The new prayer calendar for the month of September from the New Hope Pregnancy Center is now available on the New Beginnings page.

Just a reminder that this week we have a special worship schedule.

Our primary worship service for Sunday, August 30, 2009 will be at 7:00pm for FOCUS oh-nine.

FOCUS will be similar to our regular weekly worship services but will feature guest speaker Owen Barrow from Apex UMC and a double serving of music for worship.

FOCUS will be a night of worship
where we'll focus ourselves and our lives
on worshiping our God.

You won't want to miss it, and remember to bring a friend!

We will have morning services at our regularly scheduled times:
9:30am & 11:00am.
These services will be prayer services.

We're kicking off a new annual event this year that we would like for you to be a part of.

The event is called 'FOCUS' and as this is 2009 we are calling it 'FOCUS oh-nine'.

The event will be held at Christ Community (1082 Amelia Church Rd; Clayton, NC)
the night of August 30th at 7:00pm.

FOCUS is

a high-energy, high-powered night of worship
where we'll focus ourselves and our lives on worshiping our God.

a night where we'll go beyond the confession of our lips
to worship with our hearts.

a night where we'll abandon ourselves: our methods, our agendas, and our pride
to pursue that which God wants.

a night where we'll fix our attention on God
to live lives of worship.

a night where we'll worship God in spirit and in truth.

a night where we'll be the kind of worshipers
that God seeks and longs for us to be everyday.

Whether you are a part of this church, another church, or the unchurched
this is a chance for us to all get together and glorify our God as the Church.

Come out early for a chance at FREE t-shirts, DVDs & CDs!

We hope to see you there!

I experience and express the power of trust because... I know I cannot take the easy way out.

There is always a better way!  When your back is against the wall, do not be tempted to take the easy way out.  Avoid taking the short cut.  Never allow the pressure of the moment force you to do something that is dishonest or dishonorable.   Before you strike out in terror or anger, call for strength, energy and presence of mind to do what is best for everyone involved.  No matter what happens to you, you will be better off if you look for a better way of doing things.  Trust that no matter what stands before you, you can handle it by taking the high road.

The high road is any action taken or any word spoken with the intention of restoring peace, invoking healing or advancing love.  It can be difficult to keep your eye on the road when you feel like you are being dishonored or harmed in some way.  Fear can also make you lose sight of the road - the fear of being abandoned, rejected, or discovered.  How you respond when you are faced with one of these fears is understandable.  Unfortunately, in the universe, it may not be excusable.

When you are stressed, pressured or simply afraid, it is easy to be lured into being dishonest.  If you are angry, it is understandable that you would want to strike out.  Let's face it, in those situations when it seems that telling a lie will save you, chances are you will consider telling the lie.  Don't do it!  There is always a better way.  When you deliberately trespass the boundaries of what is good, honest, loving and harmonious, there will be hell to pay.  Don't be the one who has to pay it.

Until today, you may have allowed the pressures of stress of your life make you sink down or act low down.  Just for today, look for the high road.  Refuse to say anything or do anything that will not create or support peace, healing and love.

~Iyanla Vanzant

God has given me some things that nothing can change?

Your worth is not measure by what you do.  Nor can you calculate the degree of your worthiness by what you possess.  Your worth is a function of your being.  Your being is colorless, genderless and believe it or not, ageless.  Your being in worthy of honor, admiration and respect.  It is a vessel of love and light.  It is a beacon of inspiration.  Beneath all the things that you have told yourself, been told about yourself, maybe even hold against yourself, there is a being that you must learn to honor, value and embrace.  It doesn't take much to learn how to do it, and it is well worth the effort.  How you learn to "be" with yourself and how you honor the being that you are will ultimately determine how worthy you feel.

Don't be harsh with your being.  Don't waste your time regretting things you have done or ways you have been.  If you take a nice, long, slow, deep breath, you will feel the truth of your being.  Try it now.  Take a nice long, slow deep breath.  Slowly release that breath and take another one.  Sit in the stillness that is sure to fall over your being while you silently remind your being of its worth and value to the world.  This simple practice will put you in touch with all of the love, light, joy and inspiration you need in the world.  This practice allows you to embrace your being.

In learning to embrace your being, don't look at your mistakes.  It is a given that we will all make some mistakes in life.  It is a given that you will make inappropriate choices for inappropriate reasons.  They will in no way affect your worth.  No matter what you say of what you do, nothing can minimize the worth of your being.  Your worth is a gift from God.  Your worth is a gift of grace.

Until today, you may not have realized that God established the worth of your being when you were given the gift of life.  Just for today, remain focused on the idea that your worth is not what you do or have.  Embrace the gift of your being.

~ Iyanla Vanzant

The new prayer calendar for the month of June from the New Hope Pregnancy Center is now available on the New Beginnings page.

Canning Hunger
Throughout the summer, donations to the Canning Hunger bin will go to Clayton Area Ministries.

Blood Drive
The date for the American Red Cross Blood Drive is Saturday, August 8 from 10 am to 2:30 pm. We will be signing people up for appointment times in the near future. If you have not yet signed up for donation, you may still do so. Keep in mind that the more donors we have the more lives we save. Contact Kris Carter with any questions.

VBS T-shirts
We will be ordering the VBS volunteer T-shirts soon. If you would like to purchase one for $10, please sign up the sheet on the bulletin board in the church lobby.

Military Outreach
The leaders of the Military Outreach are looking for opportunities to help people in the military. If you have a military contact or know of any outreach opportunities, please contact Adam Revels.

Honoring of Graduates
Christ Community will be honoring the graduates of high school, college, and professional schools on Sunday, June 7. We want to be sure to include everyone. If you know of someone in our church family who will be graduating, please contact the church office.

Life will work for me when I realize… I am in a different part of the same boat as everyone else.

Life doesn’t always go the way you want or plan that it will go. It hardly ever looks the way you first envisioned that it would look. It rarely feels comfortable or as if you have it under control, and quite often there are things that you cannot control! That’s life! Life is usually what happens just when you are planning something else.

It moves at its own pace, which is usually faster or slower than you would like it to. It moves in its own direction, which is often not the direction in which you are going. It opens up when you least expect it and shuts itself down at the most inopportune moments. It gives for no reason and takes the same way. It starts abruptly and stops just short of the goal. It changes. Then it refuses to change. It runs smoothly, then hits a bump. It feels good for days, weeks or months at a time. Then, all of a sudden, it makes you sick. It loves you. Then it leaves you high and dry. It will help you out when you need it most, then knock you down and roll right over you. It will present you with an answer. Then it will present you with questions that do not match the answer you have been given. It is good for a while. Then it sucks all of the goodness out of you. That’s life.

Until today, you may have spent a great deal of time focused on making life move around you. Just for today, be devoted to allowing the life within you to flow it its own way, at its own pace.

Honoring of Graduates
Christ Community will be honoring the graduates of high school, college, and professional schools on Sunday, June 7. We want to be sure to include everyone. If you know of someone in our church family who will be graduating, please contact the church office.

Blood Drive
We need people to pledge blood donation. Without the pledges we cannot schedule a date. Keep in mind that every donor can help save the lives of 3 people. If you were excluded from donation in the past, please consider trying again. Everyone receives a mini-physical to make sure they are a candidate for giving. The sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the lobby. If you have questions visit www.givelife.org, www.redcross.org, or contact Kris Carter.

Deeper Still LifeWay Women’s Event
Feeling lost in your busy, overloaded life? Then it’s time to grab your girlfriends, jump in the car, and head to Deeper Still. Join us for an extraordinary weekend of in-depth bible study, prayer, and worship that will point you toward the vibrant life God has in store for you. It’s never too late to ask for direction in your faith journey, and this LifeWay event for women of every age will get you to your destination. If you are interested in joining us in Greensboro, July 31- August 1 for the unique opportunity to worship and hear the rich and relevant teaching of Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shire, and Beth Moore, please contact Patty Eller.

Pork BBQ Fundraiser
On May 29, Christ Community UMC will be partnering with Fairview Contemporary Fellowship to do a Pork BBQ Fundraiser. The $5 plates will include BBQ, potatoes, slaw and a roll or bread. In order to make this fundraiser a success, CCUMC is being asked to do the following:
- Sell tickets
- Provide Volunteers:
o 2 for Chopping BBQ at 9:30 am
o 2 for preparing plates
o 3 or 4 for delivering to area businesses
- Provide Food Donations
o Pound Cakes
o Green Cabbage
If you are able to help, please contact the church office.

Wii Sports Tournament & Yard Sale
The Finance Committee is sponsoring a Wii Tournament & Yard Sale to benefit the church general fund. All are encouraged to participate.
The Wii Sports Tournament & Games will be held on Friday, June 5 from 6:00 – 9:30 pm. There will be bowling, golf, tennis, and baseball available. The cost per participant is $5. There is no fee for spectators and nursery will be provided. Refreshments (Pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, brownies & soda) will be available to purchase. Come out and join us for a family night of fun and entertainment!
The Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, June 6 from 7:00 am – noon. Donations may be dropped off in room #6 any time after Sunday School on May 31.

Wii Sports Tournament Reservations
To help us with planning, if you are going to attend the Wii Sports Tournament, please contact the church office with the number of spectators attending and the number of participants attending.

Wii Sports Tournament & Yard Sale Volunteers
In order to make the Wii Tournament and Yard Sale a success, we will need volunteers. If you are able to help in any of the following ways, please contact the church office.
For the Wii Tournament, I will
_____ provide a Wii game system
_____ provide a large TV
_____ oversee a Wii station
For the refreshments, I will
_____ provide brownies
For the Yard Sale, I will
_____ help with pricing on Thursday 6/4 @ 7:00 pm
_____ help set up on Saturday 6/6 @ 6:00 am
_____ help with sales on Sat. 6/6 7:00 am – 9:30 am
_____ help with sales on Sat. 6/6 9:30 am – noon
_____ help with clean up on Sat. 6/6 noon until done
_____ take left over items to Goodwill after sale

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking (Written by a former child)

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that they little things can be the special things in life. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God that I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

Each of us, parent or friend, influence the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today?