MISSION ROAD CONGREGATION EVENTS AND PROJECTS

THIS SATURDAY: ICE CREAM SOCIAL!

Join us this Saturday, August 25, 2018 for the Annual Mission Road Congregation Ice Cream Social starting at 6 PM.

There will be ice cream, cookies, and more. Plus after ice cream and conversation, we’ll adjourn to the Sanctuary for a “Who’s that Baby” contest. Jonathan Bacon has been collecting baby and early childhood photos and you’ll have a chance to guess who is who!

You can still email Jonathan a digital copy (see the church directory for his email address) or contact him to take a photo of your photo for the event.

If you haven’t signed up to bring some goodies, contact Donna Emslie to see how you can help. Join us on the 25th for ice cream and more when we’ll check your ability to guess the adult based on a baby or childhood photo!

Central Avenue of Hope Annual Paper Drive

Annual paper Drive Starts September 1st

For the last several years, we have had a paper drive for Central Avenue of Hope in the fall. We have saved almost $50,000.00 in paper products because of the generosity of individuals and many Community of Christ Congregations having contributed the following items.

Paper, plastic, or Styrofoam

• Soup bowls 12 oz.
• Dessert plates 5-7 inch
• Coffee cups 8 oz
• Foam plates 8 inch
• Toilet paper
• Sporks (combination spoon and fork)
• Napkins

The paper drive starts September 1st, 2018 and runs through October 14th.

The Community of Christ congregation with the best percentage of giving will receive the paper drive trophy for 2019.

Please give generously!

GET ‘EM IN THE MAIL TODAY: BIRTHDAY CARD SHOWER!

Sunday, August 26, 2018, Violet Lorenz 109th birthday. We want to give Violet a card shower. Please send her a Happy Birthday Card to celebrate this milestone event. Her contact information is in the church directory.

PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR NOLAN

Nolan Sprague is the son of Kevin and Carmen Sprague. Kevin is Brody Foster’s (Jonathan Bacon’s Grandson’s) baseball coach. Brody plays on the competitive baseball team, Strikezone Fury, with Nolan’s younger brother Corbin.

Nolan was injured in a diving accident and his spinal column was damaged between the G5 and G6 vertebrae. The family was told the likelihood of him walking again is very low. Initially he could not move anything below his elbows or waist. After surgery he was able to move his arms and has feeling in three fingers, the ones he uses to pitch. Nolan is 17, going into his senior year of high school with the strong possibility of a college baseball scholarship. Please pray for wisdom for his doctors and healing for Nolan.

The family has a lot of faith in the healing power of prayer. They also are facing some heavy financial burdens. Nolan will be moved to a rehabilitation center the end of this week and probably spend weeks, if not months there. Friends of the family have established a GoFundMe page for Nolan. Donate if you can, but either way, pray for Nolan, his family and his doctors. https://www.gofundme.com/nolan-sprague

UPDATE ON STEVE HOLBEN’S GRANDSON JACKSON

From Jackson’s Mom: I realize a lot of people have been waiting on an update about Jackson. To be honest, it’s been hard to come up with the words I want to say. We have been on a rollercoaster of emotions over the past few weeks. This will be lengthy, and I’m sorry, but there is a lot going on right now. As you know, he had an MRI that showed his tumors were all growing. On July 25, he had a biopsy done. It was sent to both Cincinnati, and St Jude. The results have been devastating to hear. His cancer, which is supposed to be low grade and non- aggressive, has been shown to have 2 different mutations. These mutations are very rare, and they are what have been causing all of the issues, such as his shunt malfunctioning, the tumors growing, and now it is spreading all throughout his brain and spine. Our only ray of hope is to try radiation. It is basically the last resort treatment for him. It will start in the next month or so, and last 5 weeks. He will go to Children’s Hospital of Omaha every day Mon-Fri and receive radiation under anesthesia during that time. He will also start a new chemo treatment. The chemo drugs are expensive and hard to get, so we are hoping we don’t have issues being approved for them. Radiation is aggressive and comes with a ton of side effects, some long term and permanent, such as memory loss, hearing, and balance. He will also lose his beautiful brown hair. There is a VERY SLIM chance that it could cure him, but it’s rare. This is the miracle I’m praying for! This is what we know at the moment. If you have questions, I probably can’t answer much more than this right now. Thank you again for your prayers, and selfless support through all of this. My family will never forget everything everyone has done for us. We will NEVER EVER GIVE UP! As long as I still have breath in me, I will keep fighting for my hero!

SEPTEMBER BOOK CLUB MEETING SET

Next meeting of the All Good Books discussion group will occur on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 7 PM. The group will meet in the Church Library and discuss "Between Sisters" by Kristin Hannah. You can keep up to date by following the book club’s blog/website at allbooksclub.wordpress.com

DON’T FORGET THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE!

It’s time to start thinking about how you can support the annual Center of Hope school supplies drive. When you’re out shopping for your own children or grand children, please pick up some extra supplies for children who cannot afford even the basics. And if you’re no longer buying school supplies for your family, take a nostalgic shopping trip and pickup some items for the families supported by the Center. What’s needed? Pencils, erasers, crayons, rulers, notebooks, paper tablets, colored pencils, notebook paper, pencil holders, backpacks, 3-ring binders and more. If you think it’s a school related supply…it probably is!

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL: THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY

The Adult Sunday School Class is now studying "The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, Volume 1" by Justo Gonzalez.

Next Sunday the class will discuss Chapter 12, "The Great Persecution and the Final Victory." Jonathan Bacon will lead the class discussion.

ADULT INFORMATION CLASS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF CHRIST

This new class continues each Sunday for adults interested in learning about church membership this class is informational, if class members want baptism or if class members simply want to know more about Community of Christ. Baptism is not necessarily an outcome of class attendance. The class will be held during the regular Sunday School hour (starting at 9:15 AM). Please join the class in the Chapel, taught by Karen Birkby and Ron Millard, if interested.

LATEST ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The elevator is in place with just a few components yet to be installed (like the emergency phone system). Once all parts are assembled, the elevator must pass inspection. Our hope is to have the elevator finished and ready for use by the end of the month.

SAVE THE DATE – POTLUCK AT KOSMICKI’S FARM

Roxann and Alex Kosmicki are inviting everyone in the congregation to their farm on Saturday, October 13, 2018 to share in an afternoon of potluck and fellowship. More details to follow for the 10:30-2:30 PM event but mark your calendars now!

MISSION CENTER BOOK CLUB

Shelly Twitchell, Midlands Mission Support Specialist, will host a Book Club through Facebook starting this fall. Grab the books and start reading. We will first discuss "Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World" by Alan J Roxburgh. Congregational or small group book discussions are encouraged. Happy reading and have a great summer!

ONLINE TEMPLE SCHOOL CLASSES

Introduction to Scripture (Temple School SS400) and Ministry of the Disciple (Temple School MP301): Sept 8 – Nov 2

$25 registration begins August 8. To register, please visit www.developmetrics.org and click on "USA Registration".

Fees may be paid though our online portal or via mailed check.

You will receive login information via email.

These eLearning classes guide students together through readings, videos, and quizzes. Students may access each week’s class 24-hours a day, 6-days a week (allowing one day for grading) providing flexibility in class schedules.

GENEROSITY CYCLE CONVERSATIONS

Community of Christ has begun an effort to realign the way we think about giving. We invite you to join the bigger conversation evolving across the church as we explore and journey together with this new approach. A video and survey can be found at www.cofchrist.org/generosity-cycle.

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WITHOUT EMAIL OR FACEBOOK ACCESS?

If you know someone in the congregation who does not have email and does not use Facebook, please let Jonathan Bacon know. We’re trying to be sure everyone in the congregation has access to periodic news updates and information on congregational activities.

MISSION ROAD CALENDAR

Wednesday, August 22, 2018, 7:00 PM – Prayer Circle in the Church Library.

Saturday, August 25, 2018, 9:30-11 AM – Saints’ Chorale first rehearsal and reading session for 2018-2019 season.

Saturday, August 25, 2018, 6 PM – Annual Mission Road Ice Cream Social.

Sunday, August 26, 2018, 8:45 AM – Breakfast (provided by Arlene and Lee Leonard), join us for conversation and fellowship.

Sunday, August 26, 2018

• Nursery available – 9:15-11:30 AM, in downstairs Nursery.
• Children’s Sunday School class – 9:15-10:15 AM, taught by Mary Reichenbach.
• Teen’s Sunday School class – 9:15-10:15 AM, taught by Clint Reine.
• Adult Sunday School class – 9:15-10:15 AM, discusses "The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, Volume 1" by Justo Gonzalez, taught by Jonathan Bacon, Paul Bennetts, Jane Landrum and Dennis Wood in the Church Library.
• Exploring the Community of Christ (Adult Class) – 9:15-10:15 AM, taught by Karen Birkby and Ron Millard in the Chapel.

Sunday, August 26, 2018, 10:30 AM – Paul Bennetts will speak on the theme "The Demands of Discipleship" with Clint Reine serving as presider and worship planner. Pennie Bunkers and Jane Landrum will offer the ministry of music. Kennetha Kuttler will provide the PowerPoint.

Sunday, August 26, 2018, Violet Lorenz 109th birthday. We want to give Violet a card shower. Please send her a Happy Birthday Card to celebrate this milestone event. Her contact information is in the church directory.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018, 6:30-7:30 PM – Saints’ Chorale Rehearsal in Sanctuary.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018, 7:35 PM – Prayer Circle in the Church Library.

MISSED LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE?

Audio recordings of past worship services are available online at https://goo.gl/wREl03. This is a short URL for a Google Drive folder with past recordings.

Recordings are located in folders corresponding to the year (e.g., 2017, 2018). If you missed a Sunday, this provides you a way to hear the music and the message.

Each audio recording begins with the date of the service (20180805 represents August 5, 2018). The date is followed by a dash and the first initial and last name of the speaker.

NOTE: If you experience problems playing these audio files be sure you’re running the latest version of your browser or try a different browser. In some cases, you may be required to download the audio file before playing it.

The following list includes some recent audio recordings:

19 August 2018 message by Steve Holben, filename 20180819-SHolben.mp3

12 August 2018 message by Kirk Barnhard, filename 20180812-KBarnhard.mp3

5 August 2018 message by Debbie Rushfelt, filename 20180805-DRushfelt.mp3

29 July 2018 message by Jane Landrum, filename 20180729-JLandrum.mp3

22 July 2018 message by Jonathan Bacon, filename 20180722-JBacon.mp3

15 July 2018 message by Karen Birkby, filename 20180715-KBirkby.mp3

CONCERNING PRAYER REQUESTS

Please know that any member of the congregation can post prayer requests or share information about members and events on the Mission Road Members Only Facebook page. You do not need to send the information for approval to anyone. In fact doing so may slow down the dissemination of your request. Be sure to include the person needing prayers and what situation has occurred (if you wish to share that information). If your post concerns an event or news item, be sure to include the basics in your posting (such as who, what, where and when).

For prayer requests, if you do not have access to Facebook, then please call Paul Bennetts our Congregational Pastoral Care Coordinator.

IMPORTANT CONGREGATIONAL LINKS

The Mission Road Congregation hosts the following social media sites:

Congregational (public) website at www.mission-road.org

Facebook Page (public) at https://www.facebook.com/MissionRoad.CoC

Facebook Group (open only to congregational members) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/MissionRoad/

The link to Mission Road worship service audio recordings at https://goo.gl/wREl03

The All Good Books discussion group website at https://allbooksclub.wordpress.com/

Visit and "like" each of these sites to keep up-to-date on congregational news.

CONGREGATIONAL NEWS EMAIL

If you have news items and calendar additions or changes that need to be included in the congregational news email please contact Larry Birkby. His email address and phone number is both in the Church Directory.