1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

The Christian Window
Volume 56 Number 4 March 2015
First Christian Church of Kent
(Disciples of Christ)
335 West Main St., Kent, OH 44240-2416
Phone: 330-673-6634
Website: www.firstchristiankent.org Email: kentfcc@firstchristiankent.org
WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY
A new 7-week series begins on
Monday, March 2 at 9:30 a.m. in Rm.
2. Our topic is taming the tongue,
presented partially by Karen Ehman on DVD titled
Keep It Shut. During the rest of the time we will
be discussing what heard on the DVD and read in
our study book and related scripture readings.
Ladies, if you are available for the next 7 Monday
mornings, join us for this time of Bible Study and
spiritual growth. You will learn a lot and have fun
while you're doing it.
Louise Neubert, Coordinator
The SPAGHETTI DINNER & BAKE SALE—
March 6th from 4:30 to 6:30pm.The Bake
Sale for March will be for Miller House.
We served 157 people in February and
made $1290 and $207 for UCM Bake Sale.
The April Spaghetti dinner is April 10 due to Good
Friday.
Church Women United
2015 World Day of Prayer
Friday, March 6, 2015 10AM
Jesus Said, “Do You Understand What I Have Done
For You” Program written by the women of the
Bahamas
United Church of Christ, 1427 Horning Road, Kent
All Women are invited.
Kent Lion’s
PANCAKE FESTIVAL
Sunday, MARCH 1, 2015
8AM TO 2PM
Stanton Middle School Cafeteria
$6.00 Adults / $2.00 Children 10 & under
Presale Tickets $5.00
Bring old eyeglasses and hearing aids.
UCM SPRING Fundraising Dinner
United Christian Ministries at Kent State
University will host their Spring Italian Feast on
Friday, March 13th at 6:00 pm in Pierson Hall of
the Kent United Methodist Church. Adult tickets
are $20 and children 12 and under eat free.
Childcare will be available in the gym after the
kids eat. The Italian themed menu includes salad
and bread, Chicken Parmesan with pasta and a
vegetable. The dessert is an Andes Grasshopper
Cake. Vegetarian eggplant option is available upon
request at time of reservation. Reservations are
required and can be made on our website at
www.myucm.org, by calling the office at 330-6735687, or by email ucm@kent.edu. Tickets for
purchase will also be available from a UCM
student in local churches on March 8th. If you are
unable to attend, but would like to support our
campus ministry, please consider purchasing a
patron ticket or making an online donation.
Proceeds from the dinner support UCM's student
programs.
Thank you for your continued support of
campus ministry!
God Bless, The UCM Staff
BOOK DISCUSSION
We meet in the parlor at 2:00 on Monday, March
2 to discuss The Light Between the Oceans by M.
L. Stedman. Newcomers are always welcome.
What’s Inside:
Page 2: Interim Minister Notebook
Page 3: Interim Minister Notebook continued, Youth
Thanks, Pastor Class, Thank You, Young
Men’s Fellowship
Page 4: Easter Flower Order, Euchre Night, Lord’s
Lunch, Prayer Requests, Deadline
Page 5: Search Committee, 2 cent a meal, Daylight
Savings Time
Page 6: Serving Schedule, Birthday & Anniversaries
Page 7: March Calendar
Page 8: Worship Times, General Assembly
THE INTERIM PASTOR’S NOTEBOOK:
And, because Jesus was
inconvenienced for us…
everywhere else Paul worked. And as we attempt to
live out this same Gospel right here, today, the
Christians at Kent also obviously and unavoidably
face some level of inconvenience and discomfort.
So how will we respond?
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ:
How much inconvenience should we be
prepared to accept for Jesus Christ and for the cause
of his Gospel? None? Some? A lot?
I’d like to somewhat delicately suggest that—
even though all of us sometimes live as though the
first answer is the right one—we should instead be
prepared to embrace at least some inconvenience for
the sake of our Savior and for his work at First
Christian Church of Kent (Disciples of Christ).
After all, when we attempt to be and to do the
kind of ministry described in the New Testament,
there is bound to be some inconvenience.
This response could involve the challenges of
welcoming unfamiliar people and cultural
preferences.
Really embracing “them” as a part of “us” is
the big hurdle for Christians everywhere. This is the
practical love-thy-neighbor test. Add to this the
uncertainty of not knowing exactly what is going to
happen next—even though we do know how it will all
turn out in the end.
But these are also clearly all the same kinds of
challenges and adjustments and uncertainties that
faced the earliest Christians.
In verse 9, (emphasis mine) Paul boldly
referred to this novel Christian unity within
diversity: “to make everyone see the plan of
the mystery hidden for ages in God who
created all things; so that through the church
the wisdom of God in its rich variety might
now be made known…”
(The Lord’s Prayer does not say: “And lead us
not into inconvenience…”)
In Paul’s letters, but especially in Colossians
and Ephesians, he boils down his ministry and even
the very “mystery of Christ” to the creation of a new,
multicultural, universal church that bridges the
insolvable human hostilities of social class, race,
gender, language and culture. Really. I’m not
making this up.
In the past, Paul said, this mystery (which is
that Jesus bridges the chasm between “us” and
“them”) was hidden. But no more.
In Ephesians 3:4-7 (NRSV, with my
emphasis), Paul speaks of “the mystery of Christ”…
that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs,
members of the same body, and sharers in the promise
of Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I
have become a servant…”
As we now consider not shrinking back from
the small inconveniences Jesus lays upon us for his
sake and the sake of his Gospel, it is not inappropriate
to focus our attention on the great inconveniences that
Jesus took upon himself for us. Jesus is our great
example.
This is one of the great themes of the Book of
Hebrews. It was written to encourage Christians who
were paying significant economic and social penalties
for their new faith in Jesus not to shrink back despite
these significant inconveniences.
Hebrews 10:32-39 reminds us:
“But recall those earlier days when, after you
had been enlightened, you endured a hard
struggle with suffering… You cheerfully
This multicultural church of “us” and “them”
together obviously meant some level of inconvenience
and discomfort for the Christians in Ephesus and
CONTINUED PAGE 3
2
The Interim Minister Continued
accepted the plundering of your
possessions, knowing that you yourselves
possessed something better and more
lasting. Do not, therefore, abandon that
confidence of yours; it brings a great
reward. For you need endurance, so that
when have done the will of God, you may
receive what was promised… But we are
not among those who shrink back and so
are lost, but among those who have faith
and so are saved.”
Finally, Hebrews 12: 1b-4 urges us to fix
our eyes on Jesus himself and what he endured for
us: “And let us run with perseverance the race
that is set before us, looking to Jesus the
pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for
the sake of the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, disregarding its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right hand of
the throne of God.
“Considering him who endured such
hostility against himself from sinners, so
that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
In your struggle against sin you have not
yet resisted to the point of shedding your
blood.”
Jesus joyfully disregarded great
inconveniences to serve and save all of us. Let us
therefore imitate him. Let us not grow weary of
accepting a few small inconveniences to properly
serve him and his people and the cause of his
Gospel.
Pastor's Class
We are very excited to announce our plans for
Pastor's Class this spring! All youth currently in
grades 5-12 who ar e inter ested in baptism/
membership into the Body of Christ and First
Christian Church of Kent are invited to join Pastors
Bill, Dennis and Jodi in a very intentional time of
learning and faith discovery. The class will meet on
the following Sundays at 9:30 am in Bethany Hall.
3-1-15 Pastor’s Class Session 1: Let’s Get
Acquainted
3-8-15 Pastor’s Class Session 2: Hear and Believe
4-12-15 Pastor’s Class Session 3: Repent and
Confess
4-19-15 Pastor’s Class Session 4: Be Baptized
4-26-15 Pastor’s Class Session 5: Receive
Forgiveness
5-3-15 Pastor’s Class Session 6: Receive the Holy
Spirit
We are also planning a field trip to Bethany, WV for
some Disciples History, site-seeing, and lots of fun!
Details TBA.
Our hope is to help support and educate the young
people of our congregation who are considering
confessing their faith, being baptized, and becoming
members of our congregation. We will celebrate the
sacrament of baptism for those who feel they are
ready on Pentecost Sunday, May 24.
Please see Jodi Stillisano to register your child for
Pastor's class by Feb. 8th.
To My Dearest Church Family,
Thank you all for the very generous gifts
this past Christmas. It is a pleasure,
each week, to serve you all and our Lord God. Thank You
All…
And May the Peace of Christ Be with You!
Love, Donna Oberlin and Family
Thank You Card posted on 2nd floor bulletin board.
Fraternally, Bill Meyer
The youth "Souper" Bowl and
Snack Sale raised almost $200!
Thank you to everyone who supported the sale. $150 was sent to Chrissy
Stonebraker Martinez and The InterReligious Task Force. The remaining
money will be used to purchase ingredients for a future fundraiser. If you have extra
quart or pint size mason jars, the youth will gladly
accept your donation.
Young Men’s Fellowship Group beginning
on Feb. 27th at 7pm at the church. Join us for
cards and organizing activities! Contact Dave
Adolphson at 330-554-2512 for more information. Watch for more information about upcoming happenings and events.
3
2015 EASTER FLOWER ORDER
FORM
Euchre Night
Friday, March 13 at 7pm
Sign up sheet on the bulletin board in the
Narthex.
Please select the type and amount of
plants that you’d like placed in the
church on Easter on the form below.
Checks are to be made payable to First
Christian Church, and can be placed in
the offering plate (along with this form), dropped off
at the church office (8:30am –1:30pm Monday Thursday), or mailed to the church (335 W Main
Street, Kent, OH 44240).
Lord’s Lunch Serving at Trinity Lutheran
Church March 21st. See Marilyn Holloway
if you would like to help with this outreach
ministry.
Volunteer Gardeners of all Levels needed for the
Hospice of VNS Garden Club. The 16 acres at Akron
General Hospice at 3358 Ridgewood Road in Copley
requires year-round maintenance. Call 330-6684650 to sign up for Orientation Classes.
Last Day to ORDER: Thursday, March 12, 2015
NAME:
___________________________________________
PHONE NO: ______________________________
6 in. pot
6 in. pot
Remember in our Prayers:
Azaleas
$11.00 (green foil)
Lilies, Tulips, Mums $ 8.00
(green foil)
Healing: Bonnie Mozingo, Jane
Baxter, Michael Viets, David
Echenroad, A. J. Spaulding, Rick
Phillips, Joe Zurzola, Kay Wise,
Marian and Don Horner, Dan Wilt,
DeAnna Tenney, Arnett Noble, The Discernment Team and the Search Committee.
Mums: Pink, White
Tulips- Red, Pink, & Bi-color
No. Ordered: ________ White Lilies
________ Mums
________ Tulips
________ Azaleas
Sympathy: The family of Lisa Morris, Joan
Chamberlain’s daughter, who passed away.
The family of Lois Simpson who passed away
~ Specific Color____________________
The family of Larry Fisher, brother of Susan
Lanning, who passed away 2/23
_________Total Amount Enclosed
Special Prayers: Those serving in our armed
forces and their families. Ryan Oberlin, Afghanistan in Sept. 2014. Heather and Jose
Mendez. Please update us on our armed forces and families needing prayers.
Please print the dedication below exactly how
you’d like it to appear in the worship bulletin: (more
can be added to the back of this form)
In honor of
___________________________________________
T.H.I.N.K. first
British evangelist Alan Redpath suggested these 5
helpful questions to ask yourself before you
speak:
T—Is it True?
H – Is it Helpful?
I – Is it Inspiriting?
N – Is it Necessary?
K– Is it Kind?
In memory of
___________________________________________
Your generosity will beautify the church on
Easter morning.
Plants can be taken home after the 10:45am
worship service.
Next Newsletter Deadline:
March 2 & 16.
Thank you to "secret Santa" Erica Bordonaro who purchased colorful new cushions for the chairs in all the
adult Sunday School rooms. All our "sitters" thank you!
4
Our Search Committee is moving forward in the search for a Called,
Full-time Pastor. We have been prayerfully preparing, learning and listening as we collect information to submit Our Church Profile.
Rev. Meyer and the Discernment Team are helping us with the section on “Congregational Discernment”, but it is very important that
ALL of you help us!
We will be having an Informational Brunch on Sunday, March 15th @ 9:30 (between services). The Search Committee will use this time to gather information and share ideas. We
realize that we are all very busy people, so we have been working on how to collect the information we need in the most effective way… Wait for it…we have a Survey! (After all, why reinvent the wheel? We’ll just improve it!) We spent time making sure that we ask the correct
questions so we get responses that are meaningful to our search process.
We will be distributing the surveys beginning March 1st and hope to have them returned to
us by March 15th or 22nd. WE NEED EVERY PERSON to complete a survey. We will be sending
our out-of-town members a survey by email, or if necessary we can mail a survey to them.
Our goal is to have a completed Profile for Sunday April 12th.
Thank You in advance for your Help. Please continue to pray for our congregation as we
move forward.
In Christian Love and Service,
The Search Committee
With the beginning of Lent, we have an opportunity to take part
in the 2 Cent-A-Meal Program.
One way we can respond is by participating in the 2 Cent-A-Meal
Program at home.
Select a container and put it in the center of your table, each
person puts 2 pennies at each meal. That is ½ of the program,
the other ½ is to say a prayer for those in need.
We will take part in this program during Lent beginning with Ash
Wednesday, February 18th.
Each Sunday there will be a collection of your pennies.
Special Thanks to our wonderful “elves” for the newly painted & redecorated Sunday School Room. Wonderful job!
REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ON MARCH 8TH
5
March 2015 Serving Schedule
Worship
Leader
Deacons
Prep/Serve/
Clean
March 1
8:30 am
Ed
Mozingo
10:45
Portia
Gregory
10:45am
Ruthann
Freeman
Vicki
Eberhart,
Paulette
Cortnik
Linda Beal Zach
Stillisano
10:45am
Bob Palmer,
Ruthann
Freeman
March 22
Art Putt
8:30am
Michelle
Lantz
Marilyn
Holloway
David
Adolphson
Laura
Adolphson
Iris Palmer,
Bob Palmer
10:45am
March 29
8:30am
Acolytes
Zach
Dylan Redman
Stillisano,
& Jenna Neri
David & Laura
Adolphson,
Portia
Gregory
Portia
Will Stillisano
Gregory,
& Josh
Ruthann
David & Laura
Freeman,
Bordonaro
Adolphson,
Vicki Eberhart
Zach Stillisano
Iris Palmer
March 15
8:30am
Deacons-Serve
Greeters
Louise
Neubert
10:45am
Laura
Adolphson
Dennis
Wendling
Art Putt, Iris
Palmer
Attendance
Zach Stillisano
Theresa
Bennett &
Maya
Gregory
Bob Palmer
March 8
8:30 am
Elders
Bob Beal
Portia
Gregory
Laura & David Dylan Redman
Adolphson,
& Ben
Susan
Portia
Bordonaro
Gregory, Zach
Buckbee
Stillisano
Laura
Adolphson
David & Laura Reilly Curtis &
Adolphson,
Emilia Neri
Portia
Gregory, Zach
Stillisano
David
Adolphson
Susan
Buckbee
Laura & David
Adolphson,
Jenna Neri & Susan
Portia
Gregory, Zach Maya Gregory Buckbee
Stillisano
David
Adolphson
PALM
SUNDAY
Children’s Wonder and Worship Story Teller/Greeters
March 1:
March 8:
March 15:
March 22:
March 29:
“Jesus and the Children”
“Jesus and Bartimaeus”
“Jesus Zaccheus”
“Jesus the King”
“ Jesus Last Passover”
Sarah Neri, Susan Buckbee
Aireane Curtis, Max Stillisano
Jodi Stillisano, Theresa Bennett
Laura Adolphson, Portia Gregory
David Adolphson, Susan Buckbee
March 16
March 17
Birthdays and Anniversaries
March 2
March 5
March 6
March 10
March 13
March 15
Rebecca Putt
Sarah Neri
Brendan Redman
Reilly Curtis, Ben Secaur
Brittany Mozingo
Emilia Neri
March 19
March 21
March 24
March 25
6
Vicki Lynn Phillips
Alex Thomas, Tom & Erica Bordonaro
(2001)
Zach Stillisano, Noah Dunlap
Carie Wright, Cathy Steele
Martha Michael, David Adolphson
Maya Gregory
March 2015
Sun
Mon
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1 Lord’s
2 Deadline
3
Pantry
Newsletter
Pastor’s Class Bible Study*
9:30am *
Book Club
2pm
Worship Mt.
Elders Meeting
7pm
4
5
6 World Day
of Prayer*
7
8
11
Pastor’s
Class
9:30am
Daylight Savings Time *
9
15
16
Bible Study*
Informational
Brunch*
9:30am
22
Tue
10
Deadline
Newsletter
30
13
14
Euchre Night
*7pm
Discernment
Team 9am
UCM Dinner
*6pm
17
18 St.
Patrick’s Day
18 Board
Meeting 7pm
19
20
First Day of
21
27
28
Sarah
Circle 7pm @
B. Brown
24
Bible Study*
SUNDAY
12 Last Date
Easter Flower
Orders *
Bible Study*
Outreach Mt.
7pm
23
29 PALM
Spaghetti Dinner & Bake
Sale *4:306:30pm
25 Asenath
26
Circle 7pm
Michelle Lantz
Lord’s Lunch
@ Trinity Lutheran
Church*
31
Bible Study*
“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
Maya Angelou
Weekly Meetings:
Tuesday ~ AA 7-8:30pm (Room 2)
Thursday ~ Quilters 10:00am—2:00pm
AA 7:00-8:00pm (Room 2)
Thursday
Choir 7:30pm ~ 8:30pm
Saturday ~ Exercise Group 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
* Articles in newsletter
7
email: kentfcc@firstchristiankent.org
Website: www.firstchristiankent.org
2015 General Assembly
July 18—22, 2015
Columbus, Ohio
Office Hours 8:30am to 1:30pm Monday through
Thursday. The office is closed on Fridays.
CHURCH STAFF:
Ministers
All members of First Christian Church
Interim Minister
Rev. William D. Meyer
Minister of Christian Education
Jodi Stillisano
Church Secretary
Vicki Lynn Phillips
Organist
Cathy Steele
Chancel Choir Director
Patricia Wiley
Early Accompanist
Donna Oberlin
Nursery Attendant
Sarah Redman
Custodian
Brendan Redman
Worship Times/Office Hours
Worship Times at 8:30 and 10:45am
Children’s Worship 9:30am
8
From the opening worship
on Saturday night to the
climax on Wednesday
night, thousands of Disciples will gather to worship our God and be
challenged to fulfill our call to go from our
doorsteps to the ends of the earth in mission. Speakers with new concepts. Learning tracks will give us wings & worship will
set our sights above.
Early Registration Discount end April 1
Preview book available in the office.
Look for much more information in the next
newsletter.