FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF MOLINE
(DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
THE VISITOR
February 4, 2015
Church office hours:
Monday Wednesday & Friday - 8 AM - 12 PM
Tuesday & Thursday 12:30PM - 4:30 PM
Volume 80 No. 3
Family Movie Night
Friday, February 13, 2015,
doors open at 5:30PM and
activities start at 6PM.
Please join us for a Free Spaghetti
Dinner and Family Movie Night
featuring
Walt Disney’s Lady
and the Tramp.
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES BY February 15 FOR THE February 18 VISITOR.
1st Quarter Meal Site Volunteers
Christian Friendliness
February 18—Mary Kay Cary, Jean Loose, &
Sherry Asplund
March 18—Dick & Dolores Frybarger and
Chuck & Vergie Copeland
Christian Family Care Center
February 27—Bob & Myrna Thompson,
Marilyn Johannes, and Pat McCullough
March 27—Sue Reed, Jo Ann Wilt, and
Darla & Rich Husson
Mt. Zion
March 3—Still need
Easter Cantata Rehearsal
If you are interested in participating in
First Christian Church’s Easter Cantata, please come
to the sanctuary on
Wednesday, February 4 at
6:45PM or contact Linda
Backmann at 206-5722. We will
be practicing every Wednesday at
6:45 PM
FCC Book Club will meet at
Panera Bread on Monday, March
2, 2015 at 6PM for a meal and
Fellowship with a book discussion
at 7PM.
Volunteers
C.W.F. Group #3
On Wednesday, February 4th at
11:30AM, Deborah Group will have
lunch at Rudy’s Taco’s on 16th
Street in Moline.
C.W.F. Group #1
Hannah Group will meet on
February 12 in the Parlor at 7PM.
S.I.S. Boom
The book for March is
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Members of First Christian Church,
Thank you very much for your prayers,
expression of concern, card, and flowers at the
time of my mother Charlotte’s death.
It was a blessing to know we
S.I.S. Boom will have lunch at City Limits
are surrounded by your love
in Rock Island on
and thoughts. I am blessed
Wednesday, February 18 at 11:30AM.
to be your pastor.
Friendship Class
Friendship Class will meet at Montana Jacks on
Friday, February 20 at 6PM. For reservations
please call LaRonn Jones 736-7127.
Lenten Time of Prayer
During Lent you are invited to join Dr. Beth the
Chapel on the following dates: Mondays,
February 23, March 9 , &March 23 from
7:30AM - 8AM and Wednesdays, March 4,
March 11 March 18, & April 1
from 12PM - 12:30PM. Please
come for the full half hour or as
long as you are able.
Your sister in Christ,
Beth
Given By:
First Christian Library,
New Builders Class, and
Judy & Wayne Patchin
In Memory of:
Charlotte Hartman
ATTENDANCE
01/25
8:30AM Contemporary
Sunday School
24
11:00AM Traditional
10:00AM Fellowship
65
02/01
THE NEWS AND VIEWS FROM YOUR BOARD
MEETINGS
JANUARY 19, 2015
The Board meeting opened with the lighting of the Christ Candle and followed by a
prayer by Sherry Asplund, Vice Moderator. The Board was in consensus and accepted
as presented the minutes of the last board meeting and the financial report.
Only item on the agenda was the consideration of LaRonn Jones as a Trustee. The
consensus of the Board was to affirm LaRonn to the Trustee position.
Dr. Beth spoke to the loss of the Patchin family to our community and our Church
family. Judy and Wayne are presently filling several leadership positions that will
leave a void to be filled.
Dr. Beth read Scriptures from Ephesians and talked about how we have been in the
process of change over the last several years. The concept of the 20/80 rules is that
20% of the people do all the work, this needs to change. The Church is everyone; it is
not a building, nor a group of committees. It is all the people. In the past our
committees would come up with an idea and then, they would do all the work. What
Dr. Beth would like to develop in us the attitude that once an idea is developed all or
any of us would help, because we are all part of the body of Christ and we would not
just rely on the committee to do the work. The 20/80 rule is no longer sufficient for a
healthy, growing congregation. Let the body of Christ work together on our projects
and activities!
The Elder’s are going to have “Visioning Coffees”. You will hear more about this
from the Elders.
The Board meeting ended with the member voicing their concerns and a prayer by the
Board Moderator, Bev Harper.
Submitted
Bev Harper,
Board Moderator
“Visioning Coffees”
During the months of February and March we will be hosting six “Visioning Coffees”. We are inviting you
to come and join us. We have set various times to meet all needs and we will have other beverages and snacks
beside coffee.
The reason for the coffees is to hear your vision for our Church Family and what we can do in the next five
years. We all have been given Blessing from God and we need to use them.
Thursday February 19th hosted by Bev & Rich Harper 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Tuesday February 24th hosted by Randy James & Vergie Copeland 10:00 -11:00 AM
Saturday March 3rd hosted by Pam & Todd Franzen and Pam Jackson 5:00 - 6:00 PM
Monday March 16th hosted by Mary Brahm & Vergie Copeland 9:00 - 10:00 AM
Wednesday March 25th hosted Bev & Rich Harper 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Monday March 30th hosted Randy James 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Open - later in the spring
We are looking forward to seeing you there and having great conversations.
Have a Blessed Day
Rich Harper, Moderator of the Elders
Snow Day
Sunday February 1st may have been the first time the church was closed due to weather.
I was up at 1:00 AM, even though it was snowing there was only a couple of inches and
you could see pavement through the snow.
At 6:00 AM we had gotten six plus inches and the streets were not plowed. Every other time the street crews
are out right away. They made an announcement that the plows had been pulled and would not be out until after
the snow stopped. At this point I contacted Dr. Beth and decided that we should cancel church. I tried to put it on
the Radio and TV but could not get any response on their phones. I will visit them on Monday February 2, 2015 and
find out how to put notices on the scroll if needed in the future.
As soon as the decision was made we call all members in our phone book. Dr. Rupe, Vergie, Rich and I tried
to reach everyone. Two people had already gotten to the church, I am sorry that we did not contact them
sooner.
I pray that you all were safe and enjoyed Sunday.
Beverly Harper, Board Moderator
2015
Ash Wednesday
February 18
Joint Service with Fifteenth Avenue
Christian Church in the Sanctuary at
First Christian Church of Moline 7PM
Palm Sunday
March 29
Contemporary Service 8:30AM
Traditional Service 11:00AM
Maundy Thursday
April 2
Agayci Meal in
Fellowship Hall 7PM
Good Friday
April 3
Joint Service with Cedar Memorial,
First Christian Church Davenport, and
Fifteenth Avenue Christian Church at
Fifteenth Avenue Christian Church 7PM
Easter Sunday
April 5
Easter Cantata at 11AM Service Only
From the President
Our ministry at Disciples Home Missions is a ministry focused on strengthening the whole
church so that the world may believe and come into a relationship with the living Christ. Here,
in relationship with Christ, we encounter new ideas and take them seriously, develop the
capacity to think critically and interdependently, discover deep interests and consuming
passions, and define the type of church we want to be.
Such definition is necessary to our identity as a church. Without it we swing back and forth like
the unending sway of the pendulum. We swing this way and then that way, ad nauseam, until
we are no longer sure if there is a way. And if we are not sure, then certainly others will not be
sure either. Lack of definition has brought the church to a critical crossroad in history. Will the
church be the church - the ekklesia - those called out from the world and to God, so that God can
transform the world? I hope so because if not, the church will become the lackklesia - those
lacking the ability to find the way or follow the way. It should come as no surprise that the
earliest followers of Jesus were called followers of the way!
There is not only a danger for the church becoming comfortable with lack of definition, but also
in becoming overly reliant on opinion-based theology. I think this is one reason why so many
prefer to call themselves 'spiritual' but not 'religious,' as though there is something divine and
'anything goes' about being spiritual and corrupt and limiting about being religious. Some years
back, Huston Smith, our country's dean of comparative religion, was interviewed by Mary
Rourke of the Los Angeles Times. During the interview Smith said:
"I have shocked people by saying that I believe not only in religion but in organized religion.
For some people 'spirituality' is a good word but 'religion,' the institution, is a bad word. I
disagree. If you are serious about your spirituality you'll dig in, organize, and get some
traction on history."
In the interview Smith went on to call attention to the pursuit of theology. He said:
"There is the danger of downsizing the importance of theology so that we can get along. Any
theology has to have some bite and definition. We have to keep these two concerns in polar
tension."
Opinion-based theology, in my opinion, lacks bite and definition. It is based on one's theological
opinion only and leads its parties to a circus of misinformation and ignorance. Too many of
these circuses have played on the stage of the church and world and have given religion a bad
rap. Let's rid ourselves of the theological eisegesis that has become so commonplace and become
theological exegetes again, putting some bite and definition back into our church and its
theology. We may, with God's help, inspire a whole, new generation of Disciples.
Defining-ly & theologically yours,
Those with continuing concerns ~
Congregation Members – Bob Fredrickson, Dick Frybarger,
Alice Griffith, Dick Heider, Wayne Kizer, Ken McDougall, Nick Norris,
Don Reffett, Adam Reese, Chuck Reese, and Bob Stribling.
Friends of Congregation – Brittany Adams, Ann Crouch,
Derik Dupont, Maggie & Roger Krueger, Dean Lance, Ida Lear,
Ray Norton, Ruth Smock, and Kimberly Strader.
Bob Baker, Matthew Baker, Judy Bolio, Evan Bowman, Roger Crane,
Jack Dau, Joe Dau, Shane DeVrieze, Larilyn Reffett, Matt Smith, and
Michael Wood.
Elaine Allen, Len Dorothy, Mike Franzen, Beth and Bob Fredrickson,
Alice Griffiths, Mary Lou Greene, Betty Hatchett, Zeura Krambeck,
Joanne Kline, Ken & Peg McDougall, Lucy Morris, Daryl O’Bryan,
June Ramsey, Shirley Roberts, Louise Roby, Lois Rumler, and
Bob Wendell.
The Visitor
THE VISITOR (USPS 001-452) is published
bi-weekly by First Christian Church, 1826 16th
Street, Moline, IL 61265-4093. PERIODICAL
POSTAGE is paid at Rock Island, IL.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE
VISITOR, First Christian Church, 1826 16th
Street, Moline, IL 61265-4093.
Phone: 309-762-8889.
First Christian Church
1826 16th Street, Moline, IL 61265-4093
309-762-8889 Fax: 309-762-8880
E-mail: [email protected]
Web page: molinefcc.org
Christian Church of IL/WI Web:
www.cciwdisciples.org
Staff and Volunteers:
Reverend Dr. Beth Rupe, Senior Minister
Denise Miles, Office Administrator
Linda Backmann, Music Director and Organist
Bev Reese, Treasurer
Beth Forret Alternate Treasurer
Mary Kay Cary, Financial Secretary
Ann Bowman, Assistant Financial Secretary
Stephanie Jacobs, Nursery Attendant
Bob Lear, Custodian
Visitor Volunteers:
Mary Kay Cary, Pam Heider, Jean Loose, Myrna Harris
February 8
February 15
8:30 AM Contemporary Worship
9:30 AM Coffee Time
10:00 AM Church School
11:00 AM Traditional Worship
Reverend Dr. Beth Rupe Preaching
8:30 AM Contemporary Worship
9:30 AM Coffee Time
10:00 AM Church School
11:00 AM Traditional Worship
Reverend Dr. Beth Rupe Preaching
Sunday School at 10:00 AM - Nursery provided all morning
Coffee fellowship from 9:30 - 10:00 AM in Fellowship Hall
Each 5th Sunday is a Unity Sunday with Church School at
9 AM and Worship at 10 AM.
Share the Faith