13Now on that same day two disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,
23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
“A Loaf, a Jug, & Thou”
@Copyrighted by Rev. Troy Sybrant Sermon: “A Loaf, a Jug, & Thou” Luke 24:1-35 Sunday February 28, 2016
Because we’re searching for our next administrative assistant, we’ve reformatted our bulletin to more efficiently use staff time. If you’ve not had a chance to see it yet drop by any Sunday morning to pick up your copy.
In that same spirit, we’ve decided to change the frequency of our newsletter from twice a month to once a month.
Both these changes will be evaluated once we’ve hired our next administrative assistant.
Also for purposes of this online newsletter the poll taken last newsletter was overwhelmingly to combine all sections into one wordpress document.
Calendar of Events:
Wednesday Activities (ongoing)
“Wednesday Nights” is as follows:
6:15 Gathering songs and HolyMoly dvd (for all ages)
6:30 – Hand Bell Choir
6:35- Study groups for pre-school-K, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th Grade, and adults. Learn about the Bible character presented in the HolyMoly video.
7:00 -Ablaze choir (Bible study activities continue for adults and children who are not participating in Ablaze.)
7:30 – Adult choir
“12 Marks of Disciples” Sermon Series
As we move into Lent, we’re inviting you to join in our sermon series:
Feb 28–Luke 24:13-35–“A Loaf, A Jug, & Thou”; Week of Compassion Offering
Mar 6–-Joshua 24:1-7, 13-29 “A Pledged Allegiance”; Church Birthday Celebrations and CCO Concert
Mar 13–2 Corinthians 5:16-21 “Mission in Action”
Holy Week
March 20 Palm Sunday: Matthew 21:1-11 Faith without Fanfare
March 24 7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service
March 25 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Labyrinth
March 26 9:00 a.m. to Noon Labyrinth
March 27 Easter: John 20:1-18 Between a Rock & a Hallelujah Place Fellowship brunch 9:00 am @ Mueller Worship service 10:30 am
Linger Longer Luncheon @ Lucky Dog Grill February 28
Join us after service on February 28 at the Lucky Dog Grill in Mason. It’s a wonderful way to get to know people. All are welcome!!! Just 3 miles from the church. See directions :
Week of Compassion February 28th Offering
Special Days in the life of the church often allow us to focus our worship, celebrations and fellowship around moments that are central to our faith. Disciples Mission Fund Special Day Offerings also provide an opportunity to highlight specific ministries as part of our faith celebrations.
In Ruth we read of the encounter between two refugees, Naomi and Ruth. Naomi is a refugee in Moab due to famine in Judah, and Ruth is a refugee due to patriarchal systems that rendered single women utterly vulnerable. Both Naomi and Ruth took refuge in Naomi’s land, and they survived such tumultuous transitions because each one gave the greatest gift: their very selves.
By participating in the Week of Compassion offering, we follow God’s command to love. Through this ministry we stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable. Through our giving, we as a Church accompany refugees as they seek to rebuild their lives.
Yet this time of offering—of giving a portion of our financial resources—is only the beginning of our call to give. Jesus declared, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). In addition to your financial gift, consider other ways you can walk alongside refugees, and how you can remain open to ways others might minister to you. Let us give joyously and generously at this time.
Feed Our Neighbors in Need Food Drive Feb. 28-Mar. 6
This marks our 4th annual food drive in partnership with 20+ other congregations in the Faith Alliance. The Faith Alliance helps us pool our resources to achieve greater positive impacts upon this community that we share.
Over the past 3 years we’ve collaborated with the Faith Alliance and helped them collect 72,000 pounds of canned goods and other items to feed neighbors in our community. In 2013 our congregation collected 472 pounds, in 2014 we collected 600, and in 2015 we reached 800 pounds! Those items helped stock our onsite food pantry, and any overflow was shared with local pantries. We’ll be distributing grocery bags with a shopping list this Sunday, February 28. We’re asking everyone to bring their gifts so that by Sunday, March 6 we might bless those gifts and weigh them for this year’s food drive. Because of increasing hunger and poverty in the suburbs, there’s a growing need for us to continue rising to the challenge as we’ve demonstrated in the past. Can we reach 1000 pounds this year? Let’s do our best and find out!
March 6th Save the Date: (two events)
26th Birthday for the church plan to join us for festivities.
On March 4, 1990, our congregation gathered at the Western Row Elementary School in Mason for the first formal worship. Nearly half were from “The Phone’s for You” program invitation and the rest were friends who came to help celebrate our new birth. This was our beginning!
On March 6 we’ll welcome our Regional Pastor & President, Rev. Dr. Bill Edwards, to be part of our Sunday service to help formalize within worship that our provisional name, of which the Region was a part 26 years ago, has now been superseded by our permanent name “Compass Christian Church” with the tagline, “A Disciples of Christ Community.” After worship we’ll share birthday cake, punch and celebrate God’s guidance and provision from our birth to our young adulthood as a congregation.
2. 3:00 p.m. Cincinnati Civic Orchestra Winter Concert Valentine’s Day & St. Patrick’s Day
Irish Symphony by Sir Arthur Sullivan
Romeo and Juliet
by Peter Illich Tchaikovsky
Brigadoon
Out of Our Hat Update& Mar. 6 Invite
Mad Hatters has expanded our ministry and we are brimming with excitement! We have accomplished our goal of hats this year and continue to patiently wait for a time when we can pass them out. We are offering the opportunity to try out different “hats” – different types of crafts!
A sizable number of decorators and artists applied their skills to cookies on Feb. 21 after worship. Debi Freimuth led this workshop and shared her techniques with others, and those skills now multiplied are planning on being used for a future church event.
Our next opportunity that will be after church on March 6th. We are planning a knitting/crocheting time to learn new skills and make a quick and easy project while practicing those new skills. Many of our Mad Hatter friends have decided they are ready for life beyond hats! Watch for details to come as we are still pulling this out of our hat!
Debi Freimuth and Carol Yarborough
Seeker’s Lunch Sun., Mar. 13, noon
Maybe you’re wondering more about this congregation, our history, and the Disciples of Christ. Perhaps you’d like to meet others with similar questions over pizza. Whether you’ve recently joined or have just started attending, this gathering is for you! We’ll share an informational DVD, get to know each other better, and leave plenty of time for Q & A. Please call the office to let us know of your interest…look forward to seeing you then! For more info contact Alice W.
Adult Mission Trip Mar. 27-Apr. 3Louisville, KY
Helping Hands and Community Outreach Program
Our congregation has a lengthy history of helping those in need all across this nation in countless ways. Your next opportunity will be to partner with Disciples Home Missions & Plymouth UCC to help UrbanSpirit renovate their space to be ready for their summer poverty education programs. Showers will be built, new walls added, painting and repairs. Cost is $50 per person, not including food. For more info contact Leroy O. at fatdog@juno.com or go to: https://www.discipleshomemissions.org/dhm/…/special-projects/.
Twelve volunteers are needed and each of us are to bring three dozen cookies or brownies or salads.
We will meet at the Faith Community United Methodist Church on Cox Road in W.C. at 5 PM. Please use the rear, kitchen entrance.
To sign up, contact Ed V. Let us use the blessings we have received by paying them forward to deserving members of our community during this Lenten season. To God be the glory.
Save the Date! Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m.— 2 p.m.
All Creatures Great & Small Pet Blessing & Adoption
Helping Hands and Community Outreach Program
Check out the Compass Christian Church Facebook page (formerly the Tylersville Rd. Christian Church Facebook page) and forward the event link to all your Facebook friends! Twitter, Pictochat, Instagram away! https://www.facebook.com/events/943526972398638/
Youth Corner:
Wednesday Night Education and Ablaze Choir
“Wednesday Nights Event times for youth is as follows:
6:15 Gathering songs and HolyMoly DVD (for all ages)
6:35- Study groups for Preschool-K, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th Grade, and adults. Learn about the Bible character presented in the HolyMoly video.
7:00 -Ablaze choir (Bible study activities continue for adults and children who are not participating in Ablaze.)
Christian Youth Fellowship Relaunched Feb. 7!
High School Ages
CYF launched Sunday the 7th and packed love boxes to send off to our college students. We unveiled the National Youth Event, July 26-30 at Walt Disney World with the theme Believe!!! However, some of the youth were planning to go to Camp Christian this week and couldn’t stand to miss, so we are exploring other options. Please pray for God’s will for these youth and the mission trip this summer. We will need to fund raise either way. Meantime we will be meeting every week after worship for learning, fellowship, service and fun. On 5th Sundays, we will plan to go out to eat together.
February 28 9:00 a.m. Pastor’s Class
Vacation Bible School
Tuesday, July 12 – Friday July 15 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Save the date for an over-the-top underground adventure! We’ll be spelunking our way to discovering the rock-solid foundation of Jesus’ love. VBS is for kids 3 years old through going into 5th grade. Older kids are encouraged to sign up to be helpers. See Katie B. to find out how YOU can help!
Children’s Worship & Wonder
The children will move from Children’s Time to a classroom where they can do work throughout the sermon. They can join back to their families (if they are finished working, or anytime).
We welcome your feedback and resource information as we gather and curate the variety of resources that are a part of our ministries. Our goal is to best serve you and your congregations with the tools to help encounter faith at all ages and stages. Go to end to see the full newsletter attachment from the Family & Children’s Ministry.
Members Corner:
Adult Education Opportunities:
Adult Ed Class Sundays, 9:30 a.m.
The Adult Ed class will be finishing our study of the Gospel of Mathew in the next few weeks. We will then start a study of Romans entitled “A Letter for Today.” Join us Sunday mornings for study and lively discussion. The cost of the Kerygma Program study guides is $20. There will be a sign up sheet at the table in the back. For more info contact Steve Si. at wm.stephen.simmons@gmail.com.
“Marks of Disciples” Study Wed. mornings starting Feb 10th
Copies of the study material will be available for those who wish to follow along in their own Bible Study. Wednesday morning group started Feb.10. Call Ruth P. for time and which lesson to study.
PRAYERS
Local — For supporting local agencies to find an end to heroin & other addictions.
Regional — For this election year to be a time when Americans return God to being first in our country.
Global — For all oppressed to find relief & for world leaders to promote peace, not war.
Leaders Messages:
You will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16
In February we began a two-part sermon series called “Marks of Disciples” exploring not only Scripture and our denomination’s distinctiveness but how that relates to our current world. These “marks” or “fruits” are how we’re known. Here’s our denominational Statement of Identity: We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.
This Statement is undergirded by twelve distinct principles:
We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world, requiring nothing more – and nothing less – as a basis of our life together.
We hold the centrality of scripture, recognizing that each person has the freedom – and the responsibility – to study God’s Word within the community of the church.
We practice the baptism of believers, which emphasizes that God’s grace demands a response of faith and discipleship, while also recognizing the baptism performed in other churches.
We gather for the Lord’s Supper, as often as possible, experiencing at this table the gracious, forgiving presence of Jesus Christ.
We structure our community around the biblical idea of covenant, emphasizing not obedience to human authority but accountability to one another because of our shared obedience to Christ.
We participate in God’s mission for the world, working with partners to heal the brokenness of creation and bring justice and peace to the whole human family.
We hear a special calling to make visible the unity of all Christians, proclaiming that in our diversity we belong to one another because we commonly belong to Christ.
We witness to the Gospel of God’s saving love for the world in Jesus Christ, while continuing to struggle with how God’s love may be known to others in different ways.
We affirm the priesthood of all believers, rejoicing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit – which include the gift of leadership – that God has given for the common good.
We celebrate the diversity of our common life, affirming our different histories, styles of worship, and forms of service.
We give thanks that each congregation, where Christ is present through faith, is truly the church, affirming as well that God’s church and God’s mission stretch from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
We anticipate God’s coming reign, seeking to serve the God – Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer – whose loving dominion has no end.
Help Our Denomination’s Search for the next General Minister & President!
Our current General Minister & President, Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, is completing her second 6-year term and will be finished in July, 2017.
The search process for our next General Minister and President is underway and the Search Committee is seeking your input in this process. Below you will find a link to a short survey (offered in French, Spanish, Korean and English) on the work of the General Minister and President. We hope to hear from you — What qualities do you think we need in a General Minister and President? How important are the current roles to you? Is there a role not mentioned that you feel should be included?
With your help, our goal is to further define the gifts needed to lead our denomination. Please take 2-3 minutes to complete and submit your answers by February 29; all answers will be kept in the strictest confidentiality.
From our General Minister & President, Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins: The weed of racism still grows
Last spring I walked across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma with other Disciples – a racially mixed group crossing together. A lot has changed since 1965. Through the brave struggle of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others, the segregated lunch counters and drinking fountains and restrooms went away. Voting rights legislation was put into place. A lot has been accomplished – but… have you ever had a weed grow in your yard, and you cut it off and everything looked great? For a while. But you didn’t get the roots… and – It. Grew. Back.
A little black boy, adopted by white parents, shops with his mom but a little ways away from her. A clerk follows him suspiciously until the boy calls out to his mother, “How do you like this shirt, MOM?” And the clerk relaxes as the mom’s whiteness covers the little boy – for now. And the deepest part of the racism here is that it requires the validation by that white mom to assure other white people of what all people of color already know – 50 years after Selma and the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, racism is real. And the reality of racism goes much deeper than the misguided prejudice of this clerk or that disbelieving white person.
Racism is more than just individual race prejudice. Statistics show us that racism is system-wide – in our institutions as well as people. We see it in the mass incarceration of people of color; the justice department report on Ferguson’s police targeting African Americans in a fund-raising scheme. We see it in the lagging social indicators for people of color in income, net worth, education, jobs, in the strategies that make it harder for people of color to vote or in gerrymandering that leads to under-representation in government. Racism is real in 2016. In these years since 1960, we’ve also had signs of hope – an African American president elected!! The whole country rejoiced. But in spite of that election or maybe in part because of it – and the resulting backlash – we see that in 2016, the job is not done. Racism is still real.
We see it, in part, because of the ever-present availability of video recordings to put things out in the open that once were secret. We see that racism is real, in part because a generation of young people are speaking up who didn’t live the “before and after” of the 60’s. These young people see the now and are pointing out that the weed has not only poked its head above ground, it has taken quite a growth spurt. These young people are determined to do something about it… They’re not likely to stop until they know for sure that Black Lives do Matter – as do all others.
Racism is real. It’s important also to say: racism is sin. And not just individual sin; racism has rightly been called America’s original sin – created to justify the brutal enslavement of human beings but persisting beyond the formal end of slavery and Jim Crow. Racism goes beyond what I do or you do. It is something we are born into in the United States reality. And for those of us who are white, it benefits us whether we know it or not, whether we intend it or not. Our Disciples general assembly passed a resolution last summer against “environmental racism.” The poisonous by-products of our prosperous economy have to go somewhere and most often they are deposited near to people of color.
I did not personally put that environmental poison in my across-the-town neighbor’s back yard. I don’t want to be held morally accountable for something I didn’t sit at the table to plan – but that’s the point of original sin. It’s not about what white individuals do to our black or brown neighbor. It’s a pattern we’re born into where people of color are treated differently than white people. It’s a system that white people benefit from even though we did not ask for it. We just get the benefit, and it keeps our neighbor down. We drink clean water and our neighbors in Flint, Michigan drink lead.
Racism is real; racism is sin; and racism is really, really tough. If we’re going to get beyond it, none of us gets to sit on the sidelines. It’s in everybody’s self-interest to get involved. Because – the truth is – racism hurts all. Even those who benefit. A full cost-benefit analysis shows that racism causes white people to lose, too. When we think of all the scientific and medical contributions of black and brown people to our well-being today – we can only wonder what those who were tortured in slavery or who are currently wasting away in prison might have contributed to the greater good. When we think of the energy that goes to holding down a whole class of people (unnecessary, unjust laws; militarized police forces; more and more prisons) – energy that could instead go to building up our common life together on this planet – the loss to us all through the sin of racism is huge. Racism is tough to overcome, though. It will take us all, working together, each doing our own part. Because racism is real, let’s admit it and have the conversation. Because racism is sin, let’s those of us who benefit repent. Because racism is tough, let’s join the struggle together. Genesis describes that from the very beginning of creation, God created the whole human family to be one – beautifully diverse, multiply talented, but one human family. In Isaiah, we see the world described as God dreams it: A world of “shalom” – where the wolf lies down with the lamb, where children play in safety, where God wipes away all tears. Shalom, envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as the beloved community, a community where there is liberty and justice for all, where the harmonies of liberty unite us. Building that community is our calling, with the help of God. We’ve got a lot of work to do to root out racism. Let’s get at it – together.
1All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
6Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. 8So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
9And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
“Stick to the Script”
@Copyrighted by Rev. Troy Sybrant Sermon: “Stick to the Script” Nehemiah 8:1-12 Sunday February 21, 2016
Video:
video has been edited to remove Copyrighted sound of the National Treasure movie.
Compassion – a deep awareness and sympathy for another’s suffering. A humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.
Compassing – to bring about or accomplish, to travel around, to get the meaning of something or a understanding of something, to surround or enclose.
Encompass – to be part of something broader.
Over the next two Sunday’s we have an opportunity as COMPASS Christian Church to donate to the Week of Compassion Fund, to bring about change and to be part of something broader than our personal, geographical boundaries. But it doesn’t have to end there, we can donate anytime.
Want to make a donation… click here:
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -JANE GOODALL
Our Bible is filled with stories of journeys. From the chronicle of how God’s spirit moved across creation in search of a caretaker in Genesis, to Jesus’ call in the Great Commission – to go and make Disciples in all nations – the People of God have been on the move.
From the journey of his Disciples in following Jesus in his ministry to John’s writing of the Book of Revelation, in exile, on the Isle of Patmos, the people of God have been on the move. We have the chance today to answer God’s call. Let us respond generously to help as one Church.
Unfortunately, sometimes that movement reflects the last possible choice for families in crisis. War, disaster, a changing climate or devastated economy have forced millions over the years to seek safety as refugees.
As we offer our gifts, let us be mindful not only of the assistance for those forced to flee their homes. May we also recognize that in giving, we, too are moved in our journey to live ever more in Christ’s image.
Since 1946, Church World Service, the relief, development and refugee assistance ministry of 37 member communions such as ours, has been called to resettle refugees, allowing them to escape warfare, civil strife, oppression and statelessness. Since the end of World War II, your mission partner, CWS, has offered life-giving resettlement to more than 800,000 persons. At every step of the way, there have been congregations like ours who have stepped forward to serve as co-sponsors, mentors and friends to newly arrived refugees on behalf of the Church.
Today we celebrate that effort and recognize that the world is facing a refugee crisis we have not seen in generations. At this moment, there are more refugees in the world than at any time since World War II. Fighting rages in Syria, with families fleeing for safety.
Sectarian violence has forced men, women and children from their homes in the Central African Republic on a scale that has not been seen in decades.
Persecution of minority groups like Rohingya endures in Asia.
The threat of violence forces parents to send their children away, unaccompanied, in Central and Latin America because for them, sending their children away, alone or in the care of strangers is an even safer option than staying put.
Week of Compassion helps us to be there for them. The offering we make is steeped in more than just decades of tradition. It is rooted in responding to Christ’s call to welcome the stranger. The Week of Compassion offering connects our church’s resources to others to provide help beyond just emergency food, water and shelter. Our offering will help people in need begin a new life free from violence, persecution, shifting climate — a new life with hope for the future.
“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” – HENRI J.M. NOUWEN
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” -AMELIA EARHART
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” -MOTHER TERESA
“There is a nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness.” -JOHN CONNOLLY
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” -DALAI LAMA XIV
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched – they must be felt with the heart.” -HELEN KELLER
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -THEODORE ROOSEVELT
“It is not with your own wealth that you give alms to the poor, but with a fraction of their own which you give back; for you are usurping for yourself something meant for the common good of all. The earth is for everyone, not only for the rich.” – ST. AMBROSE
“You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor. ‘As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40)’. As I say, good news to the poor.” -BONO
“I hope my life tries to give testimony to the message of the Gospel, above all that God loves the world and loves those who are poorest within it.” -GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” -FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
“If I see the gift as mine alone to give, I might give hesitantly, even grudgingly, considering my options, then giving from a sense of ought. If I see the gift as God’s who allows me to use it for a time, then the gift can flow more freely, as I join with others to be a channel for God’s love and mercy.” -ROBERTA PORTER
“If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” -MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN
“It just seems to me that as long as we are both here, it’s pretty clear that the struggle is to share the planet, rather than to divide it.” -ALICE WALKER
“For it is in giving that we receive.” -ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -JANE GOODALL
“Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It’s the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.” -FREDERICK BUECHNER
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” -MAYA ANGELOU
“We were not put on earth to make ourselves happy. The path to true happiness lies in helping others.” -HELEN CALDICOTT
“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” -PEMA CHÖDRÖN
“Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.” -BARBARA BUSH
“I cannot think of a better definition of Christianity than that: give, give, give.” -JAMES I. MCCORD
“Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” -JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, JR.
“Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you.” -LYNN A. MILLER
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.” -AFRICAN PROVERB
“Poverty is the greatest form of violence.” -GANDHI
“The churches have to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless. But they have also to remember that the answer to homelessness is homes, not shelters. What the poor and downtrodden need is not piecemeal charity but wholesale justice.” -WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN
“Each and every one of us has the opportunity to make choices – moving beyond a question like, ‘How is it that you ask a drink of me?’ and stretching towards holiness, where seeds are planted and harvested, where water is drawn from wells, and where all of us are invited to the feast and to drink without reservation, because we understand in our hearts, in our minds, and in the depths of our souls what it means to be human, and believe that truly, there is enough for all.” -JOHN MCCULLOUGH, CEO AND PRESIDENT, CWS
“The ends you serve that are selfish will take you no further than yourself but the ends you serve that are for all, in common, will take you into eternity.” -MARCUS GARVEY
“The point is not that Jesus was a good guy who accepted everybody, and thus we should do the same (though that would be good). Rather, his teachings and behavior reflect an alternative social vision. Jesus was not talking about how to be good and how to behave within the framework of a domination system. He was a critic of the domination system itself.” -MARCUS J. BORG
“Genuine equality means not treating everyone the same, but attending equally to everyone’s different needs.” – TERRY EAGLETON
“There is more beauty than our eyes can bear, precious things have been put into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm.” -MARILYNNE ROBINSON
“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.” -TAHEREH MAFI
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” – ANNE FRANK
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” -DALAI LAMA XIV
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – MAYA ANGELOU
“That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.” -SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
“Compassion is a verb.” -THÍCH NHAT HANH “Good works is giving to the poor and the helpless, but divine works is showing them their worth to the One who matters.” – CRISS JAMI
“Giving does not only preceed receiving; it is the reason for it. It is in giving that we receive.” – ISRAELMORE AYIVOR
“To make an option for the poor is to make an option for Jesus.” -GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ
“Whatever God does, the first outburst is always compassion.” -MEISTER ECKHART
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” -GANDHI
6:15 Gathering songs and HolyMoly dvd (for all ages)
6:30 – Hand Bell Choir
6:35- Study groups for pre-school-K, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th Grade, and adults. Learn about the Bible character presented in the HolyMoly video.
7:00 -Ablaze choir (Bible study activities continue for adults and children who are not participating in Ablaze.)
7:30 – Adult choir
“12 Marks of Disciples” Sermon Series
As we move into Lent, we’re inviting you to join in our sermon series:
Feb 14–Acts 8:26-39 “Taking the Plunge”
Feb 21–Nehemiah 8:1-12 “Stick to the Script”;Week of Compassion Offering & Mad Hatters Cookie Decorating Class
Feb 28–Luke 24:13-35–“A Loaf, A Jug, & Thou”; Week of Compassion Offering
Mar 6–-Joshua 24:1-7, 13-29 “A Pledged Allegiance”; Church Birthday Celebrations and CCO Concert
Mar 13–2 Corinthians 5:16-21 “Mission in Action”
Christian Men’s Fellowship Breakfast
Sat., Feb. 20, 9:00 a.m.
All who love an all-you-can eat buffet breakfast that includes both cold and hot items are invited.You likely have a friend, coworker, or neighbor who would like to share food and fellowship with others. Why not invite them along? All are welcome.
Out of Our Hat February 21st
Mad Hatters are expanding their ministry and we are brimming with excitement! We have accomplished our goal of hats this year and continue to patiently wait for a time when we can pass them out. We are offering the opportunity to try out different hats – different types of crafts! The first we are “pulling out of the hat” will be after church on Sunday, February 21st. Debi Freimuth has tried her hand at cookie decorating and has some special techniques for us to try out. Cookies, decorating supplies, and fellowship time will be provided. (There is no cost to participate but please consider bringing a freewill offering to help buy gloves for the homeless.) Bring a 9X13 pan or other container for transporting your cookies home (the icing needs to dry) and bring your lunch. We are planning on using our cookie decorating skills for a church event and this is our practice time! Please RSVP to Debi Freimuth or Carol Yarborough so that we know how many cookies to bring. This opportunity is for anyone ready to try on a “new hat”/skill!
Our next opportunity that we will be pulling out of the hat will be after church on March 6th. We are planning a knitting/crocheting time to learn new skills and make a quick and easy project while practicing those new skills. Many of our Mad Hatter friends have decided they are ready for life beyond hats! Watch for details to come as we are still pulling this out of our hat!
Debi Freimuth and Carol Yarborough
Week of Compassion February 21 and 28th Offering
Special Days in the life of the church often allow us to focus our worship, celebrations and fellowship around moments that are central to our faith. Disciples Mission Fund Special Day Offerings also provide an opportunity to highlight specific ministries as part of our faith celebrations.
In Ruth we read of the encounter between two refugees, Naomi and Ruth. Naomi is a refugee in Moab due to famine in Judah, and Ruth is a refugee due to patriarchal systems that rendered single women utterly vulnerable. Both Naomi and Ruth took refuge in Naomi’s land, and they survived such tumultuous transitions because each one gave the greatest gift: their very selves.
By participating in the Week of Compassion offering, we follow God’s command to love. Through this ministry we stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable. Through our giving, we as a Church accompany refugees as they seek to rebuild their lives.
Yet this time of offering—of giving a portion of our financial resources—is only the beginning of our call to give. Jesus declared, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). In addition to your financial gift, consider other ways you can walk alongside refugees, and how you can remain open to ways others might minister to you. Let us give joyously and generously at this time.
March 6th Save the Date: (two events)
26th Birthday for the church plan to join us for festivities.
3:00 p.m. Cincinnati Civic Orchestra Winter Concert Valentine’s Day & St. Patrick’s Day
Irish Symphony by Sir Arthur Sullivan
Romeo and Juliet
by Peter Illich Tchaikovsky
Brigadoon
Holy Week
March 20 Palm Sunday: Matthew 21:1-11 Faith without Fanfare
March 24 7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service
March 25 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Labyrinth
March 26 9:00 a.m. to Noon Labyrinth
March 27 Easter: John 20:1-18 Between a Rock & a Hallelujah Place Fellowship brunch 9:00 am @ Mueller Worship service 10:30 am
Adult Mission Trip Mar. 27-Apr. 3Louisville, KY
Our congregation has a lengthy history of helping those in need all across this nation in countless ways. Your next opportunity will be to partner with Disciples Home Missions & Plymouth UCC to help UrbanSpirit renovate their space to be ready for their summer poverty education programs. Showers will be built, new walls added, painting and repairs. Cost is $50 per person, not including food. For more info contact Leroy O. at fatdog@juno.com or go to: https://www.discipleshomemissions.org/dhm/…/special-projects/.
Save the Date! Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m.— 2 p.m.
All Creatures Great & Small Pet Blessing & Adoption
Check out the Compass Christian Church Facebook page (formerly the Tylersville Rd. Christian Church Facebook page) and forward the event link to all your Facebook friends! Twitter, Pictochat, Instagram away! https://www.facebook.com/events/943526972398638/
Youth Corner:
Wednesday Night Education and Ablaze Choir
“Wednesday Nights Event times for youth is as follows:
6:15 Gathering songs and HolyMoly dvd (for all ages)
6:35- Study groups for pre-school-K, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th Grade, and adults. Learn about the Bible character presented in the HolyMoly video.
7:00 -Ablaze choir (Bible study activities continue for adults and children who are not participating in Ablaze.)
Christian Youth Fellowship Relaunched Feb. 7!
High School Ages
CYF launched Sunday the 7th and packed love boxes to send off to our college students. We unveiled the National Youth Event, July 26-30 at Walt Disney World with the theme Believe!!! However, some of the youth were planning to go to Camp Christian this week and couldn’t stand to miss, so we are exploring other options. Please pray for God’s will for these youth and the mission trip this summer. We will need to fundraise either way. Meantime we will be meeting every week after worship for learning, fellowship, service and fun. On 5th Sundays, we will plan to go out to eat together.
Vacation Bible School
Tuesday, July 12 – Friday July 15 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Save the date for an over-the-top underground adventure! We’ll be spelunking our way to discovering the rock-solid foundation of Jesus’ love. VBS is for kids 3 years old through going into 5th grade. Older kids are encouraged to sign up to be helpers. See Katie Baird to find out how YOU can help!
Children’s Worship & Wonder
The children will move from Children’s Time to a classroom where they can do work throughout the sermon. They can join back to their families (if they are finished working, or anytime).
We welcome your feedback and resource information as we gather and curate the variety of resources that are a part of our ministries. Our goal is to best serve you and your congregations with the tools to help encounter faith at all ages and stages. Go to end to see the full newsletter attachment from the Family & Children’s Ministry.
Members Corner:
Thank you and Good Bye
I’m so thankful I was able to find this job in 2001. TRCC, now CCC has become my extended family. When I need prayers, I have reached out to my small group and Pastor Troy. He is always there even when he is supposed to be with his family. Many memories were shared Sunday. Some were funny, others where I was trying to get an answer from a team leader and many were of special thoughts of times when I was a part of the church family.
Thank you for the many gift cards. Amy and Sally seemed to know my favorite drinks and food, chocolate. Thank you to all who were part of the tasteful luncheon. The chili and sandwich was perfect for me.
Whenever I found a job I always wanted to represent that company so those coming in would want to return. I have felt at times, that I may have not reached that goal. You showed me yesterday that I was wrong in that thought. I’m not elegant with words but I want to say thank you for all the memories, gifts, love and care you have shown to my family and me through the years. Debbie O
Adult Education Opportunities:
Adult Ed Class Sundays, 9:30 a.m.
The Adult Ed class will be finishing our study of the Gospel of Mathew in the next few weeks. We will then start a study of Romans entitled “A Letter for Today.” Join us Sunday mornings for study and lively discussion. The cost of the Kerygma Program study guides is $20. There will be a sign up sheet at the table in the back. For more info contact Steve Si. at wm.stephen.simmons@gmail.com.
“Marks of Disciples” Study Wed. mornings starting Feb 10th
Copies of the study material will be available for those who wish to follow along in their own Bible Study. Wednesday morning group started Feb.10. Call Ruth P. for time and which lesson to study.
PRAYERS
Local — For divine guidance as we touch hearts for Jesus one conversation at a time.
Regional — For miracles & unity in all groups and ministries combatting addiction and overdose.
Global — For all selflessness in Christ as we seek peace and help for victims of conflict in Syria and beyond.
Leaders Messages:
Moderator Moment
Update from Congregational Meeting Jan 31, 2016
Greetings Congregation!
Thank you to the many people who attended the congregational meeting this past Sunday. For those who could not attend, we want to provide a brief update from the meeting. Any unanswered questions can be directed to any of the various members of the church leadership. Thank you also to the many people who have spent countless hours on committees over the past year working on these various developments.
Budget: The budget for 2016, prepared by the Finance Committee, passed by a vote of 52 to 1 with 1 abstention. This budget is notable in several respects. It is balanced. It preserves our current operating practices while investing in several line items to support community outreach and growth. It was made possible by the great generosity of the congregation (thank you), by a very generous one-time gift from a benefactor, and by the fundraising efforts of the Stewardship committee.
Code of Regulations: Our revised “instruction manual” for how we are organized and function as a church, prepared by the Annual Review Committee, passed by a vote of 46 to 7 with 1 abstention. This document will take effect July 1, 2016, but reflects many changes that are already in motion. It is designed to be highly usable. It’s a great read; everyone should take a look.
Church Name: The proposal for a new church name, and instructions for placing that name in context, prepared by the Identity Committee, passed by a vote of 45 to 9 with 2 abstentions. Our new name is “Compass Christian Church”. This reflects over a year of shared experience, conversation, and discernment, and it illustrates the core aspects of who we are as a Church, and how we wish to be seen. It replaces our current provisional name Tylersville Road Christian Church. The operational steps to rollout of the new name are yet to be determined, but step one is this newsletter announcement.
Whenever possible, the name Compass Christian Church will be paired with the phrase “A Disciples of Christ Community” in signage, advertisements, and official written correspondence. The name may also be paired with various descriptive phrases (“tag lines”) on a rotating basis under the direction of the Mission Leadership Team and Board.
These developments are all very exciting, very necessary, and simply a very big deal. Nonetheless, we must remain mindful that they are only foundational. In other words, we must build upon them by actively pursuing our church mission over the coming year with energy, innovation, and faith.
Respectfully,
Mike Lyons, Moderator
Bob Phillips, Moderator-Elect
Give me your lantern and compass, give me a map, so I can find my way to the sacred mountain, to the place of your presence. To enter the place of worship, meet my exuberant God, sing my thanks with a harp, magnificent God, my God. Psalm 43:3-4 (Message)
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! Psalm 48:2 (Abbey Psalter)
Grace and peace to you, members of Compass Christian Church! What an incredible journey we’ve been on these past couple of years! This particular journey began among Board and Elders at a leadership retreat in July 2014. There was a recognition that the name “Tylersville Road Christian Church” was deliberately provisional from our beginnings, and that perhaps God was calling us to consider a name more reflective of our identity. From that retreat grew an art, sermon, and Christian education project that carried us through October and November of that year. Our worship space was transformed to immerse us within the biblical imagination to discover our life and the world’s story as a voyage. A Disciple Identity Committee was formed to solicit inputs from the congregation about how we view ourselves and how we are known in the community. In summer 2015 we considered the ramifications of naming within Scripture, and gathered leadership once again to refine congregational inputs into a series of images and words with an eye toward renaming our congregation. Last fall we voyaged once again into our mission, core values, and congregational identity. The Disciple Identity Committee presented three options for congregational consideration and prayer, and solicited both informal feedback at any point in this process and formal feedback at two listening sessions prior to the congregational meeting on January 31, 2016. We have traveled many leagues from that initial discussion in July 2014 to our congregational vote a week and a half ago, yet God has guided us inerrantly every step of the way.
I’ve rechristened this column as “Waypoints” in concert with our congregational name change. At its most basic, a waypoint could be as simple as a landmark such as a mountain, river, oasis, spring, or other natural feature. Waypoints are how we progress from one place to another, one space to another, and one state of being to another.
Lent offers a yearly opportunity to recalibrate our spiritual compass, to realign ourselves with God’s purposes for us and the world. The discipline of prayer realigns us with God, the discipline of almsgiving realigns us with others, the discipline of fasting realigns us with ourselves. It’s to enter into a 40 day journey with and toward Christ that begins in the desert of temptation and directs us to Jerusalem. As Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51) so we are called to align our faces, hearts, and spirits toward that destination. If we follow him, he promises to meet us as we journey and at our journey’s end. In his company we find our true bearings, and discover our hearts burning within us (Lk 24:32). See you down the road.
Pastor Troy to CCC
Disciples News :
Disciples.org/dns/ Click here to see many other news articles from our National Diciples of Christ website. Check out the new format of the website!
Last spring I walked across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma with other Disciples – a racially mixed group crossing together.
A lot has changed since 1965.
Through the brave struggle of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others, the segregated lunch counters and drinking fountains and restrooms went away. Voting rights legislation was put into place.
Family & Children’s Ministries Newsletter – Attached from their website feed.
5 Ways to Encourage Stewardship… for Families and Youth!
Stewardship can be seen as a boring word. But it’s only boring if we are not seeing the BIG awesome picture that comes with stewardship, creativity, and mission!
Several ministries have been in discussion to find a variety of ways to help you, your church families, children, and youthengage in understanding what is really happening when we offer and give our money to God. Here are five ways to get started learning and teaching stewardship:
1. Stories. Share the stories of what our church does on local, regional, and global levels with your families, children, and youth. Stories of Disciples serving around the country are easy to find via e-mail newsletters, ministry websites, and social media. Try the Disciples Advocate, Week of Compassion’s Impact updates, or Disciples News.
2. Teach. A two minute announcement on Sunday mornings may help, but families and youth need time to discuss, process, andparticipate in conversations about stewardship. (Example:Include the special offerings and stories as a part of group meetings or take home family discussions.) Teach ALL year!
About Special Offerings [Week of Compassion, Reconciliation, Easter (Disciples Mission Fund), Pentecost (New Church), Thanksgiving (Higher Education), Christmas (Regions)]
4. Get creative!
Want to promote online giving? Have “I give online” cards for the offering plate.
Like to exercise? Join our Disciples Mission Fund Easter Offering Virtual 5k on March 1st.
Or come up with your own CREATIVE idea to inspire giving … Asa Moore (right) of First Christian Church, San Bernardino challenged friends and family to raise $1000 by offering to glitter his beard as a reward to donors! Proceeds were split between his church and Week of Compassion. (That’s a good looking beard, Asa!)
5. Include the whole church: Remember every person from the young child to the oldest adult must and can give money, time, and service. Encourage everyone to give in their own way.
Upcoming Events
Ongoing CW&W Trainings Children Worship & Wonder
Story Teller Trainings
Oklahoma City, OK – February 26-27 Smithville, MO – March 5-6
June 27-July 1, 2016 in St. Louis July 4-July 8, 2016 in Central Texas
Each location will accept 300 youth and adults per trips. Cost will be $275 per person. Submit your online group form by March 1stalong with a $75 per person deposit. Learn more atdisciplesummermission.com.
NYE: July 26-30, 2016
Who’s invited?
All Disciples and UCC youth, aged 13-18 (and their families, leaders, and ministers) are invited, July 26-30. NYE is a youth-centered event but seeks to serve all ages who are attending to support their youth.(Click here for NYE Family Friendly Trip Planning Information)
Where can I find out more?
The UCC NYE page has information on pricing, schedules, meals & lodging. The site will be updated as more details are finalized.
February 8, 2016 Posted By: smahlock Outreach & EngagementNo comments yetDid you know that the Faith Alliance has collected more than 72,000 pounds of food over the past three years during our Feed our Neighbors in Need Community Food Drive? Close to 1,000 individuals come through our local food pantries every month including the Faith Choice Pantry and Reach Out….
February 8, 2016 Posted By: smahlock EducationNo comments yetSummer Lunch Ministry For the past several years, our network of churches have come together with the community to feed low-income children in Lakota. These are children who qualify for free and reduced school lunch but many times go without in the summer. Over 20 church groups have historically collaborated….
February 8, 2016 Posted By: smahlock Our PartnersNo comments yetAll Christian Clergy in our area are invited to the next Faith Alliance Clergy Coffee Connect Gathering to meet their counterparts, and share their ideas and challenges in today’s church. Also talk about potential speaker series topics. Both Faith Alliance members and non-member clergy are welcome! Our next quarterly gathering…
February 8, 2016 Posted By: smahlock EducationNo comments yetStepping Up – A Call to Courageous Manhood Men today are in a battle. It’s a battle without bullets or bombs, but a battle all the same. It’s a fight for our families and our future. Facing the battles of life demands courage, and courage is the ability to do…
February 8, 2016 Posted By: smahlock Advocacy and ActionNo comments yetWhat Can Your Church Do To Support Family Promise? Family Promise of Butler County is getting very close to opening to serve children and families who are homeless in our county. As an Endorsed Program of Faith Alliance, they are happy to have the support several of our Faith Alliance churches….
February 8, 2016 Posted By: smahlock Our PartnersNo comments yetCompass Christian Church has an immediate opening for an Office Manager/Administrative Assistant. This position is responsible for the overall day-to-day operations of the office for Tylersville Road Christian Church (http://trcchurch.org/), and will be passionately committed in helping TRCC fulfill its mission to…
The Faith Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization of local Christian Churches whose mission is the eliminate poverty in their community and by their actions demonstrate true Christian love. For more information about The Faith Alliance of West Chester and Liberty Township, visit their website at www.thefaithalliance.org or contact Sue Mahlock, Director of Outreach, atsmahlock@thefaithalliance.org.
