Rev. John H. Heinsohn Minister of Visitation. The three Wednesday Soup and Study gatherings concluded on November

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1 Rev. John H. Heinsohn Minister of Visitation The three Wednesday Soup and Study gatherings concluded on November 14 th with attendance of 16, 17, and 18 people on each day. We will conclude the Phillip Yancey series, The Jesus I Never Knew, during Lent in March. The format will be the same; lunch at 12 followed by the DVD presentation and discussion with conclusion by 1:30. The Sunday morning Bible Study will conclude with Jeremiah on December 2nd and then begin a study of the book of James, that should take us well into January. James is a fairly easy book to understand loaded with very practical guidelines about living the Christian life. The class has grown some and we would be delighted to have more join us on Sunday mornings starting at 9:15. All ages are welcome and you do not need to have any previous Bible knowledge to feel comfortable in the class. I call your attention to the Advent/ Christmas events coming up. The Advent Luncheon will be held after worship on Sunday, December 9th. During each of the Sundays of Advent, a family or other group will open the service with the lighting of the Advent wreath. The Christmas Eve service will be at 9:30 PM on December 24th. The session at its last meeting revisited the issue of security during the Sunday morning worship hour. During the past several months, we have been locking the back door prior to beginning the service. A sign on that door directs late comers to come to the front entrance. We also had a panic bar installed on the sanctuary front door, so that if locked, people on the inside can always get out by pushing on the bar. Now we have decided to have the usher lock the front door after the Sharing of the Peace of Christ, which would normally be about 10:45. Ushers may stay in the area for a few more minutes if they are able, in case there is someone coming after that. This is being done on a trial basis. We appreciate your feedback. If you know that you might be coming in later than 10:45, please let someone in the church know and we will see that the door remains open for you. John Heinsohn 1755 S. Delaware Drive Mt. Bethel, PA (570) cpcmbp@gmail.com Website: mtbethelresbyterian.org Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Sept. 9, 2018 June 2, :30 a.m. June 9th Sept. 8, 2019 Bible Study: 9:15 am Holy Communion: 1 st Sunday of the Month Christmas Eve Service: 9:30 p.m. Session Members: Jonathan Rush Clerk Bonnie Pearce Lillian Williams Laura Bocko Suzy Armstrong

2 Deacon of the month is Deb Llewellyn Please remember to bring your donation of a non-perishable food item for PUMP on 12/2 Hope Correll 12/2 Marion Pearce 12/6 Mitch Brown 12/16 Jacob Seas 12/23 Tim Thiel Initial prayer requests are to be made to Heather Delp, Prayer Chain leader. Heather s contact info is: (610) (c) (610) (h) heather.delp@gmail.com Community Presbyterian Women will meet Thursday, December 6th (instead of December 4th,) at 10 am in the choir room. Lisa Williams will give a talk on their recent medical mission trip to Tanzania, Africa in October. All are invited to attend. Shirley Sharpe -Whitestone Care Center, Stroudsburg, Jim DeMartino -Brakeley Park Center, Phillipsburg. Our Annual Advent Luncheon will be held on Sunday, December 9th immediately following worship. Recovering at home: Lisa Sandt,

3 Celebrating our veterans on Sunday, November 4th - They are from left to right: Elwood Seas-United States Navy, Mike Feeney-United States Army, Jonathan Rush-United States Air Force, and Joe Courtright-United States Coast Guard (not pictured) Thanks for your service! Rev. Jenny and our children saying a prayer for the children who will receive gift boxes (Operation Christmas Child a program of Samaritan s Purse) sponsored by Women of CPC. Thank you!

4 Community Presbyterian Church of Mt. Bethel and Portland is seeking a part-time organist for immediate employment to lead the congregation with music for Sunday worship. Must be a proficient pianist and organist; familiar with standard church music repertory and have an ability to select both service and choral music for use in services. Please submit your letter of intent with your resume to Rev. John H. Heinsohn, 1755 S. Delaware Drive, Mt. Bethel, PA or to: cpcmbp@gmail.com.

5 THOUGHTS TO PONDER ABOUT CHRISTMAS BY IVANA TAYLOR Whether you celebrate the day or not, it s funny how this time of year highlights a feeling or state of mind; one of reflection, gratitude and goodwill. In that spirit, here are a few quotes and thoughts to ponder on this day. Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Calvin Coolidge He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. Roy L. Smith Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn t come from a store. Dr. Seuss The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. George Carlin Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Norman Vincent Peale Christmas is the season when you buy this year s gifts with next year s money. Author Unknown Love the giver more than the gift. Brigham Young I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? G.K. Chesterton A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, But softly gives itself away. Eva Logue May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! Author Unknown No matter how you spend these last few days of the year may they be filled with joy, health and happiness!