Capitol Hill Christian Church Disciples

We would like to hear from you if you would like to continue to receive Our Church Portrait through regular mail delivery. As much as is possible over the next weeks and months, we would like to move to sending it through email and having the articles on the blogspot.
The articles in this issue are available on www.chccdisciples.blogspot.com. We hope you will visit the site.

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We welcome new member Sharon Batye into our CHCC family. Sharon joined Sunday, April 13. If you don’t yet know Sharon, be sure to introduce yourself to her.

Sharon’s address is
3300 E. 25th Street
Stone Crest, Apt. 229
Des Moines, IA 50317
Phone: 266-3612
Be sure to add this to your new directory.

Welcome Sharon!
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New Address:
Emily Kerns
8817 Hickman Road, Apt. 710
Urbandale, IA 50322
515-326-2726

New Temporary Address
Myrtle Caskey
Norwalk Nursing and Rehab Center
921 Sunset Drive
Norwalk, IA 50211

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Thanks to the ones who . . .
· participated in the Listening Conferences.
· planned, prepared, helped and participated in the women’s retreat
· count money and attendance each week.
· deliver Food Pantry Collections.
· provided transportation for someone.
· were early with their information and articles for the Portrait this month!
pray for the church and world

Thanks to Richard Black and Ed Godfrey for the cleaning and organizing in the Men’s Dressing room. Check it out! There really is a floor in there!
Ed also repaired the baptistry and now it no longer leaks.
Thanks also to the CWF for purchasing 2 new faucet kits for the kitchen and to Richard Black for installing them! What a wonderful improvement to the kitchen!

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Prayer Concerns
Jondi Batye in Iraq, Dave Randall and family, Eleanor Mills, Genevieve Mihalovich, Becky Nash, Robin Maciak, Linda Frisbie, Peyton Carlson, Helen Farmer, Charlotte and Leland Hintz, Maxine Beck, Betty Landwehr, Johnanna Sullivan, Margaret Casebolt, Erma and Lyle Holtman, Yvonne Harward, Kent Aschan, Joy Matusiewicz, Charlotte Dawson, Chuck and Phyllis Tillman, Richard and Emily Guentert, Pastor Candice and Bill Brown.

Our love and sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Helen Stejskal who passed away Thursday, April 10, 2008. The memorial service will be Monday, May 12, 10:00 a.m. at CHCC.

Our love and sympathy to Peyton Carlson and family and friends upon Jean's death on Wednesday, April 30. The funeral service was May 3, 2008, 10:00 a.m. at Hamilton's North, with Pastor Candice officiating.

Prayers for Rebecca Tario whose sister Kittie died December 8 of last year. There will be graveside services Saturday, May 31, at 11:00 at Sunset Memorial Gardens. The CHCC congregation is welcome. There will be a lunch for the family at noon at CHCC.

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New Baby!
Congratulations to the Rediger family upon the arrival of a beautiful baby girl! Andreana Sofia Rediger was born April 1 at 12:24 a.m. She weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and is 20 inches long. The family thanks everyone for all their prayers these past months. Sue Denny is the proud grandmother.

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Men of Capitol Hill: Would you be interested in a "re-start" of monthly "Night-Out" of just plain fellowship (with a dish to share) and have an occasional speaker, and also to “brainstorm” ideas of things we can do for our church fellowship? Perhaps the 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. would work.
Call Jim Blaney at 240-9438.

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5th Sunday Personal Hygiene Collection
There were 71 items.
$26.86 was used to buy diapers for Children and Families of Iowa.

Thank you for helping strengthen families and restore futures!
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4 Michelle Fritz, Wayne Huss
5 John Bassett, Margaret Blakesley Monk
6 Glen Tully
8 Vera Weaver, Jonathan Bosteder
10 Katie Deaton, Kaylee Collins (#1)
11 Brandi McAninch
12 Kerry Kirstein
13 Lolly Beem, Viola Jones
15 Meghan Miller, Brandon Freerksen, Donnie Martin III
17 Charles Miller, Ryleigh Buehler (#1)
18 Ardith Law, Betty Tellis
20 Nadine Skinner, Colleson Tennih, Jimmy Tennih
21 Mark Godfrey
22 Sierra Wright
24 Paige Yeakel
25 Jeffrey Buehler
26 Roy Peters, Don Brady, Deborah Fisher, Linda Smith, Russ Nauman
28 Michael Wright
29 Mark Bassett, Jimmy VanRossum, Jean Borland

Happy Anniversary!
22 Kirk and Karen Hubbard—21st
26 Don and Glenna Brady—35th
31 John and Nadine Skinner—67th

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Global Missions—Breaking the Silence

Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's glory might be revealed in him,' - John 9:3

Nomvula Shale is HIV positive, but that doesn't stop her from speaking out! Nomvula travels from church to church in South Africa, defying taboos and the stigma of disease in order to provide words of comfort and assurance to those who are drowning in silence. Yesterday she was at Highway Hospice; tomorrow she will be at King Edward Hospital. Today, she counseled two in the parking lot who were too scared to seek help. What for many would be the harbinger of hopelessness is for Nomvula the key that enables her to communicate and be trusted by all who come to her. Why is she HIV positive? She says: "The Scriptures tell us ‘So the glory of God might be revealed!'"

Nomvula communicates her message to the church, to the government, to the schools, and to the people. She hosts a talk radio show and writes weekly in the newspaper. She leads the HIV and AIDS Desk of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA), which enables local churches to strengthen their own outreach to their communities. With the aid of Global Ministries, Nomvula and the HIV and AIDS Desk work together to fight the goliath of the AIDS pandemic in Africa, through such things as grants to purchase life saving medications, funds for a home-based care project, a new house at the Cebelihle Children's Home and new accommodation for the Siyabathanda ("We are loving them") ministry in Noodsberg. The silence about HIV/AIDS needs to be broken - Nomvula shatters it. In a world in need of hope and direction, Nomvula lives her life the way that God wills the church to be.

Rev. Scott Couper works with the kwaZulu Natal HIV and AIDS Desk of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) in Durban, South Africa.

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Reflections on Stewardship by Patty Maiers

Green. Have you noticed it is becoming fashionable? Have you noticed it’s not just the grass and trees! In an effort to be environmental stewards’, individuals and families these days are asking themselves what they can do to GO GREEN to conserve resources and preserve our environment. Some key words can remind us of some easy ways to go green; reuse, renew, recycle, reduce, conserve. Some things we can do around our homes and our church are simple changes of habit that can save energy and resources:
Be bright about light
Turn off lights when you are leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can.
Buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting,
Maximize computer efficiency
Make it a habit to turn off your computer – and the power strip it’s plugged into when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you’re still burning energy even if you’re not burning the midnight oil! During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Remember screen savers don’t save energy.
Print smarter
Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents. Avoid color printing when feasible.
Make is a policy to buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured one.
Go paperless when possible
Make it a habit to think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead?
Ramp up your recycling
Purchase and use recycled materials
You can conserve resources, save energy, and prevent waste by buying products that are energy efficient, are used or reusable, are made with recycled content or are recyclable, and have no packaging or reduced packaging.
Finally, I just can’t pass up an opportunity to offer you another chance to GO GREEN! If you have filed income taxes this year the Federal Government will be gifting you with a little ‘green’ in the coming months. The impetus of the gift is to give the economy a boost. With that in mind, the Stewardship Committee would like you to prayerfully consider sharing your gift with Capitol Hill. What a boost your gift would give our financial situation! Presently, we have experienced a steady first quarter and all bills have been paid and all outreach commitments have been fulfilled. Praise God! If you choose to tithe a portion of each $600 individual gift, the ten percent given to Capitol Hill would be $60. Wow! Wouldn’t that be a wonderful show of commitment and faith to Capitol Hill? However, whatever portion you can share would be a blessing.
How green can you go?

“Command those who are rich in this present world . . . to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

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Help, Sweet Help
Around Iowa, thousands of people are struggling to pay their mortgage. These are good, hard-working Iowans who, for any number of reasons, are facing financial difficulties that make it difficult or impossible to repay their home loan.
· Some Iowans are facing mounting healthcare costs.
· Some Iowans are coping with a job loss.
· Some Iowans have an adjustable-rate mortgage that has reset to an unmanageable interest rate.
No matter what the reason is for financial challenges, the Iowa Mortgage Help initiative is here to assist. Whether currently behind on monthly mortgage payment, or soon to experience financial trouble, contact them for help.
Seek help by calling the Iowa Mortgage Help Hotline at 1-877-622-4866, or by visiting www.IowaMortgageHelp.com.
You will talk to a trained, respectful, nonjudgmental counselor who will help identify the course of action that is most appropriate for your individual situation.

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April Attendance

April 6: 20 Sunday School - 58 Worship
April 13: 19 Sunday School - 74 Worship
April 20: 26 Sunday School - 62 Worship
April 27: 17 Sunday School - 68 Worship

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Nut Sale!
Spanish Peanuts—$2.00
Pecans-Pieces and halves—$5.50
Toffee Nut Mix—$4.00

Until gone!

Call Diana Pallwitz at 266-4355

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Diaconate Reports . . .
The annual Potato Bake brought in $318 for the general fund. Thanks to everyone who worked at, donated to, and supported this event.

Also

Younkers Community Day
from March 1
added $680 to the General Fund.

Thanks to everyone

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Worship Leaders
May 4: Ella Mae Baird
May 11: Skip Larson
May 18: Clare Smith-Larson
May 25: Gillian Randall

Diaconate Captain: Patti Miller
Communion Preparation: TBA

Elders
May 4: Clare Smith-Larson & Dave Randall
May 11: Pat West & Dennis Day
May 18: Dennis Day & Jim Blaney
May 25: Jim Blaney and Dave Randall

Homebound Communion:
Suzanne Turner, Dennis Day, and Jim Blaney

Children’s Worship and Wonder
Storyteller: Luci Collins
Greeter: Stephanie Harper

Did you know? We had TEN children at Worship and Wonder Sunday, April 13! Praise God !
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2008 Church Directories are available in the Narthex for you to pick up. If there is not one with your name on it, please take an un-labeled one and sign your name on the sheet provided.

If you need to have one mailed to you, please call the church office at 266-6283.

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Women's Retreat "Dream Walking"
The first CHCC Women's Retreat was held on Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12. It was attended by 23 women from the church and friends of members. The keynote speaker was Rev. Donna Rose-Heim, Northwest Area Minister in the Mid-America Region from Cameron, Missouri.
Participants had a wonderful time with activities, games, singing and much more. Our main topic of discussion was Dream Walking with God. We learned how to allow God to flow through us in the dreams that we have. Through different activities we learned how to really listen to others. We had a wide and diverse group from the older generation to the younger generation.
The food was excellent, music was great, and we found out a lot about each other that we had never known before. A good time was had by all.

The Dream Team members were Sheryl Hove, Pat West, Jessica Hove, Suzanne Turner, Joyce Blakesley, and Pastor Candice Brown.

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Mark your calendar . . .

A CWF Business Meeting including election of officers will be held after church on Sunday, June 15.

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Letter from Sharon Watkins—Giving Witness to the Hope Within Us

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Last week I joined with about 200 other Christian leaders from across the United States to have prayer with Pope Benedict XVI. It’s tempting to say that “everyone” was there.

In fact, just about every stripe of Christian in the United States was represented. Just in front of me sat Pat Robertson. Next to me sat a Pentecostal bishop, and on the other side was the dean of an Orthodox seminary. Two rows up (on the front row) was Rev. John Thomas of the United Church of Christ and across the aisle from me was Rev. James Forbes. There were Missouri Synod Lutherans, Mormons, Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants. There were bishops dressed in purple, Orthodox hierarchs dressed in their ancient garb, and Protestant leaders in business suits and dresses.

All there because the Pope had invited us. Most, I am sure, had changed busy schedules to be there. (Thanks to the North Carolina Region for their flexibility in changing my keynote to a different night of their regional assembly.) Perhaps the president of the United States could have commanded such a crowd, but he’s the only one. It was impressive to see the range of traditions represented by the people who accepted the Pope’s invitation to pray together.

I was struck by his simplicity, by his air of sincerity. He was quiet – maybe tired after his morning at the United Nations. He spoke of the importance of our Christian witness in a time of globalization, a time which can either draw us together as a global community or drive us more deeply into individualism and fragmentation. The theme of the service, Christ our Hope, was the dominant note of his message.

Some commentators have noted that Pope Benedict XVI chose, on this visit, not to address large challenges. No big word on the war in Iraq. No “in your face” admonishing of American Catholics to change their ways. Instead on this visit, the Pope chose to draw us in. (In fact, one of the hymns we sang was “Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether.”) Instead of emphasizing differences, he seemed to be looking for common ground.

Maybe this was exactly what we needed.

Daily life is an experience of fragmentation for so many. Low-income seniors fight through a tangle of regulation to have access to medication. Single parents struggle to provide resources for their families in a tightening economy. Suburban families are broken by the demands of family and dual careers. Military families await word on loved ones as we surpass the 4,000th American death in Iraq. Daily our world is segmented, segregated, and fractured. And yet, like a bulb bursting forth into a flower announcing life over dismal winter, Pope Benedict brought this gentle reminder that as a people of faith, we live in hope.

We’ll have to be careful that we don’t leave it with the Pope’s reminder, however. As important as his words are, it’s our witness that finally matters most.

We in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) don’t have a Pope who can speak for all of us. We even question our own democratic processes of gathering representatives of every congregation together and voting on a word to the church from the church. That means that every one of us has to take responsibility for making the gospel real in our lives and giving witness to the people around us. It means we can’t wait for someone else to be or share the gospel for us. Each one of us is responsible for making real the life-giving call of Christ to reconciliation and wholeness in our context.

Our new identity statement says, “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.” It’s time for us to live the call for unity and one-ness that has always been part of the historic Disciples plea and challenge ourselves to faithfully move forward. Our identity statement continues: “As part of the one Body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God as welcomed us.”

The Pope’s call to the Christian community to give witness to the hope that is within us was right on cue. It’s time for each one of us to take up our part.

Sharon E. Watkins

General Minister and PresidentChristian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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Disciples History:
A Prescription For Missions
It didn't quite work out the way he had foreseen. The passionate missionary knew —just knew —that his work would help bring about Christ's millennial reign on earth. The timing seemed exactly right and his devotion was unmatched.

James Turner Barclay went to the Holy Land to be one of God's agents in ushering in Christ's final reign. Although his mission work concluded in the mid-19th century, as Disciples' first overseas missionary, Barclay lives on as an example of passionate service to the Church and the world.

Born in Virginia in 1807, Barclay attended the University of Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied medicine. Originally Presbyterian, like so many other Disciples, the physician would go on to put down solid roots in the Christian Church. After joining the Disciples movement, Barclay moved to Washington, D.C., where he helped start a Disciples congregation.

Barclay's wife, Julia Sowers, was a close friend of Alexander Campbell's wife Selina, and the Barclay's younger son married the Campbells' daughter, Decima. Eventually Barclay would become professor of natural sciences at Bethany College.

Even before joining the Disciples, Barclay had expressed a passion for missions. Longing to serve in China, he sought placement with the Presbyterian Board of Missions but decided against going overseas when his aging mother asked him not to leave. After his mother's death and his affiliation with the Disciples, Barclay signed on with the Disciples' newly formed American Christian Missionary Society in 1849 to work in Palestine.

Stirring Barclay's zeal for the Holy Land was a view he shared with many other 19th-century Protestants: a hope that Palestine would embrace Christianity and be a linchpin in divine history to inaugurate Christ's millennial reign.

Barclay served two missionary tours in Palestine, the first between 1851 and 1854, and the second between 1858 and the early 1860s. However, the evangelism plans of the Virginia doctor largely failed; his audience was unresponsive to his Christian proclamation.

Despite the disappointment, the doctor dug in his theological heels after his second term of service, expounding in Campbell's journal, the Millennial Harbinger, his confidence in Christ's quick return and the dramatic turning of the multitudes to the Christian faith.

Though Barclay's evangelizing mission stalled, he retained an unshakable desire to serve the world in Christ's name. Despite the lack of converts, Barclay's medical outreach was a success, the Disciple doctor treating more than 2,000 malaria victims the first year of his initial missionary tour. And Barclay made a lasting impact through geographical research. His 1858 book The City of the Great King was a seminal study of 19th-century Jerusalem.

We remember Barclay because of his unique prescription for Disciples missions and for the zeal he displayed in evangelism.

Oh, and that church he helped start in Washington? That went on eventually to become National City Christian Church.

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Growing Food Crisis Sparks Concern Among Disciples

Week of Compassion has begun receiving a number of calls and emails about the growing food crisis in the world and what WOC is doing in response. Indeed, a number of international organizations, including numerous humanitarian agencies, have issued warnings about the rising prices of food and the impact on the world's poor. The World Bank has said that food prices have risen more than 80 percent over the past three years. Violent protests have already erupted in a dozen countries, and scores more face serious food shortages this year.
High oil prices, bad weather, food grains (especially corn) diverted to bio-fuel production, globalization of markets, further devaluation of the U.S. dollar and other forces are combining to form a "perfect storm" to put millions of lives of the world's poorest people at risk.

WOC has received a number of alerts from church partners on the ground who are already responding to the crisis in their respective countries, as well as developing additional response plans. Also, WOC is in touch with Church World Service (CWS) and other ecumenical partners about developing a resource with the most up-to-date information available and how, together, we might make the most appropriate, coordinated response.

In the meantime, WOC is setting up a new designated account, "world food crisis," that will enable interested Disciples to respond.

Contributions can be made online or sent to Week of Compassion, attn: Elaine Cleveland, P.O. Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN 46206. You may also make your check to the church and note that it is to go to Week of Compassion.

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Capitol Hill Christian Church Disciples

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Greetings from Capitol Hill Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Candice's Comments

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Dazzling Bouquets Lunch May 10, 2008

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Dreamwalking Women's Retreat with Donna Rose-Heim

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Our Church Portrait May 2008, Vol. 48, No. 5

Friday, February 8, 2008

LECTIONARY READINGS

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Chili Cook-off - Queen Karen Regains Title!

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