To get a sense of the work Week of Compassion does, consider the following ...

On October 5, 2005, a devastating earthquake struck South Asia, displacing tens of thousands of people in Pakistan. In the mountains of the Himalayas, entire villages were lost to the tremors, and harsh winters and monsoon rains made life in camps for the displaced precarious. Returning to destroyed villages and homes, families are working to regain what they lost in the quake – a process that will continue for years to come.

Church World Service and gifts from Week of Compassion are helping communities rebuild by training skilled craftspeople. Students are learning masonry, electricity, welding, plumbing, and carpentry, and taking ownership of the construction efforts.

Disciple Christian Church children's ministry is growing!

Something BIG is about to break ground! THIS Sunday, February 25, a new program called "Sprouts" will come to life!

Following the children’s moment each Sunday in worship, children 4-8 years old are invited downstairs for an active and dynamic time of worship and learning geared specifically for children.

Led by trained and caring adults, children will learn about God’s love in a variety of ways from the highly- popular Veggie Tales characters. The kiddos will enjoy interacting with the popular Veggie Tales characters through:

• Music
• Drama
• Puppet Theater
• Videos
• Bible Stories
• Crafts
• Snacks

For children 3 and younger, Tiffany Kidwell, our new nursery worker, will also be using Veggie Tales resources.

The Chancel Choir has begun rehearsing Lenten and Easter music. If you would like to join us for Easter, you are most welcome. Try us on a Wednesday*; It's just a short trip up the ramp after Serendipity fellowship time!

*Please remember that there will not be Chancel Choir rehearsals on February 25th and 28th. We will resume at 8:30 on March 4 when I come back to town. Thank you to Julie and Alex for providing the special music on Sunday, February 25!

The Richardson Community Band will present Your Musical Passport on Sunday, March 4, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. at the Charles W. Eisemann Center located at 2351 Performance Drive at Lookout and Galatyn Roads in Richardson. The band will perform in the Hill Performance Hall.

The band's program will include a sampling of music from all over the world. Selections will include: Marche Militaire Francais, A Longford Legend, Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Waltzing Matida, Espana Rhapsodie, Selections from South Pacific, Cielito Lindo and Lerner and Lowe in Concert.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made ... " (Romans 1:20)

Tiffany is originally from Hawaii. She went to high school there, and attended Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu as well as Pacific Rim Bible College. Currently, she is a nursing student at Richland College.

Tiffany has served in various churches before, working with both children and senior citizens. She was a Kindergarten Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian Church in Honolulu.

Tiffany has already been in the DCC nursery three Sundays. On February 18, she had seven children. It was a little hectic, she said, but she is enjoying getting to know the children and their parents.

Dear DCC,

Thank you so much for your generous support of the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center. Your faithful support has truly made a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children and their families.

Sincerely,

A rare opportunity is offered to North Texas Disciples of Christ members - this summer the General Assembly is being held at the Fort Worth Convention Center - just a few short miles away. It offers the chance to be with other Disciples making new friends and renewing and energizing our faith journeys.

Please note your calendars of the date and plan on attending at least some events if not the entire Assembly. And, watch this space for more specifics on exciting worship events, stimulating workshops, mission opportunities and more!!

Also, don't forget to visit the online calendar. It enables you to send yourself reminders of upcoming events, send invitations to friends and colleagues and download the church schedule to your personal computer. You can find all of the church activities, birthdays and anniversaries on that calendar, as well as the scheduled Elders, Deacons and Greeters for each Sunday.

Also, there is a place to submit prayer requests and a new feature called "DCC TV," which includes the videos from the "Let's Grow" campaign.

What an incredible journey our Savior, Jesus Christ made for each of us that ultimately brought him to the cross! During Lent, many people choose to give up something, to sacrifice something they love like chocolate or watching TV or playing video games. Consider the great sacrifice Jesus made for each of us! In place of those things, I invite you to pick up your Bible and spend some time in the scriptures. Take time to read about Jesus’ life and his journey in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each gospel writer offers a different perspective of Jesus’ experiences and his encounters with God’s people. Jesus never passed an opportunity to share God’s love, and oftentimes challenged the people he met along the way. Meditate on these words from Jesus as he was instructing his disciples preparing to send them out on their journey, “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:38-39. What is it that’s holding you back from spending time with Jesus and developing a deeper relationship with Him? Let go of it. It’s worth the sacrifice!

With Much Love in Christ,
Donna

Youth Fellowship Activities

Friday Fellowship Fast Food Night – This Friday, February 23 – 7-9pm We will meet at Cici’s on Park and Coit Road (northeast corner) for some food, fellowship and games! Bring $7 to cover the cost of the buffet plus a drink! ... Sprouts Children’s Church – This Sunday, February 25th – 10:30am This will be our groundbreaking worship service for children 4-8 years old where they can connect with God’s love through music, Veggie Tale video clips, puppets, exciting bible stories, arts and crafts, and more! Following the children’s moment in the Sanctuary we will proceed to Sprouts Children’s Church downstairs in the preschool music classroom. Shepherd teams are now being formed. Teams are at least one adult and one youth assisting Donna Atkinson, Minister to Youth and Family. Prayerfully consider nurturing our little Sprouts once a month to assist them as they grow in God’s love! ... Serving February 25: Nancy Jiang, Julie Boyer and Taylor Noyce. Serving March 4: Nancy Jiang ... Serendipity – Wednesday, February 28th 5:30pm-6:30pm Food, Fellowship and Fun for the whole family. Don’t miss it! ... Praise and Prayer Sundays in March- All youth 3rd grade – high school We’ll meet in the youth room at 9:30 am as we sing praises to our Lord, study the Lord’s Prayer and lift up our friends, family and church family in prayer during Lent!