OCTOBER 2010

Chatter
Mmm. Breathe in the air. Smells like fall doesnt it? I love the way fall smells like orange. Thats right. Orange. Not the citrus orange; the color orange. As in the color of pumpkin spice candles, crisp fallen leaves and the wrappers of the best Halloween candy ever: Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! This time of year the air is filled with traces of orange. Theres just something magical about this season for me. Maybe its the fact that I love wearing costumes, or maybe Im simply captivated by the way nature makes room for the new by repurposing the old (ex: fallen leaves turning into protective blankets for winter chills). Ive always been a fan of repurposing. Im pretty sure I gleaned that skill from my mom. Growing up, she was many things hairdresser, Sunday school director, chauffeur, super mom, etc. but most of all she was a master of giving old things new life. Especially when it came to Halloween. Leftover meat and beans became our traditional Spooky Chili, old sheets and fence posts became ghostly yard decorations and anything around the house was up for grabs to make one-of-a-kind costumes. See, my mom was an adamant make your own costume kind of mom. It wasnt that we couldnt afford store-bought costumes; we just came from a long line of Most Original Costume contest winners. We had a reputation to maintain. While other kids strutted around in their fresh-from-the-package princess or Spiderman costumes, my sister and I could be seen sporting costumes like the monkeys from Wizard of Oz, made from an old fuzzy blankets and blue Jell-O to hold our hair up straight; Stephan Spielberg, complete with a beard made from coffee grounds held in place with cold cream; Aunt Jemima, probably my most unintentionally offensive costume ever; and, my personal favorite, lady with a tutu underneath her dress, also not my finest moment, but my mom got a huge kick out of making me shake my tulle-stuffed fanny at every doorstep before grabbing any candy. Halloween wasnt just for the kids in our house, my mom would get into the spirit of costuming by combing our rooms every year for laundry left on the floor, which she would then pin to her wool sweater and tease her hair to become static cling. (Im still pretty sure this was just a ploy to get my sister and me to clean our rooms before going Trick-or-Treating.) While I loved creating my own costumes, there were times I would have given anything to buy a costume; especially the year Christine Thrasher bought a shimmery, green M&M costume with glittery, white tights I was so jealous. It was times like that when my mom would morph from repurposing mom into Sunday school director mom. Shed sit me down on a stool in the kitchen, where aromas of simmering chili filled the air, to tell me about how Jesus was the ultimate repurposer; how he came into my life and took the old me and not only gave me new life, but he also gave me a completely new purpose in my life. God is in the business of repurposing, she would say. It may seem like a stretch even for a mom lesson but it always did the trick for me. I would proudly wear my inventive creations, knowing I was a walking example of the transformation that could only come from my savior. It also changed the entire holiday for me. I began to look at Halloween as a time when God reveals his ability to transform his creations into anything he desires. Its been a lesson that has always stuck with me; which is partly why I continue creating my own costumes, dragging my amazing, easy-going husband into the obsession with me. All this to say, when the kid with the coffee grounds stuck to her face comes to your door this year on Halloween, toss in an extra Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in remembrance of the ultimate repurposer. Even if that kid is a twentysomething editor of Chatter looking to get some free candy while on vacation in Dallas. Youre never too old to Trick-or-Treat right?

a letter from

Stand-in Editor Extraordinaire Kristy Alpert Art Direction, Design & Goodness Josh Wiese & Dennis Cheatham Photography Trey Hill (Bible Commnities Update) The Big Cheese Bill Buchanan Visit Chatter online at chattermag.com. Contact Chatter at chatter@irvingbible.org.
Chatter is a publication of Irving Bible Church | 2435 Kinwest Pkwy, Irving, TX 75063 (972) 560-4600 | irvingbible.org

Bible Communities By the Numbers

20 Years Bible communities have been around 1889 Range of ages represented in Bible communities 12 Number of communities offered at IBC 1560 People in an average Bible community

Chatter | 4

The Box is also the name of a 2009 thriller starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella. It was based on the 1970 short story Button, Button by Richard Matheson, which was previously adapted into an episode of the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone.

In 2009 the average age to get married in the United States was 25 for women and 27 for men.

car over onto the side of the road just outside of Austin that unusually warm October. Cheryl, who had been driving, was now staring into my eyes waiting for me to speak. I was shaking as I held the fine crafted wood box in my hand. Could I really give her this gift? Was I insane? The thing I now held, so close to handing over to her, would either be the end of our marriage or the beginning of something we had never experienced before. We married young. I had just graduated college and we were both green to the ways of the world, let alone marriage. We were children of broken homes and no one we knew had insisted we enter into any sort of pre-marriage counseling. As most people at our age, we were young and stupid enough to believe love alone would carry the marriage for the next fifty years. Children came quickly and so did my religious vocation. By the age of twenty-two I was the youth minister at a very unhealthy and destructive church of 8000. By thirty, I was let go from my second dysfunctional church. In ten years of marriage we scarcely survived three life-threatening car accidents, two damaging churches, three miscarriages, near poverty, unemployment and the pain that comes from two lifetimes of unresolved hurts. Now in the third year of leading a start-up nonprofit, Wonder Voyage Missions, our long stagnant and unsettled issues burst to the surface. I came from a family who dealt with conflict by pretending all was well. It was a deadly unrealistic optimism. (If we pretend there are no problems they will eventually fade away.) Cheryls family used volatile anger to deal with conflict. The first few years of Wonder Voyage brought no money, odd jobs, a plethora of problems and a thin slice of hope. It is no wonder the stress of this new endeavor caused the marriage to eventually detonate. By the fall of 2002, Cheryl and I had decided to separate. We had been two strangers living under the same roof for nine months. The separation of long weeks away from the family while I was on various mission trips did not help to heal the marriage: we were about to enter the most painful season of our lives. I stayed at the house with our three children while Cheryl moved to a weekly rental apartment down the road. We traded the kids off on the weekends, went to school events as a couple and even ate together as a family twice a week. And we talked. We talked for hours and hours every week. We had nothing to lose and nothing to hide. All our years of pain, frustrations, hidden agendas, false thoughts, unbridled anger; it all was laid out on the table. By the end of October we ran out of words and we still had no resolution. We had one more step before divorce. We took a week to join a marriage intensive retreat in Austin, Texas. This was the day we were to start the retreat. But now we sat on the side of the highway as rain blurred the windshield and cars whipped past our vehicle, throwing water onto the hood. Throughout our marriage I had collected wooden boxes from around the world for Cheryl. She had several from six different continents. Now I was handing her what might be her last box. Cheryl, this box represents everything we have had in our marriage. All our joys and laughter; our adventures and hardships. They are all contained in this box. All these years, I have held onto these memories and these moments. I now give them freely back to you. Whatever happens this week, I return your life to you. If we decide to part ways I will let you go no strings, no fight; Your life is back in your hands. She sat staring at the box as tears rolled down her cheeks like rain rolling off the windshield. But she did not speak. She started the car and headed to our hotel. Accepting the box was the defining moment of a week that opened a door I was uncertain about entering. I felt like Abraham offering up Isaac on the altar. The moment Cheryl accepted the box as a gift may have been the first time I truly gave my marriage into the arms of God. The box was now hers. It represented all our years together. Would they be the foundation to a future together or the final chapter of this season of our lives?

A steady rain was beginning to fall, but that is not the reason we pulled the

The saddest part of our week long marriage intensive is that most of what we would encounter could have been dealt with prior to our marriage. Why didnt anyone ask these tough questions of us before we tied the knot? Where was the accountability of older more mature couples speaking in to our lives? We were certainly open and ready those fourteen years ago, but no one stepped forward: not our church, nor friends. It was as if everyone we knew carried the philosophy that marriage is easily figured out. Experience is the only way to get through the complication of a lifelong commitment. Why do we spend four to ten years preparing for our careers in complicated educational systems yet spend virtually no time preparing for marriage? And that marriage will, in all probability, have infinitely greater consequences on us and others than our careers. We realized something in the system was broken. If the church is a community, preparing couples for marriage should be of primary concern. We spent the next five days in hours of intense sessions with three other couples we did not know. A plethora of questions, discussions, time alone with Cheryl, group therapy and play time. Our barriers fell quickly as we both realized that at this point we had nothing to lose. The most arresting detail of our week was that we hardly spent any time talking about marriage. In fact, we never tried to fix anything. The week addressed how we were raised as children, the way we communicated, our interpersonal hang-ups and a variety of other issues that helped form us into the humans we grew up to be. As we confronted our inner demons and the factors that led to our emotional and spiritual make-up, we started to find a path to healing. Christ dealt with us as individuals and we began to find a path of wholeness through his grace, provision and transformation. As we became healthier, the potential for a healthy marriage grew exponentially. By the final hour of the week, most of the couples were engaged in a different way than they had through the rest of their lives. Yet, Cheryl still had not committed to the marriage. Each person in the circle shared insights and moments of wonder they experienced throughout the week. There was a palpable joy that filled the room. These couples would never be the same. Cheryl was the last to share. I sat, palms sweating, as I thought of the box. It had been a great week for us but we never talked about our future together so we could fully focus on the process. I battened down the hatches of my heart, prepared for the worst. She softly spoke of her week. It was rough beyond her comprehension but she discovered more about herself in the last six days than in the first 35 years of her life. Then she turned and looked into my eyes. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Catching me off guard she spoke, I want to come home if youll take me. The words stuck in my throat. Stuttering, my response was unplanned. Forever? She smiled and grabbed my hand. Of course forever, silly man. The kiss that followed could have been the end of any romantic movie. The room erupted in explosive handclaps. It was a surreal moment to say the least. Its been almost eight years since that kiss. Cheryl and I now have the marriage we always fantasized about during the first fourteen years of our marriage. There are still moments in which the world is crumbling or personal tragedy pushes us to the limits of our emotions. We work harder now than ever to communicate and take moments to rejoice in the gift of marriage. Marriage is a lot tougher than anyone ever thinks and infinitely more precious than one can imagine. And the box? The box is proudly displayed in our home, a testament to the miracle of marriage. Though we have our ups and downs, our marriage has been what we always dreamed a marriage could be: a joining of two best friends. And the box continues to deepen as more memories fill it every day. The Box is an excerpt from an upcoming book by Shawn Small in 2012 presently titled Moments of Wonder.

The city of Round Rock is just outside of Austin. It is named after a low water crossing point on the Chisholm Trail that was marked by a rock. And you guessed it, it was round. Its still there. Look it up.

According to comedian Brian Regan, the plural of the word box is boxen. Chatter laughed and then corrected his grammar.

Chatter | 5

I was born Juana Emilia Urnizius in 1938 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Growing up with my two sisters, I always had a love of art. I would get lost in my sketches during classroom lectures while the other kids strained to pay attention. When I was older I decided I wanted to be an artist, but my father didnt approve; he believed being an artist was a career for only the rich and advised me to become a teacher. Giving up the dream of becoming an artist, I went to school to become a teacher. Shortly after graduating, I married Fidel Matassa and we had three children, Sergio, Monica and Alex. In 1971 we immigrated to Texas as permanent residents, hoping to give our children a better life in the States. We worked hard, raised our children and watched as they graduated, married and had children of their own. Our life was wonderful. I even began taking art classes and started painting everything God inspired me to put on canvas. God blessed my work as an artist, and I won many awards for my paintings one award was given to me for perfecting a difficult technique I had never heard of before. My art became my way of understanding God and forgetting about the world. In the winter of 2001 I suddenly experienced a strange pain in my back, but did not see a doctor right away. I was too busy preparing the final details of the mural in my daughter Monicas nursery for her first child due in February. On January 24, 2002, Gabriela Faith Gregory entered the world in silence she was stillborn. It was something no grandmother should ever have to see, or no mother for that matter. To help cope with my pain, I painted a picture of Gabriela sleeping in Jesus arms. This was the first tragedy in our family, but Chris and Monica accepted Gods will in such a way that my husband accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. All things work for the good of those who love him! All things work for the good of those who love him? Two weeks later doctors found a tumor in my back and I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable bone marrow cancer. The doctors gave me three years to live. Immediately I started my chemotherapy treatments. The pain was unbearable; I was feeling lost and lonely because nothing and no one could help me. My husband began to read the Bible to me daily. In all things God works for the good of those who love him! At this point I could not move from the pain and my body was destroyed. The explanation for this revealed itself in Jeremiah 18:4, But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Right there I felt God, in his divine mercy, was reshaping me and making me better. In all things God works for the good of those who love him! While waiting for my test results, I took a small piece of paper and started sketching. It took form as a smiling Jesus embracing a little girl (me) while she stood on his feet. I could see in the face I was drawing that he knew everything was okay. Moments after finishing the sketch, the nurse came in and said the tests were negative. I am now an eight year survivor in Gods hands. The doctors call it a plateau, not remission, because cancer cells appear in all of the quarterly tests, but the numbers are stable and under control. I believe God can take this cancer totally away any time he chooses, but he does not do it because he loves me so much that he wants me to focus on him. He does not want me to be the same type of Christian I was BC (before cancer). It is hard to believe, but I thank God for keeping me in this situation. Ive noticed my paintings and artwork now more directly relate to Jesus. My artwork was a blessing all through my cancer, and it revealed to me more about my Jesus his character, his love and compassion, and how he does miracles every day. Now I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Portrait of an Artist

The life and testimony of painter Emy Matassa

Emy Matassa has extremely gifted hands as an artist, hairdresser, cook and seamstress. She is 72 and hopes to try working with clay in the near future.

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The Emmy Awards are given each year by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

1971 was the year the Argentinean military dictatorship revealed the location of Evita Perns body (which had been stolen from her Buenos Aires tomb during the 16-year ban of Peronism).

A Very Literate Moment with Chatter

We like to read. A lot. Well read anything really: books, blogs, magazines, cereal boxes and even the occasional newspaper (who are we kidding, we only subscribe for the comics). Being the ever-so-literate community that we are, we proudly bring you two great books for your potential perusal. Enjoy!

book

Bittersweet: Thoughts on change, grace, and learning the hard way By Shauna Niequist (Zondervan, 2010)

book

The Church of Facebook: How the hyperconnected are redefining community By Jesse Rice (David C. Cook)

Why its on our radar:

Why its on our radar:

Shauna is coming to IBC in November on her national book tour, so we figured we should tell you a little about it before that time comes.
What this chick thought:

Christian nepotism. The author, Jesse Rice, is in a home group with your Chatter stand-in editor extraordinaire in Portland, Ore.
What this chick thought:

Bittersweet is so much more than mere thoughts on change, grace and learning the hard way, as the subtitle suggests. It is a wealth of wisdom from a woman who has yet to emerge from a season of tough changes. Even with its high wisdom content, Shaunas writing is extremely relatable. While most of us appreciate and admire the lofty theological ruminations of such contemporary spiritual giants as Rob Bell and Barbara Brown Taylor, Ive always felt they were a bit out of reach. For them, I stand back and take notes; for Shauna, her words roll around in my head and heart like the advice of a close friend. I often found myself saying, You too? I thought I was the only one! After my first read through of Bittersweet (yes, Ive already read it more than once and I rarely read a book more than once) the first words that came to mind were honest, borderline raw. Her first book, Cold Tangerines, calls our attention to the extraordinary in our seemingly ordinary lives. Bittersweet shifts our focus from life in the ordinary to life when it takes a sharp left and downright sucks. She lets us into the frustration and fear she felt when she and her husband stopped listening to each other, into the heartbreak and isolation she experienced during a miscarriage and into the loneliness and anxiety that came with an overcommitted life. We are let into the struggle right beside her, into the place that isnt cleaned up and packaged with a pretty bow. Through it all she learned that if you can find it within yourself, in the wildest of seasons, just for a moment, to trust in the goodness of God, who made it all and holds it all together, youll find yourself drawn along to a whole new place, and theres truly nothing sweeter. Regardless of the season you find yourself in, youll close the pages of Bittersweet feeling a deeper sense of courage, hope and gratitude. Aubrey Flores would rather hear nails on a chalkboard than open a potato chip bag that crinkly sound makes her cringe sometimes writhe.

Im not going to lie; I was a little embarrassed to purchase this book at the store because I felt like I was admitting my obsession with Facebook to the entire staff. However, once I opened the book I was instantly humbled by its contents. The Church of Facebook gets to the bottom of why our species has thrived on Facebook in just five years. (It seems like its been around forever!) Rice jumps into talking about our desire for authentic human connectedness; how our creator instilled in us a desire for deep intimacy and how for years we have stifled this desire with work, school, material items, etc. Facebook entered our world and weve all been drawn to it like flies to those awful bug-zappers. Our longing for intimacy has now been created virtually, so why wouldnt we obsessively check Facebook for wall posts, picture comments or pokes? Our innate desire is to be accepted and told were successful, intelligent and the hottest and funniest person in the world. (TMI ... is that just me?) We also need to know our lives are better than others, so we check that newsfeed like its going outta style! We look to see whose life is worse than ours, and Im pretty sure we go through photos with judgmental eyes to lift ourselves up. Although Rice doesnt bash Facebook by any means, he clearly communicates the fact that it has become a way of creating false intimacy. When was the last time you honestly communicated with another person? Genuinely cared for that person? And lets get crazy here ... when was the last time you actually took that virtual friend to the trendy-yogurt-place? Facebook has made it easy for us to create a faux summary of ourselves. We market ourselves as who we want people to believe we are, and manipulate how were really feeling. We may be constantly creating status updates, but do any of them actually reveal the state of our hearts? We live in a society that has emotional intimacy problems. Rice transitions to ways for conquering these intimacy problems in our society. Now, I could tell you what he says, but then youll never read the book! And trust me, you want to read it! He is an excellent and engaging writer. My favorite part was how each section took you to another country/city, and this wanderlust appreciated the journey. Natasha Saran has bungee jumped over the Nile, ridden a camel in Mombasa and bought a teapot full of ice cream in Sudan.

Small world moment: Shauna Niequist recently did a book signing at the church where Jesse Rice used to be a worship pastor in Menlo Park, California.

Jesse Rice is very open about his love for pop music and the Twilight series; or maybe that was told to us in confidence

Chatter | 7

Community. Friendship. Relationship. Family. They all describe the same thing: a group of people walking through life together. Its possible to go it alone, but its not healthy, fun or what God designed for us. In John 17, when Jesus prayed we would be one as he and the Father are one, I think he made it clear he wants us to be there for each other as we lift each other up, speak words of truth and navigate the seemingly impossible situations of our lives. If you are looking for community and are ready to take the first step, please come and try one of the communities listed on the right. We call them small groups on Sundays because its a place for you to truly belong and meet others who desire to be on the journey with you. You dont have to pre-register, read a book or get a blood test just come as you are and start your own journey towards finding the relationships God has for you. Hope to see you soon! Blessings, Jen
One Gals Perspective

Her mission: Attend all the Bible communities at IBC as a newcomer and live to tell the tale.
Even though Ive been attending IBC for eight years, I really knew nothing about the Bible communities. Going in, I really didnt know what to expect, and, honestly, I thought they all would be similar to Bible studies. Since I already attend a regular Bible study, I wondered what I would discover with these new communities (well, new to me at least!).

I decided to begin with Journey; which I felt was very fitting since I was on a journey of sorts. I think I also picked this one to start because its open to everyone singles, couples, all ages so I actually fit the profile and figured I wouldnt feel out of place. The funny thing is, I didnt feel out of place in any of the communities I visited, even when it was obvious I didnt belong. Every group I visited along the way, whether it catered to singles, couples or to specific age groups, made me feel welcome. (And that was even before they knew I was writing an article for Chatter!) Each group had its own identity and way of creating fellowship. While I was in the Journey community, I found out its one of the oldest communities at IBC and some of its members have been a part of Journey since it started. Talk about walking through life together! Some of these folks have been together for 17 or 18 years, studying the Word and forming friendships that will last a lifetime; one woman described it as an extension of her family. It was after visiting that first class that I realized these Bible communities are so much more than Sunday school or Bible study, they really are a gathering of friends. This proved to be true as I continued my journey over the next several weeks.

One group that really changed my perception was Thrive; this group is for singles in their 30s and 40s. First of all, this group really knows how to have fun! As I sat and listened to their announcements, I was amazed at all they have going on, from lunches to game nights and everything in between. I got the feeling there is always an opportunity to connect with this group. But besides the fun, I was truly inspired by the stories they shared during their small group time. The honesty and openness they had with each other was refreshing. One woman, who was relatively new to the group, commented that she felt so accepted and found this to be a safe place where people were genuine and willing to really reach out and share with each other. I witnessed her statement first-hand as I sat and listened to the conversations around me. Another woman talked about how hard it was after her divorce to even come into a class for singles, especially after she and her husband had been part of a couples community. But once she took that first step, she was so glad she did because she found people who understood where she had been and what she had been through. She found acceptance and support. I began to see why being part of a community can really make a difference in your life. I visited several more communities over the next couple of weeks and found people connecting to each other, having fun with each other and just living life together. There was an easy camaraderie in the groups and even the newbies felt comfortable and easily fit in. These people really seem to know each other; they know each others families, they know each others struggles and they have shared in each others burdens.
A Bible-community-inspired tale: If you ever take a journey with your girlfriends to the nexus of Central Park, stay on-track to head to the point where the great tree thrives so you can feel the synergy that comes from the renewing of the legacy builders at the crossroads.

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Not only did Chatter inspire this writer to join a Bible community, but we also take full credit for inspiring Jackie Roeses hair style. Youre welcome Jackie

On Track 10:45 a.m. West C These Sunday morning gatherings offer relevant Bible teaching, mutual encouragement and the chance for single parents to make some great new friends. Crossroads 10:45 a.m. The Alcove Crossroads is a place where relationships and faith intersect. Its a class designed for mid 20- to 30-something couples who are navigating through marriage, children and the complexities of life with God as their compass. Crossroads uses a small group format and engages in relevant, lively and thought-provoking Bible teaching. Journey 10:45 a.m. Middle School Room The Journey class is a fellowship of believers and seekers who want to deepen their interpersonal relationships within IBC. Our informal and relaxed format is centered on Bible-oriented lessons with table discussions. The environment is warm and friendly, and the experience will be enhanced by at least six fellow attendees at your table. Sessions end with prayer concerns, and the class meets for lunch at a nearby restaurant semi-monthly. People in Journey genuinely care for one another and truly believe that two are better than one. We have singles, married couples and those with spouses who do not attend church. If you want to meet others, enjoy stimulating discussions while deepening relationships with others on their personal journeys, we invite you to join us as we journey this life together. Girlfriends 10:45 a.m. Commons Annex Girlfriends is a community dedicated to women who are solo on Sundays. Married or single, come and enjoy the caring environment that Girlfriends has to offer. This community is rich in relationships and has a heart to grow in Christ. The encouraging atmosphere provides a unique environment of support and growth. It is a place for study and discussion and a place to develop genuine relationships. The Point 6:45 p.m. The Alcove The Point is a gathering of young adults, unified in a passionate pursuit of the living God. We are committed to discovering truth and living it out in our lives, our worship, our relationships and our service to others. Our hearts desire is to love and serve the one who set us free. Central Park 6:45 p.m. Conference Room Central Park is a young adult community of singles and marrieds. We seek to really build authentic relationships that go deeper in each others lives as we continue sharing our life stories and as we serve and follow Christ alongside each other. We value learning about Gods truths in scripture and living out our faith. Get ready to be welcomed, to be challenged and to have fun. Legacy Builders 6:45 p.m. Zone Jr. 7 We are a community for single or married people of all ages. We are always learning how to apply what the Bible says about everyday life. You will experience great teaching, prayer and thoughtprovoking discussion.

Synergy 9 a.m. Middle School Room A place where couples come together to hear the life-giving Word of God, to invest in relationships and encounter the living God so they are changed forever. The Tree 9 a.m. West D The Tree is a community of young married and engaged couples who are either in or are about to begin the wonderful adventure of marriage. We laugh together, cry together and do our best to help each other love our Lord, our spouses and the people God has placed in our lives. We are a network of friends who do life together both inside and outside the classroom. We do this in small group settings in an effort to encourage one another in our relationship with our spouses, our family, friends and, most importantly, our savior Jesus Christ. Nexus 9 a.m. The Alcove Nexus is a community of singles wishing to make a difference in the world. Our desire is to live a life of purpose for God while making friends who want to learn and serve together. The goal is authentic community where we can share our lives with caring friends. Renew 10:45 a.m. The Training Center Renew is a multi-generational gathering where significant relationships are shaped as we seek Gods purposes for our lives. It is a place where you will feel welcome, supported, respected and cared for and have the chance to do the same for others. We believe God created us for community and we value the friendships we form with other IBCers. Come see our highly interactive style of Bible community that fits well with people of all ages and places in life. You may just want to stay. Thrive 10:45 a.m. West D Thrive is a young-adult singles class where meaningful relationships are developed through study, friendship and service. Its a place where people learn to pursue Christs best and join in the adventure of walking with him. In Thrive, singles establish connections, enjoy acceptance and encouragement and draw strength from God and one another.

Not only are the communities a great place to connect with people, they also give you an opportunity to serve. The Girlfriends community adopted the Irving Care Center, an assisted living facility, where they visit residents, help spruce up the grounds and provide support, love and encouragement. I hear people talk all the time about feeling disconnected and lonely; that the church has gotten too big and they dont know anyone. Heres an opportunity and a way to get connected; a way to make a big church seem personal. I think theres something to these communities. Face it, life is just so much better with people to share the journey. Of course, this is just one gals perspective; take your own journey and visit some of the communities to find out for yourself. You might be surprised. Peggy Norton grew up in a small community in Pennsylvania where everyone knew her name.

Got questions about Bible communities? Contact Community Pastor Jennifer Lefforge at jlefforge@irvingbible.org.

Making New Friends

Theres an episode of Dharma and Greg that speaks to the deep

things of my heart and a profound need of the American church. Yes, you read that sentence right: Dharma and Greg.

How to Woo and Win New Church Friends in Seven Easy Steps 1. Meet someone while passing the peace, waiting in line at the Mo or attending a Bible community. 2. Meet their spouse. Point out something small you have in common: Oh! Opposable thumbs, huh? Nice. Me too! Smile. 3. Run into them a second time at church and invite them to lunch after the service. 4. Observe a three-day cooling-off period. 5. Start working an angle to have them over for dinner. Some suggestions are: Sit at their table at Wednesday evening meals in the Commons. Be bold; call them up and invite them to dinner. 6. Ask for a commitment, like a mention in their will. 7. Apologize for overplaying it in Step 6 then offer to make it up to them when you vacation together on a two-week cruise next month. Youve already booked. They cant say no. Ill admit our Seven Easy Steps may need some tweaking, but the message is this: you have to be intentional. Deep and meaningful relationships are difficult and set against long odds. They are opposed by our self-centered, self-sufficient, alley-facing garage, drive-through, let-the-TVbe-your-friend culture. They are opposed by our work loads, our pace of life and our enemy who wants anything but iron sharpening iron. Friendship, like anything else worth having, doesnt just happen. They require some work, some inconvenience and some planning. It may be awkward, but thats what makes for great TV. Ryan Colonel Sanders has a red guitar, three chords and the truth.

In case you had better things to do in the nineties than watch second-rate sitcoms, heres a summary: Greg is straight-laced and conservative. Dharma is a hippie; wild, passionate, reckless and carefree. Greg marries Dharma. Hilarity ensues. In the only episode of that show I can remember, Dharma and Greg are lamenting their loneliness. Their single friends have dumped them and they dont have any couple friends. They then meet a couple and its like love at first sight. They have so much in common he likes cars and baseball, so does Greg. She likes rock music and margaritas, so does Dharma. They like the same restaurants and the same movies. Piano music plays. Birds sing. Everyone laughs in slow motion. But Dharma and Greg push too hard. Theyre too eager, and their new friends stop calling. Eventually, Dharma and Greg spot them at a caf with another couple. Shocked and betrayed, Dharma storms into the restaurant and causes a scene. How could you cheat on us like this? I thought you were our friends! Who are these people? It was a funny episode but only because my wife and I knew it too well. Weve been in that boat. Who hasnt? You meet someone interesting but then you zig when they zag. You laugh at something that wasnt a joke. Or your schedules just dont allow for the natural next step that imaginary platonic courtship where you say, Hey Mark, it was really good to meet you and Missie in line at Starbucks this morning. My wife and I were just on our way to a Toadies concert and we happen to have an extra pair of tickets. And they say, No way! The Toadies played our wedding! And a week later Mark calls to announce that Missie is pregnant and they were wondering if the two of you would consider being the childs godparents. But alas, that only happens in sitcoms. Hope is not lost. Since Dharma and Greg Episode 312 aired in 1999, my wife and I have experimented with many forms of couple courtship and many new friendships. Some have failed fantastically, but others have grown into deep, meaningful and abiding couple-love. Here are our tips.

and not scaring them away.

Mental Illness Seminar

An illness of the silent suffering

For years mental illness has been a taboo topic in the church. Oftentimes those who suffer with a mental illness do so privately to avoid seeming different, and those who dont suffer from a mental illness struggle with the right way to talk to someone with one. On November 7, 2010, IBC is hosting a seminar that will help clear up many of the misconceptions out there about mental illness. Taught by Tony Campbell from the Depression Connection in Fort Worth

(a ministry for people who struggle with mental illness), this seminar is for anyone with a mental illness, their family members, caretakers, friends or even just those curious about how to respond to someone with a mental illness. It is a three hour crash course in what mental illness is about and how to deal with it. Tony, who also suffers from bipolar disorder, gets to the heart of things and includes experiences from his own life to help increase understanding of these illnesses. Call the church or e-mail Buzz Moody at nami@irvingbible.org to sign up. There will also be a kiosk set up the two Sundays before the seminar.

What: Mental Illness Seminar led by Tony Campbell from the Depression Connection When: November 7, 2010 from 12:303:30 p.m. Where: West C & D at IBC For more information, contact Buzz Moody: nami@irvingbible.org.

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A certain member of the Chatter staff has seen the Toadies live on two seperate ocassions. Both were in the mid-90s. Neither were at a wedding.

Water is Basic 5K
In the hushed early hours of a sleepy Saturday morning in Dallas, the last sound you would expect to hear ripping through the silence is the sonorous rumbling of African drums. If you dare venture out to the lushly shaded Katy Trail at 8 a.m. on October 9, 2010, that is exactly what you will hear. This would be no bleary-eyed mirage, but the percussive music of the band African Rhythms, meant to move your feet into action social action, that is. The 4th annual Water is Basic 5K: Race for Clean Water is moving to a new location at the Katy Trail in Dallas, with pre- and post-race festivities for the whole family at Reverchon Park. If running is your passion, or you have ever been thirsty, this event is for you! If youre not into running solo, aim for the ultimate in group projects and gather 100 of your closest friends and colleagues to run as a Maya Team. (In Arabic, maya means 100 and one Maya Team equals one well in Sudan.) Add a little strength training to your run by taking on the Jerry Can Challenge, with or without a relay team. Forty-two pounds of water in a jerry can is the way Sudanese women and children regularly carry water to their homes, and sometimes they have to trek as far as this race. Thankfully, you dont have to boil it and drink it at the end, but it will definitely bring to light how our brothers and sisters have to struggle to survive on a daily basis in Sudan. You can make a difference. Whichever way you choose to run, African Rhythms will be drumming a beat to keep the energylevels high and your heart rate up. Registration is $30 per runner until October 7 and you can sign up at waterisbasic.org.

Shoes with Soul

Theres an old Rod Stewart album

(and song), from way before he morphed into his current crooner phase, called Every Picture Tells a Story. Well, with all due respect to the Mod, there are many other things that can tell a story far beyond the obvious; for example shoes. Some of the most significant events in life happen to us while we have our shoes on. We get married, we graduate, we take our first pledge of citizenship, we show up for work on the first day of our first job you get the picture. But theres also the Saturday you worked at Habitat for Humanity; the day you went to Houston Middle School to meet your Lunch Buddy for the first time; that summer student mission trip to New Orleans. Then there are the boots that kept your feet warm delivering Thanksgiving baskets or the running shoes you wore for your first Basic 5K: Race for Clean Water. Some significant times are more personal i.e. the shoes you were wearing in the Comfort Zone while you held a little baby in your arms, the sandals on your feet when you walked down to light a red candle after asking Jesus into your heart or the sneakers you were wearing when you decided there is more to life than just talking about it and that you were going to commit to doing something with all youve been blessed with. Just like pictures, shoes tell a story. We want to hear your story. Thats why were going to fill the open space above your head in the Town Square with a huge hanging mobile of shoes. On average, every man, woman and child in America buys eight pairs of shoes a year. With 310,000,000 people, that translates into 2.48 billion pairs. Were asking for simply one pair of shoes from you. Sandals, boots, sneakers, loafers, all kinds of shoes will serve as a tangible display of the many ways you are the hands and feet of Jesus. On the wall well showcase some of those pairs and tell their stories so everyone will know how those specific shoes served. So look in your closet or look under your bed to find that one pair of shoes that tells your story. Bring them to church and look for the dropbox in the Town Square. One more thing: this is going to be a big undertaking. There are cross pieces to build, hangers to hang, display shelving to put up and a whole lot more. We would love for you to stretch your creative and/or construction muscles and join in on the fun. If youre interested in helping, or even think you might be interested but havent figured out how just yet, e-mail Rachael Currie at rcurrie@irvingbible.org or check out theshoes.irvingbible.org. The path we chose and, in this case, the shoes we wear, tell the story of our walk with our Lord. Join us as we share these stories

Bill Buchanan doesnt wear flip flops that little piece that goes between his big toe and the next one over just freaks him out.
Water is Basic recently drilled its 200th well in Sudan. That is clean water for 400,000 people. After surgery for thyroid cancer in 2000, Rod Stewart had to re-learn how to sing.

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This MonTh
Bible Communities
Communities on Sunday
Girlfriends 10:45 a.m. The Commons Annex Girlfriends, Solo on Sunday, a womens Bible community for women of any age or station in life who attend church alone will be getting ready to begin a study on II Corinthians. We would love to have you join us in our walk with the Lord as we study, pray and have fun together doing such things as making earrings to sell at our garage sale to raise money for the parties and other services we provide at Irving Care Center, a local nursing home.

Community Care
Hope for the Hurting
Griefshare Tuesdays, 6:308 p.m. Conference Room Griefshare is a caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of lifes most difficult experiences you dont have to walk this journey alone. KidZone is available at kidzone. irvingbible.org for children birth to pre-K. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours prior to the meetings. Contact Sharon at shararrington@verizon.net for more information. ReEngage Sundays, 6:458 p.m. West C/D Join IBCs new marriage ministry experience as we find ways to reconnect with our spouses. ReEngage is for all types of marriages those struggling, doing okay or doing great and seeking ways to grow. KidZone available by online pre-registration at least 48 hours in advance. Contact Jodi Francis with questions at reengage@irvingbible.org. Recovery at IBC Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. The Commons Perfectionism, pride, overeating, shopping, anger, control ... and you thought Recovery at IBC was just about drug, alcohol or sexual addictions! IBC Career Transition Ministry Wednesdays from 6:308 p.m. Join the IBC Career Transition Ministry. Well walk with you and enhance your job search skills. We meet Wednesdays and offer an 8-week program to guide you through a successful job search. Let us give you a view from the hiring side to assist you in preparing your resume, preparing for your next interview and much more. For more info, contact Lisa Ashbeck at lashbeck@pdstech.com.

Espaol

Bilingual Ministry
Traduccin del Servicio los Domingos Traduccin simultnea en el Servicio de las 5 p.m. Escuchnlo en la red: www.irvingbible.org. Se necesitan traductores. Sunday Service Translation Simultaneous translation available during the 5 p.m. service. Spanish Translations online at www.irvingbible.org. Translators needed. ESL: (Ingles Como Segundo Idioma) AZ14 & 15 Quiere aprender ingls? Quiere mejorar su ingls? Ven a las clases de ingls (ESL)! Practica en las cuatro destrezas: lectura, escritura, oral y auditiva. Cada mircoles desde 6:308:30 p.m. Las clases empiezan 1 de septiembre Para ms informacin, contacte a Lauren Menge: esl@ irvingbible.org Estudio Biblico de Mujeres Martes 9:30 a 11:30am o 6:30 a 8:30 p.m. Acompaanos a estudiar y meditar en la palabra de Dios junto a otras mujeres. Womens Bible Study Tuesday 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Join us as we study and meditate on Gods word with other women.

IBCMen

Ministry to Men
First Watch Fridays, 6:22 a.m., The Commons Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., West C & D First Watch Xtra Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m., Training Center Annual IBCMens Golf Tournament Monday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m. shotgun start See ad page 14. Visit men.irvingbible.org for info.

Local Partnerships
Reaching the Community
Tapestry Conference Saturday, October 23 Tapestry will host its annual adoption and foster care conference on Saturday, October 23, and it is not too late to register to attend. This all day conference offers great breakout sessions for virtually everyone who is interested in or connected to adoption or foster care. You can register online at tapestryconference.org. Grace for the Wounded Grace for the Wounded is a confidential weekly small group program for survivors of abuse in all forms. We cover issues like what the Bible says about abuse and how surviving abuse has impacted us. The dynamics and impacts of abuse are universal and all are welcome. Womens group starts at 6:30 p.m. Contact Bernadette (Bernie): (678) 8604575 Mens group starts at 6:30 p.m. Contact Paul: (214) 2268234

Children

Infants Through 5th Grade

Special Needs Ministry Needs SonShine Pals Want to help a child realize the truth of Christs love for them? The Special Needs Ministry works to help children who are uncomfortable in a general classroom setting by providing SonShine Pals. SonShine Pals are volunteers (women, youth, elementary age, men, etc.) who have a heart to help kids know Jesus. We have a waiting list full of children waiting for a SonShine Pal; can you help? For more information contact Diana at dblessing@irvingbible.org or fill out the volunteer application at servekids.irvingbible.org. MyZone* MyZone is a safe environment for kids with team building activities, life-application conversations, and high impact fun! Wednesdays, 6:308:30 p.m. in the Zone, Grades K5th Zone 6:30* Zone 6:30 is a great way for your elementary age child to grow deeper in their spiritual walk. Now is the time to take that next step for your child and sign them up for this dynamic small group Bible Study that has a lifelong impact. Who: K5th grade When: 6:158:30 p.m. every Tuesday staring September 14 Where: The Zone Fee: $25 per child to cover the cost of the study book and activities through the year. Register online at zone630.irvingbible.org *For more info contact Melissa Franke at mfranke@irvingbible.org.

Explore

Learning Experiences for the Journey

Alpha Wednesdays from 6:308 p.m. in Training Center Answering the Big Questions of Faith Sundays from 910:30 a.m. in Training Center Starts October 3 (5 sessions) Bible Reading and Reflection Saturday, October 2 from 8 a.m.12 p.m. Church History Saturday, October 2 from 8 a.m.2 p.m. Financial Peace University Wednesdays from 6:308:30 p.m. in Commons Quest Saturday, October 2 from 8 a.m.2:30 p.m.

Resources

Stuff People Need

Citizenship Class Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m.8 p.m. Become a U.S. Citizen! Join our Path to Citizenship in the Commons Annex through December 17, 2010. Class is open to all who meet the minimum requirements as established by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. No cost to attend; study material provided. Contact citizenship@irvingbible.org for more information. Volunteer at the Citizen Class Wednesdays from 6:308 p.m. Interested in leading others to

Community Life
Stitches of Faith NEW LOCATION Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.8:30 p.m., Mosaic Caf We are working on squares for soldiers and have completed several afghans for our military personnel. Come join us and learn a new skill or technique. Questions? Contact Wendy Vera at (214) 533-2781 or email msbabydragon@yahoo.com.

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obtain the necessary knowledge in their preparation in becoming a U.S. citizen? Join our team on Wednesday nights now through December 17. No experience necessary! Contact Michael Larson at citizenship@irvingbible.org.

Potluck Lunch Sunday, October 17, from noon2 p.m. Training Center Bring your favorite dish! Mustang Park Fall Carnival Friday, October 22 from 69 p.m. Carnival games, cakewalk, decorated pumpkin auction and concessions! Fall Festival in the Country Saturday, October 30, noon9 p.m. The Davids home in Ponder, Texas Cook-out, pumpkin carving, kids costume parade, games, sports, live music, bonfire, hayride and more! Register online at singleparents.irvingbible.org under the Fall Festival link. Any questions? Contact Marsha at (972) 5604633 x586 or at mtribbett@irvingbible.org.

Join the IBC College Ministry Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the Alcove (below the Mosaic Cafe at IBC). For more information, contact camillekholland@gmail.com.

2435 Kinwest

Seasoned Saints

Wednesday Nights at IBC

Budget Coaching Are you ready to get financially fit? Want someone to help coach you so you can take control of your finances Gods Way? For more info about getting a personal budget coach, contact budgetcoaching@ irvingbible.org, or Rob and Sara Parnell at parnellsbudgetcoach@ gmail.com or (972) 3041783. Hearing Assistance Hearing Assistance is available during all three worship services. You can stop by the Journey Lounge for instructions.

For the Young at Heart (ages 55+)

Dinner and a Show Thursday, October 14 at 6 p.m. Join us for dinner at Boston Market at 6 p.m. located at 5487 N. MacArthur at Walnut Hill, followed by a 7:30 p.m. show at Carpenter Hall. The Entertainment Center at Carpenter Hall presents The Vocal Majority: Four-part a cappella harmony creates an extraordinary musical experience, featuring barbershop favorites, jazz classics and Broadway pops! You wont want to miss this! Potluck Lunch and Fellowship Sunday, October 17 Commons Annex Head to the Commons Annex, immediately following the second morning service for a potluck lunch and some great fellowship. Bring a dish to share! To add or remove names from the Seasoned Saints mailing list, please e-mail bgroezinger@ verizon.net.

Student Ministries
Middle & High School
Sundays 6:458 p.m. 6-8th grade meets in The Commmons 9-12th grade meets in the High School Room Wednesdays Join us each Wednesday to experience The W. Bring $3 for a delicious meal and stay for fun, games, and relationships. Contact mconnor@irvingbible.org.

Job Transition Workshop Wednesdays, 6:308 p.m. Get the inside scoop on resumes, networking, interviewing, job search and company research. One week will be for open discussion on other topics related to the job search and unemployment issues. Contact Lisa at 2435jobtransition@irvingbible.org. ESL: English as a Second Language Wednesdays, 6:308:30 p.m. AZ14 & 15 Do you want to learn English? Do you want to improve your English? Come to ESL classes! Practice all four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. For more info, contact Lauren Menge: esl@irvingbible.org. Visit 2435kinwest.org for a list of other activities and ways to get involved.

Support Group for Families with Children Who Have Special Needs A Support Group for families who have children with special needs meets the first Wednesday night of each month in the conference room. Share resources, tips and fellowship with other families who have some of the same challenges that you might. Be uplifted with scripture, empowered with resources and comforted by knowing that you are not alone. For more information, contact Diana Blessing at dblessing@irvingbible. org. Respite Care Saturday, October 23, 2010 from 5:30 8:30 p.m. Respite Care provides a night out for families each month by providing supervision for children with special needs and their siblings while their caregivers have a few hours to themselves. Volunteers plan and facilitate this amazing ministry and space for the children is limited by the number of volunteers. Theres room for you! If you are looking for an excuse to be a kid again and act wacky, play ball, hula hoop, build with Legos or love on a baby doll, come spend a few hours out of your month for some fabulous kids! Contact Diana at dblessing@irvingbible. org for more information. NICHE (North Irving Christian Home Educators) Monthly Meeting, Thursday, October 21, 6:308:30 p.m. in The Commons Annual Family Pot Luck Dinner Father Knows Best Dads role in homeschooling. Bring the whole gang to this fun family meal! Our guest speaker, Phil George, will share his walk with the Lord as a home-school dad of 5 kids. This is sure to be an evening to remember! Register your children for KidZone at kidzone.irvingbible.org before Tuesday, October 19. For more information about NICHE visit texasniche.com.

Single-Parent Family
.
Community and Resources
Family Picnic Sunday, October 3, 2010 Andy Brown Park Bring your sack lunch, water bottle and be ready for some fun! Mentoring Ministry for Kids in Single-Parent Families Event 1: Meet your mentor for dinner at 5:45 p.m. in The Commons.Games and sports afterwards until 8:15 p.m. Event 2: Greet our Troops at DFW Airport with your mentor. Meet at IBC at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 23. Return to IBC at 12:45 p.m. Kids Night Out Fear Factor!Saturday, October 16, 69 p.m. The Zone Come and hear the answer to the question: Where is God when I am scared? Pizza, Wildlife on the Move, games and crafts! Register online at singleparents. irvingbible.org under KNO Fear Factor link. Children under 5 will attend KidZone.

Miscellaneous

A Little Bit of Everything

Volunteer Opportunity IBC Liaison to the Dalit Freedom Network IBC is involved with two schools in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India that offer a subsidized education to Dalit children. We are looking for an IBC liaison with the Dalit Freedom Network (DFN) dalitnetwork.org. Education is given to the children regardless of caste, creed, skin color or faith. If you have a passion for justice/education and would like to explore serving as IBCs liaison with the DFN, please contact dprevilon@ irvingbible.org. IBC Crop Night October 15, 510 p.m. The Commons Annex Bring your pictures, albums and tools and lets crop. If you are new to scrapbooking let us know and we will be happy to help get you started. Dont hesitate to join us if you are a card maker, paper crafter or digital scrapper. For more info contact Nikki Heinemann at nikkiscraps@verizon.net

We

Ministry To Women
MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) October 21 from 78:30 p.m., The Alcove Womens Fall Bible Study Sisterhood: From Alone to Known Tuesdays 9:3011:30 a.m. -or6:308:30 p.m. For more information or to register, go to irvingbible.org and click on the womens ministry tab. New Moms Group: Square One Thursdays, 10 a.m.Noon For registration or more information contact Sara Taylor at sarabeth2@me.com.

Young Adults
20s and Early 30s
College Ministry Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. The Alcove

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Hindu Christian Interface

Mondays
September 13
This five week course will equip you to cross cultures more effectively with Hindus at work, in your neighborhood and around the world. Class sessions will include lessons taught by Hindu background believers, Christians working among Hindus around the world and other experts regarding Hinduism and Hindu culture. There will also be short reading assignments, multimedia presentations, Biblical reflections, discussion groups and devotional music.

the

to October 18
6:30-8:30 p.m. in West D

HCI Registration
A registration fee of $85 ($20 discount for additional family members) includes the main reading text. You are invited to join us for food and fellowship on Monday, September 13 for a free introductory class to find out more about HCI.

IBC Mens Golf Tournament at Bear Creek East

Monday, October 25, 8 a.m. shotgun start Format: 4 Man Scramble 2 Man sign up Cost: $49/person includes hamburger lunch For more info, contact Kym Yeichner at kyeichner@irvingbible.org.

IBCs Unreached People Group Focus Learn More

Since 2000, IBC has focused on the Kutchi, an unreached people group. If you would like to learn more about this ministry in Northwest India and Eastern Kenya join us on Thursday, November 4 from 6:308 p.m. in the The Commons Annex. You will have the opportunity to hear from several IBCers who work in these areas. To RSVP, contact Anna at amartinez@irvingbible.org

October 1517 Father/Daughter Campout

Hiking, Smores, Campfires Lake Murray State Park, Ardmore OK

When: Thursday, October 14, 7 p.m. Where: The Commons Book: Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist Take a fabulous group of women. Add a really good book. Mix in some great conversation. Top it off with a sprinkling of chocolate and you get Chick Lit. Shaunas second book, Bittersweet, was just as meaningful to us as her first, Cold Tangerines. One of our favorite lines: When life is sweet, be thankful and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow. For Chick Lit en Espaol, contact Kitty Gordon at (972) 7450600.

Cost: $60 for dads and $30 for daughters

Registration: men.irvingbible.org and click on special events tab

Bittersweet Book Tour, with author, Shauna Niequist Friday, November 5, 7 p.m., in The Alcove
Join us for an intimate evening with the author of our October Chick Lit pick. Well enjoy coffee, chocolate and great conversation as we hear more of her story. Shauna Niequist will share her thoughts about friendship, loss and how we find Gods fingerprints in even the darkest seasons. Together we will hear stories about faith, family and the nourishment we receive when we gather around the table with people we love. Well talk about the moments of loss that shape us forever and the ways God redeems the broken places in our lives. Well be selling the book for $10 (cheaper than Amazon!). For more information, contact Aubrey Flores at aflores@irvingbible.org.

THURSDAY, October 28
6:30 p.m.8:30 p.m. $10 for dinner

RSVP at thebridge@irvingbible.org.

SUNDAY SCHEDULE
First Worship Service: 9 a.m.
Childrens Classes (all ages) Nexus (40+ singles), The Alcove The Tree (newly and nearly weds), West D Synergy (30s and 40s couples), Middle School Room

HOW DO I GIVE
My Time, Talents & Skills
The Basic 5K Needs You! Water is Basic is gearing up for the 4th annual 5K at our new location the Katy Trail. We need 80 volunteers to help out on race day, October 9. Send an e-mail to madison@waterisbasic.org for more details. Thanksgiving Baskets are Almost Here! Were gearing up for the holiday season with our Thanksgiving baskets. Would you join us this year to help out our neighbors in need by providing a Thanksgiving meal? Our goal this year is 2,000 baskets! Pick up a basket in the Town Square starting October 31, fill them and return them no later than November 22 around the baptismal. For more information and to find out about volunteer opportunities, contact Anna Martinez at amartinez@irvingbible.org. Vox Humana Choir We are back in action and are always looking for singers to join our community. No audition required. We rehearse every Wednesday from 6:30-7:50 p.m. in The Alcove. For more info contact Crystal Elwell, director, at celwell@irvingbible.org. Needed: Men and Women for Mentoring Would you like to stand in the gap by mentoring a boy or a girl from an IBC single parent family? All it takes is a little time and a big heart. Contact Marsha at (972) 5604633 x586. Can You Run a Camera? We need more volunteers to run cameras during the Sunday services. Contact Jeff Taylor at jtaylor@ irvingbible.org.

My Resources
Cars for Missionary Families Do you have an extra car to loan a missionary family on furlough? Contact the International Initiatives Department (dprevilon@irvingbible.org). Online Giving Option If you would find it more convenient to donate to the ministries of Irving Bible Church online, please visit give.irvingbible.org. Your Trash is Our Treasure We want your trash, specifically your recyclables! Beginning Sept. 26 we are accepting all recyclables: paper, plastic, aluminum, cans, all old electronics and ink cartridges. Every Sunday, before and after all three services, we will have a recycling station set up in the Northwest corner of the parking lot where you can drive through and drop off all your recycling from the week. There is no need to separate the different items just throw them all in one bag in the trunk of your car and take 30 seconds to drive through the station and have the crew help you unload it! All proceeds that IBC receives from now until the end of the year will go to our Haiti relief effort. We hope this will become a community wide recycling project, so if you would like to help build this project and spread the word contact Anna at amartinez@irvingbible.org.

Second Worship Service: 10:45 a.m.

Childrens Classes (all ages) Crossroads (mid 20s to mid 30s couples), The Alcove On Track (single parents), West C Journey (all welcome), Middle School Room Girlfriends (solo on Sundays), Commons Annex Renew (multi-generational), Training Center Thrive (30s and 40s singles), West D

Third Worship Service: 5 p.m.

Childrens Classes (all ages)

Community Dinner: 6 p.m. Community Events: 6:45 p.m.

The Point (20s singles), The Alcove Central Park (20s singles & couples), Conferance Room Legacy Builders (all welcome), Zone Jr. 7 Middle School, The Commons High School, Student Ministries Area

Sunday Community Meals

Join us in the Town Square for our community meal on Sundays at 6 p.m. Meals are $3 per person or $10 max./family.

Also, check out the Needs Board in the Town Square to find out how you can help meet the needs of others at IBC.

10/3 Pizza and salad bar 10/10 Chicken fajitas, chips, salsa and salad bar 10/17 Fresh grilled hamburgers, pork & beans and salad bar 10/24 Grilled chicken, veggies and salad bar 10/31 Baked potatoes with fixins, scary chili and Trick-or-Treat salad bar
If youd like to serve on a Sunday night meal team, contact Pat OReilly at (214) 289-6176 or sundaynightmeal@irvingbible.org.

JOURNEY

God invites us to a journey. A journey that leads to him and connects us to others. Individually, our journeys are unique, but we share common needs. The need to deepen our souls. The need for relationship. The need for mission and purpose. At IBC, we are all about helping each other on our journeys. We invite you to explore irvingbible.org for all kinds of ways you can navigate your journey.

DEEpEN thE SOUl

Faith isnt just a one-time discovery but also a lifetime of moving toward God. Our souls are made to grow, not just in knowledge but in connection with God. No matter where you are in your spiritual journey you can go deeper.

FiND RElAtiONShip

Wednesday Midweek Meals

Each Wednesday night from 5 6:20 p.m., IBC prepares meals for anyone wanting a good, hot meal. PB&J sandwiches are also available. Cost is $3/meal or $10 max./family. Just come by The Commons, and grab a plate!

Since creation, God has said it is not good for man to be alone. We are designed to work together, play together, live together. It is essential that we are in relationship with others on the journey.

JOiN thE MiSSiON

10/6 Pasta with meat sauce, hot bread sticks, salad and dessert 10/13 Chopped BBQ beef sandwiches, pickle spears, coleslaw, chips and dessert 10/20 Grilled chicken filet, scalloped potatoes, corn, salad, rolls and dessert 10/27 Enchiladas, tacos, refried beans, chips, salsa and freshly baked cookies
If youd like to serve on a Wednesday night meal team, please e-mail bdowney@irvingbible.org.

To be full, a life must be engaged in the story of God restoring his creation and connecting people to himself. We have a responsibility to each other globally and locally in making a difference.

Journey Lounge

Whether youre searching for answers, are a new believer, or have been a follower of Christ for many years, were all on this journey togethera journey to deepen our soul, to be in relationship and to serve with mission and purpose. Sometimes its hard to navigate that path because we share common needs, but each persons journey is unique. So, weve created the Journey Lounge and staffed it with folks we call Journey Guides. They are there to help you with your unique journey. The Journey Lounge is open before, during and after all three worship services on Sunday. Its located in the Town Square across from the fountain just look for the cool sofas, comfy chairs and smiling faces. Were all meant to grow, to be in relationship and to join the mission. The Journey Lounge is a place to start.

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Halloween is once again upon us. For the supremely ill informed out there, Halloween is a quasi-holiday for which not even the government shuts down a riddle, wrapped in a bite-size Laffy Taffy, inside a Milk Dud. In other words, nearly impenetrable with standard-issue teeth. Or Teeth of Wisdom if you care to continue the metaphor. Which you probably dont. But thats too bad, because I was going to mention how I, your humble scribe, can wield my Dentures of Discernment to gnaw through the knotty, carmel (not caramel) enrobed history of Halloween.

Its the Great Punkn Charlie Brown

has the attention- and memory-spans of a gnat, these roots have been forgotten. At least until VH1 does I Love the 40s. For example, Halloween costume mainstays like Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein and Elmo can all be traced to the Abbot and Costello Meet [Insert Scary Demon Muppet Here] films. Todays crop of popular costumes Freddy Krueger, hippies, presidents, assorted Kardashians, etc. can all be traced to China. Bobbing for apples, which naturally seems to derive from some sort of Dark Ages harvest festival, is actually the invention of little-known Pennsylvania pharmacist J. Albert Pickwick. Hoping to popularize his patented Pickwicks Pucker Purifier, Pickwick proselytized the produce procuring practice in order to prompt the proliferation of cold sores and, therefore, the need for his product. Eww. Alas, by the time apple bobbing took hold across the land, government-mandated mind control chemicals fluoride had made the spread of unsightly facial viruses via rain barrel nothing but a painful, mockery-inducing memory. Its science, people. Look it up. Of course, the highlight of Halloween, as far as youths are concerned, is candy. Which only proves the naivety of said youths. After all, 8598 percent of any candy haul consists of dubious treats the kid either doesnt like (coconutbased), is allergic to (peanut-based), has never heard of before (Pistachio Nerbles), or is confiscated by a parent (M&MS, 3 Musketeers and Milky Ways, if you must know). Also, the old razor-blade-in-a-candy-apple story is nothing but a suburban legend. Not because Ol Lady Nincombopper didnt toss a few Gillettes into a batch of carmel (again, not caramel) coated McIntoshes, but because no child has ever been able to remove the cling wrap from such confections. And for those who have long wondered why candy corns dont look anything like Green Giant Niblets, youve been thinking about the wrong kind of corns. Double eww. Hey, the truth can be frightening sometimes, folks. Especially as we approach Louis Armstrongs All Saints Eve and Crawfish Hoedown. Jason Fox would really like a book or syndication deal but fears all hell get is a rock.

Everything I know about Halloween I learned from the 1966 television classic Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Of course, I also gleaned a few facts from Wikipedia, a half-dozen viewings of Ghostbusters in 1984, original Twilight Zone episodes (though not the one where a pre-Kirk William Shatner sees a destructive troll on the wing of an airplane), Magic 8 Ball key chains and my crazy uncle Art who really isnt crazy, but has been getting too old for this since he was 32. In other words: highly verifiable, trustworthy sources. I understand the confusion surrounding Halloween, especially in the world of Christianity. While some of us see the day as nothing more than an excuse for children and children-of-all-ages to dress up as filthy, stinking, harmonicawielding hobos, others view it as a gateway holiday into full-on Beelzebubian bacchanalianism. In fact, both sides are wrong. (But if blowin harmonica for Kit Kat is wrong, I dont wanna be right.) Halloween dates back not to the Druids or Stonehenge, but to 1920s New Orleans. As many folks including Sunday school teachers know, Halloween is also known as All Saints Eve. What most folks especially Sunday School teachers dont know is that All Saints Eve was founded by famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong who, naturally, wrote the holidays theme song. (Armstrong would go on to posthumously write the theme songs to both The Facts of Life and Growing Pains.) Similarly, many of todays most beloved, treasured and other clich-ridden traditions have evolved from pop culture. But, since the collective populous now

Begin blatantly obvious Idle Chatter disclaimer.

WARNING: IDLE CHATTER IS A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK LOOK AT MILDLY IMPORTANT TOPICS FACING CHRISTIANITY TODAY AND POSSIBLY IN THE YEAR 2354. THIS COLUMN MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN TRUTHS THAT ARE PROFOUND OR PROFOUNDLY IMAGINED BY THE AUTHOR. IN OTHER WORDS, ITS FOR AMUSEMENT.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Idle Chatter.

In June 2006, blogger John Walkenbach set a world record by writing 100 consecutive blog posts with alliterative titles. The title of the 100th post was Hundred Hackneyed Handwritten Headlines Have Happened Here, Habitus Hail Historic Handiwork.

A well-known Chatter equation: Twix > Skittles (honestly almost anything > Skittles)

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SPECIAL FOCUS

Sold. Victimized. Abused. The Faces of American Sex Trafficking

On February 6, 2011, Dallas/Ft. Worth will host the 45 annual Super Bowl. This event
th

typically attracts mass amounts of excitement and hype leading up to kick-off, there is, unfortunately, a seldom mentioned dark side.

DID YOU KNOW?

WARNING

The material on the following pages is explicit and disturbing, and may be inappropriate for some readers.

50,000 women and children were brought in to Phoenix during the 2008 Super Bowl for sexual purchase. Cities that have executed a well-prepared awareness campaign prior to a Super Bowl event have more successfully prevented this horrendous crime of buying and selling people for the pleasure and profit of others?

Little Shackles
They hauled her in front of the judge in ankle shackles. A criminal. A perpetrator. She had the hard edge in her face of someone who had seen a lot on the streets. Someone who had done whatever it took to survive. She faced the judge, knowing what was coming. Her pimp had prepared her. The john would walk free, he told her. Youll go to jail. The system proved the pimps right again and again. When the judge looked down, though, something different made her stop. Her mind raced with the faces of one child after another parading through her courtroom month after month 14, 13, 12-years-old. She peered into the face of this child standing in her big, foreboding courtroom with the shackles rubbing her dry, bruised ankles. Her tiny ankles. The ankles of a 10-year-old. A 10-year-old charged with prostitution. A 10-year-old pulled by police out of the car of a buyer. Judge Nina Hickson dared to see her as a victim rather than a criminal.

The I-10 corridor is the number one route for trafficking in the U.S. When Athens hosted the Olympics, they did nothing to create awareness of the heightened trafficking and sexual exploitation that would surround the event. Their increase in trafficking went up by 95 percent and since that date their percentage of sexual exploitation has never come down to pre-2004 levels.
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That was the start of Atlantas determi-

nation to rescue child sex slaves as Judge Hickson challenged the prevailing mindset that these were bad kids doing bad things who had to be punished. After all, they were criminals for crying out loud, prevailing logic said. Georgia replaced that prevailing logic with hard data, launching a multi-year tracking study in 2007 to determine the number of young girls being forced into prostitution. They hired independent research firm, Schapiro Group to use scientific probability methods to count adolescent girls being sold on the streets, through escort services, and via Internet service postings on Craigslist and other websites. Fast forward to first quarter 2010, with 13 rounds of quarterly data tucked under their belt, the number of girls sold in one month was 492. Look out to 2013, and the projected number based on research-to-date jumps to 1,500 victims a month. There are more girls harmed in one month in Georgia right now by sex trafficking than are killed in automobile accidents in a full year, says Kaffie McCullough, campaign director for A Future. Not a Past, which oversees the research. If you would like more information about Georgias research, contact deena@traffick911.org. Three other states have joined Georgia in collecting research. New York has 3,280 victims a month, Michigan has 120 a month and Minnesota has 102 victims a month. IBC is supporting the efforts of Traffick911 with awareness, volunteers and church collaboration. For more information, visit www.traffick911.org or contact Krista at nfnl@irvingbible.org.

Showing of the Documentary Playground A $10 ticket will get you in for a private showing of the documentary Playground on November 16, 2010 at The Kessler in Dallas at 7 p.m. (contact Sara Taylor at dfwtraffick@gmail.com for more info). About the film: Sexual exploitation of children is a problem that we tend to relegate to back-alley brothels in developing countries, the province of a particularly inhuman and invariably foreign, criminal element. Such is the initial premise of Libby Spears sensitive investigation into the topic. But she quickly concludes that very little thrives on this planet without American capital, and the commercial child sex industry is certainly thriving. Spears intelligently traces the epidemic to its disparate, and decidedly domestic, rootsamong them the way children are educated about sex, and the problem of raising awareness about a crime that inherently cannot be shown. Her cultural observations are couched in an ongoing mystery story: the search for Michelle, an American girl lost to the underbelly of childhood sexual exploitation who has yet to resurface a decade later. Executive produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Steven Soderbergh, and punctuated with poignant animation by Japanese pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, Playground illuminates a sinister industry of unrecognized pervasiveness. Spears has crafted a comprehensive revelation of an unknown epidemic, essential viewing for any parent or engaged citizen. www.playgroundproject.com For more information please contact Krista at newfriendsnewlife@irvingbible.org.
Warning: This film contains graphic material that may not be suitable for all audiences.

* Be watching for more information for a private IBC showing of Playground.

On any given night Dallas alone has 1,000 teens on the streets.

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Katie was fifteen years old the first time she ran away from home. She grew up in a small town in Tennessee, living with her mother and stepfather and a younger brother and sister. She attended high school, was on the cheerleading squad and led an otherwise normal life to everyone that knew her. Katie had spent the last two years being sexually assaulted by her stepfather. Her mother did not know about the abuse, nor did anyone else. Katie was terrified of telling her mother about it, fearing she would not believe her, or worse, hate her. Furthermore, her stepfather, Harold, threatened to throw her out of the house and to blame Katie if she ever told anyone about what he did to her. One day her school counselor called her into her office and asked if anything was wrong, noting that her grades had been dropping. Katie started crying but because of her fear she said that everything was fine at home. After that meeting, she was afraid she could neither go home nor go back to school because of what her school counselor might find out. So Katie wandered around the town for a while. She did not go to any of her friends or anyone else she knew, because she was afraid they would ask her why she didnt want to go home. She had no money, no food and no place to go. As it started to rain she eventually found herself at the bus station. Katie never made it home that day. Within 24 hours of leaving school, while at the bus station sheltering from the rain, a man drove up in what Katie thought was the nicest car she had ever seen. He was well-dressed and came over with an umbrella to where she was sitting. Whats wrong; why are you crying? he asked as he sat next to her. Katie could not tell him what was wrong, but the man put his arm around her and told her he would take her to get some food. They went to a fast food restaurant where he told her to order anything she wanted. While she was eating, he asked her again what was wrong. This was the first time Katie could remember that someone had been so nice to her. Besides, she did not know anyone in her life to whom she could tell the truth, and who would listen to her, even buy her food.

After listening to her for a while, he simply said, You dont have anything to worry about. I am going to take care of you and take you away from here. He continued to tell her how special she was, how pretty she was and how she would not have to worry about anything anymore. It was the best thing Katie had heard in two years. She got into the car with the man, whose name was Herman, and they drove off, driving all through the night, all the while Herman was as nice as he could be to her. Katie felt she was being rescued from all the nightmares with which she had been living. Finally, the next morning, Katie woke up and looked out the window and saw they were entering Texas. She smiled at Herman, this was the farthest she had ever been from her small town and it felt like all her problems were on the other side of the world. They stopped at a motel just off the interstate. Herman said he had to go take care of some business and he left her there alone with a woman whom he introduced as his girlfriend. Katie was so relieved to have a place to stay and she felt safe for the first time. Katie stayed at the motel for a week, and Herman would bring his other girlfriends by the room to introduce them. All the while whenever he saw Katie, Herman would tell her how pretty she was and how much he loved her. The next week Herman took Katie shopping for new clothes. He picked out several outfits for her, all of them very revealing, including some shoes with six inch heels. Katie told Herman she did not like the clothes, and that she did not want to wear them, but Herman replied that she would wear the clothes whether she liked them or not because he was taking care of her now. This was the first time that Herman had ever yelled at her, and Katie didnt know what to think. That night, Herman told Katie she would need to help earn money for them so they could stay at the motel. He told Katie to put on the clothes he bought her, which she did not want to do. When she expressed how she felt, Herman began screaming at her, and told her she didnt have anyone except him, and that she needed to help earn money. He pushed her against the wall and, for the first time, Katie was scared of him. Later that night, Katie was still in tears, and Herman told her he was sorry about what had happened earlier, that it would never happen again and that he loved her. He told her they needed money and that it would really help if she

15 percent of Texas calls to the National Human Trafficking hotline come from DFW. More calls to the National Human Trafficking hotline come from Texas than from any other state.

Chatter | 22

could only sleep with one of his friends. That night Katie was prostituted out, becoming a victim of human trafficking as a sexually exploited child of 15. Five months later Katie was still working on the streets. The first month she was gone, her stepfather claimed she was just being a brat and was probably staying at a friends house. A missing persons report was finally filed by her mother, but by that time the police and her family had no idea where she was. Katie worked six nights a week and she had to bring in at least $1,000 a night. On nights when she did not bring in enough money, or did not want to work, Herman would throw her against the wall, pull her hair and hit her. During those months, Katie never had more than a dollar on her. Herman would take all the money she earned. She never had enough money to buy food or even take the bus. She was completely dependent upon Herman and his other girlfriends for everything. She was never allowed to meet anyone else. Every time the police seemed to be picking up more than the usual number of girls for prostitution, Herman would move all his girls to another city, Katie never knew anyone in the cities she went, and sometimes she could not even remember where she was. Katie did not know any other life at this point. She never considered running away from Herman. She could not go back to her parents house where her stepfather was. She could not go back to her hometown because of what people would think if they found out she had been a prostitute. She could not go to the police because they would arrest her and put her in jail. Herman was the only person who seemed to care about her. Katie occasionally got arrested for prostitution but Herman always bailed her out. She had a fake drivers license, and she had a complete script memorized about who she was and where she came from. She would be fingerprinted, but without any other identification or records tying her to her former life, she was never flagged as missing or underage. Whenever police officers asked whether Herman was her pimp, Katie would say he was her boyfriend. One time when she was arrested, she spoke to a survivor of the sex industry. She showed Katie pictures of a time when she was arrested, which included bruises on her body from when her pimp had beaten her. He never hit her on the face so that she would always be appealing to the johns.

Katie stayed in jail that time for two days because Herman was out of town and could not bail her out. After talking to Katie, the woman convinced her to enter a shelter in New York. While there, she met other girls who had been victims of sexual exploitation. She attended support groups, went to therapy, continued her education and began to see that there was possibly a way out of her former life. One day she got a telephone call from Herman. He told her he loved her and that they should be together. Katie started crying as Herman told her the people at the shelter did not care about her, and that they would only put her back in jail. The shelter had an open door policy; so that night Katie left her location is not known at this time. Katie and others like her share a similar story of manipulation and abuse at the hands of their traffickers. Pimps operate throughout the U.S., moving from city to city to evade law enforcement. The girls are forced into a life of isolation and forced prostitution. Domestic human trafficking is more prevalent in the U.S. than international human trafficking and it exists in all cities and locations. These victims are not willing prostitutes. They are forced to give all their money to their pimps and live a life of abuse and poverty. Because of the continuous cycle of isolation and manipulation, it is difficult for them to break free.

There is Hope
New Friends New Life newfriendsnewlife.org Traffick911 traffick911.org

There are many local organizations committed to fighting the crisis of sexual exploitation. For more information on human trafficking and ways to get involved check out: Alert Ministries Facebook: Alert Ministries DFWTraffick Facebook: DFWTraffick Twitter: @DFWTraffick

And, watch for ways IBC will be addressing the sex trafficking crisis in future issues of Chatter.

For information on ways you can get involved in slowing and preventing human trafficking during the 2011 Super Bowl, contact Krista at nfnl@irvingbible.org.

Chatter | 23

A group of Survivors brought Chatter along on a military tour at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. (L to R: Bruce Kanegai, Jimmy Swan, Earl Cole, Jonny Fairplay, Russell Swan, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Zach Perry, Tina Wesson, Big Tom, Ami Cusack, James Clement, Mikey B, Cirie Fields)

Chatteryou CAN take it with you. Send us your Chatter photos on location, and you may see yourself in an upcoming issue. E-mail us at chatter@irvingbible.org.