September Birthdays Happy Birthday to All!

10:45 A.M.
Worship
September 22, 2013
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Servants in Worship
Announcer: ..........................................................................................Rev. Jonathan Hyde
Greeters: ........................................................................................................... Kemp Class
Acolyte(s):................................................................................................Rebekah Haymes
Red Book Pickup:.................................................................. Sally D. Hunt/Dreema Adkins
Deacons: Coordinator: Darby Hershey; Ushers & Servers: Lorraine Hipp, Sarah Hipp, Fi
Tran; Other Servers: Dean Webster, Lawrence Rebelo, Sandy Reynolds, Renee West,
Emily Auten, Diane Givens
Elders at the Table:
East #1 (Prayer for Bread) ..................................................................... Barbara Northcut
East #2 (Table) ............................................................................................... Julia Martin
West #1 (Prayer for Cup) ............................................................................ Gail Holcombe
West #2 (Table) ........................................................................................... Don Reynolds
Elders On Call: ............................................................... Barbara Northcut/Gail Holcombe
Scripture Reader……………….……..…..…(Amos 5:18-24) .................................... Tanya Fleury
Message………………………………...“Jesus Is Such A Bridezilla!” ...............Rev. Jonathan Hyde
[Matthew 25:1-12]
September Birthdays
1— Ray Steed
3— Dick Sharpe
4— Diana Summerlin
6— Ruth Hafley
14— Rebecca Creason
14— Reuben Summerlin
18— Adam Hipp
19— Betty Jolly
20— Carolyn Hickerson
22— Megan Coleman
23— Katie Wylie
25— John Catlett
28— Marsha Grant
29— Richard Sharpe, Jr.
Happy Birthday to All!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT FIRST CHRISTIAN…
September provides another opportunity...to prepare a meal for the families at
Chattanooga Room in the Inn. Volunteers are needed for providing sandwich buns,
dessert, and your favorite fall side dishes. If you are interested in helping out with the
September 29th meal, please contact Shannon Beattie at 423-883-9083 or
shanhb@hotmail.com.
Spare An Hour?...Volunteer needed to take donations to the Community Kitchen
weekly/biweekly as needed. No heavy lifting! gailrich@epbfi.com
Prayer Concerns:
Don Baldwin
Liz Love
Doris Aldrich
Harrison Gill
Jordan Coleman & Family
Doug Beuoy (Brannens’ son-in-law)
Martha Coffey (Debby & Judy’s aunt)
Paula Baker (Carl’s stepsister)
Judy Kirby (Larry & Barbara’s sister-in-law)
Ray Rowe
Many members have asked...about mailing addresses for Ti and Fi Tran. Here are
Homer Aldrich
JoJo Wise
Luther Whitaker
David Blackburn
Ruth Wells
Jim Northcut
Hildred Levi
Al Ford
Bud & Alisha Fiske
Pat Barnwell
Bob Lewis
Bettye Gerow
Beth Read
Joel Westbrook
Bill Allen
Tim Suits
Leona BonDurant (Carl’s Grandmother)
John Black (Barbara Voss’s Brother)
An Education Committee Meeting…will be held in the Conference Room
immediately following morning worship on Sunday, September 22, 2013. Please make
every effort to attend if you are serving on this committee.
their college addresses:
Ti:
Ngan Tran
2135 F Street, NW
Room 205
Washington, DC 20052
Fi:
Quang Tran
735 University Ave.
Sewanee, TN 37383
The Community Kitchen Spaghetti and Spaghetti Sauce drive...is set for
September 22nd to October 3rd. From now till Thanksgiving is the is the time of the
lowest food level at the kitchen. 96 cans of spaghetti sauce are needed to make one
meal. But if we coordinate our efforts, we can supply enough for several meals.
Therefore, let's all bring Spaghetti and or Spaghetti Sauce. They like plain spaghetti the
best. The bigger the box or can will make it easier for the staff. Just bring your cans to
the donation area. Last year we did a great job and I am sure we will again.
Volunteer Service Day...for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank will be from 9am to
Our week with Family Promise guests...begins on Sunday, October 13th! As usual,
we will need volunteers for meal preparation and serving each evening, and overnight
hosts to spend the night at the church during the week. If you can help with meals,
contact Lorraine Hipp (423-504-1346); to help with overnight hosting, contact Barbara
Voss (423-886-5820). For more information, please call Julia Martin (423-876-9588).
Volunteers are needed…for a “Sparkle Day” workday in the two Nursery Classrooms
on Saturday, October 12th, from 9AM until 5PM. Please bring cleaning supplies.
The Hixson-Soddy Daisy Neighborhood Group…will gather on Sunday, September
29th from 2-4 pm at the Floyds’ home, 4624 Forest Lane, Hixson (423-870-1585).
Desserts will be served, so as you eat your Sunday dinner, save room! This is a chance
to gather, visit, catch up on news, and hopefully enjoy the nice weather.
11am on Oct. 2, 2013 . RSVP gailrich@epbfi.com. Lunch after?
Young Adult ministries…is sponsoring local area hikes! Doug Ford, a hiking enthusiast,
Thinking in Ink
by Pastor Paul
I have been thinking about success this week. The topic came to me while
reading something by priest and author Henri Nouwen. Nouwen left a life of
academic distinction to become part of a community of disabled people.
Nouwen concluded, “We have been called to be fruitful – not successful, not
productive, not accomplished. Success comes from strength, stress and human
effort. Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and the admission of our own
weakness.”
Our underlying view of success determines much, if not most, of the goals we
strive toward. Too often we think that by earning a large amount of money or
trying to be the perfect parent or even the perfect churchgoer, we’ll reach our
potential and contribute to other peoples’ lives. But let’s face it, the wealthy
person can get lost in his/her stuff, the “perfect parent” can drive his/her
children to rebellion, the perfect churchgoer can forget the purpose of his/her
faith.
Sometimes we become possessed by these pursuits, so much so that we
forget why we are doing them in the first place. Novelist Alice Walker writes,
“Our last five minutes on earth are running out. We can spend those minutes
in meanness…or we can spend them consciously embracing every glowing soul
who wanders within our reach.”
What are you striving for in your life? What/who is important to you? I have
many quotes from movies seared into my brain. One of my favorite quotes
comes from the movie Fight Club, it is said by the character Tyler Durden:
“This your life; it doesn’t get any better than this. This isn’t a
seminar, this isn’t a weekend retreat. This is your life, and it is ending
one minute at a time.”
When we realize our lives are ending one minute at a time, maybe we won’t
waste it on selfish pursuits that ultimately bring about our death more quickly.
Perhaps we would focus on loving and caring for other people, real life-giving
pursuits. Life’s deepest fulfillment comes from valuing every human
encounter and showing love to everyone we meet, especially if they are
lonely, despairing or beaten down.
is going to be leading hikes around the Chattanooga area this fall. Every third Saturday
Doug will be taking people to some of his favorite trails and giving people a chance to
see some of the beauty Chattanooga has to offer. The first hike is September 21st. We
will be hiking Cravens House Trailhead. It is a 3.2 light to moderate hike appropriate for
ages 12 and up. You will need a good pair of walking/hiking shoes and some water.
Snacks and Cameras are also good ideas. We will be car pooling from FCC parking lot
between 8:30-9:00 a.m. If it is more convenient to meet the group at Cravens House you
can also do that. Hope to see you there.
The Literary Krewe...will meet Sunday, Sept 22, at 4pm, at Starbucks on Hamilton Place
Blvd. We will discuss The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan. Everyone is welcome.
Buy the book, read it, and let's talk. Contact Betty Floyd 423.870.1585.
So while you are working feverishly for a bigger piece of the pie, or being the
perfect parent or a deeply religious person, look up once in a while, notice the
person(s) in front of you and remember every moment you spend looking
down…is another minute gone…
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Paul
This Week at First Christian
(Opportunities for you to connect)
First Christian
Church
Sunday, September 22
9:45 a.m.
10:35 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
Sunday School Classes
Elders’ Prayer Circle; Meditation Chapel
Worship; Sanctuary
Fellowship; Parlor
(Disciples of Christ)
Monday, September 23
3:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
PAWS; Fellowship Hall
NA Monday Group; Fellowship Hall
A Church of Service…
...Not Lip Service
Tuesday, September 24
Brown Academy After-School program; Fellowship Hall
NA Tuesday Group; Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, September 25
6:00 p.m.
Choir Practice; Choir Room
Thursday, September 26
7:00 a.m.
3:00 p.m.
Men’s Study Group; Bluegrass Grill
PAWS; Fellowship Hall
Friday, September 27
8:00 p.m.
NA Friday Group; Fellowship Hall
Saturday, September 28
No Activities Scheduled
Sunday, September 29
9:45 a.m.
10:35 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
Sunday School Classes
Elders’ Prayer Circle; Meditation Chapel
Morning Worship; Sanctuary
Fellowship; Parlor
Opportunities for Service:
Volunteer in the Brown Academy After-School Program!
If you can spare even one Tuesday afternoon, we would appreciate your
help. Call Kyle Cutsinger (423-892-1079) for more information.
Volunteer at the Community Kitchen!
1st and 3rd Fridays of every month. 9:00 AM to 11:45 AM; 727 E. 11th St.
For more information, contact Rona Gary (ronagary@gmail.com).
Help out at Habitat for Humanity!
2nd Saturday of every month. Be there around 8:30 AM. For
details, email Larry Kirby (kirbychat@epbfi.com).
Volunteer to serve a meal at Room In The Inn on the 5th Sunday of any
applicable month. For details, call or email Shannon Beattie (423-883-9083;
shanhb@hotmail.com.
Help us when we host families from Family Promise of Chattanooga for a
week, several times each year. For details, email Julia Martin at
chuck343@comcast.net.
Stewardship Last Sunday:
Morning Worship Service ........................ 145
This week’s receipts ........................... $7,370
Receipts to Date ............................. $502,319
Disbursements to Date ................... $482,935
650 McCallie Avenue · Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403 · 423-267-4506 · Fax 423-266-2454
2:45 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
Welcome! Today is the gateway to another week.
We join together here to thank God for a new week
of promise and possibilities. Let us welcome the
opportunity of worship, as we prepare ourselves to
be God’s people in God’s world.
Church Office: (423) 267-4506
Pastoral Emergency: (423) 994-0415
BRIDGE Deadline: Monday, 10:30 a.m.
Church Office Hours:
Mon - Fri: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
E-mail addresses:
Church ........................ church@firstchristian-chat.com
Rev. Paul Rebelo ........................... revrebelo@aol.com
Christine Rebelo ................. rebelmomoffour@aol.com
Jonathan Hyde ............... jonathan.h.hyde@gmail.com
Gail Rich ........................................ gailrich@epbfi.com
Chuck Martin................ chuck@firstchristian-chat.com
Karen Richards ............. karen@firstchristian-chat.com
www.firstchristian-chat.com