The View A DAY OF COMMITMENT FEBRUARY 2018

Transcription

1 The View Volume XV Issue II A DAY OF COMMITMENT First Presbyterian Church 147 N. Main St. Cleveland, GA Pastor: Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley glbagley@mindspring.com Office: info@fpccleveland.org Prayer Request info@fpccleveland.org Website: Newly elected First Presbyterian Church Elders Jean Kelly (Communications), Becky Clark (Worship), Nanette Baughman (Missions) and DeWayne Nix (Congregational Care) and Deacons Kim Ciriello (Class of 2020), Tony Clark (Class of 2020) and Gail Rollin (Class of 2018) were installed on Sunday, January 7 by Gary Bagley, Moderator; Jim Hiers, Clerk of Session and the Congregation. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Pastor Page 2 By Jean Kelly New Members 3 PW Page 4 Calendar 5 Men of the Church 6 Mission Team News 7 The Growing Place 8 Birthdays 9 Session & Diaconate 10

2 Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley W ith February, comes the season of Lent and Valentine s Day. Actually this year, the beginning of Lent Ash Wednesday is February 14, Valentine s Day. Things are rarely as simple as they seem such as Valentine s Day. Is it a religious day we celebrate on February 14, or not? Well, yes and no. A St. Valentine did exist, but since there were three bishops named Valentine, doubt existed as to whom the 500 CE honor of Sainthood was given. And in 1969, St. Valentine was removed from the Catholic calendar of saints because of this uncertainty, though our culture continues the traditions that grew out of it. Geoffrey Chaucer of the late 14 th century known by some as the Father of English Literature is actually the person credited with beginning the development of this romantic holiday. His poem, The Parliament of Fowls, was written to honor two fifteen year-olds on the anniversary of their engagement King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. The poem offers the imagery of the blooming of Spring and the tradition that birds choose their mates at that time. 2 Valentine s Day, which is a secular holiday tied to something noble associated with a bishop named Valentine in the early Church, has developed into a tradition of honoring the romantic love that flows between two individuals and mutual appreciation and affection that can exist among friends. Most kids love the tradition of valentines. Romantic poems have been written for hundreds of years that make their way each year to February 14. One line I slightly modified, became a part of the wedding ceremony I wrote (and use) in the early days of my ministry: Loving is not just looking at each other, it is looking in the same direction, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The poet, Rumi, wrote: The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don t finally meet somewhere. They re in each other all along. One of my favorites is a Dr. Seuss quote: You know you re in love when you can t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. The great chapter on love, 1 Corinthians 13, often finds its place in weddings and romantic settings though it was never intended for such. Nothing wrong with it, of course. The Apostle s words were written for a specific community of believers that was like most churches a diverse group of people who struggle with that which all human beings struggle self-centeredness versus selflessness. As we near St. Valentine s Day this year, read this bit of poetry (1 Corinthians 13) among other timeless pieces. Try extending your love consciousness to those beyond your normal circle of appreciation and affection. Carefully, look others in the eye the stranger, the young woman behind the cash register at the grocery, the homeless man on the corner, and the myriad of people who celebrate life and love. Interesting that Lent comes to a close with Holy Week and with the words of Jesus Maundy Thursday s mandatum: By this others will know you are one of my followers that you have love for one another. Gary Our View Editor will be moving to the Elder of Administration. Thank you for your wisdom, guidance and direction as the View Editor BRUCE MORGAN

3 3 FPC WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS HANS AND ELAINE WEIGERT Sunday, January 7, First Presbyterian Church welcomed Hans and Elaine Weigert as new members. The couple lives between Alto and Lula in Banks County and relocated to the area from South Carolina to be closer to their daughter and 3 grandchildren who live in Buford. Hans and Elaine transferred from First Presbyterian Church of Simpsonville, S.C. Married in 1971, they met in Germany when Elaine was an Exchange Student staying with a family in the village of Michelbach and Hans lived nearby. Interestingly enough, they met at church. Both are retired Hans from a career as an Electrical Engineer; Elaine from teaching. They enjoy numerous hobbies and look forward to becoming part of our First Presbyterian Church family. By Jean Kelly New FPC Deacon Kim Ciriello (left) and Elder Jean Kelly (right) were ordained on Sunday, January 7 th By Jean Kelly In an inspiring and solemn ceremony which included Session members, Deacons and the Congregation, new Deacon Kim Ciriello and Elder Jean Kelly were ordained as part of the Installation of officers of First Presbyterian Church. Kim works for Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia. She has been married to David for 21 years and has two boys TC (20) and Zack (18). Originally from St. Petersburg, FL she and her family moved to the area in July of 2015 after 10 years of visiting the area yearly. Kim has chaperoned a Youth Mission trip to Charlotte. She has helped paint/decorate the bathrooms and several rooms in the church. She serves on the Communications Committee, Membership Committee and helps maintain the church website and Facebook page. If Kim has any spare time, she enjoys reading, turning items on the lathe and doing various other craft projects. Jean works for R-Ranch in the Mountains, in Dahlonega, GA and has three children and two grandchildren. Formerly of Clearwater, FL, she and her late husband, Kevin, relocated to the Cleveland area five years ago to open a family restaurant, The Mountain View Trading Post, with their son and daughter-in-law. Jean joined FPC last year and first attended a Service at our church on Christmas Eve 2015 at the invitation of Dale and Jan Williams-- friends and former neighbors. Jean participates in the choir and is an avid supporter of FPC activities. She looks forward to serving as Communications Elder for 2018, putting her Marketing experience to work. Jean, as the Communication Elder She will be the new Editor of The View.

4 4 Lunch Bunch will enjoy an outing to Fresco s restaurant in downtown Clarkesville on Thursday, Feb. 15 th. Please sign up in Narthex if you plan to attend. Movie Night PW CALENDAR January 31 - Coordinating Team Meeting for February - 3:30 p.m. February 8 - Women's Bible Study - 10:00 a.m. We will study Lesson 5, "In Community with the Tradition of the Past". Betty Royds will be the study leader, and Becky Clark will serve as hostess. Knit and Stitch - Wednesdays - 3:30 p.m. February 28 - Coordinating Team Meeting for March - 3:30 p.m. SAVE THE DATE: May 5 - Spring Retreat The feature will be the recent film, Let There Be Light. Friday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. is show time. Popcorn and beverages will be served. Lunch Bunch Does Taco Tuesday By Bruce Morgan Sixteen of our members enjoyed lunch at Big Daddy's in Cornelia and most had wonderful tacos at half price. It sure is nice to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ and share some time getting to know each other better. Look for future announcements for the next "Lunch Bunch" gathering.

5 First Presbyterian Church Cleveland February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 4 10 AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship SOUPER BOWL OF CARING SUNDAY AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship Session Meeting AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship :30 PM Lions Club 12 PM Rotary 6 PM PM Dinner & Meeting 7 PM Nar Anon :30 PM Lions Club 12 PM Rotary 7 PM Nar Anon 12 PM Rotary 7 PM Nar Anon PM Rotary 7 PM Nar Anon 7 3:30 PM Kids First 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir 14 ASH WEDNESDAY 3:30 PM Kids First 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:30 PM Ash Wed. Service 7:30 PM Choir VALENTINE DAY 21 3:30 PM Kids First 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir 28 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 3:30 PM Kids First 3:30 PM CT Meeting 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir 1 8 PM NA 8 10 AM PW Bible Study 12:30 PM Admin Meeting 8 PM NA PM Lunch Bunch 8 PM NA 22 8 PM NA 2 7 PM NA 9 9 AM 12 PM DFAC Meeting 7 PM NA 16 7 PM NA 23 7 PM Movie Night 7 PM NA

6 6 PRESBYTERIAN MEN By Bruce Morgan by Bruce Morgan The Presbyterian Men will hold their monthly dinner fellowship on Tuesday, February 6th at 6:00pm. We would love to have any of our adult men join in the Presbyterian Men as we enjoy our meals, Bible study and fellowship. We like to take outings that give us a chance to have new experiences and, as always, eat. Won't you plan to join us? ASH WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 14 Who says God doesn t have a sense of humor. Have you noticed on the calendar this year Ash Wednesday is on Valentine s Day and Easter falls on April Fools day. Not sure what this means in the grand scheme of things but it definitely has the potential to make for some interesting stories. Anyway, join us 2/14/18 for our own Ash Wednesday service at FPC? We will have a pancake supper at 5:30 with a Service of Ashes to follow at 6:30. Be a part of this first day of Lent service as we prepare for Easter. By Melody Thomason The ThingsI Learned in Sunday School What role does the Church play in your life? Here s one point of view using a simple analogy from everyday life. Some people use the Church like a refrigerator to preserve themselves as they already are. God wants the Church to be more like a toaster: heating up and moving us out into service! Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father. Thanks to Sally Kaltenbach for submitting this to The View

7 7 Mission Team And Education News Souper Bowl Sunday By Nanette Baughman Get ready, the big day is quickly approaching. Start collecting your change to make some noise on February. 4. All of your pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters (checks and greenbacks) will add up to a big win for the White County Food Pantry. So, don t just settle for a field goal, when you can make a touchdown! Help us help those on our community s home team as we Rock This House with the noise of coins going for this great cause. At the January session meeting the session: Received a thank you note from Habitat For Humanity for providing the church van and driver Jim Crawford to transport runners from the Hog Pen Hill Climb, Reviewed reports from committees, Planned for the Annual Congregational Meeting, Approved Debbie Wessely as Assistant Clerk of the Session, Approved the Financial report, Established the Pastor's Discretionary Fund, Approved the 2018 Budget for presentation to the congregation, Heard a report from the Policies and Procedures Task Force about and office changes, Elected two session members to serve on the Nominating Committee to be selected at the annual congregational meeting, Approved the position and selected a candidate to fill a part time Administrative Assistant, Approved the use of the fellowship hall by Life Line Screening on June 1, Approved a concert to raise funds for The Growing Place, Prayed for pastoral care concerns in the church family, Set the next meeting for February 18th. By Bruce Morgan A TIME TO TURN From Becky Clark An excerpt from the Companion to the Book of Common Worship (Geneva Press 2003, ) The Lenten journey from the ashes of death to resurrected life begins on the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, which signifies a time to turn around, to change directions, to repent. This first day of Lent reminds us that unless we are willing to die to our old selves, we cannot be raised to new life with Christ. The first step of this journey calls us to acknowledge and comfort our mortality, individually and corporately. In many traditions, this is symbolized through the imposition of ashes placing a cross on one s forehead. During the imposition of ashes the words: You are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19) are repeated again and again. We are to remember that we are but temporary creatures, always on the edge of death. On Ash Wednesday, we begin our Lenten trek through the desert toward Easter. Ashes on the forehead is a sign of our humanity and a reminder of our mortality. Lent is not a matter of being good, and wearing ashes is not to show off one s faith. The ashes are a reminder to us and our communities of our finite creatureliness. The ashes we wear on our Lenten journey symbolize the dust and broken debris of our lives as well as the reality that eventually each of us will die. Trusting in the accomplished fact of Christ s resurrection, however, we listen for the Word of God in the time-honored stories of the church s Lenten journey. We follow Jesus into the wilderness, resist temptation, fast, and proceed on the way to Jerusalem and the cross. Our Lenten journey is one of metanoia ( turning around ), of changing directions from self serving toward the self-giving way of the cross.

8 8 What's happening at The Growing Place? The Growing Place Preschool students returned from Christmas break on January 9th of this new year. Sadly, our numbers fell by four upon their return. One student moved away and three siblings switched to the Hall County Preschool and Head Start program. That is special program that evaluates children's abilities compared to their peers and determines if they need extra attention to get them to the level where they should be. We will miss our students but we know they will benefit from the longer school days and extra attention they will receive. As the weather has been either very cold or warmer but very rainy, the children have not had a chance to go outside since they ve returned. As always, Ms. Clair and Ms. Christy do an excellent job of keeping them occupied with songs, dancing, crafts and playing with the large selection of toys in the Preschool Room. The holidays are an exciting time but they can also be very chaotic for everyone children included! so it is a relief for the students to be back to school and back to their routine. It is a relief for the parents to be back to their routine as well! Our community is very blessed to have The Growing Place as a safe and nurturing environment for young minds to grow. As a Church, we are blessed to have the resources to provide this wonderful school experience! If you have a desire or feel called to help support this important cause, please make your donation payable to FPC with The Growing Place in the memo line or written on the outside of your envelope. Donations can be brought to the Church office or placed in the Sunday Worship offering. By Lindsey McGrath The Growing Place has Openings! Please help spread the word. Call for information.

9 FEBURARY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS February 6 - Abby McGrath February 8 - Rachael Romfo February 11 - Lindalee Walters February 12 - Dot Pardue February 16 - Bill Francis February 22 - Claista (Callie) Rades February 23 - Robert (Bob) Murdoch February 23 - Kyrsten Buote HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOD BLESS YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Please accept our apologies if we missed your birthday this month. Please notify the church office so we will remember next year. Thank You February 26 - Bruce Morgan February 27 - Natalie Leonard February 28 - Nanette Baughman FINANCIAL CORNER December Finances 2017 Financial synopsis December Year to Date Income for Operating Expenses: $21, $ 224, Operating Expenses: $18, $ 211, Net Operating Income for the month: $2, $ 13, At this writing the 2018 budget has not been presented to the Session for final approval. The final decision will be presented to the congregation at the annual meeting on January 28 following worship. Judy Winski A complete listing of the church s December financial documents is posted on the church office glass wall (by the office door). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

10 First Presbyterian Church 147 N. Main Street Cleveland, GA Phone: Fax: Website: Please submit any Prayer Request to 10 MARCH NEWSLETTER DEADLINE FEBRUARY 21TH Chairperson & Editor Jean Kelly Publisher Cookie Mathis Committee Members Judy Winski Bruce Morgan Kim Ciriello Bonnie Frost Dick Frost Jean Kelly NEW OFFICE HOURS TUESDAY FRIDAY 9 AM TO 1 PM The Session Jim Hiers, Clerk of the Session Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley, Moderator Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Jim Crawford Melody Thomason Nanette Baughman Building & Grounds Education Mission Jean Kelly Lindalee Walters Becky Clark Communications Membership Worship Bruce Morgan Judy Winski DeWayne Nix Administration Stewardship & Finance Congregational Care The Diaconate Don Mathis, Moderator Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Carolyn Brooks Betty Royds Kim Ciriello Don Mathis Betty Smith Tony Clark Gail Rollin Hugh Walters Rachel Romfo