First Christian Church
P. O. Box 135
203 Pine Street
Carterville, Illinois 62918
618.985.2328
The Church That Cares
H
orses have a pecking order. I
guess a lot of animals have one in the
group who is dominant. Ants have their
queens. But I don’t know of any animal
where the dominant feature is as
pronounced as it is in horses. You can
tell almost immediately in a group of
horses which one is the boss.
orothy has had a large mare for several years,
and that mare has been the dominant horse with every
horse that has been on the Johnson horse farm. Her
name is Rose, and several horses have come and gone
through the years, and Rose always immediately lets
them know who is boss. They don’t eat where she is
eating, and whenever she wants a drink, the other horses
clear out fast. Rose is a large horse, and she throws her
weight around.
D
U
ntil recently, we were down to one horse,
Rose. Then Dorothy found a small horse that she liked
and brought it home. Rose kind of towers over her, and
began immediately to teach the new horse who was in
charge. The new mare took it for about half a day, and
then something happened that we thought we would
never see. The new horse fought back. When this new
little mare turns her tail to whatever is invading her spot
(in this case Rose) her back feet lift off the ground and
resemble a chain saw in action. It was no time at all until
the new gal on the block was leading the pack.
T
he apostles had a similar confrontation with
one another. The scripture says, “A dispute arose among
them as to which one of them was considered to be the
greatest” (Luke 22:24). The disciples still did not
understand the Kingdom of God and were envisioning a
kingdom on the earth where they would be appointed to
high positions.
I
t’s easy to come to that way of thinking. Our
whole society is based on that – someone is the leader,
the boss. And so it spills over into the church. Jesus told
his apostles that the Kingdom of God isn’t like that. In
God’s Kingdom, the greatest are the servants. It all boils
down to letting God be sovereign in our lives and in the
church.
2011 Events
Wednesday morning Bible Study: Every Wednesday at
7:45 a.m. at Country Cupboard.
“Eats with Sinners” Seminar: Saturday, February 5, Herrin
First Christian Church. Learn how to witness to friends in a
natural way.
Elders’s Prayer and Meeting: Saturday, February 5 at 3:00
p.m. Anyone is invited to come and be prayed for
Elder’s Meeting will be at 4:00 p.m.
Contemporary Worship: Sunday, February 6 at 9:30 a.m.
“Souper Bowl of Caring”: Sunday, February 6 - Special
offering for benevolence. Half of the offering goes to the
Ministerial Alliance and half to our own church Benevolence
Fund.
Men’s Regional Worship Service: Monday, February 7, at
6:30 p.m. at Christian Covenant Fellowship.
Carterville High School Senior Citizen Valentine
Banquet: Friday, February 11 at 12:00 noon at Carterville High
School. R.S.V.P. by calling 985-2940.
All-Church Fellowship Night: We will have an all-church
fellowship night on Saturday, February 12 at 5:30 p.m. We will
need volunteers to bring a pot of soup or chili and some
desserts. After dinner, we will play Bingo. A great time of fun
and fellowship is guaranteed!
Board Meeting: Sunday, February 13 at 11:30 a.m.
Valentine’s Day: Monday, February 14.
Choir Practice: We will begin choir practice for an Easter
musical on Tuesday, February 15 at 6:45 p.m. We will practice
each Tuesday evening.
Installation and Ordination of 2011 Elders and Deacons:
Sunday, February 20 during the morning worship service.
FCC’s Fun, Fellowship & Food Night: “Remember How Good
Life Can Taste” – February 24 – 6:00 p.m.
Encouragement Ministries: Sunday, February 27 at
5:00 p.m.
Meals on Wheels: February 28 – March 4.
Loving you and our Lord,
Max
Try something new …
Push your own limits …
Stop saying “I can’t” and …
February Sermon Series – “Our God Is Sovereign”
Sunday, February 6 – “Look What I Found!
(God’s Sovereignty in Scripture) – (II Kings 22:1-23:3).
Sunday, February 13 – “You Are My Valentine”
(God’s Sovereignty Over My Love Life) – (Hosea I-3).
Sunday, February 20 – “I Am the King!”
(God’s Sovereignty in Leadership) – (James 2:1-13).
Sunday, February 27 – “Sometimes Commitment Is Tough To Chew” –
(God’s Sovereignty in Commitment) – (John 6:47-69).
“REMEMBER HOW GOOD LIFE CAN TASTE”.
We had our first ‘Fun, Fellowship & Food’ night on
Thursday, January 27. It was a huge success! We
ended up serving 50 people …. about 15 that came
and ate and about 35 carry-outs. Chef Lee’s “Baked
Ziti” was delicious! If anyone would like to have the
recipe, please see Eunice Lantagne. Our next
scheduled night is February 24. Plan on joining us
or asking for a delivery!
FACTS & FIGURES
The purpose of the First Christian Church is:
Morning Worship
 to win the lost to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
 to educate the saved in the word;
 to encourage each other and help sustain our faith by using our
God-given talents; and,
 to strive to be a role model within the community by ministering
to those in need.
.
January 2
January 9
January 16
January 23
January 30
January Average
55
72
67
75
72
68
Sunday School
N/C
22
N/C
21
N/C
22