March 15, 2015 Issue 11

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CALLER the

In This Issue Remember in Prayer 2

Spiritual Disciplines Wk 2 Serving in the Military 2 Prayer Requests 3/8 2 Condolences 2 Statistics 3 Save the Dates 3 Wedding Shower 3 Coffee Sales/Summer Camp 3 Pastor’s Discretionary Fund 3 JYF 4 Sr. Book Club 4 Thanks 4 Sr. Adults 5 Sr. Adult Retreat 5 Letters/Parlor Class 6 Tri Tip Project 6 It's Working for Us Forum 7 Easter Lilies 7 Lent & Easter Activities 7 Prayer Vigil 8 CoE Homeless Issue 9 Fred Craddock Memorial 10 Hasty Note/General Assembly 11 Serving Sunday 12

Events – March 15 – March22, 2015 March 15: Fourth Sunday in Lent 8:00 A.M. - REAWAKEN, Early Worship Service 10:15 A.M. - REMEMBER Worship Service 1:00 P.M. - Casa de Oración Service, Sanctuary & FH Youth Meeting March 16: 6:30 P.M. - OT Class @ Donna’s March 17: 9:00 A.M. - Pathways of Hope General Board Noon - Sr. Adults Meeting, Chapman Lounge 6:30 P.M. - Bible Study @ Barry’s 7:00 P.M. - Casa uses Sanctuary & Chapman Lounge March 18: 6:00 P.M. – Global Missions Task Force, Chapman Lounge 7:00 P.M. - Discipleship Ministry Team, Chapman Lounge Stewardship/Property, Workroom/Kitchen March 19: 5:00 A.M. - Casa Prayer Group, Chapman Lounge 6:30 P.M. - NO Bell Choir; 7:30 P.M. Chancel Choir March 20: 10:00A.M. – Speakers League, Room 107 March 21: 2:00 P.M. – Dorothy Tanner Memorial Service 5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. – Casa uses Sanctuary March 22: Fifth Sunday in Lent 8:00 A.M. - REAWAKEN, Early Worship Service 10:15 A.M. - REMEMBER Worship Service 11:30 A.M. –All Church “It’s Working for Us” Luncheon & Forum 1:00 P.M. - Casa de Oración Service, Sanctuary & FH Youth Meeting March 23: 6:30 P.M. - OT Class @ Donna’s March 24: 6:30 P.M. - Bible Study @ Barry’s 7:00 P.M. - Casa uses Sanctuary & Chapman Lounge March 25: 7:00 P.M. - Council of Elders Prayer & Discernment Meeting AA Groups: Sun. 8:00 P.M., Thursday 8:00 P.M., Friday, 7:30 P.M., Sat. 8:30 P.M., NA Group Tues. 7:30 P.M., OA, Tues. 7:00 P.M., Sundays 10:00 A.M.

The Caller is published

weekly (Deadline Wednesday

at Noon)

by First Christ ian Church

(Disciples of Christ) 109 E. Wilshire Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832

714.525.5525 email:

fullerton1stcc@gmail.com www.fullertonfirstchristian.org

Interim Pastor: Rev. Dale Suggs

Editor:

Donna Woodbridge

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Remember in Prayer Continue to pray for: Jim & Helen Bailey, Sue Bacon, Dottie Bense, Harold Brickens, Sandra Brown, Linda Christman, Lorna & Skip Farnum, Joyce Finch, Annie Frater, Anna Lou Horspool, Carolyn Kenrick, Flora Miller, Sue Malotte, Kristine Perry, Audrey Poe, Norma Rill, Betty Rollo, Marj Schwenker, Claudia Tammen, the family of Dorothy Tanner, and Bob & Donna Vannoy. Please pray for the following PSWR Church: Vista LA Mesa Christian Church 4210 Massachusetts La Mesa, Ca 91941-7599 Rebecca Littlejohn, Pastor

Readings and Prayer Concerns for Week of March 16 – March 22, 2015

Monday, March 16: Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-8; Pray for the Old Testament Bible Study @ Donna’s. Tuesday, March 17: Reading: James 1:2-3; Pray for the Sr. Adult Group meeting today at noon. Wednesday, March 18: Reading: Exodus 17:5-7; Pray for Ministry Team meetings tonight. Thursday, March 19: Reading: Joshua 1:5b; Matthews 4:11b; Pray for the Global Ministries Missionaries in Ecuador, Marilyn Cooper and Glen Hebert. Friday, March 20: Reading Matthew 4:1; Pray for Speakers League group meeting in Room 107 today. Saturday, March 21: Reading: Luke 15:11-32; Pray for the family of Dorothy Tanner as they celebrate her life today at her Memorial Service. Sunday, March 22: Reading: Philippians 4: 4-7; Pray for “It’s Working for Us” luncheon and forum after the 10:15 service today in Fellowship Hall.

Prayer Requests, Sunday , March 8 David Styffe Friend, Paul, who is in

a facility unable to work and no income.

Lorraine Albrecht Continued prayers that she finds permanent employment and housing soon.

Barbara Fenters Linette Adams Davidson, Nancy Adams and the Adams family. Linette has serious cancer issues.

Serving in the Military Adam Hawley, Deb Taylor’s nephew, is back at Ft. Bliss. Lt. Cmdr. Patrick O’Conner, Betty Rollo’s grandson-in-law deployed to the Persian Gulf. Lt. Patrick Rollo, Betty Rollo’s grandson, is at sea for several months. PFC Brandon Vannoy, grandson of Bob & Donna Vannoy, has been deployed to Afghanistan for a tour of duty. Petty Officer Michael J. Borden, Nancy Geiger’s grandson, in Norfolk, VA. Brandon Johnson, Army Chaplain, Mariette Linberg’s cousin has returned from his deployment in Afghanistan. Lt. Austen Packer, Laura Lee Wiggins’ friend, is back at Oceana, NAS, in Virginia Lt J.G. Kip Packer, friend of Laura Lee Wiggins, Navy nurse stationed in Norfolk, VA. Kash Cross, Ted & Sammie’s grandson, is at boot camp in Ft. Benning, GA. Mjr. Christopher Evans, cousin of Annie Frater’s who is serving in Seoul, Korea.

Our Hearts Go Out to: the family of Dorothy Tanner as they mourn the passing of their beloved mother,

grandmother and great grandmother this past week. Services for Dorothy will be Saturday, March 21 at 2 p.m. with a reception in Fellowship Hall to follow.

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Bridal Shower Laura Cairns Fought is living in Colorado and on a

very tight schedule so we will not be able to give her a church shower as we usually do. You are invited to a shower at Christina Martinez’s on March 22 at 3:00 P.M. If you would like to donate to a church gift, please talk to Donna W. Please RSVP to Christina at jandcmartinez@yahoo.com. Save the Dates: March 22 - Luncheon and forum, It’s Working for Us, with other congregations and non profits in the area. More details in next week’s Caller. Bridal Shower for Laura Cairns Fought, 3:00 p.m. at Martinez home. May 19 & 20 – Sr. Adult Retreat at Loch Leven Camp and Conference Grounds. June 28 – August 1 - Summer Camps at Loch Leven. See Donna for registration forms. July 18 – 22 – General Assembly of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Columbus, OH

Coffee Sales The Fair Trade coffee cart is back. Donna will be

having products available for sale after the 8:00 A.M. service and before the 10:15 service. Mary Anne Richmond and Jill Scott will be handling the sales after the 10:15 service. So, stop by before or after church, sample the coffee or you may always drop by the office during the week and purchase any of the products. Sunday Statist ics March 8, 2015 107 Remember Service) 10 (Reawaken Service) 110 (Casa 1 P.M. service) Weekly Giving: $3,672.92 Missions: $408.10 Budget Goal: $3,777 Adopt a child $10 Pastor’s Discretionary Fund: $190

Special Fund To Help Families/Individuals In Need Most of you are aware that we

have a special fund known as the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. These funds are used at the discretion of the Pastor to help individuals and families from time to time. The existence of this fund depends upon gifts that come in from time to time from members and friends of the congregation. At present the fund has been depleted. Gifts in any amount to increase the resources in this fund will be appreciated. Make a check, payable to the church and write “Pastor’s Discretionary Fund” on the memo line. Your gifts will be appreciated. Summer Camp is Coming! With the renovation of Campbell Lodge and the addition of new trails and outdoor meeting areas, Loch Leven is looking better than ever! Please note the change in order of camps this year. Camp Dates are: CYF II (entering grade 11 – 2015 graduates) June 28 – July 4; Early bird registration 5/18 $355, after $380 Chi Rho (entering 7th – 8th) July 5 – 11; Early bird registration 5/25, after $380 CYF I (entering 9th – 10th) July 12 – 18; Early bird registration 6/1 $355, after $380 Mini (entering 2nd – 3rd grade) July 19 – 22; Early bird registration 6/8 $260, after $285 Wee Camp (ages 3 – grade 1,) July 23 – 25; Early bird registration $200, no late fee Junior (entering 4th – 6th ) July 26 – Aug. 1; Early bird registration #355, after $380 PSWR Scholarship applications are due on or before April 30. FCCF will pay ½ of early bird registration. See Donna in the office for registration forms.

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JYF to sing for Children’s Moment, March 15, 2015 Special practice 9:30 a.m. The children will wear the brigh pink, blue and green shirts that they made in recent JFY meetings. If your child was not at the meeting, someone made a shirt for them. I will bring the shirts to practice Sunday morning. Please have your child wear pants. They will change into their T-shirts after practice. It will be a joyful time glorifying the Lord. See you there! Love, Marguerite

Senior Book Club News The Senior Book Club met on March 5, 2015, in Chapman

Lounge to discuss “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store. There were mixed reactions to this book but we agreed it was interesting reading about the places where old and new ways of accessing knowledge meet. We will meet again on Thursday, May 7, 2015, to discuss “Secret Daughter” by Shilpi Somaya. Jan Farley will be our hostess for that meeting. For those who would like advance notice of upcoming book selections, we plan to read “Mary Coin” by Marisa Silver in July. Many Thanks On Wednesday, we had a great experience hosting and leading a worship service for Alzheimer’s patients, plus several of their care-givers, from five care centers located around Orange County, including one in Fullerton and one in Yorba Linda. This activity is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County. Our best estimate of the attendance was that some 50 people—both patients and caregivers and 20 of our members were involved along with at least 5 representatives of the Alzheimer’s Association. To the best of our recollection, this is the

8th consecutive year our Sr. Adult Ministry has hosted this activity. Each time it is a great blessing to all who participate in planning and leading the service, as well as welcoming and hosting our guests. Those who shared in the leadership of the worship service were: Laura Lee Wiggins, Barbara and Gordon Fenters, Mike Vaughan, Donna Woodbridge, Mariette and Ed Linberg and Ginny King. Our Pastor, Dale Suggs, shared a homily as part of the service and presided at the Lord’s Supper, with Pat Vannoy offering the Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Bread and Cup. Nancy Geiger served as our accompanist for the singing of familiar hymns and she also presented a Prelude before the service began. Leslie Beck, Scott Brill, Rod Farley and Mike Vaughan served communion to our guests. Donna Woodbridge, as usual, prepared the order of worship and the song sheet we used. Everyone named above also assisted in welcoming and seating our guests, plus helping them to get to Chapman Lounge after the service for cookies, punch and coffee, as well as with helping them get back on the vans which brought them to our building from their respective care centers. In addition, each person who wanted one was given a small hand made cross that Laura Lee Wiggins conceived and were made by Ada Rodman, Nancy Geiger, Lin Garcia, Laura’s friend, Glorianne, and Donna Woodbridge Special welcoming was done by Brutus, Nancy Stevens’ therapy dog, and by Donald, John Cairn’s service dog. Both dogs were a big hit with our guests. Also helping with the serving of refreshments and greeting our guests were Cyndi Cairns and Edee Stahnke. Many of these people brought cookies for our guests along with Richard and Becky Graves, plus Nancy Knott who were unable to help with the serving of our guests. Special thanks goes to Jan Farley and to Mary Brill who organized and coordinated the refreshments, once again doing a sterling job in providing gracious hospitality to our guests.

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Seniors To Hear Alexandra Schammel

One of the programs that the members of our Senior Adult Ministry enjoy the most features musicians. We are anticipating a great musical program for our March meeting next Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 at Noon. In January, Ed Zeliff, a friend of Ed Linberg’s from the Mountainside Master Chorale who presented a program for us in the past, asked if our Senior Adults would like to have a student of his present a program for us in March. At the time, we had no tentative plan for the March program, so, we told Ed Zeliff we’d love to have his student present our March program. The student is Alexandra Schammel, a Senior at Whittier College who is wrapping up her work for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance during the current semester. She has a Senior Recital to present at the college in April and Mr. Zeliff , who accompanies her, feels she will be better prepared by having a couple of pre-recital performances. So, we are anticipating a wonderful program presented by Alexandra. She will be singing some classical pieces, as well as some pop pieces written by such well-known composers as George Gershwin and Cole Porter. We will begin with lunch in Chapman Lounge at Noon and then move to the Choir Loft in the sanctuary for Alexandra’s program at about 12:20 P.M. Ted and Sammie Adams who coordinate our monthly Seniors meetings are going to be out of town next Tuesday so they will miss this program. However, YOU don’t have to miss it! Let’s have a big group of Sr. Adults present for next Tuesday’s meeting. We’d especially like to see some of you seniors who’ve never attended our meetings before. We won’t name names because you know who you are. If you come next Tuesday, we’ll try not to gush over you too much because we’d like you to come back again! If you need transportation to come next Tuesday, let Donna Woodbridge know of your need and we’ll arrange to get you to and from the church. Our meeting will conclude by

1:30 P.M. Looking ahead, our speaker in April will be Dennis Short, long-time Pastor and leader in the PSW Region. Dennis participated in the march from Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago and he will be sharing with us about that experience which played a major role in the historic Voting Rights Act passed by Congress not too long after that event. The date for our April meeting is Tuesday, April 21 at Noon. 2nd Annual Senior Adults Retreat Tuesday, May 19 - Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Newly refurbished Campbell Lodge Loch Leven Camp and Conference Center $65.00/person please register by May 8 Keynote Speaker: Doug Edwards Doug Edwards currently serves as Director of Church Outreach for the be.group, a non-profit organization providing retirement housing throughout Southern California. Doug is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, who specializes in spirituality and aging, parenting and attention disorders. He is also an instructor for Pasadena City College Community Education Center’s Parent Education Program, and has been working in the field of aging and older adult ministry for 34 years. Doug will explore topics relating to The Third Half of Life. The Third Half is the life beyond what we planned for; the life few have lived before us, and the life that, of all people, Christians are called to live faithfully. Tuesday afternoon’s presentation is titled: “Aging in the 3rd Millenium & Discipleship in Older Life.” This will involve looking at US and world demographics to learn about the changes in how people are aging and a look at scripture and Jesus’ message about growing older as a disciple. Wednesday morning’s presentation is titled: “Our Discipleship: Our Call.” We will look at the three dimensions of aging well and focus on the most neglected one– community. We will consider how being a disciple of Christ in older life gives us a job description and a plan for living the Third Half of Life.

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We Get Letters . . . This past week, we received a letter from Sharon Ellis, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. Here’s part of her March 5 letter to us. “Thank you for making dreams come true! With First Christian Church of Fullerton’s gift of $1,000 to Habitat of Humanity of Orange County, you are helping us create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” The letter is posted on the bulletin board. Please check it out. This gift came from a portion of the proceeds of the 2014 Tri-Tip Project. We inadvertently failed to distribute these funds at the end of the year. When we realized we had not done this, the check was sent in mid-February.

Tri-Tip Project Begins April 9 The 2015 Tri-Tip Project will begin on Thursday, April 9. The

Fullerton Downtown Market will open for the first time on April 2, but since that is Maundy Thursday and it marks the beginning of our annual 24-Hour Prayer Vigil, we’ve decided to delay our participation in this activity that falls on every Thursday from April through October to the second Thursday of the month. Our delay of our launch of this project for one week has been approved by the City of Fullerton. A new barbecue has been purchased and will be ready for its debut on April 9. The barbeque unit we had used from the beginning of this project some 12 years ago belonged to Jim Bailey. Jim decided to give that unit to the Orange County Fairgrounds and it was moved from our property to its new home in mid-February. The new unit costs $1,800 and will serve us very well for many years. That purchase has been made possible by a generous gift and loan from one of our members, with $800 of the total being a gift. We will repay the loan from the proceeds of this year’s project to the Heating/AC Project. This past Sunday 13 of our members attended an organizational meeting for this year’s project. The plan is to work in three teams of our members with a fourth team being supplied by the Casa de Oración congregation. With four teams,

each team will work once a month. When a month has five Thursdays, we’ll rotate among our teams to cover those extra Thursdays. With us starting on April 9, instead of April 2 we eliminate the first month with five Thursdays this year. The other months with five Thursdays are July and October. Donna Woodbridge is coordinating the organization of this project. If you’d like to be part of the 2015 Tri-Tip Project, be sure to give your name to Donna right away. We are always open to have more volunteers involved in this project that historically generates between $10,000 and $12,000 in profit all of which is directed to various outreach projects including such ministries as O.C. Habitat for Humanity, the Fullerton CROP Hunger Walk, Heifer International, the Week of Compassion and Loch Leven, to name some of the recipients of the profit form the Tri-Tip Project in years past!

Parlor Class To Begin A New Study On March 22nd The Parlor Class will wrap up its study of “Embracing Forgiveness,” a five-part DVD series featuring Barbara Cawthorne Crafton. This has been an outstanding series and our class members unanimously recommend this study to any other group in the congregation that would like to experience it. It could be done in 5 sessions of 90 to 120 minutes. Since we have just 1 hour on Sunday mornings, we have devoted two sessions to each of the five topics presented on the DVD. There is a student’s book that goes with the DVD. As this is written, we are not certain what our new course of study will be. That decision will be made this Sunday, March 15. However, we’d be delighted to welcome new participants in our weekly sessions at any time. So, if you’re interested in being part of an on-going class on Sunday mornings, or if you just want to be part of a particular topic we study, you are welcome to join us. We meet at 9 A.M. in Chapman Lounge. Last Sunday we were delighted to welcome Ginny King to our group for the first time and to welcome back Pam Lee, who’s been visiting her family in Thailand for several months.

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Listening to the Churches: "It's Working For Us!"

Sunday March 22 11:45-12:45 Fellowship Hall

Our Discipleship and Outreach Ministry Teams are hosting a light lunch and receiving guests from other churches after church in Fellowship Hall Sunday, March 22. We will have an opportunity to: -- Hear "success stories" about what's really working in three other churches in their outreach to our community --Discover we don't have to do it alone but can learn from one another and not duplicate each other's volunteer efforts. -- Hear how other members' volunteer time is making a difference in and around Fullerton -- Become more aware of the Fullerton collaborate movement, ACT (Advocating Community Transformation) by hearing from one of its inspiring leaders Please plan ahead to remain and eat at church with your family, friends, or lunch group Sunday March 22!

Easter Lilies Time to order Easter Lilies. They

are $8.50 per lily Make checks payable to FCC with Easter Lilies in the memo line. Name of Donor __________________________________________ ___________No. of Lilies ______ In Memory or honor of __________________________________________ __________________________________________

Lent & Easter Activities

TODAY Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 22: Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 29: Palm Sunday Choir Cantata,

Easter Week of Prayer begins Easter Offering

April 2: Maundy Thursday 6:30 P.M. Simple Supper 7:00 P.M. Watch Caller for

details. 8:00 P.M. Prayer Vigil begins. April 3: Good Friday. Prayer Vigil ends 7:00 P.M. April 5: Easter Sunday

Easter Offering Easter Egg Hunt, Patio

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Holy Week Prayer Vigil The Worship Ministry Team will have our annual Holy Week Prayer Vigil from 8:00 P.M. Maundy Thursday (April 2 until 7:00 P.M. Good Friday April 3). If you have

never been a part of this experience, you will be richly blessed by taking one of the ½ hour slots and pray. You are encouraged to come pray in the Sanctuary if possible. (I have been so full-filled by spending the wee hours of the morning in prayer in our sanctuary. Editor.) We need one person each shift to be available at the church. Shift 1, 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. April 2; ________________________ Shift 2, 11:00 p.m. April 2 – 2:00 a.m. April 3 ___________________ Shift 3, 2:00 a.m. April 3 – 5:00 a.m. _________________________ Shift 4, 5:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Donna Woodbridge There is a Prayer Vigil Board in the Narthex for you to sign up. Thanks.

Prayer Vigil Sign-up Please Indicate location: H – Home; C – Church

Date April 2, 8:00 p.m. – April 3, 7:00 p.m.

Place – Sanctuary

8:00 p.m. – April 2 4:00 a.m. Barry Woodbridge ©

12:00 noon

8:30 p.m.

4.30 a.m. Marguerite Beal

12:30 p.m.

9:00 p.m. Ed & Mariette Linberg©

5:00 a.m. Donna Woodbridge

1:00 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

5:30 a.m. Bill Martin Betty Rollo

1:30 p.m.

10:00 p.m. Leslie Beck

6:00 a.m.

2:00 p.m.

10:30 p.m. Casper

6:30 a.m. Cyndi Cairns (h)

2:30 p.m.

11:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. Lona Anderson

3:00 p.m.

11:30 p.m.

7:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.

Midnight – April 3 Randy Langston (C)

8:00 a.m.

4:00 p.m.

12:30 a.m. Randy Langston (C)

8:30 a.m.

4:30 p.m.

1:00 a.m. Chris Fee (H)

9:00 a.m.

5:00 p.m.

1:30 a.m.

9:30 a.m.

5:30 p.m.

2:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

2:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

6:30 p.m. Ted & Sammie Adams (H)

3:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

7:00 p.m. End

3:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

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Council of Elders Addresses Homeless Issue

Over the past year, there has been a group of homeless individuals that have been using the corner of our parking lot behind the Fellowship Hall as their campsite. This group originally started out as a couple of people, but has grown to include 15 to 20 individuals. They have mattresses they stack against the wall, and keep a pile of belongings in the corner. There was some concern about this group, expressed by the other churches who are involved in our “Feed the Hungry” ministry on Wednesday nights, and by our own members. We also had complaints from neighboring businesses. At our January 28th meeting of the Council of Elders, the council was asked to consider authorizing the signing of a form titled “Trespass Arrest Authorization”. This form would then be given to the police department. At that time, the Council was unanimous in refusing to take such drastic action, which would lead to the possible arrest of homeless individuals. It was decided that there needed to be some major information gathering regarding this issue, and the information brought back to the Council. On Feb. 7th, we had 11 church members attend a seminar “Homelessness 101” presented by a group called Fullerton Advocating Community Transformation. At this meeting were representatives from Pathways of Hope, Vista, Careerwise, Future in Humanity, Coast to Coast, and the Fullerton Police Dept. All of these organizations are dedicated to helping the homeless get back on their feet with jobs and housing assistance. On Feb. 17th, we had a small group that met with Fullerton Police Chief Dan Hughes and FACT representative Jason Phillips. Chief Hughes told us that he is a member of the Yorba Linda Friends Church, and understands our concerns. During this meeting, we were informed that the Trespass Arrest Authorization would not be used to arrest anyone, unless they had actual outstanding warrants. The form, which has been signed by most of our downtown neighbors, gives the police the authority to issue citations for unlawful camping. This then requires the person cited to attend Homeless Court, and hopefully seek assistance from the groups mentioned above. The Fullerton Police Dept. has 4 full time Homeless Liaison officers, who are working very hard to help get the homeless the help they need. Also, during the month of February, we had two instances where homeless individuals were fighting, and using foul language right outside the window of our Children’s Church classroom. At our Council of Elders prayer and discernment meeting on Feb. 25th, we had Fullerton Police Homeless Liaison Officer Dan Heying, and Michael Shepherd from Pathways of Hope as our guests. It was extremely enlightening to hear from individuals who deal with the homeless on an everyday basis. They answered a multitude of questions, and explained in a very succinct way, why having the signed letter on file would actually allow the officers to do a better job of helping those who need it. At the end of the evening, with great trepidation, the Council voted to sign the letter in order that we may better serve the homeless community. I would like to point out, that at the time of this article being written, the group has been gone from our back parking lot for over a week. We hope that this will help our members feel safer. But our job of ministering to the homeless is far from over. Pat Vannoy, Chairperson of the Council of Elders

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Disciples mourn passing of Fred Craddock He was the favorite story-telling uncle for generations of Disciples. The Rev. Dr. Fred B. Craddock passed to new life in Christ on Friday, March 6 at the age of 86. He made himself the brunt of jokes about his physical size, but his stature as a preacher was unparalleled. Whenever Craddock was scheduled to speak at an event, the halls would fill to bursting. Most recently at the 2011 General Assembly in Nashville, the lines at Woodmont Christian Church stretched out the doors more than an hour before the service was to begin. General Minister and President Sharon Watkins said, “To hear him was to be moved – before we quite knew it was happening – moved to sudden laughter or unbidden tears, about Bible passages we thought we knew by heart. Experiencing his preaching is cause enough to celebrate sharing this life with Fred for a while.” But Craddock was not just a beloved Disciples’ treasure. In CNN’s story aired this past weekend and in a 2011 profile, he was hailed as a “preaching genius.” Newsweek had named him as one of the 12 best preachers in the United States in the 1990s and more recently in 2010, the magazine Preaching named his books as some of the 25 most influential preaching books of the past 25 years. He pioneered an approach to preaching where the listener is converted from a passive recipient to a more inductive approach in which the hearer participates in the study process. His Southern gentlemanly style and folksy, humorous stories endeared him to many. Those who only experienced Craddock as a preacher may not be aware of his scholarly credentials. He was frequently a lecturer across the country at colleges and universities, but he was also a professor himself, having written numerous books including The Pre-Existence of Christ (1968), As One Without Authority (1971, rev. 1974 and 1979), Overhearing the Gospel (1978), The Gospels (1981), commentaries on John (1982) and Philippians (1984), Preaching (1985), a commentary on Luke (1990) and a collection of sermon related anecdotes (Craddock Stories. 2001). He taught at Phillips Theological Seminary and Candler School of Theology at Emory University, influencing innumerable preachers in the process. After retiring from academia, Craddock was not done. He and his wife of nearly 65 years moved back into his native Appalachia where he wanted to teach preaching to those who could not afford seminary. He was available at no charge for a weekend of preaching and teaching in the small towns of North Georgia, east Tennessee, western North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Only those without a seminary diploma could attend. As he and Nettie searched for a church home, they were approached by area Disciples who began meeting once a month and gradually more frequently until Cherry Log Christian Church was founded. “Anybody can draw a crowd,” Craddock said. “But to what purpose?” And so The Craddock Center was founded in 2001 to meet the needs of the children in a nine-county area. Its work, said Craddock, “turned Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at least sideways, if not completely on its head,” assuming that children need books and music as well as food and shelter. Financially separate from the congregation but strongly supported by the church, the center serves nine counties in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Craddock’s concern for the children of Appalachia grew from his own humble beginnings in rural Tennessee. He worked his way through his undergraduate degree at Johnson College (now Johnson University). He graduated from Phillips Theological Seminary in 1953 and continued his studies at Vanderbilt University before returning to Phillips to teach. It was there that he was asked to teach outside his New Testament expertise. Craddock had not even had a class in the subject before. Disciples will sorely miss Craddock’s gentle presence in the pulpit but he will continue to loom large in the sermons of generations of preachers to follow. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in memory of Dr. Craddock may be made to the Craddock Center, P.O. Box 69, Cherry Log, GA 30522 or a charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.akinsfuneralhome.com. Akins Funeral Home of Blue Ridge is in charge of the arrangements.

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“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” [Philippians 4:6] Then Paul has the audacity to say that if we submit our needs, with

thanksgiving, we will know a peace that is beyond all knowing. Wow!! This must be my 94-year-old Aunt Betty’s secret. She has always had a great prayer life. She takes even the most tragic event with a sense of peace that is hard to understand. In keeping with the way the Apostle Paul establishes churches, as places where sorrow and pain is shared right along with joys and thanksgiving, Aunt Betty has the church community praying along with her. Worship is where most of us bring our joys and our sorrows, our needs and thanksgiving. When I was a youngster, my mother always took me to Wednesday night prayer meeting. We eventually stood in a great big circle, and took turns praying aloud. My attendance at prayer meeting stopped when I started praying about what was going on at home. At music camp, the campers occasionally held their own prayer circles out in the forest. There was great consternation once, when the younger brother of one of my staff members shared his concerns about his brother’s marital problems. Not everyone has the maturity of faith to understand and discern which personal concerns should be shared with the community of faith. I appreciate how Pastor Dale is bringing more sharing of needs for people we know personally by asking anyone to simply speak out a first name before the Morning Prayer. Sometimes we refer to this kind of praying as “popcorn praying.” It allows people to know we are concerned about someone, and that we believe in the power that comes from raising that someone’s name before the congregation. Does it work? You bet. Once you have shared in this manner, you will find the peace that comes from knowing that you have shared in the simplest of ways. When you tell others about this sharing in worship, especially the one about whom you are concerned, there’s the added benefit of that person feeling positive about knowing that their first name was brought up, but no one needed to know all about them. This is the power of the Spirit at work in our faith community. The ones who come and share know a greater peace than if they had refrained from sharing. What a blessing to have an opportunity to be with our brothers and sisters in the setting Jesus has prepared for us. I refer to our time together as “a little bit of heaven.” I hope God leads you to worship on Sunday. See you in church! In love, Bob HastyWorship Team Chair

General Assembly is Coming The 2015 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is set for July 18-22 in Columbus, OH and planning is well underway. If you've been before, you’ll find a bounty of new worship experiences and learning tracks. If you’ve never been, there is a website with a wealth of information, including a page just for you. Go to ga.disciples.org to see the schedule, workshop offerings and register online. Early registration is April 1.

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First Christian Church 109 E Wilshire Avenue Fullerton, CA 92832

Reawaken (Early Worship Service) Sunday, 8:00 A.M. Church School for all ages: Sunday, 9:00 A.M. Remember (Traditional Worship Service) Sunday, 10:15 A.M. Youth Group: Sunday, 1:00 P.M.

Serving March 15, 2015 Greeters: Barry & Donna Woodbridge Guest Book: Phil Forbes Coffee Host: Hospitality Ministry Acolyte Parent: McCuen Sound & Video: Ben Stuart, P J Vannoy Lay Leader: Deb Taylor Children’s Moment: Marguerite & JYF Elders: Lin Garcia, Randy Langston, Phil Forbes

Diaconate: McCuen’s Team Prepare: Dirk & Kelly McCuen Ushers: Dirk McCuen, Craig Wallace Serve: Luanne Bailey, Dirk & Jan McCuen,

Kelly & Shawn McCuen, Craig Wallace Clean Up: Jan, Kelly & Shawn McCuen

Serving March 22, 2015 Greeters: Barry & Donna Woodbridge Guest Book: Terry Vannoy Coffee Host: Hospitality Ministry Acolyte Parent: Angulo Sound & Video: Clare Keech, Kyle Fought Lay Leader: Children’s Moment: Elders: Sherry Herrera, Bill Martin, Judi Smedley

Diaconate: McCuen’s Team Prepare: Dirk & Kelly McCuen Ushers: Kelly & Shawn McCuen Serve: Luanne Bailey, Dirk & Jan McCuen,

Kelly & Shawn McCuen, Paul Robidoux Clean Up: Dirk & Jan McCuen, Paul

Robidoux