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The Good News
December 2014
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
501 SOUTH MARKET ST.
ROCK PORT, MO 64482
OFFICE: (660) 744-2486
WHAT OUR RECORDS REVEAL
October 5
Sunday School…15
Offering…………………
Worship…43
$1905.00
October 12
Sunday School…26
Offering…………………
Worship…72
$1768 .00
October 19
Sunday School…16
Offering…………………
Worship…59
$1480.00
October 26
Sunday School…23
Offering…………………
Worship…58
$1850.00
Needed monthly
October Offering
October long:
$6,379.00
$7,003.00
+ $ 624.00
November 2
Sunday School…26
Worship…73
Offering……………………………$3564.00
November 9
Sunday School…25
Worship…69
Offering……………………………$1221.00
November 16
Sunday School…31
Worship…62
Offering……………………………$1544.00
November 23
Sunday School…
Worship…
Offering……………………………$
November 30
Sunday School…
Worship…
Offering…………………………….$
Needed monthly
November Offering
November short/long:
$6,329.00
$
$
November Mission Fund: OCC
(Operation Christmas Child)
$ 227.00
December Birthdays
4 – Shayleigh Smith
6 – Amber Cook, Dylan Lair
9 – Brock Alloway, Justin Wennstedt
10 – Mandy Mahan, Ethan Wood
11 – Jake Smith
12 – Walt Stevens
13 – Zack Smith
16 – Don Meyer
21 – Glen Taylor, John Phelps
22 - Jerry Thomas
23 – Linda Phelps, Darren Schierkolk
26 – Jamie Lansdown, A J Hale, Matthew Sloop
27 – Rita Vance
29 – Josie Watkins
Anniversaries
12- Allen & Dawn Brown
17 – Jason & Sarah Watkins
23 – Dale & Frances Taylor
NURSING HOME CONCERNS:
Mary Lou Nauman, Marie Daugherty,
Raymond Horton, Helen Fentiman,
Lynn & Romona Buttercase
OUR SYMPATHY TO THE
FAMILY & FRIENDS OF:
Carole Shallenberger, & Donnie Roop COMMUNITY PRAYER
Our church doors will be open for prayer on
Tuesday mornings from 7-9:00 A.M. for anyone
who wishes a moment for prayer and reflection.
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Marcy Ingram,Camden Ireland, Cara Livengood,
Dale Carter, Dan Bailey, Maureen Moore, Dale
Taylor, Pastor Chuck Mull, Duane Rosenbohm,
Larry Abbott, Talaina Reed, Carsyn & Jim Sybert,
Kenny Walker, Sam Harbin, Rhonda Easley, Greg
Cook, Dick Vance, Virg & Katie Watts, Beth
Underwood, Ron Bennington, Deana Boettner,
Debbie Langston, Merry Bray, Keith Williams,
John Phelps, Bill Farmer, Debbie Volker, Amy
Smith, Landon Shaw, Tony Gayler, Jennifer
Lawson’s dad, Kristi Kish, Allen Brown, Dick
Vance, Ann Schoonover Burke, Raylene Kish
Dunn, Doris Lingerfelt, Payton Lingerfelt, Bill
Lingerfelt, Rick Shaw’s mother Deloris, Chandler
Farmer, Steve Herron, Ellen Kiehl, Raymond
Horton, Steven Herron, John Knierim, Brenda Lutz
THANK YOU!
Everyone at the First Christian Church:
Every time I try to thank you all during church I
get choked up so I'll do it here. Allen & I are so
thankful to have such wonderful church family. We
thank you for the cards, visits & mission offering.
We are grateful & humbled by the out pouring of
love, concern, friendship, & prayers. We can't thank
you enough! We truly have felt God's presence at
this time! ~Dawn Brown
Thank you – each and everyone for the Pastor’s
Appreciation cards & gifts for the month of the
Ministry in October, especially from those whose
names resembled the characters of the Wizard of
OZ: Dorothy, Toto, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion,
Monkey. . . With love ~ Pastor Rodney
PRAY FOR OUR MISSIONS
FOOD PANTRY
Missions: Regan & Sheila Griffin – Campus Crusade for
Christ, Denver, CO; Sam & Melissa Hughes – Youth
Ministry Int’l Ukraine; Todd Becker Foundation &
Dare 2 Share Ministries (JrH & HS youths);
Seminarian: Matt Limback – Philips Theological
Seminary Tulsa, OK.
December—Mixes
MILITARY CONCERNS
Please keep our military men and women in our
prayers as well as their families.
Josh McCoy – Afghanistan
Shawn Herron – MD Robby Patterson – VA
Brian Moyer – KY
Clint Gayler - TX
The Rock Port Food Pantry is currently low on the
following items: corn (creamed style), peas, carrots,
beets, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, potatoes,
stuffing, cooking oil, mandarin
oranges, pineapple, small canned
hams, cake mixes, frosting, brownie
mix, corn muffin mix, Jell-O, juice,
toothpaste, & Dish soap.
Our church has its annual Bake & Craft Sale on November 25th beginning at 8 a.m. in front of the Oswald / Crow Insurance Building ..... Reminder for all our church family:
November 23rd, this Sunday.....
Share our blessings with others by
bringing items for the Food Pantry
to help restock the shelves for this next
season. (However - Please do not bring
canned green beans and corn as the
Food Pantry has been given a large
supply of them.
Junior High & High School Youth
Meet every Sunday from 5:00 – 6:30 pm in the
church basement. Mark your calendars & plan to
join the group. It’s a fun bunch of energetic kids led
by Jennifer Lawson ..…& bring a friend.
CHRISTIAN MEN’S GROUP
The First Saturday of each month, 8 – 9 AM
Meet at FCC For Study & Fellowship.
Contact Person : Don Meyer
Hope to see you there – and bring a friend.
Next Meeting – Dec. 6th
Breakfast Served at 7:30 AM
Host: John Phelps
Mona and LeeRoy Sickman are the proud
grandparents of granddaughter Dylan Marie
Sickman. Dylan was born on Thursday, Nov. 6th at
12:49 a.m. at Red Oak, Iowa. She weighed in at 7
pounds 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Her
parents are Tyler and Morgan Sickman.
Master Sergeant Robert Patterson retired from the
Marines on November 4th Robby is a Rock Port
boy who grew up here, graduated from Rock Port
High School, grew up in our church and is a
member. Rob joined the Marines, serving on the
President's Helicopter One many years and serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thank You for your service!
WOMEN ON A MISSION
Monday, December 8th, Women on a Mission will
meet at 1:30 p.m. to pack Christmas boxes for
Adopt a Family / Elderly / Disabled Persons.
Women on a Mission Projects:
1. Betsy Klesath’s friends from Savannah have
traveled to Guatemala and opened an orphanage
there, called the “MOON ORPHANAGE”…
Betsy will be talking / texting this young couple
and their family to see what things they are
especially needing… We hope to be able to send
items to them as we hear from them.
2. Women on a Mission is working on a new
cookbook for our church… Please bring or send
& share your new favorite recipes with us….. If
you have a computer, you can send them to
Amy at: ajmoore@rpt.coop; or Sandy at:
rsjzak@rpt.coop; Or you can bring or send them
to the church….
First Christian Church, 501 South Market /
P.O. Box 145, Rock Port, MO 64482
C.A.R.E.
A new list of needs has been made for the
C.A.R.E. house. Please see the following and put
anything you wish to donate in the box labeled
C.A.R.E. in the back of the church. Large items*
Please call Teresa at 660-744-9966.
Items needed on a REGULAR BASIS are:
monetary donations, gift cards, paper towels, toilet
paper, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, laundry
soap, dryer sheets, Clorox, all types cleaning
products, bath soap, shampoo, cream rinse,
deodorant, hand lotions, toothpaste, toothbrushes,
tampons, feminine pads, razors, combs, brushes,
diapers, baby wipes.
The Doll and the Rose
author unknown
I was walking around in a store. I saw a cashier
hand this little boy his money back saying
"I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy
this doll."
Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to
him:
''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?''
The old lady replied:
''You know that you don't have enough money to
buy this doll, my dear.''
Then she asked him to stay there for 5 minutes
while she went to look around. She left quickly.
The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.
Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who
he wished to give this doll to.
"It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted
so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that
Santa Claus would bring it to her."
I replied to him that may be Santa Claus will bring
it to her after all, and not to worry.
But he replied to me sadly.
"No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is
now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that
she can give it to my sister when she goes there."
His eyes were so sad while saying this.
"My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says
that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I
thought that she could take the doll with her to give
it to my sister.''
My heart nearly stopped.
The little boy looked up at me and said:
"I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need
her to wait until I come back from the mall."
Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where
he was laughing. He then told me
"I want mommy to take my picture with her so she
won't forget me."
"I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to
leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be
with my little sister. "
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very
quietly.
I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy.
"What if we checked again, just in case you do have
enough money?''
"OK" he said "I hope that I have enough."
I added some of my money to his without him
seeing and we started to count it. There was enough
for the doll and even some spare money.
The little boy said:
"Thank you God for giving me enough money!"
Then he looked at me and added
"I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make
sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that
mommy can give it to my sister. He heard me!''
"I also wanted to have enough money to buy a
white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask
God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy
the doll and a white rose.''
"My mommy loves white roses."
A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I
left with my basket.
I finished my shopping in a totally different state
from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out
of my mind.
Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days
ago, which mentioned of a drunk man in a truck,
who hit a car, where there was one young lady and a
little girl.
The little girl died right away, and the mother was
left in a critical state. The family had to decide
whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting
machine, because the young lady would not be able
to recover from the coma.
Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I
read in the newspaper that the young lady had
passed away.
I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white
roses and I went to the funeral home where the body
of the young woman was exposed for people to see
and make last wishes before burial.
She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful
white rose in her hand with the photo of the little
boy and the doll placed over her chest.
I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had
been changed forever. The love that this little boy
had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day,
hard to imagine and so heartwarming.
Rock Port
Christian
News
December 2014 -- Volume 12
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
P.O. Box 145 Rock Port, MO 64482
Return Postage Guaranteed
Address Correction Requested
November/December Events
25th ……..Bake Sale front of Oswald/Crow 8 AM
30th ……..Hanging of the Greens Service
6th ………Men’s Group Mtg. 7:30-9:00 AM
7th………Christmas Potluck; Congregational Mtg.
Property Acquisition Discussion
th
8 ………Women on a Mission Mtg. @ 1:30
8th –12th God & Man Services, Grace Church 7 AM
14th …….CMF/Youth Caroling 3 PM
21st …….Christmas Program
24th……. Christmas Eve Services @ 5:30
25th……..Christmas
December in Service
Elders: Dan Athen & Dick Zach
Deacons: Geri Duren, Brenda Lutz, Buddy
Hussing, & Melanie Wilson
Deaconesses: Amy Moore & Sandy Smith
Candlelighters:
Trustee: Buddy Hussing
Videotape: Charlie Zabel
Sound System: Amy Moore
Tower (Tapes): Lee Roy Sickman
FCC VISION:
We are a family of believers loving God, loving others,
uniting in worship to bring all people to Christ.
(Matthew 22:32-40)
FCC MISSION:
Enter to worship; depart to serve from our doorsteps
“to the ends of the earth”. (Acts 1:8)
Symbolism of the Chrismon Tree
Throughout the ages, symbols have served as visual representations of spiritual truths. For those unable
to read, they also provided a means of teaching the great doctrines and events of the Bible in a way that
could be easily understood and remembered.
The use of Christian symbols dates back to the First Century. They have been painted or engraved on
the walls of catacombs, tombs, and churches. They are to be found in some of Christendom's most famous
paintings and frescos.
For two thousand years, Christians the world over have celebrated Christ's birthday, each country
according to its own traditional interpretation of the holy day. The Chrismon Tree is decorated with the
symbols that tell the story of God's love.
A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name
of Jesus Christ, used as a Christian symbol. Chrismons are Christians symbols representing Jesus
Christ. As in the case of Christogram, the term Chrismon comes from the Latin phrase "Christi
monogramma", meaning "monogram of Christ".
The monograms, signs, or symbols were designed to remind worshipers of the Lord and King born in a
humble stable on Christmas Day. During the last fifty-seven years the Chrismon tree has been used
worldwide to celebrate and proclaim our Lord's name and his saving acts. Churches of all denominations
have designed elegant Chrismon ornaments from such materials as Styrofoam, pearls, gold beads, and
sequins. They believe these works of art when carefully crafted, create a dignity and beauty appropriate
for a house of worship. Some churches use a plain white finish instead of an ornate creation for their
Chrimons, they believe it serves to direct attention to the symbol itself, rather than to that which
embellishes it.
A variation on the three-dimensional Chrismon is the counted-cross-stitch symbol. During Advent
members of the American Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa, hang reversible counted-cross- stitch
symbols, framed in lucite, in the thirty glass windows that divide the narthex and the sanctuary. Other
churches decorate their trees with cross-stitch symbols, either in place of or alongside of the threedimensional Chrismon ornaments. Some congregations also use these needlework designs to decorate
pastors' stoles, altar cloths, wall hangings, and tree skirts. Some of the symbols you would find on a
Chrismon Tree are as follows:
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Alpha and Omega —The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, referred to in Revelation 1:8
(ESV): 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty.”
Tau Cross with a Brazen Serpent — A symbol of John 3:14 (ESV): “14 And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,”
Jerusalem Cross (Crusaders Cross) — Emblem of missionary work, the large center cross
represents the original church in Jerusalem, and the smaller crosses represent the four corners of
the earth to which Christianity has spread.
Latin Cross — Probably the actual form of the cross upon which our Lord was crucified. The eightpointed star is an emblem of regeneration or baptism, the triangle an emblem of the Holy Spirit.
CHI-RHO — A monogram formed combining the Greek letters Χ (chi) & Ρ (rho), the first two
letters of the Greek word for Christ (Χριστός, pronounced Christós ).
Chalice — “27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink
of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:27-28 (ESV)
Lamb — Symbolizes the sacrificial life of Christ. “9 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 (ESV)
Greek Cross — An ancient cross having arms of equal length. The arms end in a trefoil suggesting
the Holy Trinity.
Grapes — Used to symbolize the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Crown — Symbolizes sovereignty and shows that Christ is the Ruler over all Creation.
Descending Dove — “22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a
voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” Luke 3:22 (ESV)
I.H.S. — The most common Christogram became "IHS" or "IHC", denoting the first three letters of
the Greek name of Jesus, IHΣΟΥΣ, iota-eta-sigma, or ΙΗΣ.
Bible — “27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27 (ESV)
By Pastor Rodney Hopper
How Did People Respond to the Coming of the King ?
Response of the Righteous - The response of the righteous can be summed up in one word: faith. It
was now time for God’s plan of salvation to move forward and through God’s heavenly messengers,
Angels, God revealed to the world the coming birth of His only begotten son. The birth of the Messiah was
revealed to people who would respond to faith. It was by faith Mary believed that God would cause her to
conceive and to bear a child while still a virgin who had not known man. It was by faith Joseph was called
upon to believe that the child which Mary carried in her womb was not the product of infidelity. It was by
faith the shepherds in the field believed that a savior, a king, a child was born in the most humble of
places – a cave made into a cattle stall. It was by faith that the magi traveled from Persia to the little
town of Bethlehem, guided by God’s star. It was by faith Simeon and Anna believed that the child they
held in their hands would become the Savior of the world and the ruler of Israel.
Faith which is revealed to us through God’s Word on the birth of the Messiah resulted in obedience. The
obedient Mary, upon learning that she was to become the mother of the Messiah, responded to the Angel
Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant . . . May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). The obedient
Joseph, when he had been instructed in his dream by God’s messenger, did as he was commanded and
married his betrothed to protect both her and her unborn child (Matthew 1:24). Later, in a vision Joseph
was told to take Mary and the holy child to Egypt, and he immediately did so, in the middle of that same
night (Matthew 2:14). The shepherds and the magi both immediately responded to God’s revelation and
sought out the Christ child in order to worship Him (Matthew 2:1-2; Luke 2:15-16).
The wise men brought the most valuable gifts of love from the ancient world: gold, frankincense and
myrrh. What did God reveal to us in their gifts? Symbolically, gold is an emblem of royalty. The gift of
gold, therefore, signifies Jesus as king of kings. The second gift, frankincense, is an aromatic gum resin,
obtained from Asian trees of the genus Boswallia. Frankincense was used in the holy anointing oil with
which priests were consecrated. Pure frankincense was poured upon the sacramental bread of the
Temple. As gold was the emblem of royalty, frankincense was the emblem of divinity. The third gift was
the bitter gift of myrrh. The magi brought a prophetic gift, a gift which alludes to the persecution,
suffering and death that awaits the Christ child. It was revealed in a vision to the magi not to return to
the twisted and dangerous Herod, so they traveled home by a different way. Each person of faith
responded by worshiping the Christ child, it didn’t matter if they were rich or poor. The Life-Light blazed
out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out (John 1: 5).
Response of King Herod - Herod appeared to be paranoid and was accustomed to murder to keep
control of his leadership and partnership with Rome. Herod had one of his ten wives put to death along
with her mother and his two sons by this wife. Herod was cunning in the way in which he acquired
information about the birth of the Messiah. He first called together all of the chief priests and scribes, then
meticulously questioned the scholars as to the place of the Messiah’s birth. Herod now knew that the
Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, next he would need to know how old the Messiah would be, which
was unknowingly revealed by the magi. If he could kill his own wife, children, relatives, and key Jewish
leaders, the murder of the children in Bethlehem would be of no great concern. It would be no stretch for
us to believe that Herod not only had the male children of Bethlehem put to death, but the male children
in the surrounding area.
Response of Jerusalem - We can understand why the wicked Herod was troubled, but scripture tells
us so was Jerusalem. “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him”
(Matthew 2: 3). Jerusalem would have known well that the Lord spoke to the Priest Zacharias in the
temple, then the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth, his wife, and the miracles accompanying the birth of
their son John. So the shepherd’s witnessing angels singing and proclaiming the Messiah’s birth and the
arrival of the magi, with their announcement of the appearance of the star and the birth of the “king of
the Jews” should not have caught the city of Jerusalem by surprise. All the chief priests and scribes were
called to Herod’s court to meticulously search the holy scrolls and proclaim the place of the Messiah’s
birth. Why would Jerusalem be so apathetic?
For a Jerusalemite, to worship the child who was called “the king of the Jews” was to invite the wrath of
Herod, who had been appointed “king of the Jews” by Rome. The racial pride of the Jerusalemites would
certainly prevent them from worshiping a Messiah alongside the ‘Goyim, or Shiksas and Shkutzim’ who
were considered as much an abomination as the shepherds who smelled like sheep. The Jerusalemite’s
unbelief in the Messiah is like the unbelief in our world today. They were unwilling to seek or worship
Immanuel, God with us. Let us be like Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Magi by being observant,
open, and obedient to God’s revealed WORD, so the Life-Light of the World can enter our hearts.
Pastor Rodney Hopper