May, 2016 - Memorial Drive Christian Church

will not be there yet. The arrival of the
permanent pastor is not the destination; it
is the beginning.
Rev. Steve Digby
Transitional Minister
stevedigby5@gmail.com
Rev. David Finklea
Assistant Minister Chain Reaction Ministries
chainreactionministries
@gmail.com
Mirtha Robbins
Custodian
Teri Villoutreix
Church Secretary
teriv@outlook.com
Janet Christman
Director of Children’s Ministry
christmanjanet@hotmail.com
Delmarie Gilbreath
Organist
Rev. Chris Parrott
Praise Band Leader
Carole Sconfitto
Praise Band Pianist
Marilyn Duncan
Choir Director
mduncan9397@gmail.com
Deb Olsen-Busch
Handbell Choir Director
Candy Kepper
Preschool Director
ckepper@mdcccp.org
Church Office
Monday-Thursday
9:00 am-4:30 pm
The abundance of flat land in the
Coastal Plains of Texas can be
problematic when we have heavy
rainfall, as we witnessed last week.
People died, property was destroyed.
Flat land just does not provide good
drainage. Water sloshes around until it
finds a place to go. Rivers and bayous
lacking a strong channel directing them
tend to meander. Sometimes a river will
meander so much that it loops back on
itself creating an oxbow lake. I
occasionally find myself meandering
through the grocery store because I
don’t know where the things are
located, so I go back and forth until I
find what I was looking for, decide I
didn’t want it anyway, or I forget what I
was looking for and go on to something
else. That’s meandering.
Another quality of living on flat plains
is you can see a very long way. I spent a
whole decade of my wonder years living
in a town named Plainview. The land
up there is very flat and one can see a
very long way. Newcomers to the plains
sometime have to adjust to being able to
see such long distances. Riding in the
car at night, coming home, I remember
we could see our destination long before
we were close to it. The question, “Are
we there yet?” would sometimes get
asked. That’s kind of the way I am
feeling right now. Are we there yet? No,
we still have a way to go. I’ll be with you
until May 22nd. There will be a couple
of weeks of excellent supply preaching
and then Matthew Hudman and his
family will be here. But even then you
As my watch draws to a close I know
there are some things we have
accomplished together and I am pleased
with what we have done together. When I
first came here I think you were grieving
over the loss of your minister. Perhaps you
were grieving over the loss of several
ministers. There were two relatively short
Senior Minister pastorates and there was
the departure of a well-liked associate
pastor. Perhaps people felt the church was
meandering. I expect that Rev. Hudman
will be working with you to clearly define
mission and vision. I also expect that you
will use your long range vision to set a
course on a distant land mark and begin
moving toward it with determination.
When I am on my sailboat I can set my
direction by sighting a landmark on the
shore and sailing toward it. Or, I can pick
a compass heading and let that determine
my direction. The wind may change and
cause me to pick another heading but I am
not just going back and forth, I am trying
to get to a destination. Determining our
destination is a job that is still not
accomplished here at MDCC.
In the meantime, we still have work to
do. One challenge I set before the
congregation at the beginning of the year
was for each member to replace
themselves. Each one bring one. We are
beginning to see more first time visitors.
That is a welcome change. I encourage
you to continue to welcome all who enter.
I'll see you Sunday!
Steve
Join us on Tuesday, May 3, at 1:00pm in the
Fellowship Hall for old-time Gospel singing.
February, 2015 we called Steve Digby to be transitional
minister of MDCC. He and Gwen quickly became a
part of MDCC and we have been blessed by his
sermons, his care, and his love. I cannot thank him
enough for the work he has done here. God knew
who we needed to lead us this past year. Now we find
ourselves saying goodbye. We would like to honor
Steve and Gwen for the work they have done by having
a reception for them to be held at 12:00pm on Sunday
May 22, in the Welcome Center. Please come and join
us in saying Thank you and Job Well Done!
With the leaving of Steve we will have two guest
ministers fill the pulpit. On May 29, Margaret Maat will
be here and on June 5, Zena McAdams will be here.
Matthew Hudman will begin his ministry at MDCC
by being in the office on June 6. His first sermon will
be June 12. A reception will be held at 12:00pm to
meet and greet Matthew, Heidi, Noah, Nathaniel,
Elaina, and Lily. Please join us to welcome this family
into the fellowship of Memorial Drive and as we begin
our ministry together.
The Coastal Plains Area Assembly is May 1 at First
Christian Church in Texas City at 3:00pm. I hope you
will plan on attending to learn what is happening in the
area.
There will be a board meeting at 12:15pm on May
15. All board members please try to attend.
We have a busy month ahead of us. Thanks to all
who work so hard to keep Memorial Drive Christian
Church a wonderful place to be a member and to do
God’s work.
This is a reminder that the Keenagers are meeting
on Thursday, May 5, at 12:00pm in the Fellowship
Hall. We will have entertainment provided by the
Singing Belles, so please plan to come and bring a
pot luck dish. We will need extra as we have invited
the Singing Belles to eat with us prior to their
performance. Please plan on coming and enjoying
the food, fun, and fellowship! Hope to see you
there.
All men of the church are invited to a discussion
group on Tuesday, May 24, at 9:00am, in the
Athens Room. We will meet monthly on the fourth
Tuesday of the month. We start with a light
breakfast and plenty of strong coffee. Come and
join us!
Congratulations to Eli Wyrick,
son of James and Katie Wehring,
who will graduate from Maybe Creek high school.
He will be enlisting in the US Air Force.
Carol Neal, President of the Congregation
Memorial Drive is closed in both directions until midAugust for bridge reconstruction. The bridge is
located on Memorial Drive just east of Gessner Rd.
near the Memorial Forest Club tennis courts. Traffic
will be detoured via Briar Forest Drive on the south,
Barryknoll on the north connected by Gessner Road
on the west.
Larry Neal, Property Chair
Leaders’ Meetings
Elders meet on Tuesday, May 3, at 6:30pm,
in the Athens Room
Administrative Council meets Tuesday, May 10,
at 7:00pm, in the Parlor
MDCC Board Meeting meets on Sunday, May 15,
at 12:15pm, in the Athens Room
All ladies of the church are invited to meet with us each
Tuesday morning at 9:00am, in the Galilee Room for hand
crafts, fellowship, and refreshments.
We delivered 44 Children’s Juvenile Court activity bags,
10 quilts, and 2 pieces of luggage. We delivered 20
suitcases with a stuffed animal, prayer card, and our new
logo card in each one to Family Services Center (a foster
children’s
facility.) We
mounted many
jigsaw puzzles on
poster boards for
MAM. We try to
use all donations
and what we
can’t use we pass
on to MAM.
Please feel free to
drop in any
Tuesday morning for coffee and refreshments and visit with
our fabulous group while they work.
All of this bragging would not be possible if not for the
generosity and support of all members of MDCC. Your love
gifts of fabric, luggage, supplies for children’s activity bags,
stuffed animals, toys, books, etc. enable us to keep busy.
Our big push is for the Annual Christmas Store, held
annually at Galleria Residence and Rehab Center (on
Stoneybrook), on the first Tuesday in December. We are
busy making our quota of lap robes for each resident, plus
fringed flannel shawls for the ladies.
Thank you and God bless all or you.
The Youth and Children’s Ministry team would like to
invite all women of the church to our 3rd annual
“Breakfast in Bed Brunch” on Sunday, May 8. The kids
will be dressed in their pajamas and will be serving a light
breakfast in the Fellowship Hall from 9:30-10:30am.
Please plan to join us! If you regularly attend a Sunday
School class, you can come at 9:30am and still get to
your class on time. Otherwise, come a little early for
worship and relax and enjoy the fellowship.
We also would like to let everyone know that dates
have been set for this summer’s Vacation Bible School.
It will be held from August 1-5, 9:00am-12noon daily.
Please add this to your summer schedule and invite your
friends, neighbors, and grandchildren to join us for a
great week of learning about Jesus.
Thanks to everyone who donated and helped with
the Easter Pancake Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt! It
was a great success!
Please plan now to attend church camp at Disciple
Oaks Retreat Center on the following dates:
May 27-29 Family Camp
Deadline to register: May 1
June 7-11 Beginner Camp (students who have
completed 2nd and 3rd grade) Deadline: May 1
June 7-11
Junior Camp (students who have
completed 4th and 5th grades) Deadline: May 1
Great job Jan on our April review! We enjoyed having
Norma Schumann. On May 11 we will discuss the book,
Killing Reagan, by Bill O'Reilly. Connie Ikard will lead the
discussion. We will not meet for the summer. In
September, Sharen Hansford will lead our discussion of
The Bishop's Wife, by Gillian Bence Jones.
All single women please join us on Thursday, May 19, for
fellowship, games of Chicken Foot, and lunch. Bring a salad
to share! Dessert is provided by a participant.
June 12-18 CYF Camp (students who have completed
9th-12th grade) Deadline: May 8
June 19-25 8-ers Camp (students who have completed
8th grade) Deadline: May 15
July 10-16 Chi Rho Camp (students who have
completed 6th and 7th grade) Deadline: June 5
Camp forms are available in the church office or on
the CPA website:
www.cpadisciples.org/groups/youth/summer-camp/
Contact me with questions about registration.
In love with the King’s Kids,
Open Carry Policy at MDCC
Some of you may have noticed some new signs
around regarding the open carry of guns at the church.
Texas has long had licensed concealed carry of guns. As
many of you know, the Texas Legislature passed a law
allowing for the licensed carry of guns openly. This law
also allowed places that invite the public, including
churches, to opt out of the law by posting signs at all
entrances giving notice of such policy. A similar
exemption has been long permitted for concealed carry.
With the passing of this new law, the Administrative
Council, the Elders, and the Board studied and debated
the issue of whether to allow open carry, concealed
carry, both, or neither. After studying the issue, the
Administrative Council, the Elders, and the Board voted
to allow concealed carry and to ban open carry from the
facility. Several thoughts were voiced in making this
decision.
MDCC takes no position on whether gun ownership
or open or concealed carry is morally right or wrong. As
Disciples, we have long recognized that those we worship
with will have divergent views on a number of topics,
and gun ownership and whether and where to carry is
likely to be yet another one.
Regarding open carry, the primary concern was with
the distraction it might cause to those in the worship
service. We believe that our time together in worship
should be focused on the service itself and with our
communion with the Lord. There was a strong concern
that the open presence of weapons in the service would
distract for that experience.
Regarding concealed carry, it is possible, even
probable, that we already have members who concealed
carry on a regular basis. There has been no disruption in
our worship service as a result of any such persons
exercising concealed carry during the almost two decades
such option has been available.
All women of the church are invited
to a baby shower/brunch for
Angela Spradlin Bullock
on Saturday, May 21st at 11:00 am
in the Athens Room at MDCC.
Angela and Matt are having a boy and
they are registered at
Babies R Us and Target.
Shower given by Just For Today ladies.
Community Joys and Concerns
OUR CONDOLENCES to Linda Rybacki on
the death of her brother in Columbia, MO, on
March 20.
OUR CONDOLENCES to the family and
friends of Natalie Allen, former member, who
died on April 14. A funeral for Natalie was held
in Sugar Land.
OUR CONDOLENCES to Bill and Martha
Welch, former members, on the death of Bill’s
brother, Byron Welch, on April 20. Byron was
a member of Bethany Christian Church for
many years.
Several other local churches have confronted this
issue in the last few months. While it appears that the
approach of allowing concealed carry only has support in
a number of churches, others have opted for a total ban
and still others have chosen no ban at all.
OURCONDOLENCES to Paul Ludwick,
Charter Member, in the death of his father,
Charles Ludwick on April 28.
We recognize that the position taken may not please
everyone. Certainly the signs themselves leave
something to be desired from an aesthetics standpoint.
We do hope, however, that this policy provides a
balance taking into consideration of all of the potential
concerns.
Our best wishes for the new couple!
When grandson Kevin Clegg married Katherine
Verity on April 2, 2016, Beth Lynn Clegg
gained a granddaughter-in-law.
Grant Dunwoody, Vice President of the Congregation
Emmaus class has three more
Sundays’ lessons in Celebration
of Discipline, by Richard J.
Foster. Join us for our lively
discussions! Everyone is
welcome to attend.
The Journey class is studying of the book Chalice
Introduction to Disciples Theology. Join us in the
Philippi Room.
The Thursday morning prayer group has grown to
five members. We meet every Thursday at 9:30am
in the Parlor. We read scripture, participate in
intercessory prayer for those who have asked for
Music at MDCC
Contact: Marilyn Duncan
Choir Director
mduncan9397@gmail.com
or 832-498-9397
If you are interested in:

Chancel Choir

Early Service Praise Team

Handbell Ringers
Please call the church office, at 713-789-0060, or
Marilyn at 832-498-9397.
MAM (Memorial Assistance Ministries) expects to spend
$25,000 to help our neighbors. All donations go directly to
families affected by this month's floods. Will you
contribute? Make your check to MDCC with MAM Flood
Victims in the memo line.
MAM will be helping families in our service area with:
 Metro Money for families whose cars have been flooded
 Furniture, especially new mattresses and bed linens
 Necessary home goods that need replacement
 Toiletries, diapers, cleaning supplies
Some families may need help relocating. MAM will help
with rent in these cases.
As you may know, MAM's service area covers a large
portion of northwest Houston, one of the areas hardest hit by
the storms. While MAM is not an official First Responder,
families turn to us during times of crisis for help, and we have
done what we can in times like Katrina, Ike, the floods last
May, as well as other smaller more local crises like apartment
fires. We expect that it may take a few days before people start
to contact us because they are in crisis mode, and are either in
shelters or trying to clean out their homes. Oftentimes people
go to relatives for safe shelter and then return to face the
music.
Two families in our church are receiving grants from Week of
Compassion following damage caused by the recent storms. If
you know of anyone in our church who has suffered damage,
please call Steve Digby, at 512-749-3700.
Haiti Ongoing Mission
Contact: Mary Williams, avetex@comcast.net or
713-692-8016
Please don't forget our children in Haiti! We
have 48 students in the computer school. Any
donations are appreciated. Pick up a Haiti
brochure in the Welcome Center for a list of
needs for our mountain ministry.
Outreach Opportunity Especially
for the Men
Disciples Men of the Southwest Region of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) (CMF) is doing a mission project in
Kaufman, Texas, on May 2-7, at Grace Christian Church. The
men are building a 50’ x 100’ Assembly Building with electric
and A/C. For more information and registration forms go to
www.cpadisciples.org/disciple-men/
May 2016
Sunday, 5/1
8:45 AM
9:45 AM
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
12:30 PM
3:00 PM
Tuesday, 5/3
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
1:00 PM
6:30 PM
Wednesday, 5/4 10:00 AM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
Thursday, 5/5
9:30 AM
12:00 PM
7:00 PM
Sunday, 5/8
8:45 AM
9:30 AM
9:45 AM
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
Tuesday, 5/10
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
7:00 PM
Wednesday, 5/11 10:00 AM
Thursday, 5/12
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
9:30 AM
7:00 PM
Sunday, 5/15
8:45 AM
9:45 AM
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
12:15 PM
Contemporary Worship
Sunday School
Choir Warm Up
Worship
MDCC-CP Meeting
CPA Assembly
Ladies' Service Group
Staff Meeting
Gospel Singers
Elders' Meeting
Wednesday Bible Study
Handbell Practice
Choir Rehearsal
Intercessory Prayer Group
Keenagers Luncheon
Praise Team
Mother's Day
Contemporary Worship
3rd Annual Breakfast in Bed
For All Women
Sunday School
Choir Warm Up
Worship
Ladies' Service Group
Staff Meeting
Administrative Council
Shared Reflections Book
Group
Handbell Practice
Choir Rehearsal
Intercessory Prayer Group
Praise Team
Pentecost Sunday
Contemporary Worship
Sunday School
Choir Warm Up
Worship
Board Meeting
Tuesday, 5/17
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
Wednesday, 5/18 10:00 AM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
Thursday, 5/19
9:30 AM
10:00 AM
7:00 PM
Saturday, 5/21
8:00 AM
11:00 AM
Sunday, 5/22
8:45 AM
9:45 AM
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
Monday, 5/23
Tuesday, 5/24
6:00 AM
9:00AM
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
Wednesday, 5/25 6:00 PM
7:00 PM
Thursday, 5/26
9:30 AM
7:00 PM
Friday, 5/27
Sunday, 5/29
8:45 AM
9:45 AM
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
Monday, 5/30
Tuesday, 5/31
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
Ladies' Service Group
Staff Meeting
Wednesday Bible Study
Handbell Practice
Choir Rehearsal
MDCC CP Last Day of School
Intercessory Prayer Group
Prime Time Ladies
Praise Team
Chain Reaction Ministries
Workday
Baby Shower for
Angela Spradlin Bullock
Rev. Digby's last Sunday
Contemporary Worship
Sunday School
Choir Warm Up
Worship
Reception for
Rev. Steve & Gwen Digby
Newsletter Deadline
Runoff Election
Men’s Fellowship
Ladies' Service Group
Staff Meeting
Handbell Practice
Choir Rehearsal
Newsletter Published
Intercessory Prayer Group
Praise Team
Family Camp at Disciple Oaks
Retreat Center in Gonzales
until Sunday
Rev. Margaret Maat
is preaching
Contemporary Worship
Sunday School
Choir Warm Up
Worship
Office Closed Memorial Day
Ladies' Service Group
Staff Meeting
We are happy to
welcome Betty
Johnson who joined
MDCC on
April 10 by transfer
of membership.
While Betty has
been a part of our
congregation for
some time, we are
pleased that she
decided to formalize
her relationship with us.
As we anticipate the arrival of our
new minister, Matthew Hudman, it is
a good time to consider how we can
each make this transition as smooth
and productive as possible for him
and for us. In his column in The
Messenger last month Rev. Digby
provided some useful guidelines,
namely "Ten
Commandments for
Welcoming a New
Pastor". Please
take the time to reread and reflect
upon them. They
are all quite useful,
but in particular
note the second
one: "Thou shalt
not expect everything to stay the
same when the new Pastor
arrives. Nor shalt thou resist change,
nor assume that change is bad, but
thou shalt trust that the Lord thy God
isn't finished with your church yet
and is bringing change for your good
and the good of your mission."
Change can be difficult, but really
it is inevitable. We will all need to be
open and accepting of the new ideas
that Rev. Hudman will bring to
us. And we will need to support him
and his plans. After all, we want him
to succeed, and he cannot do that on
his own. All of us will need to work
together to enable MDCC to be the
church that our community needs
now and in the future.
Please pray for discernment,
guidance, and love during this time of
transition.
In Christian Fellowship,
Janice Spradlin, Linda Thompson
& Angela Bullock