A child dies every 10 seconds from malnutrition, with 3 million children dying from hunger every year. FMSC meals are developed by food science and nutrition professionals to supplement nutritional needs and reduce problems with malnutrition. Nutrition allows children to grow, thrive and develop to their full potential. Each day, FMSC's partners distribute meals in schools, orphanages, clinics and feeding programs around the world, many of these are in developing countries.

La Casa de Cristo hosted a mobile pack event in the Gathering Place on December 16 & 17. That weekend 132,192 meals were packed for starving children around the world! This was La Casa de Cristo's sixth packing event and to date we have packed a whopping 1,391,690 meals! It is so amazing to see how God is working to feed His children!

Manual: fancy word for “keyboard”

Swell division: the part of the organ that sits behind the right-side vertical shades

Console: the big thing I sit at

Stops: the drawknobs I pull

Rank: a set of 61 pipes associated with a Stop

Mutation: I can’t begin to explain this succinctly, but it’s a good thing

Hautbois: pronounced [o-bwa]. A snooty word for “oboe”

En chamades: horizontal trumpets up front; when I want to make sure you can hear the melody

Trompette de fête: party trumpets in the rear. Did I play too loud?

Zimbelstern: fast-sounding chimes. German for Cymbal Star.

Email me at jpeterman@lacasadecristo.com to get your singer registered!

Reese Clark

Hello ALL Women of La Casa de Cristo!

Where is the LORD leading us altogether, you might ask?

First, God’s loving direction is a ‘together thing’ to be clear. Unity IN God’s love is everything. We crave it; we need it. God’s love, experienced together, has the power to reach, restore, renew, and revive those of us who are struggling in the loneliness that exists in our lives, and especially within the church!

And this is where I step in… Because women who learn to live LOVED together, live DIFFERENTLY!

You, all of YOU, whether you are a middle school girl, middle aged woman, or in the middle of your last breath, it is YOU, precious new friend to me, who is invited to join ALL women here on Thursday, February 1 from 6-7:30pm for our Ladies’ Happy(EST) Hour at La Casa! Come on your own, come with a friend, come with your kids, come tired or come hungry, come curious; but simply come! Click HERE for more details. All guests, friends, neighbors, all women are invited and it’s FREE!

As adults, time is something that we seem to never have enough of. It constantly feel like we are running out of it. How do we face this whirlwind of life? God created time. He designed seasons and cycles that make up our understanding of time. He wants us to use time as a gift and to use it according to His purpose.

As a parent myself, time feels like it gets away from me. Instead of sitting down and playing, I am folding laundry. Instead of fully listening to my children, I am distracted with my to-do list. While sometimes the overwhelming thoughts of what has to get done take over, I am praying that in this season I can slow down to make room for Him. I pray I can teach my kids that, no matter if it feels like time is running out, we always have time for God.

Have you ever noticed that the more time you spend with someone, the more you become like them? As we spend time with God and His Word, He changes us so we become more like Him. This is what we strive for with the kids at Ignite. We are given the gift of an hour with your children each Sunday morning. The hour is filled with worship, Bible lessons and hands-on activities to help grow their relationship with God and to help them know their creator. Our upcoming kids series is called “Pirates Who Pray.” The series will help us learn how to stay the course, do what is right and to never give up on God. I pray that you and your family can take time out of your day to simply stop and look to Him.

As we spend more time with Him, our fear is replaced by faith and our worry is replaced by worship. So today, spend time with Him. It will be time well spent. 

Staci Medina, Director of Children's Ministry

Ryan Callahan, Director of High School Ministries

Memory Café also meets at Paradise Valley Senior Center. Memory Café is a time of socialization and an activity for persons with early to moderate dementia and their care partners. It is held every Wednesday from 10:30-11:30am. Please call 602-534-5750 or email sanja.tetaric@phoenix.gov in advance to reserve a spot. There is no fee to attend. There are also virtual memory café sessions available the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 10:30-11:30am.  

Gratitude, especially as it correlates to a higher sense of well-being, is a way of being that habitually focuses on noticing and appreciating the positive aspects of life. It’s being thankful for the people and experiences that make up your life.

Gratitude does more than just create positive feelings. In surveys, a disposition toward thankfulness predicted a decreased risk of mental health disorders. It also helped people overcome trauma. A number of studies support a link between gratitude and being in a good mood and feeling happier and more satisfied with life. Gratitude has also been linked to self-acceptance, independence from peer pressure, personal growth, and a sense of purpose and control over your circumstances. One study showed that grateful people sleep better because they worry less and have fewer negative thoughts before falling asleep, which protects the quality of their rest.

Practice gratitude: keep a gratitude journal, writing down the things you are grateful for; meditate on or pray for the things you are grateful for before going to sleep at night.

Be grateful and live well……