A Miracle Greater than the One on 34^th Street

In the famous 1947 film classic Miracle on 34th Street, a man claiming to be Santa Claus is placed on trial. The judge is hoping to provide an answer for the age-old question, “Does Santa Claus really exist?” The judge comes to the conclusion that if you believe in something strongly enough then it becomes true. However, in reality just believing in something doesn’t make it true.

The actual story of Christmas – the birth of our Lord – also involves a miracle, but this one happens on an unknown street in Nazareth some 2000 years ago. A young lady named Mary was told she was going to give birth to the Son of God. “So, what?” you might say…births happen all the time. But this was slightly different, seeing that Mary was a virgin. Let me ask you, do you really believe in the miracle of the virgin birth or do you think that part was just made up? Is the miracle of the incarnation literally true or is it a myth that we have pretended to believe for so long that it just seems real?

This Sunday, we’re going to examine the miracle that is greater than any other event in history. Please join us online on our Facebook page at 9:00 AM.

John

As you all are pretty much aware, this year has caused many changes in the manner in which things operate. Our church, as well, has become sensitive to the need for caution and care for those in our community who are struggling with the outbreak of a virus which we have no way of determining who and who doesn’t carry it.

What we do know, is that there are some within our church family that have been impacted more than others. This has caused us to revisit how we will navigate through this Christmas season. We truly want you to celebrate the birth of our Savior in a way that moves you to deepen your faith and commitment to Jesus Christ and His church.

Christmas Eve
To begin with, our Christmas Eve service will be a little different this year. Instead of crowding over 300 people into our worship area (not a very health-conscious activity right now), we will have a more intimate service where families and individuals can come to the church building anytime between 5:00 and 7:00 PM. There will be tables set for communion, illuminate with candlelight along with Christmas music silently playing in the background to create an atmosphere whereby you may commune by yourself or as a family with Christ. Take your time to thank God for His most precious gift and spend some time evaluating your gift in return to Him.

December 27^th Morning Worship Services
Understanding that the Christmas season is a time to spend with extended family and friends, those gatherings may create the unfortunate opportunity for the spread of the coronavirus. After much prayer and discussion, we’ve determined that it would be best if we were to provide online services only on December 27^th. So, in place of coming together that Sunday morning at our facility, we ask that you join us online for our services which will be presented on the church’s Facebook page at 9:00 AM. Taking this time away from gathering in person will hopefully give us time to make sure that those who worship in person will have a clear understanding of whether they have contracted the virus after all the Christmas gatherings.

We look forward to seeing you again face to face in the new year. Until then, may God bless you and your family.

Camp David

Our Christmas mission this year will be Camp David located in Rolla, Missouri.  This Christian camp program is uniquely designed to address many of the different challenges children of prisoners face.  Activities include horse riding, archery, Bible lessons, field games, swimming, and many other camp activities.  They also talk about incarceration and give campers tools to succeed during this challenging time in their lives.

There are two ways we are participating as a church.

1. Financial donation towards the purchase of mattress and mattress covers.  Our Goal is 84 mattress and 84 mattress covers.  The cost per mattress and cover will be $99.00.
2. A personal gift of pillows and pillowcases for each camper to take home with them after their time at the camp.  Our Goal is 250-300 pillows and pillowcases.

212 STUDENT MINISTRY

Greetings 212 Family, I pray this finds you and your families doing well. 212 and all 212 related activities will be suspended from December 22 through December 30, 2020, so families can celebrate Christmas together. We will however be meeting from 6 PM through 12:30 AM on the 31^st for 212’s Ringing in the New Year Right, New Year’s Party, and look forward to seeing everyone there before returning to our normal schedule on the 5^th and 6^th of January. As you all know we have seen an increase in COVID cases in the past few weeks, and as such we have adjusted our rules to help ensure the safety of students and volunteers. The following is the new list of rules that we have come up with to ensure that 212 continues to be a safe place for students to come fellowship and grow together in their faith in Jesus Christ.
 

1. Social distancing will be observed to the extent possible by staff, volunteers, and students.
2. Café will be limited, and any food or drink distributed will be handled by masked and gloved sponsors so as to limit the threat of contamination of any kind.
3. We will continue to begin 212 meeting outside, weather permitting, and then ask that all students and sponsors use hand sanitizer upon entering the building, as well as upon entering and exiting restrooms.
4. Masks will be required for staff, volunteers, and students, as we seek to limit the spread of germs.
5. Tuesday Night Jam is canceled until further notice; however, we will continue to have worship practice from 6-8:30 on Tuesday evenings.

 
We are asking parents to help go over these rules with their kids prior to their arrival Wednesday, so they have a good idea of what to expect. We are also returning 212 to our normal hours, from 6:00 PM until 8:20 PM until further notice. As we have learned over the past few months, everything is subject to change in the event the State or County change their guidelines. Again, we are excited to begin gathering together, but again we want each of you to know that we are doing everything in our power to ensure the safety and well-being of your students, your families, and our sponsors. If you have any questions or ideas you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to contact me at shaunratcliff@fccunion.org or 636-583-5839 ext. 104.
 
Last week was our annual 212 Christmas Party, and how a great time was had by all as we played games and celebrated the birth of Christ together. As mentioned above, we will be suspending 212 events for the next two Wednesdays, however we will be having our 212 Ringing in the New Year Right New Year’s Party on Thursday the 31^st from 6 PM through 12:30 AM. Students are invited to come join us for a night of food, games, and fellowship, along with a special New Year’s message followed by taking communion together to ring in 2021.
 
 
WE NEED YOU: As I Am Music, our student-led worship band and music ministry, has grown so has our need for leaders and teachers. If you are musically gifted and would be willing to spend Tuesday evenings from 6-8:30 pouring into our students, I Am Music is looking for you. Even if you could only spare one Tuesday a month, please contact Shaun at shaunratcliff@fccunion.org so we can work together to help our students grow as musicians, Christians, and leaders.
 
 
CIY 2021: CIY MOVE is a 5-day event where students are challenged through intense, interactive worship, dynamic preaching, small group study and community building. Students at MOVE not only learn and worship together – they spend quality time with their church youth groups, discovering ways that God will use them to impact the world. This is a life-changing experience for students, an opportunity to get away from the distractions of day-to-day life to find themselves and their purpose in Christ Jesus.
 
This year’s CIY Move youth conference will be held this year from June 21-26 at Milligan Christian College in beautiful Johnson City, TN. The cost of this year’s event is $294, or $370 for students wishing to participate in our extended rec-time activity: white water rafting through the Nolichucky Gorge with USA Rafting. Students should arrive at FCC at 8 PM on Sunday, June 20th, so that we can head out around 3 AM Monday morning via 12 passenger vans. We will return around 10 PM Saturday the 26th.
 
Due to COVID, CIY campus events across the country were canceled last year. What that means is there is a great deal of excitement and a high demand for events this year, which means events are filling up quickly. As it stands, FCC has secured 30 spots for this event, with 6 reserved for Shaun and his team of sponsors, leaving 24 spots for students. With that in mind, we want to encourage students and parents to secure your spot as soon as possible. We are asking for a $50 deposit to be made for each student going by January 1, 2021. In the event we go over our number there may still be time to add students at the beginning of January, however, we do not expect to have that luxury for long.
 
One other note:
Any donations or funds raised by students last year at the Super Chili Bowl Cook-Off will be applied to student’s accounts this year. We will also have additional fundraising opportunities (including our 2nd Annual Super Chili Bowl Cook-Off in February) in the months ahead, along with a limited number of scholarships available to help students attend. We as a Church are committed to ensuring that money is never a reason why students can’t attend CIY, as we believe this has been and will continue to be an invaluable resource to help our students grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, as well as their understanding of their roles in serving His Kingdom.
 
For more information, please reach out to Shaun Ratcliff at shaunratcliff@fccunion.org or 636-583-5839 ext. 104.
 
I’d like to leave you with a Word from the Gospel of Luke, “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14)
 
Many of us grew up every year hearing the voice of good old Linus as he reminded us what Christmas was really all about. I can look back at how special it was, and how even growing up apart from the Church, something rang true in what our little cartoon friend, with his trusty blanket in tow, was sharing. God’s redemptive plan was to step into our world in the humblest of ways, to do what we never could on our own, that we may indeed find peace, peace between us and God, at least for each and every person who would answer God’s call to salvation and believe by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Whatever your Christmas may look like this year, wherever you are, however you are, my prayer is that you have received the greatest gift that has been, or ever will be: eternal life in Christ, and like all the very best things of this world, you would share that gift with those around you. Grace and peace to you friends; God bless and keep you in the week ahead.

Shaun
 

NEW CITY KIDS - VOLUNTEER SIGNUP

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” - Luke 17:5

We love seeing how the Lord is working at First Christian Church and in New City Kids. It’s really amazing! As we continue to pray and seek the Lord in how we do ministry, we are constantly learning new things. We are trying new things and we are adjusting, as needed. Well, we need your help!

As more and more people come back to church, people connected to FCC and many new families, we are realizing we need more volunteers, especially, in our children’s ministry. As many of you know, we are only offering classes during the first service, due to our volunteer availability. We would love to add children’s classes to the second service, but we don’t have the manpower… yet!

We Want You!

The disciples had their worries when it came to following Christ and becoming kingdom-minded people. In Luke 17:5 they shout out, “Increase our faith!” What a subtle, yet, an incredible prayer of faith. We are asking the Lord to increase our faith, so that we may increase our ministry. 

So, we are adding people to our children’s ministry team now. We need YOU to pray and consider being a part of this awesome team. You get to teach, help, pray, and love on our kids, as we point them to our Savior, Jesus! Is there anything better than that? 

We know that this may be a step of faith for you, but it’s only when we take those steps of faith that we are stretched and real growth happens. You can do this! You will get so much joy and satisfaction in being a part of this team. We have spots for teachers, helpers, check-in helpers, and more. 

We will be asking people to join our team this Sunday, and we would love for you to join us! We will be available this Sunday, and in the weeks to come, to help answer your questions and get you connected. You can fill out a card this Sunday, or you can email us at kids@fccunion.org.

Thank you all! May God continue to bless our church, families, and community!

PRAYER

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

MEN'S MINISTRY

Bible Study

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

Join us in the Fellowship Hall downstairs for Celebrate Recovery.  We will start with a time of food and fellowship at 6:00 PM.  We have childcare starting at 6:30 PM. Please sign your child in at the welcome desk and a team member will assist you in helping them to their class.

We know a lot of us are huggers...please ask before hugging, and maybe try to just offer a high five or fist bump for a few weeks.

We are LIVE!  Please check us out on Facebook to view our large group Live!  We want to spread the love of Jesus to everyone in recovery from life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups, and while we don’t share some things, we understand the others are uncomfortable in sharing space due to COVID.  At this time please feel free to worship at home and interact!  We love you all! 
 
Check out our Facebook page at @FCCUnionCR. If you have any questions, comments, or requests feel free to email us.

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