What steps can you take this week towards being a bigger part of God’s mission of drawing people to himself and fixing brokenness?

What is going to help you gain clarity about who God created you to be and who our opponent is?

CCC at the Movies is rolling on again this Sunday. Come on out for some free popcorn.

We hope you’ll come out this week for the third week of CCC at the Movies where we’ll be talking about . . . did you really think I was going to tell you? See you Sunday!

That’s why the Care Team is there. If you need to talk about anything at all, make sure you grab someone on the Care Team after service.

We looked at the The Blind Side this week and explored what it means that God has chosen us and wants to adopt us into his family. If you are already part of God’s family, the question for you is, “How are you helping people know that God wants to adopt them?”

We’re looking forward to seeing you Sunday for Week 2 of CCC at the Movies. Invite someone to come with you who’s never been to church before. It’s gonna be a blast.

We talked about The Blind Side, a huge movie from this past year that is very near and dear to our hearts because it’s the story of Baltimore Raven, Michael Oher. We talked about how God wants to adopt each of us into his family, just like the Tuohy family wanted to make Michael part of their family.

How inspiring and empowering is it to know that the God of the universe has chosen us and wants us to be part of his family? Maybe you’ve forgotten God has chosen you, and this is a great reminder. Perhaps you’ve never considered that God wants you to be part of his family. If that’s something you’re interested in, shoot us an email, give us a call (410.933.8330), or make sure you talk to someone about it on Sunday morning.

We look forward to seeing you back this week as we roll out week 2 of CCC at the Movies! This week’s movie is… come on, you know I can’t tell you here. It’s a surprise!

I hope this email finds you doing well here on the front end of the month of July. And I certainly hope your summer is going better than you expected to this point.

I’m emailing you because I’m quite excited about what’s coming up at CCC. Every year I look forward to what we’re getting ready to embark on this summer.

This coming Sunday, we’re kicking off the 2010 version of CCC at the Movies. And your 4th of July celebration just wouldn’t be complete if you missed the start up of this new series. We’ve got a bag or two of popcorn with your name on it, as well as a host of special guests to usher in our discussion. I even have a feeling that the great majority of the CCC family has seen the first movie we’re looking at this week. It will serve as a springboard for our discussion about life, faith, and the great story of God.

And although I’m not going to reveal what our movie is until Sunday morning, I would encourage you to spend a bit of time reading through the first chapter of Ephesians from the Bible to get a head start.

So get everything ready for your July 4th celebration, but make sure you kick it all off by spending part of your Sunday at 8094 Sandpiper Circle. (Services are at 9:30am and 11am.)

See you in a few days!

David Robinson

Last Sunday, the “one word” we looked at was the word obey.  We were challenged by David to begin to engage with the Bible looking for places where we need to more fully obey what God wants for our lives.  If you missed the message on Sunday, you can listen to it online here.

There were three different applications to the teaching on the word obey.  The first was to read the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5 – 7 and ask ourselves, very honestly, what does Jesus say here that I need to begin obeying in my life.  The second is to read the entire book of Mark (it’s the shortest of the four Gospel books), and keep a journal of all the commands that you find Jesus teaching.  Third, for people who might be familiar with the teaching of Jesus, the challenge is to read through the Gospels and ask if you are really taking Jesus seriously or if you’ve found a way to rationalize or minimize what Jesus commands.

If we follow through with these challenges, we might just find that we encounter Jesus in a whole new way

We’d love to hear about the commands of Jesus that you are discovering (or rediscovering) and what those mean for your life.  Add a comment to this blog post or drop us a line at info@communitycc.net and let us know what you learn about obeying Jesus.

The opportunity to sponsor a child continues at CCC for the next few weeks. Consider sponsoring a child for $38 a month on your own, as a family, or as a small group. You can pick up sponsorship packets on Sunday mornings or if you stop by CCC during the week.

You can listen to the whole Stack the Deck series including Compassion Sunday by clicking here.

I hope you’re all doing well as we start this beautiful, warm Friday. I’m recovering from a pretty nasty cold that wiped me out for more than a week. I’m on the flip side of the worst of it, though, and certainly looking forward to being with the CCC family once again this weekend.

There is much to celebrate in and around Community Christian Church. We had two more folks take the step of baptism this past Sunday during our services and several more are planning to do the same this coming Sunday. That’s always worth celebrating!

We’re also wrapping up a series this week called Stack The Deck, where we’re looking to load things up in favor of families and children. I’ve been looking forward to this coming Sunday in particular, as we have a specific challenge for the CCC community. Don’t miss it. Services take place at 9:30 and 11am.

But before we get to Sunday, don’t forget about the Pondskipper 5k race taking place tomorrow, Saturday, May 22nd at Stansbury Park. We’re partnering with Thrive Baltimore to provide our 3rd annual run to benefit the Family Crisis Center. It’s not too late to register if you’d like to run or walk. (or stroll or strut depending on lots of things…) Walk up registrations are welcome. The race starts at 9am. Check out our website for more details or Thrive Baltimore’s website. (www.thrivebaltimore.net)

I hope to see you there.

David Robinson

Over the past few Sunday’s we’ve been talking about how we can stack the deck in favor of families and children so they have every opportunity to succeed.  We want to place things in such a way that everything leans in the favor of our families and they have every advantage at their disposal to become what God hopes and dreams they will be.

If you would like to know more about how CCC works together with families, please email us at info@communitycc.net or you can download our Blueprint for families here and read about our strategy for children and students. You can also read Blueprint online here.

We hope to see you at one of our Sunday services (9:30 & 11:00) as we continue looking at how we can stack the deck in favor of families.

I’ve been receiving quite a bit of feedback regarding our current series “Dumb Things Smart People Believe“. These past few discussions seem to have struck a chord with many. That’s why I don’t want anyone to miss our final week of the series this coming Sunday, May 2nd. We’re talking about a belief we are particularly prone to here in our country. So make sure and spend part of your Sunday at 8094 Sandpiper Circle. (Services at 9:30am & 11am) It might just be the highlight of your week!

That’s not all that’s going on this Sunday. KidStuf (Where kids take their parents to learn) is happening during the 2nd service. This is a terrific opportunity for elementary age kids and their parents to experience together. You can attend the 9:30am service while your child is in their Children’s Ministry Discovery Island environment, and then go together to the 11am KidStuf in rooms 108-109.

Also taking place this Sunday is Starting Point, which is the place to go to find out all things related to CCC. (Who we are, where we’ve come from, where we’re headed, how we’re going to get there, etc.) It’s a great place to ask any questions you might have regarding Community Christian Church and the place to go if you’re fairly new to CCC. If you haven’t signed up for this installment of Starting Point, it’s not too late. Simply respond to this email and make your way next door to suite F at 10:45am. (Just after the first service ends.) Starting Point will wrap up by 12:45. Free food and free childcare are provided. (If you need childcare, we’ll need to know that sooner rather than later.)

I would also encourage you to take advantage of the many resources we make available each and every week. The resource table in the lobby contains daily readings and small groups guides for our current series, which you can also listen to on our website. And cds of past services are always provided. Don’t miss out.

I hope you have a fantastic start to your weekend. And I hope to see you all this Sunday for our final week of “Dumb Things Smart People Believe“.

“May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope…” Romans 15:13

David Robinson

The truth is some mistakes have larger effects than a silly sign ever will. When it comes to what we think about God and the Bible we owe it to ourselves to get it right. It’s a goofy title, but this series has already posed some serious questions for us to wrestle through. This Sunday, April 25 brings about week three of Dumb Things Smart People Believe. Services are at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. We hope to see you then.

(click image to enlarge)

We encourage you to gather together with your small group, family, or friends to remember the price Jesus paid for us.  We’ve created a Good Friday guide to help as we engage more deeply with Good Friday.

In my experience, this is one of the most deeply meaningful times I’ve ever spent with my friends and small group.  The opportunity to read together the story of Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and death is powerful.  The chance to celebrate communion in a smaller setting while remembering the last supper is stirring.  Praying together while reflecting on the last words of Jesus is moving.  (And that’s just three of the suggestions listed in the Good Friday Guide).

I hope you pick up a Good Friday guide at CCC on Sunday or download one HERE and use it as a part of your Good Friday celebration this year.

I trust this email finds you doing well.

I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks as we approach the heart of the Easter season. I’m quite excited to gather with all of you not only on Easter Sunday, April 4, but also this coming Sunday, March 28.

This Sunday, you’ll want to make sure and pick up your place holders for whichever Easter service you plan to attend. (Three identical services are happening on Easter Sunday at 8:30, 10, and 11:30. Note that these are different from our normal service times of 9:30 and 11am and KidStuf will take place during the 10am service.) Picking up a place holder for you and whomever is joining you will be incredibly helpful as we prepare for the celebration that day. You can pick them up in the lobby of CCC on Sunday. (They’re free.)

You may also want to pick up a copy of the Good Friday Guide while you’re at CCC on Sunday. It has an abundance of possible ideas for you to take advantage of on Good Friday (April 2) with your family, your small group, or some friends. They’re free as well and you can also download the Good Friday Guide from our website, here.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a terrific rest of your week. And I hope to see you all this Sunday.

David Robinson

Dave Ramsey’s Gazelle Budget Lite – This is an online calculator that helps create a budget based on net monthly income.

Crown Financial offers free Percentage Guides that gives you an idea of what categories to budget for and approximately what percentage of your income should be assigned to each category. Use the one that fits your context the closest:

• Singles
• Single Parent
• Married Couple (no kids)
• Family of Four
• Family of Six

They also offer a Budget Analysis Form to help compare the difference between what you’re currently spending and the new monthly guideline budget you chose from the above resources.

Mint.com is a free online resource that will track all of your debit and credit card expenses. Mint will automatically categorize them, but you can create your own subcategories and tags as well. At any point you can see a pie chart showing the breakdown of where your money is going.

I trust you’re all relishing in the break of warm weather we’re enjoying over the last several days. (Maybe the snow piles will fully disappear before June after all!)

I thoroughly enjoyed our time together this past Sunday at CCC as we celebrated our 4 year anniversary. It’s hard to believe 4 years have passed since the first day we started meeting at 8094 Sandpiper Circle. As I’ve said many times, it’s been a fantastic start, especially considering that 80% of new churches never make it past year 3. So as we say goodbye to year 4 and start in on year 5, I am overwhelmingly grateful to God for his goodness and grace that has been evident in countless ways since March 5, 2006. And I’m grateful to God for all of you who are committed to seeking and serving Jesus through the life of this new church.

As we inch closer to this year’s Easter celebration, I am excited to see how the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead some 2,000 years ago, will be at work in each of our lives in the coming months and years together.

Speaking of Easter, you’ll want to be aware that we’re adding a third service for that particular Sunday, April 4. This will slightly shift our typical service times. We’ll have three identical services at 8:30am, 10am, and 11:30am on Easter Sunday. Children’s Ministry Programming (Discovery Island, Kid’s Kove, and Baby Bay) will be unaffected by the time change, but note that KidStuf (where kids take their parents to learn) will take place during the 10am service.

To help balance out the services, we’re asking everyone to pick up place holders for whichever service they plan to attend. The place holders are free and are not tickets, but they will help us prepare well for one of the most important Sundays of the year. (You can begin picking up place holders on Sunday in the lobby at CCC.)

This coming Sunday, March 14 is the final week of our current series called “Why”. It’s also a baptism celebration Sunday, which means we get to celebrate together with folks who are taking the important and crucial step of being baptized into Christ Jesus. We love participating alongside people who are being baptized. It’s one of our favorite things. You don’t want to miss it.

So be sure and set your clocks ahead this Saturday evening (That’s right, Daylight Savings Time begins) and make your way on over to CCC at either 9:30am or 11am.

I hope to see you all then.

David Robinson

There is a place to get these and other questions addressed: Starting Point. Starting Point is a two-hour gathering in a fun, casual environment where we take a closer look at who CCC is and where we’re going. It is our hope that everyone, whether Sunday is your first week or if you’ve been coming to CCC since the doors opened, will find his or her way to Starting Point.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and at CCC a great place to start is at Starting Point. If you haven’t been to Starting Point before, it might be the next step for you at CCC.

Our next Starting Point is Sunday, March 14th from 10:45 – 12:45.  Click here to sign up online or by calling the church office at 410.933.8330

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to see the embedded video

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

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

Starting Point is your next step in getting plugged into the life of Community Christian Church. You’ll discover who we are and what makes us tick. Starting Point provides the opportunity to connect with other new attenders and get your questions answered in a fun and friendly environment. You are guaranteed to proceed at your own pace and to have fun! Starting Point takes place from 10:45-12:45PM right next door from CCC, in Suite F. Refreshments and childcare are provided.

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why are giraffes so tall and mice so little? Why do I have to eat my vegetables when chocolate tastes so much better?

The question why, at its core, seeks to determine the reasons or purposes behind the things around us. Yet, when we get older, we stop asking why and instead simply embrace things around us without question.

We are starting a new series here at Community Christian Church called “Why” where we are taking a closer look at things we do and believe here at CCC. We don’t want to embrace something because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” We want to know very clearly why. We hope you’ll join us as we take a closer look at why we sing, gather, serve, baptize, and why CCC exists. We promise not to just repeat the question why; we’ll leave that up to your little nephew.

I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying a wonderful week.

This past weekend at CCC was quite incredible. We had John Thomas Oaks and Tommy Oaks with us here in Maryland. On Friday, they performed their two man musical comedy called Star Queen based on the story of the book of Esther from the Bible. It was side splitting! (The desserts were off the charts as well!) On Saturday, a small group of folks met with Tommy for a conversation about marriage. It was both insightful and helpful in many ways. And then Sunday, they lead us throughout both of our services as they performed another one of John Thomas’ musicals based on the story of the prodigal son that Jesus told in the Bible from Luke 15. So many of you were there, and you know it was incredibly moving. It was a fantastic modern retelling of perhaps the greatest story that’s ever been told.

I hope you were able to take part in some portion of the weekend with the Oaks.

This coming Sunday we’re kicking off a brand new series called “Why…” The beginning of a series is the perfect time to invite someone who’s not a part of any church. I don’t think you’ll want to miss out on the next several weeks.

Some of you have been asking how to get a book we recommended in our last series called “Big C – little c”. The book is called Growing Up Catholic by Tim Lott. Perhaps the best way to acquire the book is to email Tim directly and request a copy. You can get in touch with him at timlott@bellsouth.net.

I hope to see you all on Sunday at either of our services at 9:30 or 11am.

In the meantime, have a terrific day!

David Robinson

The arts and the Church have had a long relationship. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since we worship and follow a creative God. In the beginning, God created. And from the spring of God’s creativity came everything in our world, from sunflowers and mountains to oceans and galaxies. The creativity of God led him to form creatures of all shapes and sizes (just take a good long look at a platypus if you doubt God’s ingenuity). The crowning achievement of all God’s creation is humankind, created in the very image of God.

Is there any surprise that we find inspiration, encouragement, entertainment, and beauty in creativity?

It’s easy to regard spirituality as simply a mental exercise where the main focus is information gathering. But there is an aspect of life that cannot be quantified by facts and figures and cannot be explained in a spreadsheet. There are some things that can only be experienced and celebrated through creativity and art. Around here at CCC, it is our hope that everyone is using their gifts, talents, and creativity to worship God and to help others do the same. We might not be able to create the platypus, but we can honor the God who did.

Nic Cox

We are in the midst of a series of messages called “Big C, little c.” It’s a strange title that’s raised a lot of questions. After all, what do those “c’s” stand for and why is one big and the other little? This series is all about looking at the similarities and differences between the Catholic Church and CCC and what we can learn from each other.

The two different sizes of “C” deal with the word catholic. Most likely the only time you run across the word catholic is in relation to the name of a church, such as this or that “Catholic Church” (with a capital “C”). The world catholic (with a lower case “c”) is a word that means universal, or the church at large and in general. The early church did not envision itself as a collection of individual churches or as denominational clusters, but as a universal, “catholic” Church (lowercase “c”). The church being universal was a focus beyond local manifestations of the Church. In this series we are comparing and contrasting the big C (the Catholic Church) with the little c (the universal or general Church).

This is a vital series for anyone who lives in or is from the Northeast, where a significant number of Catholic Churches are located. It is our dream that “Big C, little c” is a very helpful series that clears up confusion and misconceptions about the differences and similarities between the Catholic Church and CCC. It is also a wonderful chance to invite a friend or family member who would find this discussion to be helpful.