Volume 12 Issue 4

May / June 2012

Check it out...
Cool o at the Joy Prom Snowake Ball on May 4 Make a Splash at the Childrens Pool Party June 2 Our HighSchoolers are going to MOVE June 17-23 Take VBS to the Fairgrounds with us June 24-27

The bi-monthly publication of

Love the Lord | Live the Word | Reach the World

The

FIRST

We have two great opportunities for you to experience a deep, lasting satisfaction. The Joy Prom and Vacation Bible School are events that require an extraordinarily large number of volunteers and there is no greater pleasure than to serve the people those two events reach. We need to recruit over 100 people to help with each of these events. The Joy Prom is Friday, May 4; VBS will be June 24-27 at the Fairgrounds. Would you please step up and make yourself available? I promise, you will be the one who is blessed a by the experience! There are all sorts of tasks: some b behind the scenesin the kitchen, decorating, cleanb ing up; and some face-to-facetable captains for the i Joy Prom; teachers and shop keepers for VBS. There J is a place that ts you. Let the church ofce know if i we can count on you. w Change of subject: Jesse Barnett, our new Childrens Minister, begins Monday, May 14! I am so excited M to have Jesse on board. But let me take a moment t to express my deep, deep appreciation for the work t Tracy Blackburn has done! Tracy came on part-time T in January of 2011 to help with our preschoolers. i Then when Melanie stepped down, Tracy stepped up T and managed both the preschool and the elementary a programsstill part-time, carrying another full time p job as the medical dispatcher for the Clark Regional j Airport. Tracy and her wonderful team of volunteers A have served our kids well! She will be helping Jesse h with the transition through the remainder of May w and the rst weekend in June. Tracy, you are the best! Thank you for loving the Lord like you do, loving our

WORD

church, and loving our kids and their parents! Another change of subject: I am tired. I really am. Its not a short get a good nights rest tired; its a deep Im not as effective as I need to be tired. So Ive asked the shepherds for a favor. They have agreed to allow me to take an extended break this summer6 weeks. I want to trickle charge my spiritual batteries. Its my intention to preach the weekend of June 20-21, and then step away for my break. The break will begin with Mary Ann and I going on a mission trip to Santiago, Dominican Republic where I will be helping coach in a basketball camp, preaching, and sharing with some of the pastors there. (This is where I used to go every summer before we came to First Capital; I havent been there in 9 years.) After two weeks in the Dominican, we will come back to the states. In July, Mary Ann will hold her annual Cousins Camp. (Its when all the grandkids come to see Grandy and GranMary. ) The highlight of this years camp will be our rst trip to Holiday World. Other plans for the break include time with our Dads; reading, reecting, some writingand whatever Mary Ann tells me to do. I hope you understand that [email protected] I am condent this Randy Kirk will make me better at Senior Minister what I do when I pick it back up in August. I love you guys.

The Update

INSIDE

2| The Update from Randy 3| Life Groups with Vince 4| Upcoming Events 5| Missions 6| Student Ministry 6| The Bridge 7| Childrens Ministry 7| Preschool Ministry

May 4| 16 | 20 | 21 |

MAY & JUNE

Joy Prom MOVE sign up deadline Blessing Basket Meeting 12p Mission Meeting 6:30p

Monday Morning: Mens Bible Study at Cracker Barrel 6a Monday Nights: Ladies Zumba Class 6:45p

June 2| 8| 13 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18-23 24-27

2012
Kids Pool Party Family Movie Night Quest Summer Event - Canoe Trip Blessing Basket Meeting 12p Baby Dedication Mission Meeting 6:30p MOVE Conference VBS at the Fairgrounds

With Growth Comes Opportunity

Connection

Adult Ministries

One thing I learned in basic biology healthy organisms subdivide and grow! Many of us can remember looking at plant and animal cells in Junior High science class and learning how the individual cells split apart and form new cells so the overall structure has healthy growth. Whats a sign of a healthy business? More and more locations pop up! Do you lament the fact that your favorite fast food joint opens a second location across town? Absolutely not! The new location means more customers can enjoy the same burgers and fries you love and the entire business prospers! As we enter summertime, I need to let you all know that there is an area that we desperately need growth in at First Capital We Need more NEW Life Groups! Life Groups, by far, are the most effective means of fostering close fellowship among believers, a sense of belonging, and Christian growth among those who call our church their home. Currently, we have about 16 active life groups in our church. Virtually all of these are completely full or near full. On a weekly basis, I receive inquiries about Life Groups from people who are just beginning to enjoy their involvement at First Capital. They have heard how Life Groups are a path to getting to know and be involved with others, and would like to try it for themselves. Imagine what it is like telling someone who is new and excited that we dont have a place for them.

Whats the Remedy? A. I believe there are a number of us who are currently

enjoying Life Group participation who would get an even bigger thrill with Life Group LEADERSHIP. I would like to challenge you, if you are in a group, to pray about beginning the ADVENTURE of building into the lives of others and providing a means for others in our church to enjoy the kind of fellowship you have experienced. B. I would like for all of our existing groups to have a serious discussion, before we take a summer break, about what our church family would look like with more Life Groups. The thought of splitting a group may seem a bit painful but I feel that God will bless us with fresh ideas and fresh excitement if we all decide its more important to be inclusive rather than exclusive. C. I would also like to challenge those who live in some of our remote areas. Wouldnt it be exciting to get a cluster of groups going in Crawford County? Or in the Mauckport/Brandenburg area? Or even in the western regions of Floyd County? All it takes are those who are willing. I know this raises the bar, but, we are raising the bar in quite a few areas. We are all on board with reaching the 30,000 people in our community who do not have a church home. Lets think beyond that and [email protected] imagine what it would Vince Garmon look like to have a place Connections for anyone who wants to Minister know the Lord to grow in Him as well! Blessings!

Decisions in March & April

February 22
Leigh Balance Jim Lewis

Staying In Love Class

Saturday evenings | June 2-23 | 4:30-5:45
Andy Stanleys Staying In Love marriage series is a short four-week course to help any marriage become more rewarding and fullling. Andy says, It has never been easier to fall in love, and it has never been harder to stay in love. In this fun and interesting look at marriage in todays world, Stanley shares the plan for making the love last forever and the secret for learning what to place in the gaps between expectations and realities. Come join Al & Linda Rudolph in this short course that could change your marriage immediately and forever! Books will be available to those that want them for a cost of $8.00 each. Please call Al or Linda at 366-3553 or e-mail them at [email protected]. 3

March 31
Eric Konick

April 3
Katren Miller*

March 11
Melody Nall*

April 15
Bradley* Graham Lana* Graham

March 25
Amanda McKim*

March 31
Karl Sauer* * denotes baptism denotes accepting Christ or a rededication

Upcoming Events
Childrens Pool Party
At South Harrison Park | June 2, 10a-2p
Make a Splash this Summer! Kids, join us at South Harrison Park for a fun pool party and lunch! Bring a towel, modest swimwear, sunscreen and a friend! Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. You will need to register at the pool and pick your children up at the shelter house. A sack lunch will be provided! This event will be rescheduled if weather is an issue. Call First Capital Christian Church at 812.738.1869

VBS at the Harrison County Fairgrounds

June 24-27 | Babylon- Daniels Courage in Captivity

This year we are taking our Vacation Bible School to the community! We need volunteers to assist with set up and tear down of the Babylon set down at the Fairgrounds and we need volunteers to sign up to help throughout the week. If you are interested in helping, contact Tracy Blackburn in the church ofce at 812.738.1869. She will help you nd the position that ts you! You can also sign up at the Welcome Center.

8th Annual Joy Prom

Snowake Ball | Friday, May 4 from 6-8:30p

This year, our theme is God made you Unique. Every snowake is unique and very beautiful, so we are having a snowake ball to celebrate those in our community who have special needs. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the church ofce at 812.738.1869. We have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities including escorting our guests, serving food, helping with makeup and more.

Emmaus Update
Gathering | Friday, May 4 at 7:27p | Park Memorial UMC in Jeffersonville
The next Gathering is Friday, May 4, at 7:27 p at Park Memorial UMC in Jeffersonville. Just a note: gatherings are open to all, not just members of the Emmaus Community (however, no child care is available.) This is a good time to introduce someone to Emmaus, so consider bringing a friend when you come! It is time again to elect new board members! To adhere to Upper Room guidelines, there will only be two opportunities to vote this year: 1) In person, at the May 4th gathering. 2) By mail. IF YOU DO NOT VOTE IN PERSON, YOU MUST MAIL YOUR BALLOT IN!!!! The ballot can be found in a special edition of THE LIGHT. If you do not receive the newsletter by regular mail or email, you can go to the website and print out a ballot. (Go to www.dayspringemmaus.org and click on the link on the left: The Light. On this page, you can also subscribe to receive the newsletter by email.) Saturday, June 9th is the Annual Community Picnic. It will be from 4:00 7:00 pm at Silver Heights Camp, 501 Camp Ave., in New Albany. This event is for the whole family. You may also bring friends who are interested in Emmaus. See the April newsletter for what to bring. Check out the website for information about the Emmaus Community, including pilgrim applications, sponsorship guidelines, the event calendar, a form to submit prayer requests to the community, and the Emmaus Board roster. De Colores!!
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A Look at East Asia

Missions
spiritually affect the fortunes of the family. To ensure that this blessing takes place, the living family members must care for the grave site of their ancestors. Family members even go so far as to burn items such as paper money or models of certain luxury items, believing that these items can be transferred to the use of their ancestors. Most of our co-workers from ethnic Chinese backgrounds face a lot of pressure from their families during this grave sweeping time. Even if their family does not object to their faith in Jesus, each ethnic Chinese believer will usually be pressured to take part in the veneration of their ancestors at this time. One of my close East Asian colleagues has a tense confrontation with his father every year at this time. He agrees to go to be at the grave site to pray, but makes it clear that he cannot take part in making offerings to his ancestors and asking their aid in blessing his life or the success of his family. Each year this presents an opportunity to express his hope in Jesus, even as many of his relatives think that he is betraying his family in small and large ways. We need to continue to pray for our Christian friends around the world as they face pressures and persecution for believing in the one true God and as they attempt to share the love of Christ. And of course, continue to pray for Missionaries and their passion as they reach out to other cultures.

The following is an excerpt from a recent letter from a missionary family that First Capital supports in East Asia, the Glovers. We trust that you had a wonderful time enjoying your celebration of Jesus victorious resurrection! Around this time of year we nd a convergence of several religious and ethnic holidays that make this a rich time to talk about Jesus! A few weeks ago our Turkic Muslim friends celebrated Noruz, which is actually a new year holiday of Persian background. Noruz has been an important part of the year for several different ethnic minority groups in our region, and it reaches back to pre-Islamic days when the folk cultures would seek blessings for the crops being planted at spring time. For Turkic students living here away from their hometowns, there was not much celebration, but the holiday provided a springboard to discuss with them the issues of how blessing from God come to us in our savior, Jesus. Last week many in the majority population celebrated a grave sweeping holiday, a time when every family is supposed to pay attention to venerating and taking care of the graves of their ancestors. At best, this is like a memorial day as celebrated in western cultures, but there can be deep spiritual ramications to this day. Deep in their background, the belief is that those ancestors who have passed away can

Did you know???

Ofce News

We are now able to receive donations electronically. For some of us, this has become a convenient way to give. There are two options, 1- Direct Withdrawal from your bank account (no more writing checks) and 2- Debit or Credit Card. One down side to the credit/debit card option is that those donations incur service charges. These charges are usually greater than the rewards offered by the credit card companies and reduce the amount of the gift that the church receives as usable income. So if you choose to use a debit/credit card to make a gift, please be aware that a portion of your offering ultimately goes to the credit card company as an administrative charge. To sign up for electronic giving, visit our web page at www.rstcapitalchristian.org and click on Online Giving. If you have questions, contact Angie in the church ofce at 812.738.1869.

Newsletter is now Bi-Monthly

The newsletter has changed! As you may have noticed, we are now producing a bi-monthly newsletter. This means that we are covering two months in one issue. This saves us big time on postage and color copies. Articles are now due the 15th of the month before the rst month of the issue. Example would be, for the July/August issue, the deadline is June 15th. If you have any questions, please call Angie in the church ofce at 812.738.1869. 5

Student Ministry
The Quest
MOVE- Deadline May 16
Move is a 5-day event specifically for High School students. Its packed full of relevant communicators, high-energy music, and unique entertainment all on a college campus. Move is sponsored by Christ in Youth. This year it is in Holland, Michigan, June 18-23. Sign up NOW!

[Jr. & Sr. High]

T The May Series: Home A Quest series studying the story of the Prodigal Son. P Jr. High Quest is on Sundays at 10:30a. J [Jr. High Wednesday night program is Peak [ Group] G Sr. High Quest is on Wednesdays at 6:45p. S

Whats up?

Bridge

[4-6th grade]

I recently spoke with the grandmother of one of our Bridge classmates. She shared with me her frustration with her granddaughters unwillingness to change her feelings about attending church, reading and studying her Bible, coming to the Bridge and Bridge events, and that God in general thing. She says Its boring, not fun, whats the big deal anyway, why do I need to go? I didnt have much to offer except to love her where she was at, just as God loved us where we were at. I know change will come. I know because I see the real her ause every time shes in class, (also because Ive seen big changes in her over the years). I dont know if you noticed or not, but the common thread here is CHANGE. Change happens in us and around us all the time. Change happens! Thats the bottom line. Some changes you like, some you dont. Some you think you control, some you wonder how they happened Gods Word is all about change. He says we must change from who we are today, to who He needs us to be tomorrow. The change I want to talk about here is spiritual change, the changing of our virtues, (something God does in us to change the world around us.) This is something we talk about every week - the changing of our hearts that we could accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. I pray every day for those changes to happen in you and for you. I ask you all the time to change, to walk toward the holiness that I know will bring you closer to Him and the virtues that we need, in order to be His hands and feet. Yes, my prayer is that He would change you and break the crust from around your heart. Here is what I know! The spiritual changes that happen in you and I are initiated by God, not by anything we do. We change from the inside out, a heart change, to an action change. The things we say and the things we do. It is a change to obedience. The job we have as parents, grandparents and teachers, is to ensure that our young treasures hear the gospel as God intended and to guide them in its ways. To my grandmother friend, I say, Pray, pray pray, love, love, love and watch God change hearts! - Chuck Heeke
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Childrens Ministry

[ K-3rd grade]

Showing you can be trusted with whats expected of you.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. - Luke 16:10

Mays Virtue: Responsibility Junes Virtue: Trust

Putting your condence in someone you can depend on.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the rst and greatest commandment. - Matthew 22:37-38

Preschool Ministry
Parent Time | May

[Ages 0-5]

May Memory Verse: Learn to do what is right. - Isaiah 1:17

This month we are teaching our preschoolers to Learn to do what is right, (Isaiah 1:17). As parents, dont you want your children to do whats right? Of course you do. However, as you may have already discovered, you cant do it alone. With tiny ones, it is hard to imagine a day that they are not constantly with us; a day when we are not the only ones pouring into their emotional and spiritual development; a day when that little voice is not calling our name (constantly). But that day is coming, and sooner than we think. Someday soon, our little treasures are going to look elsewhere for wisdom, for advice, for acceptance, for love. They are going to seek other adults to speak into their lives. Who do you want these adults to be? Believe it or not, you have inuence on who will ll this need. Surround your child with loving adults who genuinely care for your child, who want to see their relationship with Christ grow. Extended family members like aunts, uncles and grandparents are obvious choices. However, dont forget those leaders the church may provide: small group leaders, friends from your small group. These relationships can have an amazing impact on your childs spiritual growth.

June Memory Verse: You made the world and everything in it. - Psalm 89:11

Parent Time | June

God made everything! That means He made you, your family, your friends, your kids. And, He made this great big, amazing world for you to enjoy and explore, and experience! Are you experiencing it- this world, your kids, your family? Are you building relationships with your preschoolers? Are you enjoying the awesome world God made? So often the busyness of life takes over and we dont see the beautiful sunsets; we dont take our child by the hand for a walk down the street; we dont lie on the oor watching sunbeams and eating animal crackers. We dont stop, take a deep breath and concentrate on what matters most- our relationships, with our loved ones and our Heavenly Father.

We are in need of volunteers in our childrens department

Preschool Director [Ages 0-5] | 812.987.3790 | [email protected]

Tracy Blackburn

305 Oliver St. Corydon, IN 47112

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 143 CORYDON, IN 47112

SERVICE TIMES
Saturday 6p
Weekend Worship Experience Childrens Programs [Ages 0-6th grade] Adult Bible Class

Sunday 9a
Weekend Worship Experience Childrens Programs [Ages 0-6th grade] Adult Bible Classes

Sunday 10:45a [As of 3-18]

Weekend Worship Experience Childrens Programs [Ages 0-6th grade] Student Programs [7th-8th grade] Adult Bible Classes

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8a-4p

Office Staff
Randy Kirk, Senior Minister Vince Garmon, Connections Minister Matthew Erxleben, Student Minister Jesse Barnett, Childrens Minister Tracy Blackburn, Preschool Director Angie Nachreiner, Office Manager Danielle Allen, Publications Secretary Becky Tucker, Financial Secretary

Average Attendance and Offering

Month
March April
Year to date New Members:

2012

Attendance
611 661
15

Offering
$13,077.63 $12,602.32
Year to date Baptisms:

30,000 Reasons
$ 6,977.09 $ 5,099.63
11

First Capital Christian Church | 305 Oliver St. | Corydon, IN 47112 | phone: 812.738.1869 | fax: 812.738.7985 toll free: 1.866.897.5070 | email: [email protected] | web: firstcapitalchristian.org