1302 W. 11th St., Cedar Falls, IA 50613
(319) 266-5959
e-mail: firstchristian@cfu.net
Rev. Liz Woodward, Pastor

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A Listening Heart - Pastor Liz - - "Reisetter’s Reflections" - Matt Reisetter
 

Logos News                                                 by Tami Mauer, Logos Director      If any of you are like me, you are finding it difficult to believe SPRING IS HERE!  But I have to tell you, I've seen the robins and heard the thunder and yes the snow is almost gone. SPRING IS HERE! And time is flying so quickly that it is hard to believe another LOGOS year is coming to an end.  But before we end our year, we have several important and exciting events coming up:

Garage Sale      The garage sale was held this past Saturday and was a resounding success.  My thanks to everyone who donated items – the church was filled with your treasures and the buyers seemed to respond to that!  We were also able to sell baked goodies this year.  I know we had several baked contributions at the church on Saturday that were not marked.  But I would like to specially thank Alice Reints for bringing in an entire carload of treats for us.  The goodies were well received by all who entered our doors.      Thanks to everyone who worked the sale – Gery Deaver, Marilyn Miller, Mary Jo Woody, Steve Harding, Jane Harding, Mary Jo Mallon, Tracy Hahn, Lexi Hahn and Lexi’s friend, Alisha.  Special thanks to Gary and Carolyn Chambers, Don and Mary Jo Woody, and Jim Taylor for their assistance in setting up the sale and cleanup on Saturday afternoon.  Another thanks to Jim Taylor for bringing us subs for lunch!  If I have missed anyone who has worked behind the scenes, we are grateful for your efforts on its behalf. This program is truly blessed with a caring congregation!!

Youth Sunday      Our children and youth are hard at work planning a worship service for Sunday, April 13th.  Natalie Craig will be providing the message that morning and the CYF, CHI-RHO, and LOGOS Youth will be offering skits, music and leadership throughout the service. All families and congregation members are encouraged to join us for this very special service. Year End Celebration      Plans are also well underway for our year-end celebration on Wednesday, April 30th.  Lampost Theatre will be with us to provide the evening's entertainment.  So please mark you calendars and plan to join us as we celebrate the time we've spent together learning about and growing in God's plan for us.  More details will be forwarded in the next Spirit. Important Dates                April 13     Youth Sunday             April 16     Last Regular LOGOS Session             April 30     Year End Celebration ÿ

                                  

LOGOS Ministry: Curious about LOGOS

The LOGOS Program is the theology and practice of Christian relationships in a disciplined, mid-week, four-part context.  WOW! That’s a pretty intellectual definition!  Let’s take a closer look…

“Theo is “God” in Greek. “ology” means “study of.”  Theology is the study of what God is like and what God wants of each of us and of the church.  Everything is Theological!” Everything in our experience and common life has to do with God and our relationships.

When we say that the LOGOS Program is theology, we are asserting that young people, children and adults, interacting with one an-other are involved in experiencing, not just hearing about,

ü      Who God is.

ü      What God is like.

ü      What God wants.

ü      What difference it makes.

ü      Who we are.

ü      What is the meaning and purpose of everything.
 

Through scripture, we come to know that to God, relationships are everything; our personal relationship with God and the relationships we have with one another.  Our relationships with one another are made new because of our relationship with God.

In the context of our definition, discipline means structure, striving for excellence, commitment, expectations, using time-energy-and gifts to produce excellence.  Excellence is not accomplished in anything without discipline.  Think of the accomplishments in sports, music, cooking, school and work.  Discipline marks out boundaries, which gives us security with which we can grow.  The higher the expectations, the higher the performance.

Mid-week provides a mid-week lift and renewal through quality Christian experiences. Middle of the week has challenges too; sports, band, dance lessons, and so forth.  Such choices force us to make some decisions that are counter-culture, but if we believe that the Christian Nurture of our young people is the most important thing we do as a church, then those choices must by made.  It is a challenge to put first things first, for Christ’s sake.

The arena for Christian nurture is made up of four equally important experiences in which every young person participates each LOGOS session.  Bible Study, Family Time, Recreation/Play and Worship Skills combine to provide a contemporary spiritual context within which young people and adults are nurtured through the theology and practice of Christian relationships.

So there you have it…LOGOS is a quality program in which faith is “caught as well as taught.”  It will help to bring you and your children into a right relationship with God.

Please keep the LOGOS Ministry in your prayers as we begin a new year with lots of possibilities.

Logos is the place to be on Wednesday evening for fun.  Will you please come and join us?  Everybody is welcome! 

start time – 4:30 pm

Wednesday Evening Schedule
LOGOS YOUTH (PreK – 5th) 4:15 – 4:30  Snack Time 4:30 – 5:00  Recreation 5:00 – 5:50  Bible Study 5:50 – 6:35  Family Time (Dinner) 6:35 – 7:15  Worship Skills 7:15 – 7:20  Closing Circle *	CHI-RHO (6th – 8th) 4:15 – 5:00  Supervised Activities (Games/Homework) 5:00 – 5:30  Worship Skills 5:30 – 5:50  Relationship Building 5:50 – 6:35  Family Time (Dinner) 6:35 – 7:15  Bible Study 7:15 – 7:20  Closing Circle *	CYF (9th – 12th) 4:15 – 5:00  Free Time (Homework) 5:00 – 5:30  Worship Skills 5:30 – 5:50  Bible Study 5:50 – 6:35  Family Time (Dinner) 6:35 – 7:15  Bible Study 7:15 – 7:20  Closing Circle *
*Closing Circle –We share announcements, information about upcoming events and a closing prayer.  We request all parents/guardians to join us in the closing circle to share this time.    REMINDER - You must come inside to pick up your child(ren) or youth.  Due to safety concerns, we will not send them outside alone.

Logos Youth Ministry There are four elements that form the foundation of the LOGOS youth program: Recreation, Family time (dinner,) Bible Study and Worship Skills. The schedule for the Open House is: Recreation Time fosters cooperative spirits through fun, energy-releasing activities.   Family Time centers participants around conversation at the dinner table while enjoying a tasty meal.   Bible Study encourages exploration of the Bible story and personal faith .   Worship Skills invites youth to discover the various ways God is worshipped.   The evening will provide fun, food, and information regarding LOGOS and Chi Rho/ CYF. Registrations forms will be available. Plus there is an abundance of volunteer opportunities throughout the LOGOS year. The evening will be a fun, exciting adventure for everyone! Yes, for everyone whether you have youth in LOGOS or not, this is an evening for EVERYONE! Join the excitement, energy and enthusiasm of LOGOS. Bring your children, your neighbors and friends and be engaged in a ministry designed to build quality Christian relationships!   Quality Up, Costs Down  LOGOS/ChiRho/CYF Youth Ministries are quality programming for the children and youth of First Christian Church.  It is a totally self-sustaining ministry.  How is this accomplished?  The tuition must be high!  Where does the program get its funding?       How is this accomplished?  First and foremost with the many, many volunteers who give countless hours so that we can provide a quality program.  Secondly, with the prayers of this congregation.  This program benefits greatly from your continuing prayers. Thirdly, with tuition paid by the participating families.      The tuition must be high!  The LOGOS staff has made it a priority to keep tuition fees as low as possible, even offering reduced tuition for larger families and tuition scholarships.  Remember, paying a small fee means making a commitment and gives families an ownership in the program.       Then where does LOGOS get its funding?  Along with the nominal fees, LOGOS supplements the program with one major fund-raiser each year. An annual garage sale is held in the spring.  Each family is asked to contribute at least five items in good condition.  The congregation is also invited to participate.  Children’s clothing, toys, household items, craft supplies and furniture are welcome donations.            LOGOS Conviction Mature Christian adults provide the best direction, insight, and relational security needed for the fullest development of youth into Christian discipleship.       LOGOS (Greek, meaning the Word)   What Is the LOGOS Program?  The LOGOS Program is the theology and practice of Christian relationships in a disciplined, mid-week, four-part context. WOW! That’s a pretty intellectual definition!  Let’s take a closer look… “Theo is “God” in Greek.  “ology” means “study of.”  Theology is the study of what God is like and what God wants of each of us and of the church. Everything is Theological!”  Everything in our experience and common life has to do with God and our relationships. When we say that the LOGOS Program is theology, we are asserting that young people, children and adults, interacting with one an-other are involved in experiencing, not just hearing about, ü      Who God is. ü      What God is like. ü      What God wants. ü      What difference it makes. ü      Who we are. ü      What is the meaning and purpose of everything. Through scripture, we come to know that to God, relationships are everything; our personal relationship with God and the relationships we have with one another.  Our relationships with one another are made new because of our relationship with God. In the context of our definition, discipline means structure, striving for excellence, commitment, expectations, using time-energy-and gifts to produce excellence.  Excellence is not accomplished in anything without discipline.  Think of the accomplishments in sports, music, cooking, school and work.  Discipline marks out boundaries, which give us security with which we can grow.  The higher the expectations, the higher the performance. Mid-week provides a mid-week lift and renewal through quality Christian experiences.  Middle of the week has challenges too; sports, band, dance lessons, and so forth. Such choices force us to make some decisions that are counter-culture, but if we believe that the Christian Nurture of our young people is the most important thing we do as a church, then those choices must by made.  It is a challenge to put first things first, for Christ’s sake. The arena for Christian nurture is made up of four equally important experiences in which every young person participates each LOGOS session.  Bible Study, Family Time, Recreation/Play and Worship Skills combine to provide a contemporary spiritual context within which young people and adults are nurtured through the theology and practice of Christian relationships. So there you have it…LOGOS is a quality program in which faith is “caught as well as taught.”  It will help to bring you and your children into a right relationship with God. Please keep the LOGOS program in your prayers as we begin our staffing and planning for the upcoming year. ÿ Back to top   Find out more on LOGOS Ministries     The kitchen..    The kitchen is the place where adults can "catch" the faith by working and laughing and sharing. Building Christian relationships is an important goal of LOGOS Youth Ministry. We work at it with the young people, and we also work at it in the kitchen with the adults. Come...walk through the kitchen door and discover what Christian love and discipleship are all about. Check out the sign-up chart in the narthex for your opportunity to participate. Back to top Questions about the schedule:  Contact the office © 2008: First Christian Church Cedar Falls, IA All Rights Reserved