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Prairie Avenue
Christian Church
To be learning, loving, and serving disciples of Christ from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
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Home Making: God's Unexpected Journey
Saturday, December 19, 5 pm - Online
Sunday, December 20, 9 am
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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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Home is that place where you feel comfortable, right? Where you can kick off your shoes, maybe (or maybe not, depending on who is in your house) put your feet up on the coffee table, and be your whole and full and entire self. But sometimes the emotional place of a home can be elusive. Home can be that mythical land, like in dreams and fairy tales. Thinking about this elusive definition of a full concept of the physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological home makes me think of the people who have formed and shaped us to be who we are today.
Advent reminds us that we are all sojourners. We are all looking for God's kingdom to come, that complete fulfillment of whatever home "is," where we can whole and fully and entirely be ourselves. Advent reminds us of this time of our sojourn, reminds us that we are living in in-between times, reminds us that the fulfillment of the place we can call home is coming not just with the Christ child, but with the second coming of Christ.
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LONGEST NIGHT SERVICE
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20
7 PM
FACEBOOK LIVE
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When the days are at their shortest, and darkness grows deeper, many experience depression in contrast to the expectations of joy. The loss of a loved one - due to death or divorce, unemployment, ill-health, or a sense of isolation can all contribute to a deep pain that is intensified when everyone around us seems to be celebrating.
In a season proclaiming hope, love, joy, and peace, it is difficult to acknowledge and remember it is still a season of loss. Join us online as we pause to remember what we have experienced as loss, yet see the still glimmer of the Holy Light present in our grief.
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CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24
7 pm & 9 pm
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Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will be limited in our Christmas eve services. There will be an in-person service at 7 pm. Please let Pastor Jason know ( e-mail works) if you will be attending and the number of guests. Masks and distancing restrictions will be in effect.
We will have Facebook Live premiere at 7 pm and it will be posted on our website online worship channel at 9 pm.
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Morning Devotion
Each day, except Sunday, Pastor Jason shares a brief 4-7 minute scripture reading, reflection, response, and prayer. This devotion is posted to Prairie Avenue's Facebook page.
Secret Place Quarterly Devotional
For many years, a complimentary subscription for the Secret Place devotional magazine has been kept for those interested in daily devotion. Each daily devotion includes a Scripture passage, an original meditation, and a brief prayer. Written by Christian writers from across the nation, these meditations share comfort and inspiration found in life's everyday details. Both large print and regular print editions are available in the Education Wing hallway, free of charge. Drop by (with a mask!) and pick your copy up today.
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CCIW VIRTUAL MIDWINTER YOUTH RETREAT REGISTRATION BEGINS |
CCIW Youth grades 6th to 12th are invited to join us virtually for Midwinter 2021. Our annual event will be held online in order to promote health and safety during our ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Registration is free! However, you must register in order to attend!
Our theme will be “In-Person” exploring the many ways in which we can find ways to be present through God, even while connecting distantly and through virtual means.
Register by December 31, 2020, to receive a free retreat packet in the mail including a Midwinter 2021 booklet, sticker, and pins (1 per youth participant; while quantities last). Midwinter will take place on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at 2 PM CST. An Internet connection and Zoom platform required.
We look forward to seeing you at Midwinter in January!
Email questions or inquiries regarding Midwinter to Pastor Eli – eli@cciwdisciples.org
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New Times New Wineskins
Friday February 19 6:30 PM Meet and Greet - come online and catch up with women from across the Region who you have not seen in awhile. 7:00 PM Bible Study - led by Rev. Melissa Ebken 8:00 New Time, New Wineskins - keynote by Rev.
Read more
cciwdisciples.org
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Pray with Japan Sunday, December 20, 2020
Lectionary Selection: Luke 1:26-38 Prayers for Japan How can this be God? You always come to us in the form of a promise. You speak to us even when we are so vulnerable and small. You place your trust in us even when we struggle with our own doubts.
Read more
www.globalministries.org
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Stewardship Corner: With last spring’s passing of the CARES Act, there has never been a better time to give. The Act provides that charitable contributions up to $300 qualify for an above-the-line tax deduction, even if deductions are not itemized. This charitable tax deduction - $300 per individual or married couple filing jointly - is only offered through December 31st, so if you choose to give, don’t delay. A deduction lowers both adjusted gross income and taxable income for the taxpayer.
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Christmas Special Day Offering
December 13 & 20
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As partners in the ministry, the Regional Church and local congregations work together. The staff and volunteers in the Regional church serve local congregations and their leaders by:
• Starting new churches
• Providing engaging camps & youth events
• Helping congregations with their communication initiatives
• Creating global connections in Guatemala & other countries
• Leading anti-racism training
• Promoting congregational transformation
• Assisting congregations with telling Life Giving & Life Changing Stories
• Offering mission opportunities
• Providing a School for Ministry
Thank you for sharing your fine gifts for the ministries we share through The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin. Your offerings make a difference! 100% of your gifts to the Christmas Offering support CCIW. “Together Making Disciples of Christ”
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As Dec. 31 approaches, taxpayers are organizing their finances to prepare for filing their income taxes. This year, Congress passed the CARES Act to provide taxpayers economic relief during the pandemic. This relief may increase your ability to support church and other charitable causes, helping others through this difficult time.
The three key tax-wise strategies for charitable giving include:
- Persons over the age of 70 ½ may still use qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) for their charitable giving, despite Congress ‘permanently’ raising the age for RMDs to 72 and suspending RMDs for 2020. For eligible seniors, this is often the most tax-effective way to give.
- Donating appreciated stock can save the capital gains tax, allowing donors to reduce the net cost of their giving.
- Non-itemizers can take a tax deduction for up to $300 of cash charitable contributions (called an “above the line” deduction) in 2020.
The CARES Act temporarily increased the limit for cash contributions from 60 percent to 100 percent of adjusted gross income.
Senior donors eligible to make qualified charitable distributions should be aware that, if using an “IRA Checkbook”, those gifts must be deposited by the charity no later than Dec. 31 in order to count as a current year gift. Distributions made through your IRA administrator do not have this same requirement.
The Christian Church Foundation is here to help with your questions. Call us at 800-668-8016. Please also consult with your investment, legal, or tax advisers.
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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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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 DONATION |
$35.04 was raised by 14 households who have linked their Kroger customer reward cards to support Prairie Avenue Christian Church. The quarterly contribution is for shopping at Kroger during July -September 2020.
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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Associate Regional Minister Scott Woolridge Farewell |
My dear friends in Christ,
I think of the apostle Paul and how he started many of his letters to the churches – how much he loved them and cared about how they were doing as a family of faith.
I am with you today in that same mode. I thank God for you and for your faithful ministry. I’m deeply grateful for the ministry we’ve shared over the years. And I ask that God’s richest blessings be your blessings in the days ahead.
As I near the end of my ministry with the Regional church and head into retirement, I treasure the memories we’ve created together. How God was in the middle of our conversations and decisions and directions. I rejoice with you in the times you could live in the fullness of God’s abundance.
I remember the losses we experienced together, of saying goodbye to some sweet saints of the church who were members of your congregation. Of the ministers who served faithfully and then moved on to other ministries, leaving blessings in abundance.
One thing we’ve seen together is change. The world is always changing, and God has been changing us, sometimes bit by bit, sometimes by leaps and bounds. We know in these days of the pandemic, we’ve adjusted to new conditions, striving to remain true to whom God created us to be.
I pray for the future of your congregation and your faithfulness. I pray that you’ll always be watching and listening for God’s leading. I pray you’ll be obedient in following what God is calling you to do.
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You know I’m an optimist. It’s because of my faith in God and in knowing “my cup runneth over.” In that, I ask God to show you that the best days of your church could be ahead of you. Your desire to be faithful, along with God’s great abundance will bring opportunities you’ve never known before. When we’re open, when we’re listening, when we’re accepting God’s invitation to new life, a new generation of miracles will happen in Christ’s church. You can be in the center of the action rather than being one of those irrelevant churches on the sidelines.
I pray you’ll become even more the church God calls you to be. That’s the legacy we want to leave with this world, in this time.
I bid you a warm farewell, grateful for the many years we’ve been in ministry together and fully confident God will continue to pour life-changing love into you that will be shared with everyone around you. Let’s change the world, one soul at a time.
Grace and peace my friends,
Scott Woolridge
Associate Regional Minister
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