S p r e a d i n g B r a n c h e s

Transcription

1 S p r e a d i n g B r a n c h e s The Newsletter of Lansdale Presbyterian Church 450 Oak Park Road (215) I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me bears much fruit... John 15:5 January 2018 Vision Update January 2018 As we enter a new year, and make our plans for the days and months ahead, it is good to remind ourselves of the past goodness of God, his promises for the future, and to remember as well our calling in this world as his people. Frequently in the psalms the psalm writers will remember the things that God has done in the past his mercy, his provision, and his protection. This recollection of the past becomes a source of encouragement in the present and hope for the future. The belief is that God will continue to be gracious, continue to help, and continue to save just as he did in generations past. The calling that we have, then, is to believe this God, to patiently wait for him, and to obey his commands. Wherever God may lead us, and whatever the circumstances he gives to us, we can be confident that he will never change, and that he will always be faithful to bring to pass what he has promised. It is in light of this that we at LPC move forward with our vision of gathering a community to live for Christ. This is our vision as a church because we believe it is the calling that Jesus has given to us. And along with his calling to go and make disciples he has also given his promise that he will be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). In other words, we can be confident that we have all that we need to fulfill the divine call. I, for one, am grateful for this promise, because the calling that Jesus has given to us is a daunting one. We live in a world that is hostile toward the Lord and his Anointed One (Psalm 2), whether that hostility comes from a false religion, or from the growing secularism of our society. The thought of going out into that world to call people to faith in Christ is threatening, and can generate fear. What will people think of me? What will they say? Will they become angry or offended? Will they mock and talk behind my back? Jesus warned us that we would face rejection because of him. So he knew that the calling he gave to us was not an easy one. But when I remember that the God for whom nothing is impossible is with me, I become emboldened. I can be faithful because the God whom I serve is faithful. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18). God s community his kingdom will be established. But even apart from going out to make and gather in disciples, just the calling to live in this world as a distinctive community that is living for Christ has its challenges. Living for Jesus means that we are to love him and to love others more than we love ourselves. This humble, self-forgetful, servant-minded attitude is not natural to our still sinful hearts. But more than that, it is so different from the self-promoting ways of the world, which so easily influence and can lure us away from our calling to be like Christ, who put us before himself and gave himself for us. But here too we have his promise to never leave us. Though the lure and the pressure from the world is great, the Spirit whom Jesus gives to us is greater. Despite the inward and outward forces that would undo it, God will have his holy community living for his glory under the benevolent rule of his Son. So as we look toward fulfilling our church vision in 2018, let us remember what God has done for his people over the ages, especially what he has done through Christ. And let us remember his promise to be with us and to continue his work today, tomorrow, and for as many years until the Lord returns. Press on with confidence and expectation to be that community that is both gathering and living for the one who has loved us and who has called us. 1

2 LPC BUILDING PROJECT Update #3 As I am sure you have observed, our building continues to grow and is beginning to look more like the drawings which are displayed in the lobby you might need to squint a little to see it at this point, but I know if you do you ll be able to see what s soon to appear in full form. Work continues generally on schedule and on budget. Some work tasks have slipped a bit due to weather, others that were not affected by the weather have been brought forward. Similarly, as we continue to refine the details of the plan, some costs have risen, while others have decreased. By God s grace, all is going well. The new addition is now watertight, so weather will now be less of a factor as work transitions to interior tasks. The church office has moved to its temporary location to facilitate accomplishing those tasks. Here is what you can expect to see over the next few weeks: - Final work on the roof, particularly in the center section, should be completed before the end of the year. This includes setting the new carport roof. - Concrete floors in the new nursery area and in the new office areas will be poured shortly after Christmas. Concrete in the center section will follow soon after the outer sections are finished. - Exterior windows along the front of the building will be installed in the second week of January. - The interior wall in the old office area will be demolished in mid-january so that framing of the new offices can be completed. - What you may not see, but which will be worked on during January, is the rough-in of plumbing, sprinkler, HVAC and electrical systems throughout the new addition. Please continue to remain patient with the turmoil that comes with such an effort. And continue to pray for the success of the project, that it will be done safely and efficiently, and that it will ultimately help us to further God s kingdom here at LPC. - John Prall HARVEST HOME RECAP Harvest Home was once again a success this year! Due to the generosity of our congregation, the Deacons were able to provide gifts to 24 families at Thanksgiving. Some of these families were members of LPC; others were those that had been brought to the attention of the Deacons as having a need. Some families were provided with a monetary gift; others were provided with a food basket in addition to some money. The food baskets were put together to provide the fixings for a good Thanksgiving meal, and included a turkey, potatoes & gravy, vegetables, and homemade pies, as well as other foodstuffs that could be used over the days and weeks to come. All were very grateful for the gifts provided to them. This could not be done without your support, and the Deacons sincerely thank you for all that you entrusted to us. 2

3 Save the Date! Sunday, February 4, 2018 Annual Congregational Meeting and All Church Luncheon Luncheon follows the 10:30 am Worship Service Congregational meeting: 1:00 pm No evening groups or meetings Watch the Sunday bulletin for details. Food From the Heart Dinner * Date: December 31, 2017 Number of Guests: 39 Menu: Cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, tossed salad, roll and butter, chicken parmesan, ravioli, chocolate and vanilla cake Guests: 39 Head Chefs: Tom Greene and Rich Frattarelli Speaker: Phil Mooney Topic: Philippians 3 - Press On Piano: Micah Mooney Carols: Mooney Family, Young people *Food From the Heart dinners are the last Sunday of each month at 1 pm. Seniors Living in Christ (SLIC) December Christmas Party On Wednesday, December 6 th, twenty seniors met at the beautifully decorated home of Dave and Nancy Brewer for their annual Christmas luncheon. Everyone contributed to the delicious meal of ham, side dishes, rolls, and scrumptious desserts. Following dinner, Carole Pletscher, who had given each of us a list of "Christmas" questions to answer, then read a humorous fictional story about the Brewers. Next, she read another version and each person, in turn, read their corresponding answers which turned out to be very funny. We had our annual Pollyanna swap which everyone enjoyed. This year's favorite gifts traded most often were bags of Asher's chocolate covered pretzels. Dave Brewer presented a Christmas devotion which pointed out that the nativity of Christ is just part of God s redemption plan and many people in the world miss that. We thank Dave and Nancy for their gracious hospitality in opening up their home. Seniors Living In Christ will not meet again until March 21, 2018, for Everybody s Birthday. We wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year, and we hope to see all seniors next year. Ladies Save the date! Women s Ministry Spring Retreat Friday, April 20 Sunday, April 22 At the Chateau Resort & Conference Center Tannersville, PA Speaker: Courtney Doctor This is the retreat with our local presbytery 3

4 Save the date! March 18, 2018 Missions Sunday with Jon & Tracy Eide A WEAK CHURCH AND A STRONG PROMISE March 18, 2018 is Missions Sunday at LPC. At this year s conference we will hear from Mission to the World (MTW) missionaries Jon and Tracy Eide. Jon and Tracy responded to God's call to serve the Church overseas, and in 1997 joined MTW to work in the Ukraine. Despite an environment of great political unrest and uncertainty, they successfully planted churches in the cities of Nikolaev and Kyiv and have rejoiced in seeing these bodies grow in both numbers and faith. Currently on Home Ministry Assignment here in Pennsylvania, the Eides will present A Weak Church and a Strong Promise based on 1 Corinthians 12: Annual Reports 2017 Annual reports for January - December 2017 are due to Lori Davis no later than Tuesday, January 16, This will allow time to print and have them available to the congregation prior to the congregational meeting scheduled for Sunday, February 4, Men s breakfast Saturday, January 6, :30 am At Henning s Market Year-end Giving Statements The 2017 statements will be available early in January for your review and tax purposes. Please review your statements right away. If you have any questions or find discrepancies, please direct your questions to Bob Wunderlich, Treasurer, or Sue Hathaway, Bookkeeper. Offering Envelopes are the method the Deacons have for keeping records of your gifts and tithes. Each year you receive a statement for your tax purposes (acceptable by the IRS) from the records kept from your envelope giving. If you would like envelopes and do not have them, please contact Sue Hathaway in the church office: sue@lansdalepres.org or call #(215) , ext. 21. Did You Know? Sermon recordings are available on our web site: You can listen each Sunday to Engaging the Gospel, a previously recorded LPC sermon, At 8:30 am on 1440 AM 4

5 January Schedule Greeters: 7 Larry & Sue Snell 14 Rick & Lori Davis 21 Dean & Cindy Miller 28 Craig & Anita Schwartz Ushers: Paul Koehrsen, Sparky Brumbaugh, Tom Keane III, Bob Wunderlich Counters: 7,14 Dennis Nice, Sparky & Carla Brumbaugh 21 Dennis & Carol Nice, Dottie Finn 28 Dennis & Carol Nice, Dottie Finn, John Prall (refresher) Thank you to the many volunteers serving this month! Winter Weather Alert System The church has an automated system to contact members and friends about weather related schedule changes. There are two ways to sign up: 1. Simply text the word: snow to (215) You will receive a link to provide your name, , and mobile number. 2. Sign up on your connection card - just write the words: Weather Alert and make sure your name, , and mobile number are on the card. You will automatically receive text and alerts with the relevant details for any weather-related schedule changes. (Note: If you signed up last year, you do not need to sign up again.) Cancellations In case of inclement weather and there is question as to whether services will be cancelled or modified, announcements will be sent by text and , (see above for sign up information) OR you can call the church at #(215) and listen for updates. 5

6 COMING EVENTS: 1 New Year s Day 3 6:00 am Men s Ministry (weekly) 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal (weekly) 7:30 pm Band Rehearsal (weekly) 4 6:30 pm Session meeting 7:00 pm Ladies Bible Study (weekly) 6 7:30 am Men s Breakfast at Henning s Market 7 9:15 am Christian Education (weekly) 10:30 am Worship Service (weekly) - Deacons Report/Offering 5:30 pm Youth Group (weekly) 5:30 pm Small Groups (weekly) 8 7:00 pm MOPS ministry 7:00 pm Deacons Panning Team meeting 11 9:00 am Ladies Bible study (weekly) 12 10:30 am Small Group (weekly) 14 2:00 pm Meadowood Ministry 15 7:00 pm Full Board of Deacons meeting 17 6:30 pm MOPS Leadership meeting 19 3:30 pm MOPS play date (LPC) 21 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 5:30 pm Children s Ministry 22 7:00 pm Men s Ministry 23 7:00 pm Finance Committee meeting Young Adult Retreat 28 1:00 pm Food From the Heart Dinner 4 Paul Koehrsen 5 Phil Mooney 7 Betsy Falk 9 Lillian Hathaway 11 Larry Snell 13 Darla Mooney 15 Fred Schwartz 20 Sunie Eom 27 Michele Wunderlich 30 Bill Jones Hugh Wessel (MTW) 31 Jessie Bard 18 JJ & Theresa Zeller 26 Rob & Lynn Hand If your birthday or anniversary does not appear on our list or if there has been an error, please contact the church office. Thank you. 6