As we approach our next Get Out & Serve day, June 2nd, we want to make you aware of a way you can prepare. One of our visions for this day is that every member of our family may be a part of serving that day. In the past many of our projects for the day were very physically intensive and so people within our church who were unable to serve in that capacity were not able to participate. We are changing that! Everyone can serve on Get Out n’ Serve day.

On June 2nd, one of the ways we will be serving our community will be collecting supplies for a local school. Terwilliger public school is a school in Alachua county that serves many impoverished families. The school has very little resources and the teachers provide many, if not all, of their supplies (including hand soap).

Over the next four weeks we will have a box set up in the foyer so that you may bring in items for us to help restock the school supplies before Summer School starts. Then, on June 2nd we will pack supplies the supplies, make encouragement cards for the teachers, and spend some time praying for this school.

Supplies Needed:

• Paper towels
• hand soap
• disinfecting wipes
• crayons
• markers
• printer paper
• construction paper
• colored card-stock
• tissues
• hand wipes

*Also if you have hand-me-down school uniforms those are welcome.

Please bring in any supplies that you can and get ready to serve on June 2nd from 8AM to noon!

Hey Christ Community! Are you ready for our Spring Jamboree at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park? Ready or not, it’s just a couple weeks away, and we wanted to give you some details so you know what to expect. The Spring Jamboree will be an afternoon of pure relaxed spring fun – a time to get together as an entire church community and let our hair down and hang out at the impressive Paynes Prairie State Park just south of town.

Some things you need to know:

* Who’s it for? This is a church-wide event, primarily to give us time to simply be together. So, by all means bring the whole family, and if you are so inclined feel free to invite a friend.

* Date and time: Saturday, April 28, 11am – 2pm (While this is the official time, please don’t feel limited by these hours. Come early or stay later – the park is huge and worth seeing.)

* Location and facilities: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park – main entrance. We have reserved the pavilion area for the whole day. This area, which is adjacent to the far side of Lake Wauberg, includes a large grassy area, nice shaded playground nearby, a boardwalk, two large pavilions with a large grill area between, and restrooms. Surrounding the area are plenty of hiking trails.

* Food: of course we’ll be eating a meal while there. The church will provide burgers and hotdogs; you should plan on checking with your Small Group leader as to what you need to bring, if you are not in a Small Group please contact Holli Best.** Also, if you have picnic ware/utensils, water bottles, etc., please bring them. We will have some disposable paper plates and utensils, but in an effort to be better stewards of our resources, to create less waste, and to leave a lighter footprint, we want to encourage you to “bring your own” if you can.

* What else to bring: chairs, blankets, yard games, frisbees, etc. Park admission is $6 per vehicle.

* Activities: there are no organized activities – although we will have live music, and there’s plenty to do. For those who are interested, though, there will be an opportunity to go on a guided nature hike.

* Childcare: there will be no childcare provided, but we will have a couple Childcare Specialists keeping an eye on the area around the lake.

* For the more adventurous: you are welcome to camp out the night before. We hear at least a couple of folks have already made reservations. If you would like to do that, visit here.

* Directions: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is located at:

(352) 466-3397

To get there: take 441 south from Gainesville about 10 miles to the main entrance of the park. It will be on the left just after UF’s Lake Wauberg South Entrance and just before Micanopy.

We’ve had several people ask about the Secret Church schedule on Good Friday. Six hours is a long time to do anything. We wholeheartedly and unabashedly encourage you to register for the entire thing, and to attend the entire 6-hour event. There’s something tangible to be gained from an extended period of time devoted to studying the Word of God, praying with and for His church, and worshiping in a congregation. I think you’ll be surprised by how encouraging a somewhat radical step outside your comfort zone can be.

If the full 6 hours simply doesn’t work for you for any number of practical reasons, the event organizers have also opened registration up for half of the event, either from 7PM to 10PM, or from 10PM to 1AM. The entire event runs from 7PM to 1AM (April 6th & 7th). Click here to register. I hope this will help you join in on this special time!

On Saturday, March 10th, a small group of committed members and regulars from CCC brought their families and transformed the northern half of our property.

This is what it looked like before work began:

With the help of the Myers’ tractor (and Peter’s tractor skills), we got to work quickly spreading mulch throughout the property:

After several hours of hard work, we had made a noticeable impact on the parking lot and entrance area:

Then we started on the western boundary, wrapping around the building and out to the church sign:

Work days are fun. I’d like to thank each of the hard workers that got up early and came out to help. If you haven’t already signed up to join us for Get Out-n-Serve on the 24th, email me: chiatt@christcommunitychurch.com.

Get Out-n-Serve is a quarterly opportunity for the people of Christ Community Church to serve together throughout our community. We have four organized opportunities for the entire family to serve from 8AM to noon on Saturday, March 24th. Sign-ups will be held during worship on Sunday, March 18th.

Please plan to bring any tools or equipment to share with your project (note: mark your name clearly in permanent marker before bringing any equipment to job sites). Once you sign up, your event leader will contact you with any final details. Get ready to serve with your church family!

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Care Packages for Local Firefighters, Service Men and Women
In this family-friendly event, we will prepare care packages for service men and women and deliver gift baskets to local firefighters. Please bring some of these requested items to help make the care packages special – CCC Get Out-n-Serve – Care Package Items. Anyone can bring items from this list to help support the team that will put them together. Just drop them off at the Multi-Purpose Room before you leave!

Meeting time: 9AM, with a tour of a local fire station at 11AM
Location: CCC Multi-Purpose Room (Please park by the office!)
Tools/Items Needed: Get Out-n-Serve – Care Package Items
Leader: Jeanniel Sheplak

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Serving Arbor House, One of Our Local Ministry Partners
Join us as we offer assistance to Arbor House, an outreach to single mother families. We will help them take care of their large property by cleaning and doing yard work.

Meeting time: 8AM
Meeting location: Walmart parking lot (NW 13th Street at NW 23rd Avenue)
Tools/Items Needed: Work Gloves, Lawn care Tools, Others TBA
Leaders: Rob Hamersma, Josh Fischer

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Semi-Random Acts of Kindness
Help a team serve our community by providing surprise yard work and assistance to people that would never ask for it. Families are encouraged to come out, as children can help rake, put leaves in bags, clean up debris, etc.

Meeting time: 8AM
Location: CCC Multipurpose Room (Please park by the office!)
Tools/Items Needed: Yard equipment, Lawn care tools, rakes, work gloves.
Leader: Frank Stankunas

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CCC Grounds Work Day – Part 2
We’ve got one more big pile of mulch to spread around the property before Easter. We will also be rehabilitating the playground and clearing our property of some debris. These activities are essential as we seek to steward our resources and create a hospitable environment on our property. Families are welcome.

Meeting time: 8AM
Location: CCC Barn (Please park by the office!)
Tools/Items Needed: Yard equipment, Rakes, Pitch forks, Shovels, Wheel Barrows, Work Gloves
Leader: Mike Marshall

Questions? If you won’t be at church Sunday, you can also sign-up for a project directly by emailing chiatt @ christcommunitychurch.com.