The Spire. From the Pastor. Every Sunday Table Talk 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM Connect 11:15 AM. The Spire Content. August 2017

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1 The Spire From the Pastor August 2017 First Presbyterian Church 169 W. College Street P.O. Box 446 Waynesburg, PA Phone: Fax: firstpreswbg.com Every Sunday Table Talk 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM Connect 11:15 AM The Spire Content Page 1: From the Pastor Page 2: From the Pastor Continued Discipleship & Fellowship Summer Sermon Series Ministry to University Students GROW Hour Page 3: Discipleship & Fellowship Fall Events Page 4: Music & Children s Ministry Pathways Music Ensemble Page 5: Calendar Page 6: Crossroads Youth Ministry Page 7: Helpers & Birthdays During the first week of July, my wife and I had the blessing of seeing our daughter and son-in-law in Ireland. One of our evenings was spent in a local pub, packed with people from America, countries in Europe, and of course Ireland. In the chatter could be heard snatches of Spanish, English, French, German, and various Eastern European nations. The local musicians playing for the evening soon began to arrive, unpacking their instruments and ordering their Guinness. There were five of them, and I was amused to see that two were from China. Mandolins, Violins, and Uilleann pipes were tuned and the music began. As I sat there with my wife and kids, in the midst of all the different nationalities, hearing tunes played by those of different ethnicities, I couldn t help but think of heaven. (Not that heaven is a pub, even though Brigit, one of the patron saints of Ireland, declared that beer is a heavenly drink!) Rather, it is that one day, men, women, and children from every people group who have trusted Jesus will be gathered around the throne of God worshipping and celebrating his holiness and mercy. In Revelation 7, the apostle John is given a vision of what that will look and sound like: 9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! That vision is the culmination of God s plan to call people from all nations to know and love him. The local church is the voice of that call to others, whether across the street or the world. It is why God brings us from darkness into his light, calling us to move right towards him as we reach left to share with others the good news of Christ. ` See you Sunday! Bill

2 From the Pastor (Continued) Pastor Bill Sukolsky People You Should Know : Summer Sermon Series Through July, Juan and I introduced the congregation to People You Should Know : the Old Testament prophets Joel, Obadiah, Joel, Habakkuk, and Nahum. We are continuing those introductions in August; since their wisdom and faith instructed Jesus and the early church, then we need to learn from them as well.. You can get to know them better by being present at morning worship each week, and by coming prepared through: Reading their brief books prior to Sunday morning ( at most, 4 chapters in length). Watching the 5 to 8 minute long Bible Project video introduction for their book. Praying for the Holy Spirit to increase our understanding and obedience. Discipleship & Fellowship Here is the August Schedule, with a link to the Bible Project s videos at Aug. 6 Zephaniah Aug.13 Haggai Aug.20 Malachi by Becky Juliano Ministry to University Students This article was in the August Spire last year but I thought it was worth repeating. Please read (or re-read) this article and prayerfully consider how you can reach to the left by caring for a university student. Our church is situated just beyond the Waynesburg University campus. Many students attend Sunday worship and/or Wednesday dinners. We, as a church, and you, as an individual or family, have a great opportunity to impact a student at a critical point in their life. The students at Waynesburg University are part of our community for much of the year. They need people to surround them and love them and point them toward Christ. Little, faithful actions have the potential to bear much fruit in their lives. There are a variety of ways to be involved in the lives of these students. Here are a few ideas Pray for them. Pray for them in general. As you greet some of them on Sunday morning during the Passing of the Peace or before or after the service, ask them for their name and pray for them by name. I would even encourage you to ask them if they have a prayer request and pray for that specific thing throughout the week. Show up for the Wednesday dinner at the church and eat a meal with them. They really do enjoy getting to know people of different generations. Ask them about their highlight of their week. It s an easy conversation starter. Serve behind the scenes. We are always in need of help in the kitchen for Wednesday dinners. No cooking expertise is needed. An extra hand to help prep or serve food or clean up and wash dishes is needed. Invite a couple students to have lunch with you after Sunday worship. It can be even easier when lunch is served downstairs on Sunday morning! Offer to let them use your washer and dryer to do laundry. They have to pay to do laundry on campus so free laundry can be enticing and they may enjoy having a quite place to study or relax while their clothes are being washed. Or they may enjoy playing with your kids for a little bit (and that would be win-win for you as a parent as well)! Bake cookies or other snacks and give it to a student on a Sunday morning and just say, Thanks for worshipping with us this morning! There are many other ways you can connect, so pick one and try it! Many of these ideas don t take any more of your time, they just require you to be a little more intentional about seeing who is around you. Adopt or serve a student this year and you won t regret it!

3 Discipleship & Fellowship by Becky Juliano Fall Kick Off Wednesday, September 6 th at 5:30 PM Dinner will be served outside (weather permitting). There will be opportunities to enjoy good conversations and a meal together and hear a little bit about what s happening at the church throughout the fall. We would appreciate your help to make this event a success. Take a look at the list below and let me know where you would like to be involved! You can sign up to help by ing me at beckyannjuliano@gmail.com or calling the church office. Here are some of the jobs we need help with: Table and chair set up Food preparation Food service Welcome team Kitchen clean up Table and chair tear down Provide a dessert Also, Tomē will be kicking off Pathways for the elementary school kids before the meal with an exciting VBS follow-up event that will start after school. If you missed VBS this year, the MakerFest is a great way to experience some of the fun. If you were at VBS, it will add to the learning and fun that was already had. Parents are welcome to take part in the MakerFest but it is not required. G.R.O.W. Classes Table Talk will continue through the summer. Anyone is welcome to come. We start at 9 AM and conclude by 9:45 AM. Childcare will not be provided. Also, there is no children s G.R.O.W. classes throughout the summer. Our last Sunday of Table Talk for the summer will be September 3 rd. On September 10 th we will begin a new 6-week curriculum for the fall. First Day, Parents Pray Come to the church after dropping your kids (or grandkids) off at school on their first day. We ll have Starbucks coffee brewing and some light refreshments available starting at 8 AM. After a brief time of chatting, we ll break up into smaller groups (5-8 people) and spend minutes praying with other parents and grandparents for our kids at school. We will conclude no later than 8:45 AM.

4 Music & Children s Ministry by Tomē Custer MakerFest Fall Pathways Kick-off Wednesday, September 6 3:15-5:15 PM Join us for our special fall festival, MakerFest, as we kick off Pathways for the school year. We'll be singing songs, having snacks, and being creative together! Pathways is for students in K-5 th grade. For registration forms, WCES busing forms, or more information, contact Tomē Custer, tomelodies@gmail.com MUSIC ENSEMBLE REHEARSALS BEGIN *Youth Choir (Pre-K - 8th) Sunday, September 10, 10:00 AM *Youth Handbell Choir Sunday September 10, immediately following Worship *Adult Handbell Choir Thursday, September 7, 6:00 PM

5 Every Sunday 9:00 am Table Talk 10:00 am Worship 11:15 am CONNECT Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :00 Fellowship Team 1 12:30 Worship Team :30 pm Deacons :30 pm Mission Team :30 pm Stewardship 6:45 pm Property 7:00 pm Session 2 5:00-6:30 pm Bible Study Crossroads :00-6:30 pm Bible Study Crossroads 3 10:00 am 12:00 Crossroads Hang Out 10:00 am 12:00 Pathways 10:00 am -12:00 & 6:30 to 8:30 pm Women s Bible Study 10:00 am 12:00 Pathways 10:00 am -12:00 & 6:30 to 8:30 pm Women s Bible Study 17 10:00 am 12:00 Crossroads Hang out 10:00 am -12:00 & 6:30 to 8:30 pm Women s Bible Study 5:45 pm (leave) Crossroads Pitts Pirates RSVP : Juan :00 pm Good Neighbor Dinner 6:00 pm Crossroads Bowling meet at First Pres :13-5:15 pm Pathways Kick off 5:30 pm Fall Kick off Picnic 7 6:00 Handbell Choir September 8 9 2:00 to 4:00 pm Crossroads Arts & Crafts RSVP: Juan 26 7:00-9:00 pm Crossroads Parent Mixer RSVP: Juan August 2017

6 Crossroads Youth Ministry I present to you our Crossroads August calendar! 1) Do not be overwhelmed! You don t need to be participate in everything. by Juan Gallo 2) We want to have fun, but we also want to get closer to God during this time. Summer vacation does not translate into vacation from God. Fellowship as God s children remains at the core of all of our activities. There are a few dates on the calendar that are for worship and Bible study and these are just as important as the times of fun and play. 3) Not all of these events are organized or coordinated by First Pres. As part of the Greene County Youth Network, we partner with some neighboring ministries, such other local churches, Communities that Care, and the Greater Waynesburg Christian Outreach. 4) Dates and times may change. Watch Facebook, Instagram, and . Thank you, and as always, contact me with any questions: Juan Gallo, Youth Director jsgallo19@gmail.com Crossroads Fall Kick Off September 10 6:00 8:30 PM Facebook: CrossroadsWaynesburg Instagram: Crossroadsyouthwbg

7 happy birthday to you! Casey Parsons, Jason Cowart, Edward Wagner, Jake Wilson, Brandon Brown, Daniel Calvario, Andrew Cowell, David Calcek, Drew McConville, Ryan McGrath Chera Baird Connie Teagarden Don Teagarden Lyrik Roberts Ruth Mitchell Ron Snyder Pray for the following service personnel: Pray for these friends and loved ones August Dates to Remember 1 Worship Team 2 Crossroads Bible Study (every other Wed. eve) 3 Crossroads Hangout 3 Pathways 3 Ladies Bible Study ( AM & PM) 7 Fellowship 10 Ladies Bible Study (AM & PM) 10 Pathways 15 Deacons Meeting 16 Crossroads Bible Study (every other Wed. eve) 17 Crossroads Hangout 17 Ladies Bible Study (AM & PM) 17 Crossroad Pittsburgh Pirates Faith Night 19 Crossroads Arts & Crafts 25 Good Neighbor Dinner 25 Crossroads Bowling 26 Crossroads Parent Mixer 29 Mission Team Meeting August Helpers Elva Dee Wilson Marie Simmons Mary Louise & John Rice Bill Thomas Jim Burns John Rice Mary Louise Rice August Birthdays 1 Justin Bedilion 3 Chole Moore Saryn Moore Linda Bell Ben T. McCracken 7 Joel Baily Joshua Baily Isaac Mertz 8 Clifford Coburn 10 Linda Moore Ben Maxwell 14 Jason Levine 16 Elissa McCracken 17 Tomē Custer Jessica Harrison 18 Karl Baily 19 Anthony Gitto Noah Giles 20 Cole Owen 22 Brenda Woods 23 Mark Oldham Erin Kline 26 Norma Bell 27 Brenden Omicioli 28 Melanie Braga Julia Triano McAllister Cramer 29 Jonathon Bortz 31 Mary Walker Ollie Fox We rejoice with Josh & Jess Sumpter on the birth of their daughter Anna Hamilton Born July 15, 2017 Nursery Helpers 6 Grace Kalsey 13 Rachel Calvario 20 Ethan Maxwell 27 Isaiah Baily Ushers Fred Zeth Beth Zeth Justin Bedilion Brad Wentzel Mitchell Wentzel The sympathy of the congregation is extended to: the Wray family on the death of Sue Wray. Sue passed away on July 11, the DeWeese family on the death of Dottie DeWeese. Dottie passed away on July 23, 2017.

8 First Presbyterian Church 169 West College St., P.O. Box 446 Waynesburg, PA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Summer is here and Connect, our weekly time of snacks and fellowship after morning worship continues. Our hope is that everyone will stop and gather for a short time to connect with each other or meet new people on Sunday mornings Connect happens outside on the front steps of the church, weather permitting. Plan on lingering for a bit to chat and get to know others at FPC. Also, I m looking for lots of people who would be willing to bring a snack to share. There will be several people bringing things each week, so don t worry about feeding the whole church. You can sign up by ing Becky(beckyannjuliano@gmail.com) or contacting the church office ( ).