Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Casey Largin Kerry/Darren Shewchuk

2 3

CYF Coffeehouse & Silent Auction

7:00 pm

4

Soup Kitchen Sack Lunch Handout

5 6 6:30a Men’s Prayer

7 6:00 Elders Meeting 6:30 Circle of Prayer 7:00 Choir

8

Jeanne/Scott Thayer

9

Sylvia Colon

10

Pentecost 11

8:00 CMF Breakfast 6:00 Board Meeting

12 6:00 Serendipity @ Harrises

Alice/Robert Gibson

13 6:30a Men’s Prayer 10:00a Circle I 1:00 Hope Circle

14 6:30 Circle of Prayer 7:00 Choir

Ginger/Jerry Lang

15

Camp Registration Deadline

Kerry Shewchuk

16 17

For Andros (7-1) ICYF Car Wash

Katie/Rob Davis

18 19 20 6:30a Men’s Prayer

Adalee Winter

Patti/Caver Sigler

21 10:00a C&C (Gibson) 6:30 Circle of Prayer 7:00 Choir

Beverly Berryhill

22 7:00 C&C (Coleman)

23 24

25 26

27 6:30a Men’s Prayer 7:00p C&C (FH)

Brenda Tanner Susie/Shawn Sparks

28 6:30 Circle of Prayer 7:00 Choir

29 1:00 C&C (FH)

Jose DeJesus LeighAnn/Mike Walker

30 31

May 4 Wiley Hales Woodie Payne

Ed Carson *Cindy Harris

*Brandi Hewett Brenda Montgomery

May 11 Muir Steward

Polly Bailey Joe Duncan

*Brinley Hocutt *Martha Hocutt Martha Smalley

May 18 Kathy Mason

Helen Gibson Jon Atkinson

Chris Coleman *Alice Gibson

*Alison Tanner

May 25 Buddy Harris Randi Coleman *John Bennett

*Kim Farish Robert Gibson Eileen McCoy

Greeters: Rita & Jack Heifner Liturgist: Muir Steward

*communion preparation

Serendipity Circle will be at the Cindy Harris’s home at 6:00 pm on May 12th.

Circle I will meet on May 13th at 10:00. Hope Circle will meet on May 13th at 1:00.

Christian Men’s Fellowship

May 11th 8:00 am

…Billie Brennan and her family on the loss of her brother-in-law James Jones. He was married to Billie’s sister for 70 years. …the Bowers, Gibson, and Harris families on the loss of Corinne Bowers. Corinne was 99. …Martha O’Bryant and Betty Welch and their families on the loss of their brother Vernon McGraw (California).

Ginger Bailey will receive her BS in Biology from The University of Alabama in May. She has been accepted into the School of

Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University this fall. Parking for the A-Day game raised $1960, to be divided between the Andros Mission Project and the youth going to ICYF in California this summer.

2007

Disciples Mission Fund $8651 Week of Compassion 810 Easter 647 Pentecost 410 Reconciliation 175 Thanksgiving 401 Christmas 880 Meals on Wheels 2408 Temporary Emergency Services 1385 AL/NW FL Region 1885 Heifer Project 945 East Tuscaloosa Soup Kitchen 1667 Bethany Christian Church 1000 Andros Mission Project 1947 Youth For Christ 150 Good Samaritan Clinic 640 Alberta Elementary Food Bags 576 Misc (power, gas, etc) 441 $25018

You Should Be Proud!! (17% of budget)

Congratuations to the Mauritson family on the marriage of Eric and Lydia Otero on April 26th in Jacksonville, FL.

The Andros Yard Sale is scheduled for May 17th, 7:00 a.m. til 1:00 p.m. Be cleaning out closets and

collecting your items to donate.

We are updating address/phone information for a new(er) directory. If you have changed your e-mail or phone number(s) since the red directory was made, please let Dona know. For the newer folks,if you have not filled out a blue sheet (narthex), please do so ASAP. Thanks. The Sisters group just finished up another captivating book: Really Bad Girls of the Bible: More Lessons from Less-Than-Perfect Women. We studied some of the better known bad girls from biblical times and their modern day counterparts. The book was

interesting and the company always pleasurable. Anyone who is interested in joining the

group is welcome. We meet Sundays at 2:00 in our homes and treat ourselves to delectable snacks after the discussions. We start May 18th with The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules. Let Andrea Minear know if you would like a book ordered for you. Wiley Hales attended the 50th reunion of his veterinary class on April 12th and was awarded a Golden Eagle certificate and lapel pin presented by the Auburn Alumni Association. Congratulations! Make plans to participate in Miracle Day at First Christian Church in Cullman on June 7, 2008. The workday will begin at 7:00 am and end at 4:30 pm. It ‘s an Amish barn-raising, Habitat for Humanity build, mission trip and church workday all rolled into one. All are invited to participate in this regional mission.

The East Tuscaloosa Community Soup Bowl (ETCSB) continues to serve an average of 65 hot meals every Wednesday and Friday. We expect this number to increase during the summer with children out of school. Because of your generous support and response, beginning in May, we will be preparing and serving the hot meal for the Soup Bowl every 4th Wednesday of every month (instead of every other month). There will be a volunteer sign-up sheet in the narthex the week prior to the 4th Wednesday so that we will know who can help. You may also call Polly Bailey at 792-9315 or Katie Wallace-Davis at 535-0407 to volunteer. Katie and Polly are co-leading our Soup Bowl project, so please call if you have any questions.

Sunday May 4th

We need your help!! Meet in the fellowship hall at 9:30 am on May 4th (Sunday School) to assemble 150

sack lunches to be handed out at 1:00 pm. After worship, will distribute lunches at Alberta United Methodist Church.

Be blessed by being a blessing in this hands-on ministry of feeding the physically and spiritually hungry. Call Polly or Katie with questions.

The ETCSB will be selling boston butts prepared by Robertson's BBQ for August 23rd delivery. Tickets sales will start in June. They will also be selling baked hams as well as the butts. Last year we were fortunate to have Modern Woodsmen to match money earned by this fundraiser. If you know of an organization or if you employer matches funds on these types of projects, contact Polly Bailey. More on this later.

Cake & Conversation As a follow-up to the elders’ recent study of church transformation, letters are going out inviting everyone to participate in small-group gatherings to share ideas about spiritual growth and discerning God’s mission for our congregation. To facilitate participation, these gatherings will be offered at a variety of times and places as follows:

May 21st Wednesday 10:00 am (Helen Gibson’s Home) 356 Riverdale Drive

May 22nd Thursday 7:00 pm (Coleman Home/630 54th AveE/Summerfield)

May 27th Tuesday 7:00 pm FCC Bowers Fellowship Hall

May 29th Thursday 1:00 pm FCC Bowers Fellowship Hall

Please plan to join us! Randi Coleman Elders Chairman

It’s that time again!!!! All camps will be held the same week (June 9-13) at Hargis, except for Discovery (June 7-9, $125) and Fine

Arts (Panama City, June 22-27). More information can be obtained from the church office. The cost is $210 per camper ($50 discount for fine arts camp if you attend traditional camp.) Registration deadline for all camps is May 15th. Adult counselors are needed for all camps!!!

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Staff

Minister – Rev. Scott Thayer

Music Director – Ron Montgomery Youth Directors – Lauren Dupree & Justin Stiles

Children’s Director – Sandra Brennan Secretary – Dona Sulzmann

Office Hours

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Monday through Friday

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First Christian Church 627 Paul W. Bryant Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

(Disciples of Christ) 627 Paul W. Bryant Drive

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 (205) 758-2968

FAX (205) 758-5871 tuscfcc@bellsouth.net www.tuscaloosafcc.org

___________________________________________________ MAY 2008 THE EPISTLE

The word “evangelism” is not an English word – at least not originally. It’s actually a Greek word that means “telling good news.” What is the best news you can think of?...a new grandbaby?...a clean medical report?...a good report card? Why is it so easy to tell news like that? It’s because we really want to share it. Our faith tells us that the best news of all is the love of Jesus Christ in our lives. And yet we are so hesitant to share that news. There are many reasons for that hesitancy, but the point is that the good news of Jesus seldom gets shared by us with anybody who needs to hear it. That’s why our church has a special group of people who are looking at how we might be able to get beyond our spiritual lock-jaw. This group is called the “evangelism committee,” headed by one of our newer members, Jon Atkinson. Their job is to help us discern ways to become more faithful to the Great Commission that our Lord gave to us when he said, “Go and make disciples,” (Matthew 28:16). Be watching for opportunities from the evangelism committee. In the meantime, remember this: according to the Greek dictionary, “evangelism” also means “a reward given to the messenger of good tidings.” Sharing the good news of Jesus carries with it an incredibly enriching benefit to us, because there is no feeling on earth as good as the one you will have when someone comes to the Lord because of your witness.

Scott