The Flame

THE MAGAZINE OF CHRIST CHURCH

SPRING | 2017
 CONTENTS
4 THE SEDUCTION OF CELEBRITY 18 WHOS IT ABOUT?
CULTURE By Becky Olroyd
By Rev. Shane Bishop
19 YOU JUST GOT SERVED!
5 FOLLOW THE LEADER By Zack Funk
By Dave Merrill
21 PEACE IN SERVANTHOOD
6 FROM EMPTY SPACES By Matthew J. Lafrance
TO GODS PLACE
Interview by Carrie Gaxiola 22 YEAR OF THE SERVANT
-SERVICE AND CONNECT GROUPS
8 STOP THINKING ABOUT IT, By Pam Huff
AND JUST SERVE FOR CRYING OUT
LOUD! 23 THE MONSTERS UNDER THE BED
By Dr. Steve Heitkamp By Shelley Loring

9 THE SECRET TO CHRIST-LIKE

SERVICE: GIVE A CARE
By Jeffrey Bishop

10 CHRIST CHURCH
WELCOME HOME MINISTRY
By Phil Kingdon SENIOR PASTOR
Rev. Shane Bishop
11 ARE YOU READY TO LEAD?
THEN S.E.R.V.E. ASSOCIATE PASTOR
By Kevin Siddle Rev. Michael Wooton
For a complete listing of the
12 BE A CHEERFUL GIVER Christ Church Staff visit:
By Theresa Cavalier www.MyChristChurch.com/staff.

13 HEALED TO SERVE WORSHIP TIMES

By Jim Shoffstall Fairview Heights Campus
Sunday - 9am, 11am, & 6pm
16 BECOMING A SERVANT Saturday - 5pm
Wednesday - 6:30pm
By Dave Huff
Collinsville/Maryville Campus
17 CHRIST CHURCH Sunday - 10am
LEGACY FOUNDATION
By Alan Prass Millstadt Campus
Sunday - 10am

Scott Campus
The Flame Magazine is a quarterly magazine published by Christ Church.
Sunday - 10am
2017 Christ Church. Learn more about Christ Church at MyChristChurch.com.
EDITOR: Carrie Gaxiola DESIGN: Justin Aymer COVER: Mike Creagh
 FROM THE EDITOR
The Year of the Servant has been reso-
nating in my heart and mind since Rev.
Shane began teaching on and encourag-
ing us in the topic. Having worked in var-
ious ministry areas for many years, serv-
ing my family in many ways and being
involved in the community has always
brought a richness to my life that I would
never trade for anything. Yes, sometimes
it carries a weight that I wouldnt have
otherwise carried. Yes, it can be time-
and labor-intensive. Yes, sometimes I get
tired and need a little respite. Yes, it can
even bring a target onto my back, with
the enemy shooting his arrows relentless-
ly to hit the bullseye. But the benefits of
saying yes to serving the Lord Jesus and
serving people far outweigh any detri-
ments or risks. The joy of seeing a burden
lifted, a soul saved, being part of a larger
vision to connect people to Jesus Christ
or in reaching a family member who is
lost, simply by loving and serving, far
outweighs the burdens.
Ive also learned that in serving, my char-
acter is refined, and I have the privilege
of honing it to be more like that of the
greatest Servant who ever walked the face
of the earth: Jesus Christ. He is our lead
example of what true servanthood looks
like. He gave all so we could have all, in
the way of eternal life. He also showed
us, by His examples throughout the New
Testament, the best way to sustain that
energy and time: seeking Him first and
His kingdom.
thing new or grow to be better in a par-
ticular area in my life, one of the best
ways to do so is to spend time with those
that are farther down the road than I am.
Those who lead by example and who also
have experience and great character and
who have stood the test of time are the
people with whom I want to spend time.
Who is a greater person to start with than
Jesus?
Asking the question, Lord, what would
you have me do? Where would have you
me to serve? then listening and simply
doing what He tells you to do will bring
rewards to your life and to the lives of
others beyond what you could imagine.
As you read the pages of this issue of The
Flame, the authors will challenge you,
and prayerfully, will provoke you to good
works for the glory of God!
Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoever desires to become great among
you, let him be your servant. (Matthew
20:26, New King James Version)
In His service,
Carrie Gaxiola

When I want to learn how to do some-

Mission Of The Flame
Be inspirational through biblical articles
and devotions. Be informative in the
announcement of future events that
connect people in ministry.
The Flame Online: Questions about the Flame?
Get The Flame Magazine online. Sign Contact the Editor, Carrie Gaxiola, at:
up for email reminders of new editions. CarrieGaxiola@MyChristChurch.com
Visit MyChristChurch.com/theflame.

mychristchurch.com/theflame 3
 THE SEDUCTION OF
CELEBRITY CULTURE
I recently read about the crash and burn
of another well-known mega-church pas-
tor. It is truly heartbreaking. We have all
watched this movie before. We cry every
time. We will see it again.
I hurt for the spouse and family of the
fallen pastor. I hurt for the congrega-
tion and the thousands of people who are
just a little further from Jesus than they
were just seconds before the horrific an-
nouncement. I also hurt for the pastor. I
dont know a single pastor who accepted
the call to ministry hoping their human
weaknesses would blow everything God
has used them to build to absolute crap.
Satan laughs. Skeptics sneer. People of
faith weep. Again. It is tragic by any ac-
count. It is tragic by all accounts.
As I was reflecting upon the situation,
Matthews account of the Temptation of
Jesus came to mind. A clear theme of the
wilderness showdown between Jesus and
Satan was the lure of celebrity culture.
Satan attempted to entice Jesus to throw
off the larger mission for just a moment
to jump off the Temple so everyone
could see the angels rescue Him. It was
a straight up publicity stunt. Satan effec-
tively said, Just film the whole thing on
your iPhone, post it on YouTube, it will
go viral and you will be a star! Jesus
responded, Do not test the Lord your
God. Jesus passed the temptation of ce-
lebrity. Countless others who followed
Him would fail.
The convergence of celebrity culture,
worldwide social media and massive
congregations have certainly conspired
to distract, tempt and eventually ensnare
some of the most gifted pastors in the
country. The whole of Satans temptation
sequence was to take Jesus off mission.
To distract Jesus from the purpose of His
earthly manifestation and toward the
marketing and leveraging of it. Jumping
off the Temple and the subsequent angel
rescue clip would no doubt sell books
4 mychristchurch.com/theflame
BY REV. SHANE BISHOP
and gain Facebook friends and Twitter Keep Jesus first and everything else will
followers. It might even spark a new re- find its proper place.
ality television show. The Jesus Brand
would be benefitted immensely but the
cost would come at the expense of the Je-
sus Mission, To seek and save the lost.
There is no glory in seeking and saving
the lost. No ego candy at all.
Christian
Quite tragically, the allure of celebrity is
not limited to high profile pastors. They
are just the stories that make the news.
Every day, pastors of smaller congrega-
tions flutter, fail and fall. And tragically,
it is not just limited to pastors. The same
leaders
dynamic happens to lay church leaders
as well. I have seen it happen so many are not
celebrities,
times, especially in large churches like
ours. Service turns into local celebrity,
local celebrity turns into entitlement and
they are
entitlement turns into self-serving and
before you know it you have a divaand
a mess. And messes do damage. Messes
servants.
big and small.
So here is the big take-away:
CHRISTIAN LEADERS ARE NOT CE-
LEBRITIES, THEY ARE SERVANTS.
It is easy to get lost in celebrity culture.
Such culture can occur on the macro or
on the micro. Leaders of all shapes and
sizes must remember as a spiritual disci-
pline that we are called to be servants and Rev. Shane Bishop
we must daily recognize and die to any Senior Pastor
impulses that do not reflect the charac- facebook.com/revshane
@RevShaneBishop
ter of Christ. Impulses like the seduction
of celebrity where we endeavor to garner
glory and honor for ourselves rather than
for Christ Jesus.
In a culture that worships at the cult of
personality, Christian leaders who have
been entrusted by God with the spotlight
(big or small) must remember that celeb-
rity is precisely what Jesus rejected. Jesus
said, What should it profit a man if he
gain the whole world but lose his soul?
(Mark 8:36 KJV) It remains an excellent
question for pastors and laity alike.

Do you remember playing Follow the
Leader as a child? The one chosen as
the leader would march, or spin, or duck
down, or jump up, and all the follow-
ers would have to duplicate the leaders
actions to remain in play. If you made
a mistake by clapping twice instead of
once, or skipping instead of galloping,
then your were declared out! The pro-
cess continued until all followers were
out except for one, who became the new
leader. Anyway, thats how my neighbor-
hood played the game. Im sure you rec-
ognize a similar version.
As grown Christian believers, we are
called to follow the leader in another way.
Jesus commands us to follow Him and
we are called to drop everything in obe-
dience and faith to walk in His way and
act as He does. What does that look like?
How do we mimic the behaviors of Jesus
Christ? What did He do that we can imi-
tate? OK kids, its time to follow our lead-
er -- lets copy Him!
Jesus teaches. Recall Jesus the rabbi, the
teacher of his disciples. He served as a
mentor and an instructor. He demon-
strated how to pray, how to heal, how to
walk on water and how to drive out evil
spirits. He challenged his disciples with
parables and stories and explained the
stories they did not understand. He used
metaphors and similes to allow those
who follow to know Him and to know
the Father more completely. As the au-
thor of life, He has left us an entire in-
struction manual of His words in scrip-
ture. Whoever teaches these commands
will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven (Matthew 5:19). Jesus teaches
those who follow him and we should,
too.
Jesus loves. Jesus shows His love in all
He does and in the good gifts He gives.
When the triune God had finished cre-
ation on the sixth day, He declared it all
very good (Genesis 1:31) and rested on
FOLLOW
THE LEADER
BY DAVE MERRILL
the seventh day. Jesus follows the Father the great God of second chances and of-
Who is love. He commands us to love fers us the option to confess, repent and
the Lord our God with all our heart, and sin no more. So lets go into life following
all our mind, and all our strength, and our leader and do what He does. We are
to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus called to teach, to love, to serve and to
practices loving through the fruits of the forgive others just as He has done for us.
spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kind- Jesus is a leader worthy of following
ness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and so we should.
and self-control. Against such things
there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus Scripture quotations from The Holy Bi-
loves the Father and loves His neighbor ble, New International Version
and we should, too.
Jesus serves. Jesus sees the needs of the
world all around Him and acts to serve
those needs. For the faithful who believe
and pray Gods will be done, He heals
the sick, restores sight to the blind, caus-
es the lame to walk and raises the dead.
He turns water into wine for the wed- love, joy,
ding at Cana and He served thousands
of followers with two fish and five loaves.
peace, patience,
Jesus served His Disciples in the upper kindness,
room with a towel around His waist and
a humble spirit to wash their feet. Jesus goodness,
serves each of us daily as we remember
His death on the cross as an atonement faithfulness,
for our sins. Jesus serves those who fol-
low and we should, too.
gentleness and
self-control.
Jesus forgives. Jesus, upon seeing the
faith of His followers, is a forgiving lead- Against such
er. Jesus forgave the sins of the people
He encountered. From a prostitute (nei- things there is no
ther do I condemn you leave your life
of sin - John 8:11), to a paralytic (your
law
sins are forgiven get up and walk
- Mark 2:5,9), to even the Roman cen- (Galatians 5:22-23)
turions who hung Him on a cross and
crucified Him, Jesus said, forgive them
Father, for they know not what they do
(Luke 23:34). Jesus forgives all who con-
fess and repent and we should, too.
Therein lies the difference between the
game we may have played as a child and
those who become followers of Jesus
Christ. If we messed up in our childhood Dave Merrill
game, we were out! When we mess up facebook.com/davemerrill819
with Jesus, He is the forgiving image of
mychristchurch.com/theflame 5
 FROM EMPTY SPACES
TO GODS PLACE
SERVING CHRIST AT THE MILLSTADT CAMPUS
INTERVIEW BY CARRIE GAXIOLA

Christ Church: One church in four lo-
cations! God has done such awesome
things through each of our campus-
es throughout the region. For many
months, even years, a couple of our cam-
puses have had to set up and tear down
equipment, week after week. Tireless
man hours from the most wonderful
servant-hearted people have occurred.
We have seen God bring something out
of very little. The issue boasts no less for
our Christ Church Millstadt Campus.
Exciting things have happened and what
a better way to express that but through
our new Campus Leaders, Jon and Am-
ber Weems. I had the privilege of inter-
viewing Jon and Amber, and heres what
they have to say about their new role, the
Millstadt campus and serving Jesus.
only if you were going to be a preacher. I
have realized that being called, or having
the desire to serve God, is for any facet of
ministry. It is all important. But back to
the original question, we had moved back
from Texas to Millstadt and were attend-
ing a church in Arnold, Missouri. One
day, we saw a sign for the Christ Church
campus at the 4-way stop, and we decid-
ed to visit. Its funny, the first time we
visited, we went at the service time that
was advertised on the sign. When we got
there, the doors were locked! That was
not a good feeling! As we turned around
and were ready to leave, Bernie Kneale
was coming out of the building and told
us they were meeting outside at the pavil-
ion just for that Sunday. Weve been at the
campus ever since! The church was just
what our family was looking for. As far
as becoming leaders, we had been attend-
ing for quite some time, Jon was helping
at the main campus with the youth mid-
week and helping set up each Sunday
morning at Millstadt. At a certain point,
Larry Weber and the campus leaders
approached us to be Assistant Campus
Leaders. We prayed, people encouraged
and prayed for us, and God just con-
firmed it in our hearts. When leadership
had some changes, we prayed more than
ever and said yes to serving the Lord and
the congregation as Campus Leaders.
In keeping with this theme of the
Flame and the thrust churchwide
toward the Year of the Servant, do
you feel like being Campus Leaders
is a position of serving? Tell me, in
light of campus ministry, what does
it mean to serve or be a servant in
this role?
It absolutely is a servant role! We serve
alongside those in the congregation.
There is no hierarchy but a horizontal
team approach. Everyone at the campus
has the same goals and mission in mind.
We have a very strong core group be-
cause we have done set up/tear down on
a weekly basis for so long. We have built a
rapport, and we understand that it is not
about us, but it is 100% about connect-
ing people to Jesus. Were not here just to
lead a campus and have a title. The only
thing a little different, in a leadership po-
sition like this, is that we help equip oth-
ers to be the hands and feet of Christ. We

When did you first realize you were

called to be campus leaders?
Well, Jon had always wanted to be in
ministry but never went back to school.
In fact, Jon says, my first thoughts of
what it meant to be called was that was

6 mychristchurch.com/theflame
help to encourage people to step up and
serve, and we validate those gifts we see
in others.
How do you keep the calling fresh?
Burnout can be a factor with ser-
vant-leaders. How do you prevent
it and what do you do when youre
feeling weary?
We feed ourselves spiritually. That is the
main key. We go to the Going Deeper
service and that really fills us! With hav-
ing a 24/7 facility, there is a lot of energy,
but we realize that is not unending. We
are encouraged to take a weekend to re-
fresh and get away. We understand that
we strategically need to take a getaway
break from the responsibility of being a
leader. Even Jesus did it! We also have a
strong base at our Millstadt campus, and
in order to be effective in our leadership,
we have to delegate. We also believe that
accountability and communication is
very important.
What would you tell people who
desire to serve?
Its rewarding, not so much personally
or monetarily, but you gain a spiritu-
al closeness when you serve. If ever you
feel burnout in your serving, go back to
the where/when He called you and ask
God for the faith and clarity to press
through. If He leads you to it, He will
lead you through it! If you feel called, you
have this feeling, if you will, that it is just
right. Be aware of the little bit of doubt
because oftentimes that is the pushback.
You have to act on the faith God gives
you to step out and keep going in the di-
rection that you feel called.
Tell the readers a little about the
Millstadt campus and the events
that are unique to your campus as
you serve the congregation and
community.
We have partnered with the city for
summer movie nights. We provide free
water and popcorn. We are strong Mill-
stadt Food Pantry supporters and have
a monthly food collection to help stock
the pantry. We also help the food pantry
with the holiday meal handouts. Weve
done Vacation Bible Schools, and we par-
ticipate in the Millstadt Homecoming
Parade. This year, with a 24/7 facility, we
will be able to host the Lenten study and
have more connect groups. Now with this
place and space the possibilities are end-
less, and we are looking forward to doing
more evangelistic efforts. One of our big-
gest prayer needs right now is to find the
right Assistant Campus Leaders. We are
so excited to see all that God will do!
As of this writing, the Millstadt Campus
will have hosted preview services, Open
House, and on March 19th will have the
Relaunch service with the District Super-
intendent in attendance. God bless the
Millstadt Christ Church Campus as they
endeavor to serve the congregation, the
community and connect people to Jesus
Christ!
mychristchurch.com/theflame 7
 STOP THINKING ABOUT IT,
AND JUST SERVE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
BY DR. STEVE HEITKAMP

The safest place for ships is in the harbor,
but thats not why ships were built. - Anon-
ymous
Guiding Thought: When do we stop
analyzing and just get up and do what
God calls us to do?
Sometimes thinking and analyzing
serves us well, but other times it gets in
the way. There are times that analyzing
is essential to what God has called us to.
Clearly, analysis is needed before ventur-
ing into some types of tasks, or in partic-
ular, types of service. There are times we
need to calculate the cost and plan for the
call that God places on our heart (Luke
14:28). In fact, there are certain callings
idle is not an option for the Christian.
There is no excuse for any of us not to
serve somewhere.
I have known many Christians over the
years. Many are hard, diligent workers,
and I am grateful for their witness. There
are others who are looking for that ex-
act fit before they agree to serve. They
are looking for the right person to ask
them, while waiting to become talent-
ed enough, appreciated enough, or even
mature enough to serve in some specif-
ic way. This ruminating, analytical hunt
is a tightrope of thinking for the exact
place to serve God, which becomes an
unachievable search! The overthinking
leads to year after year of inaction and
the right spot to serve? Stop thinking
about it! Its time to get up and do what
Hes called you to do. Dont look back.
Just step ahead and launch into the deep
because your ship needs to sail!
In whatever you do, work as though you
were working for the Lord, rather than
for people. Remember that the Lord will
give you an inheritance as your reward
and that the Master you are serving is
Christ. Colossians 3:23 NLT

that take years of preparation to become
honed for the call He has placed upon
us. Such a call of God takes time to think
through, plan, implement and complete
the stages of growth needed for the task.
Nonetheless, we are still called to serve,
even while we plan and wait.
And let us not lose heart in doing
good, for in due time we shall reap if we
do not grow weary. So then, while we
have opportunity, let us do good to all
people, and especially to those who are
of the household of faith. Galatians
6:9-10 NASB
When do
lack of purpose. Cut that out! All of us
can serve and do something for some-
body. If we read the pages of the Bible,
and seek Gods will, it will become clear
where we can serve God for His King- we stop
analyzing
dom.
Our family dog is very much a part of
our family. However, she has one par-
ticular trait that gets on my last nerve.
and just get
When I take her on the leash to our yard,
she will look for just the right place. She up and do
what God
is very indecisive. She spins and spins,
circle after circle for what seems like an
eternity, before we can finally return to

In sharp contrast to thinking ahead and

planning, we see Jesus sending out the
twelve and basically telling them not to
think, plan, or save at all, but just GO!
Matthew 10:9 Do not acquire gold, or
silver, or copper for your money belts, or
a bag for your journey, or even two tu-
nics, or sandals, or a staff, for the work-
er is worthy of his support. The truly
remarkable part of the rest of the story
is that God did supply everything, and
more than they ever needed for every
task. Moral of this story: whether we
plan, think, or analyze, or not, we are to
put our hand to the plow and serve. We
are to do something, anything! Staying
8 mychristchurch.com/theflame
the house. My neighbors will often hear
me say, Will you please decide? Just do calls us to
do?
something! As humans, there are times
we too, are all on the leash of indecision.
In Experiencing God Day by Day, Henry
Blackaby writes some truly simple words
that have echoed in my ears recently and
have guided my thoughts and actions.
Our Master commands us to, Go. We
need permission to stay!... The gospel is
the account of Jesus leaving His Fathers
right hand to go to Calvary. So, what is Dr. Steve Heitkamp
Jesus calling you to do? Horizon Hope Counseling,
Inc.
When are you going to stop thinking
about it, analyzing, and looking for just
 THE SECRET TO CHRIST-LIKE
SERVICE:
Dont do dumb crap!
Rev. Shane recently gave us this
t-shirt-worthy prescription for how to
prevent a lot of the pain much of it
self-inflicted that comes from living in
a fallen world.
As we grow to be ever-more Christ-like
-- as we master self-management of our
dumb crap such that we can start to
look for ways to serve others -- theres a
corollary prescription for success in our
service ministries that is just as simple,
clear and direct: give a crap. Said other-
wise, and more literally: give a care.
Its easy enough to see how this idea ap-
plies in the workplace, no matter what in-
dustry youre in or what level of employee
you are. To be successful, each of us has
to give a care to some degree, and often
the extent of our success is in proportion
to how much we give a care.
Its no different in our chosen ministries.
Reflect on the ministry youre currently
leading or serving in. You probably were
drawn to it because you first gave a care:
About a specific wrong in the world that
you wanted to make right. About a cer-
tain population of people that need a lit-
tle more help than the rest of us. About
using your God-given talents in a way
that brings joy and helps others in the
world. This, as Rev. Shane has taught, is
your version of Nehemiahs Jerusalem.
Giving a care drives the greatest success-
es in our ministries. Clearly our praise
teams give a care, as they prepare a rev-
erent place of worship for us to encoun-
ter the Holy Spirit each week. The youth
ministers and volunteers exhaust them-
selves planning and putting on events
that challenge and engage our teens with
the Gospel message, because they give a
care about the next generations potential
to bring Heaven to Earth. A handwritten
note on a stamped card, with a person-
GIVE A CARE
BY JEFFREY BISHOP
al message of prayer, arrives in the mail backs. Disappointments.
mid-week all because the prayer minis-
try gives a care about the plea for spiritu- The best thing about giving a care is that
al help you dropped into the offering bag the sources for acquiring it are many, are
Sunday morning. readily available, are free and generally
can be obtained self-serve. The fuel for
If youre leading a ministry, youve got to give-a-care comes from compassion, cu-
give a care about your team, as a group riosity, motivation, healthy ambition and
and as individual people. Its not easy be- a drive for impact and results.
ing the leader, and sometimes just giving
a care is all the extra oomph you need And in a profoundly ironic way, youll
to do the right thing by your people and never run out of give-a-cares because
your ministry. you tried to give too many of them away.
Like Jesuss bottomless basket of fish and
When youre giving a care about your chips our stores of give-a-care are in-
ministry family, youve also got to give exhaustible, especially when we look to
a care about your own family. No effec- give them all away.
tive and necessary ministry will require
you to sacrifice your leadership of your Jesus definitely gives a care in the end,
home to the needs of that calling. One of He gave it all. Its impossible for any of
the best ways to teach our children how us to give that much of ourselves away
best to give a care about other people in and by His grace, none of us needs to.
the world is to model Christs presence of In growing more Christ-like, well do less
unconditional love and grace in our rela- and less dumb crap daily. And by follow-
tionships at home. ing His example, we will find plenty of
give-a-cares to give away in His service to
In a similar sense, you wont last long in others.
ministry if you forget to give a care about
yourself. If youre not eating well and get-
ting good rest; if you are neglecting the
exercise that you need to be healthy or
are en route to burning yourself out, then Jeffrey M. Bishop
Flame Volunteer Writer
you are not giving a care about your-
self. Usually this happens when youre
too busy giving a care about everyone
else and everything else around you.
But youve got to treat this one like the
air mask that drops out of the overhead
compartment on the airplane: youve got
to give a care about yourself before you
can give a care about and take care of
others.
Maintaining ample stores of give-a-care
can be hard sometimes; lots of things
can drub it out of us: Difficult work or
excessive amounts of it in our missions.
Poor leadership. A bad fit of our talents
to the work. Ungrateful or hard hearts
amongst those were ministering to. Set-
mychristchurch.com/theflame 9
Ministry Spotlight
CHRIST CHURCH
WELCOME HOME MINISTRY
Weve all seen that show Extreme Home
Makeover, right? Well, what Welcome
Home does is nothing like that . . . well,
not exactly.
People hear welcome home around
church and they say Oh yeah, the fur-
niture ministry. Furniture and ministry
are correct but were more than that.
What exactly is the Welcome Home Min-
istry?
Welcome Home pours the love of Christ
into the homes and families of the Metro
East. We work with several local organi-
zations to fill the needs of the poor, the
disabled, the elderly, families that have
just transitioned to homes from home-
lessness, abusive relationships, fire, or any
situation really, where someone needs
furniture and household goods. We turn
a house into a home.
When we are put in contact with a fam-
ily, we meet with them for an initial in-
terview. During that interview we make
a list of the familys needs both domes-
tically and spiritually. Do they believe
in God? Are they saved? How did they
get in the situation they are currently in?
And of course, what can we do to make
the house feel like home. We pray with
10 mychristchurch.com/theflame
BY PHIL KINGDON
Im crying its amazing! Most impor-
tantly we share that Jesus can take care of
any of their needs or problems, and what
we just did for them in a few short hours
is just a fraction of the love God gives us
when we accept Him into our lives. We
do a lot of praying with these families.
God is taking care of families through
Welcome Home.
This year our church is focusing on serv-
ing and Welcome Home has opportuni-
ties to do that. We are looking for vol-
unteers and people willing to commit to
serving in leadership roles. We currently
need a couple of guys who can help pick
up furniture from donors. This usually
the family, set up a delivery date and start
ends up being a couple of times a month,
gathering what we need out of storage.
and it would help if you had a truck. We
In a few hours on a Saturday well com-
could use some help doing the deliver-
pletely furnish a home. Kitchen, bed-
ies also. This is usually one Saturday a
rooms, bath, living room . . . everything
month. Even if you could just stay long
you would do to your house including
enough at a delivery to load the furniture
rugs, curtains, filling the kitchen cabinets
into the house it would help us tremen-
with pots and pans, towels, wall furnish-
dously. Once the furniture is in the home
ingseverything! Every family is differ-
its time to arrange and decorate. We
ent but Welcome Homes message is the
need ladies to help with that. The main
same. God loves us all no matter what
priority of the ministry is just that.
situation we are in, and through God we
ministry. If you are good at talking to
are here to help.
people and sharing Jesus love with oth-
ers, we need you, too.
One of the best things about this ministry
is that anyone can help our families by
One of the most powerful things Rev.
donating items that we take for granted
Shane has taught me is that we cannot
every day. Id say 90% of the families we
move closer to Christ by staying in the
help have nearly nothing in their home.
same place. You have to get out of your
Most of the kids we meet have never had
comfort zone. Are you in a place in life
a bed. The Welcome Home Ministry
where Christ wants you to be? What bet-
only works if we receive donations. This
ter way to serve the Lord than by serving
is where you can take some love out of
the needs of others! If you are interest-
your house and put it in someone elses.
ed please contact me at 618-567-2473
We need gently used furniture, kitchen
or CCWelcomeHome@hotmail.com
items, bedding, etc. Think about the re-
or check us out on Facebook at Christ
action a kid has when they not only see
Church Welcome Home Ministry.
they now have a bed to sleep on, but their
whole room is decked out in their favor-
ite theme. Weve done all kinds of theme
rooms for kids: Frozen, Transformers, Phil Kingdon
Cars, NBA, NFL, princess themes and Welcome Home Ministries
more. Kids are crying, moms are crying, Coordinator
 ARE YOU READY TO LEAD?
THEN S.E.R.V.E.
I remember the first time I was asked to
lead a small group discussion. I was a
relatively new Christian and had been
involved in a mens small group for less
than two months. My mens group lead-
er, Tom, asked me to take the reins one
evening and lead the group through dis-
cussion and Bible study. Frankly, I was
nervous. I didnt feel qualified or knowl-
edgeable enough on the Bible to lead. But
Tom reassured me and said to remember
that my leading isnt about me, but in-
stead to focus on the other men. He said I
wasnt there to lead the group, I was there
to serve the group.
No matter what position of leadership
you hold, it is always your duty to serve
those you lead. Your family, co-workers,
teammates and classmates can all be in-
fluenced by the example you set. In or-
der to lead them properly, we can look to
Christ to set our own standards, and fol-
low His example to S.E.R.V.E. those He
led..
After washing their feet, He put on his
robe again and sat down and asked, Do
you understand what I was doing? You
call me Teacher and Lord, and you are Jesus set a clear vision. A great leader
right, because thats what I am. Matthew
14:27 (New Living Translation)
Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior and
Redeemer, washed the feet of those He
served. Jesus Sacrificed. Jesus lowered
Himself to meet the needs of the disci-
ples. He sacrificed His station of power as
an example of how we are to treat others.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. Dont
be afraid, He said. Take courage. I am
here!
As a leader, you will also need to Encour-
age. When peoples lives are out of con-
trol and they dont know what to do, offer
encouragement. A simple, You can do
it! can give someone the positive word
to take them from doubt to victory. Jesus
BY KEVIN SIDDLE
offered a word of encouragement by let- has had such a powerful impact on lives.
ting the disciples know that He was there. One of the reasons Jesus was able to ac-
You have that same power to encourage! complish so much was because He served
those He cared for.
Then the high priest stood up and said
to Jesus, Well, arent you going to answer As you head out into leadership, remem-
these charges? What do you have to say ber that you are there to S.E.R.V.E.
for yourself? But Jesus remained silent.
(Matthew 26:62-63, NLT)
Jesus showed great Restraint. He fully
had the power to show the truth to the
high priest. Instead, He held back. There
will be many times as a leader where it
will be necessary to hold back your opin-
ions, feelings and emotions. After washing
Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth their feet, He put
and the life. No one can come to the Fa-
ther except through Me. If you had really on his robe again
known Me, you would know who my Fa-
ther is. From now on, you do know Him
and sat down and
and have seen Him! (John 14:6-7 NLT) asked, Do you
Great leaders have great Vision. Thom- understand what
as didnt understand Jesus when He told
them that He was going to make a way I was doing? You
for us. Instead of arguing with him or
demeaning him for not understanding,
call me Teacher
and Lord, and you
serves those He leads by casting a vision.
are right, because
For you know that God paid a ransom
to save you from the empty life you in-
thats what I am.
herited from your ancestors. And it was
not paid with mere gold or silver, which
lose their value. It was the precious blood
Matthew 14:27 (NLT)
of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of
God. (1 Peter 1:18-19, NLT)
Finally, to be a great leader, we must be
Excellent. We dont have to be perfect,
but instead, we must stand apart, show-
ing the greatness, grace and love that only
comes through Jesus Christ. Your excel-
lence is your personal testimony of how
God has changed your life. Kevin Siddle
Flame Volunteer Writer
facebook.com/kevin.siddle.12
Jesus Christ is easily the greatest leader
who ever existed. No one before or since
mychristchurch.com/theflame 11
 BE A
CHEERFUL GIVER
As Christians, we are called to serve, love
God and love others. But where is that
fine line between serving, loving God and
others and trying to be all things to all
people? This is the age-old question that
surfaces frequently in my spiritual life
as well as my personal life. When I first
began attending Christ Church in 2001,
there were fewer ministry opportunities
than there are now. But every time some-
one asked me to join a group or be on a
committee, I said yes. What did that lead
to? I was doing a lot of things and none
of them well, burnout, and my husband
saying Are you gone again tonight? I
finally learned to say no and to be more
discerning when someone asked me to
do something; I learned to pray about it
before giving my answer. This led to in-
volvement in ministries that I am actually
passionate about.
My husband and I do not have children
and, admittedly, this has made us a little
selfish with our time and resources in our
37 years of marriage. We did our share
of babysitting nieces and nephews, and
many people thought that since we didnt
have children, we had an abundance of
time that parents do not have. They also
thought that being childless meant we
had an abundance of money! This led
to our being asked to step up every time
someone needed help or money, which
tested our Christianity and our marriage.
As time went on, I became resentful of
always being asked to help out. This led
to a battle in my mind between right and
wrong, as well as disagreements between
my husband and me. When I started
resisting when people asked for help or
money, he would say Well that isnt very
Christian of you. Not long after that, I
was complaining to my lunch buddies
that we had been asked yet again to loan
a family member money and how an-
gry that made me. One of my Christian
friends said that it didnt sound as if I was
giving with a cheerful heart as God in-
12 mychristchurch.com/theflame
BY THERESA CAVALIER
structs us to do. Those remarks hurt and to find another way to solve their prob-
really made me stop and think. Although lem. Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do
I was serving God and others, I wasnt not have, but what I do have I give you.
making myself look good if all I did was Acts 3:6a (NIV). Finding that balance in
complain about it. I wondered, how far service to others isnt always easy, but it is
does God want us to go to help people? possible.
Rather than helping, at what point did it
become enabling? Was I helping cheer-
fully, or did I resent being asked yet
again? (I knew the answer to that ques-
tion!)
Rev. Shane Bishop once said in a sermon
that being a Christian doesnt mean you
have to be a doormat. I needed to hear
Each one must
that! As an individual and as a couple,
we realized that we needed to figure out
a way to be good Christians while at the
same time telling people no when it was do just as he
necessary. We could no longer stay the
current course. It is not healthy to be a
bitter, resentful Christian, which was
has purposed
quickly what I was becoming. The coun-
selor we saw told us that it was okay to
in his heart,
say no and helped us to do that in a lov-
ing way.
not grudgingly
Thus began our transition from saying
or under
yes to everything and everyone to pray-
ing for discernment on how to handle
compulsion,
requests for our help. When we were
asked to give a family member money,
for God loves a
we would instead offer to buy them food
or necessities. We found alternate ways
cheerful giver.
to help instead of handing over cash or
just agreeing to give time we really didnt
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NASB)
have.
Scripture says Each one must do just as
he has purposed in his heart, not grudg-
ingly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
(NASB). This new approach enabled us
to be cheerful givers!
Now when someone asks for help, we do
what we can, but we have set boundaries.
And if we cannot help with time or mon- Theresa Cavalier
ey, we let them know they are loved and Flame Volunteer Writer
that we care, but this time they will need

When Jesus arrived at Peters house,
Peters mother-in-law was sick in bed with
a high fever. But when Jesus touched her
hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and
prepared a meal for him.
(Matthew 8:14, New Living Translation)
August 25, 2008, was the day I was offi-
cially placed on a national list as a can-
didate awaiting a kidney for transplant.
This was a date in the making since be-
fore the day I was born. In the same way
my Sovereign God knew that He would
one day cross paths with Peters mother-
in-law and repel the sickness in her life,
He foresaw the day when He would reach
that same hand out to bring about heal-
ing in the life of a sick man in need of a
healthy kidney. While the passage does
not reveal how long Peters relative was
ill, it does tell us that when Jesus entered
the picture the fever left her, and since
we are told that she then got up and pre-
pared a meal for Him we can say that the
healing happened immediately.
I had known since I was 17 that the day
would come when my native kidneys
would finally fail. Yet, while at that age, I
never really gave much thought to what
the future would hold. God Almighty
had already orchestrated a plan of heal-
ing which would be revealed in His time.
That time arrived on September 8, 2008,
a mere two weeks after being named a
candidate for kidney transplant. When
you give consideration to the fact that
many eligible recipients will spend five
to ten years waiting for a suitable organ,
I testify that my healing was, in the grand
HEALED
TO SERVE
BY JIM SHOFFSTALL
scheme of things, immediate. Jesus my
savior had made it possible that not only
one but two living donor candidates had
been brought into my life. Seven months
later, on March 13, 2009 I received a liv-
ing donor transplant which restored my
strength.
I will forever be grateful for the provision
of Jesus, as well as the sacrifice of a very
dear friend and her family. For a short
while following the surgery, circumstanc-
es in my life left me struggling with the
question of why would God be so kind
to a man like me? It wasnt long after
that when I read this passage of scripture
and the Holy Spirit revealed a life-chang-
ing truth to me:
Then she got up and prepared a meal for
Him. (Matthew 8:15 NLT)
I was not healed for the simple reason
that I might return to life as usual. God
bestowed grace and mercy upon me to
bring about a transformation that I may
begin to live a life that is unusual. Jesus
Himself told us that He did not come to
this world to be served, but to serve. That
being said, I offer that those who have
had a genuine salvation encounter with
Jesus will get up and seek opportunities
to serve others as Jesus did.
I am skeptical of those who claim to be
Christian while at the same time stick-
ing their feet out expecting them to be
washed. A good test of where I am in
my walk with Christ can be revealed by
looking to see if I am sticking my feet
out into the aisle waiting for someone to
come along and wash them, or am I the
one carrying the pan of water along with
a towel looking for feet.
Those who are looking will find count-
less opportunities to act as servants for
the purpose of glorifying God. Taking on
the role of a servant, Jesus surrendered
His rights in favor of performing acts of
service, with the intention of leaving the
world in a better condition than it was in
when He arrived. As we approach all as-
pects of our life -- whether that be in our
homes, our workplaces, supermarkets
and so on -- we have the opportunity to
impact those around us to create a new-
and-improved atmosphere.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not
saved and given the honor of becoming
heirs to the Kingdom of God for the pur-
pose of having others tend to our needs.
We were saved to become world chang-
ers, by serving others in the name of Je-
sus Christ our savior. So wrap your robes
around you waist, grab a bucket of water
and lets get to work.
Jim Shoffstall
Flame Volunteer Writer
mychristchurch.com/theflame 13
14 mychristchurch.com/theflame
mychristchurch.com/theflame 15
 BECOMING
A SERVANT
BY DAVE HUFF
Doing stuff has never been a problem
for United Methodists. We have always
been busy people and do-gooders. We
feed the hungry, clothe the cold and give
school supplies all over the world. We
have started schools, hospitals, colleges,
universities, and seminaries. We were at
the forefront of the Womens Christian
Temperance Unions (WCTU) work to
bring about Prohibition. In other eras, we
have been in full cooperation with UNCF
(UNICEF) Childrens Funds, CROP
Walks for Hunger and so on. Here at
Christ Church, we have an extensive out-
reach ministry and impact the world in
local, regional, national, and global min-
istries (Down the Hall, Around the Cor-
ner, and Around the World). Service is a
natural outgrowth of a deep commitment
to the Lord and a humble realization of
what has been done for us.
But there is a deeper, more serious, more
transformational, though certainly less
exciting, side to this when we recognize
it as more than service. It is servanthood.
We are called not merely to serve, to do-
nate time, money, goods, possessions,
excess, or even specialized skills. We are
called to empty ourselves and take on
the nature of a servant. The kenosis or
emptying passage of Philippians 2:5-
11 says Jesus made Himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant.
Both Matthew (23:11) and Luke (22:26)
are clear that the greatest among us will
be the servant. Another element is that
the word for servant in Greek is doulos,
which also means slave (a doula serves
a woman in birth, for example). That, of
course is a loaded phrase in todays cul-
ture and cannot be used without careful
use and explanation. A biblical doulos, or
servant is one who willingly surrenders
his or her will for spiritual, righteous, and
biblical purposes.
If 2017 is to be The Year of the Servant,
16 mychristchurch.com/theflame
Have You
it is not merely a call to do a little more Subscribed?
for a little while. It may be that this year
is the year of emptying, of clearing, of
setting aside. One of the things I have
been working on, praying about, seeking,
practicing, and often failing at, is less of
Dave and more of others. As a servant, I
am working on being less of a hindrance
to others, hence, less of a hindrance to
Christ, I am trying to serve by listening
more, by keeping my mouth shut more,
by smiling more, by questioning more
and asserting less, by encouraging more
and criticizing less. I seem to still fail
more often than I succeed, but I perse-
vere. I have often sought out people with
whom I am pretty sure I disagree. Then I
ask them about something they have pre-
viously expressed. Then I listen, reflect
their views back to them, and I thank
them for sharing. It is not a time for me
to argue, convince, debate, or even ex-
press potential area of disagreement. It
is a time to become a better human be-
ing. Hopefully a better expression of
Christ to others. It is a time to discipline
my own arrogance. It is a time for less of
Dave, more of Jesus. It is becoming a ser-
vant.
You can get
this magazine
Dave Huff delivered to
Flame Volunteer Writer
your inbox!
Sign up online at
mychristchurch.com/theflame
 CHRIST CHURCH
LEGACY FOUNDATION
How important has the Church been in
your life? Would you and your family be
the same without it? How important was
the church for you during that time when
you or a loved one was in the hospital or
during a time of need? How important
is it to you that the Church continues to
play a vital role in your childrens and
their childrens lives?
For me, the church is the most important
organization that I have been a part of.
Ive always told my parents that bringing
me up in the church is the best gift that
they ever gave me. It is an important pri-
ority of mine to give of my resources to
the church and that priority has a vital
role in my childrens lives and someday
their childrens lives. Therefore, Vanessa
and I have made a decision that will bless
the church and our family; we are leaving
a gift to the church in our will. We hope
that with this gift, Christ Church will be
able to continue its mission of connecting
BY ALAN PRASS
people with Jesus Christ for many gener- wills and estate planning. I encourage
ations to come. everyone to pray about leaving a legacy to
Christ Church.
By making bequests and other planned
gifts, you can continue to help Christ For more information you can check out
Church make an important difference our web site at
in your familys life as well as the lives of mychristchurch.com/legacy-foundation
others. or contact me at
alanprass@mychristchurch.com.
What better way to thank the church that
has had such an impact on your life, than
to make a contribution from your estate
through a bequest? Gifts large and small Alan Prass
are important. Legacy giving is not only Executive Director
for the wealthy!
With the help of the Barnabas Founda-
tion, Christ Church has formed a foun-
dation called the Christ Church Legacy
Foundation.
You will continue to hear more about
this throughout the years. You will also
be invited to workshops that will discuss
mychristchurch.com/theflame 17

Its not all about you, Becky. I can hear
my brother admonish me with mischief
in his voice and a twinkle in his eye.
Vince and I share a special bond. We
grew up smack dab in the middle of six
siblings, and maybe because of this - or
in spite of this - it often falls to me to or-
ganize and orchestrate family matters.
Being a bit more of an extrovert than
some of the others, I have often had to
give a nudge here or be bossy there. But
does that make it about me? That is my
strength - a God given gift of service.
First Peter 4:10 (New Living Transla-
tion) says, God has given each of you
a gift from his great variety of spiritual
gifts. Use them well to serve one anoth-
er. Therefore, as I reflect on my life in
terms of service, I realize that perhaps my
greatest gift is none other than service it-
self. Whether administering to the needs
of my aging parents, being an intermedi-
ary during a sibling crisis, planning the
fiftieth anniversary celebration, provid-
ing the table for Thanksgiving dinner or
merely keeping in touch, that service has
come willingly from the love nurtured
within our close-knit family unit.
For my greatest spiritual gift, I have been
rewarded tenfold through the daily ser-
vice that I have been honored to offer my
immediate family. I cherish every min-
ute of service that I was able to provide
my husband, working side by side with
him in his profession and in our personal
and private lives, and through the count-
less projects that he felt compelled to
undertake. He graciously, and lovingly,
credited me with providing him the care
he required throughout his lifetime of
kidney disease and eventual cancer. It
was my most precious privilege to be able
to minister to him during those times
and unto his death.
Further, I cherish my life of service to
our four children. My heart swells at the
memory of laughter around the dinner
18 mychristchurch.com/theflame
WHOS
IT ABOUT?
BY BECKY OLROYD
table even though stacks of dishes await- my lifes greatest accomplishment. But
ed my attention. My heart swells at the is it about me? Or is it about those to
memory of the incessant chatter coming whom I have offered service? I think nei-
from the carrier on the back of my bi- ther. Paul says in Colossians 3:24 (NLT),
cycle as my legs ached from the added Remember that the Lord will give you
weight. My heart swells with memories an inheritance as your reward, and that
of broken bones, broken hearts, mirac- the Master you are serving is Christ.
ulous three point shots, valedictory Therefore, as I seek to serve others, I am
speeches, good grades and bad grades serving Christ. It is, therefore, not about
and the emotional toll of serving those me. It is all about Christ.
needs or relishing the victories.
It has been my honor to guide those chil-
dren into adulthood - to share in the joy
of their weddings, college graduations
and the births of my six grandchildren.
Likewise, it has been my privilege to
serve them in their most critical times of
need - life threatening surgeries, financial
difficulties and heart breaking profes- God has given
sional setbacks.
each of you a
gift from his
And now, as my life has taken a new di-
rection as a widow with grown children, I
great variety of
focus my service not only on their needs,
but also on the needs of the greater com-
spiritual gifts.
munity. In order to give back for the
bounty of my good fortune and to fill a
Use them well
void in my life and my heart, I offer my
services through the ministry of hospi-
to serve one
tal volunteerism and various ministries
of Christ Church. Now my heart swells
with the feeling of satisfaction that comes
at the end of a shift at Memorial Hospital another.
or from the smiles on the faces as I greet
the members of my church family on a
Sunday morning or a Wednesday eve- 1st Peter 4:10 (NLT)
ning.
My oldest daughter was recently hospi-
talized. She texted me one day from her
hospital bed, The admiration I have for
you, as you quietly and selflessly go from
one sick family member to another, all by
yourself, with no one to comfort you, is
astounding. But serving them gives me
purpose which gives me comfort. My life
has been overwhelmingly enriched and Becky Olroyd
rewarded through service to others. That Flame Volunteer Writer
service helps to define me. It has been

YOU JUST GOT
SERVED!
The title is a fun statement that we rolled
out with the student ministry last year as
we launched iServe. iServe is our minis-
try within the student ministry solely fo-
cused on getting students to serve.
We want our students to be DIFFER-
ENT! Check out this passage from Mat-
thew 20:26-27 But among you it will
be DIFFERENT. Whoever wants to be a
leader among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first among you
must become your slave. How is that for
different? Our culture teaches us to be all
about me, me, me. Jesus gives us a differ-
ent approach.
If we continue to read, we see the verse
that we base our iServe ministry on. Read
verse 28. For even the Son of Man came
not to be served but to serve others and
to give his life as a ransom for many.
Even the Son of Man, who had all au-
thority on heaven and earth, came as a
servant. We truly believe that this is the
greatest example of why we need to be
servant minded. If Jesus was a servant, we
to need to be servants.
BY ZACK FUNK
What the church is really good at is
talking about what Jesus did. Where the
church can be lacking is actually doing
what Jesus did. Lets break this down in
a real life situation. Say you are taking
a rock climbing class. You go to weeks
of training. You watch tons of videos
on how to be a better rock climber, and
you learn how to put on all of your rock
climbing gear. You even talk with all
your fellow rock climbing buddies about
how you need to get more people excited
about rock climbing. BUT YOU NEVER
GO ROCK CLIMBING! Doesnt make
much sense, now does it?
At Christ Church Teens, we want it to
be very clear that our students are sup-
posed to be serving. We have 13 different
options and ministries for them to plug
into. iPraise (student band), iTech (tech
team) iLearn (teaching younger kids on
Sunday Mornings), iWork (Rebirth, now
R3), iJava (coffee team), and so much
more.
This upcoming generation needs to be
like Jesus, not just hear about Him. Study
after study shows us that kids that serve
in the church stay in the church. Help us
Student Connection
encourage every student here at Christ
Church to serve.
Every second Saturday we take a group of
students to East St. Louis to work along-
side our R3 crew. This is a hard day of
physical labor, serving and devotion.
You would think that students would not
enjoy a day of sweat and hard work, but
they have a great time, everytime! Why?
Because we were created to serve!
We have learned that serving gives our
students a sense of accomplishment, con-
fidence, and a heart for others. Serving is
also a great evangelistic tool. We see a lot
of first time visitors during service proj-
ects.
Being a Christian doesnt have to be com-
plicated. Love God, love others, and be a
servant.
Scripture quotations from The Holy Bi-
ble, New Living Translation
Zack Funk
Director of Student Ministries
mychristchurch.com/theflame 19
 GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Joshua Gillam
Job Title
CM Campus Worship Leader
& Video and Technical Assistant
What is your favorite food?
Pizza on top of pizza
What was the worst job you ever
had?
Working at Culvers in my home town.
Not one of my proudest moments
What song tells your life story?
Thank You Jesus - Hillsong Worship
What store in the mall would we
see you in the most?
Pacsun. I need an intervention!
What Bible character do you most
relate to?
King David. He had many ups and
downs, but in the end was a man after
Gods own heart
What makes you feel most alive?
Taco Tuesday. Holla!
Are you a Cubs or Cardinal fan?
Chicago Blackhawks
What advice do you have for the
young people at church?
Dont be afraid to be yourself, even if you
feel you dont have it together. Not one of
us has it all together.
What is your goal in life?
To create music that grants people a new
revelation of the Lord and His heart for
them
20 mychristchurch.com/theflame
Where are you from?
Sterling, Illinois, Its shrouded in corn
fields. Great place.
If you could go on a road trip with
any person (dead or alive), who
would you choose and where would
you go?
Id go with Kevin Hart to the Everglades.
Throw your judgments aside; we all know
that would be an eventful trip.
What would you do if you didnt
have to work?
Casually lose my mind.
When you think about God, what is
the first thing that comes to mind?
New beginnings.
What do you think delights God
above everything else?
Complete surrender.
If you could change places with a
Bible character, who would you
choose? Why?
Moses, It would be crazy to see the part-
ing of the Red Sea!
Are you an amusement park
thrill-seeker?
I like my feet planted on solid ground.
What TV talk show host would you
like to be interviewed by?
Conan OBrian. We would both be so un-
comfortable the whole time. It would be
incredible!
What movie would we find you in, a
western, comedy or romance?
Comedy. That seems to be an overall
theme for my life.
If you could perform miracles, what
would you do?
Heal those who cant walk/see. It would
be great to see their expressions.
What holiday could the USA do
without?
Im going to say Groundhog Day.
If you could interview someone fa-
mous, who would that be and why?
Probably Robert Downey, Jr. He seems
like such a chill guy. Plus I could take a
selfie with Iron Man.
Who plays the most influential role
in your life?
My mom, her pursuit of Christ and desire
to be all she can be for Him continues to
amaze me.
Most hated chore on the household
chore list?
Washing dishes, Im not into trying to
touch unidentified left over soggy food in
the sink.
Where do you like to vacation?
The Smoky Mountains is where home is.
What is your most favorite time of
the year?
Christmas time! All the lights and sounds
does the soul good.
Would you sing Karaoke in front of
co-workers?
All day everyday.
Name one thing you miss about be-
ing a kid.
Not paying bills #Adulting
Describe a perfect day off from
work?
Hitting the movie theatre all day with an
endless supply of Cold Stone ice cream.
What dont you want said at your
funeral?
Why are his eyes still open?
 PEACE
IN SERVANTHOOD
Servanthood is something that always
appealed to me in thought, but never in
action. I would love to be that guy that
everyone goes to when they need or want
something; a real yes man. The prob-
lem is, serving the human populace typ-
ically involves going and doing (mostly
things that sound the furthest from what
I would classify as fun), while Im more
keen on staying and not doing.
Sadly, I find this fondness for lethargy to
carry over into my service for the Lord.
On a few occasions Ive felt the Lords
prompting to go and serve in one capac-
ity or another, but ended up declining to
accommodate His request on the simple
fact that what He was asking me to do
was something I was either uncomfort-
able with doing, or simply just didnt
want to.
It took me a while, but I eventually fig-
ured out that when you say, no thank
you to God, He says, Oh really? in His
sly sort of Morgan Freeman voice, and
you end up regretting passing up the op-
portunity. There was a period in my life
where event after event came up, and
there was a small prompting on my heart
to go and do, but I didnt. And I was mis-
erable.
Im not saying God punishes those who
do not serve, nor am I saying He rewards
those who do. But when I finally said,
Yes, I will go, I found myself in a stretch
of time where I was at peace. Things
seemed to go my way a little more often,
and even when they didnt, I was more
content with that negative outcome than
I had been pre-serving.
Ive fallen in and out of servanthood
from time to time. Im human; thats sort
of our thing, isnt it? Worldly things catch
my eye, and Im off on a wild chase for
something that only brings momentary
happiness and absolutely no peace. As I
write this piece, I find myself in the midst
BY MATTHEW J. LAFRANCE
of a return to Christs side, waiting for
Him to bid His will upon His servant, as
I have fallen away from service for a time.
I guess what Im getting at is this; service
to the Lord is not service to a whip-and-
chain master who beats you as an ox is
...when I finally
beaten by its driver. Its often helping
those who know not that which we as
said, Yes, I will
Christians know, on the off chance that
they may come to know it as well. And
go, I found
through that, you will find peace in your
heart. Your bills will still be there, your
income will still suck beyond anything
you can imagine, but the worry and myself in a
the angst that this world tells you should
have in regard to such things tend to di-
minish when you are focusing on the
stretch of time
needs of others. where I was at
Dont confuse my words, however. This is
not an invitation to go and do whatever
peace.
it is you deem as good, hoping to ac-
quire this peace. Good works are not the
Masters bidding. They are good, and may
be a blessing to someone who may truly
need a blessing that day. But for the com-
fort of Gods hand upon your shoulder,
a smile on His face as He informs you in
that Morgan Freeman voice, Well done,
my good and faithful servant, one must
listen. Sit and pray, asking God for the
opportunity to be of service to Him. And Matthew J. Lafrance
when an opportunity comes along and Flame Volunteer Writer
sticks in your head like a catchy song
go for it.
I have done that, and God has blessed me
with two ongoing opportunities; greeting
all that come to church on Sunday nights
as they arrive to receive Gods word,
and writing for The Flame. Both have
brought a joy and a peace to me that ri-
vals any other sensation I have felt upon
this Earth and, on a daily basis, I pray the
Lord will provide me with more opportu-
nities to serve Him.
So, why are you waiting? The Master is
ready; wont you serve Him?
mychristchurch.com/theflame 21
 YEAR OF THE SERVANT
-SERVICE AND CONNECT GROUPS
Christ Church has designated 2017 as
the Year of the Servant, in support of
our mission to connect people to Jesus
Christ. As the Director of Discipleship
and Connections, I help lots of people
connect with Christ, by helping them
find or lead a Connect Group or join a
service ministry. I recently finished a
study with my own Connect Group, of
the book When Women Say Yes to God,
by Lysa TerKeurst. Her idea is being obe-
dient to God when called to serve. The
more we are obedient, the more blessings
will we receive and the more we will de-
sire to serve.
TerKeurst told a story about coming
up to a stoplight that was both red and
green. One car sped right through the in-
tersection without looking; one first sat at
the intersection to watch and assess; the
last pulled off the road and remained in-
effective. We all approach service in one
of these ways. Are you the kind to run
right through it when you hear about a
need? Are you one who first looks both
ways before moving forward? Or are you
someone who just pulls over and watch-
es everybody else do the work? If you are
the last type, being in a Connect Group
can give you the moral support you need
to go out and serve. I used to be the per-
son who ran right through the intersec-
tion because no one else volunteered, or
because I thought I could do it better. I
realized that we need to serve out of our
gifts, talents and passions. As we func-
tion as the part of the body of Christ that
He has called us to, we fulfill our call to
serve, and allow each one to receive the
blessing God has as we obey Him.
Some are able to serve because it is a nat-
ural part of who we are, and we can do
it without a second thought. Others are
afraid to serve for fear of the unknown,
fear of what we will be asked to do and
fear because we dont feel capable of what
we are called to do. Thats the thing about
service; if it was easy, we would never
22 mychristchurch.com/theflame
BY PAM HUFF
have to solicit servants again! have planned for service this year?
Romans 12:9-13 says, Love must be sin- Scripture quotation from the The Holy
cere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is Bible, New International Version
good. Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your
spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joy-
ful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful
in prayer. Share with the Lords people
who are in need. Practice hospitality. If
we are obedient to Gods call, then people
will look for ways to serve, and wont wait
to be asked.
We really dont have a choice, because
But be sure to
we all are called to serve. 1 Samuel 12:24
says, But be sure to fear the Lord and
fear the Lord
serve Him faithfully with all your heart;
consider what great things he has done
and serve Him
for you. As we know, Jesus came to
serve. It says in Mark 10:45, For even the faithfully with
Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give life as a ransom all your heart;
for many.
consider what
Here at Christ Church we can serve
down the hall, around the corner and great things he
around the world, as our chosen mission
fields. We can rock babies in the nursery; has done for
cut denim pieces here that will be sent to
Africa to make shoes; or we can travel to you.
Honduras to serve in medical clinics.
A Connect Group is a great place to serve
together. It allows us to grow closer as a
1st Samuel 12:24
group and grow closer to God in faith.
We start to understand and know what
it means to be in true community with
others. Once we understand the need to
serve and the satisfaction we receive by
doing for others, we tend to want to serve
more and more.
Service takes focus from ourselves and
puts the focus on others. We become
selfless. Connect Groups can teach us
the reason we should serve, but the Holy Pam Huff
Spirit first stirs the need to serve in our Director of Adult Discipleship
souls. What does your Connect Group
 THE MONSTERS
UNDER THE BED
When I was a child, laying in my bed at
night, occasionally I might hear a sound
that during the day would have gone un-
noticed, but at night I knew was a mon-
ster under my bed. I knew that he was
waiting for me to look under the bed so
he could grab me and carry me off to
some horrible place. The more I thought
about it, the bigger the monster got until
finally I would cry out for my parents to
save me.
Now, as an adult, I know monsters ar-
ent real and theyre arent under my bed. emy wont have to do a thing; I will think
One monster in particular, who goes by
many names but Jesus called The Enemy,
comes to steal and kill and destroy. (John
10:10) The Enemy tries to steal my at-
tention, kill my confidence, and destroy
my relationship with God and sadly, he is
very clever and very patient. He uses two
simple words to plant seeds of fear and
doubt in my heart that keep me from an-
swering Gods call. The Enemy uses those
two words against me until my fears be-
come bigger than my faith in God. Those
two words are - what if.
What if I make a fool of myself?
What if I fail?
What if nobody likes me?
I imagine The Enemy acts something
like the Grinch in the TV show, How
the Grinch Stole Christmas, in the scene
where he slithers around the house look-
ing to steal away every part of the joy of
Christmas. The Enemy waits patiently for
the perfect moment and then, just when
my life is going well or when I am getting
ready to step out of my comfort zone,
he slithers up behind me and whispers
what if in my ear.
I feel called to teach but I wonder, what
if no one signs up for my class?
I want to join the choir and what if I
cant carry a tune grabs me from behind.
Im asked to speak at a conference and
BY SHELLEY LORING
what if I choke and embarrass myself nothing, but in everything by prayer and
leaves me paralyzed with fear. supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God; And the
Those two simple words magnify my in- peace of God, which transcends all un-
securities until they seem bigger than derstanding, will guard your hearts and
God. They have prevented me from using your minds in Christ Jesus. So now, I
my gifts to serve Him and have kept me pray for strength and faith so that when I
from enjoying many of Gods blessings. hear The Enemy whisper what if in my
And like the monster under the bed, ear I finish the sentence for him...
the more I listen to those words instead
of His word, the stronger they become. What if I trust God
If Im not careful, I risk believing those
two simple words so much that The En- Scripture quotation from the Holy Bible,
English Standard Version
them before he even has a chance to
whisper them.
It should comfort us to know that we are
not alone in this battle. We only need Be anxious for
look to Peter to see all the battles that he
lost to The Enemy, all because he allowed
nothing, but in
the fear and insecurity what if brings to everything by prayer
turn his head from God. I imagine The
Enemy followed Peter very closely and
and supplication,
whispered what if in his ear on sever- with thanksgiving,
al occasions. We are all familiar with the
story in Matthew 10 where Jesus called let your requests
Peter to walk on the water. Peter steps be made known
out of the boat to walk on the water with
Jesus. But the wind distracts him and in to God; And the
that moment his fears and insecurities peace of God, which
(what if I drown?) became bigger than
his faith and he sank. transcends all
understanding, will
Jesus would not have invited Peter to
walk with Him if He was going to let Pe- guard your hearts
ter drown. Peter got so tangled in the
doubt that The Enemy planted that he
and your minds in
had forgotten who invited him onto the Christ Jesus.
water. The words what if focuses our
attention on our limitations rather than
on Gods abilities where it belongs. God Philippians 4:6-7
would no more call me to a ministry and
leave me to fail than He would have let
Peter drown.
I know that I cannot beat The Enemy on
my own. The more time I spend in Gods Shelley Loring
word, the less I hear The Enemy. Philippi- Flame Volunteer Writer
ans 4:6-7 reminds me to be anxious for
mychristchurch.com/theflame 23
 GOD AT WORK
NEW MEMBERS BAPTISMS

JANUARY 2017 FEBRUARY 2017 DECEMBER 2016

Michelle Lee Grab
Samantha Grab
Andy Grab
Joshua Valerius
Malerie L. Valerius
Jesse Valerius
Sharon E. Sims
Vincent Wisely
Scott Snelson
Kimberly Snelson
Maria Camacho
Kendra A. Hargan
Sherrie L. Merz
Judy Davis
Christopher Mamino
Rebecca Mamino
Kristin Dawn Buesking
Katelyn Mae Glenn
Chad James Feazel
Sarah Jennifer June Feazel
Kelan Branch
Stephanie Thomas
Brandon Juaron Thomas
Geraldine Gibson Thomas
Sheila B. Glenn
Kimberly Ann ONeil
Bryan Michael Buesking
Carnell C. Brown, Jr. Caitlyn Kreher
Jennifer Marie Oglesby
Morgan Kreher
Jessica Parker
Mackenzie Burris Sawyer Fillip Hanschu
Debbie Burris Raylan Joseph Knigge
Louis W. Tripp Preston Alexander Bales
Loreen Arterburn Amelia Ann Susic
Michelle Turner
Tammy Jean Tribout Bugg Madeline Ann Dominique
Gail Greer Chase Nilton Dominique
Sharon Decker Tina Roderick
Mark Alan Harms Tyler Stahl
Julie Gail Harms
Susan C. Walthes
JANUARY 2017
Gary J. McFarland
Martha J. McFarland Kelan Branch
FEBRUARY 2017
Luke Gauge Martin
Ben Colt Martin

WEDDINGS

ATTENDANCE Kenneth C. Ragsdale & Tia F. Thomas February 18

December 2016 Worship Average: 2917

December Connection Average: 392
January 2017 Worship Average: 2050
January Connection Average: 392
February 2017 Worship Average: 2302
February Connection Average: 627
MEMBERS PASSING

Juanita Hall-Province December 1

LeeAnn Meredith January 9

24 mychristchurch.com/theflame
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