July 4 – The Biggest Word, When Learning to Read is Look, based on the problems that God’s people encountered in Joshua 9 when they did not look before they leaped into a very unfortunate alliance.

July 11 – Take a Nap, which deals with the concept of a regular day of rest dedicated to the purpose of contemplating God.

July 18 – Share Everything, which presents the way God uses relationships in the book of Ruth to provide for His people.

July 25 – Don’t Take Things That Aren’t Yours. While God’s people are called on to share … they aren’t supposed to break the covenant of marriage to do so, as evidenced by the trouble that David and Bathsheba got into in 2 Samuel 11.

August 1 – Gold Fish, Hamsters and the Seed in the Cup Die … and so will we someday.  Fortunately, the book of Ecclesiastes gives God’s people very good instructions on how to be ready for that day.

I hope you will join us for worship at AFCC, this Sunday at 10:30 AM.

GRS

Here are the sermonic “lessons”  for the month of May.

Lesson #1:  Warm Cookies and Milk are Good For You. (God’s Intent for Mankind as seen in GN1:31)

Lesson #2:  Always Flush.  (The Great Flood as Spiritual Cleanser, GN 6:1ff)

Lesson #3:  Play Fair.  (The story of Jacob’s family.)

Lesson #4:  Be Aware of Wonder.  (Conclusions in the book of Job.)

See you Sunday – GRS

GRS

Blood Drive:  Can You Spare a Drop?  AFCC will be hosting its 2nd City of Hope Blood Drive, February 15, noon to 6PM.  Reserve a time slot by contacting Heather or emailing register@anaheim1st.org.

Couples: The Love Dare Bible Study for couples is starting February at 6PM. This is open to any community or church couple looking for a study to enrich their marriage.  Jim and Tammy will lead this 8 week study at the church building.  Childcare is available at the church with a reservation of $5 per child, per session.  Registrations can be made at register@anaheim1st.org.

Men:  The Just for Men Ministry Team will be hosting a prayer breakfast at Pastor Gene’s house, February 20, 8-9:30. He’ll be serving ham, eggs, sausage and gravy, biscuits, H.O.T. jam, juice, tea and coffee –  all for $3. There will be some serious eating, beginning at 8 AM sharp, followed by some serious praying; with a little clean up that will be all done by 9:30.  If you can attend, please RSVP by Wednesday, Feb. 17, to Mat Barnett or call the church office at (714) 635-9330.

Divorce Support Group Begins:  Find out about Life After Divorce, using study, prayer and directed discussion.   Lead and hosted by Susan Madrigal, this group meets on the first and third Monday nights of the month. Childcare is available.  To register or ask questions about this group, contact Susan, or call the church office at (714) 635-9330. Sponsored by the Just for Women Ministry Team.

AFCC’s special offering to help with relief efforts in Haiti has raised $4,345, all of which has gone to Lifeline Christian Mission.

Our gifts will be used by them to provide various types of relief for  the many homeless and hurt Haitian Christians associated with their churches, orphanages, schools and workshops.  Lifeline Christian Mission is a well-respected  ministry with whom I have had personal, on-site experience.

To stay informed with the challenges that our Haitian brothers and sisters are facing, use the Lifeline link printed here.

http://www.lifeline.org/

GRS

As you can see with this photo, one of the schools I worked at will not be using this class room any time soon.

Of course, the more pressing need is that of providing essential food, shelter and medical supplies to the hundreds of thousands who are displaced by this event. Since speaking about this on Sunday, I have learned that, in addition to many homes of the Haitian Christians associated with Lifeline, schools, churches and other community buildings have also been destroyed.  People I worked with are hurt, homeless, seperated from their families and missing.

The donations that AFCC collects will go immediately to Lifeline Christian Mission, the organization with whom I worked while in Haiti. This is a well respected organization that will wisely use every gift they receive  for disaster relief.  To donate through AFCC, just mark your check or offering with Haiti and we will make sure it gets to the right place.

If you would like to keep up with reports on the conditions of our Christian family in Haiti , as well as Lifeline’s relief effort and special needs, just use the following link:

http://www.lifeline.org/

In case you need help in taking on this daily Bible read, here are a couple of suggestions that might make it easier for you.
1.  Did you know that the daily reading section is available on the  church website?  If you can access the website by computer or cell
phone, the daily text will be waiting right there for you any time you  want it.
2.  Just for something different, have you ever considered listening  to the Bible instead of reading it?  Sometimes it is rather refreshing  to listen to an entire book as a professional reads it on tape.   (Particularly those sections with hard to pronounce names!)  I have 3
different versions of the Bible on tape and enjoy augmenting, from  time to time, my reading schedule with one or all of them.  There are  a host of versions available as discs or downloads.  This year, I am listening to some of the books as presented by “The Word of  Promise” edition, in NKJV. Given the large  cast of award winning actors and musicians that worked on that  production, it is a particularly fine listening experience that helps me visualize the Bible message in new ways.

I don’t care how you surround yourself with God’s word as long as you
do just that in 2010.

GRS

Sunday Mornings at 9:15 AM

January kicks off a new Bible School study series for adults – The Life of David: Learning How to Study Old Testament Narratives. All adult classes study the same topic.  While each is loosely based on a general age grouping, most have a wide variety of ages represented in attendance.

Christian Service CLass – mostly Sr. Saints, taught by John Carter in the CSC room off the foyer.

Christian Builders Class – mostly 50 -70 ish, taught by Steve Edginton in the Fireside room off the main hall.

Ambassadors – mostly 30-40 ish, taught by Gene Shepherd in the Library.

Coffee Class - mostly 40-50ish, taught by Steve Richardson in the chapel.

Young Adult – Twenty something, taught by Tamsen Murray in Room 217.

Wednesday Nights at 7 PM

Steve Richardson, AFCC Elder, as well as Department Chair for the Biblical Studies Program at HIU, began an 8 week overview, in English, of the book of Revelation, 7PM in the Fireside Room.  Fernando Soto is teaching a Spanish Bible study in the Library.  There is also a full program for children and youth, beginning at 6:30.

At Your Convenience

Daily Bookmark Bible Reading Plan - Pastor Gene has put together a daily reading schedule that will take the reader through all the narrative sections of the Old Testament and the entire New Testament in one year.  Monthly bookmarks are available in the foyer or on this site.

The AFCC Youth Group, along with several sponsors, spent all day Monday working on the Anaheim City float for the Rose Parade, to be held on New Year’s Day in Pasadena.  City officials felt, no doubt, that it was important to bring in our highly trained group to do the delicate, petal clipping work that would provide the artistic foundation of a successful float to represent our city to the world.  Besides feeling a surge of pride as the Anaheim float passes by, the AFCC family can also stand up and cheer for the City of Hope float, which will carry our own Karina Melchoir as a rider!   While the Rose Parade is always a thrilling spectacle, it will be particularly exciting this year to know that AFCC is making a contribution to both of these special floats.

All regular church programing has come to a pause while the congregation concentrates on their own personal celebrations of Christ’s birth.  We will be meeting together one more time for worship in 2009, December 27.  Bible School will be at 9:15 and worship at 10:30.

Christmas with the AFCC family is always very enjoyable for me.  Given the fact that our congregation comes from so many different places, it means all of us can share a wide variety of traditions that celebrate the birth of Christ.

But, whether our celebrations are simple,

or formal,  in English or in Spanish,

it is a wonderful thing to be a part of a caring family that knows the importance of acknowledging God’s special gift of love.  Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful Christmas celebration.  GRS

In fact, using memorial money from the Thelma Goodwin Fund, the church pantry got a complete overhaul.  The original, permanent, wooden shelves were replaced with adjustable restaurant versions, the fluorescent green walls were painted with a scrubbable white enamel and several unusable items, that just took up space, were sent on to a better place.  Hank demonstrates, in this photo, that it’s actually fairly easy now to find just what you want in this well organized space.  Thelma Goodwin, who logged many an hour in the church kitchen, would have been thrilled to see the improvement.  Thank You to all who helped make this possible.   GRS

It started a few years ago when some of our children were standing around after the service on the Sunday before Christmas, looking particularly nice in their Christmas outfits.  Someone thought to make a Kodak moment … which was repeated the next year, etc.  Now, we have one of those well established, informal, traditions going that has documented, in several installments, the growth of our children.  It is always fun to see who gathers on the steps to make a memory.  While I do enjoy looking at the children, I can’t help but also notice that some of their parents, just like them, grew up in this church.  Others started coming while students in college.  Some met at AFCC, others married here and then stayed.  A few picked this church after starting their families, because of the value we place on children and our commitment to support them as parents.  It is a great thing to be a part of an ever expanding Christian family where all of us, regardless of age, can forge relationships that will be a blessing to us for the rest of our lives.   Next year’s photo will be taken December 19, 2010.  New children are always welcome as there is plenty of room on the steps!  GRS

By the time the teacher’s gathered in their meeting space for their 7:30AM meeting, a group of AFCC volunteers had already set up a great Christmas Brunch.  Of course, many other AFCC volunteers, not pictured, also made contributions to the four brunches being held this week by cooking, doing event clean up and through cash donations which the Neighborhood Engagement Ministry Team utilized for this project.

As most teachers quickly took advantage of the goodies, one stopped long enough to open the card and gift of tea, coffee and coca supplies for the staff break room that AFCC  sent along with the brunch.  All this was followed with the distribution of Our Kids Our Schools tote bags.

All of us should be particularly proud of Benjamin Franklin Elementary school as it was just recognized by Orange County as one of our Outstanding Elementary Schools.

This honor was prompted by the fact that test scores for Ben Franklin just hit the 804 mark –  a significant increase that reflects all the hard work of the entire staff.  That made today’s celebration even more note worthy.  Congratulations to every one at Ben Franklin.

Teachers at Olive elementary school began gathering early on Wednesday morning to take advantage of the holiday brunch provided by AFCC as a token of our appreciation for all their hard work.  By 7:30 the whole staff had gathered to receive their gifts

In addition to a lovely brunch for all school employees, an Our KIds Our Schools tote bag for each teacher, held by Becky, and a large box of coffee, tea and cocoa inserts for last year’s gift of a break room hot water dispenser, comprised this year’s gift.  All of these appreciation gifts were provided through the generosity of AFCC and the hard work of the Neighborhood Engagement Management Team.  Three more schools will also be honored later in the week.

e

It takes a lot of people to mount and sustain three nights of Madrigal performances at AFCC.  Each is to be commended.  Although not every one wears a costume at the madrigals – there are more behind the scenes than in full site –  the following list illustrates the wide range of hands that went into making this year’s production a great success.  I believe the proper comment, concerning all their efforts is: Huzzah!

Choir

Wade Terry, Merrilee Robinson, Steven Sandy, Kris Barnett, James Shields, Tammy Shields, Dan Ahlberg, Arlene Bumgarner, Stephen Richardson, Tamsen Murray, Becky Ahlberg, Rick Terry, Eric Ahlberg, Larry Balden, Penny Balden, Penny Bercot, Roman Bercot, Debbie Franklin, Megan Franklin, Sassanda Gutierrez, Dan Little, Lisa Luckey, Kristi McCardell, Leslie Mitchell, Amy Beth Pierce, Decedra Pompa, Matt Richardson, Carole Shelby, Kristin Shelby, Marsha Shepherd, Sarah Steele, Barbara Terry, Rebecca Vaughn, Cassandra Whitsett, Cindy Wickstrom, , Janet Zahl, Merton Zahl

Cooks, Servers, Costumes, Green Room & Misc.

Brian Mitchell, Nicole Baughman, Ann Shepherd, Summer Hall, Enrique Avila, Jr., Grace Bernal, Shawna Coan, Sarah Franklin, Summer Hall, Jakob Imbrogno, Heather Terry, Connie Logue, Jeremy Wilson, Josh Logue, MarLynn Taylor, Valerie Sabourin, Nathan & Mitzi Shockley, Gustavo, Maria, Karina, Gloria Melchor, Hank Rodriquez, Susan Madrigal, Bethany Ahlberg, Jason & Brittany McCabe, Donna Merry, Mimi Mouissat, Mike & Laure Close, Jesse Pompa, Teresa Edgington, Kristiana Rodriguez, Walt & Carol Hooper, Bruce & Mickie Burmaster, John & Lynn Bradley, Glen Gaerte, Ken & Marie Mason, Andrew McCardell, Mark & Spencer Taylor, Matt Barnett,Fabian & Rosaura Navejas, Elaine Richardson, Mary Little, Dan Coan, Tim Gooszen, Bette Krueger, Alanah Krueger, Courtney McCardell, Ruby Keyes, Betty Laughlin, Jerry Lynn, Don & Florence Russell, Caroline Shelby, Alice Whitthauer

Over 400 people dined with royalty this weekend at AFCC.  No, in spite of what you may have  heard, it wasn’t a visit from Prince Charles and Camilla.  This royal occasion was all about the birth of the true king who reigns forever.  Yes, it was set within the  pageantry of a medieval court in all its finery.  However, the real star of the production was Jesus, the Christmas King who came to save His people from their sins.

Over a hundred volunteers from AFCC worked months to prepare and present this special program.  Everyone did a great job and are to be commended for their service!  While I am waiting on the official court photographer (who has a good wide angle lens) to send in his cast photo, I will share a couple more photos that document the visual atmosphere that greeted all those who joined the King and his court for this year’s Madrigal Performances.

It was a setting in which one could truly say, with no eternal qualifications:  Long live the King!

An angelic host actually appeared to a band of shepherds at AFCC, Sunday morning, December 13, announcing the birth of the Christ child.  Looking strangely similar to many of the children in our congregation, a cast of Biblical proportions gathered to recite the entire Christmas story, as recorded in the gospels, as well as sing songs about the event.  Unlike the shepherds, even though it was a thrilling spectacle, the congregation was able to worship without being “terrified” of all that appeared on the stage.

There is still one more opportunity  to join us for a special Christmas celebration this season – Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24 @ 6:30 PM.

Today is full of ruffles, flourishes, final practices and a lot of hard work as all the last minute preparations come to an end in anticipation of Friday’s first Madrigal performance.  Approximately 140 people will attend each of the three performances being held this weekend.  It has been a lot of hard work but, as usual, it will be worthy of The King.

If any one ever needed proof of the old adage, many hands make light work, all they need to do is stop by Anaheim First Christian Church any time this week.  Volunteers are here nearly every single day this week doing something to get ready for the Madrigal performances, which begin Friday night.

Some even risk life and limb to set the stage for this wonderful, Christmas celebration.

All told, over 100 people will participate in the making, decorating, sewing,  cooking, serving, washing, singing, playing and acting that goes in to such a spectacle.  Oh yes, childcare is also was needed so some parents could be available to lend a hand!   If you are fortunate enough to attend one of the performances, please remember that there are more people behind the scenes than one ever sees on stage!

Does anyone know where the last box of tree limbs is stored?

Fortunately, with enough decorations, and a talented group of tree professionals, all the holes will get filled so that everything is ready for the first performance on Friday night.

While all performances are sold out, it is not unusual for a few seats to open on the day of a performance.  If you are interested in being on a waiting list, contact Becky or the church office.

GRS

If any one had any doubt about the speed with which the holidays are approaching, Sunday’s worship service ought to confirm that Christmas is just around the corner.  The orchestra, vocal choir and handbell choir were all out in full force.  After all, as Mike’s concentration will confirm, Christmas music is serious business!  Good job everyone.  GRS

Our special Christmas Outreach is coming together as the Neighborhood Engagement Ministry Team makes final plans for the Teacher Appreciation Brunches at our four, local, elementary schools this coming week.  In addition, donations are being used to provide gifts (Our Schools tote bags) and break room supplies for the teacher’s lounges.  Thank you to everyone who is helping with this special acknowledgment of those who work so hard to make our neighborhood a better place.

While AFCC’s commitment to being a multi-ethnic congregation always produces good benefits, there are some occasions when it really pays off.  Last night’s WOW dinner was one such moment as Chela Avila served her special, hand made red, green and cheese tamales.  You can’t get tamales like that at a restaurant!  Thank you Chela for making WOW such a festive, family celebration.  The last WOW of 2009 will be next Wednesday.

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no mid-week services at AFCC this week and the offices will close on both Thursday and Friday.  Please use the free time to take stock of the many blessings we enjoy!  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

As we worshiped together, celebrated communion together and committed ourselves to the tasks before us during the next 12 months, it was particularly appropriate that 2 women chose this moment to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.  It was a great day.  It has been a momentous year.  2010, with God’s help, has ever promise for being even better.

Becky Ahlberg (left) of My Safe Harbor, greeted guests at the Harbor House Open House along with  Diana Torres (center) and Lyn Brammer (right) both from The Children’s Bureau.

This newly refurbished early child care room was one of the rooms on display at the Open House.  If you were unable to attend the Open House, drop by during business hours, Monday – Friday to take a quick peak.

This computer learning lab is just one of the new changes at the Harbor House.

Of course, no open house would be complete with out punch and cookies.  Fortunately, Kristi McCardell, the Neighborhood Engagement Ministry Team Leader, volunteered to serve refreshments to the Open House attendees who worked up an appetitet inspecting the building.

One of the big reasons AFCC members and friends enjoy WOW (Worship On Wednesdays) is because of the volunteers who work so hard to provide a great fellowship meal at 6 PM each Wednesday night.  Where else can a person enjoy a home cooked meal with friends for $4 … and not have to cook or clean up?  (That said, we do want everyone to stack their chairs and drop off their dirty dishes before they head to classes at 7 PM!)  This year, 9 teams work on a rotating schedule to do all of the cooking and other groups do the clean up.  All of that hard work is a BIG factor in why WOW is such a special time of fellowship.

Bob and Peggy Kuest, Missionaries with New Mission’s Systems, paid AFCC a visit at the October 21 WOW.  No strangers to AFCC, as Bob was Sr. Pastor here for 6 1/2 years, the evening was like a family reunion.  A large crowd gathered to hear about their  world wide ministry of providing Leadership Training to various missionary endeavors.  In the last 10 years, they have held extensive seminars and training sessions in nearly 30 different countries, many of which they have visited on numerous occasions.  AFCC is proud to be a supporting partner in their global outreach.

Our Harvest of Talents went off without a hitch on October 11, 2009.  After months of dedicated work, members and friends of AFCC brought in evidence of their assorted talents, giving everything to God and our ministry of meeting neighborhood needs.   While I can’t begin to give an exhaustive list, I did see woodworking projects, jam, baked goods, quilts, handmade marbles, jewelry,  paperweights, scarfs, sweaters, baby blankets, toys, puzzles, Christmas decorations, lawn ornaments, rugs and 5 nights in an English B and B! Although some “talents” had been given months before (Christmas Home Tour and Children’s Ride a Thon) most things were given for the October event.  Happily, after the day was over, the sale of all the congregation’s many talents totaled $17,200!  Of course, this amount will grow even larger after all the HOT Cookbooks have been sold.  Everyone did a great job!  Thank you for your sacrifice.  GRS

One of the more unusual auction items that will be up for sale at this week’s Harvest of Talents for Neighborhood Needs is 8 hours of Handy Man work from Mat Barnett.   Willing to do almost anything (except painting) Mat is proficient with drywall, basic plumbing, basic electrical, laminate floor installation, subfloor installation, roofing, vinyl flooring and a host of other handy man items.  Whoever buys this “talent” donation will not only get a lot of work done in their home, but also make it possible for Neighborhood Needs to be met.  GRS

As the count down to our Harvest of Talents for Neighborhood Needs (October 10) comes to an end, HOT  workers, Kris and Carol, are busy checking in donations for the big event.  For those who are finishing up their projects, there are only 4 more days left!   See you Saturday, October 10, at 8AM.  GRS

While most of the ladies in this photo have not been going to AFCC that long either, the Ladies Day Circle has been regularly meeting since the early 1950’s.  (One of these ladies is over 100 and has been in attendance since the groups inception!)  Although the group is not quite as active as they were 50 years ago, they still meet 6 times a year for fellowship, service projects which they fund and, of course, lunch. Recently, several of them worked very hard to identify historic recipes from our church that could be included in the Harvest of Talents Cookbook, on sale at the HOT,  October 10. Fifteen members were in attendance Thursday for their October meeting.  Since he cooked their lunch, they are thinking about making Student Ministries Pastor, Hank Rodriguez, a permanent member of their group.

GRS

English "Proddy" style rug

Every time I turn around someone seems to be bringing in something for our Harvest of Talents (HOT) October 10, 2009.  The HOT, which encourages every AFCC attender to find a way to give God their hobby or interest, will convert those talents into funds that can be used to help needy families in our neighborhood.  This English “Proddy” style rug was actually started at one of our neighborhood Revolution enrichment fairs by groups of children who were in attendance that day.  Grade school children continued to work on the rug for 10 successive weeks during a lunch time enrichment program.  It will be one of the items featured in the afternoon auction at the October 10, Harvest Of Talents.  Pastor Gene