Fellowship Presbyterian Church, ECO. November 2018

Transcription

1 Fellowship Presbyterian Church, ECO November 2018

2 The Pastor s Corner - November 2018 All in the Fall of the Year Pastor Ben Laughlin My, oh my, how time is a flying! Becky and I along with our beagle pups, just got back from our annual Fall leaf visit to Asheville, NC. We had a great week and enjoyed visiting Biltmore Estates. We go there every year. This year we went up to Bristol, Tennessee, to see the birthplace of Country Music. That turned out to be very interesting. Turns out that the first Hill Billy Music was recorded in about The music recording industry was just beginning to develop and so Hill Billy Music became very popular. Of course many years later Hill Billy music morphed into want we call Country Music today. And of course we have the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville which is not the birthplace of country music. Bristol, Tennessee, is! You can put that in your trivia memory. God s good creation was just beginning to put on a grand show of colorful leaves when we were leaving. It is a wonder that I always ponder when I go to the mountains. As we travel over high mountain passes, I always give thanks for God s good creation. It is my hope that my generation will have left our earth a better place for future generations to enjoy. It is time to start thinking about Advent and Christmas again. I love this time of the year. With hope and childlike expectations we approach the beginning of hope for humankind in the birth of the baby Jesus. Fully human and fully divine He came to change a sinful world. He gives us hope in all seasons of life. And, He is as close as hands and feet each and every day when we come to Him in prayer. This. my friends. is the Good News of Jesus the Christ! Take Care and God Bless, 2

3 Worship Changes Us Our Worship Gathering Come and See. Let us come in gratitude with thanksgiving in our hearts. Let us come and sing praises. Let us come seeking forgiveness. The Word Let us come, like sheep, to be fed. Let us come to hear God s Word to us. Let us come and respond to our Lord s Word. Sending Let us go out, having been fed, to serve our Lord. Let us go out, following the Great Commission! (Matthew 28: 16 20) Liturgical Colors, What do they mean? Colors are used to give a visual indicator of what is happening in the life of the church. They mark the various seasons that the church celebrates. I would like to briefly restate the meaning of our colors. This month we will focus on White. White = Holiness We use white any time we are celebrating days that emphasize the divinity of Christ: Christmas, Easter, Baptism of the Lord, Christ the King, and so on. For the most part, if you find white paraments in the sanctuary, you are worshiping on a day that has great significance to our understanding of Jesus as God. White is the color that we use for the Lord s Supper, Baptisms, funeral/memorial services, weddings, and other significant worship times. So when you see our white paraments, remember the significance of Christ coming into our world. Prayer suggestion as we begin each worship service: Jesus, Change me so I may be more like You." Upcoming Worship Opportunities: Nov Thanksgiving Day Nov. 25 Christ the King Sunday (White) Dec. 1 Decoration Preparation 10:00 am Dec. 2 1 st Sunday of Advent, Communion, and Hanging of the Green Dec. 14 Choir Cantata - Appalachian Winter Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Service, Live Nativity, and Communion Dec. 25 Christmas Day Sara Corkill, Worship Elder 3

4 Church Security Update For several months, Bob Pettee and others have been working to upgrade the security at our church both during the week and on Sunday mornings. To this end, several things have been approved by the Session. First of all, we have authorized the funding for an off-duty police officer to be present on Sunday mornings while Sunday school and worship services are being held. Capt. Stancil of the Sheriff s office is in the process of finding such an officer for us. The officer will be out of uniform and, therefore, will blend into the congregation during the worship service. Secondly, we have installed a Ring device to send audio and video to Sandy from the main Fellowship Hall door. This provides a greater degree of safety for her and others during the week. ~Men of the Church~ PLEASE REMEMBER - Men of the Church will not meet during November or December. We will resume our fourth Saturday meetings in January! Dancercise! Exercise with a twist We meet on Monday evenings at 6:00 pm and Thursday mornings at 9:30 in our Fellowship Hall. This is for all our members and neighbors. Join us at any time, regardless of your level of activity. Call Connie for more information. Exercise with a twist Monday Evenings at 6:00 Thursday Mornings at 9:30 Join Us! 4

5 Stewardship... Dear Family and Friends of Fellowship Presbyterian: The colorful leaves have mostly fallen to the ground. Winter is approaching bringing cold, the Advent season, and lots of activities. It's also time for our Stewardship Season! "You must decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure; For God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). This verse talks specifically about five key attitudes you should have when you give. 1. Give thoughtfully. Think about it, pray about it, for God wants your giving to be important and meaningful in your life. 2. Give enthusiastically. Give because God's going to do something in your heart when you become a generous person. 3. Give voluntarily. God does not need your gifts. God wants your heart! For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) 4. Give cheerfully. Give with joy. God wants you to enjoy giving to Him and others. 5. Give. Giving is a part of our worship in response to grace received. The attitude God wants you to have when you give starts with your heart. God is a lot more interested in your willingness to give than your wealth. Remember the benefits of what God wants to do in your heart. It defeats materialism. It creates community. It strengths your faith. It's an investment for eternity. It blesses you in return. (portions taken from "Daily Hope" with Rick Warren) Members are encouraged to consider making a pledge of your treasures, time, and talents. Don't forget to look at the back of the pledge card. Also, remember your commitment from last year when you pledged to Trinity Presbyterian Church. Stewardship Sunday will be November 11, Put your completed pledge card in the offering plate that day, mail it in, or drop them off at the church office. God loves you! Carolyn Allen, Stewardship Elder 5

6 Save the Date! Sunday, December 16 after Worship Service Youth Ministry s Christmas Party for Children On Sunday, December 16 after worship (11:15 am), the Youth Ministry will host a Christmas Party for our grandchildren and neighborhood children. Snacks, games and Christmas Carols will bring Christmas cheer to young and old alike. Bring your grandchildren to church and stay after for holiday fun! Invite your neighbors too! If you would like to help in any way, please let us know. Connie Kirk ~ Presby Women ~ OCC Packing Party - Monday, November 12, 10:00 am Our October and November project is Operation Christmas Child. We have donated $400 to purchase gifts to fill the boxes. Several of us have been shopping, and on November 12 at 10:00 am we will have a packing party to pack the boxes. We will be packing at least 72 boxes. We would love for all FPC members interested to make plans to come and help. We also brought in cards for Mail for the Military. Thank you to Pam Coble who heads this ministry. All the information is on the poster in the narthex. The deadline is Sunday, November 18. Let's get busy writing those Christmas cards, We have purchased gifts for an eight year old girl from DFACS, we had her need/wish list. The picture below is everything we purchased. It was fun purchasing gifts for someone who might not have a good Christmas. November Presby Women meeting Monday, November 19 at 10:00 am. Please make plans to attend. Cindy Dunning, Presbyterian Women's Moderator 6

7 Lay Readers for 2019 Lay Readers have been bringing the Old Testament lesson to us each Sunday for several years, and they have done a wonderful job. Now it is time to plan for next year. If you have never read but would like to, or you have read in the past and would like to continue in 2019, please me at p.apadaca@etcmial.com (that is all a s in the address!) or call me at We have also invited our youth to be a part of this ministry. The commitment is minimal usually one Sunday a quarter - and you will be ed each Sunday s passage in plenty of time to practice. We need to finalize the schedule by mid-december, so let me hear from you soon! Priscilla Apodaca Plans for Church Canopy Have Been Tabled The Session had a called meeting on October 11 th for the express purpose of considering the plans for constructing a canopy over the entrances to the sanctuary and fellowship hall. The plans drawn up by an architect were available in the Session room for several weeks for anyone to view. Although the idea is sound and some funding has been offered, the Session agreed that the expense of such a project at this time is not feasible as a budgeted item. We are facing several large capital expenditures in the near future such as a new roof and outside painting, so we did not feel it prudent to commit to such a large expenditure right now. The idea has not been abandoned, but merely tabled until funds become available. Because of the large expense a canopy would entail, the Session feels it should be funded through special donations which can be made at any time simply by making a notation to that effect in the memo portion of your check. In the meantime, we recommend more use of the available canopy on the east side of the sanctuary. The side door is open every Sunday for your convenience. 7

8 Programs and Publications... Upcoming Events at a Glance Daylight Savings Time ENDS Sunday, November 4 Be sure to set your clocks back Saturday evening! General Election Day Tuesday, November 6 Taste of Pickens to Benefit CARES Saturday, November 10 Chattahoochee Tech. College, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased from Gene Berry. A $10 ticket allows you a taste from eight of Jasper s finest eating establishments. Mission Affinity Group Meeting Saturday, November 10 Sunday Luncheon November 11 Plan to bring your favorite covered dish and join us for lunch following the worship service. Stewardship Sunday November 11 Please place your completed pledge card in the offering plate. Giving is our response to grace received; therefore, give thoughtfully, joyfully, and voluntarily. Veterans Day November 11 We will be honoring our veterans during the worship service on this day. Session Meeting Thursday, November 15 at 3:00 p.m. Elders, please take note of the new time. Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 22 The church office will be closed. Priscilla Apodaca, Programs & Publications Elder Buildings and Grounds... November 17th, 9:30 am, is the date and time set for our Fall Clean-up Day. This year we will concentrate on cleaning limbs, brush and leaves; trimming shrubbery, some fertilizing and cutting grass as needed. (We will do the windows in the spring.) Please bring rakes, limb trimmers, and any large blowers, if you have them. Fall Clean-up Day Saturday Gene Berry, Buildings and Grounds Elder 8