TOGETHER

Psalm 133:1  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

 In life we are always going to encounter times of trouble or face challenges.  My mother once told me she was the happiest when she and my father were really struggling financially because, during those times, they were working together to make their life better.  I think I remembered her saying this because, at the time, this statement did not make sense.  As a young teenager, I could not understand how “hard” times could be better than “easy” times.

I am no longer young and have come to understand what my mother meant. Our church has been working diligently to raise money for a new church building while we continue to also support the operations of our current ministry.  We have faced many obstacles along the way and very likely will face many more.  However, I have found it very inspiring to experience how everyone is working together to help accomplish our objective.  Although the fundraisers are a lot of work, I have enjoyed working with others towards a common goal.  I have also enjoyed seeing people inside and outside our community supporting our mission and in essence “working together” with us.

My mother’s strange statement no longer seems so odd.  That one word, together, is what makes challenging times enjoyable.  I feel like the members of our congregation are a family.  We don’t always agree, but we do value each other and enjoy spending time together.  Yes, I could worship the Lord in any church or even at home, but I would miss out on the “togetherness.”

If you would like some “together” time, visit us at The First Christian Church in Girard.

Carolyn Ahring

In Perfect Harmony

           

Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

On a recent visit to my daughter and son-in-law’s in Massachusetts, we decided to travel down towards Cape Cod and partake in the cranberry harvest festival, something that had been on my bucket list for several years. As we set out on a Sunday morning when the grandkids got home from Sunday school, my focus was on the many anticipated cranberry-related events of the day—the actual harvest, the festival food booths, the multitude of New England craft exhibits, the numerous road entertainers and musicians, and the beautiful setting of the bogs.

That was, until we made our way through the Boston burbs and got out on the highway. It was at this beginning of our journey that I was struck with the true awesomeness of New England foliage in mid-October, totally catching me by surprise. Yes, I knew that the travel brochures were filled with opportunities to view the colorful landscapes of New England in the fall; and yes, I have several friends who have come home to report the beauty of such trips. However, I had been inadequately prepared for the abundant splendor of a New England autumn!

It was at this juncture that my sole purpose became capturing the most gorgeous of trees that lined the thoroughfare—those with the many shades of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, golds, browns, burgundys and everything in between. It was tricky looking ahead to select the most gorgeous trees and then being ready with camera aimed to shoot them as we passed. My photographic adventure was accompanied by my constant ooh’s and awe’s as I declared each new tree as the prettiest yet. The beauty of God’s creation was both striking and inspirational!

Later in the day, as I was sitting out in the crisp but glorious sunshine waiting for the grandkids to come down from the cranberry harvest viewing podium, I could no longer postpone reviewing my many photos from the drive that morning. I was so eager to see what I had captured during my frantic photo shoot earlier in the day…(Would the most magnificent tree be a crimson, a golden, a crisp burgundy? Would I even be able to choose a favorite?)

As I scanned over fifty snapshots from the trip, I was totally disappointed at my bounty. I KNEW I had selected only the best-of-the-best trees to capture on my camera; yet when I scrolled through the multitude of images, each and every tree was a disenchantment compared to the blazing foliage my mind’s eye had witnessed at the same time. Their likenesses were unrecognizable compared to the glorious trees I remembered and had just seen a few hours earlier.

The cranberry harvest did NOT disappoint. After saturating our day with the many sights and sounds of a New England festival, we headed to the van, beginning our journey homeward. This time, I wasn’t remotely interested in trying to capture the foliage. What I thought had been beyond beautiful showed up as mediocre looking vegetation. (I made a mental note to myself to have my vision checked when I got back to Kansas.)

Then, much to my surprise, I found myself gazing out the van window, again in amazement. The flamboyant fall foliage was more beautiful than I had even remembered or could have imagined. It was on that trip back to Boston that I relaxed and let my mind wander while looking out the window—it took the totality of the hillsides full of beautiful and harmonious trees to make up the splendid display of colors I had so enjoyed before, and a single tree by itself could not create that glorious impression.

Much like we are at First Christian Church of Girard, as individual members, we have our own value for sure, but it is when we come together as a unified congregation that we can worship, serve and glorify the Lord in an amazing way.

Join us some Sunday and see the harmonious beauty that belonging to Christ’s family creates. None of us alone is as great as all of us together.

Roaming through New England……

                        Terry

FREE POPCORN

                                                   
There is nothing like the smell of freshly popped popcorn to fill the air.  Along with the salty yellow butter that is drizzled over it when done popping, it is a treat that is hard to pass by.

Another word for smell is aroma.  The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:15, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” Did you know God likes for us to be an aroma? You may think, "How can I be an aroma for Christ, I’m just one person?" 

He wants you to live like Jesus, so that others around you notice Christ in You.  When we seek to live like Christ, what a wonderful aroma for God. He loves to sense the aroma of his children living like Christ.

As you live out the aroma of Christ, people around you will notice and they may want to have some. They will see your joy and your Christ-like heart and they will want some of what you have. 

The Outreach Committee will be handing out FREE POPCORN during the Homecoming Parade this Saturday morning.  I haven’t heard where our booth will be set up along the parade route. Just follow the AROMA of the popcorn. We at FCC want you to have some of what we have.  
Patty

Pictures from Homecoming Fall Festival

Are You Ready for Some Football? By: Steve Ahring

It's that time again. The NFL and college football seasons are underway and most Americans are tuning in. The 2014 Super Bowl had a record 111.5 million viewers, making it the largest audience ever for a television event. On any given Sunday, it has been estimated that as many as 64% of all Americans tune in to at least a portion of one or more NFL games. In contrast to this football frenzy, church attendance has declined. In polling data, when asked "Have you attended church in the last seven days?" about 40% of people report that they have. But, in studies that count actual attendance in real churches, the true number is about 20% attend on a weekly basis.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with watching football (I watch as often as I can), when contrasted with church attendance, it does say something about our societal values and priorities. After all, does watching football make you a better person?

More importantly, if parents are not attending church services, the kids don't either. That means that 75% to 80% of kids today are not hearing life's most important message. They are not learning about Christian values and ethics. In today's world, this is not only irresponsible but dangerous as well. For example, the internet is a wonderful reference and information resource. However, it is also a haven for child predators, pornography, and scam artists of every sort. In order to combat the temptation and evil present in our modern culture, we must ground ourselves and most importantly our children in Christ.

Perhaps the kindest and most generous act you could ever do for another person is to get them back into a church, any Christian Church.

With this in mind, I want to extend a personal invitation to anyone reading this post to join us in our Sunday morning worship services. The First Christian Church of Girard, Kansas is a small congregation of dedicated Christians who freely offer their hospitality and will welcome any and all who are searching for answers or looking for a church family.

For more information about the First Christian Church, please contact Reverend Doug Amend at (620) 238-1730 or revdbamend@yahoo.com