Copy
West Side Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)                                  August 23, 2020
Join us online for our 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning Worship Celebration service:
Online Services
Plus, contact the church office for information on how to join the adult
Jubilee Sunday School class, now meeting through Zoom!
Spiritual Practices:  Simplicity (Part I)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;  
but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust consumes
and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 
~Matthew 6:19-21

Photo by Levelord from Pixabay cropped and  modified with photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash
      I don’t know about you, but I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff over my lifetime.    Perhaps it’s the teacher in me, or maybe it was growing up with parents who knew how to reuse and repurpose just about anything.  It doesn’t really matter how I got into the habit.  The truth is I "save things because I might need them some day.”  I have needed some of those things, but the reality is that many of them are still tucked away, awaiting their day of glory.

     The Jubilee Sunday School Class has been studying spiritual practices this month, and some of the wisdom from their discussion is worth passing along.  First, what’s a spiritual practice?  It’s something that we practice over and over again.  It’s not something that we do perfectly, but something that we keep working at because it is part of our relationship with God.

     One of the spiritual practices that was studied by the Jubilee Class in recent weeks was simplicity.  You might wonder what simplicity has to do with one’s relationship with God?  When our lives are filled with things, and appointments, and everything we have to do, there is little time left for God. 

     When I left teaching and moved from the home I’d lived in for 13 years in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma  I didn’t think I would ever get the house cleaned out. I had accumulated years of teaching supplies, and a good friend of mine spent hours helping me sort through all the stuff.   Finally, I set a lot of things out on the driveway.  When a first-year teacher came along and was overjoyed at finding all those teaching materials it made all the purging I’d done seem worthwhile.  That “stuff” blessed her life, and her joy blessed mine. 

    What are the things in your life that have accumulated until they are taking up too much space?  What are things you own that you no longer use that would “bless” the life of someone else if you gave them away or dropped them off for a charitable organization to sell? 

    There’s a parable in Luke 12:16-20 that tells of a man who had a great harvest.  His crops produced so much that he decided to build bigger barns to hold all the wealth.  Then he planned to “eat, drink, and be merry.”  That night he died.  And all of his wealth was left behind. 

    Simplicity as a spiritual practice  means making room in our lives for those things that are really important…the things we hold in our hearts.  What are those things for you? 

     Wouldn’t you like to spend less time taking care of “stuff” and more time doing those things that make your heart sing?  

     When we are doing things we love and sharing our lives with God and other people we make beautiful memories.  Memories of those moments don’t take up much space, but my guess is that they are among your most valued possessions.
                                                                  With you for the journey,
                                                                   Donna
Adult Sunday School Now on Zoom


     Join West Side's Jubilee Sunday school class on Sunday mornings for fellowship and learning through Zoom!

     Contact the church office for the Zoom link, and get ready to reconnect!
Photo by Chris Montgomery on unsplash
Last Week for Meadows Donations!
     Thank you to all who have donated! You have one more week to purchase the following school supplies for Meadows Elementary School:
  • Dry erase markers
  • Gallon-sized plastic Ziploc storage bags
  • Supply boxes (sometimes called pencil boxes)
  • Checks or online giving with "school supplies" in the memo line
     Items and checks may be dropped in the church mail slot or the office. 
 Please make your school supply donations by August 28. Thank you!
FROM OUR INBOX
Christian Church in Kansas Updates
     Our region has been busy! The August Kansas Messenger newsletter includes articles about...
  • A new giving app for CCK
  • Results of the Regional Assembly
  • Details about the free Disciples Women virtual fall retreat October 2-3 and the Tawakoni Gala online auction November 7-14
     To learn more, as well as read camp memories and learn about leadership training webinars and the new CCK database, click below to see the full Kansas Messenger newsletter.
CCK Newsletter

If you plan to attend,
please register as soon as possible so the region can send you a Zoom link. 

 
Go to Registration Here
Exodus Gala for Refugees in Indiana

     Exodus, located in Indianapolis, is hosting an online silent auction to raise funds for refugees in Indiana. Since they opened in 1981, they have helped thousands of individuals and families from more than 50 countries, including refugees fleeing the Bosnian conflict, genocide in Rwanda, war and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, oppression in Burma, and the Syrian
civil war. 

     Join Exodus online for the Gala @ Home featuring inspiring refugee stories, special guests, a silent auction with local and global items, and more -- all to raise critical funds to welcome and support refugee families in Indiana.

VIRTUAL EVENT: August 27, 2020 | 6:30 PM | Online

SILENT AUCTION: August 24-27 | Online

There is no cost to attend this year's virtual gala. You are invited to give what you can. Register here to RSVP for the event and to bid in the silent auction, or to learn more about Exodus, click here.

Plan Ahead for Family Advent Memories
     In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s easy for families to forget the true meaning of the season. In this new book full of faith practices for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and anyone who cares about kids will find easy, fun, and meaningful ideas for bringing the sacred back into the season.

     The book includes prayers, practices, and stories, grouped by themes of the Advent and Christmas season. Practices include: Making an Advent Wreath, Christmas Card prayers, Hot Chocolate Gratitude Party, Year Round Christmas Gift, Silent Night Star Walk, Birthday Party for Jesus, Leaving Hay for Camels, Memory Box for the Year to Come, and many, many more! 
Buy Now
REMINDERS
In Progress: Remember Jenny Simpson's Pampered Chef party on Facebook for the Tawakoni Gala Auction kitchen basket! The Jubilee Sunday school class is sponsoring a basket (or two) of kitchen and baking items. Items bought can be sent directly to Barb Koelling.


August 24-25:
Church office open 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.*



* The church office is open on an abbreviated schedule. Please call before visiting the building on days that are not posted as open. (Office phone messages will be returned as quickly as possible.)
Photo Credit: DarkWorkX on Pixabay
WEEKLY CALENDAR
Wednesday 
(All Wednesday meetings are temporarily suspended.)
10:30 a.m. -- Coffee & Bible Study
5:45 p.m. -- Bell Choir
6:45 p.m. -- Chancel Choir

Sunday   
(All Sunday meetings are temporarily suspended.)
9:15 a.m.--Church School  
10:00 a.m.--Children's Music  
10:30 a.m.--Worship Celebration  
 
CONNECT
Email
Facebook
Website
Vimeo
Give Now
We love your photos and encouraging words!
Keep sending them to Dana at office@westsidedisciples.org
for future editions of West Side Weekly!
Copyright ©  2019, West Side Christian Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
432 SW Lindenwood Ave.
Topeka, KS 66606

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

 






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
West Side Christian Church · 432 SW Lindenwood Ave · Topeka, KS 66606-1348 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp