September 5, 2013


September... A New Season

Every time I hear the word “season” I think of the song “Turn, Turn, Turn.” It was recorded by Pete Seeger and the Byrds in 1965. The majority of people who heard and liked this song had no idea it was based on the words found in the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes:

“There is an appointed time for everything,
              and a season for every purpose under the heavens:

A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

We serve a God of season. We see it in creation. God created the four seasons that are based upon the rotation of the Earth as it orbits the Sun. The seasons change as the earth moves, but the sun in our planetary system remains constant, and everything revolves around it.

In many ways we see the signature of the same artist in our lives. Much like the earth, our lives should revolve around the Son, Jesus Christ. Our lives will change, and we will enter and exit many seasons, but the Son remains constant yesterday, today and forever.

Welcome to September , our new season-- a season for listening, a season for learning, a season for doing.

Sunday starts our new sermon series for the year...


 
September will focus on
scripture from
Genesis and Exodus.

This Sunday's scripture reading: Genesis 1:1-2:4a



Sunday's service will also feature a new aspect to our worship format that will take place every month,

Sharing Our Stories
Our first guest to share his story is Gary Graunke. 


Gary is a long time member of ChristChurch and has a passion for cars... electric cars!

Join us in welcoming Gary
as he shares his story this Sunday.




A New Season of Conversations


Our FALL Faith Conversations are ready... we just need 
YOU to sign up!

All offerings will begin
September 15th
             at 10:45 AM



Here are the conversations for FALL 2013

ChristKids

Our new curriculum was a big hit last year, and we continue with it this year!  Every Holy Moly lesson follows a four-part sequence: Discover, Relate, Connect, and Create. Each week, kids watch an animated Bible story video, talk about the story, read their Bible Storybook or Bible, and try a creative leaflet activity. 

For youth ages 4 yrs - 3rd grade.



Friendship Club

Every Connect lesson follows a three-part sequence: See, Explore, and Make. Each week, tweens focus on and reinforce a theme by watching a witty video, exploring biblical text, and creating projects that range from games to art and more.
For 4th and 5th grades.


OPUS & CREW


Enjoy Sunday mornings at 10:45 AM for conversations and learning and then join us at 6:00 PM for additional fun and sharing. 

For students in grades 6-12th.






Daily Faith

Weekly discussions center on issues of faith and daily life. What are the faith questions you wrestle with? What does it mean to live every day from a Christian perspective? Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join in with other adults on Sunday mornings to discuss current topics and reflect on Emmanuel (Christ with us.) These lively conversations will focus on a new topic each week.
  This conversation has an open door policy and you are warmly invited to come spend time getting to know your brothers and sisters in Christ! You are encouraged to come every week but you can also join in for any discussion on any Sunday.  Led by Ray Oeltjen & Rhonda Eppelsheimer.



A New Kind of Christianity

This book explores the paradigm shift in the church... is the church in sync with our deepest beliefs and commitments?  Ten questions are explored: How do we articulate the faith? What is the nature of its authority? Who is God? Can we understand Jesus only through an ancient Greco-Roman lens? What exactly is the good news the gospel proclaims? How can we understand the church and all its varieties? Why are we so preoccupied with sex? How should we think of the future and people of other faiths? And perhaps most important: What do we do next? Here is a provocative and enticing introduction to the Christian faith of tomorrow.  Led by Chris Moore.


I Am My Beloved's: Song of Songs

The rabbis were discussing the books of the bible, debating which was best, and rabbi Akiba said "all of scripture is Holy, but the Song is the Holy of Holies." Despite its holiness we do not read this book in church, except by accident. So we miss the power of God's desire for us and how our lives are transformed by a passionate desire for God. This desire is modeled in the passion of two lovers singing to each other. It is a passion which is both a little embarrassing in its intensity and fierce in its self-abandonment. It is, if you will, "an attribute of God himself."  Led by Stuart Holland.


We look forward to sharing this " New Season" with you, starting THIS Sunday!




If you haven't done so already, please mark your calendar for our

Congregational
Discernment Gathering
         Saturday, September 28
                        9:00 am- 1:00 pm


Community of ChristChurch
5170 NW Five Oaks Drive
Hillsboro, OR 97124
503-617-9526 
www.comchristchurch.org

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