The Northwood News Owned and published by Northwood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 4550 Central Avenue Indianapolis,

IN 46205 (317) 283-1352 FAX: (317) 283-2206 The Northwood News (USPS 398-100) is published monthly PeriodicalsPostage Paid at Indianapolis, IN Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Northwood News 4550 Central Ave Indianapolis, IN 46205

NORTHWOOD CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Disciples of Christ) 4550 Central Ave Indianapolis, IN 46205 317.283.1352 FAX 317.283.2206 Minister: Rev. Ted Nottingham tednottingham @northwoodchristian.com Office Administrator: Traci Willis traciwillis @northwoodchristian.com

April 2013

No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow.

Proverb

Music Director: Jack Fox jackfox @northwoodchristian.com Website: www.northwoodchristian.com Scheduled Sunday Morning Services 8:30 Chapel Worship 9:30 Church School 10:45 Sanctuary Worship

Upcoming Events:
April 21stMusic & Munching A recital and lunch as we say farewell to our organist, Abby Chen April 23rdKeenagers Meeting

April 2013 Volume LXXII No. 4

What an outpour of blessings we experienced on Easter Sunday. Our full choir gave us an exceptional experience. We were blessed with many visitors, families, and friends. What a joy it is to fill the sanctuary and glorify God. Our Maundy Thursday service was a powerful and meaningful event for all who participated. We were touched with moving music which deepened our spiritual experience of that contemplative evening. How blessed we are to have such God-given talent within our spiritual community. I extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who shared your gifts and your faith so significantly with us. God is good, and God has been especially good to our community as we seek to be faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, living out in our relationships with each other the way shown by our Lord. The Risen Lord is among us and will heal, sustain, and strengthen us as we recommit ourselves daily to being people who have said yes to Jesus and chosen to live as He would have us live. On behalf of all who worshiped with us throughout this time, I want to thank our

devoted volunteers who enabled this memorable Holy Week those of you who worked behind the scenes to make possible these spiritual events; those of you who shared your musical talents; those of you who shared your skills in reading, decorating, greeting and welcoming. You know who you are and how important your contribution was to these moments of glorifying God. More importantly, God knows who you are and sees the faith and commitment in your hearts. We are told that by blessing we are blessed in turn. To all of you who participated in the Lenten studies and joined us in these services, I express my gratitude for your desire to enter more deeply into relationship with Spirit and live the Christian life more fully. This is the devotion that God seeks and blesses as each of us diligently walks the spiritual path. May the blessing of resurrection and Gods victory over darkness and hopelessness be with you today and everyday. May Easter 2013 be a turning point for you in your daily commitment to God, becoming receptive to Spirit, incarnating peace and harmony toward others, and living according to Gods ways. Pastor Ted

ON THE RESURRECTION
The resurrection story is not only about hope. It is a testament to the presence of God among us. It is good to know that God will not separate God's love from us. We may distance ourselves from God, but God is as close to us as a prayer in our hearts. Our hope in an experience of God's love is the source of our strength. It enables us to live faithful lives. The power of God demonstrated by Jesus' resurrection is the core of our identity as a people of faith. We celebrate the story's message of God's power over evil and our capacity to confront evil in ourselves and our world through daily acts of private and public piety and service to the common good. We sustain our faith through our relationship with other people and as members of the body of Christ--the church. The resurrection story speaks to the fragmented nature of our lives. It gives us hope when we face the broken and unreconciled pieces of our lives or even death itself. It also challenges our penchant for wanting to live a narrow life and think in a reductionistic way. It invites us to believe and be open to the undetermined ways God will reveal Godself and God's power. The promise of the resurrection is found in the last four words of verse 10: "they will

see me." We seek to see the resurrected Lord in our daily lives and through our experiences. There is joy in believing what the resurrection promises--to one day see God and God only. We live in the meantime, expecting to see God's glory revealed in life and in the lives of people who place their trust in God, who was revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The women did not expect anything out of the ordinary to happen once they reached Jesus' tomb. But their faithfulness to the task of honoring their dead placed them at the center of a life-changing event. It is wonderful that God sometimes meets us in our faithfulness. Sin prevents or limits our ability to consider what God has made possible for us to experience--the power to live with hope in God through Jesus Christ in the face of sin and death. We are empowered by the resurrection to have our lives shaped by this hope. It becomes increasingly real for us the more we cultivate for ourselves God's spirit in Jesus Christ. Jesus' resurrection is the story of how we can come to life in Christ. Frederick J. Streets Yale University Chaplain

MEET JAN MISNER

What brought you to Northwood? Rev. Nottingham advertised in the branches newsletter and I read some of his articles. I realized that Rev. Nottingham had more insight and a broader view of Christianity than most protestant churches and so I came to Northwood. Who or what were some of the influences that shaped your life and your faith? I was raised in a small rural community which revolved around the Methodist church. My mother was a passive individual but when it came to attending church there was no leniency. I attended church/Sunday school for 7 years and didn't miss one Sunday. As a child, I mourned when I looked at the pictures of Jesus and asked "why didn't you get off the cross?" the road has been a struggle as I questioned the fundamental first interpretation of the scriptures. Those who influenced my path were Rev. Dr. James Morin, a Methodist minister who asked questions and didn't propose to know all the answers. He didn't interpret the bible literally. I've had some very unusual spiritual experiences that prompted me to wonder. These experiences most likely added to the search. I started reading some eastern literature which led me to the Buddhist center

where I stayed for 3 years. The Buddhist teachings, I realized were similar to the Christian ones, only they were stated in a manner that seemed to resonate with me. After some time, I realized my learning was stymied and I left the Buddhist community. The pull for a more fulfilling spiritual life led me to Northwood. What are your hobbies and interests? In the past I was very involved in sports and loved volleyball which I played until my knees wouldn't cooperate. I work out at a gym 3 times a week and recently renewed my interest in yoga. In the past, I was an avid walker which seemed to inspire me to write poetry. I read constantly. I enjoy time with my grandchildren. I have volunteered in the hospice capacity for 3 years. Traveling later in life has been a dream that I never thought Id be able to realize. What else would you like us to know about you? When I was 56 I went to IUPUI and got a bachelor degree. The degree allowed me to work as a care manager with CICOA where I worked with the elderly and disabled. I loved hearing their stories and felt satisfied with this work for nine years until I retired. I try to encourage people and help them when I can. I sincerely believe we have an obligation to encourage others and try to lift their spirits. I love to laugh. I've been through some rough times in my life but god has always been there and helped me find my way.

MUSIC & MUNCHING ORGAN RECITAL & LUNCH

SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2013
Following 10:45 worship service Sunday, April 21 will be a very special day for Northwood. On that day we will be saying Good bye to our organist, Yu-Hsiang Abby Chen. Abby has been with us since December 2011 and has done a marvelous job enhancing our worship with her considerable musical talents. On the 21st she will share those talents even further as she presents an organ recital here at the church. The recital will feature music by Bach, Bohm, Max Reger, Ned Rorem, Petr Eben and Maurice Durufle. The program will take place in the sanctuary at 1:30 and will be approximately one hour in length. There will be a luncheon served in the Fellowship Hall following the 10:45 service. We will be taking up an offering to give to Abby as she returns to Taiwan and her family there. Plan now to support this fine young musician as she begins a new chapter of her life with your attendance and your offering.

Tuesday, Apr 23rd at 10:30am Kevin Langford "Computers" Tuesday, May 21st at 10:30am To be announced Tuesday, June 11th at 10:30am meet at Fishers Train Station Pizza Train to Tipton for lunch

WELCOME OUR NEW ORGANIST APRIL 28TH

There will be a special coffee hour following the 10:45 service on Sunday, April 28 to meet and greet our new Organist, Travis Person. Stop by and have a cookie, provided by the fine bakers of the Chancel Choir, and say "HI" to Travis on his first Sunday at Northwood.

It is valuable only as a test of faith. What if our faith fails the test? Is it good to suffer, then? What if we enter into suffering with a strong faith in suffering, and then discover that suffering destroys us? To believe in suffering is pride: but to suffer, believing in God, is humility. For pride may tell us that we are strong enough to suffer, that suffering is good for us because we are good. Humility tells us that suffering is an evil which we must always expect to find in our lives because of the evil that is in ourselves. But faith also knows that the mercy of God is given to those who seek him in suffering and that by His grace we can overcome evil with good. Suffering, then, becomes good by accident, by the good that it enables us to receive more abundantly from the mercy of God. It does not make us good by itself, but it enables us to make ourselves better than we are. Thus, what we consecrate to God in suffering is not our suffering but our selves. Only the sufferings of Christ are valuable in the sight of God, who hates evil, and to Him they are valuable chiefly as a sign. The death of Jesus on the cross has an infinite meaning and value not because it is a death, but because it is the death of the Son of God. The cross of Christ says nothing of the power of suffering or of death. It speaks only of the power of Him who overcame both suffering and death by rising from the grave.

The wounds that evil stamped upon the flesh of Christ are to be worshiped as holy not because they are wounds, but because they are His wounds. Nor would we worship them if He had merely died of them, without rising again. For Jesus is not merely someone who once loved us enough to die for us. His love for us is the infinite love of God, which is stronger than all evil and cannot be touched by death. Suffering, therefore, can only be consecrated to God by one who believes that Jesus is not dead. And it is of the very essence of Christianity to face suffering and death not because they are good, not because they have meaning, but because the resurrection of Jesus has robbed them of their meaning.

Birthdays
Susan Long Janet Scott Margaret Taylor Charlotte Boone Martha Lamkin Jo Plant Jack Scott Barbara Blome Frank Ricketts Bob Bohn Betty Shookman May 16 May 17 May 19 May 20 May 20 May 23 May 23 May 24 May 28 May 29 May 31

TO KNOW THE CROSS

By Thomas Merton from his book No Man Is an Island

The Christian must not only accept suffering: he or she must make it holy. Nothing so easily becomes unholy as suffering. Merely accepted, suffering does nothing for our souls except, perhaps, to harden them. Endurance alone is no consecration. True asceticism is not a mere cult of fortitude. We can deny ourselves rigorously for the wrong reason and end up by pleasing ourselves mightily with our self-denial. Suffering is consecrated to God by faith not by faith in suffering, but by faith in God. Some of us believe in the power and the value of suffering. But such a belief is an illusion. Suffering has no power and no value of its own.

Anniversaries
Lester & Janelle Palmer May 6 Mark & Patricia Madinger May 19 Ed Filbey & Doris Woodruff-Filbey May 25

******************************* Is your special day missing from the newsletter? Contact Traci Willis at the church office so she may update the Birthday and Anniversary database. in the church office.