Congregational Forum Summary

At discussions held after each of our February 15 worship services, informa-

tion was presented concerning a search for a possible new tenant congrega-
tion, instead of or in addition to the small, struggling Korean congregation
that currently worships in our gym building. Questions were answered, and
the following points were made:
The Trustees are beginning to explore possible options with an agent who
specializes in these arrangements. Any prospective decisions will be
brought to the Board and the Congregation for approval.
Any contract with a tenant congregation would be written so as to not in-
terfere with the primary time and space use of our church—
specifically, we would consider congregations who meet at times
other than Sunday morning, and would offer only the gym building for
tenancy.
Income from such an arrangement would not go directly to our general
budget, but would be used 1) to start a Building Fund, 2) to augment
savings, and 3) to support special outreach projects. The formula for
income use would also be presented to the congregation.

Further questions about this process are encouraged, and can be directed to
Board Chair Doug Crawford, Trustees Chair Doreen Jackson, or Pastor
Steve.

February 26, 2009

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 Disciples Women’s Ministry
DID YOU KNOW……..
That every woman in the First Christian Church of Torrance is a Disci-
ples Woman? No membership dues, no sign ups, no requirements to
meet. Your presence at church, your desire to love and serve our
Lord, your participation in worship – those are the qualities that make
up a Disciples’ Woman.
The Disciples Woman’s Board is a group made up of just such women, and their mis-
sion is to provide opportunities for the women of our church to develop a sense of
personal responsibility for the whole mission of the church of Jesus Christ. Through
activities and outreach, the DWF Board meets this goal. These women are elected
to serve, and are dedicated to this ministry. They welcome the support and participa-
tion of every woman in the church. Come join us – you’ll like it.

If you missed last Sunday’s luncheon – wow! It was an outstanding and faith-filled
afternoon with Carole Wolaver, “The Pottery Lady”. Her presentation and her beauti-
ful works of art were the highlight of a time together with great food, good friends,
and worship shared.

Our DWF Board Program Chairman, Sakura Koontz, has planned each of our lunch
meetings with special care. Our General Lunch meeting for March promises to be
another very special one. Come spend an afternoon with our own Janie Fietz, and
learn about the Prayer Shawl Ministry. The service project for March is this ministry.
Faith Circle will be serving a special luncheon, and Marion Casey will lead our Wor-
ship presentation. Mark your calendars right now for Sunday, March 22, 2009 at
Noon, and watch for more information in the next newsletter

March is going to be a very busy month. A large delegation (Yah!) of our women and
youth are attending the Regional Women’s Convocation on March 6th and 7th in
Santa Ana. They will be attending seminars to help them grow in their relationship
with one another and with our Lord Jesus Christ Hopefully, they will be sharing their
experiences with everyone at a future time.

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DWF Board is also busily planning our Family Night on April 16th. Plans are shap-
ing up, and we hope you will all want to be a part of our “Country Fair at the Blue
Church”. We need some of you ladies (gentlemen welcome also!) to step up and
help – being a part of it all is half the fun! We plan on some down-home fixin’s for
dinner, some games for the young’uns, some prize winning desserts, and a real
“talent” show as only FCC can do it!

We need – some handy help in the kitchen, some decoratin’ ideas, and most of all
– some volunteers to brave the stage. Ladies, gents, kids - if you play the piano,
sing, dance, strum, emote, recite, juggle, clown, we want you! Come on – let’s
have some fun with it! See Judy Rickabaugh or Sakura Koontz and let’s talk! We
welcome the youth groups, the not-so-youth groups, and all groups to step up to
the challenge! Come show us what you can do……..!!!!

So folks, get out your best chambray and apron, your Sunday go-to-meetin’ over-
alls, and join us. Your ideas are also welcome – together we can make this a real
down-home cel-a-bra-tion!

Watch for more information coming soon!

A Season for the Spirit

You are invited to join this Lenten season as the adult Sunday
class begins a journey guided by the devotional book entitled
A Season for the Spirit. We will meet every Sunday morning from March 1st to
April 5th. The author of our study is Martin L. Smith, and it is published by Seabury
Classics.
These daily readings begin on Ash Wednesday. You are highly encouraged to ob-
tain the book by then. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Houston
(310-329-6444) or Pastor Steve. It is not necessary to attend all the classes to
benefit. You are welcome to any and all.
As a community of faith, we need each other and each person’s unique experience.
You are welcome to come at any time as we share this journey. This may sound
very serious and solemn, and it is. But the Good News is that we all know how this
story ends, so come and walk with us toward Easter!

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 Holy Week Observances:
April 5: Palm Sunday Worship, 8:30 & 10:30 am
April 6: Monday Devotional Lunch, 12 noon
April 7: Tuesday Devotional Dinner, 6:00 pm
April 8: Wednesday Devotional Brunch, 9:00 am
April 9: Maundy Thursday Dinner, 6:30 pm
Maundy Thursday Worship, 7:30 pm
April 10: Good Friday Prayer Vigil, 6:00 am-6:00 pm
Good Friday Prayer Service, 6:00 pm
April 12: Easter Sunday Worship, 8:30 & 10:30 am
Pancake Breakfast in between
Resurrection Cantata during 10:30 Worship

Baptism Class
Pastor Steve will be facilitating four classes as preparation for our celebration of baptism on
Easter Sunday (April 12). Classes will be geared for children fourth-grade and up who have
not previously been baptized.
Interested children and their parents are invited to meet briefly on March 1 after each worship
service, so that we may coordinate calendars, and hand out materials. Plans are to hold class
Sunday afternoon, March 8, 15 and 29, and on Saturday morning, April 4.
Page 4
 CHURCH FAMILY PRAYERS & CONCERNS
Results from Jack Rogers’s spinal tap show no sign of bone cancer. He
does continue to have back pain, but is much relieved at the good news.

After evaluation of her living situation following a car accident, Ruthie Totes’s family de-
cided to move her to Santa Cruz, just a few miles from her son, Jerry. Ruthie’s new address
is: Hanover Guest Home, 813 Hanover Street, Santa Cruz CA 95062.

Beverly Roseberry is getting stronger as she receives therapy for a recent stroke. She is at
Little Company of Mary Transitional Care, but should be home soon.

Aron Fried is doing much better in his recovery from a stroke. He was in worship last
Sunday, and offers thanks for all the prayers on his behalf.

Chery Carew asks prayers for her niece in Missouri, Crystal Workman, who has received a
diagnosis of liver cancer, and is beginning a rigorous regimen of chemotherapy.

Prayers are asked on behalf of Jean Stamp and her family as she nears death—Jean is a
former member of our church.

Michele Wood continues to reduce her pain medication for nerve damage, and appreciates
the lessening of side affects.

Jim Whobrey is healing from a stress fracture of his foot.

Officer Steve Kroesen, a co-worker with Carol Wilk, is home and doing much better in his
battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Bonnie Evans asks prayers for her friend Robert, who is near death, and for her neighbor,
Suzie, who has been ill for several days.

Karen Jackson’s friend, Kate Frommer, is recovering from breast cancer surgery.

Susan Babcock’s beloved canine companions Shiloh and Pumpkin continue in our prayers.

Prayers are asked for the many families, some within our church, who are being impacted
by job or pay cuts.

Please pray for the work of our church’s Mission Discernment Group, the Finance Commit-
tee, and the Nominating Committee.
Page 5
 March 2009
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs

WORSHIP SERVICES
8:30 and 10:30 am
Sunday School 9:30 am

1 2 3 4
Disciple Women
Regional Bake Sale
CYF/Youth Adventure Bible Study 10:00 a.m.
Worship Meeting New H
12:00 Trustees 7:00 Education
Lenten Dinner Series
7:00 7:00
7:00 p
5:00

8 9 10 11

His Hands 12:00

Disciple Women’s
Chi Rho 12:00 Bible Study 10:00 a.m. Cho
Newsletter Board
Lenten Dinner Series Board Meeting 7:00 7:00 p
7:00
5:00

15 16 17 18

Youth Adventure 12:00 Love Group 9:30 a.m.

Cho
Lenten Dinner Series Faith Group 1:30 p.m. Bible Study 10:00 a.m.
7:00 p
5:00 Elders 7:00 p.m.

22 23 24 25
CYF 12:00
Chi Rho 12:00
Cho
Women’s Lunch 12:00 Newsletter Bible Study 10:00 a.m.
7:00 p
Lenten Dinner Series
5:00
29 30 31

Lenten Dinner Series Bible Study 10:00 a.m Cho

5:00 Page 6 7:00 p
sday Friday Saturday

March Birthday’s
Mary Ibe (1)
Hilda Coleman (4)
Gail Grove (5)
Gene Jackson (5)
Virginia Gober (6)
5 6 7 Wally Sandberg (6)
Kurt Nelson (9)
Ruth Morrison (10)
Terry Thomas (15)
Hope Marion Casey (16)
Lois Sherwood (17)
p.m. Haley Crawford (20)
Emma Hernandez (22)
Katie Redderson (22)
Orlando Martinez (24)
12 13 14 Charlene Bowring (26)
Kristin Karlin (28)
Lois Sherwood (29)
Ruth Perry (29)
oir Helen Reed (29)
Glenn Singleton (30)
p.m. Kel Henderson (30)
Mandy Fontaine (30)

19 20 21

CMF 8:30 a.m.

oir
p.m.

26 27 28

oir
p.m.
ANNIVERSARIES
Raymond & Donna Stent (18)
John & Anne Beecher (30)

oir
p.m. Page 7
 Education Notes & News

All-Church Retreat
We have a good group already signed up to go to our Loch Leven All-Church Retreat, but
there is room for more if you are interested. Talk to Jill Foster, Samantha Lubrani or Pastor
Steve Fietz if you are interested.
What: Weekend retreat for the entire church family
Where: Loch Leven Camp and Conference Center located in the San Bernardino mountains
When: Friday evening March 20th-Sunday morning March 22nd
Cost: $90 for adults, $67 for ages 4-12, free for children 3 and younger

UPCOMING EASTER ACTIVITIES:

Sunday, April 5-Palm Sunday
This Sunday our Bible Explorers and high school classes will be participating in several mini-
rotations that include making Empty Tomb Buns and doing a special eggshell art project.
During both services our children will also participate in our traditional palm branch proces-
sional. Palm Sunday is also the time for our annual Easter Eggcitement Party. Everyone is
invited to join us after second service for lunch, special activities, a visit from the Easter
Bunny and our Easter egg hunt. Plan on bringing a dozen filled Easter eggs to share.
Easter Sunday-April 12
There will be no adult or youth Sunday school classes this morning, but you are invited to
come to the Easter Pancake Breakfast, which will be served from 7:30-10:15.
March Youth Calendar
March 1
12:00 Youth Adventure (grades 3-5)-Walk to the park for games. Bring a sack lunch.
12:00 CYF (grades 9-12)
March 8
No youth group meetings today

March 14
CYF will be taking a trip to the LA Food Bank to help package food for distribution to other
food banks in the city. They will be leaving the church at 8:00 and return sometime after
noon. Must wear closed toes shoes. See Jimmy Koontz for more information.

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 March 15
12:00 Youth Adventure-Light lunch served. Lenten discussion & group game.
Don’t forget your journal.
12:00 CYF-Lunch outing and discussion of next service project

March 22
12:00 Chi Rho
No CYF meeting today

Bible Explorers
As we start the Lenten season Bible Explorers will be focusing on Jesus and this time in
the Garden of Gethsemane. The class schedule is below and everyone from preschool
though grade 5 is invited to join us Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:15. Come check out
our new Sunday morning program.
Supplies Needed: We are still looking for small size containers with lids (to be turned into
banks). Drop them off in the Donation Box located in room 2. Thanks for your support!
If you are in Junior High School and want to learn about becoming a Shepherd for this
program contact Jill Foster, Chery Carew or Shirley Woodman.

Date Class Workshop Room #

The Garden of Gethsemane
3/1 PRE K-1 Media 4
2-5 Science 2
3/8 PRE K-1 Science 2
2-5 Media 4
3/15 PRE K-1 Drama 3
2-5 Games 4
3/22 PRE K-1 Games 4
2-5 Drama 3
Don’t forget that our High School Class also meets at this time in Room 8 under the lead-
ership of Kristen Hammel.
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Upcoming Sermons
Our sermon focus for Lent is on Spiritual Practices—things we can do regularly
(religiously!) that help strengthen our faith and our connection to God.

March 1 – “Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There” (Psalm 1:1—3)

Our culture has made a virtue of “multitasking”—which can be efficient, and can also be
draining. Our faith offers a contrasting practice, of Meditation—singular focus on the will
of God. As believers, we are called, even dared, to unitask!

March 8 – “How Dare You Take Care of Yourself!” (Mark 1:35—39)

Sometimes our lives are so crowded with duties and demands, we can hardly take a breath.
Jesus, who was deeply involved with people, regularly took time to be alone with God so as
to empower himself for others. How does his practice of Solitude set an example for us?

March 15 – “Filling the God-Shaped Hole” (Psalm 42; Romans 8:26-27; Luke 11:1-4)
Many people feel awkward or insufficiently able when it comes to Prayer, and yet we also
have an inner yearning for the Source of life and breath. What can we learn from Jesus’ and
Paul’s teachings about talking to God?

March 22 – “Practicing, But Not Quite Perfect”

Pastor Ted Oden will reflect on the process involved in spiritual practices while Pastor
Steve is at Loch Leven facilitating worship at our church retreat.

“Messy Spirituality” – a Discussion Series for Lent

“Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about
competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connec-
tion.” (Mike Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People,
Zondervan, 2002).
You are invited to explore your “Messy Spirituality” as part of our Sunday Evening Lenten
Discussion Series. Based on the wonderful book by Mike Yaconelli, we will consider what
one reviewer calls “the antidote to spiritual perfectionism.”
The series will be held each Sunday evening in Lent, starting on March 1. We will begin at
5:00 pm with a discussion-oriented time around the evening’s theme, followed by a simple
meal.
Page 10
 Footnotes
Sometimes the Church has her own particular vocabulary—words that you just don’t
hear much (or at all) outside the fellowship. Not once have I overheard the word nar-
thex outside of a building that had one—which fewer and fewer churches do, by the
way.

Lent is one of our words—it has some familiarity outside the faith, but it’s ours none-
theless. The word “lent,” from older English for Spring, refers to the “lenthening”
days of the season. So, though the time is quiet, solemn, reflective, it is also a bright-
ening time of longer dawns and days that anticipates the great rising of new life that is
ours in Jesus Christ.

Echoing Jesus’ 40 days of preparation in the wilderness (Mark 1:13), the season itself
is marked by that biblical number of days, counting back from Easter, but minus Sun-
days (yes, Church math is sometimes complicated…). Our Spanish-speaking sisters
and brothers call the season Cauresma, from the Latin for “forty days.” Forty, in turn,
is biblical shorthand for “lengthy.”

But why subtract Sundays? Because every Sunday is understood to be a “little

Easter.” And so here’s the encouragement: enjoy the lengthening days; give thanks
for each new rising of the sun; and come join together each little Easter, to praise the
God who draws up each dawning day, and who has indeed raised up a savior for us all.

Shalom, Steve

Home phone: 310-212-5950 email: steefeets@hotmail.com

Wednesday Morning Bible Study

Starting March 4, our Wednesday morning Bible Study will begin a study of some of
the Psalms that are appropriate to the season of Lent. Bible Study is in Sippel Hall
every Wednesday morning from 10:00 to 11:30.

**Next Newsletter articles need to be at the church office by 3/9/09.

Page 11
 FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
NON PROFIT ORG.

(Disciples of Christ)
PERMIT NO. 109
TORRANCE, CA

2930 El Dorado Street

Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 328-2820 Fax 310 328-2929
E-mail - fcctorr@pacbell.net
Web address - fcctorrance.org
Sunday Schedule
8:30 a.m. - Worship - Informal
9:30 a.m. - Church School for all ages
10:30 a.m. - Worship - Traditional
Children’s Worship - Ages Pre-school through
2nd Grade
(During the Traditional Worship Service)
Nursery Provided
For birth through age 3 during Sunday School
and the Traditional Service
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Staff
Steven Fietz, Senior Pastor
Ted Oden-Minister of Contemporary Worship
Administrative Assistant– Camelia Olloque
Choir Director - Ken Potter
Nursery Attendant - Sherril Wiechmann
The Christian Messenger

Officers
Chair - Doug Crawford
TIME VALUE DATA

Vice Chair - Don Zukas

2930 El Dorado Street

DO NOT DELAY
First Christian Church

Torrance, CA 90503

Treasurer– Bill Wysong

EXPEDITE

Financial Secretary - Moggy Emmen

Clerk– Chery Carew

Page 12