I’ve started working on my part of the big End of the Year Report we produce each year to distribute at the January Congregational Meeting (see article below for more on that). I’ve used various formats over the years for that report but in each one I’ve tried to capture something about what it was like to be a part of Allisonville Christian Church in the year just past.
As I’ve been mulling this year’s report over, I assumed I’d have to do something completely different, but truth to tell, in 2020 we may have looked different, but we stayed the course with the same mission. It’s true we had to find some new ways to partner with community ministries we care deeply about but we did that and continued to walk alongside them through it all.
It turns out (of course) that even when it seems that the world is turned upside down, we aren’t sure what to do next or how to do it, and we aren’t able to do much of anything “as usual,” we still can fulfil the call that God has placed on us, thanks be to God!
We understand our call is always . . .
To love God with everything we’ve got: heart, mind, soul, and strength
Love our neighbors as we love ourselves – ALL our neighbors
To make disciples, baptizing believers, and passing along the stories of faith we’ve been given and our own stories we’ve lived with the living Christ
To care for Jesus himself by feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the oppressed and the imprisoned
To DO justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God
That may not be all, but it is a good way to encapsulate what it means to be a faithful congregation of followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so dear friends, even in 2020 when things looked very different for us on the surface, we still lived and enacted these precepts. In so many ways we were able to continue the beating heart of our ministry in this difficult time and to creatively punt where we needed to.
In a couple of weeks, you can check out my end of year report for some details, but in the meantime, we’ll just keep on keepin’ on.
Peace & Grace, Diane
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For those recovering:
- Ben Hinton, in ICU with COVID-19
- Rik Spier
- Linda Stires
- Julie Wilson’s mother, Linda Johnson
For those undergoing treatment:
- Kathie Meyer’s son-in-law, Michael Smith
- Joey Lee
- Michele Godleske
Please continue praying for:
- Paul Ayers
- Mary Caress
- Marilyn Porter
- Lori Corken
- Bonnie Ross
- Davis Goforth and Bev Goforth
- Don Mains, Melinda Mains’ father
Among our local and global prayer concerns:
- We continue our prayers for all who are suffering with COVID-19 and for all the medical personnel who have been, and are, stretched so thin caring for them.
- We pray for all engaged in the work of anti-racism, and for the courage to be agents of dismantling white supremacy in all its forms
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We pray with our Global Ministry Prayer Partners in Ghana.
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Official Notice for January Congregational Meeting |
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The January Congregational Meeting to present the annual budget and the End of the Year Report to the congregation will take place on Sunday, January 24th, 2020 at 11:30am on Zoom. You will receive both the budget and the report via email before the meeting. If you are not on email both will be mailed to you.
We are hoping to see MANY faces on Zoom that day to say hello to one another as well as do the business of the church! You can join using the link below.
Allisonville Christian Church is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Congregational Meeting
Time: Jan 24, 2021 11:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 830 8258 8896
Passcode: ACC!
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Can you help drive Vicky Mwanza to ACC Preschool? She is the youngest member of the Kalala family which ACC sponsored when they came from a refugee camp in Namibia in 2015. We need a driver for Wednesday mornings, and Friday mornings and afternoons. Preschool hours are 9am to 2pm.
Please contact Carol Holzman at 317-341-3185 for more information. Thank you!
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On behalf of all the staff, I want to express our deep thanks for the Christmas gifts enclosed in our last checks of the year! We do thank you.
It is our pleasure to serve you, and serve with you, and we very much appreciate your kindness and generosity. As you know, this year has been especially challenging but together with you we have continued our ministry to fulfill our calling. We look forward to what the new year brings.
Thank you all!
Your ACC Staff
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Diane Spleth
Doug Collins
Joyce Coalson
Kim Cook
Liz Young
Chris Higgins
Tracy Noens
Matthew Tippel
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Jason Tuttle
Kelly Dartis
Ruth Wolff
Jessica McCracken
Mason Alexander
Michael Totty
India McDonald
Cristina Sullivan
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Our member John Hinant, a long-time stamp collector, has for years offered us free postage as he has used up his store of extras that had accumulated. We are so grateful for the many hundreds of dollars he has saved us – I wish we knew exactly how much to thank him for!
John not only provided the stamps, but he also took home boxes of ACC envelopes and stamped them for us, configuring the correct amount of postage while keeping in mind details of color, size, shape, and often subject matter to make the envelopes attractive and interesting to boot!
Alas, John has come to the end of his storehouse of stamps so don’t be surprised when you begin seeing one rather unexciting stamp per letter in the future.
John, we are grateful, and we do thank you – for the free postage and for the beauty and panache you’ve lent to our mailings the last several years!
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Christmas Families Update |
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Thanks to the always incredible generosity of Allisonville Christian Church along with the Outreach and Membership Ministry teams, ACC was able to provide a $100 gift card for each member of a total of 17 families + gift cards for food.
These families included:
1 IHN Family currently housed in one of the apartments that IHN has provided for homeless families during COVID
2 ACC families
2 CASA families
3 Refugee families including the Kalalas
9 Families from Linwood Christian Church
One family used their money to pay their electric bill and another cried at getting the gift cards. Our participation in this annual ministry is so needed and so much appreciated. It never fails to amaze how ACC always comes together to help those in need no matter how daunting the prospect may seem. Let’s hope that next year we can return to the hands-on participation that we do so well. Thank you everyone for all your help.
Kathie Meyer and Janette Smith, Outreach Co-chairs
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Those who are expecting to receive their monthly offering envelopes will be receiving them shortly. Shipping delays have contributed to the situation, but we are now able to distribute the boxes. We will be using a combination of mailing and hand-delivery of the envelopes, so watch your mailbox and porch for delivery through the next week or so.
If you would like weekly or monthly offering envelopes (but did not request them on your pledge card), please contact one of the financial secretaries, Pam Rahn, Carol Holzman, or Loveta Cain.
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Year End Report/Congregational Meeting |
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Yes, it’s been an unusual year, but the members and friends of Allisonville Christian Church have remained active and involved. It’s time to share our story through the Year End Report. We are asking that all Ministry team chairs and other church leaders and staff submit their portion of the report no later than January 15, 2021 (earlier preferred). These should be sent to Ruth Wolff at [email protected]. The report will be sent digitally and mailed to those without computer access. The report will be officially received through a Zoom congregational meeting on Sunday, January 24, 2021. Time and Zoom coordinates will be announced closer to the date.
As a reminder, here are the reports that are typically included: Senior Minister, Associate Minister, Pastoral Care Associate, Council Chair, Christian Education and Faith Formation,Church Growth, Diaconate, Elders, Financial Secretaries, Membership, Memorial and Endowment, Outreach, Prayer Team, Preschool, Property, Stephen Ministry, Treasurer, Worship and Spiritual Life, Clerk, Stewardship, and Communications.
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Exploring Worship: Now on Break, Program Resumes January 17 |
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Exploring Worship, our program for children in grades 2-5, will take a two week break on January 3 and 10. We're incredibly grateful for our teachers, Jane Lawrence, Suzanne Snapp, Alberta Lathan and Larry Rahn, who have employed their creativity and energy to make this experience meaningful and fun. The leadership team for Exploring Worship plans to meet and discuss the program for the coming semester next month. If your family has feedback or suggestions on how we might better cater to your child's particular spiritual/social needs, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Pastor Doug if you have any questions or would like to share feedback. |
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Getting to Know You (GTKU) Stories Return |
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Getting to Know You Stories will resume next Thursday, January 14, 2021. |
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Coffee Cafe Returns Sunday! |
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Save the Date for Book Club: January 26 |
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Our Book and Cookie Club will meet Tuesday, January 26th at 7:00. For those who are interested in joining our group, email [email protected] and she will send you the link for our Zoom meeting. We would love to have you.
We, as a group, have made a commitment to read more books by People of Color this year. Our next book is A Long Petal of the Sea by the acclaimed Isabelle Allende. It is a historical novel that covers a subject not frequently written about.
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The House of the Spirits, this epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home.
“One of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date, and one of the strongest and most affecting works in [Isabel Allende’s] long career.”—The New York Times Book Review
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Allisonville Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
(317) 849-3957
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