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Celebrating 100 years...
1924 - 2024
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Who was the first pastor of Prairie Avenue Christian Church?
Robert Ross Finlayson began serving as Seventh Street Christian Church's pastor on November 10, 1924. His salary was $1600 a year (nearly $30,000 today). Rev. Finlayson was born on May 30, 1882 in Dunfermline, Scotland, a son of John and Agnes (Methven) Finlayson.
His formal education was at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. A majority of Prairie Avenue's pastors were Johnson alumni.
He served as pastor until November 1, 1926. He later served in Newton and Moweaqua Christian churches. He also assisted in the organization of the East Side Bible Class, a group of estranged Seventh Street members who left during Rev. Jesse Story's tenure (1927-1935). This group mostly rejoined the congregation and became a majority of the membership in the Christian Comrades Sunday School/fellowship group.
Rev. Finlayson's distinctive Scottish accent/brogue was fondly recalled, similar to Sean Connery's voice. He was invited as principal speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new sanctuary on October 1, 1950 and turned the first spadeful of earth with a silver ceremonial spade.
He married Jessie Munro on August 6, 1930 in Chicago.
Rev. Robert Finlayson died on March 22, 1961. Jessie Finlayson died on September 24, 1974. They are buried in Macon County Memorial Park, Harristown.
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Worship Each Week & Daily Prayer | |
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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This Week's Prayer Calendar
Congregations: United Christian Church, Country Club Hills, IL; First Christian Church Dixon, IL; First Christian Church DuQuoin, IL; Unity Christian Church, Swartz Creek, MI
Community: Decatur Public Schools Galloway, Nelson, and Clokey Park neighborhoods
Global Ministries: Eswatini
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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. | |
Use Your Gifts by sharing five acts of love and kindness each week | |
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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Birthdays & Anniversaries
November 14-20
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Birthdays
None
Wedding Anniversaries
None
Membership Anniversaries
(When you joined Prairie Avenue!)
None
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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Give Regularly through five acts of generosity each month | |
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! | |
DID YOU KNOW?: You can automate your giving through your bank/credit union/financial institution! Nearly all online bill pay services can provide your contribution by mail or ACH (Automated Clearing House) without fees. | | |
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Dove, Inc. Outreach Project
Our September collection project is non-latex/latex free vinyl gloves, sizes large or extra-larg for the Domestic Violence Shelter.
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Building Fund Supports Repair & Updates | 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. | | | |
For instructions in registering your Kroger Rewards Card, Click Here.
The Organization code for Prairie Avenue Christian Church is: BY235.
| 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 | |
Kroger Community Rewards Program News | |
$40.54 was raised by 10 households who have linked their Kroger customer reward cards to support Prairie Avenue Christian Church. The quarterly contribution is for shopping at Kroger from July 1 - September 30, 2024. This includes the previous quarter's proceeds since it was less than $25 in a given quarter.
Our number of supporters has decreased by 2 since last quarter.
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Thanksgiving Special Offering Received November 17 & 24
The Thanksgiving Offering benefits the Colleges, Universities, Seminaries, and Divinity Houses affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Higher education has been an important focus for Disciples since the very beginning of the movement. Throughout our history, Disciples have founded institutions of higher learning to educate students and form leaders to make a difference in the world. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is still committed to higher education. Your gift to the Thanksgiving Offering helps support the education of thousands of students at our fifteen colleges and universities as well as our seven seminaries and divinity houses.
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Share Your Faith by inviting 5 people to church this year | |
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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Regional Magazine Update
The Christian, the quarterly magazine of the Christian Church in Illinois/Wisconsin & Michigan regions, has been redesigned.
Utilizing the theme, Incarnate, this issue explores the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation: the quiet, abiding comfort of a Christ who is here, who comes near, who understands the fragility of our days. Explore the reflections from pastors, chaplains, laypersons, and friends from around our emerging regional church.
You may check out the current issue here.
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Rev. Cassie Sexton-Riggs Named Associate Regional Minister for Clergy and Lay Education
We are delighted to announce the selection of Rev. Cassie Sexton-Riggs as the new Associate Regional Minister for Clergy and Lay Education for the Christian Church in Illinois & Wisconsin. Cassie will begin her ministry on Jan. 1, 2025.
Rev. Cassie Sexton-Riggs is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where she most recently served as Pastor of Union Avenue Christian Church in Litchfield, Il.
She brings a wealth of experience in leadership, spiritual care, and community engagement, deeply rooted in her work across congregations in Illinois, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Florida.
Cassie holds a Bachelor of Arts in American History with a focus on African American Pop culture, along with a minor in education and technical theater from Lynchburg College (now known as the University of Lynchburg). She also earned a Master from Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University (Go Frogs!).
Cassie is married to Michael Riggs, who serves as the Senior Minister at First Christian Church in Springfield, IL. Together they enjoy cooking and collecting vinyl records with their two rescue cats, Dewey and Domino.
Cassie will be based out of Springfield and her congregational care area will be in southern and western Illinois.
Check out her introduction here.
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