CONNECTION

A publication of First Christian Church of Edmond, OK Vol. 3 No. 48 December 15, 2011

The Chalice

I Wonder (Matthew 2:1,2)

By Rev. Dr. Jerry Black, Associate Minister
Waiting Its not an easy thing to do, is it? - especially in this age of instantaneous information, fast food, the world wide web, and mass transit systems that will deliver us anywhere in the world in just a matter of hours. All of this real world technology simply makes waiting, painful. But waiting has always been difficult for me, particularly as a little toe-head from rural Oklahoma at Christmas time. Early in December, my Mom and I would make our way through the pastures of the family farm looking for that perfect cedar to serve as our Christmas tree. (There were no pines in our neck of the woods; just scrub oak and cedar). So, when that cedar had been found, Dad would square off the bottom and nail on the home made tree stand. The popcorn would be popped and strung together to blend with multi-colored bulbs and tree lights. And each day, I would rush home from school (two miles, all up hill of course), and look to see what new gift might have been added under the tree. Id pick it up, hold it, shake it, and wonder - is this the one? Is this that for which I have been wishing? Then most reluctantly, Id return the package to its place under the tree with the gloomy realization that I would just have to wait until Christmas. Thats all I could do (and get away with) - wait and wonder, and anticipate the joy of that coming day. The wise men had also been waiting - along with people throughout the region. There was a pervasive feeling in the land that a new king was coming, especially to Judea. Herod the Great, Romes puppet king, had more than distinguished himself for cruelty. So, the people just naturally started longing for God to intervene with a Messiah - a temporal prince. And it was a mood that permeated the countries nearby. I wonder what we are looking for in Christmas this year. Is it so wondrous that it makes it difficult to wait? Are we anticipating that God will wondrously and powerfully enter into our world again, and into our lives? I wonder - and I wonder what gifts we will bring to the child. Join the wise men this Sunday on their way to Bethlehem, and wonder.

Good News of Great Joy 2011 Christmas Offering for Regional Ministry Received December 18
The 2011 Christmas Offering will be received December 18. Your generous gifts will benefit ministries throughout the Oklahoma region, including camps and summer ministries. The many ways it strengthens our regional ministries will lift Good News of Great Joy throughout the coming year.

2011 A Record Year at Breakfast on Boulevard

By Mickey Stufflebean Its a record breaking year for Breakfast on Boulevard. We will serve approximately 24,000 meals by years end. These meals will cost $51,000, which is a 19% increase from 2010. With the rising cost of putting food on the family table, and the current state of our economy, the need for this vital ministry to the community continues to increase. Your support is needed now more than ever! If you would like to make a donation please make your check payable to First Christian Church, and mark BOB in the memo line.

Candlelight Service of Remembrance

Sunday, December 18 - 6:30pm
For some of us, Christmas is not a joyful time of celebration. The holiday season is filled with sadness due to loss. Our hearts are heavy knowing there will be one less face for Christmas this year. It can be very difficult to celebrate the joy of Christmas in the midst of grief. If this is where you are this year, please join us for our Candlelight Service of Remembrance. This quiet, reflective Christmas service offers a time to acknowledge the pain of grief and look quietly for hope in our darkness. Rev. Chris Shorow will offer the message. Prayer Ministers will be on hand to fashion personal prayers for your specific needs if you wish.

Changing Keys

Organist Chris Westhof Announces Retirement

What makes my heart sing, you ask? Thats an easy one MUSIC! Playing tuba from junior high through college, serving as a tuba-tooting soldier in the national guard, and playing organ for more than 48 years music has been a significant part of my life. It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement as Principal Organist at First Christian, effective December 31, 2011. It will be my honor to play for FCCs three Christmas Eve services in just nine days from now. Over the years, Ive played for numerous churches, on a substitute basis, for a single Sunday or an extended time, until I accepted the organist position at Church of the Savior in Oklahoma City. Serving there from the Spring of 1978 to April, 1990, I was blessed with a caring congregation and a very nice Rodgers organ. Because we were driving two cars from Edmond to Oklahoma City every Sunday and Wednesday, and our children, Christian and Courtney, were not in a church with their Edmond schoolmates, Connie and I made the decision to move to an Edmond church. We knew Kyle Maxwell, so it was our choice to attend First Christian. I was not looking for a full-time position as an organist, but I contacted Garry Dowell, FCCs organist at the time, to advise I was available as a substitute. His response was to share with me that his resignation was imminent. I subsituted for him in May, and the rest was, as they say, history! On Sunday, June 3, 1990, I became FCCs principal organist. So, for the past twenty-one years at First Christian, Ive been blessed beyond belief by the support of senior pastors Kyle Maxwell, Hugh Wilson and Chris Shorow, associate ministers Denise Glavan, Lloyd Taylor, John Regan, James Ward, Greg Bunton and Jerry Black, and ministers of music John Fuss, David Amann, Debi Powell, Susan Hurst, Garry Sloan, and Diane Ball. All of the choirs have been exceptional, and the current Chancel Choir is the best ever! An unlikely source of support came on the ONE Sunday I missed due to illness. I was still at the Oklahoma City church when, late on a Saturday, I realized I couldnt play the next day, so I called for a subsitute. On such short notice, and with a twenty-mile trip from Edmond, my gracious subsitute was none other than you guessed it FCCs own, Vera Enz! What an inspiriation she was to all of us! I also have been blessed to play the Steinway grand piano and the Rodgers Classic organ. Our organ is just about as close to a pipe organ as you can get; a number of visitors have asked where are the pipes? Ive tried to present classic organ literature to First Christian and have been privileged to choose what I wanted to play and how I wanted to interpret the music. Such freedom has been an additional blessing. First Christian has provided extraordinary instruments, a professional and friendly atmosphere in which to learn, very competitive remuneration, and a spiritual rewarding tenture as your organist. For which I am indeed grateful! A number of years ago, feeling discouraged on a particular Sunday morning, I presented what I felt was a mediocre and boring selection for communion meditation. It certainly was not a very soul-felt rendering. Some months later, a woman approached me at the chapel organ. She told how a certain piece of music Id played some months earlier had moved her and lifted her spirits. From her description of the piece, I knew at once that it was the one Id dismissed as boring and mediocre. I

marveled that, through my suffering and uninspired playing, God found a way to bless that lady. When I have presented a particularly difficult postlude, Ive prayed just before I played, saying, God I cant get through this without your help! When youve seen me smile as I reached the last page or two, it was then that I realized first hand and in a very personal way, that God answers prayers, even those desperate last minute prayers. And finishing the piece was then so enjoyable! But why should I be surprised? After all, I feel closest to God when Im listening to or playing His music on the King of Instruments! To God be the Glory! Chris Westhof, Organist

Come Join Us!

On Sunday, January 29, 2012, beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, First Christian will host

A Celebration of Music
in honor of our retiring organist, Chris Westhof. The celebration will feature a unique blend of the finest organ music, hymns and anthems, a special duet, and a few surprises, all performed by gifted guest artists! The celebration will be followed by a special reception in the Fellowship Hall.

Prayers of the People

THOSE IN NEED OF PRAYER Rose Marie McKee, Florine Shirley, Judy Joy, Bart Rodr, Virginia ONiel, Cynthia David (Winnie Halls daughter), Ed Berry, Bill & Mary Lou Womble, Nita Williams (Jeff Williams mom), Naomi Bell (Karen Walenciaks mom) CELEBRATING THE GIFT OF A NEW LIFE Peyton Michael Majors born December 13 to Mick & Audra Majors. Grandparents are Phil & Rachel Fraim. Great grandmother is Sue Fraim and Great Aunt is Kay Sullins.

Happy Birthday!
12/18 AJ Berepele, Tyler Burleson, Jerri Dillon, Neal Hunt, Ted Perrin, Gwen Shaw 12/19 Chris Clark, Shawn Fapp, Austin Greenhaw 12/20 Greg Cunningham, Allison Ernst, Bob Jennings, Jeanne Larimore, Meagan Rivera, Pat Warner 12/21 Tyler Black, Jennifer Brumback, Emily Luschen, Jane Martin, Wes Warner 12/22 Cathy Justice, Bob McKibbin, Joyce Werhun 12/23 Jennifer Cain, Andrea Deal, Cora Deal, Debbie Gragg 12/24 Wendy Fine-Thomas, Martha Roach, Dena Stapp 12/25 Andrew Harris

Feel Warm - Give Blood!

Its not to late to find that last minute gift - you can still Share the Wonder! We invite you to purchase a gift for that special someone by making a donation in support of the Children Worship and Wonder ministry. When you make a donation, you will receive a greeting card and envelope to give to your gift recipients. Inside the card there will be a message explaining the gift that was given in their honor. It will truly be a gift with meaning! Please stop by our Alternative Gift Share the Wonder display table in the Rotunda or come by the offices during the week.

Sunday, December 18th 8:15am to 12:15pm on the Bloodmobile! Schedule your donation online at obi.org (Sponsor Code 0424) Every 2 seconds, someone needs blood. The Oklahoma Blood Institute provides every drop of blood needed by patients in 150 medical facilities across the state. Donors Receive: FREE Ice Scrapers! Health Screenings! Donor Reward Points!

FCC YEAR TO DATE

Financial Report from the Finance Committee

Through November 2011, FCC is operating within our revenue. The General Fund has a positive balance with pledged revenues at 101.6% of year-to-date budget, compared to 97.8% of budget at this time in 2010. Building Fund revenues are meeting our mortgage obligations. You have two more Sundays to make your 2011 financial contributions, or they may be delivered to the church office by noon Friday, December 30, 2011, or postmarked in 2011. You may wish to make 2012 contributions in December for 2011 tax purposes. If so, please be sure to designate on the memo line of your check or on your envelope that this is a 2012 contribution. The Business Office will then credit your contribution during the 2012 church year. If you have any questions regarding your contributions, please contact our Business Administrator, Karla Mahan at kmahan@fccedmond.org or (405) 341-3544, ext. 107. PLEASE NOTE: It is important to always note on your checks or envelopes to which church accounts you want your contribution credited.

December 31, 2011: Deadline to Make Charitable Gifts from IRA Accounts
The compromise tax bill (Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Authorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010) extends until Dec. 31, 2011 via a provision known as the Charitable IRA Rollover which allows taxpayers age 70+ to make tax-free transfers or gifts (of up to $100,000 per year) directly from their traditional or Roth IRA to charities. Such gifts can be made without increasing your taxable income or withholding. Additionally, funds transferred from your IRA to a charity will NOT subject your Social Security income to higher tax levels, and will count toward your minimum required distribution (MRD). Please consult your tax advisor for more information.

Worship December 18, 2011

4th Sunday of Advent
Message: Rev. Greg Bunton Rev. Dr. Jerry Black Theme: The Wonder of Christmas The Magi Show the Way to Bethlehem Scripture: Matthew 2:1-2

Childrens Christmas Eve Service - Saturday, December 24 5:30pm

December 25, 2011 Christmas Day Unified Worship - 10:45am

Message: Rev. Chris Shorow Theme: The Wonder of Christmas Meeting the Christ Child Scripture: Luke 2:15b-16

The Gospel will come alive with the help of our children in a narrative re-telling of the birth of Jesus. This abbreviated, family-oriented worship service includes familiar Christmas hymns. Children (ages 3 through 2nd grade) may select a costume at 5pm and participate in the Nativity story!

Candlelight Christmas Eve Services - Saturday, December 24 7 & 11pm

The Chalice CONNECTION

Shelley Regan, Editor sregan@fccedmond.org Read News Online @ fccedmond.org/news Submit Articles to news@fccedmond.org

The 7pm Christmas Eve service will feature beautiful music, scripture readings, and the lighting of the Christ Candle. The 11pm service will feature a serene, simplified candlelight service with carols, the Chancel Choir, and scripture. The service ends in candlelight with the bells tolling the midnight hour, marking the arrival of Christmas Day. (No nursery on Christmas Eve)

Christmas Morning - Sunday, December 25 10:45am Unified Worship Service

10:00AM - Enjoy Cookies & Milk for Santa during Coffee Fellowship. 10:30AM - Nursery begins No Sunday school and no SPROUTS Children Worship on Christmas Day

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