May 2024 Newsletter
Sunday School
9 AM
Sunday Worship
10 AM
Sunday Fellowship
11 AM
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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“Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:30-31
“While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”
Acts 1:4-5
The first command the Risen Jesus gives his followers is to go to Jerusalem and wait. That is what the followers of Jesus are to do between Easter and Pentecost – wait for God’s promised Holy Spirit. It is hard to wait, as we discover in other seasons of the church. Indeed, we don’t like waiting. We want to act. We want to bring about something. However, it is in waiting that the church is incubated. It is not in the acts of the apostles that things happen, rather it is in the acts of God that the church is given life in power. In this series we will explore what it means for the church to be a waiting church; not necessarily an inactive church, but a church always at the ready to respond to what God is up to in the world.
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May 5
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Waiting is the Hardest (but Most Important) Part
Genesis 30:14-24
May 12
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Waiting Brings Life
Isaiah 40:18-31
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Sunday, May 19
Pentecost: The Spirit is Present
Acts 2:1-15
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Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
— Colossians 3: 14-15
Relationships form us. One of the most treasured hymns of Christianity in the last century was “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.” As we gather for worship in this series, we will be invited to consider how our relationship with the Holy and with each other form and transform us. And we will affirm the power of God’s presence in our worshiping community to inspire us to “go and do likewise” in relationship to the world.
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May 26
Week One- Formed
Isaiah 64:1-12
June 2
Week Two- Woven
Genesis 1:24-31
June 9
Week Three- Poured
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
June 16
Week Four- Lifted
Luke 14:7-14
June 23
Week Five- Moved
Galatians 5:16-26
June 30
Week Six- Anointed
Psalm 133
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Remaining 2024 Council Meeting Dates
May 26th
June 30th
July 28th
August 25th
September 29th
October 27th
November 24th
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Pastor's Ponderings
“This is what a waiting church does. It attends directly and passionately to this moment with these people…trusting that we prepare ourselves for – maybe even experience – the presence of the living God.”
- Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertrand
“When Church Stops Working”
I’ve been thinking a lot about breathing lately. It started a couple weeks ago in the Council’s conversations with a coach I have been working with for the past year or so. We were looking at a fairly rapidly assembled timeline of the history of Ankeny Christian Church – different activities, ministries, ministers, etc. While we probably could have added a lot more, given more time to insert things into the timeline, a pattern seemed to emerge with what we had, or at least what we remembered off hand. It is a pattern I have observed of this congregation over the brief 10 years I have journeyed with you as minister. It is a pattern of work and rest, of inhaling and exhaling, almost like breathing.
It is, in my estimation, a pretty healthy pattern; as Mr. Miyagi said, “No breathe, no life.” However, it can produce anxiety – especially in those moments of rest or exhale.
As we have been exploring in our current worship series, “The Waiting Church”, our culture – despite prophets like Mr. Miyagi and Ferris Bueller who reminded us that, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – teaches us that if we are not busy, we are not _________ (successful, living, growing), worse yet, we are probably dying.
The thing that we miss is what Psalm 139 reminds us: there is nowhere we can go that God is not. God knows us in our getting up and our lying down, in our working and in our resting. It is worth pausing to look around and observing where God is present. It is vital for any church, or person for that matter, to attend directly and passionately to this moment and these people – because God is there! And it is our job as followers of Jesus to bear witness to the presence of God in the world.
When we attend to this moment and these people we observe and bear witness to the presence of God in the world. When we attend to the needs of those around us we bear witness to the presence of God in the world. When we treat others as those whom God loves, as those who are made in God’s image, we bear witness to the presence of God in the world.
Shalom,
Pastor Owen
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Registration for Summer Camp Active Now!
It's finally time to sign up for everyone's favorite week of summer. There are so many great opportunities ranging from an amazing camp experience on holy ground to Adventures around Iowa or even a high school mission trip to Chicago!
Any questions? More details are also offered on the website where you will sign up describing each opportunity in more detail. There is an opportunity for everyone. www.newtonccc.org/scsessions
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Rev. Joshua Patty, Regional Minister, is hosting several Listening & Visioning sessions for the region in March, April, and May. The region will be considering some important questions: What does it mean to be Disciples Together in 2024? What are we doing? What are our priorities?
If you would like more information on these sessions please click on the photo!
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Missions Committee
The month of May brings lots of activity in getting ready for the summer camp program at our Christian Conference Center (CCC) near Newton. The work actually began earlier in the spring and recently featured a three-day weekend of cleaning, building, fixing, etc. Ankeny Christian Church (ACC) had fifteen people involved in that weekend effort. For our special offering for the month of May, the Missions Committee has selected the CCC and has chosen items from the CCC ‘wish list’ as our funding challenge through our special offering. Two life guard chairs and two umbrellas are needed for the upcoming camping season. Our goal is to receive $1,000 in the special offering. Any funds received beyond the cost of the life guard equipment will be given to the CCC staff to use as needed on other ‘wish list’ items. ACC will be well represented this year at many of the various camps. Let’s give them our support by providing these water-related items that will help the campers have a memorable and fun camp experience. Thank you.
Missions Committee
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Tone Chimes
No More Rehearsals until the Fall, Enjoy the Summer!
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Love Lunches 2024
Again in 2024, Ankeny Christian Church (ACC). will participate in the Ankeny Love Lunches summer program. This is a ‘heads-up’ to let you know the first week we are in charge is the week of June 24-28 and the second week is July 29-August 2. For the summer, lunch will be served all five weekdays of each week starting May 28 (day after Memorial Day) and will conclude on August 22 (the day before school starts). The one exception to this is there will be no lunch provided on July 4. Again, this year, ACC will be a part of the group of churches serving lunches at Sunset Park at 1320 SW 3rd Street. In the June newsletter there will be more details on how to sign up. Thank you.
Missions Committee
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Kudos and Celebrations
- Kayla Harris, Daette Lambert, David Rawson, Randy Wehofer, Maddie Mann, and Michael Hunter for Lenten Video Dramatic Readings
- Karen Fausch, Lisa Grace, and Larry Squiers, for filling in for Owen when he was ill March 17
- Judy Johnson and E-Free Church for getting the palms. There was an order mix up and the E-Free Church gave Judy a bundle of palms.
- The group who put together Maundy Thursday
- Pastor Owen for staying in contact with Rev Laura Stephens-Reid to bring her for an in-person workshop
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May Birthdays
5/2 Mason Hanley
5/7 Cheryl Jass
5/9 Madison Mann
5/14 Karen Fausch
5/15 Kayla Harris
5/31 Frances Johnson
Paul Lamont
Zach Narwold
Patrice Sayre
Maya St. Clair
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May Anniversaries
5/14 Lisa & Tyler Vroegh
5/20 Dan & Pat Fliger
5/21 Karla & David Rice
5/25 Linda & Paul Lamont
5/30 Sherry & Ken Johnson
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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, Iowa 50023 or you can give online by clicking the link below. There you can set up one time or recurring donations. | |
Current Office Staff:
Pastor Owen Cayton, Senior Minister
pastorocayton@gmail.com
Nathan Green, Music Director
nategreenaccdoc@gmail.com
Kasey Romano, Office Manager
ankenyccdoc@gmail.com
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2024 Leadership
Officers:
- President: Darin Leach
- President Elect: Open
- Past President, Chair Personnel Committee: Eleke Ukpabi
- Secretary: Angela Johnson
- Treasurer: Jackie Black
- Member at Large: Pat Warner
- Check Writer: John Lee
- Chair of PRC: Karen Fausch
- PRC Members: Frank Prowant, Dorothy Mathis, Karen Fausch, Mike St. Clair, Shanon Buckroyd, and Rob Duffy
- Nominating Committee: Lori Leach, Judy Krase, Lisa Duffy
Current Committee Chairs:
- Christian Education: Open
- Stewardship & Finance: David Rawson
- Property: Arnie Porath
- Worship: Karen Fausch
- Social Life: Team Party Squad
- Missions: Chuck Fausch
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Ankeny Christian Church
2506 SW 3rd Street
Ankeny, Iowa 50023
515-964-1083
ankenyccdoc@gmail.com
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