Through his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus offers us a fresh, new beginning. He offers us a new life. The Bible teaches that in Christ we are a new creation. We don’t deserve a second chance or a new life, but he extends to us the opportunity nonetheless through his grace. We haven’t earned it. We don’t deserve it. What we do is accept the gift of his grace.

Baptism is a part of the acceptance process. When we get baptized, we are accepting the free gift of God’s grace and declaring that we want to follow him with our whole life. This is a major decision that we should not take lightly, but it is also the most fulfilling and life-giving decision we can ever make.

On Sunday, March 14, we are having a baptism celebration at CCC for all those who would like to get baptized and begin a new life in Jesus Christ. If you would like more information please contact Joey Keck at joey@communitycc.net or call 443.810.9465.

Dive In is a unique 45 minute presentation where parents and children (grades K-5) can learn what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Dive in is a one time event (not a series of classes) developed to give parents the tools necessary to have a meaningful dialogue with their kids about how to begin their spiritual journey. Dive In will be Sunday, March 28, in room 108. You can sign up in the lobby at CCC or email Nick Blevins if you have any questions.

Hey Friends,

I hope all is well with you this week. I’m looking forward to this coming Sunday as we will be celebrating CCC’s four year anniversary. We launched Community Christian Church on March 5, 2006, and it’s been quite a ride since. I am grateful to God for the start we have had and am incredibly optimistic about the future that is before us. Most of all I’m thankful for all of you who call CCC your church home and gather regularly at 8094 Sandpiper Circle to celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do. It’s a privilege to journey with you and serve God alongside of you.

So make your way out to one of CCC’s services at either 9:30am or 11am this coming Sunday, March 7th, as we continue our series “Why”. (I hear there will be lots of food to help our stomachs enjoy the day!)

It’s also a Kidstuf Sunday, which is one of our Children’s Ministry environments where kids take their parents to learn. Kidstuf takes place at 11am in rooms 108-109. For those of you wanting to take part in Kidstuf, come on out to the 9:30 service and then make your way across the hall at 11am.

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

David Robinson

Our next CCC Baptism Celebration is scheduled for Sunday, March 14th. If you’ve been thinking about this important step of baptism, consider signing up for this day to be the occasion. (You can sign up in the lobby at CCC or email info@communitycc.net) This is a chance to go public with your faith by being baptized into Christ Jesus. It’s one of our favorite things to celebrate when we gather together. (Plus, we baptize people in a hot tub. How fun is that?) If you still have some questions surrounding baptism, you might want to pick up a copy of a DVD we created called “Baptism 411″. Or grab a CD series we have called “2″, where we spent a recent Sunday morning dealing with some common questions about baptism. You can pick either of those up in the lobby on Sunday.

The next session of Fit-To-Be-Tied is ready to launch this Sunday, February 28th. Fit-To-Be-Tied is a small group for couples who are considering marriage or are leading up to their wedding. It meets on Sundays for a total of 8 weeks, 2 hours each week. Any couple considering taking the wonderful, yet challenging step of marriage should make this small group a priority. The cost is $80 per couple. To sign up or for more information, you can email info@communitycc.net or sign up in the lobby on Sunday. Space is limited so don’t wait!

With all of this snow still on the ground, I couldn’t be more ready for this summer, and when I think about summer I think about Student Ministry Summer Service Trips. Due to the snow the past few weeks, the deadline for the Student Ministry Service Trips has been extended to this Sunday, February 21st.

These trips were created so that students from CCC would have the opportunity to experience a culture and an environment different from their own. Our hope is to see every student from CCC participate on one of the Summer Service Trips. For more information about each trip, check out the Sign Up table in the lobby at CCC.

Besides the Summer Service Trips, there are a lot of other things happening over the next few months just for students here at CCC. Make sure to grab a Student Ministry Newsletter and a Summer Trip Schedule at the sign up table this Sunday!

Ryan Arnold
ryan.arnold@communitycc.net

Click here to see the embedded video

Hey Friends,

Is this weather crazy? Not one, but two blizzards made their way to good ol’ Maryland over the last seven days. (In case you didn’t notice.) I woke up this past week thinking I was in Buffalo! In fact, you’ve probably heard the suggestion that Baltimore could make a better location for the Winter Olympics than Vancouver.

Hopefully, you’re all shoveled out and are warm and safe on this February day.

I was once again disappointed we were unable to be together as a church family last Sunday.

But we’re going to start things back up this Sunday, Valentine’s Day, by kicking off a new series called “Why”. I really anticipate the next several weeks being very helpful and encouraging. (It might just be the highlight of your week.) And I’m also anxious to see what those Super Bowl prize packs have morphed into.

In addition to this new series, here are a couple of things happening at CCC in the coming weeks.

STARTING POINT
Our Starting Point class that was slated for a couple of weeks ago has been rescheduled for Sunday, February 21st. So if you were signed up before, we’ll keep a spot reserved for you. And if you weren’t going to be able to make it last week for some reason, then you can still be a part of this next one. Starting Point is a great place to find out about all things related to CCC. (Who we are, where we’ve come from, where we’re headed, how we’re going to get there, what it means to be a part of CCC, etc.) It’s a place to ask whatever questions you might have and connect with some other folks who are new to CCC. It takes place on Sundays, just after the first service, beginning at 10:45am and wrapping up by 12:30. Free childcare and refreshments are provided. There is no cost for Starting Point, but sign up is required. You can sign up by replying to this email, or through our website, or in the lobby of CCC on Sunday. I hope that everyone who is a part of CCC participates in Starting Point early on in their journey here. It’s worth it! (And it’s free!)

FIT-TO-BE-TIED
The next session of Fit-To-Be-Tied is ready to launch on Sunday, February 28th. Fit-To-Be-Tied is a small group for couples who are considering marriage or are leading up to their wedding. It meets on Sundays for a total of 8 weeks, 2 hours each week. Any couple considering taking the wonderful, yet challenging step of marriage should make this small group a priority. The cost is $80 per couple. To sign up or for more information, you can email me at david@communitycc.net, or sign up in the lobby on Sunday. Space is limited so don’t wait!

BAPTISM CELEBRATION
Our next CCC Baptism Celebration is scheduled for one month from now on Sunday, March 14th. If you’ve been thinking about this important step of baptism, consider signing up for this day to be the occasion. (You can sign up in the lobby at CCC or simply respond to this email.) This is a chance to go public with your faith by being baptized into Christ Jesus. It’s one of my favorite things to celebrate when we gather together. (Plus, we baptize people in a hot tub. How fun is that?) If you still have some questions surrounding baptism, you might want to pick up a copy of a DVD we created called “Baptism 411″. Or grab a CD series we have called “2″, where we spent a recent Sunday morning dealing with some common questions about baptism. You can pick either of those up in the lobby on Sunday.

I’m glad you’re all a part of this wonderful thing called the church. (And specifically this church!)

I hope to see you all on Sunday, February 14th, at either 9:30am or 11am.

David Robinson

It might be a cold February day, but I hope your heart will be a little warmer when you read some excerpts from the thank you notes we’ve received from the families we adopted for Christmas.

I had prepared my children for a Christmas without presents. I reiterated daily how at this point in our lives, it would be negligent of me to spend money we didn’t have on Christmas. When I saw the amount of gifts for my children, I was overwhelmed. I have never known how touching or powerful the kindness of strangers could be. When my kids woke up Christmas morning and saw the many presents, they were shocked – screaming at 4:00 in the morning, but strangely enough they unwrapped their presents very slowly, loving every one.

I was trying to be happy so that my mom wouldn’t cry, but I was just pretending because it was a bad time. We were all trying to smile and think that we would get presents. And then Santa came, and my mom was crying, and I don’t know why because we got lots of presents. I got nice clothes and a CD player and a game and a stocking and candy. My favorite is a Razor, but I can’t ride it inside.

At Christmas I was worried about getting things for my children. When I saw all their gifts, I was shocked and then I wished I hadn’t spent so much time worrying about it. It is really nice that you helped us. My children went crazy, and we had to go outside so they could run around and calm down. Thank you for my gifts too. I didn’t think there would be gifts for me, too.

I live in a big house with a lot of people. We didn’t know that we would have a good Christmas, but we did. Santa brought me and all of us kids a lot of stuff, and we had fun. I was mad at my mother when we came here, but now I’m not.

Christmas was really nice. I got so much help. All of us moms got together one night before Christmas, and we got to see our children’s presents. We were wrapping things together. It was a sense of family that I don’t have now. It’s going to make me cry to think of it. Thank you for your help.

It is such a joy and a privilege to be a part of this community that really strives to follow Jesus in the ways we live.

Leigh Ann Hawkey

Hey Friends,

I hope you’re all having a terrific week.

I was disappointed we ended up canceling our services this past Sunday. I missed seeing you all and being together as a church family.

We were slated to kick off a brand new series called “Why”. I’m sure you’ve all been asked that question, or asked that question about something at some point in your life. This week, we’re planning to dive into the question of “Why…Church?”

Don’t miss the start up of this series on Sunday, February 7th. I anticipate it being a very helpful and encouraging several weeks. Gear up for your Super Bowl extravaganza by celebrating together with the CCC family. (I have an inside scoop that some Super Bowl Prize Packs will be handed out.) And remember, the beginning of a series is a great time to invite a friend or family member to join you at 8094 Sandpiper Circle. (Identical services at 9:30 & 11am.)

By now, I’m sure you’re aware of the looming snowfall we’re slated to receive over the next couple of days. We’ll be updating the website and Facebook page no later than 7am on Sunday to keep everyone abreast of the plans as a result of whatever weather pattern makes its way through Maryland. So check that out over the weekend.

Here are a couple of things happening at CCC in the coming weeks.

STARTING POINT
Our Starting Point class that was slated for this past Sunday has been rescheduled for Sunday, February 21st. So if you were signed up before, we’ll keep a spot reserved for you. And if you weren’t going to be able to make it last week for some reason, then you can still be a part of this next one. Starting Point is a great place to find out about all things related to CCC. (Who we are, where we’ve come from, where we’re headed, how we’re going to get there, what it means to be a part of CCC, etc.) It’s a place to ask whatever questions you might have and connect with some other folks who are new to CCC. It takes place on Sundays, just after the first service, beginning at 10:45am and wrapping up by 12:30. Free childcare and refreshments are provided. There is no cost for Starting Point, but sign up is required. You can sign up by replying to this email, or through our website here, or in the lobby of CCC on Sundays. It’s our hope that everyone who is a part of CCC participates in Starting Point early on in their journey here. It’s worth it! (C’mon…it’s free!)

FIT-TO-BE-TIED
The next session of Fit-To-Be-Tied is ready to launch on Sunday, February 28th. Fit-To-Be-Tied is a small group for couples who are considering marriage or are leading up to their wedding. It meets on Sundays for a total of 8 weeks, 2 hours each week. Any couple considering taking the wonderful, yet challenging step of marriage should make this small group a priority. The cost is $80 per couple. To sign up or for more information, you can reply to this email, or sign up in the lobby on Sundays. Space is limited so don’t wait!

I’m glad you’re all a part of this fairly new church. (We’re celebrating our 4 year anniversary in 1 month…crazy!)

I hope to see you all in a few days, after we’ve all dug ourselves out of the snow.

See you Sunday.

David Robinson