January 6 Home by a Different Road... Rev. Stuart Taylor Epiphany of the Lord. We tell the ancient story of the wise men from the East.

Transcription

1 JANUARY WORSHIP THEMES: January 6 Home by a Different Road... Rev. Stuart Taylor Epiphany of the Lord. We tell the ancient story of the wise men from the East. January 13 Baptism of the Lord... Rev. Stuart Taylor As we relive the moment of Jesus baptism, we renew our baptismal vows. And in those waters we too hear the Divine Voice speaking: You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased. January 20 The Wedding at Cana... Rev. Stuart Taylor The season of Epiphany continues to unfold with this quirky story of Jesus as wine-maker. We may live in wine country but really, what possible significance could this have to our lives? New Elders will be ordained and installed. January 27 Jesus and Jubilee... Rev. Stuart Taylor The Gospel story in Luke 4 recounts the beginning of Jesus public ministry in his first sermon in the synagogue in Nazareth. If you want to know how the historical Jesus understood his ministry, listen in. Then again, we may not want to know.

2 TO THOSE WHO SHARE THE JOURNEY... Rev. Stuart Taylor Thanks to so many of you have written to tell me a little about your life, family and work. Please allow me to reciprocate by offering a sketch of my faith journey so that we can continue to get acquainted. I was born into a Presbyterian family in Greenville SC. My mother was the first woman to be ordained as an elder in our Presbytery and later our first woman moderator of Presbytery. My father was a real estate developer who created a subdivision in an old growth forest that preserved almost all of the forest eco-system. I am deeply grateful for the experience of growing up in one place and for being charter members of John Knox Presbyterian church. At my home church, the stories of faith were imprinted on my soul. During my high school years, I was swept up in the Jesus movement and started a Bible Study fellowship called Brothers and Sisters made up of my high school peers. I went to Wake Forest University as a religion major and there experienced an intellectual awakening. Philosophy, literature, poetry, systematic theology provided me with a new language to express and deepen my faith. I went to Princeton Seminary and the best thing that seminary gave me was a grounding in Biblical theology which has been my theological home ever since. My first call after seminary was as an associate pastor at 1 st Presbyterian in Athens, Georgia. I became very involved in the hunger action and peacemaking initiatives of the Presbyterian Church. Thanks to Presbyterian social teachings I began to follow the situation in Central America. Bishop Oscar Romero s assassination in El Salvador was a turning point in my life. Feeling a call to go to Central America, I left my position and enrolled in language school in Costa Rica. Later I joined Witness for Peace in Nicaragua as a long term volunteer serving as part of a permanent presence of US people of faith in the war zones of Nicaragua. Our mission was to be a nonviolent presence alongside the people; to document human rights abuses; and to facilitate delegations of church folk coming down for shorter visits. This experience was a 2 nd conversion. I re- discovered that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has implications for every aspect of human existence, the personal, the political and economic. I returned to the US and became a field organizer for Witness for Peace traveling all over the country organizing to stop the war. These efforts included education, non-violent direct action and congressional advocacy. I went on national staff of WFP as pastor and stateside coordinator of our Nicaragua team. I finished out this 10 year period by moving to Washington DC to collaborate with other educators I had met in the Central America solidarity movement. We were able to write a curriculum and then two books: St. Francis and the Foolishness of God. And Say to This Mountain: Mark s Story of Discipleship. This was a joyous period in my life. But I was haunted by the feeling that if I did not get back into parish ministry that door would be closed forever. In 1993 I applied for the position of co-pastor at St. Mark s in Tucson. With a 3 month old daughter, my then-wife Lisa and I moved to the SW and I jumped back into church ministry. St. Mark s is a remarkable congregation that taught me a great deal about preaching and teaching, about administration and worship. There have been incredible mission opportunities there including the faith community s response to the crisis on our border and the deaths in the desert. Throughout my ministry I have loved being a pastor, a preacher, a teacher and community organizer. I am so profoundly grateful for this new journey that we are undertaking together. Love and prayers, Stuart

3 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION... Peggy Dudley Come for a sparkling, special Epiphany Dinner which will end our Christmas celebration and begin our mission of spreading the Good News. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 9 th, at 6 pm for this dinner. Sign up in the narthex or call the church office for reservations by Tuesday, January 8 th at noon. Remember that there are two Adult Sunday School Classes every Sunday morning. After bringing your child to Sunday school for their Christian education, drop by one of these classes one in the Parlor led by Shelby O Toole and/or one down the hall in the 4 year old room led by John Prigmore. Examples we set for our children are so important. Congratulations to the children for their wonderful Christmas play. It was done so well everyone could hear every word. Your singing was beautifully done. The time you spent practicing paid off for all of us. Thank you, the children, Jane Riley, Mike Weddington, John Settle and all parents who assisted with the performance for enriching us by a job well done. Kirk Night Activities 6:00 p.m. Meal 6:30 p.m. Handbell Choir Rehearsal/Children s Choir Rehearsal/Kirk Kids/Youth/Prayer Group 7:30 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal Kirk Night Menus ($5 Adults, $3 Children, unless otherwise notified) January 9 Epiphany Dinner January 13 Mazinni s January 23 BBQ and Mac & Cheese January 30 Youth Fund Raiser Hot Dogs The Youth traveled to Samaritan s Purse Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Processing Center December 8 th where they worked hard preparing shoe boxes to ship all over the world. Our church was well represented by Annie and Cynthia Douglas, Grace Hanson, Julie Neumark, Rebecca and Tiffany Reece, and Jennifer Weddington while meeting other people from local churches. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause, and be on the lookout for a map near the youth room where the countries our boxes were shipped to will be posted. The boxes were tracked and we will be receiving s about the children who received them. January kicks-off our 2 nd annual OCC shoe box collection. We will begin collecting items for our next packing party in November Please bring in toothbrushes and toothpaste for January and place in the designated container located in the narthex. Thank you for your contributions to help us reach our goal of 100 boxes this year!! The youth continues to raise money for mission work. Please join us the following Kirk Nights to support the youth s efforts: January 30 Hot Dogs February 27 Soup and Grilled Cheese March 27 Pancakes April 24 Hot Dogs Stay tuned to the February Cornerstone to learn more about the youth s plans for winter and spring. Thanks for the continued support and encouragement you give to our youth Program and have a Happy New Year!

4 Kirk Kids The following is a schedule for families who have agreed to lead our Kirk Kids during January: January 9 Epiphany Dinner (No Kirk Kids) January 16 Libbert January 23 Ford January 30 - Snyder Men s Breakfast Meeting Perry Jernigan & Andras Neumark Invited: To a hearty (maybe even cholesterol building) Men s Breakfast Where: Elkin Presbyterian Church Fellowship When: January 13 th at 8:30 am Why: For food and fellowship AND to hear more from our new Minister, Stuart Taylor!! Look forward to seeing you AT THE BREAKFAST!!!!! Women s Circle.... Morning Circle Carolyn Sprinkle The Morning Circle will meet in the church parlor on the first Thursday of each month at 10:30 am. Our Bible study is titled Dispatches to God s Household: The General Epistles. Come join us for a time of study and prayer, after which you will be invited to go with us to lunch. Night Circle Karen Alley Last month we had a lively discussion about the role of slaves and masters as written in the epistles, and our Bible reading stopped just short of another controversial topic: wives submitting to their husbands. That will be the topic for this month! How should we interpret these Scriptures? What do they mean for us in the 21 st century? Join us as we talk about the role of women and men in marriage in the first century and today. We will meet for food, fun, fellowship and Bible study on January 14 th at 7 pm in the church Parlor. CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE... Karen Chandler, Brenda Miller-Whitaker Congregational Care will have its January meeting on the 13 th at 5 pm in the fellowship hall. We will be discussing our 2013 schedule of events and welcome anyone who would like to get involved in this great way to serve our congregation.

5 Look for interesting and heart-warming presentations after the Kirk Night meal in January, February and March on topics of : Hunger and poverty and their effects on women and children in North Carolina, the United States and the World; travel to Scotland; and Care for the Golden Years. Dates will be announced in weekly bulletins. JANUARY BIRTHDAYS 02 Austin Rice, 06 Brenda Miller, 09 Perry Jernigan, 10 Margaret Wheeler, 11 Bradley George, 13 Alton Ridgway, 19 Debbie Collins, 21 Jane Shoemaker, 24 Hilda McDonald, 25 Rob Libbert, 29 Melissa Longworth, 30 Lewis Faulk Ministry of the Members Date Acolyte Announcements Greeters Lay Reader Nursery Officers Ushers *Team Captain Jan. 6 Caleb Willingham Jane Riley Brenda Miller Jane Riley Jan. 13 Jan. 20 Jan. 27 Isabella Brumfield Spencer Carpentier Harper Lee Libbert Carol Jernigan Kate Carpentier Billy Ford Michelle Kreh Kate Carpentier M. Flynt Debbie Collins Jeff Collins Charles Gilreath Two-cents-a-meal Offering: Caleb Willingham/Isabella Brumfield/Spencer Carpentier/Harper Lee Libbert BD Reece Kathy Reece BD Reece Stacey Libbert Carol Jernigan Chris Kreh Randy Tulbert Claire Sellars Susan Stewart Karen Alley Abbye Blackwelder K. Neumark J. Neumark Chris Kreh Susan Stewart Randy Tulbert Claire Sellars* Perry Jernigan Dee Ripley Rob Libbert Shelby O Toole* Ron Ashman Sharon Jones Billy Ford* Stacey Libbert Todd Meade Rusty Tysor Note: Please review your responsibility for the month and if you are unable to serve on your Sunday, please find a replacement, or contact the Committee Chair person, or your team leader.

6 From The Office of the Church. There have been several changes for the upcoming year. This congregation sends out a huge thank you to Mae Moncus for all of the work she has done for us! She was the glue that held us together during our times of transition. She will be sorely missed and we all wish her a fun-filled retirement. Come by the office to welcome our new administrative secretary, Janice Combs. Janice lives State Road and is looking forward to meeting all of us. If you would like to have Stuart s address, it is 245 Gwyn Avenue, Elkin, NC, Here is the address for Stuart stuart@elkinpres.org. or you can reach him by phone at Please know that this number is temporary and as soon as he gets a local you will be informed. Information for the February issue of The Cornerstone is due no later than noon on Monday, February 25 th. Prior to the deadline, a reminder will be in the weekly bulletin and the online weekly newsletter, as well as will be sent via a week in advance of the deadline. Please or submit in writing your information to the church office by the deadline. Newsletters are made available in the following ways: Electronically, via the postal service if requested, or you can pick up a copy from the table in the narthex. If you are not receiving the newsletter by US Postal mail or not reviewing it online, please let me know. Shelby O Toole

7 Elkin Presbyterian Church 151 Hillcrest Drive Elkin, NC STAFF... Pastor: Reverend Stuart Taylor Volunteer Ministry Coordinator: Shelby O Toole Pastor Emeritus: Reverend William Brown Director of Music: Naomi Orr Children s & Youth Choir Director: Mike Weddington Organist: John Settle Preschool Director: Andrea Roten Nursery: Holly Brewer, Katie Berryman Administrative Secretary: Janice Combs Sexton: Walter Mastin Officers... Class of 2014 Chris Kreh Stacey Libbert Todd Meade Susan Stewart Randy Tulbert Class of 2015 Carol Jernigan BD Reece Jane Riley Class of 2016 Will Gwyn Pam Mickey Rusty Tysor