Sycamore Creek Church

Igniting Authentic Life in Christ

by Connecting, Growing and Serving

September 2011

SundayMorning's Not Enough

by Tom Arthur (Pastor)

Peace Friends!

You will never grow in your faith if all you are doing is coming to worship on Sunday morning. Whew! That's a heck of a way to start the newsletter, but it's true.

Let me explain: You hear, you forget. You see, you remember. You do, you understand. Duke University's Coach K, the winningest coach in NCAA history, said that. He obviously knows something about helping people grow into all that they can become.

Mostly what we do on Sunday morning is hear. We hear the songs. We hear the message. Our worship team tries hard to also help you see and do, but there's only so much seeing and doing you can accomplish on a Sunday morning with such a large crowd. So if all you do is hear, then what happens? You forget. Nothing in your life changes.

In order to see and do you must...

Series at SCC

Clearance-

restocking your emotional inventory

Have a surplus of emotions that you'd like to run on clearance? What do we do with an overstock of emotions like anxiety? Anger? Feeling alone? And all the emotions that surround addiction? Run a clearance sale and restock them with something new! Join us as we spend four weeks looking at what practical wisdom the Bible can give us about our emotional health.

Next Series at SCC

Revelation

An Invitation to God's Imagination

Remember what it was like as a kid to see the world through your imagintaion? Danger and peril lurked just around the corner. Adventure and romance were only a journey away. Dressing in character was a must. So what does the world look like through God's imagination? Come join us as we explore the answer to that question in the book of Revelation.

October 9 - View from the Throne Room

October 16 - Empire

October 23 - Mixed Date

October 30 - Bride & Groom

(come dressed in your favorite costume)

Fall Vision Meeting and Annual Church Conference

Where is Sycamore Creek Church going in the future? What's our vision? What have we accomplished so far? These are the kinds of questions we'll be addressing at our Fall Vision Meeting on Sunday, October 9th at 12:45pm after the second worship service. Our District Superintendent will also be there for our Annual Church Conference. We are going to have lunch together with the meat and table service being provided - please bring a dish to pass. We'll be running the vision meeting during the meal. Childcare will be provided.

SCC Small Groups

Support Group @ 7pm every other Wednesday

Contact: Pat Orme or 410-1931

Rick Ray or 694-6369

Agnostic Pub Group @ 7pm 1st & 3rd Thursdays

Mission: Holt Senior Care and Rehab

Contact: Tom Arthur or 889-5540

Participating Membership Sunday, October 30 1-4pm

Contact: Susan Bigger or 394-6100

Navigating Membership Sunday, November 6 1-4pm

Contact: Susan Bigger or 394-6100

Vital Church Initiative Group One Saturday a month 9-1pm

Contact: Mark Aupperlee or 485-4865

Men's reCRASH Events monthly

(October 16, November 19, December 10)

Contact: Mark Aupperlee or 485-4865

Anyone Group @ 7pm 2nd & 4th Thursdays

Mission: Holt Senior Care and Rehab

Contact: Mark Auperlee or 485-4865

Men's Group @ 7am every other Wednesday

Mission: Open Door Ministry

Contact: Mark Aupperlee or 485-4865

Men's Group @ 7am every other Wednesday

Contact: Brian Richards or 712-2335

Bill Hoerner or 393-8680

Men's Group @ 7pm 1st & 3rd Thursdays

Mission: TBD

Contact: Bob Trout or 930-1532

Women's Group @ 7pm 2nd & 4th Wednesdays

Mission: Maplewood Women & Children's Center

Contact: Sarah Arthur or 889-5540

Women's Group @ 7pm 1st & 2nd Mondays

Mission: Ronald McDonald House & Love Clothing Center

Contact: Jana Aupperlee or 485-4865

Women's Group @ 10am every Wednesday

Mission: TBD

Contact: Kathie Brooks 393-0074

For more information or questions about Small Groups contact Mark Aupperlee or 485-4865.

Local Missions

Sycamore Creek Church wants to develop friendships within our community. Through local friendships, or missions, we seek to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our community. In order to begin to meet those needs, we need to be aware of them.

* Sarah Arthur's Small Group helps serve dinner at Maplewood the first Saturday of each month. Contact Patricia Alderman at if you would like to join them.

* Jana Aupperlee's Small Group sorts clothing on the first Monday of each month at the church office from 8:30pm to 9:30pm after their meeting. Contact Jana Aupperlee if would like to join them.

* Mark Aupperlee's Small Group provides hospitality to those waiting at the Open Door Ministry. They will go again on November 2 & December 28th from 7:45-8:30am. Contact Mark Aupperlee if you would like to join them.

* The Agnostic Pub Group is going and hanging out at the Holt Senior Care and Rehab on October 6th at 7pm. They will be getting to know the residents and having a good time. If you would like to join them contact Tom Arthur.

Serve MSU Students

Feeling called to connect with college students? Looking for an easy way to serve students? Consider preparing a simple dinner for the Wesley Foundation at MSU. Dinners are served on Sunday night at 5:30pm to 20-25 students. If you're interested, contact the church office at 394-6100.

If Our Church Vanished...?

The Externally Focused Church Seminar

Hosted by The Church of Greater Lansing

Featuring Rick Rusaw, Eric Swanson, and Brian Mavis

October 1, 2011

At Great Lakes Christian College Doty Center

The guiding question of Externally Focused Churches is "If my church vanished, would my community care?" Unfortunately, for most churches the answer is "No." Oh sure, the people who attend those churches would care. But the city leaders wouldn't care. The schools wouldn't care. The business leaders wouldn't care. The community's non-profit agencies wouldn't care. The public servants wouldn't care. The down-and-out wouldn't care. The least and the lost wouldn't care. But if our church became Externally Focused, our community would care if our church vanished. Take advantage of this practical and straight-forward seminar on how to move our church toward becoming externally focused. If you're interested in attending, contact the church office (394-6100) or talk to Tom Arthur (pastor).

How to Start Spiritual Conversations

Hosted by The Church of Greater Lansing

Featuring Doug Polluck

October 16, 6-8pm

At Northpointe Community Church in DeWitt

This conference is free, however we will receive a love offering so come prepared. If you are interested in attending this workshop, contact the church office (394-6100) or talk to Tom Arthur (pastor).

In This Issue

Spriitual Conversations

Cleaning Day

at the Office

We are having a cleaning day at the office on Wednesday, October 5th from 10am to 2pm. The staff would like to invite anyone who would like to have fun and help us as we clean. We will provide lunch. Please contact Susan Bigger if you are available and would like to help at or 394-6100. Thanks!

Caring Meals Ministry Coordinator

Coming home from the hospital is great, except that you've got to resume all your normal chores. Sycamore Creek Church seeks to minister to people who are in a time of need by organizing our church to provide meals in these transition times. We're looking for a person who has a heart for serving people who are getting back on their feet. The caring meals coordinato organizes through networking in the church and an online program the delivery of meals to families who have just had a baby, had significant surgery, or are undergoing a significant crisis in their life. If you think God might be calling you to this ministry, call 394-6100 or email the church office. Big heart for helping people required. Networking and organizational skills required. Cooking skills optional!

Contact Information

Sycamore Creek Church

Email: office@sycamorecreekchurch.org

Phone: 394-6100

Web: www.sycamorecreekchurch.org