Compiled by Chris Moon
and Jim Nieman
First Christian Church of Decatur, Ill., took a moment between regular services Sunday to mark the 185th anniversary of the congregation and 25th year of service by lead pastor Wayne Kent and his wife, Leslie.
“The original home of the congregation was the log courthouse in Decatur, where Abraham Lincoln practiced law,” Morgan Arseneau, the church’s discipleship assistant, told the Herald & Review.
Church members had their choice of celebratory cupcakes marked with either “185” for the church anniversary or “25” for the Kents’ silver jubilee.
“The word of God never changes, but you have got to grow and change, and you can’t stay where you are,” said Leslie Kent, looking back at the strides the church has made over the years. “We’ve always followed what God has called us to do.”
See more pictures on FCC’s Facebook page.
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An ongoing sermon series at Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, was mentioned in a local news story about how the government shutdown was affecting families’ financial well-being.
Crossroads pastor Barry Cameron is preaching a series called “Broke Is Normal. Don’t Be Normal. Be Weird!” CBS DFW included a clip of Cameron’s first sermon in the series as part of a story about workers living paycheck to paycheck.
“Money becomes a dark pit of worry, fear, anxiety,” Cameron said in his sermon.
The church has been promoting its series on its Facebook page: “Want to have the greatest year ever in 2019? You’re going to have to BE WEIRD! . . . Invite your normal friends and family to come be weird with you!”
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North Terrace Church of Christ in Zanesville, Ohio, made a large donation of paper towels to a local food assistance program.
The church asked Christ’s Table, which provides warm meals to those in need, how the church could help. The response: paper towels.
“And we said, alright we’re in,” said lead minister Chris Steele to WHIZ News, the local NBC affiliate.
The church last week showed up at Christ’s Table with a trailer filled with rolls of paper towels gathered throughout the Christmas season and during the church’s Christmas Eve services.
“It is essential that we partner together,” Steele told the news station.
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A Johnson University student was featured in a USA Today article about how the government shutdown has been affecting college students.
Haley Church, a senior at Johnson University, described the difficulty she encountered in applying for federal financial aid. She described going to the local IRS office for documents that she needed.
“The office was dark, and there was no one there,” Church said.
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Milligan College will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by having its students volunteer with 10 local community service organizations during a four-day period, Jan. 18-21.
The work will include packing food for those in need, helping with construction projects for low-income families, and working in after-school programs for children.
Milligan also will recognize nine local leaders as part of its “Leaders in Christian Service” program, which will be held Thursday. Ethan Magness, senior minister at First Christian Church in Johnson City, Tenn., will be the keynote speaker at the event.
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Maryland Community Church in Terre Haute, Ind., is hosting a “Soup Bowl Benefit” on Feb. 2 that is raising money for the Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank. Tickets are $25 for a hand-crafted bowl and soup. (The Super Bowl—the football game, that is—will be Sunday, Feb. 3.)
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First Christian Church in Champaign, Ill., on Feb. 8 will host the annual “Night to Shine” prom for students with special needs.
The church is one of 655 worldwide that will sponsor the event that will host about 100,000 students, according to the News-Gazette. “Night to Shine” is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation.
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The Florida Bible Conference, “Action in Acts,” will take place Jan. 22-24 at Kissimmee (Fla.) Christian Church. Speakers will include Johnny Pressley, Mike Shannon, Mark Atteberry, and Jim Book, among others. The conference is sponsored by the Central Florida Ministers and the Christian Restoration Association. For more information, email [email protected].
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Former NFL quarterback Chris Miller graduated in December from Northwest Christian University—30 years after he started working on a bachelor’s degree, according to KVAL. Miller was a standout quarterback at the University of Oregon and was selected in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played in the NFL for a decade and later was quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals. A college degree opens the door for Miller to coach in college, according to The Oregonian.
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