Belton Christian Church in Belton MO

Due to the extreme cold, and the anticipated additional snow, we will not have an in-person Ash Wednesday Service. Please call the church office with any questions.

We hope you are able to join our Combined Adult Sunday School Class on Zoom this Saturday 02/20/21 at 9:00 am.. We continue our 6 week study this Saturday on WHOL-I-NESS: With Myself, Others and God. The Scripture, Meeting ID and Meeting Link are listed below. Scripture for this week: Session 5 Relational Life Numbers 12: 1-16... Miriam and Aaron criticize Moses Recurring Meeting ID and Link: 828 0453 7373 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82804537373

Below is the link for our Sunday, November 8th worship service on YouTube. The church will be open for in person worship services on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. the service will be abbreviated, but will include a sermon and communion. We hope you can join us. https://youtu.be/1CZ5vwsSZU4

Adopt a Family 2020 Operation Santa Gift Request Tags will be available on Sunday, Nov. 15th Belton Christian Church has adopted 4 families through Operation Santa. The families are all within a few miles of the church and the children attend local schools. Gift requests for the families will be written on ornament tags and put on the small Christmas Tree. ... The Adopt a Family Tree will be in the Narthex. Please consider taking a tag and helping a local family have a special Christmas. All gifts need to be wrapped and returned to the church office not later than Sunday, December 13th. **Note** Follow instructions on the tag. Tear in half and leave bottom half in the basket below the tree. Those who do not attend in-person worship can call the office and Diana can help match you up with a tag/gift request. Or you can stop by the church during regular business hours Monday through Friday and choose gift tags from the tree. During these uncertain times, the number of families requesting Christmas help has greatly increased. Based on the needs of each family we adopt, they receive books, toys, winter coats, boots, shoes, Christmas stockings, and grocery gift cards. Please call Diana Davis with any questions 331-6440.

Preparation. Matthew 25:1-13 Pentecost 23A, Nov. 8, 2020 Theme: Preparation As a husband, I have had numerous opportunities to share in the meticulous preparations surrounding a significant event. These events usually include weddings. company parties, ordinations, baptisms, or even a night out on the town. I have marveled at the careful art of makeup application, hair arranging and garment selection. It’s all so time consuming and even emotional. This is not to say me...n don’t also have to prepare for these events, but often that just means a shower, shave and putting on a suit. Perhaps there are a few seconds taken to select a proper tie. Oh, yes and making sure ones shoes are shining. In the scripture text, Jesus tells a parable about a group of bridesmaids and their preparations to attend a wedding ceremony. I’m sure hours were spent in preparation. In Jesus’ time this could have taken a full day. Perhaps, bath water had been hauled in the day before. Garments had to be selected, cleaned and set out. Makeup application being a centuries old routine even by Jesus’ time was sure to take hours. The science of looking just right is sure to have been just as meticulous in Jesus’ time as it is today. One of the hurdles bridesmaids had to overcome was that they were not allowed into the party until the groom arrived. It seems that each of these women had to bring with them a lamp. It may have been required that ALL guests had to bring a lamp. These lamps used oil. In the parable, Jesus tells of a wedding where the groom was late. Some of the bridesmaids had failed to bring enough oil. When their lamps went out, they had to go back home and get more. While they were doing this the groom arrived and the doors were closed for the wedding. The bridesmaids who had failed to bring enough oil missed the party. Jesus tells this parable to illustrate there are some things more important than others when it comes to being prepared for entering His kingdom. He is implying that the exact amount of eye shadow is not quite as significant as having what is required to get into the party. Jesus is saying it is more important one be prepared properly and wisely. It is as simple as the fact that it is more important one attends worship than how one dresses. It is more important one actually live a clean and sinless life (as much as is possible) than to build a beautiful cathedral. It is more important to clothe the naked and feed the hungry than to fix coffee for a church fellowship. It is more important to have a faith strong enough to endure a fatal illness or severe pain than to pave a parking lot. I guess the real question to ask is: When God calls us, will we be prepared?

W hope you are able to join our Combined Adult Sunday School Class this Saturday 11/07/20 at 9:00 am.. We will continue our study this Saturday on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The scripture is listed below. The link and the meeting ID are below. Scripture for this week:... A Time for Everything Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 Meeting ID: 850 9781 8346 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85097818346

Join us at 7:00 p.m. for our Wednesday evening Scripture and Prayer Service. J.R. Harrell will be leading the service and the scripture is 2 Thessalonians 1:7. Below is the link for the Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting... https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88113761393 Meeting ID: 881 1376 1393

The link for the Sunday, November 1, 2020 Worship Service is below. Please join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30 for a brief in-person Communion and Prayer Service. We will be utilizing individual prefilled communion cups. https://youtu.be/nCa4EHF3U_0

God’s Children, 1 John 3:1-7, Pentecost 23A, Nov. 1, 2020 Theme: All Saints Day I have noticed that many congregations identify themselves as big families. I am assuming that the above verse is defining family, since families are made up of children. So, with the diversity of families we see today, what is the model we as Christians think God wants us to use? ... One clue is found in the first letter of John. There we find this verse: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. (I John 3:1) The verse suggests that God’s love should play a part in what God’s families are like. Willard Scott a personality who appeared on the Today Show once said: Positive feelings come from being honest about yourself and accepting your personality, and physical characteristics, warts and all; and, from belonging to a family that accepts you without question. Is this an example of God’s family? Is it reasonable to assume that a collection of God’s children could be called a congregation? Would Belton Christian Church then be a group of God’s children? The author of the first letter of John says that the complete definition of a child of God has not yet been revealed. (I John 3:2) This implies that the definition of God’s children is still a mystery.

The church is scheduled to be open for Worship Services beginning Sunday November 8th at 10:30 am. We will be using the following safety protocols and restrictions. 1. Abbreviated Service starting at 10:30 am on Sundays with the Intergenerational Sunday School Class meeting in Person Hall at 9:30 am (Beginning Nov. 15), so that those individuals may attend the live worship service afterwards. The combined adult Sunday school class will continue to meet online on Saturday mor...nings. 2. Continue Social Distancing in worship and Sunday school our sanctuary and Person hall are large enough to accommodate this. 3. Communion will continue to be provided in Narthex in individual sealed cups. 4. Offering plates will continue to be provided in Narthex 5. Continue wearing face mask in worship. 6. No or extremely limited singing in worship. 7. Limited access to church facilities with deep cleaning after each use. 8. Notify congregation via, email, social media, online announcement, and using the call chain. 9. Will continue with the online worship service recorded on Fridays and posted for access by Sunday morning. 10. The presiding elder will continue to serve at the Friday recording and the Sunday live worship service.

We hope you are able to join our Combined Adult Sunday School Class this Saturday 10/31/20 at 9:00 am.. We will continue our study this Saturday on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The scripture is listed below. The link and the meeting ID are below. Scripture for this week:... Pleasures, Wisdom and Folly, Toil are Meaningless Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 Meeting ID: 850 9781 8346 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85097818346

Join us at 7:00 p.m. for our Wednesday evening Scripture and Prayer Service. Randy Scott will be leading the service and the scripture is Proverbs 24:16. Below is the link for the Zoom meeting. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88113761393

The youth of our church did a wonderful job with this week's Worship Service. We hope you take time to enjoy the service conducted entirely by the youth. The YouTube link is below. Thank you to all of the youth that took time to prepare and record each part. A special thank you to Keith Asaeli for recording and editing the service.... https://youtu.be/Itu8w8G0QgM

It's About That Time! November 8, 2020 - Evening Program and Live Auction begins at 6:00 pm. It is free to participate but they ask that you give what you can to the Fund the Camp donation page. Some of the things available at the auction are a vacation getaway to Maine, Whiskey Tasting Experience, Indoor Wood Stove, private swim party and lunch at Tall Oaks, and the opportunity to name a road at Tall Oaks. The link is https://tocc.ejoinme.org/.../tabid/1178758/Default.aspx.... The Online Auction will be open November 8th and close on November 14th at 8:00 p.m. The Online Auction Website is https://tocc2020.ggo.bid. Pick-up for Won Items will be held at Merriam Christian Church November 15th from 26 p.m. and November 16th from 2-6 p.m. If you cannot make these pick-up times or have any Gala questions, please call or email Ann Morton at 913-515-3828 [email protected]. Tall Oaks Gala is still looking for auction donations to make it a success. Please consider donations with a value of $30 or greater. Dining/Entertainment and Sports items are always a hit! During these unprecedented times, vacation homes, and outdoor activities should do well too. Tall Oaks needs us more than ever! Contact Ann Morton if you are able to donate.