Here's what you will find in this issue:
- Sunday Worship Information and Links
- Worship Series
- Calendar Link
- Pastor Owen's Article
- Critical Race Theory Discussion
- Pastor Alison's Youth News
- A Note from Pastor Alison
- Committee Updates
- Missions
- Hiring Committee Update
- Summer Camp Registration is Open
- 2022 Leadership
- Birthdays and Anniversaries
- Prayer information
- Online Giving Link
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Sunday Morning February 6, 2022
10:00 am Worship
11:00 am Fellowship
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Volunteers for In Person Worship
February 6, 2022
Communion Prep: Judy J
Communion Servers: Chuck and Karen F, Judy K, Pat M, Marlys L
Greeter: Gary and Jackie B
Fellowship: Chuck and Karen F, Judy J
Usher: Christine S
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Worship services will continue to be live streamed on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. You can either use the Facebook Link or the YouTube Link to see the live feed, or even worship a little later if you need to. Use the buttons below to choose which link fits your needs best.
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Reminder: If you are not feeling well, please stay home and participate in worship online. The COVID task force would also like to encourage all of those who are eligible to get vaccinated. |
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Worship Series
Drawn In: Living the Creative Life with God
February 6 – "Risk"
Matthew 25:14-30
February 13 - “Listen”
Acts 16:6-15
February 20 - “Re-Integrate”
1 Corinthians 12:12-19
February 27- "Rest"
Exodus 20:8-11
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“And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
Valentine’s day is coming up…in case you haven’t been in a grocery store since Christmas. All the hearts and cards and candies are displayed ready for purchase for us to use to express our love for one another. Usually, we adults think of it in terms of romantic love, but school children, well that’s a different story.
When Mattai was in kindergarten, I went to his class as a parent helper. There was lots of sugar-fueled excitement in the air, though certainly kept well in hand by his teacher, Mrs. Varnell, whose gentle voice and warm smile seems to magnetically draw the children in so quickly. Goodies were passed around: cupcakes and bananas and even healthy muffins mixed with laughter and conversation about things important to 5 and 6 year-olds.
Then it came time to look at the Valentines that each person had received. There is something about the excitement of sharing! Most certainly everyone was excited to get their valentines. Mattai dug into his, pouring the contents of his heart-shaped valentine holder on his floor to begin sorting between candies, pencils and pens, and cards. He was thrilled as he read the names of his classmates who had given him these small but precious gifts.
There was, however, just as great an excitement in giving. It was clear as the children walked around that they had taken great care (perhaps with the help of their parents) in selecting the cool items to share with their friends, “Ooo, I got you that!” or, “That was from me!” I know both Toviel and Mattai spent some time in selecting just the right card – with the myriad of available cards from Scooby-doo, to dinosaurs, to cars, and everything in between. The excitement of sharing was in both giving and receiving. Dare we say it is multiplied in both giving and receiving?
I recall the words to an oft sung song from church camp:
That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it
You’ll spread God’s love to everyone; you’ll want to pass it on.
Love grows in the sharing, in both giving and receiving. What if we Christians were as exuberant with our sharing of expressions of love as a kindergarten class? What if we were as unbridled in our excitement for our friends as well as for those we may not ‘play with’ on the playground of life? How much closer might we be to becoming a healing and transforming force in the world? How much better might we be at restoring broken relationships?
Human beings have this great gift that God has given us, our ability, rather, our need to be in relationship with one another. And we have the Gospel good news of God’s love for humanity and all creation. It is our job, our privilege to share it.
Shalom,
Owen
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Critical Race Theory Discussion |
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Critical Race Theory is a hot-button topic these days. Everyone seems to have an opinion on it, but are we all talking about the same thing?
The Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation team is hosting a discussion on Critical Race Theory on Sunday evening, February 20 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Our guest will be Dr. Kesho Scott.
Dr. Scott is an internationally renowned Diversity Trainer/Consultant, an Associate Professor of American Studies and Sociology at Grinnell College, and an award-winning writer. She was a founding member of International Capacity Building Services, a cultural competency training team that specializes in facilitating both “unlearning isms” and Human Rights workshops as well various seminars and training programs that have been successfully adapted for audiences throughout the United States and abroad.
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Pastor Alison's Youth News |
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We will be continuing Sunday School for Pre-K through 12th Grade during the month of February at its usual time of 9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
Out K-5th Graders will spend the month learning about the story of Jesus’ Banquet with Simon - a man who invites Jesus to his home to eat and learns a lesson on mistakes and God’s love!
Our 6 - 12th Graders will continue to ask hard questions and tricky scenarios in relation to our faith lives.
We hope you can join us for Sunday School this month!
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The CHAOS Continues in February! |
Our 6th – 12th grade youth group or CHAOS (Christ Honoring and Others Serving) will continue our fun in February. Here’s what’s on our agenda:
February 6 - 3G Night: We’ll have a great evening of playing a game, gathering to check-in, and spending time with God! Hope you can join us from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
February 13 - Ice Skating at Brenton Plaza in Des Moines!: This Sunday we’ll eat pizza at the church and then head to downtown Des Moines for some fun! I am still working on the time for this event, but for now please plan that it will happen right after church! You’ll be back home in plenty of time for the Super Bowl!
February 20 & 27 - TBD: We are still deciding what will be best for our group these last two nights in February - and the rest of the semester! Keep your eyes peeled for more information.
Keep your eye on Weekly CHAOS for more up-to-date information! It’s going to be a wonderful month!
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Mid-Week Mayhem Moves
Along in February
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MidWeek Mayhem (Grades K-5) will continue in the month of February with some fellowship and fun! We will meet from 3:15 - 4:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary!
Parents: If your child is interested in attending MWM but they need a ride from school/home, please let me know! I’m happy to arrange something. We’d love to have your child participate in this weekly fun!
Here’s our schedule:
February 9 - Love, Love Love! - On this day, we’ll spend some time talking about love, and the many ways we find it in the world and in our lives! We’ll also do a craft to go along with it!
February 16 - Banquet with Simon - We’ll spend a bit more time this Wednesday on our lesson that we’re learning in Sunday School!
February 23 - Game Time AND Photo Scavenger Hunt! - We’ll spend Alison’s last MWM playing games and doing our favorite thing… PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT! It’s going to be so great!
Keep your eye on Monday Mayhem for more information! If you’d like to be added to this weekly newsletter for Children’s Ministries, please let me know!
We are looking forward to another great month of Mayhem in the middle of the week!
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A Note from Pastor Alison |
By now you will probably have seen or heard that I have been called to serve University Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, which means that my time serving Ankeny Christian Church is soon coming to a close. While Alex and I are excited for this next adventure, goodbyes are certainly never easy - especially when you love the place you serve!
I wrote an email to the congregation that went out on Monday, January 31st. Please click here to read it!
While saying goodbye is hard, I look forward to being able to share with you all how much you and Ankeny Christian Church have meant to me over these almost 6 years of ministry. So much peace and so much love to all of you as we embark on this moment of sadness and excitement together.
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Missions February Special Offering:
Week of Compassion
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On Memorial Day 2019, tornadoes swept through the Miami Valley of Ohio, destroying thousands of homes and apartments, and leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines in their wake. Many of the tornado-affected families have had to relocate multiple times since the tornadoes due to substandard housing conditions and inflated rent.
Two years after the storm, the Stephens family was still unable to find adequate living quarters. The family of ten was forced to live apart. In addition to dealing with unscrupulous contractors, the family had to haggle with insurance companies as they tried to rebuild their home. The Stephenses, like so many other families, remained in temporary housing and separated, pending the completion of repairs.
Yet, all was not lost. The Stephens family connected with the Miami Valley Long-Term Recovery Operations Group, and volunteer teams finished the repairs.
Alongside these traditional home repair projects, and with support from Week of Compassion, the MVLTROG helped launch the Tornado Survivors’ Pathways to Homeownership Project to help alleviate the housing crunch in the Dayton area. Volunteers and local nonprofits work together to transition “nuisance” properties and vacant lots into affordable, single-family housing options for tornado survivors who were displaced from rental housing, stabilizing both families and the community. First-time homeowners receive the support they need to build for their futures.
Sammy Deacon, Brethren Disaster Ministries Long-Term Project Leader, says “When you reach out to help someone else, the blessing comes back to you as well. An important aspect of the recovery effort is listening to people’s stories and knowing you have the opportunity to help them—physically and spiritually.”
With support for long-term recovery, including innovative programs like the Pathways to Homeownership project, Week of Compassion helps create opportunities for families to thrive after disasters. Because love remains.
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Hiring Committee Update
After a disappointing setback, the Hiring Committee is back on track. This next week will see interviews for both open positions: Office Manager and Music Director.
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Summer Camp Registration is Open!! |
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SUMMER CAMP 2022 Serious FUN. Powerful PURPOSE.
From an overnight for grandparents and grandkids to a weeklong sleep-away camp for elementary, middle, and high school students, to a weekend of faith and fun for the whole family, we’ve got a camp for you! Art, High Adventure, Rustic Camping, Leader Development camps, and more are offered in the Christian Conference Center’s summer program. We have a lot of SERIOUS FUN, all while growing in faith and learning to live and love with POWERFUL PURPOSE.
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2022 Leadership
Officers
- President – David Rawson
- President-Elect – Open
- Past President, Chair Personnel Committee – Emily Porath
- Secretary – Shanon Buckroyd
- Treasurer – Jackie Black
- Member at Large – Jennifer Koehler
- Check Writer – John Lee
- Chair of PRC – Darin Leach
- PRC Members - Sarah Wright, Terri Ostrem, Darin Leach, Randy Wehofer, Frank Prowant, and Di Mathis
- Nominating Committee - Annette Hunter, Rob Duffy, and Lori Leach
Current Committee Chairs
- Christian Education – Cathy Helmke
- Stewardship and Finance – Curt Narwold
- Property – Tom Murphy
- Worship – Karen Fausch
- Social Life – Kayla Harris
- Evangelism – Open
- Missions – Chuck Fausch
- Endowment – Dorothy Mathis
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February Birthdays
2 Gary Black
4 Brian Jass
5 Kayla Leach
Frank Prowant
7 Thomas Cox
Jennifer Hauschildt
9 Cameron Porath
11 Odin Helmke
13 Alex Serrano
17 Dennis Peterson
Arnie Porath
20 Dan Fliger
Jonathan Rawson
28 Alena Dean
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February Anniversaries
11 Gary and Jackie Black
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Do you have a Prayer Request? |
If you have a prayer request, please email Pastor Owen or Pastor Alison at:
pastorcayton@gmail.com
alisonaccdoc@gmail.com
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If you would like to continue (or begin) to contribute to the work of the church financially, you can mail in a check to
2506 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny, IA 50023
or you can give online by clicking the link below.
There you can set up one time or recurring donations.
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Pastor Owen Cayton, Senior Minister
Pastor Alison Fitzgerald, Associate Minister
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Ankeny Christian Church
2506 SW 3rd Street
Ankeny, IA 50023
515-964-1083
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