November 2024 TCC Newsletter

   

In October I started a sermon series on “The Art of Doing Nothing.” If you heard the first sermon (October 27) you know that this series is very personal for me: I am the chief among sinners when it comes to compulsively doing “some-thing” instead of reserving time to “do nothing.” This is the practice of Sabbath–which means, literally, “cease” or “stop.” Sabbath was arguably the most difficult practice for the Israelites to get right. From Moses to the exile, they simply didn’t practice it: there was too much to do, and they struggled to trust that God could do everything without their help. From the exile to the ministry of Jesus, they overcorrected: they became so hyper-legalistic about practicing Sabbath that it turned into “doing something:” instead of a life-giving practice, it became an obligation. Instead of freeing them to spend time with God, it enslaved them to strict rules and practices. Instead of giving them space to do the right thing, it became a restriction against doing the right thing (even healing!)

Sabbath is no easier for us today. We struggle to trust that the world doesn’t need what we can do. We struggle to trust that the world will go on, and God’s kingdom will go on, if we don’t do all the things. You may find some of your core values challenged by this series. You will be afraid of what would happen if you, or others, stop doing the things that need to be done.

As we continue talking about “doing nothing,” I want you to remember the lesson of Manna: when God told the Israelites not to work on Saturdays, he provided them with a double portion of bread on Friday. We can stop, pause, and do nothing with God because we trust him to provide for us. Now, he may not provide what we want (I’m sure the Israelites would have preferred more variety in their diet over those 40 years!) but he provides what we need to do his will. If we trust in what God provides, then we can be blessed by the freedom it gives us to take a break from the rat race, to spend time with our Heavenly Father, to be ready and available when the right thing comes along.

I will be praying for all of you as we go on this journey together. I hope you will pray for me as well.


The Church App has been updated!
The church app has been updated to be easier to use, and we are encouraging everyone to get to know it better. There are a lot of cool things it can do for us! We will be posting videos and other instructions on how to use the app. You can find them at www.turnerchristianchurch.com/app, or in the app itself (Click on the “About the App” button on the home page of the app). Stay tuned as we unveil new features over the coming months!

By the time you read this, I will probably be on a plane.

For the next week, I get to do one of my favorite things: travel! A friend and I are going to the Florida Keys. Her and I have filled the week with kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, biking and some much-needed beach time.

I’ll also get to go to church. I love encountering the church in other places.

Years ago I heard a sermon on the prodigal son in Sweden, and it greatly deepened my understanding of who God is. I heard the sermon through an earpiece-a faithful volunteer up in the soundbooth was translating live. The sweet older woman next to me beamed as I adjusted my earpiece: “That’s my husband!” she whispered, “he’s doing the interpreting today!” What a joy to encounter the love of God through faithful volunteers serving their church.

When I was a child my family got stranded in Burns. We had hit a deer just outside of town and for 11 days we were stuck there. Most of it was the mechanic waiting on a part delivery. When we went and visited a church on Sunday, they all had heard about us and our plight. Someone had baked bread. Someone else invited us over for a meal. The hospitality of the church.

In Northern California, on a family vacation when I was in high school, we attended a very small rural church in the mountains. There’s wasn’t any programming for me to go to, so, unlike my church at home, I was “stuck” in the service. A young women was sharing that day. She was all-tattooed, with dyed hair. She had been raised in that church. They had raised her up and sent her out, and she was now a missionary on the streets of San Francisco. She ministered to a pretty rough crowd, and her tattoos and hair gave her an open door with the people she now looked like. In the spirit of Paul, she become all things, so that some might be saved. From her, I learned something beautiful about witnessing for the king. I also learned what a small church can do with lots of prayer and good discipleship.

God’s church is alive and active, because our King reigns today as he always has. To see small moments of the church in action in other places is a great blessing. And then I get to come home. To this church-this small corner of the kingdom, and my church family.

I look forward to boring you with stories of my adventures on the other side.

With love and joy,
Rachel

Bethany Robinson, our preschool director, was recently diagnosed with an abdominal tumor. They won't know exactly what kind of tumor it is until it has been removed. The surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 13th, and recovery will take at least six weeks.
We are announcing this for a couple of reasons.

First, we ask you to pray for Bethany and her family, for total healing and for God's comfort as they wait.

Second, we invite you to help support their family by contributing to our meal train. We have set up a page where you can sign up to provide them with a dinner on the dates they have requested--you can cook and deliver the meal, or you can send them a gift card for meal deliveries.

There are three ways to sign up:
          1. Click on the link in the Church App
              (Home page > TCC Community > Robinson Meal Train)
          2. Go to www.turnerchristianchurch.com/mealtrain
          3. Contact Casey Holmes at 217.781.3262 (text preferred)
  
Finally, we ask that you pray for Little Lamb Preschool. It is in good hands--our teaching assistant Maritza is able and willing to take the lead while Bethany is out, and we have an experienced substitute from the congregation who will be filling in as the assistant. Nevertheless we ask for prayer as they take on these new roles, that God would guide and bless them for the sake of the children they are teaching and shaping.

Dennis Bixler
passed away and went home to the Lord on October 11, 2024.
A service was held at TCC on October 26th.

Shirley Parks
passed away and went home to the Lord on October 27, 2024.
No services are planned.

We know that Eloise and Richard valued your love and friendship and would want you to know how grateful they were for your part in their long and happy time here on earth. Thank you for that!
  
The family will scatter their ashes in some of their favorite spots: the Oregon Coast and mountains and then in the family burial plot. Eloise and Richard sought neither fame nor attention in their lifetimes, and this final remembrance with family present was their wish.
 
We found a note that Richard penned for Eloise in his final days in the form of a handmade valentine that read, “You are the Valentine of my life, and I love you so very much. Hang in there, sweetheart, we’re getting close to the end here, but looking forward to the future up there.”
 
If you’d like to do something in memory of Eloise and Richard, go hug your family and friends, and make memories with your whole heart.

Sincerely,
Eloise and Richard’s Kids

Vern & Mary Lou Moore
are moving back to Arizona, close to their family.
Their new address is:
  
Vern & Mary Lou Moore
6775 W Happy Valley Rd  Apt 109
Peoria  AZ  85383

Seniors Game Day & Lunch
November 4th • 11:30 am
    
November 4th is the day that you will be able to challenge someone to a game of checkers or another game of your choice. There will be some games available but if you have a special game to share bring it with you! Lunch will be served. Jim Senter will also be providing accordion music for our entertainment. Invite a friend, neighbor or a family member to join in the fun. Please register online or at the registration desk at the church.

All Ladies are Invited to an Evening  of Fun, Fellowship and  Prayer!
    
We will watch the movie “I Heard the Bells”
(an inspiring true story of resounding hope and rekindled faith
in America's Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).
      
After the movie we will share in a time of prayer for our church and community.  
Invite a friend to come with you and bring a snack to share!

The welcome team includes greeters, the security team, kids' check-in, and communion collectors. We are working on restructuring our welcome team, and we would love for anyone interested in those positions to join us for an information lunch. We'll be talking about the positions, what they involve, and how we want to restructure the teams. If you are already on a team, please plan to attend. If you are interested, please join us!

This year's annual congregational meeting is more than just a vote! We will be meeting during the Sunday School hour for a brunch, updates and voting. We will hear reports from church leaders about what's been going on in the life of the church, look forward to the next year, and then vote on the church budget and officers. The whole church family is invited!

Please join us at 2:30 pm to help prepare the church for Christmas! We need people capable of stringing lights, decorating trees, and putting up other decor. All ages welcome! Hot chocolate provided. . . feel free to bring cookies to share.

This Food Drive will begin Sunday, October 6th and continue through Sunday , November 10th. There will be a receptacle located in the lobby area in which to place donations The food collected will be used specifically for Holiday Food Boxes distributed through our Food Bank.

The following items are being collected:
Boxed Potatoes, Canned Gravy; Green Beans, Fried Onions, Pasta, Jelly, Evaporated Milk, Stuffing Mix, Canned Soup, Cranberry Sauce, Pudding/Jello, Peanut Butter, Canned Corn, Canned Fruit, Cake Mix/Frosting, Biscuit Mix, Applesauce.

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We ship these simple gifts outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease.

Churches in the greater Salem area have packed 1200 shoeboxes that are going to be shipped overseas this month. It costs $10.00 to collect, process and ship each shoebox overseas. Multiply that by the 1200 shoeboxes we prepared and that comes to quite a large amount, but well worth it!

If you would like to help with this expense, please mark your contribution on your check or an offering envelope (available on the back of chairs in the sanctuary or in the church office) “for Operation Christmas Child Shipping.”

Hope for the Holidays

It's almost that time of year again! In the month of December we will be collecting presents to give to families through Family Building Blocks. FBB is a local non-profit organization committed to keeping children safe and families together. They work with families experiencing exacerbated life stressors who have children aged 0-5. FBB has a very high success rate (99%) in keeping families together in an improved home environment.

Want to participate? Starting Sunday, December 1st, you can grab a gift tag from the lobby Christmas tree. Go shopping for that item and return it to the church by Dec. 22nd. Most items will be board games, activities, and warm clothes for the winter. Let's pray that these gifts will be a great blessing and encouragement to these families experiencing hardship.

The Country Mouse Holiday Market offers a wide variety of handcrafted gifts, edibles, art, jewelry, woodcrafts, collectables and so much more! Come peruse over 90 booths in two historic buildings: the Tabernacle built in 1891 and Pioneer Hall built in 1886. The atmosphere is worth coming for! Local food trucks and other eating options are available onsite. Bring your friends and make a day of it!