First Christian Courier- May 12, 2012 (4)

In preparation for the vote, there will be a forum on Sunday, May 6 to discuss the issue of becoming Open and Affirming as well as any questions you have regarding homesexuality in general.  The meeting will take place at 9:15am in place of morning Sunday School time in the Lydia Room.  A team of church leaders will be on hand to answer questions.  GLAD Alliance, the national organization of gay and lesbian Disciples, has a list of articles you can read in preparation for the event.  You can access them by clicking this link.

We hope that this will be a time of honest discussion and discerment.  Please be in prayer as we come and reason together as a community of faith.

Sincerely,

Bob Brite, Transitional Pastor
Dennis Sanders, Associate Pastor
Deb Murphy
Kirsten Cackoski
Warren Westphal

First Christian Courier- April 28, 2012 (18)

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and SpringHouse Ministry Center are pleased to present “Songs My Mother Taught Me” a recital benefiting Free Arts Minnesota on Sunday May 6 at 1PM.

The recital will feature the Section Leaders from First Christian’s Chancel Choir singing various selections ranging from such composers as  Benjamin Britten,  Kurt Weill,  Stephen Sondheim and Duke Ellington.  Brianna Farah (soprano), Anna Degraff (mezzo-soprano), Zachary Colby (tenor) and  Tim Murray (baritone) will provide rich vocals accompanied by pianist Bryon Wilson.

The event is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit Free Arts Minnesota. Free Arts Minnesota is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the healing powers of artistic expression into the lives of abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families.

Come to the SpringHouse Ministry Center on May 6 for an afternoon of wonderous melodies!

“Breaking Down the Door…Together”, Dan Adolphson preaching

The Minneapolis/Saint Paul Home Tour is Saturday, April 28, 10 am -5 pm and Sunday, April 29, 1-5 pm. SpringHouse Ministry Center is on the tour! Home Tour Guides can be found in the back of the sanctuary (we are on page 5, #13). We will need people from all three congregations to be in the building during tour hours to answer questions and show people around. A sign-up sheet is in the back. We also hope to provide a snack, so let Lu Griffin and Mike Hesano know if you can help with that. Questions? Ask Deb – church office: 612-870-1868 or office@fccminneapolis.org.

First Christian Courier- April 14, 2012 (36)

Christ is Risen!  Christ is Risen, Indeed!

Easter doesn’t end on Easter Sunday, but it’s a weeks long season of celebrating the Risen Christ in our lives and in our world.  We hope you will consider worshipping with us during Eastertide.  Here is our Sunday Schedule:

 

9:15AM Sunday School: Learn about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  Classes are available for all ages.

10:30AM Worship: Sing, pray and hear the Word of God with others.

11:45AM Fellowship:  Meet a new friend, grab a snack and a cup of coffee.

How To Get Here-   We are located at the SpringHouse Ministry Center, 610 W. 28th Street in Minneapolis.  SpringHouse is a partnership of three Protestant congregations: First Christian, Salem English Lutheran Church and Lyndale United Church of Christ. We are three separate congregations that share one building.  To find out more about SpringHouse and to get directions, Click here .

Christian Formation- We have a few options for those who want to take part in Christian Formation on Sunday mornings.  These include:

Children’s Sunday School: Our children’s Sunday School is conducted jointly with our SpringHouse partners Salem Lutheran and Lyndale UCC. The Children’s class takes place on Sundays at 9:15 am.

Adult Sunday School: Led by Rev. Jay Hillestad, this class studies a specific book of the Bible.  It will meet on Sundays at 9:15AM in the Timothy Room.

Super Simple Sunday School- Think of it as our “no muss, no fuss” class. Using a simplified version of Lectio Divina,  folks gather on Sundays at 9:15AM in the Esther Room to read and discuss the Lectionary Text and then pray together. This class is facilitated by Associate Pastor Dennis Sanders.

Worship: Worship begins at 10:30am (10am during the summer) and lasts about 75 minutes.  It’s a traditional service with a choir and piano (and sometimes organ), a sermon and communion every Sunday. There are three sanctuaries in SpringHouse: North, South and Garden.  Each congregation worships in a sanctuary on Sunday and we rotate which sanctuary each congregation is in every quarter.  If you want to find out where First is worshipping, check the board in the foyer as you enter.

During the service we take part in a passing of the peace where we greet one another in the peace of Christ.  Feel free to take part.  Also don’t worry about having to dress up for church.  If you want to wear a suit and tie, that’s okay.  If you want to wear jeans, that’s fine too.

During the service, there is a time for the Children’s sermon.  Your children are welcome to come forward and hear a message geared for them.  Afterwards, they are free to go back to sit with you, or they can go to the nursery until the end of service.

A few words about communion.  We come to God’s Table every Sunday.  Most Sundays, the deacons pass the trays down each pew.  One tray has small square bread wafers and a few round gluten-free wafers.  The next tray has a small serving of grape juice.  Take the bread and drink the grape juice as they pass.  Remember to put the cup back in the tray.  Don’t worry if you forget all this.  Someone sitting nearby will help you out.

Fellowship: This takes place immediately following worship in the Gathering Space upstairs.  Feel free to join us for a snack and drink.

By the way, you probably want to know why we are called “First Christian.” That’s because we are part of a denomination called the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  Disciples are not very well known here in the land of Lutherans, but we are part of a family of 700,000 spread accross the United States and Canada.  To find out more about the Disciples, please go to this link .

Hope to see you on Sunday!