Disciples of Christ    Springfield, IL

First Christian Church

Our Ministries

                  How We Serve

One way to evaluate any church is to review its commitment to and the spirituality of the programs and ministries that it supports. Some programs and ministries, although just as important, may not receive the recognition of the more traditional ones. As children of God we have been challenged to minister to all people including the underprivileged, the sick, those suffering from injustice, and the unsaved. First Christian Church takes God’s challenge very seriously. The following represents a sampling of the programs and ministries of First Christian Church including:

· Children’s ministries

· Youth ministries

· Adult ministries

· Small Group ministries

 

First Christian Church is a wonderful environment to raise children. Our caring and loving church family is blessed by the gifts our children bring. The following ministries are offered to children:

Nursery

Our nursery is colorful, clean and spacious. Two adults are in attendance during both Church School and Worship with ample toys and equipment for toddlers as well as appropriate furnishings for infants.

Preschool (Ages 3 to Kindergarten)

We learn about God’s love and how to share it with others. We learn through our weekly lessons, playing, singing, and sharing. This classroom is a fun environment for children to learn about the love of God. (This group meets for Church School at 9:30 am and during Worship following the Children’s moment.)

Alpha Beta (First—Fourth Grades)

This group learns about God and the Bible through the “One Room Sunday School” curriculum. This multi-sensory experience allows youth to explore creatively the message of Jesus Christ for their lives. Through lessons, worship, crafts, and other activities, this class has a “hands-on” approach to learning. (This class meets during Church School at 9:30 am and during Worship following the Children’s moment.)

These youth also have a fellowship group, Alpha Beta or Alpha Bees, which meets on the first Sunday every month after worship until 1:30 pm. Lunch is included. There are occasionally other supervised events outside of the church. We welcome all new faces!  - We do not meet during the Summer.

First Christian Church supports many youth activities. We find our Youth Ministries to be a crucial part of faith and spiritual development. We encourage a wide range of activities from Bible Study to Fellowship to Outreach. The following programs are available to all youth:

Chi-Rho (Junior High School—Fifth thru Eighth Grades)

The youth in these grades meet for Church School in Room 301 on the third floor at 9:15 am. This group learns about God in relationship to their lives, especially in dealing with the complex issues of teenage development.

The Chi-Rho group meets the first Sunday of each month following worship (excluding summer). Check out our youth designed Chi-Rho room with comfortable furniture, a beautiful mural (painted by the youth), and the latest in electronic technology. It’s a great place to gather in fellowship with other Christian youth. Lunch is included for our regularly scheduled meetings. We also participate in several other activities both in fellowship an din outreach to our community. There are opportunities for church camp during the summer. We welcome all new faces! 

CYF—Christian Youth Fellowship (Senior High School)

The CYF youth (grades 9-12) meet in the youth recreation room located near the Fellowship Hall in the lower level of the church. The lessons include in-depth Bible Studies as well as topics that affect our youth today.

This group also meets every week for fellowship time. (excluding summer)

On the first and third Sundays, the CYF meets after worship until 1:30 pm (lunch included) and on the second and fourth Sundays from 4:00 –5:30 pm (excluding summer). There are also several exciting activities such as skiing, canoeing, concerts, and church camp. Come join us! 

Since we are always on a journey of spiritual growth and faith development, First Christian Church also supports several ministries for adults. The following programs are available to adults:

Adult Church School

Forum

The forum Class is geared toward our “golden year” adults. This class meets in the Library off of the Fellowship Hall for a traditional Bible Study. The members of this class also have an occasional social gathering. This class is facilitated by Tom Johnson.

3-D (Developing Deeper Disciples)

3-D meets in Room 201 on the second level of the church. This class is open to adults of all ages. This class is facilitated by Marcia Monier and is currently studying a series that is an overview of the whole Bible that will last 22 weeks. The study will include video lectures from Dr. Mickey Efird, professor at Duke Divinity School, teacher of new pastors for over 40 years, and author of 13 books. But Mickey, as he likes to be called, is best known for the warm, insightful, and humorous Bible studies he has conducted in churches of many denominations for thousands of Christians .

Revolutionary Parenting

As parents our deepest desire is to raise children who succeed in life.  This is also our greatest challenge.  How can we foster traits such as honesty, compassion, and dedication in young minds?  How can we raise children who will love and serve God as adults?  How can we develop future spiritual champions?  The Revolutionary Parenting Sunday School class beginning Sunday, October 11th at 9:15 A.M. in the Couples Room (off of Fellowship Hall) will help you create a plan for your family to just that.  The resources used in this class are designed to help you build a solid foundation of faith in your child.   This is an 8-week journey to creating a parenting plan that is unique to your children.  So whether you're the parent of a newborn, a teenager, or any age in between, join the revolution, and share a lasting legacy of faith with your children! 

Adult Fellowship Opportunities

Disciples Men

Disciples Men provides the opportunity for all men of First Christian Church to join in ministries of personal growth and service. Activities range from study and prayer to initiating building improvements.

Meetings are held monthly alternating the first Monday evening and the first Saturday morning. (See the calendar for exact dates and times).

Velcro

The Young Adult Ministry of First Christian Church (a.k.a. Velcro) will be resuming Thursday, October 8th from 6-8 P.M. Location: TBA.  It will be a great time to reconnect from a summer apart and fellowship with one another.  Rev. Becky will be serving a couple of varieties of chili (traditional and white).  Please bring a dish to pass along with that.  As always, childcare will be provided.  Come join the fun!

Bookmarkables

This ladies group chooses a different fiction book each month, reads it individually and then meets for discussion and fellowship.

This group meets the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm...watch the announcements for  book title, location and hostess information. You can also always call the church office for details!

Bless That Stitch

This group is FCC’s Prayer Shawl Ministry that takes the time and talent to help create the peace and security of a blanket for those in need. Imagine the power of a shawl that has been made with a specific person in mind. This shawl has been prayed over as is the recipient of this gift of unconditional love.

This ministry is open to anyone who would like to participate. Bless That Stitch ministers by creating a shawl for those who are ill, homebound, or in need of comforting touch of their church family. Regardless of your knitting or crocheting ability, there are opportunities for anyone! This is a powerful ministry opportunity that can bring so much healing to so many! This group is not meeting during the summer, but they are continuing to knit and crochet...if you are interested in participating, please call the church office.

Room Service

This wonderful group of ladies prepares meals in advance and serves members of our congregation with meals when they are coming home from the hospital or other times of need.

At First Christian Church we feel that it is important to build and strengthen each person in their walk for Faith, but we know how important it is to build a strong Christian family as well! We have a Family Night, once a quarter when we invite all of our families with children ages birth through high school to gather. There is a meal, and a theme for that evening. It is filled with games or crafts, discussion, devotion and fun! It is a great way to bond with other families and encourage and grow together! The next Family Night is scheduled for October 23rd at 6:00 pm.

First Christian Church believes that God commands us to help others. As such, we have a very active outreach program.

The World and Local Outreach Department serves as a congregational resource for interpreting budgeted Basic Mission Finance giving and creatively encouraging individual giving (Special Day Offering). This department strives to educate the congregation on both world and local service opportunities, promote participation in General, Regional, and Cluster events and maintain a scholarship program for students who are members of our congregation to attend Disciple’s colleges and seminaries. Outreach promotes use of the church building for community programs, coordinates in-church outreach projects, and encourages service work in the community.

First Christian Church has an extensive collection of spiritual and inspirational books in its library. Mary Moyer, a retired librarian and member of First Christian Church, with the assistance of volunteers, catalogued and labeled the entire book collection in the 1970s. At the time, the collection was displayed in many areas of the church. In 1997, the library was consolidated and relocated to the lower level of the church. Currently, there are more than 10,000 volumes of books, videos, compact disks, audio cassettes and a few phonograph records and CD-ROMs. The library has been automated under the watchful eye of current librarian, Marianne Stowers, who welcomes all church attendees to use this great resource. The library operates on a self-service basis. (Other helpful hands in the library: Joanne Hott & Eileen Hahn).

The Marriage Ministry

We believe that First Christian Church has one of the best marriage ministries in the Springfield area. This belief is validated by the numerous weddings conducted by Reverends Irwin & Sundquist each year. Word has spread in the Springfield community about our beautiful sanctuary and elegant ceremonies.

Couples are required to attend an eight week component class called “Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts” (SYMBIS) prior to their weddings. We believe that this class is valuable in preparing the bride and groom for their future life together. Participants from past classes have given the class very high marks.

The wedding ministry at First Christian Church is attracting many new couples as the calendar for 2010 is filling very rapidly. Many of the couples from this program have become active members of First Christian Church.

Contact First Christian Church for additional information. You can also see the Wedding page for information on guidelines, fees and policies.

First Christian Church is wonderfully blessed with an outstanding music ministry. For many years, our choirs have provided our congregation with a variety of musical experiences, including choral and instrumental music for regular worship services, seasonal cantatas, full production musicals, and concerts on Christmas Eve and other special occasions. We take pride that our musical history includes all types of music ranging from classical to gospel to contemporary.

Our music staff includes; choir director, Marty Harris, organists, David Mitchell and Alaina Heitz, pianist and director of the “Grateful Bread” band (which includes Rev. Rick Irwin on the bass and Stacy Chastain on the drums), Jane Hartman Irwin.

Guided by the music staff, our congregation joins together to raise their musical talents through praise choruses, hymns, anthems, and vocal &/or instrumental ensembles. We desire to blend the best music styles from traditional hymns to contemporary expressions of worship and praise.

First Christian Church has two adult choirs, one vocal and one handbell choir; both share a deep commitment to music in worship. Comprised of adults, college and high school students. Sanctuary Choir practices on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and the Handbell Choir practices on Sundays at 8:55 am.  All are invited to serve and share their talents in music by joining a choir.

The church is blessed to have a magnificent 44-rank Moeller-Dial pipe organ which has been enlarged to include some new pipe work and state of the art electronics. We also possess a three-octave set of Schulmerich handbells, as well as a set of Malmark Choir chimes.

· Outreach Ministries

· Music Ministries

· Library

Puppet Ministry (First thru Eighth grade)

FCC has a puppeteer ministry for our youth as well. They meet on the third Sunday of each month until 1:30 pm. Lunch is provided.