News from Northwest Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) March 2014 — Issue 3

Wednesday, March 5,

2014 at 7:30pm in

the Chapel

Join us for this special

service as we begin our

Lenten journey.

The Northwest Christian Church Youth ChoirThe Northwest Christian Church Youth ChoirThe Northwest Christian Church Youth ChoirThe Northwest Christian Church Youth Choir proudly presents...proudly presents...proudly presents...proudly presents...

Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15 at 7:30pmat 7:30pmat 7:30pmat 7:30pm

The NWCC Youth Choir presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The biblical account of Jacob and his sons comes to life in this fully

staged and choreographed drama.

Please plan on attending and bring a friend!!

WEEK OF COMPASSION SPECIAL OFFERING

Over $1400 has been donated

toward the WOC Special

Offering to date.

From your ministers

The prophet Micah states succinctly in chapter 6, verse 8: “He has told you, O

mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to

love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” The ministry of the church has attempted throughout its life to reflect this three-fold movement in doing the

requirements of our Lord. We desire to walk humbly with God through our prayer, study and worship life together. In our ministries of mercy through NNEMAP, Habitat, CROP Walk and Week

of Compassion we attempt to show God’s kindness and to love others as God loves us all. The third portion of Micah’s divine requirements is “to do justice.” What does it mean for the church to “do justice?” Miroslav Volf in his book, Exclusion and Embrace, writes about justice from a Christian perspective.

“To be a Christian means to be attached to a community and be shaped by its beliefs and practices . . .

the place where [the Christian] will learn about justice is the community called the church. The

object of her meditation will be the biblical traditions and the beliefs and the practices of saints and

sinners. Christian thought on justice is rooted in the fiery protests of prophets and in the engaged

reflection of apostles. It derives from the whole narrative of God’s dealing with humanity, a narrative

which is particularly dense at the point where Jesus Christ enters that small country under Roman

occupation, proclaims and enacts the coming reign of God, is crucified by the Romans, and

resurrected by God.”

God has shown us that it is not sufficient for the church and individual Christians to sit back and merely contemplate the injustice in the world. As God reached out to embrace and redeem the world through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, so too the church is called to reach out in significant ways with the heart and courage of the Divine to affirm the humanity and dignity of all people. This task is not ours alone. In fel-lowship with other Christians and people of faith throughout our community, we can join hands and hearts in promoting God’s justice. An organization of faith-filled people called BREAD is inviting us to join with them in the prophet Micah’s vision of doing justice. Fifty- four congregations representing over 40,000 members come together throughout Franklin County for the purpose of building the power of faithful people to solve community problems. The membership of BREAD is diverse racially, religiously and economically. We now have the opportunity to learn more about this work and decide if and how we can become involved. ON MINISTRY MONDAY, MARCH 3, AT 7:00 PM GATHER WITH US IN THE CHAPEL to hear an important presentation about BREAD and how our justice ministry can grow with this ecumenical organization. Representatives from Bread will meet with us to explain how and why we should get involved. Please make it a priority to gather with us in the Chapel for Ministry Monday!

Easter Eggstravaganza Saturday, April 5th 10:00 – 11:30am in Fellowship Hall

Mark your calendars for the annual Easter Eggstravaganza scheduled for April

5th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall. This event is for all children

through 5th grade and their parents and/or grandparents. Crafts, games,

snacks and a candy/prize hunt will be available. It is also rumored that the

Easter Bunny might make a visit! Plan to attend and bring along a friend or two! WE NEED

VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THIS EVENT – please sign up in the narthex or notify Deb-

bie Stephan of your interest. Also, we will be accepting donations of wrapped candy and small

bags of goldfish/Teddy Grahams/fruit snacks through March 30th. Please give generously as

the children LOVE the candy hunt! We also need empty, clean, 2-liter bottles for a craft.

Summer Camp Update It will soon be time to register for summer programs at Camp Christian. In an effort to help you plan as a family, available camp dates as well as fee

information is included below. Please note that the fees reflect ‘Early Bird’ pricing

(registered by May 1st). If you have any questions regarding camp, please contact

Debbie Stephan. If you are in need of financial assistance, please contact Rev. Cindy or

Pastor Jeff as we do have scholarship money available.

Children who have completed grades 2, 3, 4, or 5:

June 22 – 28 Otter Camp for grades 3, 4 & 5

June 29 – July 1 Ribbit Camp for grades 2, 3, 4 (new camp held for 4 days) Youth who have completed grades 6, 7, 8 Youth who have completed grades 9, 10, 11, 12: June 8 – 14 Chi Rho Camp #1 June 15 – 21 CYF Conference #1

July 13 – 19 Chi Rho Camp #2 July 6 – 12 CYF Conference #2

July 27 – August 2 Chi Rho Camp #3 July 20 – 26 CYF Conference #3

Total Fee

Church

Support

Fundraising

Efforts Family Responsibility

Full week camp

(Otter, Chi Rho, CYF) $350 $80 $60 $210

4-day camp

(Ribbit) $190 $40 $30 $120

Sunday School Happenings

We wrapped up our “Top Ten Plus One Camp” on February 23rd and had a great

time learning about the Ten Commandments as well as the Greatest

Commandment given to us in the New Testament. We were blessed (perhaps

‘entertained’ would be a better word?) to have Moses visit us every week and

share the stories of the commandments (thanks, Chris Femia!). Looking ahead… We will prepare for the Lenten season on March 2nd by sharing a King’s Cake

and learning about Ash Wednesday. Over the spring, we will have lessons on Joseph (to help us

better understand the “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” youth musical), Easter, Samson

and Delilah (getting ready for “The Hair Raising Story of Samson” KOK musical), Mother’s Day

and our Spring Fling on May 18th (if the weather cooperates we might go outside!).

LENTEN VESPERS FOR 2014 “Jesus According to the Gospel of John”

Lenten Vesper Services reflecting on the Ministry and Passion of Jesus Christ

through stories from the Fourth Gospel

Worship in the Chapel every Sunday in Lent at 7:30 pm (March 9 – April 13)

First Sunday in Lent—John 1:29-51

“Lamb of God”

Second Sunday in Lent—John 3:1-17 “Life in the Spirit”

Third Sunday in Lent—John 4:5-42

“Living Water”

Fourth Sunday in Lent—John 9:1-41

“Light in Our Darkness”

Fifth Sunday in Lent—John 11:1-45

“Resurrection and Life”

Palm Sunday—John 12:12-36

“King”

Good Friday (9:00 pm)—John 19:1-42

“Crucified God”

Let's support our youth ministry by shopping at the fundraising table and

purchasing Fair Trade products as well as Anthony Thomas candy bars!

This fundraiser helps to offset the cost of summer camp and your generous support is appreciated.

LENTEN DEVOTIONAL BOOKS Be sure to pick up in the narthex your copy of “The Lord’s Prayer for Lent,” a devotional guide for this holy season. Let the Lord’s Prayer guide you through Lent in this daily devotional that highlights a petition of the Lord’s Prayer each week.

SHADOWS, DARKNESS, AND DAWN: A Lenten Journey with Jesus

You are invited to the home of Pastor Jeff and Barbara Wheeler on Wednesdays during Lent to reflect and pray together. In our sharing,

daily readings for the season of Lent engage us with the Gospel of John’s narratives about Jesus: the temptation in the wilderness, Nicodemus’ nighttime visit, the encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus’ healing of the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus, and the events

of Holy Week. A book is provided for your reading and reflection.

Each gathering begins with fellowship at 7:15pm.

Dates are March 12- April 16.

Jeff and Barbara (along with Baylee Boo) live at 5486 Thorney Drive, Hilliard. Please contact the church office if you plan to attend.

We welcome Erich Kuntzman to our church staff as our substitute custodian while Dave Strawser is recovering from knee surgery.

Please welcome Erich and send prayers for

quick healing to Dave Strawser.

Use your Giant Eagle when purchasing department store, movie theatre or restaurant gift cards. Pick out your gift cards, scan your card when paying and NWCC will benefit from your purchase.

For NWCC to earn 5% on purchases at Giant Eagle, you must first purchase Giant Eagle gift cards from Keith Rose or stop by the church office during the week.

By going to the church website and clicking on Amazon, any purchases you make while on this site will benefit NWCC in the amount of 5%.

If you have not enrolled with Kroger's to designate NWCC to benefit from your shopping, you can enroll online using our organization number (81359). NWCC will receive a reward of

about 5% of your shopping receipt amount, at no extra cost to you.

We welcome Michelle Gibson to our church staff as our Child Care Giver in

the nursery and toddler area.

Michelle brings a love for young children to this position and is excited to be officially on board

as of February 2nd!

All women are invited to attend!

Ruth Circle — Will host a taco dinner on Tuesday, March 11 for youth musical participants at 6:00pm in the narthex. At 7:00pm, Ruth Circle invites all women to a video Bible study entitled "Joseph."

Ruth Circle will participate in the Fill A Half Million Bowls community service project in March. See

Mary Beth Blome for details.

Esther Circle — Tuesday, March 18

at 12:30pm at MCL.

Abigail Circle — Monday, March 24

at 7:30pm in the Chapel

Saturday, March 8, 2014

8:00am in Fellowship Hall. All men are invited to join for breakfast & fellowship.

Fair Trade Youth

Fundraiser

Thank you for your

continued support of the

Fair Trade products fundraiser.

Through your purchases of coffee, tea,

and chocolate, you not only assist our

youth in attending summer camp you also

support the Disciple Coffee Project.

God’s People on the God’s People on the God’s People on the God’s People on the Stewardship Journey Stewardship Journey Stewardship Journey Stewardship Journey

Mark 4:26-29 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the

ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not

know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the

head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

A farmer never puts down one seed. He scatters many seeds. Not all of them grow, but the ones that do seem to grow by themselves. So it is with the Kingdom of God. Each one does something useful, but not just once. We pray regularly; we help others as often as we can; we walk with God every day. Some days go better than others, but we keep on. And the Kingdom grows and matures. A harvest needs an entire field, not just one plant. There is a power in collective action that is crucial. One person may not be able to “fight city hall” for justice in our community, but a whole host of citizens have an entirely different effect. One person’s tithes may not go far in assisting others, but the tithe from an entire church congregation can accomplish much. There are many layers to consider in Jesus’ illustration. We are both the sower and the seed that grows into grain. We do our part in the Kingdom of God while we are also in the process of maturing as Christians. Together we form the field of ripened grain for the Farmer’s harvest. We are needed for the Kingdom, as individuals doing God’s will and as a group. Blessings, Carla Nuenke, Stewardship Moderator

General Fund Balance

$0

$12,000

$24,000

$36,000

$48,000

$60,000

$72,000

$84,000

Dec-11 Apr-12 Aug-12 Dec-12 Apr-13 Aug-13 Dec-13

Notes From The Administrative Council Meeting of February, 2014Notes From The Administrative Council Meeting of February, 2014Notes From The Administrative Council Meeting of February, 2014Notes From The Administrative Council Meeting of February, 2014 The special gifts building fund will be retained from 2013. Under the 2014 budget, monthly building mortgage payments will be made from the operating fund. Those wishing to make special gifts to the building fund will simply mark their gifts as such: the funds will be added to the special gifts building fund and disbursed to make extra (capital reduction) payments on the mortgage. Our very gifted and talented Secretary, Tracy McManamon, has had her status changed from hourly to salary. This recognizes her skills in office administration and the trust we all place on her for independent action: “Resolved that Tracy McManamon, in view of her valued and continuing contributions to NWCC, to her office management skills, and to her capability to make trusted discretionary judgments

in her role, shall be reclassified as a salary-exempt employee effective Jan 1, 2014.” A plan to provide disability/death benefits to NWCC lay staff was fleshed out and will be acted on by the congregation. The Property Stewards (Clint Taylor) have found a temporary replacement for custodian Dave Strawser, who will be out of action for several months. Your continued prayers for Dave are requested. The ministers have found a replacement for our child care provider Liz Richards, who has been out of action for nearly 6 months, and still has a long rehab ahead of her. Your continued prayers for Liz are requested. Camp fees continue to rise. Director of Christian Education Deb Stephan proposed a modest increase in the NWCC subsidy to camp fees, which was approved by the administrative council. Ted Thomas, Administrative Chair

A NEW 10-WEEK CLASS OFFERED Tuesday Evenings March 11—May 13 at NWCC from 7:30-9:00pm

Facilitators: Carolyn Abels and Leslie Ahmadi

Many books and articles are written about taking care of our children as they grow from infancy through the teen years; however, there are far fewer resources that offer guidance in our relationships with our adult children. A book, published in 2012, entitled Blessing Your Own Children (Affirming, Helping and Establishing Boundaries) by Debra Evans is a welcome addition to understanding how relationships change as children leave home and how we thread our way through these changes. The chapters contain thoughtful questions and prompts for personal reflection. One reviewer stated, “This book helps us refocus our prayers and spiritual influence as we love and let go. Debra’s insights are realistic, insightful, and deeply spiritual.”

The book, Blessing Your Grown Children by Debra Evans will be needed. Cost is $16.00 (Barnes and Noble or Amazon.) **Remember, by signing into Amazon from the church’s website brings an automatic 5% reward to the church. **

Please call the office or speak with Carolyn or Leslie to register. All our welcome!!

SHARED THOUGHTS FROM OUR SEMINARIAN, BECKY ROGERS I thought I would offer a taste of my seminary classes to the congregation. I am currently enrolled in Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Family Systems Therapy, Alcoholism and Other Addictions and am auditing Trauma and Narrative Therapy in Pastoral Counseling. This time I would like to invite you to read Genesis 16 and 21, the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael. Our class (Hebrew Bible) is examining Genesis this week. We were given the assignment to present an inquiry on this particular story. I have read several articles by theologians from different perspectives. An African American Womanist theologian, Danna Nolan Fewell, wrote the article that particu-larly fascinated me. She pointed out that the African American woman would focus on Hagar in this story because of the historical relationship. Hagar represents the minority race and the en-slaved culture. I would like to pose some questions for you to think about as you read the story. I invite you to read the story from new eyes, as if you had never heard the scenario.

1. How does God’s promises affect the characters in the story? Each one independently.

2. What would you think if you were in Hagar’s position? Sarah’s position? Ishmael’s?

3. Did Abraham care about Hagar or was she just a tool to assist God in fulfilling the promise?

4. How does this story apply to our lives today? Are we patient waiting on God’s promises? Do we take matters into our own hands? Or perhaps, God wants us to use our free will to produce these results. How do we know?

I am finding that this exercise causes more questions than answers. Perhaps that is the role of a seminarian. I would love to further inquire into this or other aspects of any of my studies with any of you that might be interested. I thank the church and the Foundation for the support you provide for me in my pursuit of my Masters in Counseling Ministries. Sincerely, Becky Rogers

Northwest Christian Church—1340 Fishinger Road, Columbus, OH 43221

Worship Hours: 8:30am and 11:00am / Summer Worship Hours (June-Aug) 10:00am Sunday School—Adult and Youth 9:45am / Children’s Bible Zone (during Worship)

Office Hours: 9:00am-2:30pm Monday-Friday / Phone: 614-457-6290 / Website: www.northwestchristian.org

We apologize if we’ve missed your birthday or

anniversary. Please contact the office so we can

update our church records.

Thank you!!Thank you!!Thank you!!Thank you!!

3/2 Juli Ball

3/3 Mahlon Walters

3/5 Don Alexander

3/7 Warren Fife

3/8 Virginia Kaltenbach

3/8 Victor Jochem

3/8 Emma Headley

3/10 Kristen Everman

3/12 Natalie Bickhart

3/12 Tracy McManamon

3/14 Rebecca Rings

3/15 Lanny Rhodes

3/17 Tanner Bidish

3/18 Melissa Allen

3/19 Barb Thomas

3/19 Patrice Fatig

3/19 Laura Stafford

3/2 Dennis and Judy Richardson

3/10 Bill and Renee Taylor

3/13 Rob and Jan McConathy

3/14 Jim and Donna Moore

3/18 Dick and Carla Nuenke

3/23 Dale and Linda Johnson

3/24 Bruce and Linda Anschutz

3/28 Tim and Kathy Naegele

Celebrating An Anniversary...

3/20 Annie Preston

3/20 Hal Thorley

3/21 Paul Hill

3/21 Emily Rings

3/23 Maxine Cardosi

3/23 Evelyn Behm

3/23 Pat Bickhart

3/23 Katie King

3/25 Bev Bickhart

3/26 Koral Alexander

3/26 Kim Badgeley

3/26 Jackson Buty

3/28 Kathy Naegele

3/28 Clare Fife

3/29 Bruce Anschutz

3/31 Matthew Pfenning

3/31 Alexandra Smith

We say thank you to Liz Richards for her years of service with us

and continue to pray for her healing and God’s blessing.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

10:00am-Noon

Youth Choir

Rehearsal

2 8:30am Worship

9:00am Youth Choir

11:00am Worship

3:30pm T.Chimes/Bells

4:00pm Youth Activities

3

11:00am Staff Meeting

7:00pm Ministry

Monday Meeting

4

8:30am Riverside

Sewing Circle

7:00pm Youth Choir

Rehearsal

5

10:00am Bible Study

in Room 17

7:30pm Ash

Wednesday Service

6

6:00pm Property Stwd

6:30pm Scout Council

7:30pm Chalice Choir

7

7:30pm Highpoint

Bible Study

8 8:00am Men’s

Breakfast

10:00am-Noon

Youth Choir

Rehearsal

9 8:30am Worship

9:00am Youth Choir

11:00am Worship

3:30pm T.Chimes/Bells

4:00pm Youth Activities

7:30pm Vespers

10

11:00am Staff Meeting

7:00pm Administrative

Council Meeting

7-9:00am Youth Choir

Rehearsal

11

6:00pm Ruth Circle

7:30pm Blessing

Your Children class

7-9:00pm Youth

Choir Rehearsal

12

10:00am Bible Study

in Room 17

7:15pm Lenten Class

at Wheelers’ Home

NO YOUTH

CHOIR REHEARSAL

13

7-9:00pm Youth Choir

Dress Rehearsal

14

7:30pm “JOSEPH”

Youth Musical

7:30pm Highpoint

Bible Study

15

7:30pm “JOSEPH”

Youth Musical

16

8:30am Worship

11:00am Worship

7:30pm Vespers

17 St. Patrick’s Day

11:00am Staff Meeting

7:00pm Elders Meeting

18

12:30pm Esther

Circle (MCL)

7:30pm Blessing

Your Children class

19

10:00am Bible Study

in Room 17

7:15pm Lenten Class

at Wheelers’ Home

20

7:30pm Chalice Choir

21

7:30pm Highpoint

Bible Study

22

23

8:30am Worship

11:00am Worship

7:30pm Vespers

24

11:00am Staff Meeting

7:30pm Abigail Circle

25

7:30pm Blessing

Your Children class

26

10:00am Bible Study

in Room 17

7:15pm Lenten Class

at Wheelers’ Home

27

28

7:30pm Highpoint

Bible Study

29

30 8:30am Worship

9:00am Youth Choir

11:00am Worship

3:30pm T.Chimes/Bells

4:00pm Youth Activities

7:30pm Vespers

31

11:00am Staff Meeting

7:00pm Worship

Commission Meeting

MARCH ~ NWCC Calendar of Events