"What did you do? Why did you do that? Over the past weeks, we’ve been reframing the standard—refocusing on Jesus as the standard for life, ministry, and mission. One of the action points we’ve been invited to take is to live and say that Jesus is your 'why.' Another action point was to accept an invitation to participate in God’s provision. The IDES food pack this past weekend (February 3&4) afforded you an opportunity to live like Jesus and partner in God’s provision for others—giving your money to fund emergency relief meals, rearranging your schedule to spend 2-3 hours packing meals for others, forgoing Sunday lunch to provide food for those without access, and focusing on others at the expense of your preferences and priorities. The hope of the church leaders is that the food pack was an opportunity for you to take a step in living like Jesus, an opportunity to invite a non-Jesus follower to see what Jesus-following people value, an opportunity to partner in what God is doing to provide for the needs of those around the world, and an opportunity to explain Jesus as the 'why' behind the time and effort you spent at a table with 9 other people in the CCC gym for 2-3 hours, packing food that isn’t for your benefit. The church's leadership rejoices in the accomplishment of packing over 65,000 GAP meals (over 20,000 more meals than the 40,000 that we originally planned). We celebrate that God provided funding for the food pack in a short amount of time. We rejoice that tens of thousands of meals will benefit needy people around the world. We rejoice that each of us who participated had the opportunity to become more like Jesus and be ready to share that Jesus is the reason behind what we did.
We hope to participate in another IDES food pack in the future. Please be in prayer for funding, participation, and clarity on how we can further emulate Jesus and partner in God’s provision for the needs of the world through hosting and participating in another IDES food pack. Thank you for making it possible this year and helping to make it possible again in the future!
Below you will find other CCC updates and resources for participating in the body of Christ over the coming weeks.
See you Sunday if not before then!
Jordan Byrd
Read and begin reflecting on Luke 4:31-44 before the sermon on Sunday
This Sunday, February 11th, we will continue the series of messages focused on reframing/refocusing on the life, ministry, and mission of Jesus as the standard for our own lives. On this Sunday, Sean Cronin will help us reflect on what and how we pray to God for our needs and wants. May God guide us in taking a step of obedience toward Him. May we be receptive to the depth of the good news that Jesus has to offer our lives.
As followers of Jesus, we are part of the church (the body, family, community) of Christ. Our church has various ways to connect beyond Sunday morning worship in the auditorium. There are opportunities for all ages to engage and grow in their likeness to Jesus. If you haven't yet connected beyond Sunday worship, I encourage you to consider joining one of these groups. You could also ask 1-2 CCC friends if they would be willing to start meeting weekly to connect, pray, and reflect on God's word with you — all aimed at helping you become more like Jesus in community with others.
The Chosen Group (Starts this Sunday, Feb. 11, 8:30am):
Watch and catch-up on the overall story told throughout seasons 1-3 of the Bible-based show, The Chosen. This will lead up to the release of the episodes from the forthcoming, season 4 of the show. Starting THIS Sunday, February 11th, 8:30am (before 10am worship). Meets in CCC youth room. Feel free to jump in any time. Contact Dave and Deb Farley to connect further.
Merge Youth Group:
For 6th-12th grade-aged kids. Sunday nights, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Meets in CCC youth room. Games and Bible lesson: continuing to look at the fruits of the Spirit. Not meeting this Sunday, February 11th because of time spent at the Southern Tier Church of Christ youth retreat. Contact Mitch Knight for more information.
Impact Kids:
For PreK-5th grade-aged kids. Sunday mornings. Meets in the auditorium for music. Split into PreK-1st* (Little Impact) and 1st*-5th (Big Impact) grade-aged groups at Prayer Time. Parents pick-up kids at the end of the worship service. Kids participate in a game, lesson, and craft or reflective activity during each gathering. Contact Mitch Knight for more information. (*parental preference)
Ladies Bible Study:
Meets at CCC on the first and third Thursdays of the month, 10:30am-11:30am. Contact Linda Cronin for more information.
Flourish Ladies:
Meets at CCC on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Currently discussing Justin Whitmel Earley’s book, Made for People. Contact Bobbie Ludwick, Valerie Hubert or Renee Paul for more information.
Guys Work Group:
Meets from 9am-11am at CCC. Coffee, treats, conversation, and a little upkeep work around the church building/property. Contact Dan Corbett for more information.
A CCC hosted event for 6th-12th grade-aged kids (local and regional), March 22-23. Be on the lookout for the opportunity to sign-up and participate as a kid or help as an adult. Contact Mitch Knight for more information.
R.&R. D. (CCC Mission partners in Alleyland)
Yay!!! Celebrate the swimming party of a new sister in Chr*st! Pray for perseverance in faithfulness to the L*rd as this sister’s allegiance will be tested in the mostly non-Chr*stian, Alleyland culture.
This is an article that ran across this week. AI is an technology that is invading all areas of life: from business to entertainment to grocery shopping. While there is a helpful side to AI, there is also a dark side. This article highlights how followers of Jesus — those connected to The Way, The Truth, and The Life — have the best perspective to help navigate the benefits and dangers of AI. More specifically, the article highlights how theology is needed to navigate AI, as AI isn’t a person, with a soul. Rather, AI needs a person, with a soul, to direct it. Will AI be directed toward The Way, The Truth, and The Life of God revealed in Jesus or the false way, false truth, and false life of sin and evil?