April 13, 2022
In the play, “The Trial of Jesus,” John Masefield has the Centurion report to Pilate after the crucifixion of Jesus. The Centurion had been the officer in charge of execution. After his official report, Pilate’s wife calls the soldier to tell her how the prisoner died. Once the gruesome account is given, she asks, “Do you think this Jesus is dead?” The centurion answers quickly, “No, my lady, I do not.” “Then where is he?” The Centurion chooses his words carefully and says, “Let loose in the world, where no one can stop his truth….”

What a powerful way to understand the wonder and mystery of the resurrection of our Lord. Jesus is let loose in the world with a truth that is liberating and transforming. Even the power of death cannot hold the saving message of Jesus Christ. Oh, we work hard to place it in a cold, dark grave so this saving knowledge is not known. We try to roll the stone of ignorance at the door of the tomb, so no one has access, but Christ is let loose in the world with a hope that finds and fills the empty places of the human heart. We’ve tried to keep Jesus dead and buried with our wars and rumors of wars. Humanity has literally fought to keep Christ in the tomb as we feed our prejudices and silence our conscience. People have tried to bury the Good News through acts of violence and hate. We have attempted to suppress God’s gift with the deceptive satisfaction that can be found in material wealth. But, these attempts fail for Christ is let loose in the world!

Where do we find this living Christ and His liberating truth? It is found in the wisdom that brings enemies around the peace table to learn how we can live as one. One day, we will discover the truth of Jesus’ teaching of living in unity and there will be holy reconciliation. Jesus is let loose in the world to establish peace…. The truth of Jesus becomes clear as we see the ugliness of our prejudice that causes us to judge and misjudge our neighbor. Jesus’ truth becomes real as we recognize every person is a beloved child of God. Jesus is let loose in the world to show us the power of acceptance… The truth of Jesus shines as we embrace another in selfless love. Jesus is let loose in the world bringing us wholeness…. The truth of Jesus helps us to understand that the world’s riches are temporary. It is the priceless, eternal love of God that we should seek and add to our lives. Jesus is let loose in the world…. Easter is here! Christ is risen and no one can stop this saving truth! Christ is risen once more. Rejoice! Thanks be to God!

Love,
Pastor John
Can y'all believe that Holy Week is already here? And already halfway over?? I certainly can't. Our Lenten journey is coming to an end very soon, and I hope to see y'all at our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services to remember those darker days of this week. Of course, I look forward to Easter and celebrating with y'all- but we are not there yet. 

This whole time of preparation seems to be ending with... more preparation. While we wait for Easter, we continue this journey in preparation through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, getting ready to rejoice in the resurrection. And I know this "preparation" is more literal for me as I work on egg hunt stuff, practice my parts for worship, etc., but I would like to think we are all joined together in this spirit of preparing our hearts and minds for this most holy of days. 

I hope that your Lenten journey has been meaningful for each of y'all. I know it has for me, and I look forward to seeing y'all this week!

Peace and blessings,

Josh
Joys:
  • Kathie Meyer's son-in-law, Michael Smith, had a successful surgery

Concerns:
  • We surround in prayer Sandy Zimmerman, whose brother Ron passed away last week
  • We offer condolences to Marty Gran, whose brother David passed away
  • Sue and Herb Feltner's son, Jeff, recovering from eye surgery

Continued prayers for:
  • Bonnie Ross
  • Carol Q. Cosby
  • Betty Wright
  • Cora King
  • Dottie Lloyd
  • Diana Moore
  • Bob Hessong
  • Ben Hinton
  • Davis Goforth
  • Lee Ridoux
  • David Parker

For the people of Ukraine
For all who are grieving
For all who are affected by COVID
For our work and all work to be an anti-racist church and people

We pray with our Global Ministries partners this week for Japan.
Special Easter Offering for DMF (Disciples Mission Fund) - April 10 and 17

We have a rich opportunity to assist the many branches of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through our giving to the special DMF Easter Offering. We will receive gifts for this important ministry on April 10 and 17. Several times a year, special offerings help support the ministries of the larger church. Your Easter gifts support among many other things - college students in leadership development programs, global mission partners, health and social service ministries, the formation of new congregations, support for pastors and chaplains. When we share our gifts with other congregations across the US and Canada, we are able to help in much larger ways than we can alone. Your gifts make a real difference.

Your gift to the Easter Offering is part of God’s enduring love that creates:
  • Bible studies that challenge and inspire
  • Opportunities for clergy to gather in prayer
  • Spiritual care for those in prison
  • Resources for mental health and trauma care
Your gifts are part of God’s enduring love that inspires:
  • Visionary leadership that calls us to imagine new ways of being church
  • New congregations that worship in a variety of languages and worship styles
  • Ministries of compassion and care
Your generosity is a part of God’s enduring love that makes a difference:
  • Global ministry partners who work for justice, reconciliation and peace
  • Colleges, universities, seminaries that nurture Christian leaders
  • Collaborative response in the wake of disaster
  • Support for congregational service ministries that serve hungry neighbors
Your gift to the Easter offering benefits general ministries, allowing us to do more together than we can do alone. More ministry! More impact! More of God’s love in the world. Thank you for supporting the special Easter offering on April 10 and 17, 2022.

One of our members has offered to add a special above and beyond gift as a percentage of our total Easter offering! We thank them for such a generous gift to increase the congregation’s usual generosity.

Gratefully,
Pastor John
Search Committee Update

The Search Committee would like to thank all church members who participated in our recent survey. We are pleased to announce we had close to 160 total responses! Our next step will be to analyze the results of the survey and create a survey summary document to share with the congregation. We will do this in small group meetings starting after Easter. Stay tuned for more details on these upcoming meetings.

John Quick, ACC Search Committee Chair
Directory Updates

Please note the following changes:

Cora King
The Forum at the Crossing
8505 Woodfield Crossing Blvd R129
Indianapolis, IN 46240

Ben Hinton
Majestic Care of Carmel
12999 N Pennsylvania St
Carmel, IN 46032
Welcome Center Greeters

With the relaxing of COVID restrictions, we are starting up our Welcome Center again! If you would like to be a greeter on Sunday mornings to help welcome members and greet newcomers, please sign up here! You can reach out to Josh if you have any questions.
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COFFEE CAFE RETURNS AT LAST! 

Coffee Cafe will resume after two long years away! THE CAFE WILL REOPEN ON APRIL 24. Coffee will be available before the 9:30 service if you want to grab a cup before church, but the main part of Coffee Cafe will still be between the first and second service. We need volunteers so please email Toni Medlen at [email protected] if you are interested. Now more than ever, I think we understand how precious that informal fellowship is to all of us. It does not take a lot of your time and very little training.
Easter Egg Hunt THIS SATURDAY

Saturday, April 16th from 10-11am ACC is hosting our Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt is one of our most popular community events and we need lots of volunteers to help make it a great event! It is short and sweet and a great way to welcome our community. A few areas we need help are: Set Up & Clean Up Crew; people to run our game booths; people to run our crafts tables; people to play with our littlest hunters in the "Toddler Zone"; people to read or tell Easter Stories; people to hide Easter Eggs; and someone to be our "SWIM" / safety volunteer. You can sign up by clicking on the sign up genius link below or email [email protected].

We also need people who could donate Easter Candy (individually packaged & nut free) AND/OR Fill the Easter Eggs with donated candy prior to the hunt. You can grab a bag of eggs to fill from Pastor Josh's Office or bring the candy to the church. 

Contact Josh or Liz Young with any questions!
Youth Group Meals for the Spring

We continue to have a signup to provide youth group lunch this semester. It is wide open, so please take a moment and find a day that you might want to bring lunch for the youth group. If you have questions, talk to Josh.
In Case You Missed It - Announcement About Ruth Wolff

Dear Allisonville Friends,

Here we are moving through Holy Week with its many ups and downs, changes and possibilities. God is with us in amazing ways. On Friday of last week, our beloved Office Manager, Ruth Wolff, offered her resignation to accept a new position with a non-profit organization that fits her many gifts beautifully and is much closer to her family and home. We rejoice with Ruth on this new opportunity, even as we mourn our loss. Ruth has been an exemplary member of our Allisonville staff. While it’s been a relatively short time, just a year and a half, Ruth has shared her multiple gifts with us so generously and has become a cherished friend and trusted servant. Please take this opportunity to thank Ruth for making our lives so much easier. Her last day with us will be on April 29, 2022. A card of appreciation would be a lovely way to send her forward into her new adventure. How richly blessed we have been by her loving service and deep commitment to excellence. Please keep Ruth in loving prayer.

We will begin the process of finding a new Office Manager as soon as possible. Please pray that God will lead us to just the right person to serve with us. Again, may God’s blessings be with Ruth as she moves into a new position. Thank you, Ruth, for sharing yourself with us in such extraordinary ways.

Peace and joy,
Pastor John Williams
Apr 17 | No Youth Group - Happy Easter!

We will not have youth group this Sunday because of Easter! Enjoy the holiday with your loved ones! We will resume again on April 24th to continue with Youth Sunday planning. If you have questions, please reach out to Josh.
Apr 13 | Sarah Circle - Location Update!

Sarah Circle will hold its monthly meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, April 13, at 7:00pm. Karen Campbell is hostess, and Betty Kaiser is study leader covering “Forgiveness, Saviorism, and Internet” from our study book.
Apr 14 | No Grief Group This Week

Note that there will not be a meeting on April 14, so that people are free to attend the Maundy Thursday service.
Apr 24 | Anti-Racism Book Study and Club

The Anti-Racism Book Study and Club has finished our discussion of Waking Up White. For April we will be reading The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. This book will have a one-time discussion on Zoom on Sunday, April 24 at 5:00 pm. We encourage anybody who has read this book or wants to read this book to join us for this discussion. 

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin
A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation, gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement--and still lights the way to understanding race in America today.

“With clarity, conviction, and passion, James Baldwin delivers a dire warning of the effects of racism that remains urgent nearly sixty years after its original publication.
Penguin Random House Books

IndyPL has many copies of this in various forms - book, CD book, e-audiobook, ebook

We also hope to have pizza and a movie - look for details coming soon!

Questions? Comments? Please contact Cindy Coble at [email protected]. 
Apr 26 | ACC Book Club

Our ACC Book Club will be reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz in April. We will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, April 26 at 7:00 pm. Amazon says: “ This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov—an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.”
Apr 30 | Spring Tea Party

Disciples Women’s Ministries presents: Spring Tea Party

Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.

Ladies of All Ages (children included)

Join us for tea (coffee, lemonade and water also available) and special Hors D’ourvres

Bring a guest and receive a surprise

All girls under 12 will receive a surprise

Entertainment, photo booth, and fellowship

Sign up at church on Sundays, April 17 and April 24. Call, text or email Linda Belding for questions.
Seeking Virtual Scripture Readers

Virtual scripture readers are needed. Now scheduling for the summer months. Please contact John Quick (add my email and phone please) to sign up!!
Exploring Worship and Worship and Wonder Volunteers

Would you like to be involved in our children's ministry? We are still in need of volunteers for both Exploring Worship and Worship and Wonder. Here are a brief description of the roles we are needing to fill:

W&W Greeter - The Greeter helps to welcome the kids to Worship and Wonder and assists the Storyteller in crowd control and keeping the ministry flowing. 
W&W Storyteller - The Storyteller leads the lesson directly from the Worship and Wonder curriculum. We have access to the official W&W training. 
EW Teacher - The Teacher leads the activity for the day, such as the sharing of joys and concerns, reading the scripture for the day, etc.
EW Shepherd - The Shepherd assists the Teacher in getting the kids to the EW space and keeping the activity going smoothly. 

If you are interested in any of these roles or if you would like more information about them, please reach out to Josh!
Apr 23 | Indy Creation Fest, 11am - 3pm

Location: Christ's Community Church, 13097 Allisonville Rd, Fishers, IN 46038

Come join us at the first annual Indy Creation Fest which is an Open-House style celebration of our role as stewards of God’s earth. 

  • Learn about beekeeping, composting, and native plants    
  • Sample vegan cooking and ethical chocolate      
  • Meet adorable animals

Indy Creation Fest has been put together by multiple churches and local organizations. Presentations and exhibition booths will promote the efforts of local churches involved in nature conservation, organic gardening and more. All are welcome! Join us!
COVID Guidelines for Worship - UPDATED 3/2/2022

After careful consideration, our COVID team has updated our guidelines to move us closer to a
more “normal” use of our facilities. Beginning, March 6, we will observe the following:
  • Masks are optional during worship and other activities. If you are more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so. Our number one goal continues to keep everyone safe, comfortable and healthy.
  • Please seat yourself for worship; all pews are open. Be aware that some worshipers may still prefer a little space between them and their pew mates, so just do a quick check in with them about their space preferences.
  • We will continue to observe our offering time and communion as we have been doing during the COVID restrictions. It was agreed that it was healthier to have limited contact with offering trays and communion ware until numbers are significantly down.
  • Hymnals will be returned to the pews and ready to use on March 6.
  • The Membership Committee will begin our Coffee Cafe after Easter.
  • You may schedule groups or class meetings at the church. Please call the office to reserve a room or follow the link below. Zoom calls for meetings are still an option depending on the group’s preference.
  • Greeting one another is encouraged, always respecting one another’s comfort. Instead of hugs and handshakes, fist bumps or elbow bumps are suggested. Social distancing continues to be encouraged.
  • The Nursery is open each Sunday morning, along with Children’s Worship and Wonder and Exploring Worship which are in session each week.
We are moving closer to a sense of normal for our life at the church. It is our prayer that we can
continue to care for all among us with the deepest Christian care. These guidelines are subject
to change depending on need. Thank you for your patience and for participating fully in keeping
everyone safe and healthy.