Don't miss out on the news, announcements, and upcoming events at first Christian!
Welcome to the firstChristian E-Newsletter!

If you are reading this, it means you are on your way to learning more about upcoming events and getting up close and personal with all the things happening within the FCC family. Be sure to check out the upcoming events and other vital information to stay connected. 

Jesus challenges us to see the world differently. By doing so, followers of Jesus get to live in an alternative reality. We can discover, like Alice in Lewis Carroll’s story of Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, that things are often not as they seem. Luke recounts how Jesus turned the accepted view of his day upside down and inside out. Join us for the next few weeks, as we look at Jesus, the world and ourselves through the mirror of Luke 5 and 6. It may not be what you expect, but it will be worth the adventure. 

Congratulations 2017 Graduates!
Graduation is a time to commemorate your achievements, anticipate for future opportunities and embrace a world of infinite possibilities. We pray all of your dreams and wishes come true!

Congratulations!
In this Newsletter...
Staff Blog
Group Talk:
I LOVE the Children!

I LOVE the Children’s Ministry of firstChristian Church. Kristi, Liz and all the volunteers have a passion for teaching kids about Jesus on a level that they can understand. I see a monumental problem in churches today. MANY young adults who were raised in church walk away. Two ways to combat that issue is to engage parents in their child’s faith development and develop a healthy youth and children’s ministry. This is where we get our Orange concept for Children’s Ministry. The heart of a family (RED) and the light of the church (YELLOW) working in cooperation for faith development in children (ORANGE). This is why FCC’s Children’s Ministry made a major shift this past school year.

I have some strong beliefs about Children’s Ministry.

  • If you want to reach children, they’ve got to have fun.
  • If you want to reach children, they’ve got to learn something.
  • If you want to reach children, the ministry needs valuable resources.
My parents started taking little Randy to church at 3 years of age. He had golden blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a 3 year-old's flair for life. Back in the day, “fun” and “church” were never used in the same sentence. Children’s Ministry was designed to mimic the school classroom. A story was told. A worksheet was completed. A picture was colored.  Sit. Listen. Complete assignments. No wonder, if given a choice, children and teens quit going to church. It was another day of school.

Children should want to come to church. There should be a
motivational force in a home to go to church. (The parents should be the driving force in a home to go to church.)  And they do exactly this at firstChristian. Multiple times (too many to keep track of), parents have said, “My children love being in the Children’s Ministry.” At firstChristian, we go all out, every week to make sure these kids have a great time. They do have fun and learn at the same time. There are two questions every parent needs to ask their children after services. First, “Did you have fun?”  Second, “What did you learn?”  (By the way, an even greater win is when the parents and the kids actually talk about what the child learned!  Together, we make an awesome team!  Red+Yellow=Orange)

It takes resources to make Children’s Ministry happen. Money is a part of the necessary resources. People are a HUGE essential resource. A dozen 3-year-olds, like little Randy, could not be placed in a room on their own. It takes volunteers. Liz Spray was recently saying that the 4 year-old class was averaging about 15 during the 9:15 am services and 20 during the 11:00 am services. Thirty-five children in one age, who need a leader at each hour and multiple helpers to facilitate the fun and learning. How many classes do we have each Sunday? It is a reality that volunteer spots are available every Sunday.

In other words, we need YOU in Children’s Ministry.


THANK YOU TO ALL WHO INVEST IN WORKING WITH OUR CHILDREN AT FCC!
Randall

Missions Update
Bonjou!

My name is Tatum Hausmann. I am 18 years old, and my family and I have been part of firstChristian for most of my life. This summer I will be interning at Northwest Haiti Christian Mission until July 30 (Northwest Haiti Christian is one of firstChristian's core missions.) This Sunday I will be on a bus toward St. Louis du Nord, Haiti, to begin this adventure.

I first went to Haiti last summer through firstChristian Church, and 9 days in Haiti just wasn’t enough! While in Haiti, I will be serving with 5 other interns and living at the Main Campus of Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in St. Louis du Nord. I will be serving in the nutrition program and birthing center. I will also have the opportunity to do outreach in Haiti throughout the summer. You can follow my adventures on my blog listed below.

Please continue to pray for the health and safety of my team and myself, any who come in, and pray that the Lord continues to work throughout Haiti and show the people how incredible our Lord is! I look forward to sharing more about my experiences with Northwest Haiti Christian Mission when I get back! 

Sincerely,
Tatum Hausmann

Follow my adventures on my blog at: Lord, lead me
Upcoming Events
Click here to see a complete list of happenings.
FirstLook Classes
If you are new to first Christian  or want to learn more about who we are – first Christian  invites you to our first Look  class with Lead Minister Tim DeFor. This is a great opportunity to learn about the vision, mission and purpose of first Christian . It will also allow you to dig deeper into the history, philosophy and doctrine of the church. Sign up now to reserve your seat!

Classes will be offered:

Wednesday, May 17th | 6-7:30 pm

Sunday, May 21st 1:30-3 pm

Register online HERE!

Serve Somewhere Sunday
Each month we set aside one Sunday to highlight the amazing things our volunteers do and the many opportunities we have. Whatever your interests, gifts and skills are, we need you! From Children’s Ministry to Adult Ministry and everything in between, we currently have over 70 openings for someone just like you!

If you are interested in volunteering click HERE to take the first step!
Children's Ministry Activity Schedule
Our JAM Kids Ministry strives to combine the critical influences of the church and home to incite wonder, provoke discovery and fuel passion in the hearts of children toward the love of Jesus. We believe children’s ministry should be fun, creative, powerful and life-changing all at the same time. Our curriculum is always relevant, Biblical, engaging and experiential, and it also emphasizes a relationship with God and with others.   
Summer Camp

Ignite Camp
June 18 – 21 | 4th – 5th grade
Cost: $88
Register online here.

  Summer JAM

June 22 – 23 | 2nd – 3rd grade
Cost: $38
Register  online here .
Night JAM

Wednesday | June 30 | 6 – 8:45 pm
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Cost: $5
Register online here.

Evening at the Lake

Wednesday | July 5 | 5 pm
Register online here.
Youth Ministry Activity Schedule

Our Student Ministry exists to challenge students to actively pursue a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, through various worship experiences, biblical teachings, service opportunities and opportunities to fellowship with other believers. This ultimately results in growth toward spiritual maturity. 

Day at the Lake

Friday | June 23 | 2-8 pm
Cost: $10
Incoming 5th – 8th
Online registration link

CIY – MOVE

July 9 – 14
Cost: $275
Incoming 9th – Graduated 12th
Promo video
Online registration link

Summer Fusion

July 30 – August 2
Cost: $110
Incoming 6th – 8th
Promo video
Online registration link

Faith In Action

Thursday, June 1
Thursday, June 15
Thursday, June 29
Thursday, July 20

Watch Facebook for details, locations, supplies needed and times.

Wednesday Evening FUEL

June 7th 6:00-8:00
“Old School” Big Base Kickball Tourney @ Ta-Ha-Zouka

June 21st 6:00-8:00
Ultimate Frisbee Tourney

July 5th 5:00-9:00
Evening at the Lake
Willow Creek SRA
Boats/drivers/supervision needed

July 26th 6:00-8:00
Mini Golf Tourney

Watch Facebook for details, locations, supplies needed and times.

Employment Opportunity:
Building and Grounds Ministry Coordinator

Could you assist FCC’s ministries to be effective? Do you want the people of FCC and our guests to have a clean, comfortable, safe and welcoming environment? Would you like to help others do the same? Then we are looking for you! firstChristian is seeking a Building and Grounds Ministry Coordinator to provide and manage FCC’s maintenance. This person will oversee and work alongside paid and unpaid staff, and recommend, arrange and schedule ongoing maintenance. This is a 15-20-hour-a-week position. We would like to add the right person to our team by June 1. If interested, please contact Angela or Sarah in the office for more information.

Email: office@fcnorfolk.org
Phone: 402-371-5734 

Congratulations to Albert Ponder, who has served as our Building and Grounds Ministry Coordinator. He has accepted a full-time position in another community. We pray for all the best for him and his family.

Seeing northeast Nebraska Thrive
Through Jesus
The Thrive Vision is about helping northeast Nebraska Thrive through Jesus. Your giving and God’s faithfulness are making it a reality.

The Thrive Vision provides space to share Jesus with children, to connect with each other, and to communicate and celebrate the good news of Jesus. The expansion will be complete in just over two months. Remodeling our current space will begin this summer with completion in the fall. While under construction, God continues to draw more people to himself and firstChristian Church.

What does that mean for firstChristian
  • More Volunteers: There is more opportunity and more need for volunteers – Immediately! The greatest needs are in Worship Technology (video, audio, lighting), Guest Services (coffee, greeting, ushering) and Children’s (check-in, nursery, teachers, small-group leaders).  
  • More Flexibility: Sometimes the sidewalk, parking, lobby and other spaces will be construction zones. Some spaces will not be available this summer. We will need to be flexible, adapt and press on!
Thank you to all who are making the Thrive Vision a reality. It is exciting to see how God continues to use firstChristian (and our facilities) to help the people of northeast Nebraska Thrive.

Onward and Upward,

Tim

PS For more information on the Thrive Vision, visit our  website . Click on the image above to view the latest time lapse video of the expansion construction.
Take firstChristian With You
We know that you aren’t in town every weekend, but that doesn’t mean you should miss out on Sunday mornings at firstChristian. All of our sermons are available on our website, fcnorfolk.org and can be automatically delivered to your Apple or Android device every week when you subscribe to our podcast.

On the website, you also have the opportunity to keep the conversation going with our sermon discussion guides.  Parents can do the same with their kiddos using the Parent Cue. No matter where you travel, you can always take firstChristian with you. 
Stay Connected
Sunday Announcements
If you missed Sunday's video announcements or last week's newsletter, you can view them on our website at fcnorfolk.org/news.
THE BIG FOUR

At firstChristian, we believe many disciplines help shape our faith and strengthen our relationship with Jesus. Of those, we have narrowed our focus down to four essential practices that can be found throughout Scripture, and we have seen and experienced to be true. We call them The Big Four. Each of these are an influential aspect of forging a faith that goes beyond the everyday and into the extraordinary. They encourage us to partner with God in changing our attitudes and actions, shaping us more into who God made us to be. But don't be fooled by their simplicity. They are bursting with limitless opportunities and next steps, but never a final step.   

Gather Big: Gathering together every Sunday to learn more about who God is and praise Him for what He has done. God does something special when we gather together.

Group Small: Meeting weekly with a few to do life together and to “keep the conversation going” beyond Sunday morning.
   
Serve Somewhere: Using our gifts, skills and passion to serve within the church and community. One cannot be like or become like Jesus without serving.    
 
Give Something: Practicing generosity in everyday life. Giving releases the grip of stuff on our hearts, so we can more fully give our hearts to God. 

Participation and Giving
May 14th, 2017
 
Attendance 
Worship: (340, 226) 566
Sunday School: 222

General Fund
Budgeted weekly: $14,704
Given: $12,866
Budgeted ytd: $294,080
Given ytd: $308,398
 
Missions
Given: $1,770
Given ytd: $44,832
 
Thrive Vision | Building
Given: $2,166
Total given to Thrive: $993,730
Households Participating: 319
 
first Christian | 402.371.5734 | office@fcnorfolk.org | fcnorfolk.org