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Friday, November 21, 2008
Creating a New Church Culture
We're On An Adventure! When a congregation gets to be ninety-five years old, it becomes necessary
to do two things. First, it is important to look back. The near century of ministry of Hobart First Christian Church has been
outstanding. I've looked at the old membership book and seen the hundreds of names of those who have come to Christ through
the ministry of this congregation. That is something worth celebrating. On the painful side, we've seen disagreements
through the years that have meant that some have left in hurt or in anger. Others have moved out of the community or gone
home to be with the Lord. It grieves us. We, as a congregation have spent time these past few years reaching out and trying
to mend fences. Our prayer is one of forgiveness and asking for forgiveness. What is past is past. The second thing
a ninety-five year-old church must do is to create a new church culture that enhances the successes of the past; tweaking
and changing (yes there's that naughty word, change) things in order to reach a new generation and culture in which we
live. It also means removing, limiting or redirecting those things that have hampered our mission to connect unconnected people
with God. Is it a completed task? No. The truth of the matter is that it is an ongoing process that may never completely
change until Jesus returns. As part of God's mission, we are required to be "flexible" to his command. We are
simply doing our job, which is to follow and obey. 7 “Suppose one of
you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come
along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper,
get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Would
he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you
have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’
”1 Being available for what God calls us to do is part of that new culture, that "Adventure" in
which we have now embarked. Are you excited yet? 1The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984),
Lk 17:7-10.
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2008.11.01
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625 Lake St [1 block
SW of the Dairy Queen] Hobart, IN 46342 219.942.3345 s.campbell@hobartfcc.org Sundays: Bible Study: 9:30 a.m. Worship: 10:30 a.m. Middle School/High School Youth Group: 6:00 p.m.
We invite you
to be our guests on Sunday mornings. Join us for some upcoming special events: - Sunday,
November 23: 8-10 a.m.--join us for our quarterly fellowship breakfast prepared by the deacons.
- Sunday November
30: After worship stay and help us decorate for Christmas. We will order pizzas!
- Sunday, December 14: 7:00 p.m. Help
us brighten the holiday to our shut-ins as we go Christmas Caroling!
- Sunday, December 21: Morning worship will be
filled with music as we present the Christmas story in song.
- Wednesday, December 24: 6:00 p.m. Be a part of our special
Candlelight Christmas Eve Communion Service.
- Wednesday, December 31: Middle School/High School Youth Group will head
to Impact Christian Church for a MEGA Video Game Night/New Year's Eve Party.
- Sunday, January 4: Brand New Sunday
School Classes Begin at 9:30 a.m. including a special class for church leaders!
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WHAT KIND OF CHURCH IS THIS? I'm sure that this is a question that you
are probably asking yourself as you look at this web site. We are a non-denominational church that is part of a loose confederation
of churches called the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. We are autonomous and self-governing, which is just
a fancy way of saying that we do not have any regional or national organizational structure...we do it ourselves. Along with
our sister churches we do support a myriad of joint projects to plant churches, support missionaries at home and abroad, along
with Christian social service agencies, church camps, and church supported colleges, campus houses, and seminaries.
We're young and old; we're rich and poor; but mostly we're a family of Christ followers who
want to share with you how being connected with God has changed our lives. Our relationship with God through Jesus has provided
for us meaning and purpose for life. The rich intertwining of lives that we have provides for us a support group in the trying
times and cheering audience during those times of victory. We learn together. We serve together. We laugh together. We cry
(at times) together. We support one another. We are welcoming and open to any and all people. WHAT
WILL I SEE WHEN I AM THERE? There is coffee and snacks in the conference room off the back of
the worship center that are available throughout Bible Study and Worship time each week. A small donation is suggested.
Our typical Sunday morning begins at 9:30 a.m. with a Bible Study time. Beginning on January 4th
we will be starting a brand new series of studies for both adults (Middle School and up) and kids (5th grade and
under). The adults will meet in the library and the kids will start out in the fellowship hall in the basement. We will study
in an informal atmosphere for approximately 45 minutes. At 10:30 a.m. we will begin our morning
worship time in the worship center. We will sing a mixture of old hymns and new spiritual songs; we will share together in
a time of communion; yes, we will also take up an offering; there will be a morning message and a time of prayer. The kids,
5th grade and under will have an opportunity to head downstairs after the offering time for a special children's
church time. A nursery is available for smaller children too. After the service it is not unusual
for people to stand around and visit for a half hour or so. Occasionally we will have church dinners following the morning
worship. Every quarter we have a "Vision Update" where we share together where the congregation has been, where
it is presently, and where we are planning to go in the near future. We usually have soup and sandwiches or a potluck dinner
during these times. WHAT WILL I BE ASKED TO DO WHEN I VISIT? We
do not ask our guests to stand and introduce themselves! We will not single you out. You
should receive a guest packet from our greeters when you enter into the worship center. If they miss you, please ask for one.
It will have information about the congregation in it along with a small gift for your family. During the service, everyone
is asked to fill out a "Connect Card" asking for your names, addresses, telephone numbers, email etc. We do not
sell our mailing lists! We will use this information to send you a thank you letter and a small self addressed, stamped,
postcard survey (3 questions) we'd like for you to fill out and send back to us. Our minister will telephone you later
in the week to follow up.
Please get in touch to offer comments and join our mailing
list.
Sign Our Guestbook View Our Guestbook
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