Concert benefits Council of Churches of the Ozarks

Plan now to attend Christmas at Stone Chapel: A Celebration in Song, at 7 pm, Sunday, Dec. 20, at Stone Chapel on Drury University’s campus.

The offering will benefit the Council of Churches, which provides a wide range of services–adult daycare, support for foster families, emergency food, and many others–for people in need in our community.

Rev. Emily Bowen, Edward Chrstiansen and Sarah Hoven sill provide music and Dr. Phil Snider, Rev. Laura Fregin and Rev. Mark Struckoff will give readings.

Join the Advent Conspiracy

Brentwood has joined the Advent Conspiracy.  How are you conspiring to demonstrate the values that Jesus taught us?

Some ideas to consider:

• Take the money you would normally spend on gifts and donate it to the Heifer Project in the name of your friends and family members. Brentwood youth have a booth set up at church to help you do this.
• Feed a child in Nicaragua for three months simply by purchasing a “Cookie in a Jar” gift for just $8. See the cookie jars set up just outside the sanctuary.
• Give your friends or family members a one-of-a-kind handmade Advent Devotional Book prepared by Eleanor Carty. All proceeds benefit the Rainbow Network.
• Join the Wednesday evening study of “The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Birth” to learn what the subversive message of Christmas meant within the context of the Roaman Empire–and what it might mean in today’s culture.

Crosslines Toy Store open for business

Crosslines is expecting a record number of parents needing help this year to provide Christmas gifts for their children.

Let’s send a big donation of toys from our church to help the Crosslines Toy Store!  We are concentrating our efforts on teh 11- to 13-year-old age group. Bring new gifts appropriate for children of that age by Dec. 13–or simply donate money. Tim and Nancy Hill will purchase the gifts for you.

Questions? Call our Crosslines Toy Store coordinator, Tim Hill, at 234-2513.

Shane Claiborne coming to Springfield

Brentwood is proud to be a member of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks, which provides many valuable services–the Crosslines food bank, adult day care, services for abused and neglected children and more–to our neighbors throughout southwest Missouri.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this organization, a community-wide celebration is planned for 12 noon, Sunday, Oct. 18, at Drury University. The featured speaker will be Shane Claiborne, author, activist and founder of  The Simple Way.  Hope to see you there!

Brentwood volunteers get well-deserved thank-you

Brentwood is blessed with volunteers who help feed our community through their service at Crosslines, Meals on Wheels and a garden that provides produce for Ozarks Food Harvest.

This Sunday, Oct. 4, those volunteers will be officially recognized for their hard work and dedication to our community.

• Brentwood’s Crosslines team includes Barbara Lewis, Vera Buchholz, Marsha Davis, Barbara Fullington, Jessie and Howard Hufford, Farrell McClay, Bette and Jim McKee, Susan Murnan, Katie and John Newport, Martha Pickard, Millie Simkins, Robert Soden and Dorothy Turner.

• Our Meals on Wheel team includes Howard and Jessie Hufford, Tom and Shirley Beckley, Betty Simkins, Millie Simkins and Nick and Jeanne Nixon.

• Our gardeners include Susan Bowen, Nate Bledsoe, Adam Bowen, Jenny Connelly,  John Stockstill, Scott and Aaron Collier, Michelle, Amelia, Grace and Marin Billionis, Bob Fullington, Sam and Eli Snider, Susan Teale , Ed Woody, Henry and Elsie Troyer, Al and Mary Williams, and Karen Wilson.

Every Participant Challenge

Phil Snider and Emily Bowen have laid down a challenge for us all:

When we consider people who have changed the world, we often think about those whose names history easily recalls:  People like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, etc.  All of them are inspirational figures, but the changes they were part of never would have been possible without the vast number of dedicated people who came alongside of them to offer their time and talents to the tasks at hand.  Likewise, the most significant actions that take place in our world are usually done by those whose names history will never recall:  those who quietly hand out groceries at Crosslines; those who diligently prepare food at the Kitchen; those who ride their bikes to work or school in order to care for the environment.  

God needs you (yes, you) to change the world.  In this spirit, we encourage each participant at Brentwood to consider where God is leading you to serve.  Brentwood is blessed with members and participants who generously give their time, money and energy to others in so many ways. Our church financially supports several organizations that have well-developed volunteer programs. If you are not already connected with one of these ministries, we challenge you to respond to the Every Participant Challenge   in order to add your partnership to at least one of these vital ministries.

Peace & Reconciliation Conference at Brentwood on Sept. 19!

Brentwood will convene a peace and reconciliation conference for our community on Sat., Sept. 19, at the church.

James Juhnke, Ph.D,  professor emeritus of history at  Bethel College, will deliver a keynote presentation  titled “The Missing Peace: The Search for Nonviolent Alternatives in United States History.”  Dr. Juhnke, the co-author of a book by the same title,   will help us consider the question:  “Does the lens through which we view the past limit the options we consider for resolving conflicts today?” 

Other workshops at the conference:

“The Way of Nonviolent Resistance:  Are the examples and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, Mohandas Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. relevant today?” Presented by Brentwood minister Emily Bowen.

 “Report on a Christian Peacemaker Team Visit to the Philippines:  How are local groups dealing with environmental and interfaith challenges?”  Presented by Henry Troyer, a member of the Christian Peacemakers Team.

“Toward Racial Reconciliation at Home and Abroad:  Can people from different cultures and races eat at the same table together?” Presented by Camielle Famous, the leader of Brentwood’s Reconciliation Team.

“Civil and Family Mediation, Restorative Justice Programs:  How can I learn more about, support, and participate in such programs here in southwest Missouri?”  Presented by Charlene Berquist, director of the Missouri State University Center for Dispute Resolution.

Stay tuned for more details!

How can you help our needy neighbors?

Our Disciples Women’s Ministries is collecting supplies to make personal hygiene kits that will be distributed to needy Missourians through the statewide Festival of Sharing program.

The goal is to create 40 kits. Please consider donating one or more of these items–or donate cash that DWM members can use to purchase the items.

Each kit includes:

1 fluoride toothpaste, 6 oz. or more

1 toothbrush in original, unopened pkg.

1 bottle skin lotion

1 deodorant

1 bath-size bar of soap

1 bottle of shampoo (full size)

1 washcloth

1 hand towel

1 comb or brush

The kits will be assembled on Sept. 15 and taken to Sedalia to the Festival of Sharing event on Oct. 18.

40 years of contributing to our community

Brentwood supports the Council of Churches of the Ozarks and its Crosslines food pantry.

The Council will celebrate 40 years of service in the Ozarks at a community-wide celebration starting at noon, Sunday, Oct. 18, on the Drury University campus. A free picnic lunch will kick off events, followed by music and speakers, including author and activist Shane Claiborne.

For more details, check out the Council’s website.

Let’s raise some school supplies!

Brentwood supports the Rainbow Network, a Springfield-based nonprofit that provides education, food and other poverty relief to rural villages in Nicaragua.

Rainbow Network is buying school supplies for more than 8,000 elementary age students attending more than 500 village schools. Want to help? Check out the school supply wish list to see what the student sneed. You can purchase the items at wholesale prices online via a secure Paypal connection–and receive credit for a tax-deductible donation.