S.O.S. Springfield Trip

We all had a great time. The weather was beautiful! We learned alot about President Lincoln's life and were inspired by his character. A big "thank you" to Lois Mason for being our 'fearless leader' and putting this trip together for us.

One Last Plug for 'Vintage Jesus'

I know I've been hyping this pretty hard for a few weeks but I want to give it one more push. The class "Vintage Jesus" begins this Sunday night at 6 p.m. at CCJ. It is an excellent class that I can not urge you enough to take. This is not to make the other classes sound any less valuable but I know this class will (if committed to) aid you tremendously in getting a firm foundation for your faith. Jesus is the reason we gather each week at CCJ. If you don't have a firm foundation in Jesus, your (faith) house is shaky.

Men: Lead your families spiritually. If you want a better understanding of who this Jesus is, this class will do that. I know it's football season and it's nice outside but take the time. Bring your friends.

Here are the topics:
1) Is Jesus the Only God?
2) How Human Was Jesus?
3) How Did People Know Jesus Was Coming?
4) Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
5) Why Did Jesus' Mom Need to Be a Virgin?
6) What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?
7) Did Jesus Rise from Death?
8) Where Is Jesus Today?
9) Why Should We Worship Jesus?
10) What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors?
11) What Difference Has Jesus Made in History?
12) What Will Jesus Do upon His Return?

CCJ Summer Carnival 2009 Photos

See the full photo album on CCJ's Facebook page. FYI: You do not have to be a Facebook user to see the photos.

Thanks to all of the great volunteers (there were too many to name one by one) and organizers of the day. What a great time and opportunity to spread the love of Jesus simply by giving something back to the community we live in.

OK, did anyone else have as much fun as I did on Sunday?

I worked at the county museum, and I had a blast!

We cleaned up display signs and chairs, painted walls, swept and dusted - stuff like that. It was my first time painting! And I met some more CCJ folks who I didn't know before.

Who'd of thunk serving others would be such a great service to me too?

How was everyone else's sites? What did you do?

CCJ @ 9: Front Page Photo Details

Here are the details from the photo group on the front page of ccjasper.com this week.

First row from left:
2000: The early days in the Jasper 8 Theaters (picture scanned from from Saturday feature that ran in The Herald in late 2000).
2001: Building dedication for the warehouse building on Cathy Lane. The building was formerly owned by Canteen and was a full-on warehouse with oil stains, a not-so-lovely smell and uncovered walls.
2004: Sunday services on a Strassenfest parade float in August 2004. This was the first year the band played on a float.

Second row from left:
2005: Fall kickoff in late August 2005. This is the first year the inflatable jumper appeared at CCJ.
2006: Easter services at Jasper Middle School. CCJ was growing and didn't have enough room for Easter so services were moved to the JMS Auditorium.

Third row from left:
2007: First Sunday in current facility. Feb. 4, 2007.
2008: Additional staff helps CCJ. Mark came aboard in mid-2006 and Ryan joined us in early 2008.
2009: Breaking ground for building expansion. A week or so ago.

Feel free to share your thoughts on life at CCJ these past nine years in the comments.
What are your favorite memories and what are looking forward to seeing God do with the church in the future?

Make Your Weekend Plans (One in Christ)

If you haven't heard already, there's this One in Christ service coming up this weekend in Washington, Ind. If you want complete details of the service, go here (Ken Idleman, Tom Ellsworth, Narrow Path).

I'd also like to make a personal appeal to all of you that can ... please join us at this service. Beyond the fact that CCJ's band will be leading music worship there (more on that in a minute), this is a chance to be a part of something special with lots and lots (hopefully thousands) of Christians in one room, worshipping Jesus together as one. It's almost like a warm-up for the symphony in heaven, if you will, when vast multitudes of believers from all across the globe will bow before Christ as one in worship and confess that He is Lord for all eternity. I know it's going to be sunny and 80 degrees and the outdoors are calling and whatnot ... there's always something else to do I suppose. However, this will be a special day when Christians can put aside their differences (and boy do we love to fight over our differences sometimes), our regional divisions, etc. and truly be unified in glorifying Jesus together in song and in listening to the messages and taking communion together. It's at 4 p.m. in Washington at the high school gym, by the way. :-) Here's a map.

In addition to all of that, Narrow Path will be leading music worship and this is a great opportunity to come out and support us in our efforts to spread the message of Jesus through song to as many people as possible. We are humbled to be able to serve the people of CCJ and even more humbled that others want us to serve them. Plus, hey, you guys know the songs we'll be doing and we need loud singers to encourage others to sing loudly too. :-)

W.I.N.G.S. November Meeting

We had a fun time at church this week at the Wings meeting Thursday night. Robin Norris brought all of us ladies a gift. The "gift" was encouragement & exerise bands. She encouraged us to take care of ourselves, sharing the benefits of exercise .

Here are some health benefits of resistance exercise bands:
Strengthens the muscular and skeletal system
Improves bone density (decreases the chance of osteoporosis)
Increases metabolism
Improves posture
Limits atrophy of the muscles
Aids in hypertension control
Aids in cholesterol control
Aids in body fat control Increases circulation
Aids in prevention of adult-onset diabetes
Improves mood and self-esteem
Improves quality of life
Aids in the prevention of heart disease and certain cancers

In light of all the benefits, why do people still not want to take time to do it?

I really struggle in this area. I'd like to see us have an exercise class at CCJ. Wonder if that's something that's possible.

1st. Annual Ladies' Retreat

I can't express what a blessed time we had at Camp Illiana this weekend. It would be difficult to name a favorite moment. Those of you who know me and my camera....can imagine how hard it was picking my photos for this post. Above are a few of my favorite (I say a "few" because I took 171). We enjoyed great food, scrap booking ideas, fellowship on the porch, games, campfire devotions (only thing missing were the marshmallows & Candy) and thought provoking lectures about the life of Eve.

God was so gracious to give us perfect weather and an indescribable location. The tree leaves were just too awesome! If you missed this one, start making plans to go next year.

Oh, did I mention valet parking and men carrying our suitcases in for us?

We all had a wonderful time. Thanks, WINGS.

Jesus said in Matt 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. NIV

S.O.S. Field Trip

Last weekend we went to the Covered Bridge Festival. We enjoyed beautiful sites, great food and crafts and lovely weather. Our November meeting is the on 20th. I'm excited about this fellowship. It gives us a chance to get to know our peers. As the church continues to grow, so will our group. It's another way for us to "plug-in" with others who care about the same issues we do. (Thanks Lois M. for being our fearless leader, and Jeff S. for driving the bus)

SOS Pizza Night

Seniors Offering Services, a new ministry at CCJ, met Friday night. We enjoyed pizza...finalized plans for our trip next month to the Covered Bridge Festival....and got acquainted with one another. We also discussed ways to get involved in the church and community. Check the church bulletin for contact information.

WINGS. Auction

We all had a great time last night (Thursday) at the Wings Auction. Great food, fellowship and laughter. If you didn't make it...you really missed out. It's an annual event so you'll have to wait a year for the next one. Candy and Cheryl, again, entertained the crowd with antics. Seeing Candy's auctioneer hats are worth coming out for! And who says Christian can't have fun!