VIEWS AND REVIEWS “MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER”

Being a Christian is not something I am in

myself. In the scripture passage that we are

reading together at the beginning of worship

each week this year, it says that “in Christ we,

though many, form one body, and each member

belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).

Biblically speaking, to be a Christian is to be “in

Christ” and to be “in Christ” means “each

member belongs to all the others.” I am not

simply my own. Neither are you. We belong to

one another.

Being a Christian is not just a matter of

my personal, individual spirituality. Being a

member of the church is not simply a matter of

being on an organizational membership roll. The

church is not a religious social club or a merely

human association. It is the body of Christ. We

are part of it by the action of God’s Holy Spirit.

God has chosen to work through people.

You and me. What we do and what we fail to do

affects other people. What you and I do can lift

the spirits of others… or discourage them. “We

are members of one another.” Connected.

Intertwined.

Occasionally a church member may

disappear because of relocation or sickness or

apathy. It is not just the business of that

individual. “We are members of one another.”

As part of our loyalty to Jesus Christ, we owe it

to each other to stay connected or to

communicate if that connection needs to be

broken for some reason.

The scriptures emphasize “the common

good” (1 Corinthians 12:7), not private

preoccupations. When we “weep with those who

weep and rejoice with those who rejoice”

(Romans 12:15), something wonderful happens.

Our sorrows are reduced and our joys are

multiplied. We need each other in order to have

the spiritual resources God wants us to

experience. We are not spiritually sufficient as

individuals. But as church we are “members of

one another.” You are part of me; I am part of

you.

At Royal Palm Christian Church we

endeavor to be “an Embracing Church.” It is

through the embrace that we share that God

works. It is through the embrace we offer others

that God’s love extends.

Grace and Peace,

Craig

PRESCHOOL NEWS FROM MS. SUZANNE

Special thanks to Ms. Reggie and crew for

a wonderful, fun Family Bingo event. A yummy

dinner was served, lots of Bingo games were

played, and all of our children went home with

books for prizes.

February brings extra loving, caring, and

sharing as we prepare to celebrate Valentine’s

Day. Teddy Bear Parades, Teddy Bear Picnics,

farm life, friendship, kindness, telephone

numbers and addresses, dinosaurs, and the U.S.

Post Office are all part of this month’s activities.

Registration for Fall Preschool and VPK will

begin for currently enrolled and church member

families on March 7th. Registration for all others

will be March 22nd. Application and fee schedules

will be available for pickup in the preschool office

on February 28th.

Preschool Happenings

2/1 & 2 Sharing With Pastor Craig

2/8 Staff Bio Color Workshop [7 – 9]

2/14 Valentine’s Day Class Parties

2/15 & 16 Class Photo’s

2/21 Holiday – Preschool Closed

Full-Time Care Open

2/24 & 25 Trike-a-Thon Benefiting St. Jude

Children’s Hospital

2/28 Fall Registration Info Available

Church Chatter February 2011

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope in is you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

GATEWAY NEWS Thanks to all of you who continue to

support our food pantry so generously. We are

currently feeding over 30 families a week. Our

clients are in need of fresh fruit and vegetables,

so donations of these items are very welcome.

You may come across a special deal on produce

when doing your regular shopping, or you may

have – or know someone with – fruit trees that

are producing bountifully. We also continue to

need toiletries as well as tuna, peanut butter,

jelly, pasta sauce and cereal.

A big thank you to the D Unit Youth Group

for organizing the canned goods in the closets.

That was a huge undertaking, and you guys did a

terrific job. If you have any questions about how

you can help out with this ministry, please give

Betsy a call at 954 614-8483. Thanks again for

your ongoing support and prayers.

CHRISTIAN SOFTBALL LEAGUE Fun, fellowship & friends on Friday nights

under the light! Adult co-ed league plays Friday

nights at Forest Hills Park and has openings for

both men and women. All levels are welcome.

Season begins February 25th. For more info,

contact Diane at 954-647-0546.

HEALTH ROCK Sunday, March 27th

12:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Event Includes:

� Speakers on topics of health and fitness

� Representatives from Nutrition Industry

� Healthy Cooking demonstrations

� Interactive Physical activities for all ages

� Live Music [For more information,

call Judy B. 405-323-1330]

MARRIAGE COUNSELING / SUPPORT GROUP Beginning Wednesday, March 2nd, Paul &

Judy Veliyathil will be leading a small group

focusing on support for married couples. This

group will meet in the Conference Room each

Wednesday from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Anyone

interested in deepening their marriage is

welcome. Let’s grow together as we support

each other in our important relationships.

PRAYER GROUP If you’d like to be included in the prayer

group that receives prayer requests, send an

email to royalpalmchristianchurch@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 1st Sarah Derby

Andres Ortiz

Daniel Ortiz

2nd Tina Wiedman

3rd Emily Derby

6th Ryan Wolff

8th Jane Fenelon

Michael Wolff

9th Judy Veliyathil

12th Michael Rucinski

13th Jim Martin

Paul Zahn

15th Craig Watts

19th Hannah Canterbury

22nd Juliet Watson Romain

Diane Wead

23rd Juliana Angle

24th Joshua LeFever

Billie Schaeffer

25th Diana Genno

Kathy Rucinski

27th Sydney Lagogiannis

28th Lisa Gerlach

29th Sophia Lagogiannis

FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES 7th Jeff & Libby Snyder

14th Michael & Yvonne Steele

27th Mason & Donna Pruner [We apologize if your name is not on the list. Please call the office to update your information!]

BLESSINGS God is always at work! Do you have a

blessing to share with your RPCC family? We

would love to include it an upcoming Chatter.

Please email your blessing to the church office at

royalpalmchristianchurch@gmail.com.

BIG WAVE DISCOVERY Plan now to have your child participate in

the fun of Big Wave Discovery, a beach

adventure of discovering the answers to 13 Big

Questions about their faith and life. Each Sunday

morning from 9:40 to 10:30, your child is invited

to a time of songs, games, Bible stories, creative

art and more. We are waiting to lead your child

on an adventure!

STEWARDSHIP How much, Lord?

In the study of economics, there is an

important concept known as utility. A more

complex definition of utility is, “The want-

satisfying power of a good or service; the

satisfaction or pleasure a consumer obtains from

the consumption of a good or service – or from

the consumption of a collection of goods and

services.” In simpler terms, how much

something satisfies a want we are feeling – or in

even simpler terms, how useful it is to us.

There is also the concept of diminishing

utility. This basically means that if something

satisfies a want we are feeling, a second unit of

that something will probably satisfy us a bit less

– and a third even less.

We can combine the two concepts if we

think about being outside on a hot Florida day

and coming inside for a cold drink. We can all

relate to how satisfying that first drink is – and

how a second drink is good, but nowhere near as

satisfying – and a third is maybe even overdoing

it a bit. Quickly, we learn how much enough is.

As Christians, however, our greatest want

is to be like Christ. Unlike our physical wants in

the example of thirst given above, this want is

ever-growing and needs new and different

satisfactions every day. Simply put, the concept

of diminishing utility sort of gets reversed. The

want-satisfying power of being a Christian does

not diminish. Instead, it manifests an increasing

utility as we grow in our faith and belief. The

more we consume, the more we want.

This, in turn, reverses the concept of how

much is enough. Clearly, we can feed our bodies

until we have had enough, but feeding our souls

creates an entirely different picture. There is

simply never enough.

And so, we return to our question: How

much, Lord? Obviously, there is no simple or

universal answer to this question. Perhaps a

better question might be: How much is enough?

Based on the above, there is never

enough. As we grow in our faith, each new

understanding opens new realms of thought

which often provokes new yearnings in our souls

– and each new yearning creates a new want to

be satisfied. For example, perhaps once we

wanted to help our youth, and then new

yearnings created a want to help our troubled

youth, followed by a yearning to help our

disabled youth. The process continues as we

continue to grow.

Once this growth becomes a part of our

being, it becomes, like so many things, a living

reality that enough is never enough. The more

we understand and yearn for, the more there are

wants to satisfy. One day, all of our wants will

be satisfied. But for now, to answer our

question: How much, Lord? Simply put, enough.

God be with you,

Bill Vasquez

and the Stewardship Team