Eighteen (18) new small groups will be offered for men beginning the third week of September (9/20), including Mere Christianity, 10 Questions That Trouble Men Most, Driven By Eternity, Essential Jesus, and books of the Bible like 1 John and Romans. Many groups will meet on Monday evenings and Friday mornings at Christ Community, but other
times are offered as well.
We encourage you to register by clicking the box to the left, where all the options are listed. You can click on Small Groups to see all the options, or the different levels of groups (101, 201, or 301) to see a more detailed description of each one. For more information or questions, contact Paul Clough, 610.431.0300 x180.
The Getaway Giveaway winners have been determined! We'll announce the top 3 spots this Sunday morning during both services. Thanks to all of you who submitted entries. The ideas were all excellent.
Far beyond our Giveaway, we hope you are inspired to consider these entries (listed below in an article on 9/5) and implement one or two in the life of your family.
A new session of DivorceCare begins on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 7:00-9:00pm in the Conference Room at Christ Community. The group will meet for 13 seesions and runs through Tuesday, December 21, 2010. You are welcome to join at any time.
The course is video based, with group discussion afterward. You can see more at www.divorcecare.org You can look over the list of topics at http://www.divorcecare.org/about/topics/ Cost is $20 for materials including a workbook to keep and take notes in.
Yes,
divorce is very traumatic. I have been divorced myself and have known
that heartache firsthand. But I can tell you that recovery is possible,
especially with the kind of help and support that DivorceCare can
provide. You are not alone. The course is for your benefit, and I will
do my best to be of service to you.
First Monday Men - gentlemen, mark your calendars for each first Monday
from October to May, as we start a new season focused on "Eight (8)
Tough Questions for Men." We gather from 6:15 - 7:30 p.m. in the
Chapel - every guy is welcome.
As the days get shorter and Fall approaches, our staff are hard at work preparing to kick-off the 2010-2011 ministry events. Here are some notable ones to put on your calendar. Don't forget to check VisitCCC.com often to get the latest news and events at Christ Community Church!
Women's Ministry - Women's Leadership Retreat - Sunday September 12th - Women's Bible Study begins Week of September 27th
Worship Ministry - Fall Choir Meeting - Wednesday September 8th, 7:00pm in the Chapel
KidzROCK - New Classes begin this Sunday, September 5th (2 yrs - 5th grade both hours) - Adventure Club (1st - 5th grade) Kickoff- September 30th (Registration Sept. 19th, 26th)
CrossRoads (Young Adult) - The Truth Project - Begins Monday, September 13, 7pm in Student Center
Singles - Divorce Care - Tuesday, September 14, 7pm in Conference Room
Middle School Ministry - 6th Grade Ground Zero Transition - Tuesday September 7th 7:00 - 9:00 pm - Ground Zero Kick-off! - Tuesday September 14th 7:00-9:00 pm
Men's Ministry - Men's Small Groups begins Week of September 20th - First Monday Men (every month October - May) - Monday, October 4
Sharing together in a small group is a remarkable experience.
Small groups help us pursue wisdom. They give us the blessing of shared insights. Biblical truths discussed, challenged and understood offer an uncommon conversation in a world of frivolous pursuits and worry.
Small groups give us a place to belong, to connect personally, sometimes intimately, as the truth of God's Word reminds us that we all need more of God in our lives—that we are not alone in this effort.
When we join together in small group we receive the gift of friendship. Friends share in the laughter, help us get through tears, and mostly hold us up when life brings us down.
We need that purpose of friendship that draws us into a safe place and points us to God. "Two are better than one… if one falls down, the other helps [her] up…" - Ecclesiates 4:9
Are you looking for a study friend or small group? Do you want to pursue a circle of friends?
Join us this year in women's Bible study. We have a choice of 4 dynamic study choices—all offered in your choice of 3 sessions each week:
Tuesday Evenings, 7:00-9:00pm [Same time as Jr. High Youth]
"People join small groups for many reasons—to know a few people well, to learn, to grow spiritually—- but the single most influential aspect of any healthy small group experience is care. When we care for and are cared for by others, we are practicing the heart of the gospel. In fact, groups that learn how to care for one another in word and deed usually wind up having a deep and lasting impact not only on each other, but on entire churches and communities." - Thom Corrigan, “Why Small Groups?”
Fall is here which means our Christmas Adult Choir is starting up again! As always we're looking for new and returning members to join us as we prepare for a Christmas concert in December. As always there are NO auditions and NO experience is required. If you love to sing, even if you don't think you sing very well, we'd love to have you join us. We spend a good amount of time working with people on how to sing correctly and we also give out a host of resources to help the choir learn parts and lyrics. Everyone 13 and older is invited to attend.
If you're interested in joining us, our first information meeting and rehearsal is Wednesday, September 8th, at 7:00pm in the Chapel. We'll listen to a number of the pieces we'll be singing this year, start working on a couple of pieces and take any questions you might have. This year our repertoire includes traditional carols as well as pieces by Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Paul Baloche, Joseph Martin, and Mark Hayes, among others. The pieces reflect a number of different styles from traditional to contemporary but all carry the message of Christ coming to redeem his creation. You won't want to miss this opportunity to sing praises to God during the Christmas season!
Also if you have children whoa re interested in being a part of the concert, stay tuned for an update on our Fall Children's Choir!
Join us for an end of summer gathering at the Desire of My Heart Farm next Saturday night, August 28th from 4pm-9pm. Bring a blanket, lawn chairs, snacks or picnic dinner and enjoy some great music by some terrific musicians for a meaningful effort.
This is a benefit concert to support the Andrew L. Hicks Memorial Fund. Andrew was killed tragically in July from a fall while on a hike with his famiy on vacation in California. At Andrew's funeral, Andy and Karen shared that they were establishing a fund with a primary goal to develop volunteerism/service among the youth of our community, and to support mission work for the youth of the City of Chester. All funds donated will be used for purposes which were meaningful to Andrew: the Youth of the City of Chester and the work of World Impact in Chester, and Henderson High School soccer & ice hockey.
If you would like to contribute directly, contributions can be sent to:
Andrew L. Hicks, Jr. Memorial Fund
c/o Fulton Bank, 116 West Market Street, West Chester, PA 19380.
Concert location: 111 Hatfield Road, Wagontown (Coatesville for GPS)
Thanks to those who have submitted entries in our HomePointe Getaway Giveaway contest. It's been inspiring to me and others to see how you have developed faith in your home while enjoying your family at the same time.
The deadline for entering the Getaway Giveaway contest is Friday, Aug. 27. It's simple to enter.
1. Creatively serve and enjoy your family members at home this summer.
2. Email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) describing how you are serving and enjoying your family.
The CCC staff will choose what we think are the top three creative ideas. First prize is a night's stay, a dinner and breakfast for two at The Desmond Hotel. Second and third prizes are dinners for two at Roger's Bistro. Prizes will be announced in Sunday services on September 5.
Chester County Prison Chaplain Jack Crans is seeking churches willing to assist in the prison and communities in addressing the issue of fatherlessness by coming alongside male and female prisoners, ex-offenders who will be returning to Chester County homes, and their families. More than two dozen male prisoners at Chester County Prison are part of a new Malachi Dads initiative to help mitigate the issue of fatherless in families. They will be released over the next several months, and will need continued assistance and discipleship within their communities and families. Malachi Dads was developed in Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2003 by Awana Clubs International, a long-time Christian ministry focused on helping churches and parents work together to develop spiritually strong children and youth among ages two to 18. Burl Cain, warden of the largest maximum-security prison in the U.S., known in the late 1960s as the “Bloodiest Prison in the South” due to inmate violence, invited Awana officials to speak to the prison’s fellowship of Christian men in 2003. They found that inmates wanted to see an evangelism and discipleship program established for their children. Awana subsequently started Awana Lifeline, designed to provide spiritual, parental, vocational and educational training for inmates; a second program to provide churches in urban neighborhoods with training to start Awana programs for children of inmates in their areas; and a year-round Lifeline Handbook Program that helps fathers and their children work through Awana Bible curriculum in tandem and create a long-distance parent/child bond. The Chester County chaplain is seeking churches, faith-based organizations and individuals to help create a strong prisoner re-entry /family support network, both within and outside the prison. This initiative includes: • The male prisoner project currently underway in the Chester County Prison Work Release Center that is hoped to be extended to the main prison. Some 60 children ultimately will be impacted by this current activity. Both male and female volunteers currently are involved in this initiative, with women also receiving training for • A companion initiative for women prisoners, 90% of them being mothers, that is expected to start in the fall; and • Extension of the initiative in the future to general fatherless family populations within Chester County communities. Churches and individuals interested in this initiative and future trainings should contact Chaplain Crans at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Information on the initiative, now in place in 30 prisons across the country, including this first venture in Pennsylvania and the Northeast, is available at www3.awana.org/lifeline.
I thought you might enjoy reading one of our recent Getaway Giveaway entries. Remember to send me your idea of how you and your family are enjoying and serving each other this summer. You can send those emails to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Who knows, you might win a night, dinner and breakfast for two at The Desmond!
"I am writing to share how we are attempting to create more quality time with our children.
First, a little background information. We have five children (ages 1, 5, 7, 9 & 11). Having so many children means that it can be expensive to go places as a family and it also means that we don't have many opportunities for one-on-one time with our children.
I have a friend who grew up in a large family and she said that each year on her birthday, she went out to dinner with her parents—but without any siblings. (This was something her parents did with each child on his/her birthday). The children were allowed to choose the restaurant and could order anything on the menu. My friend has such fond memories of her birthdays that I decided we needed to try something similar.
But it didn't work. AT ALL. First of all, all of five our children have birthdays within five weeks of each other. This is way too much eating out and it is impossible to find (and afford!) a sitter for all 5 birthdays. So we changed the game plan and instead, created activity tickets for the kids. Each ticket had an activity on one side and a child's name on the other. We'd pull a ticket for each kid at the beginning of the month with a goal of completing the activity by month's end. But this didn't work either. Sometimes the ticket would say Movie Night and then all the kids would want to watch the movie and the child who's name was on the ticket didn't end up with special time because Movie Night became a family activity. Or, more often than not, the end of the month would roll around and we'd realize that we hadn't completed the activities on the tickets.
We were inspired by the Home Pointe Challenge and came up with what we call Double Date Day. Double Date refers to the date on the calendar, i.e., the 11th and 22nd of each month. We chose these dates because they are easy to remember (and easy for the kids to remember too.) Each month on the 11th, one child gets to choose one activity/treat to enjoy alone with either Mom or Dad. We do this again (with a different child) on the 22nd of the month. (We're actually keeping a spreadsheet of dates/activities so we make sure the rotation is fair.) So far some of the activities that have been enjoyed: *fishing w/dad *mini golf w/dad *out to breakfast w/mom *movies w/mom *painting pottery w/mom *camping w/dad
So far we are enjoying our Double Dates and the kids are excited about them too. Thanks for the inspiration!"
Last Sunday we held our annual summer worship concert at the church. This year the theme was Jesus: Who Was and Is and Is to Come, focusing on the life of Jesus, hoe He is working in the world today, and his promise to return and restore all things. It was a wonderful time of celebration, reflection, and sharing together as a congregation. And it was so cool to see our Children's Choir sing about Jesus!
During the evening though, I couldn't help but think of a number of people I've talked to recently whoa re going through circumstances that I can't even begin to imagine. Health issues, family issues, work issues. I noticed several of these people in attendance at the concert worshiping God with all their hearts. Their faith was truly inspiring in the midst of pain and sorrow. It made me reflect on the reality that we sang about at the end of the concert, that Jesus is coming again and that he will one day wipe every tear from our eyes as he makes all things new. To quote the Andrew Peterson song we sang at the concert:
And in the end, the end is oceans and oceans of love and love again We'll see how the tears that have fallen are caught in the palms Of the giver of love and the lover of all And we'll look back on these tears as old tales After the last tear falls there is love
As time goes on and we have to face difficulty, pain and suffering, it is so helpful to remember that the God we worship in Jesus will return one day to bring his kingdom to its fullness. It doesn't make the pain go away but it does give us hope and peace in the darkness. So let's remember to worship Him, not only for what He has done for us or what He is doing in our lives, but also for the promise of His returning which will restore the whole world and bring love in all its fullness.
Thanks to everyone who's submitted an entry in our HomePointe
Summer@Home Getaway Giveaway! It's fun for me to see how you are
enjoying your family this summer.
If you've not yet, simply send me an email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
describing a creative way that you spend time with or serve your family. At the end of the summer, the CCC staff will choose three
of the entries as our winners. First prize is a night's stay, a dinner
and a breakfast for two at The Desmond Hotel. Second and Third prizes
are dinner's for two at Roger's Bistro. So go enjoy and serve your
family!
Over the past two Sunday's, Christ Community
collected food to donate to the West Chester Food Cupboard. We
collected 70 bags all together - that equates to almost 415 pounds of food you
gave!
The West Chester Food Cupboard believes that 'no one should go
hungry and that there is enough food for everyone.' The W.C. Food
Cupboard provides a 5-7 day supply of food on a monthly basis to people
in need who live in the West Chester area. Your generous donations will
help in meeting that need. Thanks so much to all who contributed to
this effort. Special thanks to the Heberling's, Udinski's and Reed's
for organizing this effort.
