Centerville Presbyterian Church. the. MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Celebrating 163 Years of Ministry Dec / Jan.2017

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1 Centerville Presbyterian Church the MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Celebrating 163 Years of Ministry Dec / Jan.2017 Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Greg Roth Associate Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Marsha Roth Assistant Pastor for Families, Young Adults & Intercultural Ministries Leedah Wong Director of Discipleship, Caring, and Outreach Alex Sung Volunteer Visitation Pastor Rev. Dr. Jim Schoon Director of Traditional Worship and Choral Ministries Darryl Guzman Director of Contemporary Worship Thomas Bañuelos Children s Ministry Interim Director Alana Bischoff Chan Youth Ministry Director Seth Beardsley Preschool Director Linda Hall Facilities/Office Manager Tammy Sawyer Finance Manager Sally Suryan Accounting Assistant Julia Knutson Ministry Assistants Alana Bischoff Chan Val Cooley Polly Walker A Church committed to Jesus Christ through worship, nurture, care, and growth.

2 doing Popsicle Painting. Blue is our focus color this month using strings to create a beautiful two sided picture! By Linda Hall, Director of CCP Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year to you our CPC family! We will be celebrating the greatest gift any human being could ever receive this month, the birth of God s son Jesus!! Our Bible verse this month is Jesus is born taken from Luke 2:11. We will be making special surprise presents for our parents, our own wrapping paper, Christmas candles and a Green Day Christmas Tree for some holiday themed art projects. The Pre K (Butterflies) students will be learning about the #4 and the letters G and H. Our preschooler s (Ladybugs) will be working on the shape of triangles and the #3. We will be having our Christmas parties on Dec.22 nd and Dec.23 rd. After all that excitement the school will be closed for the holidays Dec.26 th through Jan.6 th. We will resume our learning fun on Monday Jan.9 th, January will be a month of Winter Wonder and snowy projects. We will start off the new year with a fun Snowman Collage, painting snowflakes and The Pre K students will work on recognizing and writing the letters: I, J, and K and counting the #5, while the younger Pre school children will be counting the #4 and learning about the shape of circles. During the last week of the month we will be making our traditional Stone Soup, with vegetables the children bring in and help to cut. What great fine motor exercise that is!! It will also be a yummy snack for those cold winter days. Our first big Fundraiser of the year went very well, as we sold Miss Debbie s Specialty Apples. We had an order of 78 apples sold and made a profit of $ Our T Shirts and Sweatshirts orders had to be extended, through November, until we have a minimum order of 30 items sold. I will update you on that, when it is complete. I do wish to express a BIG THANK YOU to the church members who ordered or simply gave a donation to us!! You know who you are and we greatly appreciate your support! This fundraiser helps us out more as a way of marketing/ advertizing our wonderful program, than it does bring in any monetary income. Thanks again. Blessings to you all for a very blessed, wonderful and healthy holiday season!! Miss Linda and Miss Lori 2

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4 Session Notes November 2016 Submitted by Charlie McClellan, Ruling Elder The November 7 meeting opened with time in prayer. Our prayers asked God for his help and guidance with our CPC children, that they be excited about growing in Jesus. Prayer was asked for success and guidance for "Engage 2025", the Malaysia Network for EPC mission team. Session prayed for EPC's outreach work with refugees in Europe, and for the November Denominational Missions Meeting. The prayer time concluded by asking for God's guidance and wisdom for the election, that the American voters choose wisely and come together and support our new leaders. Our devotion was a lesson on Eschatology. We discussed Individual Eschatology, one's physical death. With physical death, life ends and the body dies, but the spirit lives on, and the souls of believers proceed immediately to heaven. The lesson moved on to General Eschatology, that the world as we know it will come to an end and Christ will return. We discussed the events that are to occur leading up to Christ's return and the signs and portents wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, false prophets, the working of false miracles, and strange signs in the sky. Our lesson concluded with a discussion of Millennialism, and the differences between Millennialism, Postmillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, and Dispensational Premillennialism. The overarching lesson is that God has a plan, and that whatever happens in the world, we should be assured by this and that He has a place for all believers. The business portion of the meeting started with approval of Session minutes from previous meetings, the report of those who attended the October Presbytery of the Pacific meeting and the minutes of committees and Deacons. Session reviewed and approved a motion from the Children's Committee to resubmit background verifications every five years for all adults involved in the children's ministry. Pastor Greg called attention to the Treasurer's Report, and how God has blessed us with gracious giving this past year. Congregational giving matched our budgeted targets for the past fiscal year and the trend continues. Coupled with spending that is just under budget, our undesignated funds balance is healthy. Plans for the November 20 th Burn the Mortgage" celebration were discussed. Leedah gave an update on the millennial community outreach initiative. He has a team of about twenty people who have committed to the initiative and meet weekly for prayer, worship and planning. They are working on a vision statement and will choose a special name for the group. They are also planning small gatherings where non Christian contacts may be invited. In the new year they may add a few Sunday morning meetings and hope to meet weekly on Sundays beginning in the Spring. Pastor Marsha challenged everyone to pray for this group and the people they are reaching out to. Session did a debrief of the October 23 Congregational Meeting. Overall consensus was the meeting went well. The new Elders and Deacons will be ordained and installed at the January 8 worship services. Session voted to authorize Rev. Jim Schoon to administer sacraments when requested to do so by the head of staff, or if the head of staff is unreachable, by Session. Although he has not been ordained in the EPC, Rev. Schoon is an ordained minister in the Reformed Tradition. Elders who attended the October Presbytery meeting gave an update on plans to split the Presbytery of the Pacific into two to 4

5 better serve member churches. The proposal is to create a Northwest Presbytery and a Southwest Presbytery. These plans are moving forward and will be discussed further at the January 2017 Presbytery meeting. Seth gave an update on the youth group's November event to raise funds for Youth for Justice. About fifteen youths are expected to participate. They will be doing yard and household work in return for donations. Seth has a December retreat planned for high school youth and January retreat for Junior High youth. Alex reported on the November family fun night plans and noted that sign ups were going well for the Burn the Mortgage event. A life group leaders meeting and Deacon training meeting are also planned. Tammy gave an update on maintenance activities around the campus. Hot water is now available in the narthex restrooms. Tree removal, sidewalk repair and fixes for leaky roof spots are all being addressed. Tammy also reported the website has been updated and there is an opening for an intern to help maintain it. (check it out at Pastor Greg updated Session on his study leave activities in Mosul and Aleppo. Christians in these areas are suffering greatly, with many hunted down, tortured and killed. Many have left and do not expect to ever return to their homelands. Pastor Greg also reported that plans for the cemetery property are proceeding, with city council approval still pending. The Argus carried a positive story on it. Funding will be required to continue with design and architectural plans. The Finance committee will review status and funding requirements at their next meeting. Session closed with prayer, with the next meeting scheduled for December 5. Winter Fest 17 CPC is excited to present Winter Fest 17! This will be an opportunity for people to meet outside of our campus in homes of a member, at a favorite restaurant, to play games or just plain talk. We are planning groups of 6 10 people to meet three times over a three month period (January, February, March). It s your choice what to do together. To register, fill out a simple form (January 1, 8, 15) with your preferences and join us January 22 over festive appetizers (potluck style), from 4:00 5:30 p.m. Watch for more details in the weekly bulletins. 5

6 Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV) let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus Location: Redwood Christian Park Dates: March 17 19, 2017 Registration Begins: January 2017 Set aside some time to celebrate God s love for us and to fellowship with other women in the beautiful mountains of Redwood Christian Park. Cheri Gregory will be speaking and leading us on a journey to Simplify and focus our lives on God s Desires. Registration will begin in early January. Please stop by the retreat table between Sunday services for brochures and registration forms or find them online at cpcfremont.org. Don t delay! We have a maximum number of 100 spots for the retreat. The deadline for all registration forms is Sunday, February 26 th, All scholarship applications must be submitted by Sunday, February 12 th, Scholarship applications are also found at the retreat table between services. Meet Cheri Gregory Cheri has contributed to or coauthored a dozen books, including The Cure for the "Perfect" Life: 12 Ways to Stop Trying Harder and Start Living Braver and the upcoming Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity. Cheri has a BA in English, an MA in Leadership, and is pursuing her PhD in Leadership. She is researching the organic growth and practice of "bestowed leadership" the kind of influence that naturally develops as Christian women write and speak with authenticity and vulnerability. Cheri Gregory is a teacher, speaker, author, and Certified Personality Trainer. She speaks and writes from the conviction that "how to" works best in partnership with "heart, too." Her goal is to equip overwhelmed women to relate and create with less drama, more delight. Cheri has been wife of my youth to Daniel, her opposite personality, for almost twenty eight years. They are parents of two young adults, who are also opposite personalities: Annemarie (25) and Jonathon (23). Cheri blogs about breaking free from perfectionism and peoplepleasing, and being an HSP* at She also co hosts a podcast called Grit n Grace: Good Girls Breaking Bad Rules with Amy Carroll. (*Highly Sensitive Person) 6

7 CAPS Corner Community Ambassador Program for Seniors Caregivers Seminar January 26, :30 AM Noon in Westminster Missions Weekend February 11 12, 2017 Guest Speaker: Dr. Stephen Kelley Dr Steven Kelley was raised as a Muslim in Egypt, and became a Christian in his youth. He is an EPC World Outreach worker, who specializes in mentoring Muslim background believers. He has a training institute in Spain, where students are discipled for ministry. During the refugee crisis in Europe, he has sent the Arabic speaking students into the camps to serve them and preach the gospel. Our own CPC Easter offering last year went to support his students in their work among refugees in Europe, and he will be sharing of how the ministry has grown through our partnership. Caregiving for older adults can be a rewarding as well as a stressful experience. Come learn about the Caregiver Support Program with the City of Fremont. The Caregiver Support Program offers weekly mindfulness classes, monthly support groups, and periodic Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction workshops that promotes support while learning: How to manage stress and anxiety How to care for yourself while caring for another How to establish realistic goals and expectations Where to turn in the community for help and workshops that can help This will be very informative, with time for Q&A. Please join us! Any questions, contact: Lisa Dutra (510) or lisadutra@comcast.net or Val Clough or jcvc46@aol.com 7

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9 Thanks to all of the Volunteers who helped with Tea and Treasures! 9

10 The Tyler s Youth For Christ (YFC) Pacific CPC Supported Missionaries TONGA NEW ZEALAND SAMOA AMERICAN SAMOA FIJI AUSTRALIA These are the nations in our region of the Pacific that currently have Youth For Christ. We had 15 flights (longest 13 hours shortest 20 minutes), Bible studies, church services, rallies, board meetings, time with national directors families, prayer ministry, sightseeing with nationals, hotels, hostels, bungalows, food experiences, plans and surprises. An American Samoa/YFC board member was heading to Israel and needed to hear the message that God was going before her (Joshua 5.) Daughter of one of our National Directors needed to hear that there was indeed a place for her in the Kingdom work. God has a plan and place for her. One of our National Directors needed to hear that time dedicated to his children was important. A very diligent staff person needed to hear that while God is pleased with her service, He now would like to have her mix a little more Mary in with her Martha. (See Luke 10:28 42.) The University student who needed to hear that there was hope for her life because of Jesus, regardless of circumstances We needed to hear how different these cultures are from what we are used to, and why YFC ministry is important in these Island nations. Now at home we are looking forward to the richer connections with our folks in the Pacific due to the experience of being with them in their nations. Village Bible study in Samoa where we shared testimonies I m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work (Paul in 1 Tim. 1, from The Message). That feels like the theme of our current life and ministry that God has called us to. He has been weaving all the pieces together from throughout our lives to bring us to this place where Deborah is the Associate Director of the YFC/Pacific Region and Jake is the Chaplain to the National Directors of that Region. This fall we were privileged to visit almost all of our ministry nations in the South Pacific. Recurring theme for that month long trip was that God always had the right word for the right situation. For example, how about the time that: Deborah gave her testimony of God pointing her to her identity at the age of 13. There were four 13 year olds at that village Bible Study that night. Board of Directors in American Samoa. We are grateful to God Who in His Sovereignty has given us these gifts for this season of our lives. Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry. God has, through you and others, provided for all our trip expenses! 10

11 A note from Conrad Parsons, regional director for YFC Pacific: Directing a region is impossible without a team and I have a good one. How can I know the real needs of the National Directors in our region without focused pastoral care? Jake gives himself in service to the Lord and to the YFC leaders to ensure they remain in the Vine and are able to get their needs met appropriately. Having a Regional Chaplain holds everything together. Uganda Mission Trip Chris Stone Payne and Carol Scruggs, members of CPC, are participating members of the missions/ outreach team going to Uganda with the Centerpoint Community Church in Roseville, CA. The team will be traveling January 12 23, 2017, and spending time in Kampala and Masaka where many of the Hope Alive! sponsored children live and go to school. Chris and Carol have offered to take small gifts to your sponsored child; but, this needs to be coordinated with them ahead of time as they have limited packing space. The Knitting and Crochet team is accepting donations of needles and patterns which will be left in Uganda. The team will be assisting with the Saturday Club activities in Kampala on January 14 th and in Masaka on January 21 st. Jake, Debbi & Conrad Pacific Regional Team Deborah as my Associate shares my workload by learning to do everything I do. As a fast growing region, I cannot keep up with the responsibilities without Deborah doing her work of coaching each national director, communicating with chairmen, visiting each nation, assessing the vitality of ministries, obtaining critical information and ensuring each country complies with the YFCI chartering requirements. Her recent trip has enabled me to make wise decisions based on better information. She sees needs that I have missed and she offers different perspectives, drawing on her many years of ministry in YFC alongside Jake. Our team works very well and I thank God for each member. I thank you for sending them to me. We are hopeful the sponsored children will attend which is why we suggest sponsors send an to Hope Alive! requesting your child be notified of the date the team will be there. The team will be conducting classes for adults and children on Church Leadership Training, English Proficiency, Critical Thinking Skills, Knitting and Crocheting (items 1 for family to wear as well as to sell for income). Please pray for the entire team as they work on the curriculum, prepare themselves for travel, safety, good health as they serve and share God s love with all people in Uganda. Contact Carol for details or questions ( ). 11

12 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Fremont, CA 4360 Central Avenue Fremont CA PERMIT NO. 7 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Please Note: If you do not wish to receive this Newsletter, please call our office at ext. 14 January 10, 2017 is the deadline for submitting articles for the February 2017 BELL Newsletter. Please submit to Val Cooley, Ministry Assistant vcooley@cpcfremont.org. All articles submitted are subject to approval, editing, and space available. Dec 8, 9, 10, 11 Dec 9 11 Christmas Concerts Dec 24 Christmas Eve Services 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm Dec 25 ONE Service at 11:00 am Dec 26 Christmas Day Holiday CAMPUS CLOSED Jan 1, 2017 ONE Service at 11:00 am Jan 2, 2017 New Year s Day Holiday CAMPUS CLOSED Jan 16, 2017 Jan Feb 11 HS Fall Frenzy Mt. Hermon Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday CAMPUS CLOSED JH Winter Camp Hume Lake Missions Conference Join us for Worship 9:00 a.m. Contemporary Service Led by Thomas Bañuelos with the Worship Team and Band 11:00 a.m. Traditional Service Led by Darryl Guzman with the Centerian Choir and CenterPeace Orchestra Office Hours: M TH 8:00am 4:00 pm Office fax cpcoffice@cpcfremont.org 12