There is a place to get these and other questions addressed: Starting Point.  Starting Point is a two-hour gathering where we’ll take a closer look at who CCC is and where we’re going in a fun and casual environment.  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 this Sunday, June 27, from 10:45 – 12:45.  Sign up online here or by calling the church office (410.933.8330) if you are interested in attending.

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

For more race information go to www.thrivebaltimore.net. It’s going to be a great time, don’t miss out!

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

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.

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.

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

Star Queen at CCC
January 22, 2010
7:00-9:00 p.m.

I’m sure you’ve all dug yourself out from under the record snowfall we just received over the weekend. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the snow, I missed seeing you all this past Sunday. Not to worry though, because we’ve got three identical Christmas Eve services coming up this Thursday, December 24th. (4pm, 5:30pm, and 7pm)

We’re going to open up the Bible and look at some defining moments in the lives of a few people who met Jesus and see if this Christmas 2009 might be a defining moment for us.

It should be a memorable time together as we center around the fact that God came to us in the person of Jesus. And that’s made all the difference in the world.

So make your way on over to 8094 Sandpiper Circle to celebrate Christmas Eve with the CCC family. It’s one of my favorite gatherings of the year. (Children’s Ministry Programming is provided for pre-school age children.)

I hope to see you all on Thursday.

David Robinson

Raising kids is one of the most challenging tasks anyone can tackle. This crucial and demanding job can’t be done alone. Every week at CCC there are committed volunteers who help create irresistible environments for children and students. Those environments provide the context for meaningful conversations that will help shape a child or student’s life as they figure out what it means to follow God fully with their lives. Parents have more influence than anyone else when it comes to their kids, and CCC wants to be the parent’s strongest supporter, biggest fan and trusted guide as they raise their children in faith and character.

Nick Blevins

Click here to view the embedded video.

(click here if you cannot see the video)

If you attended Trunk or Treat and have never been to a Sunday service at CCC, I hope you really enjoyed yourself. We are a church that is committed to being a blessing to the community we are a part of. We’d love to see you at one of our Sunday services, 9:30 or 11:00. (directions here)

A huge thanks to all the volunteers who made the event happen. It’s amazing how much can get done when we come alongside each other towards a common goal. You guys really are the best and it is so much fun to partner with you to serve our community.

The only thing left to do now is start planning your Trunk for next year. Good luck and go crazy!