"Contact" the Havelock Christian Church Newsletter January, 2006   Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men In a beautiful candlelight service on Christmas Eve, families joined together to hear the familiar stories from the Gospels and sing beloved carols. Church families came forward to light the candles on the Advent wreath, and finally, the Christ candle. Shannon Peacock's beautiful singing of "O, Holy Night" made the service especially memorable. The circle of candlelight around the sanctuary for the singing of "Silent Night," gave each of us a memory to hold in our minds and hearts as we begin anew to work for peace on earth and good will with our brothers and sisters around the world. Welcome, Welcome to the Phillips Family Brandon and Jenny Phillips and their children Lane and Cameron came forward on December 18th to join with the HCC family. Brandon came by transfer of membership, and Jenny made her confession of faith, as Pastor Giovana offered her hand in Christian fellowship. We're so happy to welcome you, Brandon and Jenny, Lane and Cameron. HCC Goes Over Its Goal for the Christmas Offering! In 2004, Havelock Christian broke the $700 mark, so we set a 2005 goal of $750 for the Christmas Offering. We never even looked back. As of December 29th, HCC had contributed $855.10!!! Our gifts will help with all of the ministries of the Nebraska Region, including the camping program, youth and young adult ministries, campus programs, women's and men's ministries, missionaries, education for lay leaders, and so much more. Thanks, one and all, for a super job on the Christmas Offering. Bible Studies Begin in January Two Bible study classes will begin the first week of January at HCC. One group will meet on Wednesday mornings at 10 am. It begins January 4th. The other group will meet on Thursday evenings at 7 pm, beginning January 5. Both studies will focus on the Life of Jesus revealed in the four gospels. Come join us, and bring a friend. This is a great way to begin the New Year. Friendship Bridge Hosts Dessert Party What could be more fun than getting together to enjoy yummy desserts? Friendship Bridge is giving us the perfect opportunity to try out decadent favorites. Break out that favorite dessert recipe and bring something to share with others. The date is Sunday evening, January 15th, at 6 pm. Plates and forks will be provided; just bring dessert. Hope to see YOU there! Pastor's Ponderings Many of us use the week after Christmas as a time of reflection. We ponder what we have done with the past year and what we hope to do for the New Year. "So this is Christmas" You've heard the song haven't you? "So this is Christmas and what have you done? Another year over; a new one just begun. Let's hope it's a good one with plenty of cheer." As the New Year begins, we all make resolutions to do this or that. As Christians, I wonder if we think about how to keep Christ at the center of our lives in the New Year. While we ponder our resolutions, I pray that each of you will decide to start and end your day with a talk with God. It will help your day start fresh, and help release your stress at night. At first, you may not have much to tell God, but if you will keep talking to God, soon you will have plenty to say. Billy Graham used to recommend that people read the Psalms everyday to keep in contact with God. There are many different types of reading-the-Bible-in-a-year plans available. I recommend that you choose one that is best for you and resolve to read God's word everyday. It is important for every Christian to keep some portion of the day as a time to commune with God in word and prayer. In addition to reading the word and praying, I would encourage you to commit to coming to worship each Sunday. It is at worship that we find friends to help us become who God calls us to be. Imagine if you had a close friend that you only talked to once in awhile, and only went to visit when you had time. It would be easy to say that you would not have a close relationship for long. If we want a close relationship with God, then we need to spend time with God. As we begin the year and make our resolutions, may we remember that the things we cherish are the things that occupy most of our time. Now is the time to resolve to keep Christ at the center of our hearts forever not just one year. Peace, Pastor Giovanna   Dates to Remember January Birthdays 1       Peg Hutchison 3       Lester Woodrum         Mark Dale-Thompson 7       Teresa Miller         Wilma Staberg 10    Dori Yost         Ron Uarich         Claudien Egbarts 11    Dwayne Peacock 12    David Barnes 14    Ellis Willadsen         Frances Young 20    Olive Montgomery 24    Jean Holt 25    Scott Cunning         Kate Robbins 26    Merlin Dana January Anniversaries 6       Giovanna and Robert Arnold 13     Jan and Dan Davis 22    Germaine and Walt Switzer Prayer Focus 1       Shubert Christian, Pastor Lesa Eichenberger 8       South Pointe Christian, Rev. Craig Walls 15     Regional Office Staff, Rev. Dr. Ken Moore, Regional Minister 22     Brock Christian Church, Pastor Steven Epler 29     CrossBridge Christian Church, Rev. Dr. Jim Gordon Dates to Remember Regular Meetings 2      Friendship Bridge, 7 pm 4      Elders, 8 pm 9      General Board, 7 pm 11    Worship Committee, 8 pm Wednesday evenings - Choir, 7 pm Bible Studies set to begin January 4 - Two groups will begin Bible Studies the first week of January: the morning group meets Wednesdays at 10 am; the evening group meets Thursdays at 7 pm. The focus will be on the life of Jesus, as revealed in the gospels. All are invited - bring a friend. Note: there will be no morning Bible study on Wednesday, Jan. 25, as Pastor Giovanna will be at Ministers' Convocation in Grand Island that day. Redecorate the Sanctuary Party on January 7 - It's time to take down the Advent decorations and prepare the sanctuary for the next season of the church year. The party begins Saturday morning at 10 am, and we'll be glad for all who can come help. Dedication of gifts for Food Pantry on January 8 - Because Pastor Giovanna will be on vacation on January 1st, we have delayed the dedication of canned goods for the Pantry until the second Sunday of the month. The HCC family responded generously through December, but the need continues. Sharing and caring is one of the things HCC does best. Gifts are welcome whenever we can help out. Planning Session set for Sunday, Jan. 22 - Mike and Judi Yost have invited the Board to hold the January planning session at their home at 4 pm on Jan. 22. As always, bring your thinking caps, pencils with erasers, your calendars, and some munchies to share. Everyone is welcome at these sessions. If you have some good ideas or just want to be part of the fun, come on over! Benefit for Roger Hammons planned for Saturday, February 11 - As the result of a kidney transplant in October and heart repair surgery on December 14, some pretty huge medical bills are mounting for the Hammons family. Some of the medications Roger will be on for the rest of his life are not covered by insurance, and the family could use some help. A soup supper, bake sale, and silent auction are in the planning stages for Saturday, February 11, from 4 to 7 pm. We hope to have some excellent musical entertainment and great participation from a number of groups with which Roger has been associated. We don't have the location nailed down yet, but STAY TUNED!! I'm sure there will be many ways we can help. Begin by circling the date and inviting friends to come. F Y I Pastor Giovanna sends her thanks - A great big thank you to all who sent good wishes, cards, and gifts and who participated in the monetary gift for our pastor and her family. Giovanna says she was really overwhelmed with the love and generosity, and she is very appreciative. The Arnold family is resting and trying to recuperate from a round of colds at this time. Wish Basket - Have you every thought, "I wish Sally would come to church with me?" Many of us think from time to time of people that we wished would find a church home. We would like to invite them, yet we are afraid of being pushy. We have a solution for your problem. Starting in January, we will have a wish basket at the church for people to place cards of names and address of people that they wish would come to our church. Place the name in the basket and we will send them an invitation to come to church. All you have to do is think of those people, fill out a card, and pray that they will come. Pre-school Worship Time planned - Beginning on January 8, following the children's sermon at Sunday morning worship, pre-schoolers will be invited to go to the church nursery to participate in a new Pre-School Worship and Play time. We will be asking for volunteers to help with this ministry on a month-to-month basis. Judy Seibert will lead off in January and get the program started. Youngsters will hear a Bible story and have supervised activities and play, so that parents can participate more fully in worship. Anyone interested in helping, please see Judy Seibert or Pastor Giovanna. 2006 Church calendars available - If you have not yet gotten your church calendar, there are some left at the church. If you can't get there to pick one up and haven't received one by mail, give the church office a call, and we'll see that you get one. They are very pretty this year, and you'll think about your church family all year long. Church pledges still coming in - Financial Secretary Joe Herman reports that pledges amounting to around $35,000 have been received from church members and friends. The budget approved at the Annual Meeting in November was $54,883. The church does receive between $3,500 and $4,000 a year from bequest earnings, to help meet the budget. Also, there are members who contribute regularly who don't pledge. If you would like to pledge and haven't done so, there are still pledge sheets available at the church. It helps the Board to plan a little better if we have an approximate idea of the giving we can count on for the year. We are grateful for everyone's faithful support, both financially and through participation in the ministries of the church. New church officers to assume duties in January - We have some folks who will be taking on new tasks in 2006 and others who have already been doing their jobs for awhile. Let's make a special point to welcome and encourage our brand new officers. These include: Hope Bickford, serving as Chair of the Diaconate, Anna Peacock is a new first-time elder; and Gene and Judy Seibert, Barbara Hammons, John Charles, Lacy Nimmich and Kristina Nimmich will be first-time members of the Diaconate this year. We're grateful to all of the new and returning officers for their leadership. Flower Calendar to be initiated - Havelock will be providing an opportunity for members and friends to provide flowers for the sanctuary to mark special occasions or to honor or remember loved ones. We will not try to fill every Sunday, but if families would like to mark a special date, there will be a sign-up sheet at the worship table. Those sharing and the occasion or loved one honored will be recognized in the Contact. HCC Scholarships for Second Semester Planned - For our folks attending postsecondary institutions, there will be scholarships provided to help out with the cost of tuition and books. Last semester, scholarships went to Shandra, Kayla, and Judi Yost and Julie Hefner. We are very proud of our students and are glad to be part of their continuing education. Shorts from the Board Finances looking somewhat better. (Thanks, all.) Ron Uarich is handling the snow removal this year, along with Mike Yost. The cross has been lighted. (Isn't it beautiful?) Furnace filters have been changed. Advent booklets distributed. John Dale working on updated phone directory. Ten youth, along with Curt and Anna Peacock, Hope Bickford, and Pastor Giovanna participated in the Lock-in. Tickets have been booked for youth and sponsors to travel to Missouri March 31-April 2 for a special youth program. Visitors to HCC will be welcomed with a small gift when they attend church for the first time and a packet about HCC upon a second visit. Dori has prepared the "first visit" gifts. Senior Christmas Dinner attendance down due to weather and illness. Program was great; good time for those attending. Discussion of purchase of laptop computer and video projector from memorial funds tabled until next month. The Christian Church in Nebraska Board meeting will be held at HCC on Feb. 11. Bethany Christian requested help running the Pantry while regular volunteer is out for surgery. Regional Assembly Quilt has been on display at HCC during December -- In 1990, the women of the Nebraska Region put together a "We are Family" Quilt. Church women from across the state created and embroidered the blocks; the Louisville Dorcas Circle did the quilting. We have enjoyed "hosting" the quilt through the month of December and will transport it to its next destination, the York Christian Church, in January. In Our Church Family Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Peacock family this month, with the death of Curt's nephew Charles Peacock in a car accident on December 14th. Charles' parents are Cal and Toni Peacock of Valley NE. Charles leaves his wife Charity, 14-month-old son Grant, and another baby on the way. Our hearts are with all of the family in this tragedy. We are thinking of our members who don't get out very often, including Don Riblett, Olive Montgomery, Keith and Elaine Althouse, Elmer and Wilma Staberg, and Jim Donaldson. Don, John enjoyed attending the Joy Bells Concert at Lancaster Manor recently. Great job! Olive, we hope you had a joyous Christmas. Keith and Elaine, we hope Santa was good to you. We know Elmer and Wilma had a good Christmas, as Elmer got to come home over the holidays. Jim, those Huskers did a great job at the Alamo Bowl, wouldn't you say? Hope you enjoyed the game. We're thinking as well of those among our church family who are serving our country, including Missy Bickford, Jeremy Bickford, Greg Bissell, Vern Blackwell, Tim Riffe, and David Buell. Some are far from family at this time, and we want to remember the sacrifice they are making for us. We're glad to have a more hopeful report from the Hammons family this morning (12/31). Roger "woke up" last night for the first time from the drug-induced coma he's been in since his surgery on December 14th. He recognized and shared some loving tears with Barbara; was able to express his preferences for tv programs, in spite of the tube in his throat; and the high fever he's been suffering from for many days is finally down. He is still in intensive care, but this is definitely a step forward. We continue to keep Roger and Barbara and the family in our prayers. Living expenses for the family to be near Roger in Omaha have been hard for the family to meet, and any cards and/or monetary gifts, even small ones, would be most welcome at this time. The home address works, as some of the family is checking the mail regularly. Our special thoughts and prayers are with Jerry and Karen Cunning, as Jerry's sister has just been diagnosed with brain cancer. Ardelle Boardman suffered a bad fall in the parking lot at work just before Christmas, breaking and dislocating her right shoulder. She spent a few days at St. Elizabeth's and is now at Madonna getting ready to move ahead to recovery. The doctor was encouraged with how they were able to repair the damage, so we're hoping the healing process goes well. We're thinking of you, Ardelle. We're so grateful that Betty Niemeyer is doing better and is able to be out and about. Al says he's about ready to hang up his apron for good. You've done well in your job, Al. Our best wishes to both of you. We're glad to see Beverly Helmkamp back in church again. We're so grateful for a break from the snow and ice so that you can be out, Beverly. Keep up the good healing. We understand Katie Robbins and Maxine Gillespie each had some health issues during November. It is so good to have them back in church again. Take care, you two. We continue to keep Elmer and Wilma Staberg and the family in our thoughts. We're so glad Elmer is at home. We know how much he misses Wilma when they're apart. The Stabergs are blessed with a wonderful family that surrounds them with love and care, and I know they are very grateful. We continue to keep Merlin and Jean Dana in our thoughts - Merlin recovering from surgery, and Jean with an injured foot. You two take care. We want to remember Jean's sister, Joann Brown and husband John as well. Isn't it great to have our Yost family college students home for the holidays? We're sorry that Kayla was under the weather for a few days, but it was super to see both her and Shandra back in church. Kayla has made it through her first semester at UNK ­ a big accomplishment! Keep up the good work, you two. We're glad to report that Mike Yost got an excellent report on the medical tests he had right after Christmas. Praise the Lord, Mike! The Herman, Hefner, and Bickford families have been doing battle with several nasty bugs recently. Little Mikey ended up in the emergency room with a severe ear infection on Christmas Day, and everyone else has been trading bad colds and flu around. We hope you ALL get to feeling better real soon. Hurry and get over those colds, Pastor Giovanna and the rest of the Arnold family. We're sending a breath of healthy air your way. Wasn't it a treat to have Rachael and Zachary worshiping with us on Christmas Eve? Come back again when you can, Rachael and Zachary. Congratulations are in order for Julie Hefner. She completed her first semester in nurses training at Southeast Community College, while working and raising a family, with straight A's!! What an accomplishment, Julie! She gives credit to the whole family for providing her with lots of support, so they all deserve congratulations. We're so proud of you. It's always so nice to have extended families worshiping with us on Christmas Eve - it was good to see Jana Roth, Michelle, Zach, and Nathan and Minnie Stephens; Mark Dale-Thompson, Pierce and Chase; Darrell and Fran Plumb's family; and Marlin Snyder with Mike Staberg. Other family members worshiping with us during December included Brad and Shelley Phillips, Nan Boardman and Zach Richards, and Cal and Joyce Weeks. Mike Staberg reports that son-in-law Bob Portsche is recovering from his knee surgery. We're grateful for that. We're also glad that Marlin is better, following a rather nasty reaction to some medication he took. Take care, Marlin. Kudos for December go to... Duayne Yost, for lighting the cross for all of us to enjoy. Pastor Giovanna and all of the Christmas Pageant Troop, for a great program on December 18th. Judy Seibert for her outstanding creation of all of the animal costumes for the Christmas Pageant. She didn't even have patterns! Weren't they great? All who helped with decorating the sanctuary for Advent. Didn't it look lovely? Maxine and George Buell, who delivered the hats and mittens from our special tree to the Lincoln Action program. Thanks also to all who contributed to the hat and mitten tree. Curt Peacock for his beautiful solo on Christmas morning. SANTA, who appeared after church on Christmas Sunday morning and had gifts for all the "children." Elva Schuster, Virginia Woodrum, Dori Yost, and all the others who have provided treats through the Christmas season. All who shared beautiful poinsettias for the Christmas season. Names will be listed in the February Contact. Jean Holt, Mike Yost, John Dale, Clovis Boardman, and so many others who have helped provide ministry to our sick and injured over the holidays. In Closing The Concert -- When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted, and spotlights focused on the impressive grand piano on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit; keep playing." Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligato. Together the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played that night, only the "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful. The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit; keep playing." May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped; rather, He equips the 'called.' May God bless you, and remember, "Don't quit; keep playing."   Newsletter Archive Calendar, January 2006 1 - Sunday 9:15 - Sunday School 10:15 - Fellowship Coffee 10:45 - Worship, (Singspiration 4 - Wednesday 7 pm - Choir Practice 8 pm - Elders meeting 5 - Thursday 7 pm - Bible study 7 - Saturday 10 am - Undecorate the church party 8 - Sunday 9:15 - Sunday School 10:15 - Fellowship Coffee Music for 2's 10:45 - Worship 7 pm - CYF Communion for Shut-ins 9 - Monday 7 pm - General Board Meeting 11 - Wednesday 10 am - Bible study 7 pm - Choir Practice 12 - Thursday 7 pm - Bible Study 15 - Sunday 9:15 - Sunday School 10:15 - Fellowship Coffee Music for 2's 10:45 - Worship 6 - Dessert party 18 - Wednesday No Choir Practice 19 - Thursday 7 pm - Bible Study 22 - Sunday 9:15 - Sunday School 10:15 - Fellowship Coffee Music for 2's 10:45 - Worship 4 pm - planning 23 - Monday Ministers' Convocation, Grand Island 24 - Tuesday Ministers' Convocation, Grand Island 25 - Wednesday No morning Bible Study 7 pm - Choir Practice 26 - Thursday 7 pm - Bible Study 22 - Sunday 9:15 - Sunday School 10:15 - Fellowship Coffee Music for 2's 10:45 - Worship   Serving During January: Elders: Presiding - John Dale Shut-in Communion. - Roger Hammons, Dori Yost Members of the Diaconate: Preparing - Hope Bickford, Danile Herman Serving - Lacy/Kristina Nimmich, Judy Seibert, Kayla Yost, Jerry Cunning Shut-in Communion - Mike Staberg, Gene Seibert Greeter: George and Maxine Buell Lay Leader: Shandra Yost, Gene Seibert   Editor - Jean Dale Copying and Mailing - Anna and Curt Peacock Web-site Editor - Curt Peacock Mailing Labels - John Dale

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