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PAST AND PRESENT COPIES OF THE FELLOWSHIP NEWS MAY BE VIEWED AT www.scribd.com
2014 - ISSUE 02 January 22, 2014

Bixby Knolls Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) (562) 426-0428

Instead of the flag, we will let our community know that we welcome and affirm ALL Gods children through online advertising, marquee Dear Church, In recent weeks, your church board, elders, and staff have been in discussion regarding ways we can best live out our identity as an Open and Affirming congregation. As you know, Bixby Knolls Christian Church is one of the most diverse small congregations in the country, and last October we voted to officially recognize & celebrate that by declaring ourselves Open and Affirming. One of the decisions made has been to remove the rainbow flag that had been planted next to the street. This was done for several reasons. One reason is that flag, we felt, did not adequately convey the message that we are a church for ALL people. (Last week, the West Hollywood city council which is 80% gay voted to take down their rainbow flag for a similar reason). Another reason is (Indeed, last that the flag was located on city property. week city crews were trimming trees along the street, and now are appearing to prepare for other work on the roads and sidewalks, including right where our flag was planted.) announcements, and giant banners placed against the church building. In addition, BKCC is listed in online directories of open and affirming churches. I have been in communication with Mark Johnston, the director of Open & Affirming Ministries with GLAD (Gay, Lesbian & Affirming Disciples), who has let me know that he is impressed by all that BKCC is doing to let our community know that this is a place where all are welcome. This is a message that is important for us to share, and we will continually evaluate and discern the best ways for us to do that. In addition, I have personally undertaken a crazy project to place a message on the huge billboard located at Atlantic Avenue & Marshall Street that says LOVE is for EVERYONE. For at least one month, instead of an ad, the people of Bixby Knolls will look up at that billboard and see this positive message. Look for me at next months First Friday raising funds for this! Furthermore, your worship team has begun brainstorming ways we can celebrate our diversity when we

gather on Sunday mornings. We have, for many years, had special presentations during African-American history month; now, we hope to incorporate special presentations all year-long, for things like Autism Awareness, Gay Pride, Asian heritage, and more. If there is a form of diversity you would like highlighted one Sunday in worship, let us know, as this is (and probably always will be!) a work in progress. The message that LOVE is for EVERYONE is what God has called us to proclaim. And we are doing just that! Last week, as I put together the images that accompany my sermon, I did a google image search using the phrase, love is for everyone. What a pleasant surprise to see that one of the images that came up in the search was from the BKCC website! I am so thankful for the ministry we share, and I look forward to the year ahead! Blessings, Pastor Danny P.S. The very first special Sunday is this coming Sunday, January 26. Why is it special? Because its my 43rd birthday! And yes, I do expect a lot of presence! there?) (See what I did

Just a January Hymnote!

For many years now I have done a study of Church Hymnals (hermnals for some) and their content. When looking for special songs for celebrated Sundays, not Easter, Advent, Pentecost or any of the other biggies.unusual hymn titles from our Chalice hymnal pop out and are noticed! When searching last week for Dannys sermon based on Isaiah the great title Sometimes God Begins a Project jumped to the forefront. It was also Martin Luther King weekend and the hymn Here Hangs a Man Discarded came to my attention. Obviously that is about Good Friday but some Monday mornings things take a curious twist. There are several indexes in the back of the hymnal, alphabetical by first line and title, topical index.. which is always a challenge for instant when you look up Pentecost or Christmas it says see Christian year and then gives a listing of pages not hymns titles Then there is the Metrical Index that lists the tune melodies mostly from old English tunes and Gregorian tunes and the Scripture reference page (which is actually very helpful but limited). The ever popular Index of Worship Materials by Category which allows us over 40 hymns for prayer, one for confession, 2 for praise and only one for Welcoming of New members.maybe thats why they created the Chalice Praise! The first hymn title that caught my eye 10 years ago was Stand By Me. As a child of the Seventies I always think of Otis Reddings version and of course the movie of the same name. My husband frequently commented about how that was so much like his childhood in Southern Illinois, without the dead body of course! But our hymnal isnt exactly listing that version! The various versions in many foreign languages are always fun to find Thuma Mina comes to mind as my one daughter, when she was younger, thought it was a misprint for Thumbelina. Pastor Danny is well versed here but yet the praise song Fear Not was foreign to him. So you see we ALL are learning new hymns, songs and choruses. Then there are the hymns I tease the worship team with every week like Ship of Zion are we sailing this week? and the ever popular Sing my Song Backwards I guess the most surprising thing about our politically correct hymnal (which is a challenge at Christmas) is when you check the listing for Women under the topical index, the very first hymn listed is Faith of our Fathers followed by Help Us accept Each Other Maybe we are already more opening and affirming than we thought! So understand that our Hymnal is a source which we may never completely delve the depths of but we will try!!!!! Barb

Christian Womens Fellowship (CWF)

All women of the church are invited to participate in any CWF group. The Mary group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 9:30 am in room 115. The Esther group meets on the second Thursday at 11:00am. The evening Ruth group meets on the third Tuesday at 7:00pm. The Mary and Esther group are currently studying the book of Exodus. The Esther group also leads the Prayer Circle on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday at 10am. All members of the church are welcome to join us at this time of praying for our church, family, and needs in our world.

For everything a season

Wanting his sons to learn not to judge too quickly, a man sent each, in turn, on a quest to look at a pear tree far away and report what he saw. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer and the fourth in fall. Finally, the father gathered the young men together. What did you see? he asked. The first son reported seeing an ugly tree, bent and lifeless. The second disagreed, saying it was budding with fresh new life. The third son reported finding a tree laden with sweet-smelling, beautiful blossoms, while the fourth insisted it drooped with ripe fruit. The father said his sons were all correct, for theyd seen the same tree, though at different seasons of its life. Dont judge a tree or a person based on just one season of life, he counseled his children. Who they are can only be known at the end, when all lifes seasons have been lived. Furthermore, he added, dont give up on your own life if you experience a hard season, such as winter, or youll miss out on the renewal of spring, the joy of summer, the fulfillment of autumn.
Taken from The Newsletter Newlsetter, Jan 2014

Every Wednesday at 6pm. This is so weekly event

open to the whole community, invite a neighbor! There is no set price, although a basket is available for donations to cover the costs.
January 26 Matthew 4:12-23

Seek first
Seek first the kingdom of wealth, and youll worry over every dollar. Seek first the kingdom of health, and youll sweat every blemish and bump. Seek first the kingdom of popularity, and youll relive every conflict. Seek first the kingdom of safety, and youll jump at every crack of the twig. But seek first [Gods] kingdom, and you will find it. On that, we can depend and never worry. Max Lucado, Fearless

February 2 Matthew 5:1-12

The SOUPER BOWL of Caring is a national project to collect donations for the poor on Super Bowl Sunday. Just bring a one dollar bill OR a non-perishable food item with you to church on Feb. 2, and place it in the large soup pots our youth will have with them that day. All items & money donated will be given to those in need here in the Long Beach area. Thanks!

Many thanks for the prayers, calls and cards during my recent illness. Yes. I did get the flu shot but obviously it wasnt the right one. Your friendship is a special blessing to me. Betty Jo

Tom Dickison, the brother of Bob Dickison, passed away earlier this month. Bob and Shirley thank everyone for their prayers.

Regional Events
to mark on your calendar!
Elders & Deacons Learning Event
The PSWR Leadership Development Committee invites you to an Elders and Deacons Learning Event on March 1, 2014 at East Whittier Christian Church, 10am-3pm. Rev. Jose Morales will be the guest speaker. This event is free but your RSVP is requested for an accurate meal count. RSVP to Linda Gardner (linda@heareveryvoice.com)

2014 Summer Camp at Loch Leven

June 29-July 5: Junior (grades 4-6) July 6-9: Mini (grades 2-3) July 6-9: Special Needs July 10-12: Parent/child July 13-19: Chi-Rho (grades 7-8) July 20-26: CYF 1 (grades 9-10) July 27-Aug 2: CYF 2 (grades 11-12 & 14 grads)

CCEJ Interfaith Breakfast

The California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) is a human relations organization dedicated to eliminating bias, bigotry and racism in America. Among CCEJs many programs is a special Building Bridges camp, which at least one BKCC youth has attended. The 23rd Annual CCEJ Interfaith/Intercultural Breakfast will take place Tuesday, February 11, at the Grand Ballroom of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Featured speaker for this years breakfast is civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson, Jr. Pastor Danny has attended this breakfast the past several years, and this year he and Ginger invite you to join them. talk to Pastor Danny. For more information, go to www.cacej.org and click on Interfaith Breakfast, or

Founders Day at Chapman University

is an annual event sponsored by the Office of Church Relations, connecting students, faculty and community members with an outstanding scholar in the area of religion and a renewal and reunion event for Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ. In 2014, the Founders Education Day will be extended because of a partnership with Chapman's Department of Religious Studies. The scholar is John Dominic Crossan. Founders Day is March 13-15. More details, including a schedule of the days' events are available online at www.chapman.edu/about/churchrelations. Registration is open now!

Youth News
Prayer Concerns:
Ester Troxel, Sumbal Sardar, Keri Clark, Virginia Lalla, Sean May, Charlie Edwards, Nargis & family in Pakistan, Janie Oden (G. Kobel), Keri France & Ellis Spikes, Jr. (A. Hillig) Old holiday cards can Help a needy child thrive! St. Judes Ranch for Children will be glad to take some of those Christmas cards from friends and family. They will be repurposed into brand-new cards by the kids who live there and then sold on their website. Proceeds help support the ranch and its programs for children in need. Send your cards to St. Judes Ranch for Children Recycled Card Program, 100 St. Judes Street, Boulder City, NV 89005

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the power of one.

One kind word.

Feb Camp! Registration forms are available; pick one up at church. FebCamp is a weekend retreat for high school youth, and takes place Feb. 17-21. Please turn in registration forms by Jan. 26. Upcoming events Jan. 26 Praxis (high school), 8:15 a.m. Feb. 2 Hero Training Academy school), 8:15 a.m.

One caring act. One understanding glance. One amazing smile. One bit of advice. Just one can turn someones day, week or even life around. Especially when it s coming from you! Just one person can make a difference. You already have!

Scout Sunday: Feb. 2

The first Sunday in February the Sunday closest to the founding of the Boy Scouts of America is Scout Sunday, and we at Bixby Knolls Christian Church are pleased to welcome the scouts of Troop 29 and Ship 529, two scouting units that are chartered to Bixby Knolls Christian Church. (In case you dont know what that means, it means that these two scouting units are official ministries of our congregation!) Scouts from other units may also be present as well. So please join us for Scout Sunday worship on Feb. 2 at 10:15. The scouts are even planning a reception with special refreshments for us after the service!

Upcoming Sunday Service Schedule Jan 26 - Worship Leader - Lillian Hester Stewardship/ Counting Elder - Lillian Hester Communion Elder - Gretchen Rugh Deacons - Chrysan Naw, Leo Dittemore, Thunder Htin, Sumbal Sardar Counting Deacon - Sumbal Sardar +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Feb 2 - Worship Leader - Gretchen Rugh Stewardship / Counting Elder - Betsy Hillig Communion Elder - Hazel Torres Deacons - Ginger Bradfied, Ethan Bradfield, Ken Brown Counting Deacon - Ginger Bradfield

In the last issue of the Fellowship News, the staff expressed its appreciation for the Christmas gift given to the staff from the congregation. Christine Perkinson was inadvertently left off the list. I do apologize as Christine is equally appreciative.

ACTIVITIES

Submit your articles for the next newsletter by February 2, 2014

The Fellowship News A publication of Bixby Knolls Christian Church of Long Beach (a Disciples of Christ Church) 1240 E. Carson Street Long Beach, CA 90807 www.bixbyknollschurch.org Editor: Monica Lanz 562-426-0428 bkcchurch@aol.com fax 562-426-0429 Pastor: Daniel Bradfield The Fellowship News is published twice monthly.

Check us out on Facebook

www.facebook.com/bixbyknollschurch website: www.bixbyknollschurch.org

Lillie Bray

Feb 7

Jannine Swanson Feb 8 Lesley Reese Feb 19 Chuck & Linda Fowler - Feb 7 - 44 yrs. Tom & Betsy Hillig - Feb 14 - 44 yrs.

Bixby Knolls Vision Statement To know what the Lord requires of us; to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)

BIXBY KNOLLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH

CHURCH STAFF:

(Disciples of Christ)

SUNDAY SCHEDULE: 9:00 a.m. Sunday School for Adults 10:15 a.m. Morning Worship and Childrens Church OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Friday closed

BOARD OFFICERS: Ken Brown Pastor Daniel Bradfield -Board President -Minister Leo Dittemore Monica Lanz -Vice President -Church Secretary Pat Cohen Barbara Neal-Peebles -Secretary -Music Director/Organist Angela Hillig Christine Perkinson - Treasurer - Church Child Care Chrysan Naw Suzie Romero - Financial Secretary - Custodian -Church Clerk