First Christian Church in Lamar, Mo.—which just celebrated its 150th anniversary—is planning a $2 million Family Life Center. An April 18 special offering helped push gifts received to about $1 million thus far, with $300,000-plus committed over the next three years, said lead minister Dru Ashwell.
“Thirty years ago, we discussed adding a Family Life Center, and it never gained traction,” Ashwell said. “Two years ago, our leadership began discussing it again and it gained a lot of momentum.” Many anticipated the pandemic would put plans on the back burner, but “God continued to lead us in the direction of moving forward, and earlier this year we committed to an initial expense of $820,000 to prepare the building site and at least erect the shell of the FLC.”
The center will be able to accommodate 500 at round tables and about 1,000 at large gatherings.
“In addition to the cost of this new addition,” Ashwell said, “our leadership prayerfully committed to step out in faith and dedicate an additional amount to missions over the course of the next three years—a tithe of whatever the cost of the project will be.”
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News Briefs
Jacob Marquart, a senior at Point University in West Point, Ga., gave an excellent presentation last Wednesday telling about growing up with and working to overcome challenges associated with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. His talk, available for viewing on Facebook, was an Autism Acceptance Month/Autism Awareness Event presented by Office of Disability Services and the Diversity Task Force.
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City Church OTR in Cincinnati officially launched on Easter, April 4. Chris Marlin and Tyler Chernesky are co-pastors of the Orchard Group church plant.
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The two-volume Studies in Romans is the latest offering from Jack Cottrell available via the Christian Restoration Association website. The books provide lessons for personal or group study.
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A preacher and a gardener have a lot in common,” wrote Chuck Terrill, senior minister with First Christian Church, Cassville, Mo., in a column for the Cassville Democrat recently.
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The Lookout Sunday School Lesson material formerly available as part of our print magazine continues to be posted online weekly. Each month we also will create a PDF of the following month’s lesson material that will be sent in advance to subscribers who request it. Sign up for the easy-to-print PDF by clicking “+The Lookout Study” at https://list.robly.com.
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About 1,600 attended as Southeast Christian Church launched its new Shelby County Campus in Shelbyville, Ky., on April 18. SECC now has 14 campuses.
“I met a lot of people where they’re trying church again for the first time after as much as a decade away,” campus pastor Max Semenick told the Southeast Outlook.
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IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) is striving to raise $150,000 and line up skilled volunteers to help repair 30 homes damaged by two hurricanes that struck the Lake Charles, La., region in 2020.
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On its Serve Day, Antioch Christian Church in Iowa helped Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent start construction of a home for a refugee from Kenya who came to Cedar Rapids about five years ago, www.KCRG.com reported. More than 80 volunteers came out Saturday to build walls for the home.
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Sherwood Oaks Christian Church’s campus in Bedford, Ind., was the site of the 2021 Senior Fair sponsored by three radio stations last week.
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Rise Christian Church, Lehigh Acres, Fla., will host a Second Chances Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday for those who were formerly incarcerated or have a barrier to finding employment. The job fair also includes free one-on-one coaching and workshops, Fox4Now.com reported. “At Rise, we’re all about changed lives, and changed lives happen when second chances are offered,” the church wrote. Thursday is the Nationwide Day of Second Chances.
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Fairway Christian Church’s “For God and Country” tent rally on April 11 was featured in an article in The Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun. Rain forced the rally indoors, but that didn’t dampen preaching minister Butch Gastfield’s enthusiasm.
“This is a very special day for us, as it’s been over a year since we were put in lockdown under COVID,” Gastfield said. “Today is the first time in over a year that our congregation is together for one service under one roof. It’s great to look out there and see our church family here.”
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