From The Pastor s Desk

Transcription

1 Gilbert Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) 235 East Guadalupe Road Gilbert, Arizona Tel: Fax: Web: WHAT IS INSIDE THIS ISSUE? From the Pastor s Desk... 1 Church Staff... 2 Clerk of Session Report... 2 Evangelism... 3 GPC by the Numbers... 4 Fundraiser... 4 Christmas 2017 Photos... 5 Christmas 2017 Photos Life Line Screening Christian Education...10 January Activities Calendar...11 January Celebrations...12 GPC Newsletter - January 2018 From The Pastor s Desk Dear Friends, Welcome to We will begin this new year with a worship service focusing on the coming of the wise men, bringing gifts to the Christ Child. This celebration is called The Epiphany (or Revealing) of the Lord. The arrival of the wise men from the East was a sign that Jesus was not just a savior of Israel, but of the world! We are ALL to be counted as chosen children of God. What is interesting is that the response of the wise men was to offer gifts in response to being invited to join this family of God s chosen ones. In response to being given a gift, they gave their gifts. They were not trying to buy this news king s favor. They were not trying to impress him with their generosity. They were responding to God s generosity by being generous themselves. That s a pretty good stewardship message, isn t it? (Our good friend, Eloise, is smiling right now!) On Saturday, January 20th you will be invited to bring your gifts to the table as we begin our Facility Upgrade Discernment Process. At our congregational meeting in October, you heard about the necessity of doing some fairly extensive upgrade work around the campus of GPC now that our mortgages had been paid off. And as a congregation you voted to begin a process both of prioritizing what needs to be done and then deciding how the projects will be paid for. You are invited to a gathering from 9:00 until 2:00 on Saturday the 20th where you will be invited to walk around the campus with session members in small groups to take a look at what needs to be done. You may even notice some things that have been overlooked. After the walk-about, we will gather in small groups to talk about what you have seen and brainstorm how to move forward. This process is designed to get as many people involved as we can so that this truly is YOUR project. Your opinion, your voice is important and valued. They are the gifts you bring to this community we call Gilbert Presbyterian Church. So mark January 20th from 9:00 2:00 on your calendar. Lunch and childcare will be provide as well as assistance getting around on the walk about if mobility is an issue for you. I look forward to seeing you on the 20th. Until then be looking for more details in the weeks ahead. In Christ, Pastor Terry GPC Crossroads 1 January 2018

2 CHURCH STAFF Pastor... Rev. Dr. Theron J. Palmer Pastor for Youth & Family Ministries... Rev. Jen Fraser Admin. Assistant... Maggie Castellani Director - Chancel Choir...Jan Palmer Director - Joyful Ringers...Jennifer Nagy Director - Chapel Orchestra...Jan Palmer Director - Youth Choir...Susan Martinez Pianist/Organist...Susan Martinez Director - Children s Bell Choir... Web Master... Paul Ihms WORSHIP - 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. SUNDAY SCHOOL - 10:00 a.m. Office Hours...9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday CHURCH OFFICERs SESSION Kevin Bauerle, Ann Bernal, Gaill Blackburn, Mike Gallagher, David Martinez, John Paterson, David Peterson, John Stover, Judy Sullivan, Judy Walmsley, Cheryl Williams. Rochelle Mackey, Clerk of Session Board of Deacons Dan Bernal, Bret Blackburn, Carole Blake, Stacey Bruno, Lynn Clapper, Lisa Ewoldt, Ginny Goodbar, Liz Hansen, David Nape, Cheri Peterson, Tom Russell, Angela Stover, Mary Sumner, Betty Walford, Mary Ann Wilkie. GPC Session meets monthly on the 3 rd Tuesday Board of Deacons meets monthly on the 1 st Thursday Standing Committees: Building & Grounds, Education, Evangelism, Finance, Mission, Nominating, Personnel, Stewardship and Worship. The Crossroads is published monthly; deadline is the 20 th of the month before publication. News and information to be included may be submitted to the church office in hard copy, or as attachments to: azgpc1@aol.com Readers comments, ideas & suggestions are welcome. Editor: Tanja Bauerle Proof Readers: Gaill Blackburn, Carole Blake & Judy Sullivan; Production & Circulation: Carole Blake; Layout & Design: Tanja Bauerle Clerk of Session Report Session wraps up 2017, gets ready, organized for operations in 2018 V Committee assignments, communion dates and election of a Treasurer were part of the business covered by the GPC session when it met December 19 for its last Stated Meeting of V John Paterson was elected Treasurer, filling the position held by Carole Blake who retired on December 31. V Committee assignments are: Christian Education Judy Sullivan, Thomas Lemmé and Kevin Bauerle; Buildings and Grounds Mike Gallagher and Dave Peterson; Evangelism Gaill Blackburn and Judy Sullivan; Finance Kevin Bauerle, John Paterson and John Stover; Mission Ann Bernal and Mike Gallagher; Personnel Ann Bernal, John Paterson and Cheryl Williams; Stewardship David Martinez and Judy Walmsley; Worship Cheryl Williams, Gaill Blackburn and John Stover. V Communion dates follow the pattern of previous years with the sacrament regularly served on the first Sunday each month. Additional dates that follow the Presbyterian Liturgical Calendar in 2018 are: February 14, Ash Wednesday; March 24, Palm Sunday; March 29, Maundy Thursday; April 1, Son-Rise Service; May 20, Pentecost; November 25, Christ the King Sunday; and Christmas Eve second service. V The financial report acknowledged that we are behind on mission pledge. V After a final review, the GPC Budget for 2018 was approved. V The personnel change in the GPC office is going well, although procedures for handling phones when the new administrative assistant is out of the office are under review. V An update on the Facilities Upgrade Discernment Project (FUD) was provided by Pastor Jen Fraser. Important dates for participation by the congregation are January 20 and February 3 when session will meet with small groups. They will discuss suggested upgrades as well as ways to fund them. These meetings will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include lunch and childcare. V Seven members were moved from the Active to the Inactive Roll. They are Heidi Carpenter-Sherman, Sherry Gamble, Jason Hall, Tara Hall, Ryleigh Hall, Susan Lucas and Kaylin Lucas. V A Called Meeting of the session was approved for January 7, 2018, following first service, to approve the Annual Statistical Report which will be sent to the Office of the General Assembly, PC(USA). V The first Stated Meeting of 2018 is January 16. Anyone wishing to address the session should contact the Moderator, Pastor Terry Palmer, for time on the docket. Rochelle Mackey - Clerk of Session GPC Crossroads 2 January 2018

3 GPC GPC Crossroads 3 December January

4 GPC by the Numbers December Attendance Report Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Average Average Total Total treasurer S Report Treasurer s Report as of November 30, 2017: Account Balances: Operating: Cap One Savings: Associate Pastor Fund: Nov 30, 2017 $7,180 $29,407 $0 Total Income received in November: $25,579 Total Expenses* for November: $24,227 *Includes loans, utilities, payroll, Presbytery pledges, etc. Breakdown of Giving in November: Amount Unrestricted Giving Sunday Offering... $19,823 Facility Use...$1,575 Restricted Giving Cash Reserve...$3,070 Mission...$231 Deacons...$135 Buildings & Grounds... $10 Per Capita...$170 PW Thank Offering...$565 DINE OUT & SUPPORT GPC Floridino's Pizza & Pasta 50 E Guadalupe Rd #107 Gilbert, AZ Northeast Corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe Roads Dimi from Floridino s has agreed to donate 15% of food purchases to GPC. Please turn in your food receipts (the large receipt, not credit card receipt) to: Carole in the Office. This is an ongoing event. Please pass this on to Friends and Family. Have your meeting, bible study or happy hour at Floridino s and help support a Gilbert Business and GPC. As you can tell by the figures above, we are still spending more than we take in. We are four months behind in our Mission Pledge to the Presbytery and 2 months behind in our Per Capita payment. Further information about church finances may be obtained through the Finance Committee, Kevin Bauerle - chair. GPC Crossroads 4 January 2018

5 2017 Christmas Services GPC Crossroads 5 January 2018

6 2017 Christmas Services GPC Crossroads 6 January 2018

7 2017 Christmas Services GPC Crossroads 7 January 2018

8 GPC Crossroads 8 January 2018 GPC Crossroads 8 January 2018

9 GPC Crossroads 9 January 2018 GPC Crossroads 9 January 2018

10 TruthSeekers Workshops: Christian Education 10 a.m. Sunday Programs at GPC 1. News for TruthSeekers program: (PreK to 5/6th Grade) We loved the GPC children s involvement with the Nativity presentation at our annual Christmas program! (where we learned that S stands for the Star AND Sheep!) Now we are excited for our new curriculum (Living the Word by Spirit & Truth publishers) beginning in January during our 10 am Sunday program for the GPC TruthSeekers group (PreK to Elementary students)!... This new curriculum, Living the Word: Teaching God s Story, is a series of full-year faith formation materials, teaching the story of God s love in the Bible from creation through the early church. The Scripture readings for the lessons are correlated with the readings that will be followed in the worship services. Children will connect to God s message from the Bible through Bible activities, games, puppet shows, service projects, etc.! There is a family/home devotional resource that can be used for family devotions at home. Our teachers for GPC TruthSeekers Sunday School 2018 are: Tanja Bauerle, Britney Blackburn, Linda Gibbons, Denise Jones, and David Nape. If you have an interest to help out with this age group, please contact Rev. Jen Fraser. Britney Blackburn will begin coordinating our Sunday School teaching schedule and helping with needs such as monitoring supplies. 2. News for GPC Presbyterian Youth Connection group: (Mid/Jr. & Sr. Highs) Rev. Jen Fraser will be leading this group into a New Year study of Christian hymns and music. Who were the composers and what are the meanings behind the lyrics, and how can we apply this knowledge to our own lives today? Youth Group will also be involved with new events into the new year. 3. News for Adult Bible Studies: Several adult Bible study classes are available during the 10 a.m. hour. on Sundays. (details through Petersons/Zublers & Pastor Terry s classes) Wednesday Bible Study and the Women s Group/Bible Study (1 Saturday/month) also meet at GPC. GPC Crossroads 10 January 2018

11 January Monthly Planner GPC Crossroads 11 January 2018

12 Gilbert Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) 235 East Guadalupe Road Gilbert, Arizona Tel: Fax: Web: ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED / DATED MATERIAL Remember It is never too late to send in your PLEDGE. Please help support the work of the larger church through Per Capita giving - $34 per member. Thank you! Birthdays: 1 Joyce Carran 1 Susan Martinez 2 Dylan Nape 3 Linda Savarese 4 Raewynn Bales 5 Carl Hansen 9 Tyler Lynch 9 Ethan Nasiff 11 Susan Lucas 14 Liantsoa Andriananjason 15 Roy Martin 15 Naomi Pajarit 20 Jessica Brooks 20 Linda Gibbons 24 Bernie Bolander January Celebrations 26 Ben Bales 27 Caralee Howlett 29 Debbie André Anniversaries: 2 Brian and Margaret Hansche 6 Patrick and Rita Brooks 10 Tim and Sheree Swanson GPC Crossroads 12 January 2018