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Contact Information Phone (217) 935-3139

Fax (217) 935-3130

Email office@clintonfcc.com

Office Hours 8:30am - 5:00pm Monday—Thursday

8:30am - 12:00pm Friday

Greg Taylor Minister of Preaching & Teaching greg@clintonfcc.com 217-853-3196 Samuel Green Minister of Modern Worship & Spiritual Formation samuel@clintonfcc.com Cody Monkman Minister of Community Impact & Care cody@clintonfcc.com Cassandra Benton Minister of Children - Early Childhood cassandra@clintonfcc.com Allison Hitchings Minister of Children - Elementary allison@clintonfcc.com Ben Pertl Director of Student Ministries ben@clintonfcc.com Lindsey Moody Connections & Community Groups lindsey@clintonfcc.com Mandi Ries Ministry Administrative Assistant mandi@clintonfcc.com Jen Causer Financial Administrative Assistant financial@clintonfcc.com

November 2018

Volume 60 Issue 11

I love the month of November – always have and probably always will! My favorite thing about my favorite month is my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving! So much about the fourth Thursday in November that brings a smile to my face:

I love my mom’s sausage cornbread dressing – it is as good as it gets and is a Thanksgiving staple for our family!

I love football games all day long to watch – this year, my Bears are playing the early game!

I love slowing down for a couple of days and connecting with family and friends! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – hands down.

However, as a follower of Jesus, every day should be Thanksgiving in my life and the lives of fellow Christ Followers. Here are three reasons YOU should be thankful if Jesus is your Savior and Lord:

#1 – Be thankful for the blessing of God’s Grace – you are a sinner and you have cer-tainly missed the mark (me too!), but God, who is rich in mercy, has absolutely blessed us with the gift of Grace! “It is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God . . .” (Ephesians 2:8)

#2 – Be thankful for the blessing of Christian Community – I am so thankful for Clinton FCC, and frankly, every church I have been a part of in my life – FCC Champaign, Plano Christian Church, FCC Moweaqua and Jefferson Street Christian Church in Lincoln. It is fashionable in 2018 to bash the church – and there is no perfect earthly church! But make no mistake – I love the church! I love our church! I am SO thankful for Clinton First Christian Church and cannot wait for Sunday November 18 to arrive – Coming Home Sunday! Don’t miss it!

#3 – Be thankful for the opportunity to Share Your Faith with others! The Bible reminds us that we are Christ’s Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) – we are Christ’s messengers – we have a story to tell, and we should not EVER become content keeping the good news to ourselves! Can I encourage you to look for opportunities this Holiday season to tell others your story of faith? Let’s share the story of Jesus with others!

Have a great November! And give thanks with a grateful heart!

GT

Young at Heart was delighted to welcome Triple M Farm and Mariah’s Mums for our Fall get together in October. Thank you, Greg Anderson, for a colorful and informative presentation! Get ready to be thoroughly entertained November 2nd as we welcome Decatur Scovill Zoo Director Ken Frye and his wife, Sheryl. Ken and Sheryl will provide a hands on look at the Zoo and its animals and will also provide beautiful music for a Musical Zoo Review! Ken and Sheryl have performed with the Decatur Park Singers, the Greater Decatur Chorale and Opus 21. Ken has performed with “Mixed Company” and Sheryl with Tapestry, both semi professional vocal groups. You will fall in love with Ken, Sheryl and their furry friends! Don’t miss this special event! YAH friends, bring salad or dessert to this Thanksgiving lunch! Starting planning now for your contribution to the December 7 get together YAH Annual Silent Auction. This can be homemade items, baked goods or nice recycled items. You’ll be able to drop your items off the day before (Thursday, Dec 6) at the Church Office, or bring them early the day of our get together. We are looking forward to this great fundraiser. Hoping you will take a moment out of your day to lift your head and look up. Look at the beauty of God’s creation and the dazzling colors on displays as the leaves begin their transformation. The cold crisp air seems to make the colors of the earth and sky even more vivid as the Master Creator and Artist paints His masterpiece. The sunsets are breathtaking…don’t forget to look up, or you will miss them! May the Beauty of this Season cause you to give thanks to your heavenly Father and may He put a song

of praise on your lips! This Thanksgiving season, may we be Thankful ! “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Ps. 19:1

Excursion News November 16 (3:45pm – 9:00am) Festival of Lights, Shelbyville IL $7 Sign Up and Pay by 11/12. Dinner at Shelby County Senior Center followed by the Festival of Lights drive through. November 29 (6:00pm – 10:30pm) Christmas in The Chapel - Lincoln Christian University, Lincoln IL $12 Sign Up is closed, but you can be put on a waitlist. Johnny & Marcia Wise (217) 521-5504 Roger & Jan Dial

Come join us in The

Underground on Sunday Nights.

Junior High students will meet from

5pm to 6:45pm and High School

students will meet from 6:30pm to

8pm. This is a great opportunity for

your students to have fellowship

with other students and adult

leaders who have a heart for Jesus!

Breakfast Club meets every Friday morning at 7:15am in the Underground.

This ministry is open to Junior High and High School students. Please join

us for a delicious breakfast and devotion before heading off to school.

Breakfast Club meets every Friday when school is in session.

The Underground Flannel Chili Night will be October 28. Please meet at the

church at 4:45 so we can load the vans. We will arrive back at the church

at 7:45pm. This is definitely an event you won’t want to miss! Be sure to

invite your friends!

Please check out the resources

in the First Kids hallway. We have

Bibles, devotional books and videos

for all ages. Feel free to borrow a

devotional or video for your family

to enjoy. Bibles are always free to

take home and keep. We hope

these resources bless your family!

Breakfast in Bethlehem is a great Family Event for all ages on

December 1st at 9:00am. Reservations ARE needed. Please be on

the lookout for more information!

Sunday, November 18

Coming home Sunday is a unique opportunity for people to return to FCC to celebrate and remember the many ways God has worked in and through our church for many years, as well as the chance to see how FCC has entered the 21st century. We welcome anyone with a

connection, past or present, with FCC to join us for a day of worship and fellowship. To RSVP for lunch, please call or stop by the church

office, visit www.clintonfcc.com/upcomingevents, or stop by the Coming Home Sunday table in the foyer on Sunday mornings.

9:30am - One Service Sunday Guest Preachers David Mabon and Brent Zastrow

11:30am - Free Catered Luncheon Reservations required. Registration by Nov. 4. You can register by visiting the

church website, calling the church office,

or by visiting the foyer on Sunday mornings

1:00pm - An Afternoon Gathering

Our Moms & Tots groups next play date

will be November 2 at 10am in the First Kids

area. Please dress your kids in their

Halloween costumes. We have a special

treat planned. We hope you will join us.

Please be sure to check our Facebook page

to stay current on all the exciting things

happening in this ministry!

Coffee Break is back! Please join us on

Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 at 9:30am for God-

centered conversation and friendship. This ministry is open to women of

all ages! We meet in The Underground area of the church. Please join us

and bring a friend!

Area Men’s Fellowship is November 6 at

6:30pm at Texas Christian Church. There will

be a delicious meal followed by a wonderful

program. An offering will be taken to support

the ministry of Little Galilee. Also, please

take note that Area Men’s begins at a new

time of 6:30pm instead of 7pm. We hope

you will join us for this great event.

Reload will be on November 2 and 16 at

6:15am at the Clinton YMCA. This ministry is a perfect opportunity to

connect with other men in our church and learn about Jesus. This ministry

will meet on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. Please be sure to note

the time and location change! Please contact the office if you have any

questions or concerns.

The Neighborhood Care

Center has several

service opportunities

available, and we want

you! If you have

questions or would like

to sign up, please call the office or visit www.clintonfcc.com/carecenter. The

opportunities available are as follows:

*Liberty Village Community Care Team *Load Out Stocking Team for Neighborhood Market on November 5 (Limited Space) *King’s Kitchen on November 10 *Thanksgiving Basket Distribution on November 19

Do you love cinnamon rolls? If the answer is yes then you will want to keep an eye out for a special fundraiser coming soon. Neighborhood Care Center will be selling cinnamon rolls for the holiday season to help raise funds to purchase diapers for several different pantries in DeWitt County. Please stop by the Neighborhood Care Center table on November 4 to have a sample of a tasty cinnamon roll and pick-up an order form!

All-Church Information

The new proposed by-laws are available for you

to review before our congregational vote on

December 2 during both services. Copies will be

available at the Welcome Center or church office. If

you would like an electronic copy, please contact the

church office.

On Coming Home Sunday, we ask all of our

regular attenders and members to not park in the FCC

parking lot, if you are able. We would like to reserve

these spots for all of our visitors that day. You can

park in the county lot, DeWitt Savings Bank, or on the side streets. Please contact the

church office if you have any questions or concerns.

Just a friendly reminder that FCC Memory forms need to be turned in by November 5.

We will be using these memory forms to highlight stories throughout FCC’s history on

Coming Home Sunday. If you need a form, please stop by the church office or grab one

at the Welcome Center.

Financial Freedom Workshop is starting on November 7. In this four session workshop,

we will learn what it takes to be a faithful steward of all God has given us. For more

information or to register, please call the church office.

The annual Ministry Action Plan meeting will be November 11 at 9:30 in the Family Life

Center