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Prairie Avenue
Christian Church
To be learning, loving, and serving disciples of Christ from the depths of our being to the ends of the earth.
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Worship Each Week & Daily Prayer |
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Attending weekly gives you the opportunity to re-center your life,
give God honor and glory, and remember what is really important in life.
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Did you miss a sermon or can't remember the good statement made by Pastor Jason recently?
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Getting Unstuck...from Regret
John 20:19-23
Sunday, April 24, 2022
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The Disciples have been commissioned to go where Jesus sends them. So what are they doing going fishing?
Six disciples (two are strikingly unnamed) join Peter back at the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus calls them from the shore with fishing advice and when recognized, Peter (probably down to his swimming shorts/loin cloth rather than "naked") goes towards the shore.
The scene probably sent a chill down Peter's spine even more than the cold waters of the inland lake. John gives us the detail that a "charcoal fire" was near Jesus. The last time Peter is mentioned around a charcoal fire was when he warmed himself with others outside in the courtyard of the high priest, on the night of Jesus' arrest. Now another charcoal fire is visible in the morning with the fish.
In her book, Daring Greatly, Brene Brown writes about the destructive power of shame, "the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging." Shame is rooted, Brown writes, in our fear of disconnection: "the fear that something we've done or failed to do, an ideal that we've not lived up to, or a goal that we've not accomplished makes us unworthy of connection."
These powerful feelings of shame can lead us to self-destructive and relationship-destructive behaviors. Shame keeps us from being vulnerable and real. We find ourselves attacking or disengaging to feel better or to protect ourselves from further harm.
We all experience shame. We all harbor feelings of unworthiness, especially after we do or say something that is not representative of our best selves. What matters more than our shame, though, is how we respond. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Peter answers each time, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you," breaking free of his shame, reconnecting with Jesus, and embracing the healing and wholeness our Savior offers. No matter what we have done, what we have said, or how we feel about ourselves, Jesus welcomes. Jesus receives. Jesus makes us whole.
Attend Worship: Pastor Jason has encouraged an "A grade" of 90% worship attendance (missing less the 5 Sundays in a year). You can keep up your attendance by joining worship online through our Facebook premiere or our worship online page on the website. Join us in person or online... it will count!
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This Week's Prayer Calendar
Congregations: Church of Christ Uniting Lexington, First Christian Church Macomb, Carlock Christian Church, First Christian Church Galesburg, First Christian Church, Ionia MI
Global Ministries: Philippines
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Pray with the Philippines Sunday, May 1, 2022 - Global...
Lectionary Selection: Acts 9:1-6 Prayers for the Philippines Gracious and loving God, your people are, again, raising their anguished cries to the heavens, because they are hurting and in pain. After two years of the coronavirus pandemic, typhoon ...
Read more
www.globalministries.org
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Grow in Faith
through listening, paying attention, and reading 5 verses a day
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Take a class, as you make friends and grow to know what learning, loving, and serving God and neighbor means in everyday life. |
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Morning Devotion
Each weekday (Monday - Friday), Pastor Jason shares a brief 4-7 minute scripture reading, reflection, response, and prayer. The associated devotion is posted to Prairie Avenue's Facebook page.
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Prairie Avenue Provides Access to RightNowMedia |
On Easter Sunday, Pastor Jason announced Prairie Avenue Christian Church would offer unlimited access to RightNow Media--the world's largest streaming library of video Bible study resources (it's been called the Netflix of video Bible studies).
Besides video-based Bible studies, RightNow Media offers videos for everyone in your family on a variety of topics like marriage, parenting, personal finances, mental health, and more. There is even a library just for kids with over 2,000 safe, entertaining videos (Including VeggieTales!). RightNow Media also has a free app that is available on all major streaming devices so you and your family can access content anywhere, anytime, by phone, computer, or SmartTV.
Enjoy a devotional while waiting for an appointment. Learn about the power of prayer, or explore something about faith or the Bible that has perplexed you for years.
Several have already signed up for this program, and you can too!
You can sign up here:
Or you can text PRAIRIEAVECC to number 49775 to get a welcome/registration.
Look for coming updates
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Use Your Gifts by sharing five acts of love and kindness each week |
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Serve God and neighbor by using your gifts and talents both inside and outside the walls of the church. Each of us have spiritual gifts and natural abilities to use to serve others and glorify God. |
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Serve Saturday Adopt-A-Street CANCELLED |
Looks like Mother Nature is going to rain on our Serve Saturday plans this weekend.
Join us Saturday, May 21. We will also begin collecting items for Dove, Inc. next month.
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Birthdays/Anniversaries
April 28- May 4
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None This Week.
Membership Anniversaries (When you joined Prairie Avenue!)
April 28, 1957 - Coral Ruffner (65th)
If you know of a birthday or anniversary that has gone "Missing" from our list, please contact the church office at 217-428-3327. Thanks.
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Ukraine: Partnering in Refuge
From the beginning, Week of Compassion has been engaged with ecumenical partners to do the work of alleviating suffering. On behalf of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we serve together -...
Read more
www.weekofcompassion.org
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Give Regularly through five acts of generosity each month |
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Giving regularly not only supports the work of the church,
but also is your way of giving God priority in your life.
What we love is where we will spend first.
When we are able to give, it always deepens our faith
in loving and serving God.
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Thank You for your generosity! |
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What Is Disciples Mission Fund? |
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Every day, Disciples answer the call to be a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. In the Preamble to the Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we accept our mission of witness and service to all people in the name of Jesus the Christ. We extend God’s welcome to all at the Lord’s Table, because we believe that our shared Christian faith bonds us to each other and to the entire world.
No matter the challenges we face – from combatting racism to ending human trafficking, from starting a church to sustaining a community – Disciples know that by sharing the work, we accomplish what, by God’s design, we cannot do alone.
Disciples Mission Fund (DMF) brings the whole Church together, connecting us to the life-giving and life-saving work we have been called to do. It also simplifies giving for congregations and individuals, providing a way to support the entire Church at once. DMF-funded regional and general ministries offer opportunities for Disciples to serve as missionaries, attend college or seminary, advocate for the least of these, and so much more.
When you make a gift to Disciples Mission Fund, you share God’s love from your doorsteps to the ends of the Earth.
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2022 Special Day Offering Updates |
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WEEK OF COMPASSION OFFERING: $586.71
DISCIPLES MISSION FUND: $242.00
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DOES YOUR BANK/FINANCIAL INSTITUTION PROVIDE BILL PAY SERVICES? If so, you can make sure your tithe/gift/offering arrives whether you are able to attend or not! Often when someone is absent, their offering is also. Or you left it on the table while coming to church! You can set up Prairie Avenue Christian Church as a "bill" (we are not, of course) and schedule timely checks to be mailed at no cost to our address. Many members have taken advantage of our online giving portal, but it also charges fees each time! Avoid the service charges and fees by setting us up as a regular payment through your bank/financial institution. Without fail, your support will arrive. Set your "payment" plan today.
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General Fund
Donations given to the Prairie Avenue Christian Church General Fund support the year-round ministries of the church. Your generous support keeps our building, staff, and operations working for the mission of the church. The mission of Prairie...
Read more
www.continuetogive.com
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Fundraising Project - reFresh Capital Campaign
Announced at the State of the Church address on June 30, 2015, the reFresh capital campaign has two improvement/update priorities: updating HVAC equipment and internet/network accessibility.
Read more
www.continuetogive.com
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For instructions in registering your Kroger Rewards Card, Click Here.
The Organization code for Prairie Avenue Christian Church is: BY235.
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Kroger Community Rewards Program News |
$35.20 was raised by 12 households who have linked their Kroger customer reward cards to support Prairie Avenue Christian Church. The quarterly contribution is for shopping at Kroger from January to March 2022
Joining to support the ministries of Prairie Avenue Christian Church is FREE. Any transactions moving forward using the Shopper’s Card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program, at no added cost to you. Kroger donates annually to participating organizations based on your percentage of spending as it relates to the total spending associated with all participating Kroger Community Rewards organizations.
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Get Your Disciples Apparel and Gear Here!
Get your Disciples polos, hats, and hoodies in a variety of colors. Order by the 15th to be included in this month's production! 10% of the proceeds benefits the Disciples Mission Fund!
Read more
store.disciples.org
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"When you shop for items or gifts at smile.amazon.com/ch/37-6056944, AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchases to Prairie Avenue Christian Church at no cost to you!"
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Prairie Avenue Christian Church is a listed charity with the Smile.Amazon program. Please use smile.amazon.com, and choose Prairie Avenue Christian Church for your generous support. We received a $7.56 donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation as a result of AmazonSmile program activity between July 1 and September 30, 2021.
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Share Your Faith by inviting 5 people to church this year |
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The God you worship is always revealed through your words and actions. Awkward conversations (i.e. "Are you saved?") are not necessary when your words and actions reveal the God you seek to learn, love, and serve. |
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Imagine with Me: Yolanda Norton and Models for Prophetic Leadership |
In this episode of Imagine with Me, General Minister and President, Rev. Terri Hord Owens speaks with Rev. Yolanda Norton. Rev. Norton is the Visiting Professor of the Hebrew Bible at Moravian University and the founder of Beyonce Mass. In this conversation, they explore four Biblical models of prophetic leadership and how these models can inform our imagination for ministry.
“That is not just about you being always a person who says, what we have isn’t working. You have to energize the people about what God can do as an alternative to what they see in front of them. So that for me is really important, because we see a lot of people who are really good at tearing things down. Look, it’s really easy to say the church’s racist. It’s really easy to say the Disciples are caught up in white supremacy and it’s not that we don’t believe those things are true. But what are you doing and saying within your intimate spaces, that offer a vision of how God can and will move in those spaces differently?” -Rev. Yolanda Norton
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