The Christian Visitor First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Mr. Derry Jackson (D.J.) Lewis age 88 of Griffin Passed Away, Monday, Octo- ber 20, 2014 at Brightmoor Hospice DJ was born in Cordele, Georgia on May 13, 1926. He is preceded in death by his parents Lynton Cevera Lewis and Helen Delores Thompson Lewis. Mr. Lewis was a vet- eran of the United States Navy having served in World War II. He was a member of the First Christian Church and former owner/ operator of Specialty Products. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Sue Lewis; daugh- ter, Susan Lewis Husted and her husband, William D.; grandson, Matthew Colin Husted; sister-in-law Joan Waits and her husband, Rich- ard; several nieces and neph- ews among them a special niece, Aprille Gladis. A crypt side service for Mr. D.J. Lewis was held Wednes- day, October 22, 2014 at 2:00pm at the Oak Hill Mau- soleum. Reverend Tom Van Landingham officiated. D J Lewis Passes Away November 2014 We all knew him as DJ. He was a joker and a southern gentleman. He had a ready smile and a loveable sense of humor. He was a dea- con and a member of the board of First Chris- tian Church. The congregation will miss his smile and his optimistic nature. DJ Lewis 1926-2014 Rev. Tom Van Laningham, Pastor Eileene Keene, Music Director Charlotte Silvestri, Board Chair Rev. Annette Ford, Editor
Transcript
The Christian Visitor
First Chr ist ian Church (Disc iples o f Chr ist )
Mr. Derry Jackson (D.J.) Lewis age 88 of Griffin Passed Away, Monday, Octo-ber 20, 2014 at Brightmoor Hospice DJ was born in Cordele, Georgia on May 13, 1926. He is preceded in death by his parents Lynton Cevera Lewis and Helen Delores Thompson Lewis. Mr. Lewis was a vet-eran of the United States Navy having served in World War II. He was a member of the First Christian Church and former owner/ operator of Specialty Products. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Sue Lewis; daugh-ter, Susan Lewis Husted and her husband, William D.; grandson, Matthew Colin Husted; sister-in-law Joan Waits and her husband, Rich-ard; several nieces and neph-ews among them a special niece, Aprille Gladis. A crypt side service for Mr. D.J. Lewis was held Wednes-day, October 22, 2014 at 2:00pm at the Oak Hill Mau-soleum. Reverend Tom Van Landingham officiated.
D J Lewis Passes Away November 2014
We all knew him as DJ. He was a joker and a southern gentleman. He had a ready smile and a loveable sense of humor. He was a dea-con and a member of the board of First Chris-tian Church. The congregation will miss his smile and his optimistic nature.
DJ Lewis
1926-2014
Rev. Tom Van Laningham, Pastor
Eileene Keene, Music Director
Charlotte Silvestri, Board Chair
Rev. Annette Ford, Editor
PAGE 2
THE CHRISTIAN VISITOR
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11Veterans Day
Lonnie Spangler
12 13 Jason Conner Birthday
14 Regional
Assembly
15 Regional
Assembly
Doris McKay
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 8 am to 3 pm
Christmas Bazaar
23 24 25 26 27
28 29 Decorate Church for Christmas
9 am
30 First Sunday in Advent
Larry Conner
November 2014
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October is my favorite month. This one has been a challenge. We are in good fi-nancial shape. We have had a very positive experience with Tom Edmondson’s classes on the Jewish background of the Christian church. At the same time we have had some more loss of loved ones. Since we have not been “on time” with our newsletters over the summer, I am counting the loss of Marvin Jenkins, Mary Alverson, and DJ Lewis along with family members like Charlotte’s grand-son Isaiah or Annette and Sandi’s long-term family friends, Tracy’s coworker, and Jane’s daughter in law. Whether the death was an older person or a tragic loss of a young life, its vibrations continue within us both individually and within the group.
One of the differences between a young congregation and an established one is what I am learning to call “the gift of loss.” Younger congregations hardly experi-ence death. Many young adults have never sat beside the bed of a dying loved one, have never been to a funeral, and don’t have any frame of reference. Young congregations are busy building, growing, promoting, doing. It’s all about activ-ity. Older congregations have a history of with death, many hours of sitting by bedsides, and rituals in the days and weeks following a loss. Instead of death be-ing an outside intruder, it is part of the life of a mature person and a mature congregation.
The gift of loss does not automatically come with growing older, however the op-portunities for facing loss come more often. And so does the mature ear that “hears” the gospel and begins to understand that the “life” and hope it brings also paradoxically walks hand in hand with death. We hardly perceive it at first but there it is—in order for the new to come, the old must pass away. In our liv-ing and in our dying we belong to God. On and on. This does not make the loss any easier; far from it. Loss can take us down a dark path of rage, depression, to-tal helplessness, angry, and the awful feeling of being adrift in the world, with-out purpose. Totally alone.
After we have lived there long enough, we may be ready to accept the Presence that is there. The Silence that is there. Jesus says, “Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Arriving at that point, I realize that I do not have to do anything or believe anything. In the emptiness, God is here. In the emptiness, the great mystery is that God is able to find me.
See you Sunday as we continue this mystery.
Tom
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Ways to Support Christmount
smile.amazon.com
Use smile.amazon.com kust like you would for amazon.com. All of your setting will trans-fer. Designate Christmount as your charity. Christmount receives .5% of your purchases.
Labels for Education
Cut labels for Education UPC from participating products. Christmount sends in the UPCs and receives computers and camp supplies in retun. Look for a list of participating products at www.labelsforeducation.com.
Ink/Toner cartridges
Bring your used ink/toner cartridges to church and give them to Sandi or Annette. Christmount receives a check for recycling them.
Coke codes
Save the codes from bottle caps and box flaps of Coke products. Camp Lakey Gap, the camp for austistic children uses them to get camp supplies.
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Outreach Christmas Activities This year we will be supporting the Christmas Dinner for the Homeless that will be provided by Rushton’s Hope on Saturday, December 20, 2014 from 11:00am to 1:00pm
The dinner will be held in the gym at Second Baptist Church and they are ex-pecting to feed 550 people.
First Christian Church will be providing the Dessert for the dinner. The dessert selection is Cakes. We will need to provide 40 cakes for this dinner. Please see Tracy Larison if you’d like to bake a cake for the homeless. These will need to be at the church the afternoon of De-cember 19th or by 9:00am Saturday, December 20th.
We will also be collecting $5 toys to be given to children at the event as well as scarves, hats and gloves to be given to the adults. You can find $5 toys at Dollar Tree, Big Lots and any other Dollar Store. These need to be at the Church by Sunday, December 14th.
Volunteers are also needed to serve that day. Please see Tracy Larison if you’d like to help serve. We would like to have at least 10 volunteers that day and more are welcomed.
Tracy will have signup sheets available each Sunday, until December 14th, for cakes and volunteers.
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Area Meeting Held
With Rev. Denise Bell the new Regional Minister On Thursday, October 30th, Annette Ford and Sandi Bruner attended an area meeting with the new Regional Minister, Rev. Denise Bell, at First Christian Church of Warner Robins along with members of Damascus, Williamson, St. Andrews, Macon First, Liberty Christian, Central of Columbus and of course Warner Robins Christian Church. Warner Robins provided a meal for all of those who attended the meeting.
Rev. Denise Bell presented information about herself and answered question from the congregation. The consensus of the congregation is that the Board chose an excellent candidate for our new Regional Minister. Her only regret was that more people did not attend the get acquainted event.
Christmas Bazaar November 22 9am to 3 pm
It is that time of year again. The Christmas Bazaar will be held on No-vember 22, 2014 from 9am to 3 pm. Breakfast of sausage biscuit and drink for $1.00 lunch BBQ sandwich chips and drink for $3.00. BBQ by the pound (please preorder with Charlotte / $8.00 per pound). Cakes, pies, bread, cookies, wood crafts by renowned wood crafter Jason Prigmore, pocket books by our favorite pocket book lady Sara Morris, Jew-elry, wreaths, and much, much more will be for sale. Come and do all of your Christmas shopping and dessert buying for Thanksgiving. Door Prizes, trash and treasures, music, candy, fun!
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A poem of remembrance
Grant peace, O Lord, across our strife-torn world, Where war divides and greed and dogma drive.
Help us to learn the lessons from the past, That all are human and all pay the price. All life is dear and should be treated so;
Joined, not divided, is the way to go.
Protect, dear Lord, all who, on our behalf, Now take the steps that place them in harm's way.
May they find courage for each task they face By knowing they are in our thoughts always.
Then, duty done and missions at an end, Return them safe to family and to friends.
Grant rest, O Lord, to those no longer with us;
Who died protecting us and this their land. Bring healing, Lord, to those who, through their service,
Bear conflict’s scars on body or in mind. With those who mourn support and comfort share.
Give strength to those who for hurt loved-ones care.
And some there be who no memorial have; Who perished are as though they’d never been.
For our tomorrows their today they gave, And simply asked that in our hearts they'd live. We heed their call and pledge ourselves again,
