DECEMBER Tappahannock Presbyterian Church PASTOR S PAGE: THE CHURCH CALENDAR WELCOME TO A NEW CHURCH YEAR!

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1 Tappahannock Presbyterian Church DECEMBER 2007 PASTOR S PAGE: THE CHURCH CALENDAR WELCOME TO A NEW CHURCH YEAR! THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO THE CHURCH CALENDAR: CYCLE A DECEMBER LECTIONARY For the Lord s Day 12/2 1 st. Sunday of Advent Isa. 2:1-5; Ps. 122 Rom. 13:11-14, Matt. 24: /9 3 rd Sunday of Advent Isa. 11:1-10; Ps. 72:1-7, 18-19; Rom. 15:4-13; Matt. 3: /16 3 rd Sunday of Advent Isa. 35:1-10; Ps. 146:5-10 or Luke 1:47-55; James 5:7-10; Matt: 11: /23 4 th Sunday of Advent Isa. 7:10-16; Ps, 80:1-7, Rom. 1:1-7; Matt. 1: /30 1 st Sunday after Christmas Isa. 63:7-9; Ps. 148; Heb. 2:10-18; Matt. 2:13-23 THE FIRST PART is called the church seasons. The seasons (and the calendar) start with the 4 Sundays in Advent and the 12 days of Christmas, which ends on the Day of Epiphany, January 6. Other seasons are 6 weeks of Lent, Holy Week, Easter Sunday, 6 0r 7 weeks of Easter, and Pentecost which continues for about 26 weeks. THE SECOND PART of the church calendar is called the Lectionary for the Lord s Day. On December 2 nd, the first Sunday of the season of Advent, we begin lectionary readings in the worship service in Cycle A. Sermons are preached on passages from either the Old Testament Lesson, or an Epistle or Gospel reading in the New Testament. Reading these passages at home in preparation for worship on Sunday enhances the theme of the worship service and gives a person a greater appreciation for the hymns, service music, prayers as well as the sermon. Lectionary readings for the Lord s Day in December are listed in the column to the left. IN CYCLE A of the lectionary the Gospel of Matthew is used frequently. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the outline of this gospel. Do some background reading who wrote it? To whom was it written? What are the unique characteristics and themes of the Gospel of Matthew? I will provide some information as we read and interpret Matthew and the lay readers will do the same. LET US BEGIN A NEW CHURCH YEAR WITH ANTICIPATION AND JOY. Celebrate the season of Advent and read the lectionary weekly. Let God speak to you through the Word and the Spirit as you continue your faith journey. Peace, Bill

2 Steering Committee Highlights November 19, 2007 Rev. Morris opened the meeting with prayer. Deb Booze brought in a prayer shawl she had knitted for John Colby and this was dedicated to God as a gift to him from his church. Afterwards Deb and Pat Morris delivered it to John. COMMUNICATIONS A letter from Tom Coye of the New Church Development Committee indicated encouragement for the Tappahannock Presbyterian Church to continue working towards being chartered, at which time acquisition of land and/or a building could proceed with Presbytery s support. He noted that the idea of acquiring the building being presently rented was an avenue to explore further. Rev. Morris reactivated the Land Cost Ad Hoc Committee: John Colby, Bill Smith, Dave Jones, and Alice Roye and suggested he and the Committee should meet with Mel Meadows, owner, after the first of the year. TREASURER S REPORT The Financial Report to date was presented by Treasurer David Jones. He reported that 18 pledges (family units) have been received, totaling $67,500. There are about 5 or 6 more pledges expected in. PASTORAL CONCERNS Members and friends of the congregation who are recovering from surgery, suffering from ill health, and serving in harms way in the armed forces all were lifted in prayer by name. Praise was proclaimed for healing and safe return home for several people. Those traveling over the holiday were lifted in prayer for safety. Worship and Music Kathy Hughes and Bill Morris The choir robes have been ordered and hopefully will be here by Christmas. Keys will be provided to local florists and Kathy Grenier, the nursery worker. Deb Booze and Pat Morris are working on a banner for the worship space. Communion will be administered Christ the King Sunday. The following members are authorized to service communion in the Presbyterian Church: Bill Smith, Gordon Keller, John Colby, Dave Jones, Alice Roye, Deb Booze (and Kim Sydnor). The group prepared a budget request for the treasurer. There will be an Advent Wreath and different participants reading advent passages during the Sunday services. There will not be a Christmas Eve service this year. The next meeting of the Worship and Music Ministry is Sunday, January 6. Fellowship Pat Morris The Steering Committee approved the request of the Fellowship Ministry Group that their name be changed to Congregational Care and Fellowship ministry. Reports were given on Shepherding Groups from Johnny Frischkorn and Pat Morris. The barbeque lunch October 28 was deemed a success in spite of high winds that threatened to upset the tables and everything on them! The Christmas Party will be a luncheon held at the Riverside Condo Party Room on December 9, immediately following worship at the Worship Center. Everyone will bring a covered dish or other contribution. The Royes, the Crittendens and the Kellers will host. Deb Booze presented the story of the Shawl Ministry. The Ministry Group will review materials she circulated and discuss how to proceed with this ministry of caring. Name tags, greeters training, arrangement of the fellowship room, teaching congregation members how to assist visitors in the service- all planned for the near future. Tentative plans for February- the men providing breakfast for the ladies for Valentines Day and a Souper Bowl Party (February 3).

3 Christian Education Anne Sydnor The 6 week course of study of the book Jesus Parables About Marking Choices, by James W. Moore has concluded and was well attended.. The Women s Bible study led by Mary Alice Keller has been enthusiastically attended by 13 people, 5 of whom go to other churches. This is seen as a community outreach. The pastor is planning Confirmation studies for young people during Lent. Presbyterians Today, a Presbyterian monthly magazine, has been ordered for each family for These Days, a daily devotional booklet, will be made available also. The next meeting of the Christian Education Ministry will be Sunday, December 2. Outreach and Service Janice Canby The Ministry Group is considering how the $215 local portion of the Peacemaking Offering will be spent. For the third quarter the 5 -a-meal offering $356. Checks for $178 went to Presbytery and to Community Services Essex Churches Together Alice Roye encouraged TPC members to get on board for Operation Inasmuch, the ECT program that will occur in the spring. A supper workshop will be held January 14 for training in preparation for the event. TPC Members are encouraged to attend the ECT meetings on the 4 th Tuesday evening of the month at the Essex Public Library. The Angel Tree will be put up for two families from the Haven. The Joy Offering will be collected on Sunday, December 23. Assignments for speakers for the Minute for Mission will be made at the November 25 meeting. The congregation has been ordering peanuts from Zuni- Presbyterian Homes and Family Services. The idea of sponsoring an intern will be deferred until the spring or next fall. Janice Canby is looking into how to Adopt a Missionary. Ideas about how to support the Dialysis Center were discussed. The next meeting is Sunday, November 25 Church Growth Bill and Vivian Smith Moderator Bill Smith led the discussion about budgetary needs for 2008 Thoughts from the Magnetic Church Workshop were shared among those who had attended. There was discussion about possible new members joining. There are 40 on the roll now and are required for chartering. There was discussion about how the congregation, and a few people particularly, could disciple people new to the church. This discussion will be continued. A meeting for all those attending the Magnetic Church Workshop will be held Friday, December 7 at 2:00 PM at the church. OTHER CONCERNS Ministry Groups are preparing budget requests for 2008 and Dave Jones will meet with the Finance Committee to prepare the budget, based on pledges received, before the next Steering Committee meeting. The Steering Committee approved the appointment of the Pastor s Nominating Committee to be the Pastor s evaluation and review committee. This includes John Colby, Alice Roye, Jo Dowdy, and John Frischkorn as well as David Jones. They will be instructed to complete the review in the next couple of weeks in order to put salary and other compensation in the budget. Meeting Schedule Mission and Outreach November 25 Christian Education December 2 Church Growth December 7 Magnetic Church Workshop follow-up December 7 Steering Committee December 17 Worship and Music January 6

4 Operation Inasmuch Jesus comes to us not in a white robe with long hair and a halo but as the abused wife, or the lonely old man, or the pregnant teenager, or the homeless family, or the person in jail. And what did he tell his disciples when they asked how they could serve him? He gave them a list of things to do, and then he said inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. Matthew 25:40 Operation Inasmuch is based on that scripture. It is a planned, one-day event of doing for others in many different ways. It can be carried out by a large congregation or by many churches throughout the community. This is how ECT sees it happening in Essex County. A workshop to plan for Operation Inasmuch day will be held at St. Margaret s library on Monday evening, January 14. Supper will be served. TPC members are invited to participate. Kathy Hughes or Alice Roye can give you more information. The Rev. David Crocker, the pastor who initiated the Operation Inasmuch ministry almost 15 years ago, will present a three-hour workshop to representatives from Essex churches, and when they leave the workshop they will have the knowledge, plans, and materials needed to begin planning the day. Operation Inasmuch 1. Backyard Bible Club for children- gathering of children from a neighborhood or trailer park for games, entertainment, and Bible stories. Excellent project for teenagers. 2. Sewing projects- blankets for homeless persons, turbans for cancer patients, prayer shawls, wheelchair bags 3. Home repairs- plumbing, electrical, roofing, painting, repair of windows, porches, steps, wheelchair ramps 4. Yard work for elderly or disabled 5. Blood pressure check-ups- health fairvaccination clinics- safety exhibits 6. Bake cookies and distribute to EMT, police and fire personnel 7. Write letters, send pictures to service men and women overseas and/or nursing home residents 8. Firewood cutting and/or delivery 9. Assembly projects- packages such as hygiene kits for homeless persons, for Red Cross shelters; school supply kits; stuffed animals for abused or frightened children 10. Free give away of clothes, household articles 11. Child care to free adults to participate in the event day 12. Preparation of lunches for volunteers 13. Distribution of quarters and detergent at laundromat Tappahannock Presbyterian Church 1924 Tappahannock Boulevard P. O. Box 983 Tappahannock, VA The Rev. Dr. William Morris, pastor (804) (tappchapel@verizon.net) Just A Few of the Ideas for

5 Lay Readers November and December December 2 Pete Roye January 6 Kim Sydnor 9 Anne Sydnor 13 Dave Crittenden 16 Em Hughes 20 Frances Garrett 23 Sherry Jones 27 John Colby 30 Deb Booze Greeter Sherry Jones Magnetic Church Workshop We can provide communal belonging and roots to an increasingly rootless and impersonal society. On November 10 Church Growth Ministry Leaders Bill and Vivian Smith were accompanied by Dave and Sherry Jones, Alice Roye, Deb Booze, and Bill and Pat Morris to the Magnetic Church workshop held in Charlottesville. They returned excited about ideas to enrich Tappahannock Presbyterian Church and make it more accessible and inviting to new members. A number of strategies were discussed both by the workshop leader and in small groups. Some of them include: 1) Use name tags; train greeters and ushers to welcome members and visitors 2) Improve exterior signs (put sign in back facing Lowes, and trim trees up; put light on signs) 3) Put recognizable logo on all literature, brochures, etc. 4) Increase skill and comfort of congregation in sharing their faith 5) Put colorful plants outside to attract attention 6) Many more!