Life at Unity. January 7, 2019

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1 Life at Unity January 7, 2019 PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY Since 1788 United in Christ s love, we glorify God through worship, nurture, and service to all people. Celebrating 230 Years of Mission and Ministry PRAYER CONCERNS Patsy White Pam Kay Greyson Gload Betty Kimbrell Millie Williams Bob Tuthill* Charlee Rae Gribble* Margaret Morgan* Libby Kern* Dee Rutter* Bob Lane* Billy Barron* In 2018, we collected 2,003 pounds of PB&J - that's just over one ton! We averaged 167 pounds/month, far exceeding our goal of 140 pounds/month. In the words of one of the Care Center workers, "We can always count on you Presbyterians!" Thank you for your generosity throughout the year. Our goal for 2019 is 175 pounds/month for a total of 2,100 pounds. Last Sunday we collected 232lbs! Please continue to bring jars of PB&J and place them in the bin in the Narthex. The Men's Ministry will deliver these to the Fort Mill Care Center. For additional information, call Larry Terrell at (803) FROM THE PASTOR... Although this note will be published on January 7, I write it on New Year s Eve I am in a reflective mood, both peering over my shoulder and squinting at the horizon. A month ago, no one would anticipate a fire s devastation altering our focus in calling a new pastor. That focus is unchanged and our timeline remains the same, but the path is complicated with additional concerns and new factors to consider. Here is my summary of where Unity Presbyterian Church stands as 2019 begins: Unity has completed its initial interim process and now awaits approval by Providence Presbytery of its Mission Study Report and permission to form a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). My expectation is that this approval and permission will be granted early in January, and that by February a PNC will be elected and beginning their work. Our Mission Coworkers Cindy Corell - Haiti Dori Hjalmarson - Honduras *Long Term Prayer Concern CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY is extended to Cindy Epps and family in the death of her mother, Dot Hollis, on December 11, 2018; to Kate Haynes and family in the death of her grandmother, Nancy Anderson, on December 14, 2018; and also to Jimmy Jones and family in the death of his sister-in-law, Sarah Ellen Jones, on December 30, Continued on back cover...

2 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION STAFF Kathryn McGregor Director of Christian Education (children and adults) Rev. Lindsay White Assoc. Pastor for Youth Ministries (youth grades 6-12) Melissa Dye Children in Worship Coordinator Linda Bunge Director of Unity Preschool Lauren Lochel Nursery Coordinator CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Make a New Years resolution to grow your faith. Join a Sunday school class SUNDAY SCHOOL: JAN 13 As a Child Room M206 Mark ADULTS Faith Connections Room M102 Renovate Fellowship Fellowship Hall Wisdom From The Early Church Holy Grounds Fellowship Hall Parlor Yes Lord, I Have Sinned Unity Room M210 Luke 3:15-17; CHILDREN WHAT WE VE BEEN UP TO PASSPORT KIDS DEADLINE IS THURSDAY Register now for PASSPORTkids! Camp Unity will take a group to PASSPORT kids! Camp at Montreat Conference Center June 30 - July 3, This fun-filled four day, three night camp is for children and youth who are currently in 3rd-6th grade. Kathryn McGregor and other Unity adult chaperones will travel with the group to Montreat for camp. We will stay in hotel style lodging at the conference center, where all of our meals will be eaten, except lunch on the trip there and back. The cost is $335, which includes the cost of lunch on the way home on Wednesday. A non-refundable registration deposit of $100 is due by January 9. Register online at 2

3 YOUTH SNOW TUBING All Middle School Youth are invited to a Snow Tubing trip on Saturday, January 26. We will travel together to Hawk s Nest Snow Tubing in Seven Devils, NC for two sessions of snow tubing, lunch, and lots of fun together. We will leave from the church at 9:00 am and return around 9:00 pm. The cost is $70 per person, and students should sign up using the link on the website. The deadline to sign up is January 13. CONFIRMATION Confirmation Class will be held in room M106 in the Youth Wing for the duration of the school year. It is the first room on the right. CONGRATULATIONS! We made it through the Year of the Bible! If you are not finished reading, keep going. We will plan to celebrate as a congregation during worship on January 27. CONNECTIONS YOUTH GROUP DINNER VOLUNTEERS Each time our Middle and High School Youth Groups meet on Sunday nights, we provide a simple meal for them. This is a perfect chance for anyone who wants to contribute to the wonderful youth ministry of our church, but doesn t necessarily want to be a Youth Advisor. Teams of adults or families can purchase or prepare a meal together; families can be reimbursed for all or part of the cost of a meal. Simply save the receipts and hand them in for reimbursement. We also need folks to help with set-up, clean-up, and money collection from 6:00-7:00 pm on Sundays. A signup genius can be found on our website and a printed sign-up sheet can be found outside the Narthex at the Youth Station. You are invited to the January 20th Connections Class! We will meet in M210 Hospitality Room in the Ministry Building at 10am. The Connections Class is designed for people new to our church who may be considering becoming members. This class will provide information about the congregation, opportunities for involvement, Spiritual growth and service, how to become a member, and other topics of interest and importance. It will also provide a great opportunity for you to meet members and staff. Please RSVP to Nancy Nutter at nnutter@unityfortmill.org LAST SUNDAY S ATTENDANCE 8:45 am :00 am Livestream

4 STAY IN TOUCH You already know about our newsletter, but did you know there are other ways to engage with Unity Presbyterian? WEBSITE: You can find all of the information about our church here, upcoming events, registration forms, and more. FUNDS FOR FIRE RECOVERY Many members have expressed a desire to make a financial contribution to help cover the costs that will be incurred as a result of the December 9th fire. We are still in the beginning stages of clean-up and assessment. Our losses have come in many forms and over the months ahead we will incur several types of expenses relating to buildings and items lost. Some will be reimbursed by insurance, some will not. Over the years the Stewardship ministry has designated funds in a General Operating Reserve Fund (GORF Account # ) for emergencies, which has avoided delays in getting the clean-up started. As we look ahead to restoration and replacement, amounts available in this fund can be used for any of the costs associated with our fire losses. Please designate GORF for fire-related donations. FACEBOOK: Unity Presbyterian Church has a Facebook page! Like us for inspirational quotes, Bible verses, event pictures, and interesting articles. GOOGLE+: Did you know the more reviews we have on Google, the faster our website is pulled up when someone is searching? Review us by googling Unity Fort Mill, just click the review button on the right hand side! HOLY LAND INTEREST MEETING RESCHEDULED Interested in a trip to the Holy Land in March 2020? There will be a short meeting on January 20 immediately after the 11:00 service in Room M210 to discuss possible plans for a group trip to the Holy Land in March Anyone who may have an interest in joining others from Unity on this trip is welcome to attend this meeting. Optional trip itineraries and costs, etc. will be discussed. If you are unable to attend the meeting on January 20, please contact Dan Rogers at to learn more about this trip. YELP: Help new people find us by rating us on the Yelp app! Share your stories there too. If you have any news, suggestions, or announcements, please contact commspecialist@unityfortmill.org WELCOME TO UNITY COFFEE A Welcome to Unity coffee will be held Sunday, January 13th at 10:00 am in the Hospitality Room, M201. This is a time for new folks and visitors to come together with members to learn more about Unity Presbyterian Church. You will hear about Unity and have an opportunity to ask questions. Follow the hallway to the right as you leave the Narthex. Room M201 will be on the left. You are welcome to join us! 4

5 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS The New Year begins with a new sermon series on the Decalogue, or what is commonly known as the Ten Commandments. Martin Luther wrote, Anyone who knows the Ten Commandments perfectly knows the entire Scriptures (from Luther s The Large Catechism). Having just completed the Year of the Bible reading, we can test our newly-gained knowledge with a summary of its meaning by studying the Ten Commandments! PRAYER CHAIN Do you know that there are two (2) ways to be added to Unity s Prayer Chain, or to ask for prayer for family, friends, or neighbors? requests to Dannie Vaughn (vaughndl@comporium.net) or call Jerry Brady ( ). In Hebrew, the Decalogue is known as the Ten Words with the term for commandments (mitzvot) being absent and not used in this context. In Judaism, the Torah (or Law composed of 613 commandments) are initiated with the Ten Words (Decalogue). The first use of the term Ten Commandments occurred in the Authorized (King James) Version published in 1611 and is presently a standard alternative to the term Decalogue [Decalogue comes from the Greek Septuagint or translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek; Decalogue means ten ( deca ) words ( logos )]. To prepare for the series, read the first 19 chapters of Exodus, as this sets the stage for the occasion in which the Ten Commandments are given to the children of Israel. ALL CHURCH READ KICK-OFF Save the date for our All-Church Read Kick-off on February 10. Lynne Baab, author of the book, Sabbath Keeping, will preach at both worship services that day and speak at the Kick-off Event to be held at 4:00 pm that afternoon. A SWEET THANK YOU ww.unityfortmill.org/live Unity Presbyterian Church, Thank you so much for thinking of our Telecommunications staff during the Christmas season! Your delivery of cookies was a sweet surprise. Often times, our staff is overlooked as being a true first responder, making your treat that much more appreciated. Happy New Year! The Department of Public Safety Communications 9-1-1, York County 5

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8 Unity Presbyterian Church 303 Tom Hall Street PO Box 1267 Fort Mill, SC JOIN US SUNDAY 8:45 a.m. Worship service 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship service FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Newsletter Info Deadline: Wednesday by 5:00 pm Return Service Requested UnityFortMill.org FROM THE PASTOR, CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER The fire of Dec 9 destroyed Unity Hall and has rendered the Historic Sanctuary unusable. Programs and ministries using these buildings are displaced and have relocated (or will be relocated). Displaced church programs will now share remaining and available spaces requiring flexibility, agility, and teamwork characterized by patience and grace! Because of thorough environmental recovery efforts initiated immediately after the fire, the Ministry Building was preserved from further damage. These steps included the removal of damaged flooring and ceiling tiles, drying out walls and storage areas to prevent rot and mold, treatment of indoor air that remediated smoke and odors and air pollutants, and cleaning of all surfaces. While flooring and ceilings await replacing, office areas and Sunday School rooms are available for use. Occasional disruption of those areas will occur as flooring and ceiling replacements are chosen and installed by the Building & Grounds Ministries Team. Prior to determining a recovery strategy for restoring or replacing buildings, the structural integrity of damaged property must be made. Funds available for restoration and/or replacement must be determined as well. Damage and adjustor assessments, along with insurance coverage payments, are still in process. Once these factors are clarified, Unity can begin its plans for facility recovery and development on the basis of its mission priorities. Already God s people are stepping up to provide assistance for Unity Presbyterian Church, and I am confident we will be fine in the days ahead! People from all over our nation have been in touch with staff to offer prayers and encouragement, assistance and monetary resources. A check for $5,000 was received from a Presbyterian couple wanting to help; a church librarian has offered assistance with our church library; a Mission Committee from a PCUSA church in SC is designating funds to assist in reestablishing our outreach ministries; a Methodist Church provided Children In Worship materials to cover the stories through Advent and a network of CIW patrons is replacing other lost Bible story materials; local congregations from Baptist and Presbyterian and Mormon churches and a Jewish synagogue have offered space and encouragement and prayers for our recovery. Many others are waiting to hear about specific needs and will step up when that time comes. We are truly blessed as we enter 2019, and I pray that you will join God s work and mission here as it unfolds in the days ahead! Grace and peace, Mark Mark E. Diehl Church Office Emergency Pastoral Line Senior Interim Pastor Mark E. Diehl Senior Associate Pastor Jeannie Bickett Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry Lindsay White