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April 9, 2008                                                                                                                            VOLUME 60, NO. 15

Meet Nicaraguan people from Rainbow Network villages and help them celebrate Christ’s miracles. The doors open at 5:00 p.m. and tickets are $10 (your $10 ticket provides 100 meals!). A dinner will be available from Q’doba for only $5.00. Tickets are available online at www.rainbownetwork.org. There will be a concert by the New Creole Jazz Band and you don’t want to miss your chance to win a 2008 Pontiac Solstice convertible to fight hunger. Tickets for the convertible raffle are only $25 and only 2,000 tickets were printed. Your $25 ticket price provides 250 meals in Nicaragua! And, your raffle ticket money will be stretched even further by the Feinstein Challenge Grant. Don’t miss this exciting event and a chance to help our friends in Nicaragua!

Wear your old clothes, bring whatever cleaning products or tools you want and come help us spruce up our church. Certain jobs have been assigned to specific departments of the church and there will be dry wall repair, shelf building, and cleaning out closets and gardens.

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Discount fees for youth camps must be received by the Northeast & Ozark Lakes Area Christian Churches (DOC) by APRIL 15. Camps for youth in grades 2 through 12 will be starting June 9. Copies of camp information and registration forms are available in the church office in the basket on the volunteer’s desk.

In 2007, NACC gave $24,181.04 to DMF of which $2,722.41 was given to 14 Disciples-related colleges and universities and seven seminaries and divinity houses that offer quality Christian education and ministerial training. Your gifts sponsor pastors pursuing a Master of Divinity. Your gifts provide for campus ministries that support young adults as they transition to college.

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Bart Ehrman Is Coming to MSU

New Testament scholar Dr. Bart Ehrman will give a lecture at Plaster Student Union theater on the MSU campus on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The lecture will focus on his book God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer. This lecture is open tothe public.

I am a former Associate Minister at NACC and we still receive the church’s newsletter—which we enjoy. We saw that your Easter offering this year included the Samaritan Care Center in South Africa. Marcia and I have been to that center twice now and are planning to return next March. We count Rose and John and Dawn Barnes as dear friends. Rose’s staff receive no salary for their work and some only a tiny stipend.

(Dale was NACC’s Associate Pastor duringHenry Tyler’s ministry from February 1979 - July 1984.)

The Big Picture of Stewardship April 19 at Bolivar Christian Church

Those attending will learn what the Bible says about authentic Christian living and stewardship; how to determine what faithfully following Christ means for you and your congregation; how to teach stewardship principles to your congregation; how to consistently raise the giving and level of participation in your congregation; and the stewardship of time, talents, and treasures. Anyone interested in going with Rev. Herb Knudsen, Tom Klein, and Randy Allen should contact Rev. Knudsen and let him know as soon as possible. The deadline to register for this event is Friday, April 11.

The Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation, for its 11^th year, will divide one million dollars among nonprofit agencies throughout the country in its fight against hunger. Cash donations given to Crosslines during the month of April will be eligible for the matching funds. During 2007, Crosslines received an increase of 21% in the number of families asking for help. Some of those formerly donating are now in need of help themselves. In January 2008, Crosslines provided emergency food to 1,014 area families - an average of 51 families each day. Food from holidays drives has left pantries sparse. The funds raised during this match period are critical to keeping the Crosslines pantry open at a time when the demand is still high and donations are low. IMPORTANT: Please make your check directly to Crosslines and mail to Cross-lines, 1710 E. Chestnut Expwy., Springfield, Mo. 65802.