 - John Duck, Matt McCollom, Margaret Williamson; 6/4 - Kendall Grind-
staff, Robert Taylor, 6/5 - Jacob Christiansen, Kim Hall
Happy Anniversary to: Steve and Patty Armbruster on June 1st