The Current

The Monthly Newsletter of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Smithville, Missouri

February 2017

Sunday Morning Schedule Sunday School – 9:30 a.m.

Worship – 10:30 a.m.

Inside This Edition !

Page 2….………….A Word from Rev. Ryan

Page 3….…………..A Word from

Rev. Lara Page 4………………Youth News

Page 5………Monthly Happenings Upcoming Events

Page 6................……...Other News

Page 7...……..Committee Reports Page 8......……...Joys & Concerns Page 9....…....…Worship Schedule

Deadlines & Worship Stats

Volume No. 32

LENT BEGINS ON ASH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, WITH ASHES-TO-GO

Ash Wednesday marks a chance for us to take a quick minute out of our lives to remember a simple truth: we are mortal. In the words of the poet Mary Oliver, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

This year we are taking the Ashes on the Road! You can come to wherever it is we are, at the scheduled times, and receive the imposition of ashes. You can also pick up a Lenten Devotional or Coloring Book, and a brief reflection that you can read during a down moment during your day.

We are still working to confirm the times and locations of where we will be, but will announce those locations and times as soon as we can. Check the Church Bulletin, Facebook Page, and Website for more information, and we will be announcing them in Church as well. After we finalize the schedule, all you have to do is stop by each of these locations and find us- we’ll be sitting in very obvious spots, and we’ll have a sign in front of us. You’ll receive the ashes, we’ll pray together, and then you’ll head on your merry way.

We’d also love it if you want to hang out and help impose ashes on your fellow church members. If you are interested in being part of our “Ashes-to-Go” team, please let Rev. Ryan or Rev. Lara know when you’re available and where you’ll be joining us. Our hope is to have Elders with us throughout the day, as well.

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A Word From Ryan

“I’m up far too early for my taste, but I need to be here, in the quiet creaking house.”

Sitting at home, while Lydia and Suzanne sleep, I’m up early and sitting in my chair, the leather one in the corner, with a single lamp lit. I’m up far too early for my taste, but I need to be here, in the quiet creaking house. On the table beside me are a few things- my Bible, a journal, a devotional, a book, and a cup of coffee. The dog curls up next to the chair, and I take the warm coffee cup into my hands. It’s a simple grace. I’m reminded of the words of Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk from the seventeenth century, who believed in what he called the “practice of the presence of God.” For Lawrence, simple moments of grace, like this early morning prayer ritual, are acts of great love and devotion to God. As he said, “we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.” Not every morning is like this. Some nights, Lydia wakes up and Suzanne and I negotiate: “You or me this time?” It’s usually me nowadays and, when on the mornings after those nights, I tend to hit the snooze so that I can spend my time in the Presence of God unconscious. It’s not perfect, but as a wise person once told me, “No sense in beating yourself up about it. Just try again tomorrow.” As a church, we spend time in worship offering up communal prayers like our call to worship, our opening prayer, and our elder’s prayers at the Communion table, and we also spend pointed time with intercessory prayer, prayer for specific people and specific needs, like our pastoral prayer time. Beyond a few silent spaces in our service, we don’t offer a great deal of guidance on the personal practice of prayer. We don’t often encourage people to reflect on their own on-going, ever-growing conversation with God. That’s strange, because prayer is foundational to faith. Our prayer lives are about so much more than what Anne Lamott calls our three most important prayers: “Help. Thanks. WOW!” Prayer is the natural response of our spirits to being blessed as God’s beloved. God shares with us in abundance every single day, yet we rarely pause to ask how we share that abundance with God. Many of us lean back on an old platitude: “Well, God is all-knowing, so doesn’t God already know everything I’m going to tell?” The fact that God created us and formed us and knows us more than any other should not give us permission to live our lives as though that relationship can be taken for granted. Instead, the overwhelming grace of this knowledge should encourage us to make the deepening of our relationship with God our top priority. So how can we do that? That’s what our Lenten Bread-and-Broth focus will help us do: Praying with our Whole Selves. We are going to explore ancient practices like Lectio Divina or “Divine Reading,” which help us to use scripture as a gateway to growing deeper in relationship with God. We’ll engage the Ignatian Exercises, and try guided meditation as a means of finding ourselves in the story God is still telling. Rev. Rob Carr will come join us and share his expertise and wisdom on Centering Prayer, a practice that helps ground us in the presence of God within each of us. For two nights, Lara and I will teach from our recent trainings and experiences with the Enneagram. The Enneagram (IN-E-UH-GRAM) is an ancient spiritual typology that helps us to know our personalities and how we respond to the world; by knowing ourselves intimately, we will be able to choose spiritual practices that cut through to our very core and help us be honest with God. This isn’t easy work, but it is so worthy. The journey from Ash Wednesday to the cross of Good Friday will not be easy work, but it is so worthy. The good news about this kind of rich journey is that it always leads to resurrection. Thanks be to God. With gratitude, Ryan

Follow Rev. Ryan’s blog at: ryankmotter.wordress.com

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A Word From Lara

“…it is a tangible way in which our people, especially our young people, are able to claim and experience the refreshing grace and forgiveness

of God.”

One of the fundamental rites of passage in our congregation is the sacrament of baptism. This action is so much more than immersion in water – it is a tangible way in which our people, especially our young people, are able to claim and experience the refreshing grace and forgiveness of God. It is also a way to step forward, declarIng a faith that centers on Jesus and is put into practice through the life and ministry of the church. When young people in our church decide to prepare for baptism, they join a special class that takes place during the season of Lent. This class helps students to build community not only with other kids, but also with adult mentors who are chosen to journey with them. In class each Sunday morning, these kids and their mentors explore theology, faith, stewardship, Christian service, and the meaning of baptism and communion. During a special lock in, students write their own declarations of faith, and they then present those declarations from the pulpit on Palm Sunday. Finally, on Easter Sunday, every student who chooses to be baptized is immersed during worship while their mentor and family serve as witnesses. The process is a very powerful experience that helps to form young Christians, as well as our church as a whole. This year we anticipate that there will be a sizable number of kids who join the baptism class. This is always an exciting prospect for us, but it also means that preparations must begin early in order to accommodate so many students. For this reason, we have two requests:

1. If you, your child, or your grandchild are planning to join the baptism class this year, please let us know as soon as possible. The sooner you let us know, the sooner we can begin recruiting a mentor to join in the process.

2. If you are an adult who is willing to serve as a mentor for a student in the baptism class, please let us know. Your commitment in the process is to attend baptism classes with your student each Sunday morning, and to spend time getting to know your student through meals and other activities. It is a lot of fun, and past mentors have developed strong relationships with their students.

Classes begin with an intro class on Sunday, February 26th at 9:30 am. If you have any questions or would like to RSVP, please contact me at lara@smithvillefcc.org or 816-863-3692. I’m looking forward to seeing how God works through this year’s baptism class! Blessings, Lara

Follow Rev. Lara’s blog at: serendipitysoiree.wordpress.com.

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YOUTH CALENDAR Sunday, February 5th – Super Bowl Sunday First Sunday Youth Fundraiser Breakfast 8:45am Worship 10:30 am NO YOUTH Sunday, February 12th Youth Coffee/Cocoa Chat 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am JYF 12 pm Chi Rho 5 pm Youth Dinner 6 pm CYF 6:30 pm Thursday, February 16th – Saturday, February 18th Youth Retreat @ Tall Oaks Sunday, February 19th Youth Coffee/Cocoa Chat 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Chi Rho 5 pm Youth Dinner 6 pm CYF 6:30 pm Sunday, February 26th Youth Coffee/Cocoa Chat 9:30 am Pastors Class 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Mission Trip Dinner & Auction 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

✒YOUTH MINISTRY!

2017 MISSION TRIPS Next summer we will have two youth mission trips: one for our Chi Rho Youth and one for our CYF Youth. Plans are still being made, but these are the tentative dates (PLEASE PUT THEM ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW!): CYF (9-12th grade) - June 11-17, 2017 Tennyson Center for Children, Denver, Colorado http://www.tennysoncenter.org Chi Rho (6-8th grade) - July 17-22, 2017 Des Moines, Iowa Throughout the year we will have fundraisers to help us make these trips happen. If you plan to participate in a trip, you will be required to participate in our fundraisers. Registration for our 2017 Youth Mission Trips will begin later this year. Keep an eye out for more information!

Youth Mission Dinner & Silent Auction February 26 ~ Donations needed!

Our annual Youth Mission Dinner & Auction will take place on Sunday, February 26th from 5:30 - 8:30 pm. As a part of this special evening, which is our largest fundraiser for youth mission trips, there will be a silent auction for items including gift certificates, handmade items, gift baskets, and collectibles. If you would like to donate something for the silent auction, please contact Rev. Lara and/or bring your donation to the church office. Donations must be received by Friday, February 24th.

2017 YOUTH GROUP RETREAT - Our 2017 Youth Group Retreat will take place at Tall Oaks Conference Center from 6 pm on Thursday, February 16th to 11 am on Saturday, February 18th. The cost per youth is $50, which includes four meals and two nights in the cabins.

We will leave from FCC at 6 pm on Thursday night (please eat dinner before) and return to FCC by 11 am on Saturday morning. This retreat will include a hayride, worship, campfire fun, s’mores, team building activities, nature-y goodness, bible study, crazy games, free time and more. It will also include brainstorming for our 2017 Youth Sunday theme, so we need as many participants as possible!!

We need you to RSVP so that we can get a sense of transportation needs. Also, we need at least one adult to join us for the retreat. If you would like to attend as an adult (or have a recommendation of someone who would be great), please let Rev. Lara know!

You can register for the retreat using the form on our church website: http://smithvillefcc.org/register/youth-retreat-feb-16-18/?view=mobile

CHI RHO MIDWINTER !

February 24-25, 2017 This special overnight event at Tall Oaks is designed especially for 6th-8th graders and costs $65. FCC will pay one half of this fee if you register by February 18th (which makes your cost $32.50). You can register at talloaks.org, but please let Rev. Lara know that you have registered so that she can send in the church's 1/2 payment for you!

FIRST-SUNDAY BREAKFAST FUNDRAISERS

We need cooks to help provide breakfast on the first Sunday of each month. The love offerings raised at these breakfasts help to fund our Youth Mission Trips. You can sign up to provide food here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050c4eaeaf2ba46-1stsunday

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✒MONTHLY HAPPENINGS

SPEND TIME THIS WEEK WITH GOD’S WORD - Every Wednesday morning, either Reverend Ryan or Reverend Lara spend time teaching the scripture for the coming Sunday’s sermon. The class is a simple discussion, where we read the Bible and discuss what it could mean for our lives. We meet each Wednesday at 10:00 am.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER ♦ Prayer Nook: the stairwell landing between the first and second floors of the church will be set aside as a place for drop-

in prayer. Come by any time Tuesday-Friday during church office hours (9-noon) to peruse the prayer/devotional books and spend some time with God.

♦ Intentional Prayer Group: this group meets from 9-10 am on Wednesdays to pray for our church, our church family, and our community. Anyone is welcome to join in this ministry.

♦ Prayer Box: a beautiful handcrafted wooden prayer box is located at the back of the sanctuary, by the door to the fellowship hall. If you would like to share a prayer request (named or anonymous), you can use one of the cards located in the drawer and place it in the top of the box. Your concerns will be seen by our pastors and prayer team, and will only be shared with the church if you give your permission.

♦ Special Prayer Concern: During the month of February, please pray for peace and understanding as we transition our contry’s leadership, and pray for leadership that respects all voices.

PASTORAL RELATIONS AND EXCELLENCE COMMITTEES (PEC) – We value our pastors at Smithville First Christian Church and are committed to helping them succeed in ministry here. On a regular basis, a group of people meets with each of our pastors to strengthen the relationship of our congregation with our pastors, to provide a channel for expectations in ministry with them, and to listen, support and understand them.

If you have a concern for either Pastor Lara or Pastor Ryan, please share it directly with them. If you’d like to speak to a member of their respective Pastoral Excellence Committee, they are as follows: for Lara, speak with Joel Hartman, Bob Arnold, Brenda Dion, or Cara Massie; and for Ryan, speak with Kathy Atkins, Scott Schoonover, Jeff Becker or Linda Prout. Lara’s PEC will February 8th at 5:30 pm. Ryan’s next PEC has not yet been scheduled.

JOIN ONE OF OUR ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES GOING ON NOW - Now that 2017 has come, this is a great time to make one of your resolutions to attend one of three great classes at First Christian. Each of them offers the chance to discuss scripture, topics of the day, and of course, the best thing of all, spend time with a lot of great church members. ! The class led by Rev. Ryan Motter is a casual discussion class that typically revolves around one main question, and the

question he brings each week changes. Some weeks they discuss issues of ethics and morality, and some weeks they discuss current events. They often study the Bible in their conversations, and they all love to have a good conversation. They meet at the Three Link Coffee shop, a few doors South of the Church, and they usually share coffee and pastries. Come join the circle!

! Shirley French’s class meets in the balcony at 9:30. The class has been watching DVDs from Adam Hamilton, minister of the Church of the Resurrection and they have some lively discussions on current events. They recently did a study of Racism in the Bible. Come join them on Sunday mornings. Joining a small group is an excellent way to get to know the people that you worship with.

! The “Misfits” class meets on the 2nd floor just down from the nursery. Mark Johnson is the leader and the class uses the book The Present Word. Two themes for January and February are, “Praise from and for God’s Creation” and “The Birthing of a New Community”. Each week the members receive a handout about the lesson for the following week that can be used in conjunction with the book. The class would love to have so many new members that they have to move to a larger space. And by the way, they are not true “Misfits”, just fellow Christians wanting to grow in their faith.

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✒UPCOMING EVENTS

BAPTISM CLASS BEGINS ON FEBRUARY 26TH - If you have a child or grandchild who is interested in being baptized on Easter Sunday of 2017, please get them registered for our Baptism Class! We will meet every Sunday morning at 9:30 am, starting on February 26th and ending on April 9th (Palm Sunday). The class will also include a special Lock-In overnight event, and each child will be paired with an adult sponsor. You can register for the class by contacting Rev. Lara or Rev. Ryan, or by contacting Carol in the church office. Please register no later than February 15th so that we have time to recruit a sponsor for your child.

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✒OTHER NEWS

TWO DIFFERENT LENTEN DEVOTIONALS AVAILABLE THIS YEAR Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 1, and the church is providing two very different devotionals for your spiritual encouragement and deepening. The first devotional is from the Fellowship of Prayer, and has been be written by Sharon Watkins and Rick Lowery. Rev. Dr. Watkins is the current General Minister and President of our denomination, and is currently in the final months of her twelve-year service. Dr. Lowery is Affiliate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Christian Theological Seminary and Adjunct Professor at Lexington Theological Seminary. As they describe the devotional , it gives the reader “The opportunity to reflect on the bold witness of humility,” something we all might use a little more of! These devotionals are available for free from the church. There is a devotion, scripture reading, and prayer for each of the forty days of our Lenten journey.

We are also making available a new devotional: a Coloring Book! We have purchased eight copies of Coloring Lent: An Adult Coloring Book for the Journey to Resurrection, with illustrations by Jesse & Natalie Turri, and written reflections by Christopher D. Rodkey. For each of Lent’s forty days, there is a written reflection and a single coloring page, including scriptures to be read for the day. These books are available from the church office for free, although we encourage a $5 donation to defray their cost. If you come to get a copy and we have run out, we will gladly order you your own copy (we get a discount on them!). We want all to have the tools they need to grow in faith during this Lenten season.

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PRAYING WITH YOUR WHOLE SELF OUR 2017 BREAD AND BROTH SERIES

Bread and Broth begins on Wednesday, March 8 this year, and will go for five sessions. Each session will run from 6 PM to 8 PM, and will begin with a soup supper every night. You can sign up to bring soup in the Fellowship Hall, or by calling the Church Office. Every year, Bread and Broth is a great way for you to get to meet and grow spiritually with many other members of our congregation.

This year, the theme for Bread and Broth will be “Praying With Your Whole Self.” Prayer is foundational to who we are as Christians. So often our perception of prayer is all about praying “for something” or “for someone” or “about a situation.” In its simplest definition, though, prayer is about how we speak with God so that we can share all of our lives with the one who created us. As Richard Foster says, “Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life.” Using several methods, we are going to explore Prayer and engage in several different practices of it. Here is how the sessions will go: Session 1, March 8: Introduction to Prayer, Lectio Divina, and the Ignatian Exercises Session 2, March 15: Centering Prayer with Special Guest Rev. Rob Carr Session 3, March 22: The Road Back to You, Part 1: An Introduction to the Enneagram, and Numbers 8, 9, 1, and 2. Session 4, March 29: The Road Back to You, Part 2: Enneagram Numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Session 5, April 5: So What? Making Prayer Your Life-Giving Practice

For Session 2, we will be joined by Rev. Rob Carr, Pastor of North Oak Christian Church. Rob has done extensive training and teaching in Centering Prayer and deep contemplative practices of the Christian faith. Rob is a deeply prayerful person with an incredibly spiritual presence, and he speaks with the authority that comes from experience and wisdom. You will not want to miss the time we share with him.

For Sessions 3 and 4, Lara and I will both share from our extensive training in the Enneagram, an ancient tool for spiritual development that helps you understand your personal responses to the world around us. If you’re interested in learning more about the Enneagram (pronounced In-E-Uh-gram), you can pick up a copy of the book, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile.

As for the other two session? Well, you’ll need to join us to find out more!

SAVE THE DATE! - GREATER KANSAS CITY REGIONAL CHURCH ASSEMBLY, April 30, 2017 at Hillside Christian Church, 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM.

NAMI Homefront class starting soon - NAMI Homefront is a free, 6-session educational program for families, caregivers and friends of military service members and vets with mental health conditions. A VA Homefront Class for families of veterans with mental health conditions is set to begin 2/11/17 at KC Mo. VA Center. Go to nami.org/homefront for more information.

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✒COMMITTEE REPORTS

FOOD PANTRY Micah 6:8

What a wonderful time to serve. We have been very busy and very blessed through all the festivities. Through the year, 85 different families have visited our pantry. Of the 80 Christmas families we served, 65 were different from our regular patrons.

There were a total of 899 visits, averaging 17.3 visits per week - a small decrease. However, our community outreach has increased! 24 donations to A Step Above Nursery, 2 donations to Just Like Home Childcare, 30 donations to Smithville Housing Authority, and 3 donations to Micah Ministry (which included 2 large amounts of gallon size canned goods, 21 turkeys, 200 pounds of canned corn, 200 pounds of green beans, and 3 huge boxes of bread and sweets)

Thousands of people served from our pantry.

Born to Serve, Bound to Praise. Love, Rick

Malachi 3:10-11

Big thanks to the following for donating this past year: Smithville FFA, Frank & Jane Bagley, Sassy Red Hat Society, Platte Valley Bank/Holly Coleman, Phil Wright, Smithville Groom & Bloom Garden Club/Mary Lou Sayers, Viebrock family, Mount Olivet Christian Church, Community of Christ Church, Barry & Margaret Parks, Harley Morlock, Breckenridge family, Argel Merideth, John Merritt, American Legion, Panera Bread, Mid-Continent Public Library, Smithville Primary Elementary School, Boy Scouts, Smithville Public Schools, Liz Brown, Kent Bridges, John Hamilton, Cody Boswell, Adison Ford, Zoe Zimmerman, Deshavu Phashunettes, Bog Haglett, Peg Berger-Cup Cakes That Care, Candace Cameron, Wayne Krueger, Kim Downs, Senior Citizens, Price Chopper, Barbara Lamb, Grace Community Church/Daisy Smith, United Methodist Church of Paradise, United Methodist Church of Smithville, Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Just Like Home Childcare, Trudy LaForce, Wanda Jones, Linda Neer, Red Hat Society-Plattsburg, Clay Platte Retired School Employees, Smithville Retired Teachers & School Employees, Christie & David Borrowman, The French Family/Sparky

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WANTED: A DIRECTOR FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2017 - Do you have the ability to organize volunteers to help kids have a great experience? Do you want children to know the love of Jesus? Would you be willing to take on a big job with an even bigger reward? If so, YOU MIGHT BE WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR! In order for Vacation Bible School to happen this summer, we will need a new Director. Rev. Lara and Rev. Ryan have provided the Directing leadership for VBS these last few years, and will be unable to do it this Summer. However, if you’re willing to step up, both of them will come alongside you, help you choose curriculum, and support your work in whatever way they can. If you think that God is calling you to be a hero as our Church VBS Director, please contact Rev. Ryan - ryan@smithvillefcc.org, or Rev. Lara- lara@smithvillefcc.org.

Are You an Auto-Giver? Have you noticed the yellow Auto-Giver cards in the pews and offering plate? Have you checked it out? If not, please take a moment to read the back side of the card and learn about the various ways you can make giving to the church easier and more convenient. You can: 1. Visit our website (smithvillefcc.org) and click on “donate now”, 2. Scan the QR code below to be taken directly to the site. (This code is also on the card.), or 3. Set up regular giving via automatic banking offered at your bank.

If you are already an Auto-Giver, thank you! If you still have questions, please feel free to call Carol in the Church Office for assistance. Thank you for your generous support of Smithville First Christian Church!

AmazonSmile - Smithville FCC is an official participant in AmazonSmile, a program through Amazon.com that benefits nonprofit organizations. Use this link to sign up to benefit our church: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/43-0925653. For each purchase you make there (on eligible items), Amazon will take 0.5% of what you’ve bought and give it directly back to our church to support our ministry!

Volunteers Needed for Youth Meals – We're now in the thick of a new year of ministry with children and youth at FCC Smithville! Part of that ministry involves meals that are lovingly prepared/ purchased/provided by members of our congregation. Our kids are always hungry and thankful -- they've never rejected a meal, so you don't need to worry about picking the "wrong" menu. Plus, they enjoy meeting and dining with adults in our church! If you are interested in providing a JYF Lunch or Youth Dinner, sign up here:

NON PROFIT Presorted STD A U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Smithville, MO 64089

PERMIT NO. 57

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First Christian Church 201 N. Bridge Street Smithville, MO 64089 (816) 532-0773 www.smithvillefcc.org Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 12:00 Ryan Motter, Pastor Cell: (913) 707-2870 Email: ryan@smithvillefcc.org Lara Blackwood Pickrel, Pastor Cell: (816) 863-3692 Email: lara@smithvillefcc.org Gerry Carson, Music Velva Fausett, Organist Janet George, Pianist Greg Atkins, Treasurer Rader Miller, Custodian Carol Noecker, Office Manager

2017 SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE ! Wednesday, March 1: Ashes to Go Times and Locations TBA ! Wednesday, March 8: Bread and Broth Session #1: Introduction to Prayer, Lectio Divina, and the Ignatian Exercises ! Wednesday, March 15: Bread and Broth Session #2: Centering Prayer with Special Guest Rev. Rob Carr ! Wednesday, March 22: Bread and Broth Session #3: The Road Back to You, Part 1: An Introduction to the Enneagram, and

Numbers 8, 9, 1, and 2 ! Wednesday, March 29: Bread and Broth Session #4: The Road Back to You, Part 2: Enneagram Numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 ! Wednesday, April 5: Bread and Broth Session #5: So What? Making Prayer Your Life-Giving Practice

! Thursday, April 13: Maundy Thursday Service at 7 PM ! Friday, April 14: Good Friday, Church Open with Worship Stations from 8 AM to 7 PM ! Sunday, April 16: Easter Sunday - Service Times TBA, Depending on Size of Pastor’s Class