Volume 13, Issue 9 October, 2009

Pastor’s Column 2

Core Classes 3

IMPACT Kids 4

Group Life Conference 5

[UN]Common Student Ministries 6

A m o n t h l y c o m m u n i q u é o f

C h r i s t i a n L i f e F e l l o w s h i p

Inside this issue:

One Church

Two Locations

Page 2 O N LI N E

are in the midst of a series about “The Faith,” those core beliefs that

Christians down through the ages have believed and practiced. The challenge today is that so many peo-ple who profess to be Christians don’t really know what they believe, or why they believe it. Charles Colson has written a great book titled “The Faith,” which some of you have read and others are in the process of reading as part of your small group study.

It’s not only Christians who don’t always know what they believe. There are a lot of non-believers who don’t know what they believe, either, and sometimes they make claims that don’t even make sense. Those are great moments for us to ask them to explain their statements. It can be the basis for a wonderful discussion to ensue.

In his book Colson shares a delightful story that happened to him, and I will quote him:

Few people actually think through these choices; rather, most are influenced by cultural prejudice, as I discovered a few years back when I attended an exclusive dinner the night before a governor’s prayer breakfast. The gen-tleman seated next to me greeted me with a blunt warning that he was an atheist. I looked at him for a moment---graying temples, a wise expression, handsomely attired---the very im-

age of a community leader. I told him I was glad to sit next to him because “I’ve never really met an atheist.”

As his eyebrows arched, I explained, “An atheist believes the existence of God can be disproved. So please, tell me how you’ve done that.” He looked momentarily uncomfortable. “Well, perhaps I should say I’m an agnostic.”

“When did you give up studying about God?” I asked. Now his neck began to redden. He admitted he’d really never tried. “But an

agnostic is one who says he doesn’t think God can be known, and you can only be an agnostic if you’ve tried to know Him and exhausted the search.” I’m not sure even now what made me so bold, but I added, “So I would say that while you appear to be a very well-educated person, you’ve made an unsupportable state-ment.”

Not surprisingly, he was offended and rather quiet for the rest of the evening. Some weeks later I received a copy of the editorial page of the state’s largest newspaper. It turned out my dinner companion was the publisher. His lead editorial was an explanation of how my visit had affected his view of life, how relig-ion was indeed an important element of all of our lives and something we needed to pursue.

Senior Pastor’s Column We

VOLUM E 13, I SSUE 9 Page 3

What struck the publisher was that his own point of view proved unsupportable.

Now granted, we do not all have the brilliant mind of a Charles Colson. I wish I did! But we cer-tainly do need to know what we believe, why we be-lieve it, and why it is important. It is only then that we will really live out our Christian faith. That’s why I believe this series of studies is so important for every one of us. And not just for those of us who are followers of Christ, but also for those who are simply seeking truth, or even for those who may have serious doubts about faith.

That’s why I would like to put an October chal-lenge out to the entire CLF church family. I chal-lenge all of us to arrange our calendars so that we can attend one weekend service (you have 4 to choose from!) each weekend of October. And fur-thermore, I would like to challenge all of us to think and pray about someone that we could invite to come and take in these services with us. After you have thought and prayed, then put feet to your prayers and

make the invite. Just imagine what an exciting month it would be around here if we all took the challenge to heart! And who can imagine what could happen in the lives of these people we have invested in?

So, there’s the challenge! Are you up for it? I hope and pray so.

Our great Kids Candy Carnival is taking place at the end of October. This is a wonderful outreach op-portunity for us, and I just want to thank you in ad-vance for all the help and enthusiasm you will put into this event. Again, this presents a great chance to invite some kids and their parents to be a part of this fun night. These are prime-time opportunities that we need to take advantage of for the sake of the kingdom of God. So get signed up to help, and put the invite out to as many as you can. Together we will make this a memorable event for all who attend.

Page 4 O N LI N E

It’s Kids Candy Carnival Time!!

God is continuing to bless our efforts as we faith-fully strive to reach out and influence this tri-city area for Christ. Kids Candy Carnival has become not only a safe, fun and wholesome alternative to a very dark night, it has become a wonderful opportunity for us to share the Gospel message and let the people of the community share the fun and relationships that we as God’s people enjoy.

Over the past few years since God opened up the doors of op-portunity for us to take the Kids Candy Carnival to the community, we have seen thousands of kids and their families come through the doors. Hundreds of volunteers each year set aside the night to run a car-

nival game, hand out candy and tracts, pray and share a little of God’s love with many. This outreach endeavor would not have been possible without your efforts. Year after year it is exciting to be involved in this method of evangelism that Jesus modeled for us.

God is continuing to bless this outreach and we are excited to again be taking the KCC to the Rapids Mall. Everything will take place on Saturday October 31st from 4 – 7 pm. Carnival games galore will be set up this year, all through the Rapids Mall and throughout the Centralia walk way, leading to the Community Theater, where our entertainment for the evening will be present-ing God’s message in a fun and exciting way, using illu-sions! Our entertainer Sheldon Rhodes will be perform-

ing 3 times during the evening, 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30. You will want to make sure to catch at least one of his shows.

So how can you be part of this year’s KCC?

First and most important, be praying for event. Pray that God’s hand would guide each and every aspect of the planning and preparation that has already begun, and that we would be able to share God’s message with many children and families through this event.

Second, be looking to invite friends, neighbors and family. Posters and flyers will soon be available for you to help distribute.

Third, donate candy. Every year over 1500 bags of candy are distributed. We ask that each family donate what they can to help make this a possibility again this year. If you don’t have time to shop and would like us to do the shopping, you can donate monetarily and mark your giving “candy”.

Fourth, look to join in the fun of serving! Each year I walk away exhausted, but feeling totally blessed at the same time. This year we will be without many of our teens, who play a big role in running carnival games. We will need to all step up and help fill these spots.

In addition to the 100 plus people that are needed to run carnival games the evening of October 31st, every-thing needs to be transported to the mall Sat. morning. Teams are needed to help set up games the morning of the carnival and teams are need to tear down and trans-port things back to church Sat night. So as you can see there is a place for everyone! As God continues to bless this event and we continue to expand this outreach, we need the help of every person in our church family. By everyone participating in some capacity, we can make the kind of IMPACT that God wants us to have in our community. You don’t want to miss out on the fun or the blessings!!

Michelle Sweet Director of Kids Ministries

VOLUM E 13, I SSUE 9 Page 5

     Student Ministries has gone through some re‐vamping that we are very excited about as we kick off this school year with strong momentum.  The first change is a name change.  For the last 15 years the name ‘Pulse Student Minis‐tries’ has served its pur‐pose and mis‐sion well.  In fact, I was a part of the youth ministry here as a freshman in high school when we first adopted the name Pulse.  As we look back to the rich heritage and foundation that Pulse Student Ministries was founded on, we also look forward to a new generation of stu‐dents with a specific mission of their own.  We are excited to announce the new name of the youth ministry here at CLF as [UN]COMMON Stu‐dent Ministries.  This is a name that bears great significance to many of the current students in the youth ministry as [un]common was the theme of our most recent winter blitz retreat.  That retreat was a huge turning point and has become a defining moment for our students.  We have created a creed for [UN]COMMON that 

serves as a constant reminder of who we are and what we live for. (below) 

Hopefully that gives you a glimpse of the heart of  [UN]COMMON  Student Ministries. 

     Secondly, we are moving into a new format for Life Groups this year.  They are separated by grade and are co‐ed.  All Life Groups meet on Wednesday nights at various locations throughout the tri‐

city area.  If there are any teenagers in your life, get them to [UN]COMMON on Sunday nights at 6pm at the teen center in downtown Port Ed‐wards and Life Groups every Wednesday night!  Don’t forget to check out our new website at www.uncommonstudentministries.org to get current updates and info. 

 

With excitement, 

Pastor Jeff O’Connor 

Director of  

 

Page 6 O N LI N E

[UN]Common Creed

VOLUM E 13, I SSUE 9 Page 7

600

7th

Stre

et, P

O Bo

x 40

Po

rt Ed

ward

s, W

I 54

469

Phon

e: 7

15-8

87-3

565

Fax:

715

-887

-357

5

NO

N—

PR

OF

IT

OR

GA

NIZ

AT

ION

U.S

. PO

ST

AG

E

PA

ID

PE

RM

IT #

14

PO

RT

ED

WA

RD

S,

WIS

CO

NS

IN, 5

4469

RE

TU

RN

SE

RV

ICE

RE

QU

ES

TE

D

50+ Waupaca.....................Oct. 12

Men’s Breakfast ...................Oct. 17

Group Life Conference .......Oct. 24

Youth Convention.....Oct. 30-Nov. 1

Kids Candy Carnival.............Oct. 31

Men’s Breakfast .................. Nov. 21

Thanksgiving Eve Service..... Nov. 25

50+ Holiday Dinner............. Dec. 5

Kids Musical......................... Dec. 5

Adult Musical ................ Dec. 10-13

Upcoming Events