First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Carbondale

06/14/2026

Hi First Christian Jesus followers,

For years that first baptismal promise made me squirm, whether I was asking it of the parents and sponsors of an infant about to be sprinkled, or of a teen or adult about to be immersed: “Do you reject evil?” To teens and adults I would explain that by saying “yes” to Jesus today, you’ll need to clearly say “no” to anything you encounter that harms or hates any of God’s people or creation. That helped my squirming. Now that promise to reject and resist evil/wickedness/hate doesn’t need ’splaining. Even to those of us who’ve been comfortable and could avoid daily contact with evil. All together now, let’s find all the ways we can to shout “no” to evil — our own, and poverty, hate, hunger, division, deportation, white supremacy, restricting freedom of the press, destroying creation. And shout “yes” to Jesus, no matter the cost, and with joy and hope and compassion.

Tomorrow’s gospel reading is Matthew 9:35 - 10:8. Another embarrassment of riches.

May the peace of Christ be with us,

Karen K

https://www.youtube.com//streams

06/08/2026

Thanks Interfaith Council for offering this very relevant topic and what is always a great time of community.

RELOCATION!! THE VENUE FOR THIS EVENT HAS CHANGED TO 724 Ministries in Murphysboro at the corner of Walnut and 8th St.

06/06/2026

We at First Christian are so thrilled to welcome Crystal Hammon as part of her seminary summer internship! She’s a third year student at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. She’s worshiped with us the last two Sundays and this week she’ll tell us about her last internship (Riverside Church, NYC) and how that will inform her time with us.

05/26/2026

Faith, Fun, and Fruit?

FCC and other community churches will be hosting a one day event learning about the fruits of the spirit! This will be Monday June 29 from 9am-4pm at FCC. You can register your children using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceHInYTlIfJ-N2qW6Nuv59aR-1zO71Aj0x0gV6BJlGyKAUng/viewform?usp=header
And if you'd like to volunteer, you can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054CADAF28A7F8CE9-64103184-faith

05/24/2026

Pentecost message in a song - “Breathe on me, breath of God” - heartfelt by choir and Derek.

05/24/2026

Hi First Christian Jesus people,

Tomorrow is Pentecost (Acts 2:1 - 21). It doesn’t have near the recognition of Easter and Christmas. But third place is nothing to sneeze at. It celebrates the empowerment and unity of Jesus’ first followers after his crucifixion and resurrection — with the Holy Spirit. Not that the Spirit was a new thing, as Peter’s quote from the prophet Joel makes clear. Jews from many countries had come to Jerusalem for Shavuot, 50 days after Passover, celebrating the wheat harvest and God’s giving of the law to Moses. We’ll pair this reading with Galatians 5:22 - 23 — fruits of the Spirit. Feel free to wear fire colors…reds, oranges, yellows, etc.

To set the mood for Pentecost, I hope you’ll enjoy one of my favorite songs about the Spirit, Peter Mayer’s “Loose in the World."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHHDeWtoftw

Peace be with you,

Karen

And here’s our streaming link:
https://www.youtube.com//streams

05/22/2026

Our children and youth led worship this past Sunday and we celebrated our graduates! We also heard a wonderful thought provoking message from Rev Managerrie Winston. My apologies to the youth I didn't get pictures of.

05/21/2026

Here’s part of our Tina Thursday cooking team at Feed My Sheep today. We served 40 plus seconds and also took lunch and sandwich fixings to the Warming Center.

05/20/2026

Congratulations to our Hannah and her partner Elyse!

CCHS Juniors, Elyse Nguyen and Hannah Thomas, have qualified for the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C.
Their performance at the Illinois History Fair on April 27 in Springfield titled, “The Women’s Army Corps: Opening the Door,” earned a superior rating and secured their advancement to the national competition, which will be held in Washington, D.C. this June.

05/19/2026

Sign change!