An update on mission happenings at Memorial and in Katy. Read about our missional emphasis, our music missions and the upcoming missional retreat in February!
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1 Missional Emphasis Extending the community of Christ in Katy By Vicar Ken Chitwood MEMORIALMISSIONS January 8, 2012 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17) Live. Work. Play. You’ll love Katy. It’s a catchy slogan. It captures the essence of what the city of Katy wants to provide for its residents a place, a space, a town, a community where you can feel comfortable living, working and enjoying life. Live. Work. Play. Many of us who are disciples at Memorial call Katy our home. We live here. We work here. We play here. This is our community. Whether we live in Cinco Ranch or in the Heart of Katy, Kelliwood or Silver Ranch, Taylor or Morton. Whether we work in Katy or commute to Downtown or the Energy Corridor. Whether we have our kids in football or soccer or volleyball or baseball or basketball or rugby or all of the above. Whether we go to AMC at Katy Mills or the Alamo DraLhouse off Mason. Whether we get our laNes at the Starbucks off I10 or off Mason or off Westheimer or off Cinco Ranch or off Fry or...pick your Starbucks locaRon. Whether we’ve lived here for ten years or one or 50 years. No maNer the circumstance, for all of us, Katy is is our community. As we seek to extend the community of Christ in the heart of Katy we oLen think that involves preaching, teaching and administering. And yes, it does involve all these things. Yet, at the same Rme, it involves the very things we do EVERY SINGLE DAY in our community. It involves where we live, what we do for work and how we play. As disciples of Christ at Memorial we are aNempRng to integrate our faith and life in Christ into everything we do at home, at work and in our community. So my quesRon to you today is this how can you weave Christ into your community living? How can Christ become a regular part of your living, your working and your playing in Katy? Pray about it. Ask the Lord. Consult the Scripture. Contemplate the implicaRons and the opportuniRes. Talk to other disciples at Memorial about it and then, act on it. And my promise is this. Live Christ. Work with Christ. Play with Christ in mission. You’ll love it. Peace in Christ. Vicar Ken.
Transcript
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Missional EmphasisExtending the community of Christ in KatyBy Vicar Ken Chitwood
MEMORIALMISSIONSJa
nuar
y 8
, 201
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And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)
Live. Work. Play. You’ll love Katy. It’s a catchy slogan. It captures the essence of what the city of Katy wants to provide for its residents -‐ a place, a space, a town, a community where you can feel comfortable living, working and enjoying life. Live. Work. Play.
Many of us who are disciples at Memorial call Katy our home. We live here. We work here. We play here. This is our community. Whether we live in Cinco Ranch or in the Heart of Katy, Kelliwood or Silver Ranch, Taylor or Morton. Whether we work in Katy or commute to Downtown or the Energy Corridor. Whether we have our kids in football or soccer or volleyball or baseball or basketball or rugby or all of the above. Whether we go to AMC at Katy Mills or the Alamo DraLhouse off Mason. Whether we get our laNes at the Starbucks off I-‐10 or off Mason or off Westheimer or off Cinco Ranch or off Fry or...pick your Starbucks locaRon. Whether we’ve lived here for ten years or one or 50 years. No maNer the
circumstance, for all of us, Katy is is our community.
As we seek to extend the community of Christ in the heart of Katy we oLen think that involves preaching, teaching and administering. And yes, it does involve all these things. Yet, at the same Rme, it involves the very things we do EVERY SINGLE DAY in our community. It involves where we live, what we do for work and how we play. As disciples of Christ at Memorial we are aNempRng to integrate our faith and life in Christ into everything we do at home, at work and in our community.
So my quesRon to you today is this -‐ how can you weave Christ into your community living? How can Christ become a regular part of your living, your working and your playing in Katy? Pray about it. Ask the Lord. Consult the Scripture. Contemplate the imp l i caRons and the opportuniRes. Talk to other disciples at Memorial about it and then, act on it.
And my promise is this. Live Christ. Work with Christ. Play with Christ in mission. You’ll love it.
-‐Peace in Christ. Vicar Ken.
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Memorial’s Generosity this ChristmasA huge THANK YOU goes out to al l those who helped coordinate and everyone who d o n a t e d t o m a k e t h i s Christmas special for families, children and youth in the Katy area.
Through our partnerships with KCM, the Krause Center and LINC Houston Memorial’s disciples were able to donate to significant programs that
brought Christmas joy. All-in-all we donated enough to provide for over 10 families through the Wishing Tree, over 50 kids through Toys for Joy and stuffed stockings for every youth in residence at the Krause Center.
We, who are given everything by God our Father, ought to be humble enough to give and grate fu l enough to g ive generously...and that we did!
Thanks again!
Retreat to Open Eyes to the Cross - Its Implications for Mission Have you ever felt like God is a mean guy? I mean, all the talk of judgement, all the dos and don’ts, all of the tough words and condemnaRon. I mean sure, there’s the whole “Jesus” thing, but otherwise God is kind of a big bully. If I slip up just a bit he is going to strike me down...I know it. Do good you get blessed. Do wrong you get cursed. That’s how it works. That’s in the Bible. What if that whole narraRve is wrong? What if that isn’ t in the Bible? What if Jesus and his ministry, his life, his death and his resurrecRon are really what God is all about?
That would be radical. That would be amazing. That would be life changing. That would be THE TRUTH. Join other disciples at Memorial February 24-‐25 for an ove rn i gh t re t rea t i n Giddings, TX looking into Scripture, spending Rme in c o n v e r s a R o n a n d contemplaRon and praying to
see who God is in Christ and how Christ ’s K ingdom is revealed in the work, in the majesty and in the suffering of the Cross. The cost of the retreat is$25 and the deadline for sign-‐ups is February 12. Contact V i c a r K e n C h i twood a t k e n @ m l c k a t y . c o m o r 832.795.3564.
MEM
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ALMISSION
S What does the Kingdom of God have to do with the Cross of Christ? Join us this Lent for a retreat t h a t w i l l h e l p a l l participants see God more clearly through the work of Christ.
Wishing Tree packages and Toys for Joy donations stockpiled in the Welcome Center
When I first took the Call to Memorial, Pastor Davis asked me “Do we make music that fills the hearts and lives of Jesus’ disciples?” or “Do we make disciples of Jesus who have hearts filled with music?” At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be much of a difference between the two questions, but there is. The first focuses on music. The second focuses on people. Here at Memorial, we strive to put people before programs, even music programs.
This Fall I began to be more involved with the people in the music programs here at Memorial instead of just the music program itself. Currently, I’m leading a music leadership team huddle where we meet monthly to learn more about what it means to be a disciple and how we can use music in our congregation to encourage others to be active disciples, learning to share the message of Jesus at work and in our neighborhoods!
Our different music groups are also making the effort to be involved in the community making connections outside of the church. Our Joyful Ringers and Music Makers (kids’ music ministry) shared the joy of handbells with Carriage Inn as well as Memorial Herman this Christmas season. Our Praise Team led carols at No Label, a local brewery in Katy. And our Praisemakers led worship in the Katy Mills Mall through their Cantata, sharing the peace that Christ brings to all people.
In addition to these ministries, I assisted the 4-5th grade choir at Katy Elementary on Fridays, and over Christmas, accompanied the Franz Elementary Choir for their Holiday program at the school, Merrill Center and a local nursing home.
Then, this January we hosted the African Children’s Choir, a group composed of 17 Ugandan children who sang of Christ to more than 450 people from Katy and Houston. KSBJ 89.3fm and Fox26 Houston came out to interview the kids and broadcast from Memorial. The event injected missional enthusiasm into our congregation and community for 2012!
Music is something that unites people and can transcend different cultures. By making disciples who share the love of Jesus through music, the message of salvation can be spread to everyone in our communities! And that’s a great way for music to be in mission!
“By making disciples who share the love of Jesus through music, the
message of salvation can be spread to many more in our communities!”
! ! -Elizabeth Chitwood
Musical Ministries Out & About in KatyBy Elizabeth Chitwood
MEM
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How can you serve your community? Think of one place (an apartment, a rest home, a clinic) in your community that may need your help or services or might be blessed by your families presence. How could you make an impact there? How could you share the Gospel in that context? Now, take the next step, start the conversation and help!
January
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat1 2 3 4
African Children’s Choir
5 6 7
8Missions Newsletter Out
9 10 11 12 13 14
15Youth at Krause
16 17 18How can you share Christ today at work?
19 20 21
22NY Mission Trip Info Meeting
23 24 25 26 27 28
29Memorial Festival Service & Birthday Celebration
