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The Chalice

A publication of First Christian Church of Edmond, OK

Vol. 3 No. 35 September 29, 2011

CONNECTION

Have you stopped by the Extravagant Generosity

display in the rotunda to pick up your Prayer

Calendar and your GENEROSITY wristband?

Have you stopped to read the wonderful heart card

display on the West wall of the Fellowship Hall?

Have you received your Extravagant Generosity

magazine mailing? (If not, check the rotunda table!)

ExtravagantGENEROSITYThe Heart of GivingBy Rev. Dr. Jerry Black, Associate Minister

In his book,Five

Practices of

Fruitful

Living,

Robert

Schnase writes: Through the practice

ofRadical Hospitality,we receive

God and invite Gods love into our

lives. By practicing Passionate

Worship, we love God in return;

God shapes our hearts and minds aswe begin to see the world through

Gods eyes. We cooperate with

the Holy Spirit in our own spiritual

growth as we practice Intentional

Faith Development. God calls us

to make a difference in the lives of

others, and we practice Risk-Taking

Mission and Service. And at some

point in our following of Christ, we

realize all that we are comes from

God and belongs to God; this leads

us to the practice ofExtravagantGenerosity. (p. 116, emphases mine)

Since we discovered this summerthat these practices so beautifully

describe our core values, we have

intentionally set our annual pledge

campaign in the language and spirit

ofExtravagant Generosity: The

Heart of Giving. Following the Old

Testament practice of giving to God

the first and best of our life harvest

and the New Testament emphasis of

Jesus in giving with the spirit of the

poor widow, we have been remindedthat it is in giving, rather than getting,

that we truly become the people God

wants us to be.

In this brief journey, I have been

privileged to hear some of your

personal giving discoveries. These

have often been subtle, but rich and

powerful storieschilling, inspiring;

and life changing stories. For this

sharing, I am more than grateful

and more than just a bit awed. I am

inspired.

As we come together on thisWorld Communion Sunday and to

the end of this years campaign, ma

every one of us willingly commit to

give from the heart. All we have is a

gift from Gods heart to ours. How

give in turn, reflects our heart for G

If you havent already, fill out

your 2012 Commitment Card, brin

it with you this Sunday (or use an

extra provided in the pews) and pla

it before the altar as you come tothe Table for communion. Togethe

we will ask God to consecrate and

bless our gifts and our collective

heart of giving. Then we will join in

lunch celebration for the extravagan

generosity demonstrated this day an

officially welcome the Shorows homRemember the time change: a

common Sunday School hour at 9:

am and Unified Worship at 10:45 a

Lunch and Chris sabbatical report

will follow. See you then!

SPROUTS Parents:

There will be no Sprouts for the

Unified Worship at 10:45 a.m.

this Sunday, October 2nd. We

welcome all Sprouts to join us in

the Sanctuary for worship!

Thank you,

Anna Lisa Stanley

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Dont Miss

The 5th AnnualFCC FOLLIES

& CHILI

COOK-OFF

Sunday, October 9Our old fashioned chili cook-off and

Follies talent show is tasty and entertain

fun! Bring your best chili and enter it in

the annual chili cookoff which begins at

5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. No ch

recipe? No problem! Bring a finger food

or dessert to share. At 6:30 p.m. in the

Sanctuary, enjoy an evening of FREE

entertainment featuring some of the

best talent in Edmond..our own FCC

members! Register your Follies act and

your pot of chili this Sunday at the Folli

display in the rotunda, or online at

www.fccedmond.org/follies QuestionContact Diane Ball at 341-3544, ex. 11

dball@fccedmond.org

With Open MindsInterfaith Tour OfferedGlimpse of Religious DiversityBy Rev. Greg Bunton,Associate Minister of Student MinistriesLast Sunday 30 students and five adult sponsors from

First Christian had the opportunity to participate in the

2011 Interfaith Youth Tour. The event was sponsored

by the Oklahoma Conference of Churches, and was

designed to educate students about the Muslim, Jewish

and Orthodox Christian faiths.

Our tour helped build bridges of understandingbetween different faith traditions, by providing a glimpse into our neighbors tradtions,

beliefs and beautiful spaces of worship. We visited the Islamic Society of Greater

Oklahoma Citys Mosque, Temple Bnai Israel, and St. George Greek Orthodox

Church.

There were about 150 other students and sponsors on the tour with us, including

students from each faith represented on the tour along with fellow Disciples of Christ

from New Covenant Christian and Western Oaks Christian in OKC, First Christian of

Yukon and Central Christian in Enid.

There is so much misunderstanding out there, and this was a great learning

opportunity, particularly in light of everything that has gone on in this country over the

last 10 years. It was a great way for students of different faith backgrounds to come

together and learn from one another.

When we love God, we know that God gives and gives extravagantly. So, when we valu

the things God values, we are compelled to do the most we possibly can, even when it i

difficult. We are inspired by Gods giving to give like God extravagantly, of ourselve

our time, our money and our energy. The habit of giving enriches us and opens our he

for greater service and blessings. God doesnt need our money; God wants our hearts.

Giving is a heart decision.

We hope you have decided how you will support the ministries of First Christian in

coming year. A Commitment to Give Card was mailed to you, along with a publication

showing some of the ways our extravagant generosity is changing lives in our communi

and in Gods worship. Have you completed your card? Your commitment enables the

church to implement ministries throughout the year. Giving calls us to put our trust in G

as we give away resources we think we need. Bring your completed Commitment Card

church this Sunday where we will hand them in as a united church family.

How extravagantly generous that will be!

Dont Miss Gratitude Sunday, 2011Our Schedule this Sunday, October 2

9:30am Sunday School

10:45 Unied Worship

12:00 FREE Gratitude Lunch!

Shorow Sabbatical Presentation following lunch

Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldnt

give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver.

(2 Corinthians 9:7, CEB)

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Tour with theCLASSICS

to Fort Sill!

Thursday, October 6

Join us on a visit to Ft. Sill with Rev

Jerry Black as our host! Youll need

to bring a photo ID for Base entry.

Wear COMFY Walking Shoes!

Contact Winnie Hall at 341-4297.

Payment due soon!

Are You ConsideringMembership?

Join us for

Discover

First ChristianSunday, October 9

10:00 AMin Fellowship Hall

Meet some of our staff andmembers, learn about our

history, our missionand our ministries.

Lets Spread the JOY!Help Fill and Pack Shoeboxes

for Operation Christmas ChildOur next packing party for OperationChristmas Child will be Wednesday, October12, from 9 AM to 12 PM. These boxes will ndtheir way into the hands of children whowould otherwise get nothing for Christmas. We would love to receive any of thefollowing items.

Questions? Contact Michele Schlough at 844-3214 with questions.

l HARD candy (individually wrapped)l combs or brushesl small items of clothingl ip ops

l toothpastel stuffed animalsl small toysl shoe boxes

A Thank You to theHistory Committeeby Loree M. RiceAs the self-appointed chair of the History Update

Committee, I want to thank personally the

members of that committee for their hard work

and huge time commitment to write and publish

The History of First Christian Church: The First

Decade of the Second Century 1999-2009. Four

members of the original History Committee

returned to work on the update: Shirley Brown,

Carlita Walters, Chris Westhof, and myself.

Fortunately, when I asked Sue Archer and JackWarner to replace Tony Stump and Vieva Yoesting, they readily agreed. I want also to

thank the many members of the congregation who graciously shared the information

in the book. They are acknowledged individually in the Sources section at the end of

each chapter. And special thanks go to Shelley Regan, Mark Taylor, and Chris and

Connie Westhof for producing the finished product.

Happy Birthday!10/2 Raya Carpenter, Cooper Coil,

Loretta Dodd, Barbara George,

Kelly Jackson, Dante Little, MasonMarsh, Lorene Wilkinson10/3 Christin Baker, Paxton Shorow10/4 Clay Carson, Aubrey Hammond,

Meredith Sanford, Dorothy Sisson10/5 Scott Kinnaird, Larry Perdue,

Anna Regan, Madison Young10/6 Steffanie Ward10/7 Courtney Chism-Moeller, Kyle

Malzahn, Staci Nash, AmandaStuke, Isaac VanOsdol

10/8 Bob Crull, Gary Owen, ConnerSchmitz, Cooper Sulley, Danielle

Sulley10/9 Barry Black, Quinton Conaway,

Matthew Farley, Conner Kious,Coy Parsley, Patsy Ruble, GlennSulley

Prayers of the PeopleTHOSE IN NEED OF PRAYER Lucas Peterson, Ed Berry,

Bart Rodr, Eldred Jennings (Janet Helms dad), ShirleyBrown, Kathy Badger (Julie Buntons mom),Lura Wilson(Paula Baileys mom), Alice Birdsong (Charlanne Johnsons

mom), Joe Samuels, Joan Grant, Bill & Mary Lou Womble, Roy Jackson, NitaWilliams (Jeff Williams mom), Naomi Bell (Karen Walenciaks mom), Rose MarieMcKee, Barbara Hall

OUR SYMPATHY AND PRAYERS To Marcy Williams in the passing of her aunt,Nanette Rutherford, on September 22. Services were held September 27 inTahlequah.

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The Chalice CONNECTION

Shelley Regan, Editorsregan@fccedmond.orgRead News Online

@ fccedmond.org/newsSubmit Articles to

news@fccedmond.org

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Childrens DisasterServices VolunteerWorkshopTulsa @ Bethany Christian ChurchNovember 4 & 5 Are you looking for a meaningful way tohelp children and families after disasters? Do

you have a warm heart, patience, team spirit,

a sense of adventure, and time to give?

If so, consider becoming a Childrens

Disaster Services Volunteer. Childrens

Disaster Services, a Church of the Brethren

Ministry, trains and certifies volunteers for

specialized child care after disasters. They

provide a safe environment and comforting

presence for children impacted by traumatic

events.If you are interested in becoming a CDS

volunteer, a training workshop will be held

in Tulsa on November 4-5, 2011, 5:00 p.m.

Friday till 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Questions?

Contact Myrna Jones at 918.749.6612 or

918.688.0240; myrnajj@att.net

C.R.I.S.P.Community Responding toInternational Students Program

U.C.O., Fall Semester This program is designed to join familiesin the community with international studen

from the University of Central Oklahoma

(UCO). These families spend time with

an international student to learn from

each others culture and to appreciate the

diversity. Additionally, this is an opportuni

for international students to experience the

American lifestyle and the comforts of a

family.

CRISP is a one semester commitment an

does not involve the student living with the

family. Families commit to spending time w

their assigned student at least once a month

Simply having the student over for a family

meal is a popular activity. We desire to give

these students the chance to feel the comfo

of a home away from home. If interested,

contact Brandon Lehman at 405.974.2448

blehman@uco.edu

Two Opportunities To Serve with

Open HandsWorshipat First Christian8:15, 9 & 11am

October 2, 2011

UNIFIED Worship @ 10:30amMessage: Rev. Chris ShorowScripture: II Corinthians 9:6-12Theme: Declarations of Your

Heart - Extravagant Generosity

October 9, 2011Message: Rev. Dr. Jerry Black &

Rev. Greg BuntonScripture: Mark 9:2-8Theme: When God Speaks