ISSUE 23

Bixby Knolls Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) (562) 426-0428

the

PAST AND PRESENT COPIES OF THE FELLOWSHIP NEWS MAY BE VIEWED AT www.scribd.com/2468bixby

NOVEMBER 17, 2015

Dear Church, Last week, a global webcast

on climate change was broadcast

over the internet. 45 minutes of

the webcast came from a re-

cording studio in Hollywood, and

I and several dozen other people

were invited to be part of the

audience. On stage were a num-

ber of climate change activists,

along with singer Pharrell Wil-

liams.

At one point, Pharrell was

asked why he was taking part in

this event. He talked about how

he has been blessed; blessed to

do what he loves, and to be

compensated for doing it. And,

he said, “I believe it’s important

to tithe. It’s important to give

back.”

First of all, I was impressed

that he used the word “tithe.” It’s

a word that doesn’t get used

much outside of church. It means

to give ten percent of one’s in-

come back to God (Leviticus

27:30; Malachi 3:30).

Secondly, I was pleased that

Pharrell believed in tithing, and

that, for him, it was rooted in

gratitude for the blessings he has

received. That really is the key to

happiness, according to leaders

of all faiths: gratitude and thank-

fulness.

As we approach the Thanks-

giving holiday, do be sure to

spend some time giving thanks

for all that God has blessed you

with. Ponder and pray about

how you can give back to God.

This is the key to a happier, more

satisfying life.

Blessings,

Pastor Danny

The BKCC Youth Group is for youth in

grades 6-12. Our typical monthly schedule

is as follows:

1st Sunday: youth group activity. (On Dec.

6 we will meet at 6:30 pm)

2nd Sunday: no youth activity

3rd Sunday: youth are invited to join Pastor

Danny and some of our church’s younger

children at the monthly Kidical Mass bike

ride after worship

4th Sunday: BKCC litter pickup after wor-

ship. (The next litter pickup is Nov. 29,

which is actually the 5th Sunday… some-

times changes happen)

Special New Year’s Eve Youth Group: For

the third year in a row, we will have a spe-

cial youth group activity on Dec. 31. This

activity will begin in the early afternoon and

will include fun, service, dinner, a continua-

tion of our preparations for Youth Sunday,

and worship. The event will end at 12:01

a.m. on Jan. 1, 2016! More info to follow.

“Faith walks simply, childlike, between the darkness of human life and the hope of what is to come.”

-Catherine de Hueck Doherty

Christian Women’s Fellowship In December, CWF traditionally

organizes the collection of toys

and clothing for our Disciple mis-

sion, Eastmont Community Cen-

ter, in East LA. The Center has a

Christmas party each year for the

children in their community. This

year the party will be on Decem-

ber 17. The last Sunday to bring

items will be Dec 13 so they can

be delivered in time for the

party. Toys, clothing and gift

items for all ages from preschool

to 16 are needed. A box will be

under the narthex tree for your

donations.

Just a Thankful Note Are you thankful for your church family? Are you thankful for our great Pastor Danny? How about for all the people who do weekly food and cleanup in fel-lowship hall after church? If you are for these and many other unsung heroes of our church, take a mo-ment to stop and thank them in the next week or two. There are communion elders, people who cook for COA, choir members, Susie who cleans, Gretchen, Leo, and Ken Brown who facilitate, Monica who runs the office and everyone else you can think of!

Let them know you appreciate them. Just a simple thank you goes such a long way and means so much. Remember to be thankful as you prepare for your own Thanksgiving day with friends and loved ones.

Blessings Barb P

The church is looking for the donation of a wagon. If you have one or know of someone who has one and would consider donating it, we would love to take it off your or their hands.

With the advent season rapidly approaching, poinset-tias are also in the air. Details coming!

Friday, Nov 27 is the greening of our church. Please join us at 9am as we decorate our church sanctuary for Advent. Help is needed in putting up our Christmas tree and putting on the Chrismons. It is always more fun with lots of people so do come and join in the fun.

After worship service on Sunday, Dec 13, the first of our two Congregational meetings will be held. The meeting will review our 2016 budget and the needs of the church for the upcoming year. Plan to attend this very important meeting.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John F. Kennedy

Stewardship Moment Let’s say you are employed at $15/hour. This means

that you give your employer an hour of your life’s en-

ergy, and your employer gives you $15. It also means

that if you later go to the store and buy something that

costs $15, the real cost to you is one hour of your life.

(Let that sink in for a moment…)

So it’s not really a question of “What do you spend

your money on?” … Rather, it’s a question of “What do

you spend your life on?”

Most of us agree that the ministry of BKCC is one of

the best things we can devote our life to. When you are

at work, you may not always feel like your job is allow-

ing you to live for God, but it really depends on what

you do with the money you earn. Every dollar you give

to the church represents your life energy that you have

given to God.

Bixby Knolls Christian Church is a small congre-

gation that does service and ministry in a big way. We

struggle financially, and every dollar counts. We expect

that our budget for 2016 will again include a deficit; we

approve deficit budgets because we believe in not com-

promising or scaling back the work we do, and we’ll

keep doing this as long as we can. Of course, the

amount you give has an effect on this… Thank you for

your pledges and offerings to the ministry we share.

Rajal taking part in Sunday’s Kidical Mass Bike ride. He,

along with Roheil, Cely, Elliott and Pastor Danny all par-

ticipated in the ride.

The Alternative Christmas is this Sunday, Nov 22. Stop

by the Fellowship Hall after Sunday worship. Items for

sale will be provided by our church members.

Nov 22 Genesis 2:4b-9, 18-23 Nov 29 Jeremiah 33:14-16

Helen Tedesco Sarah Stolze

Phil O’Laughlin Sumbal Sardar

Keri Clark (daughter of M. Lanz) Hattie Johnson

Grace Kobel Porter Family, Ruthie Atkin (friends of B. Smith)

Nargis & family in Pakistan (family of Sumbal Sardar) Keri France (family of A. Hillig)

Venus (friend of A. Hillig) Doug Edwards (family of Bob & Shirley Dickison)

Troop 29 News Bixby Knolls Christian Church is the chartered or-

ganization for Boy Scout Troop 29 (which meets here at

the church) and Boy Scout Ship 529 (which meets at the

Long Beach Sea Base). Being a chartered organization

means that these units are official ministries of BKCC

(not just groups that we provide space to).

This year, Troop 29 is on track for an unprece-

dented number of Eagle scouts. Not many scouts

achieve the rank of Eagle, which makes this an espe-

cially significant year. (You may have noticed one Eagle

Project taking place right here at the church… led by

Harrison Gray, this project has already cleared the jun-

gle of weeds out from the east side of the church!)

Troop 29 meets most Monday evenings at BKCC.

Ginger and Danny Bradfield invite you to

attend the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for

Ethan Bradfield. The ceremony will take

place in the BKCC sanctuary Saturday,

Nov. 21 at 6:00 p.m.

Reminders - Nov 22 - Alternative Christmas

Nov 22 - Thanksgiving Day cards for veterans due

Nov 26 - Thanksgiving Day (office closed)

Nov 27 - Greening of the church

Nov 29 - 1st Sunday of Advent

Dec 6 - Advent Workshop

Dec 6 - 6:30p Youth group

Dec 8 - Board meeting (date change)

Dec 13 - Congregational meeting #1

Dec 13 - Christmas cards for Veterans due

Dec 20 - Choir Cantata - Images of Adoration

Dec 20 - Advent Coffee Hour - CWF hostess

Dec 24 - Christmas Eve Service

Dec 25 - Christmas Day (office closed)

Dec 31 - New Year’s Eve (office closed)

242 cards for Veterans Day were delivered to

the VA hospital. The next date to bring Thanksgiv-ing cards is Sunday Nov 22. Thank you all for sup-

porting this project. Christmas card deadline will be Dec 20.

MONICA WILL BE TAKING 11/23-11/25 AS VACATION TIME.

Activity

CHURCH STAFF: Pastor Daniel Bradfield -Minister Monica Lanz -Church Secretary Barbara Neal-Peebles -Music Director/Organist Suzie Romero - Custodian

BOARD OFFICERS: Leo Dittemore -Board President Scheri Dubon -Vice President Pat Cohen -Secretary Angela Hillig - Treasurer Chrysan Naw - Financial Secretary -Church Clerk

BIXBY KNOLLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Disciples of Christ) SUNDAY SCHEDULE: 9:00 a.m. Sunday School for Adults 10:15 a.m. Morning Worship and Children’s Church OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Friday closed

The Fellowship News A publication of Bixby Knolls Christian Church of Long Beach (a Disciples of Christ Church) 1240 E. Carson Street Long Beach, CA 90807 www.bixbyknollschurch.org Editor: Monica Lanz 562-426-0428 bkcchurch@aol.com fax 562-426-0429 Pastor: Daniel Bradfield The Fellowship News is published twice monthly.

Check us out on Facebook

www.facebook.com/bixbyknollschurch

website: www.bixbyknollschurch.blogspot.com

Bixby Knolls Vision Statement To know what the Lord requires of us;

to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)

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November 30

Help cook food for Christian Outreach in Action (COA). Every 2nd Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in our church kitchen.

Our prayer circle meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in room 115. Join this dedicated group in praying for our church, community, & world.

Our next litter pickup is Nov. 29 at 11:45 a.m. Help pick up litter in Somerset Park and along our neighborhood side-walks & gutters.

Wednesday Night Dinner: Join us each week at 6pm for a simple yet hearty “pay-what-you-can” meal. (NO dinner on Nov. 25)