Okemos Community Church is offering a 5 week Lenten Study – 24 Hours That Changed  The World on Sunday evenings starting Feb. 26, 6:00-7:30 pm or on Wednesday evenings starting Feb. 29 at 6:15-7:30 pm.  We will be using a program featuring Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist Pastor, who has developed a DVD showing the sites in the Holy Land that mark the places Jesus went during the last 24 hours before his crucifixion.  There will be time for reflection and discussion.  Rev. Jeanne Randels and Paul Hartman will be leading these sessions with help from other church leaders.  Please contact the Okemos Community Church office at 517-349-4220 to sign up.

Okemos Community Church Wednesday Night Alive  February programs will include two new presenters with interesting programs, plus the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday Worship Service, and the first of our Lenten study series,  24 Hours that Changed the World with Adam Hamilton.  As usual, we have wonderful meals prepared by Linda Omura.  Dinner is at 5:30 p.m. and the programs begin at 6:30 p.m.  Please make reservations by calling the Okemos Community Church office at 517-349-4220 for the meal by Monday noon.  Feb. 8 – Our presenter will be Erica Schmittdiel, who will tell us about MSU Safe Place, a program to protect and serve vulnerable people. Menu: Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Salad, Corn Bread, Chocolate Cake

Feb. 15 – We will have another presentation by Jonathan Henry in our Mental Health series Menu: Chili with Cornbread, Chicken Enchiladas, Salad, Guacamole,                 Strawberry Pretzel Dessert Feb. 22 – Ash Wednesday.  Our program time will be the Ash Wednesday Service beginning at 6:30 p.m. Menu: Baked Chicken with gravy, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Salad, Apple Brown Betty Feb. 29 – The first session in our Lenten series, 24 Hours that Changed the World  with Adam Hamilton. Menu: Beef Stroganoff, Egg Noodles, Tossed Salad, Garlic Bread, Apple Brown Betty

The Okemos Community Youth activities for February will involve a few off-site experiences.  For this reason, these activities are open to both middle school and high school youth.  Please note the different times and locations.  As usual, you may bring a friend to any event.  Saturday, Feb. 11, many of us will meet at the church at 8:30 a.m. until 12:30pm to  bake cookies as a fund raiser for the Spring Break Work Project.  Everyone is welcome to help.  We also need people on Sunday morning to sell and distribute cookies before and after the worship services.

Sunday, Feb. 19, we will meet at the church at 1:30 pm to drive to the MSU Pavilion to watch Chelsea Fisher ride in the MSU Stampede  Rodeo.  Contact Jen, Chelsea or Paul for group tickets before Feb. 15^th ($10 each) otherwise tickets are $15 at the door. Friday, February 24, at 6:45 pm ,we will meet at the church go to   at Wesley Woods for a for Mid-Winter Retreat.  We will return on Sunday morning, Feb. 26th, at 10:15 am or so. The cost of this event is $90.00 per person, with a reduced rate for additional members of the same family.  This covers four meals and two nights. Reservations are need by noon on Friday, February 17th.  We will have videos, games, discussion, snacks, and all sorts of winter fun.  This event is open to all middle and high school students. For more information about these or any youth events, contact us at the Okemos Community Church Office 517-349-4220

Okemos Community Church “Family Fun Night -goes camping!” will be Saturday, March 3 in the Social Hall. Camp Potluck will be 5:30-6:30pm and Activities 6:30-7:30pm. Hamburgers, hot dogs,  fixins and table services will be provided. Please bring a summer salad, side dish, or vegetable to share.  Join us for singing camp songs around the “camp fire”, Bingo, smores and popcorn! Information about Okemos Community Church Family Camp and other summer United Methodist camps in Michigan will be available.

This year, the season of Lent begins on Wednesday, February 22^nd.  There will be a service of worship at Okemos Community Church in the sanctuary at 6:30p.m., which will include the imposition of ashes. Dinner will be offered at 5:30. Please call the Okemos community Church office to make dinner reservations.

Ladies of Okemos Community Church will meet on the 4th Wednesday morning of the month at Dusty’s Wine Bar at 7:30 a.m. This will be an informal time of conversation, lasting about an hour.  Any questions please cont the Okemos Community Church office at 517-349-4220

The Okemos Community Church Spring Break Work Project for youth and adults will take place April 1-5, 2012.  We will work with the Sunset Gap Community Center in Cosby, Tennessee.  Middle and high school youth are able to participate.  There is one more opportunity to help raise funds for this trip.  On Sat., Feb.11th, we will be baking cookies from 8:30am-12:30 pm. And will be selling them after both worship services on Sunday, Feb.12th.  The OCC Youth will be engage in our annual service project on Sat., March 24^th9-12 noon, when we will clean the sanctuary. From 11am to noon, we will meet with the parents of the youth going on this trip to deal with final questions or concerns.  This work project, in the past, has been a powerful and meaningful experience.  Make plans now to be a part of the project and the fund-raising activities.   If you have not expressed your interest yet, please contact Paul Hartman, plhartman@okemoscommunitychurch.org, or call the Okemos Community Church office at 517-349-4220, for more information.

The Okemos Community Church  Book Club will be meeting next on Tuesday, February 21st, at 7:00 p.m., in the Lounge, to discuss I Still Dream About You, by Fannie Flagg. This light-hearted novel tells the story of Maggie Fortenberry, a former beauty queen living in Birmingham, Alabama, and searching for meaning in her life.  A complete list of all O.C.C. Book Club selections and meeting dates are available from the church office.  We welcome everyone who likes to read and talk about books!

Okemos Community Church is planning our next “Sunday on Saturday” for April 21^st. at 5pm in our Chapel. Please save the date for a wonderful time of worship and fellowship.

Okemos Community Church Food Bank   has been serving our community for over 25 years. We are a member of the Greater Lansing Food Bank. (Pantry b-O-00448-30) Client referrals come from the Ingham County Department of Social Services 517-8874957 and also from Meridian Township Human Services.  As we have very limited facilities for fresh or frozen items, clients are also given a gift card, according to size, to shop at Meijers. It has been exciting to see youth involved in food drives from churches, schools and scouting . This year as over half of the recipients of the OCC Food Bank are ages 0-17years.  We are grateful for your support to meet the  increasing need for food assistance in our own community. Our February  Shopping list includes the following :  Canned Meat - chicken, stew or  chilli, Peanut butter, Pasta Sauce, Hot & Cold Cereal, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Evaporated Milk   Please leave your non perishable food donations in the shopping cart outside the Church office or call the office (349-4220) to set up a drop off time.

Please note cash donations are always needed to purchase food to round out the donations so we can insure we are providing the recommended food assortment. Checks should be made payable to Okemos Community Church noting food panty in memo line. Thank you.  Please call the church office for more information. (517) 349-4220