Messenger

NEW SENIOR FITNESS CLASS HOURS

You are invited to a morning workout! The Senior Fitness Class will now meet

from 9:30 am – 10:30 am every Monday and Wednesday. Our low impact training

will improve your strength, balance, flexibility and overall mobility. Come and

enjoy the fellowship and bottom-line…you’ll feel great! For more information

contact Joan Norman at 254-3846 or the church office at 254-2649. See you there!

U GOT TALENT?

Living Faith Community Church Youth Group invites you to bring your

best song, dance, poem or show stopping act for an evening of fun.

Sunday, September 27th

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Living Faith Community Church

(in front of Sycamore Hospital)

For more information or to participate: pastor@lfcchurch.org or 434-4724.

Everyone welcome and there will be prizes for those 18 years old or younger.

FLU SHOTS

October 17, 2009

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Central Christian Church

1200 Forrer Blvd. Kettering, OH 45420

www.ccc-ket.org or 937.254.2649

Cost: $27 to $29 on that day, then submit to insurance.

Must be 18 or older or accompanied by Parent.

H1N1 vaccine if available

Sponsored by:

Central Christian Church Health Ministry and Premier Community Health

VOLUME LVII - Weekly Publication ________ _ _ September 21, 2009

Morning Watch

Sundays 9:00 am

Christian Education

Sundays 9:15 am

Traditional Service

Sundays 10:30 am

Fellowship Hour

Sundays 11:30 am

Church Office

Monday – Friday

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Staff

David P. Turner

Senior Minister

Renita Lewis Whitaker

Office Manager

Anthony Shackleford

Custodian

Sue Taylor

Music Director

Dan Oliver

Bell Choir Director &

Director of Audio/Visual

Lois Sutherland

Organist

Jenny Garner

Nursery Care Provider

1200 Forrer Blvd., Kettering, Ohio 45420

Email: office@ccc-ket.org

Website: www.ccc-ket.org

Serving In September Deacon Captain: Melissa Moody

Deacons Serving: Fred Lewis, Claudia Lewis, Larry Merkle,

Thomas Giles, Jack Willman, April Parcell, John Brown, Joe

Albrecht and David Aebker

Deacon Prep/Clean Up: Lourdes Giles

Elders for Communion

Sept 27th

Dan Oliver and Charles Bentley, Sr.

Oct 4th

Doug and Mary Lou Pence

Lay Leaders

Sept 27th

Molly Gross

Oct 4th

Chuck Bentley, Jr.

Fellowship Hour

Sept 27th

Trustees

Oct 4th

CYF Cook-Out

Wall Calendar The wall calendar located outside of the church office lists the

scheduled activities of the church ministries. To get your activity

listed on the wall calendar, please contact the church office.

The Week Ahead

Sunday, Sept 27th

9:00 am Morning Watch

UYH (Classroom E)

UYH (Meeting Room)

UYH (CYF Room)

UYH (Parlor)

9:15 am Christian Education

10:00 am UYH (Faith Finders Room)

10:30 am Traditional Service

11:30 am Fellowship Hour

12:00 pm Faith Finders/Seekers

5:00 pm CYF Progressive Dinner

6:30 pm UYH (Meeting Room)

Chi Rho (intergenerational UYH)

Monday, Sept 28th

9:00 am Quilters

9:30 am Senior Fitness Class

Wednesday, Sept 30th

9:30 am Senior Fitness

6:00 pm UYH Dinner (Fellowship Hall)

6:30 pm UYH (Parlor)

UYH (Meeting Room)

UYH (Classroom E)

UYH (Faith Finders Room)

Thursday, Oct 1st

9:30 am Prayer Shawl Ministry

6:30 pm Laudate Ringers

7:30 pm Chancel Choir

Members & Friends Hospitalized - David Sipple (MVH)

Merle Ryan (Lincoln Park)

Kathy Anderson (Lincoln Park)

Hospice Care - Lillian White (Home)

Pat Farnsley (Home)

Home Care Henrietta Farrow

Thelma Harman

Robert and Frances Mayes

Earline Grice

Regina Kempton

Norma Kirkland

Bob and Jean Thompson

Dorothy Ryan

Doyle Ware

Lillian White

Autumn Health Care - June Tate

Harborside Healthcare - Eleanor McNulty

Liberty Retirement Home - Ed Bausman

Lincoln Park - William Warren

Summersville - Marjorie Barkalow

Eugene Griffith

Marian Herron

Spring Creek - JoAnn Reichbauer

Sterling House - Elwood Byrkett

Sycamore Glen - Anne Walters

Trinity - Garnia Moses

Millie Molz

Waterford Retirement - Mary Rothenbuhler

New Member: On Friday, September 18th

, Henrietta Farrow, 590

Isaac Prugh Way, Kettering, Ohio 45429, (937) 297-4085, united

with Central Christian through baptism. Welcome Henrietta into

our church family.

Sanctuary Flowers: On Sunday, September 20th

were given by

Tammy Turner in honor of her father’s 70th

birthday.

Members and Friends Directory

Please update your Members and Friends Directory with the

following information:

Jennifer Boyer Veronica Clayton

3301 Bulah Drive 6837 Tifton Green Trail

Kettering, Ohio 45429 Centerville, Ohio 45459

(937) 293-1804 (937) 312-0920

Helen Umbs Tom Guy

818 Briddlewood Street P.O. Box 292402

Beavercreek, Ohio 45430 Kettering, Ohio 45429

(937) 426-8859 (937) 313-3428

Laura Seaman Oliver Gorneleh

5805 N. Rockwell Street, Apt.2N 1616 Garwood Drive

Chicago, IL 60659 Beavercreek, Ohio 45432

(419) 603-8656 (937) 241-2579

S05.lseaman@wittenberg.edu

Please remove the following names from page 14th

(purple):

Ruby Kreider

Caryl Rentz

Wanda Riggs

Worshiping at Central Sunday, September 20, 2009

Christian Education 55 _______________________________

Nursery/Godly Play 14

Morning Watch 22

Traditional Service 148

Total Worship Attendance 209

KUDOS To All The Evangelism Committee wishes to thank everyone of the

congregation for supporting our efforts with the parades.

Without your individual and group assistance, we would not have

been successful. There are too many to thank individually, but

some are Moniqua Suits, Molly Gross, Tom and Beverly Guy and

The Sherwood Florists, the ladies of the Shawl Ministry and others

for the help in preparing the handouts, The Giles Family who

stepped up on a "rainy" Labor Day for our final parade. Robbie

Wheeler and Joe Albrecht for their continual help. Special thanks

to Ben Williams for the use of his truck and trailers which made

the parade entries possible. But most of all, to all the people of

Central Christian whose faith in our efforts made all the hard work

worthwhile. These four parades put the Red Chalice before more

than 20,000 people. Thank you all again,

John Brown, Evangelism

CYF Notes This coming Sunday, September 27

th the CYF will hold a

Progressive Dinner. We will meet the home of Sarah Wilhoit at 5

PM for appetizers and fellowship. We will then travel to the

home of Alexis Garybush for the main course and more

fellowship. At around 7 PM we will travel to Matt Pence’s home

for dessert and our closing circle. Thank you in advance to

everyone for opening your homes to us. Questions – please call

Mary Lou Pence (434-8157).

Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 4th

when the CYF will

host a Cook Out following the traditional service. This will be the

first of several fund raisers planned for the year. Traditional cook

out fare – hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad and baked beans

are on tap. The cost is $5 per person with children 10 and under,

$3. We hope everyone will stay for this extended fellowship time.

We’re off to a good start with lots of great ideas for the year. We

opened our meeting this past Sunday with a discussion on the

Unbinding Your Heart study. On October 11th

, we hope to

participate in the Crop Walk and go on a hayride later in October.

More information and details in upcoming Messenger.

Central Christian’s Food Pantry

Last week we were able to feed 6 families thanks to your

donations. Let’s continue to feed the hungry in our community

by donating. Note: We are in need of paper bags.

Below is a list of the food items we need for our food pantry.

Donations can be placed on the table in the Narthex marked

“Food Pantry.” We also accept monetary donations.

cans of green beans cans of corn

cans of sweet peas cans of vegetables

cans of tuna cans of chicken

cans of meat cans of soup-large

cans of soup-small cans of fruit

boxes of rice spaghetti (bag/box)

spaghetti sauce boxes of cereal

cans of milk jars of peanut butter

jars of jelly loafs of bread

macaroni and cheese hotdog buns

packs of hotdogs packs of baloney

CWF

Fall Rummage Sale

October 29th,

30th

and 31st

Look for more information in the upcoming Messengers

The Pink Dress

There was this little girl sitting by herself in the park. Everyone

passed by her and never stopped to see why she looked so sad.

Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat

and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak.

She never said a word. Many people passed by her, but no one

would stop. The next day I decided to go back to the park in

curiosity to see if the little girl would still be there. Yes, she was

there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still

with the same sad look in her eyes. Today I was to make my own

move and walk over to the little girl. As we all know, a park full of

strange people is not a place for young children to play alone. As I

got closer I could see the back of the little girl's dress. It was

grotesquely shaped. I figured that was the reason people just

passed by and made no effort to speak to her. Deformities are a

low blow to our society and, heaven forbid if you make a step

toward assisting someone who is different. As I got closer, the

little girl lowered her eyes slightly to avoid my

intent stare. As I approached her, I could see the shape of her

back more clearly. She was grotesquely shaped in a humped-over

form. I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to help, to

talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple, ’Hello’.

The little girl acted shocked, and stammered a 'hi' after a long

stare into my eyes. I smiled and she shyly smiled back. We talked

until darkness fell and the park was completely empty.

I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me

with a sad face said, ‘Because, I'm different.' I immediately said,

'That you are!' and smiled. The little girl acted even sadder and

said, 'I know.' 'Little girl,' I said, 'you remind me of an angel,

sweet and innocent.' She looked at me and smiled, then slowly

she got to her feet and said, 'Really?' 'Yes, you're like a little

Guardian Angel sent to watch over all the people walking by.' She

nodded her head yes, and smiled. With that she opened the back

of her pink dress and allowed her wings to spread, then she said

'I am,' with a twinkle in her eye. I was speechless. She said,

'For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job

here is done'. I got to my feet and said, 'Wait, why did no one stop

to help an angel?' She looked at me, smiled, and said, 'You're the

only one that could see me,' and then she was gone. So when you

think you're all you have, remember someone is watching over

you.

Thought for the Week

OVERLOOK the faults of others

but LOOKOVER your own carefully.

The Last Word… by David P. Turner

You may have noticed for the past several weeks we

have had “a newsletter within a newsletter.” Many

thanks to Moniqua Suits, our E-vent coordinator for

Unbinding Your Heart, for putting so much of her time

and considerable skill and creativity into this project. She

has committed to providing this for us each week

throughout our 40 days of prayer and reflection.

This week, Moniqua gave me my assignment: write an

article around the question, “Does Christian evangelism

mean telling people of other faith traditions they are

wrong and we are right?” Whoa! There’s nothing like

coming right to the point! If you are curious as to how I

answered that question, you can read my answer and the

rest of the Unbinding Your Heart insert within.

It occurred to me as I was answering the question

posed by Moniqua that perhaps I needed to back up a

step. Before one can ever hope to engage someone of

another faith in a dialogue about Jesus (let alone

someone with no faith), we have to experience God in

our own lives in a significant way. Trying to be a witness

to something you have never witnessed is not only

difficult, it is impossible. Someone might be able to feed

us the right lines, but it is unlikely we will be able to

deliver them with any level of authority or believability.

It’s kind of like the man who heard his wife using

profanity one day (in an attempt to show him how

obnoxious it was when he did it!). After she finished, he

said to her, “Honey, you obviously know the words – but

you definitely don’t know the tune.” When it comes to

witnessing our faith, we need to know both the words

and the tune. Before we can share the Gospel, it first

needs to be “Good News” for us in our own lives.

Someone once said the witness of the Church is born

again in every generation. Indeed, the witness of the

church is completely dependent on the Gospel being

experienced and embraced by each new generation. In

other words, your grandparents can’t do it for you. Your

parents can’t do it for you. Your preacher can’t do it for

you. When it comes to developing a genuine relationship

with God, it is up to you. Fortunately, you have a God

who is eager to give you that experience. Indeed, if ever

there was a prayer God wants to answer, it is this one:

“Please, God, let me more fully experience the truth of

your love and power in my life.”

There is never a bad time to begin a life of prayer.

There’s never a bad time to acquaint ourselves with how

God has acted in the past so we might be aware of how

God is acting now and in the future. However, during

these 40 days of Unbinding Your Heart, we have a unique

opportunity to pray a prayer of surrender and desire for

God along with so many others who are also making this

journey.

It is an exciting time at Central Christian and God is

very much at work in our midst! I can hear the tune…

Transform the mystery of faith to clarity of vision.

MONTH DAY YEAR

Unbinding Your HeartUnbinding Your HeartUnbinding Your HeartUnbinding Your Heart

VOL 1 ISSUE 1

SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not

enough; we must do. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Sharing the Good News. David Turner - Pastor If there is one question that comes up in the minds of many

Disciples of Christ members with the topic of evangelism, it is

this: If we tell others “our way” (through Jesus) is the “right

way,” doesn’t that send the message to the rest of the world

that “their way” (other religions) are “wrong?”

First of all, if that is a concern for you, let me commend you

for having a very Christ-like attitude toward other people and

the things that matter most deeply to them. If you are not

sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others, then that

pretty much negates the message of the Gospel anyway. To

approach a person of another faith with a message of

criticism or judgment is more akin to violence than

evangelism. If there is one thing we learn from the life and

ministry of Jesus, it is that all his relationships and

encounters with “others” were motivated and filled with love.

In fact, the only ones for whom Jesus expressed anything

approaching judgment or anger were those who were

intolerant of others and their beliefs. Remember, it was the

Pharisees (who were so sure of their own “rightness”) that

battled Jesus throughout his ministry and ultimately

orchestrated his arrest and crucifixion. To stand AGAINST

judgment and intolerance of others (of any faith or no faith) is

to stand WITH Jesus.

Evangelism, then, is not about coercing or overpowering

others. It is not about arguing or debating our supposed

religious opponents into the “truth.” Once again, when it

comes to engaging others, we take our cues from Jesus

himself. He approached sinners of all stripes with a love so

genuine and so transparent that others were drawn into that

love and ultimately transformed by it. The early church didn’t

grow because the first disciples were angrily shouting

down everyone else. Rather, they grew in number

because people saw “the way they loved each other”

and wanted to be a part of that. People who had never

experienced love or acceptance before were embraced

and loved into wholeness in a community that reflected

the Spirit of Jesus in very concrete ways.

Of course, the Church hasn’t always been faithful to

Jesus’ style of sharing the Good News. There have

been times in history when evangelism was more

about coercion and violence than anything resembling

love. The crusades and the inquisitions are just a few

examples of a defiant and unfaithful Church going its

own way instead of in “the Way.” Even now, there are

Christians who seem to prefer to shout curses and threats

at others than dare to engage them in love.

There is no shortage of Christians that would rather

doom “non-believers” to hell than to actually learn

about who they really are – what is really important to

them – and what in their lives is broken which only God

can fix. continued next page

PAGE 2Sharing the Good News. cont Martha Grace Reese describes a Christian as “a powerful individual on a powerful team. It’s a life with no posturing, no

pretending.” It is also a life with no fear. Do we believe Jesus is the fullest expression of God and that he came in the

“fullness of time” to reveal God to all people? Do we believe that Jesus is the answer to the violence and evil that fills

our world (and often our own hearts)? Do we believe we have a message everyone in the world needs to hear?

Absolutely. But we are also guided by the love of Christ – which is not only the heart of our message –but also our

modus operandi. In other words, love is WHO we are and HOW we work.

So, back to the original (and difficult…) question: Does committing to evangelism mean we are in some way telling

people of other faiths they are wrong? Oddly enough, the question itself seems to be very un-Christ-like to me. Jesus

always looked for ways to connect to people – and ANY kind of faith in God (or gods) is a place to start. The Apostle

Paul, in his visit to Athens, saw all of the temples dedicated to pagan gods, but instead of condemning the Athenians –

he commended them: “I see how religious you are in every way!”

Indeed, I have found it easier to talk about my faith in Jesus with people committed to other religions than to non-

believers of any tradition. At least we have something in common! We have a place to start. So, don’t be afraid that

making the positive statement of “I believe Jesus is the Savior of the World” is somehow an act of violence toward

others who might have a different religious heritage. It can be, in fact, the beginning of a loving and genuine

conversation. It need have no other agenda than love. Indeed, if there is any “saving” or “transforming” to be done –

that is in God’s job description. Our job is simply to be loving witnesses. That’s all.

When Paul was in Athens, once he had complimented the people on their religious devotion and faith, he went on. He

said, “I noticed as I was passing by all of your beautiful temples that you have one dedicated to an ‘unknown god.’

Well, let me tell you about Him, because He is no longer unknown…”

Making the Most of Your Small Group

Melissa Moody – Small Group Coordinator Those of you participating in the UYH study have met with your group at least once by now. There are 10-12 of you in your group, and perhaps you are not sure what to do next....and, if you are like a lot of folks, you might be wondering "What should I say?" "Am I talking too much?" "Am I not talking enough?" and "Who are all these people anyway?" Being a part of a small group can be a little intimidating, especially for those who are normally reserved or quiet. But, if you will embrace the group, you can learn so much more not only about other members of the group, but about yourself as well. You might be thinking, "How do I do that?" Here are a few suggestions: 1. Talk. If possible, arrive a few minutes early and chat with other early-arrivers. Or, talk to them before church or during the fellowship time following. The more you get to know the people in your group, outside of your group, the more comfortable you will feel in the group.

2. Share. During your group's discussions, share your experiences. I'm not asking you to share anything that you are not comfortable sharing -- but do find some story, experience or anecdote that relates to the topic at hand. The best thing about the small groups is there is an expectation of confidentiality: anything said in your group discussion will not be shared outside of the group. 3. Pray. We all have daily prayer exercises during this 6-week journey. Use some of this time to ask God to help you open up more in your group. He will guide you and give you the strength to speak up more. Remember - you will get as much out of your group as you put into it. Personally, I have already gotten so much enrichment from both my Wednesday night and Sunday morning groups than I can possibly put into words. It has been a true pleasure to see that (a) there are other people feeling the same way I'm feeling and (b) they are willing to share that with others so we can all learn and grow.

PAGE 3 Ways to Pray – Part 3

Larry Merkle – Prayer Team Coordinator

When you were a child, you may have learned to pray by

kneeling beside your bed, placing your palms together in front of

your chest, bowing your head, closing your eyes, and reciting,

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

Should I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Or

perhaps you were responsible for saying grace at the dinner

table: "God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food.

By his hands, we all are fed, give us Lord our daily bread."

Somewhere along the line, though, you may have realized that

you're no longer a child, and decided that you needed to give up

your childish ways of praying. If so, your idea of what you ought

to be doing may be more along these lines: find a chair in which

you can sit in a relaxed upright position, place your palms

together about four inches in front of your chest, close your eyes,

take a few deep breaths, spend 30 minutes in deep conversation

with God, and sign off with "Amen."

Time for another confession and this one is in the category of

deep, dark secrets. I think I can count on my fingers and maybe

a couple of toes the number of times that I have succeeded in

praying this way, and that includes several times that the

"comfortable chair" was an outcropping of rock overlooking an

amazing landscape. I just can't pray that way on any kind of a

regular basis. Unfortunately, for a lot of us, sitting still for 10

minutes is an insurmountable challenge, to say nothing of

coming up with 30 minutes worth of meaningful non-repetitious

conscious thoughts to share with God. However, the news is not

all bad. For starters, if you are participating in our 40-day study

of Unbinding Your Heart by Martha Grace Reese, you already

have in your possession an invaluable resource to provide

alternatives to the "standard" prayer technique. Many such

alternatives are included in the 40 days of devotional exercises.

Another resource is Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still, by

William Tenny-Brittian. Until I discovered this book, I was under

the mistaken impression that unless I was motionless, my

prayers were somehow invalid. Since I couldn't do that, I thought

I wasn't trying hard enough. Sometimes I even thought that it

meant I wasn't really a Christian. That changed when I glanced

at the table of contents of Tenny-Brittian's book, and since I can't

reproduce the whole book here, I'll give you a whirlwind tour.

Chapter 1 discusses "The Joy of Journaling," which Margaret

Lyon wrote about a few weeks ago, and which I personally find

to be one of the most meaningful forms of prayer. There are

many variations, but it typically involves choosing a

passage of scripture and reflecting on it in a journal.

Chapter 2 talks about dance as a form of prayer and

Chapter 3 covers "Action Prayer." Praying while walking a

"labyrinth" is one of the oldest known forms of prayer and

is the subject of Chapter 4. In case you would like to try

this technique, Westminster Presbyterian Church has a

labyrinth open to the public from noon to 7 pm the first

Tuesday of each month. Chapter 5 talks about a well-

known form of prayer traditionally associated with the

Catholic Church, which is the use of prayer beads, as well

as daisy chains and counting prayers. Chapter 6

discusses "Sensational Prayer," while Chapter 7

introduces another one of my favorites -- prayer walking.

The last three chapters are about "Artistic Prayer,"

"Musical Prayer," and "Technology-Assisted Prayer." The

one thing all of these techniques have in common is they

give us something to do that keeps our mind from

wandering, and therefore allow us to stay engaged in our

communication with God.

The traditional motionless prayer may not be right for

everybody, and perhaps none of the types of prayer

Reese and Tenny-Brittian mention will be either. My

prayer is if in the past you have felt you were somehow

not spiritual enough to "pray right," you will be encouraged

by the idea that there are many perfectly valid ways to

communicate with God. I will write more about selected

alternatives to the traditional motionless prayer over the

next few weeks.

PAGE 4

UPDATES

555.555.5555 555.555.5555 555.555.5555 email@address.com www.webaddress.com

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Individual Study Programs For those studying UYH from home or travels, please remember we are keeping you in our prayers and encourage you to contact Moniqua Suits – signatureidea@yahoo.com with questions, or information you may need. Also, contact Larry Merkle -xphileprof@gmail.com, if you have specific prayer requests or would like to have a Prayer Request form. As your schedule permits, feel welcome to pop in any of the study groups on Sunday morning or evening or the Wednesday study groups. Group time and locations are kept on a chart in the Narthex or Fellowship Hall or you may contact Melissa Moody - mmoody5409@yahoo.com.

Activities Thank You Cards If you would like to pick up a card to write a thank you note to someone in your small group or to God, cards will be available this Sunday in the Narthex and also a container for those addressed to God. Art and/or Souvenirs

1. If you would like to share the design of the altar you designed (p. 121), a place has been designated in the Fellowship Hall to post your photo or sketch.

2. If you have been taking prayer field trips and have

momentos – leaves, brochures, etc. a board with pins and tape has been placed in the Fellowship Hall.

Kudos and Questions Board If you have kudos or questions you would like to ask, please post them on the board located outside the Fellowship Hall.

This special UYH edition of the Messenger is brought to you by Central Christian Church, Kettering, OH – www.ccc-ket.org