Here's what you will find in this issue:
- Sunday Worship Information and Links
- Worship Series
- Holy Week Services
- Calendar Link
- Pastor Owen's Ponderings
- Ecumenical Prayer Service Details
- Committee Updates
- Missions
- Covid Committee
- Hiring Committee
- Summer Camp Registration is Open
- Easter Breakfast Details
- East Egg Hunt Details
- Game Night Details
- 2022 Leadership
- Birthdays and Anniversaries
- Prayer information
- Online Giving Link
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Sunday Morning March 27, 2022
10:00 am Worship
11:00 am Fellowship
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Volunteers for In Person Worship
March 27, 2022
Communion Prep: Paul & Linda Lamont
Communion Servers: Paul & Linda Lamont; John & Patrice Sayre, and Pat Morton
Greeter: Norma Sperry and Judy Johnson
Fellowship: Bev Morgan and Judy Krase
Usher: Shanon Buckroyd
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Volunteers for In Person Worship
April 3, 2022
Communion Prep: Shannon Buckroyd
Communion Servers: Darin & Lori Leach, Paul & Linda Lamont, and Megan Narwold
Greeter: Judi & Larry DeMoss
Fellowship: Karen & Chuck Fausch and Judy Johnson
Usher: Jennifer Koehler
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Worship services will continue to be live streamed on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. You can either use the Facebook Link or the YouTube Link to see the live feed, or even worship a little later if you need to. Use the buttons below to choose which link fits your needs best.
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Reminder: If you are not feeling well, please stay home and participate in worship online. The COVID task force would also like to encourage all of those who are eligible to get vaccinated. |
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Worship Series
Good Enough: Embracing the Imperfections of Life and Faith
March 27 "Noah: A story for Lent"
Genesis 6-9
April 3 "We are Precious"
John 12:1-8
April 10 "You are a Group Project"
Luke 19:28-40
April 17th Easter Sunday
"Good Enough: A Good Enough Faith"
John 20: 1-18
April 24th Youth Sunday
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Palm Sunday- April 10th In Person and Online
Holy Thursday- April 14th @ 7 pm In Person Only
Good Friday- April 15th @ 7 pm Online Only
Easter Sunday- April 17th In Person and Online
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Newsletter Article March 2022
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” - Gen. Douglas MacArthur
“I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." -(Gen 9:13-16 NRS)
The horrors of war are great. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 (exactly one month ago as I write this) there have been at least 20,000 killed, $119 billion in property damages (at least 1,700 buildings destroyed), and approximately 10,000,000 people displaced, and peace, barring a miracle, is a long way off. I think with sadness about how it is not just soldiers who bear the brunt in this war - though I hope they do pray desperately for peace as Gen. MacArthur suggests - it is also parents who will never see their children again, or children their parents; it is families that have to flee for their lives leaving behind so much; it is the very old and the very young who find themselves in the crossfire with little way to move to flee or no real frame of reference to understand what is happening - only the fear that grips those around them. I continue to struggle with the human propensity for violence and war making.
We are, of course, not the first to struggle with the human inclination toward violence, and we are certainly not the first to live through times of war and fear and anxiety stemming from violence in other places around the globe. From the very beginning of the bible, violence is lifted up as one of the greatest problems facing humanity, indeed all of creation. In Genesis chapter 4, Cain rises up and kills his brother Able, and from that point on violence seems to spin out of control; so much so that God regrets making humanity and vows to wipe away all flesh from the land. (Genesis 6:11-13).
Yet at the end of that story, we find God has learned that the erasing of creation has cost God something. So, God sets God’s bow in the clouds (Genesis 9:13-16) - God hangs up the weapons of war and makes a covenant, with Noah and all creation, that God will no longer make war on the creature; God won’t wipe us out and start over again. It is almost as if God has learned something about violence itself.
As we approach Easter we are reminded of the story we tell in the church; the story of Jesus, a Jewish prophet who calls us to do such things as ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘love your enemy’ and ‘put away your sword.’ He proclaims that the Kingdom of God is not a kingdom brought in with weapons. He exposes our violence. When confronted with the Kingdom of God, we cry out “No!” and we enact violence on God by placing Jesus on a cross. However, when God is confronted with our violence, God turns the tables on us. In our fundamental act of violence on God, God takes the consequences of that violence, of that rejection: death…God takes death into the divine life and renders that consequence, death, empty of power in Christ’s resurrection.
There is the way of God and there is the way of violence. Let us pray for peace. Let us work for peace. Let us live peace into the world. May we find the strength, the vision, the light, and the hope in these dark and difficult days to seek the way of God.
Shalom,
Pastor Owen
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Missions April Special Offering:
Easter Offering
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Our April Special Mission is the Easter Offering. The Easter Offering will be received on April 10 & 17, 2022, and supports several of the general ministries of the Christian Church. Your gift supports college students in leadership development programs, global mission partners, health and social service ministries, the formation of new congregations, support for pastors and chaplains, and so much more.
Your gift has the power to change lives around the world. Offering envelopes will be provided or give online through our churches online giving portal and designate to Easter Offering. Thank you.
Missions Committee
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Covid Committee Update
Recently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has updated their covid recommendations due to a decrease in transmission levels, hospitalizations, average daily cases as well as continued increase in vaccination levels specifically for Polk County.
The ACC covid committee continues to meet on a monthly basis monitoring and making recommendations in our ACC response based on information from the CDC and Polk County Health. With those meetings, we have recommended that we make some slight modifications to our services.
Communion servers will no longer be required to wear facemasks beginning Sunday, April 3. They will continue to wear gloves.
In light of our upcoming observation of Lent we will have special services. Maundy Thursday on April 14 and Easter Sunday on April 17. These services tend to draw higher than normal attendance.
We continue to encourage members to not attend if they are not feeling well. Remember that we’re still in the influenza season as well as covid!
We continue to utilize air purification units in the fellowship and sanctuary areas.
We encourage vaccination, hand washing, and mask wearing if that is your comfort level.
Our on-line worship services will continue to be available for those who choose to attend in that manner.
Arnie Porath chair
March 21, 2022
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Hiring Committee Update
The hiring committee has offered the music director position to someone, and they have graciously accepted! Please welcome Nate Green to the Ankeny Christian Church Community!
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Summer Camp Registration is Open!!
Ankeny Christian Church will pay for half of the registration cost.
Information and Registration can be found here:
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SUMMER CAMP 2022 Serious FUN. Powerful PURPOSE.
From an overnight for grandparents and grandkids to a weeklong sleep-away camp for elementary, middle, and high school students, to a weekend of faith and fun for the whole family, we’ve got a camp for you! Art, High Adventure, Rustic Camping, Leader Development camps, and more are offered in the Christian Conference Center’s summer program. We have a lot of SERIOUS FUN, all while growing in faith and learning to live and love with POWERFUL PURPOSE.
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Easter Egg Hunt!
Sunday April 10th, 9 am
Muffins and Juice will be provided
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Easter Breakfast
We will have our annual Easter Breakfast on Sunday April 17th before worship. There will be a sign up in the entry of the fellowship hall on the next three Sundays for people to volunteer to bring food. Those who are bringing food are invited to have it to the church by 8:45 AM that morning so we can begin serving and eating by 9 AM.
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2022 Leadership
Officers
- President – David Rawson
- President-Elect – Open
- Past President, Chair Personnel Committee – Emily Porath
- Secretary – Shanon Buckroyd
- Treasurer – Jackie Black
- Member at Large – Jennifer Koehler
- Check Writer – John Lee
- Chair of PRC – Darin Leach
- PRC Members - Sarah Wright, Terri Ostrem, Darin Leach, Randy Wehofer, Frank Prowant, and Di Mathis
- Nominating Committee - Annette Hunter, Rob Duffy, and Lori Leach
Current Committee Chairs
- Christian Education – Cathy Helmke
- Stewardship and Finance – Curt Narwold
- Property – Tom Murphy
- Worship – Karen Fausch
- Social Life – Open
- Evangelism – Open
- Missions – Chuck Fausch
- Endowment – Dorothy Mathis
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Saturday April 2nd is the first Game Night with Highland Park Pastor Owen and Pastor Heather have gotten together to bring this about and will be held in Fellowship Hall at Ankeny Christian Church. We will be collecting donations for pizza the night of! Game Night will go from 5 pm to 8 pm....See You There! |
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April Birthdays
1 Makenna Schroeder
2 Lucie Bentley
3 Angie Olson
8 Kiersten Mann
Tom Murphy
9 Mike Hunter
10 Hannah Wehofer
Ashley Gessner
12 Jerry Van Den Berg
Curtis Gage
13 Eleke Ukpabi
Austin Mays
16 Teagan Bentley
17 Emma St. Clair
19 Sherry Johnson
21 Bob Buckroyd
Marjeane Hunter
22 Jade Dean
23 Abby Murphy
24 Curt Narwold
25 Pat Warner
26 Vinne Widaman
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April Anniversaries
13 Frank and Sherri Prowant
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Do you have a Prayer Request? |
If you have a prayer request, please email Laura at:
dolley0808@gmail.com
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If you would like to continue (or begin) to contribute to the work of the church financially, you can mail in a check to
2506 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny, IA 50023
or you can give online by clicking the link below.
There you can set up one time or recurring donations.
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Pastor Owen Cayton, Senior Minister |
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Ankeny Christian Church
2506 SW 3rd Street
Ankeny, IA 50023
515-964-1083
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