Highlands Highlights. Welcome New Members

Transcription

1 Highlands ARP Church March 2019 Volume XV, Issue III Highlands Highlights Welcome New Members We d like to welcome Fru and Chantal Chifen and their children to the family of God at Highlands. They have been attending for a few years, and officially became members in January. Fru and Sama enjoy playing and watching soccer. Chantal enjoys cooking. Jia and Azah enjoy playing dress up. Fru works at Bits Valley, and Chantal works at CVS. Welcome to the family! Our March Red Cross Blood Drive is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th from 2:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Our schedule allows for 18 appointments, 6 of which are already filled. Of the 14 appointment left, 2 are Power Red. What is a Power Red Donation? This type of donation collects the red cells but return most of the plasma and platelets to the donor. By getting most of their fluids back, many donors feel more hydrated when they are finished. It takes a bit longer but the benefits are great red cells are the component of whole blood that are needed most in transfusions so a Power Red donation basically helps twice as many people. If your schedule is such that you cannot give every 8 weeks, a Power Red donation might work - these are only scheduled every 4 months. Our schedule at Highlands allows for 18 appointments and our goal is 17 pints. The drive is already available for online scheduling and there is a sign-up sheet in the narthex. You can visit search for and March 5th, then sign up online to get your preferred slot. If you have any questions, please contact Betsy Whitson at or bjwhitson@bellsouth.net. Inside This Issue From the Pastor... 2 Young Families... 4 MMO & Preschool... 5 Sunday School... 6 VBS... 7 HARP Youth Missions Women of the Church Prayer Corner Soup Night Calendar Special Points of Interest Mar High School Retreat Mar. 3rd - Puppet Show Mar. 5th - Blood Drive & Ladies Bible Study Mar. 5th - Ladies Bible Study Mar. 7th - Men s Prayer Breakfast Mar. 7th - Shepherding Group 2 Dinner Mar. 8th - Shepherding Group 1 Dinner Mar. 9th - Men s Bible Study Mar. 9th - Go Kart Racing & Lunch Mar. 10th - Deacons Meeting Mar. 10th Christian Education Meeting Mar. 11th - Soup Night Mar. 12th - Ladies Bible Study Mar. 14th - Men s Prayer Breakfast Mar. 17th - Guest Speaker Mar. 19th - Ladies Bible Study Mar. 21st - Ladies Bible Study Mar. 21st - Session Meeting Mar. 22nd & 23rd - Father Son Camping Trip Mar. 21st - Men s Prayer Breakfast Mar. 21st - Session Meeting Mar. 22nd & 23rd - Father Son Camping Trip Mar. 25th - Soup Night Mar. 26th - Ladies Bible Study Mar. 27th - Celebrate March Birthdays Mar. 28th - Men s Prayer Breakfast Mar. 29th - Ladies Game Night Highlands Highlights 1

2 From the Pastor Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? what shall I say to them? God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you. (Exodus 3:13-14 ESV) As I mentioned last month, the names of God are more than just a name. God s names teach us something about the character and nature of our God with each name found in the Scriptures revealing to us something very distinct about God and how He interacts with His creation. In this article we re going to look briefly at what has been called the tetragrammaton or God s formal name distinguished by the letters YHWH or what we believe to be YAHWEY. Did you notice I said that YAHWEY is what we believe to be the way this name for God is pronounced. The truth is, as I understand it, we really aren t completely sure how this particular name of God is pronounced. In the ancient Hebrew language (in which the Old Testament was written) the Jewish scholars (and people) were so afraid of misusing the name of God that they would write the vowels for ADONAI into the YHWH. When the readers of the Old Testament would come to YHWH they would see the vowels for ADONAI and use that name instead. This is also why, when the first English Bibles were translated, especially the King James Version, the name JEHOVAH appears. In actuality, there really isn t a Biblical name for JEHOVAH even though we ve become so accustomed to it that we ve kept it in the English language. As such, since we don t have the vowels for YHWH, we just don t know for certain how it s to be pronounced although biblical scholars have made a reasonable pronunciation for this highest of all God s names in the word YAHWEH. This name for God occurs at least 6,828 times in the Old Testament and in every Old Testament book except Esther and the Song of Songs. So, what does YHWH mean since we re trying to learn more about God by His biblically revealed names? Basically, it s simply the proper name for God and speaks mostly regarding His presence, His immediacy, His accessibility in relation to His creation and most particularly to His people. This name literally means to exist implying that God alone is self-existent and the One through whom all creation exists. In the text above from Exodus this name for God is translated as I AM signifying there is no other greater than this God who would lead His people out of captivity. In revealing this name to Moses, God was, in fact, telling him and the people to whom he was being sent, that this God was the true and living God, the One who would set them free, the One who would be with them in their journey. One other very interesting point I should make is how we can discern this highest name for God when we re reading through the Old Testament. Many of you may have noticed in your English Bibles that sometimes the word Lord is in small letters while other times it s in all capitals, LORD. The reason for this is to distinguish YHWH, God s proper name, from ADONAI, God s more common name. Whenever the writer uses God s proper name, YHWH, in the Bible it is signified by the use of all capitals, LORD. We should draw great comfort and confidence in knowing this name for God as it reminds us that God, who redeemed us, is the God who is the I AM and fully able to do all He determines. As we ll see in the coming weeks, this name, in it s use, will provide a wealth of wondrous hope for all who are in a relationship with the great I AM. Pastor Mark Highlands Highlights 2

3 Highlands Highlights 3

4 Highlands Highlights 4

5 Highlands MMO & Preschool March Theme: Animals This month we will be learning about Animals, and we will be celebrating reading, and Dr. Seuss s birthday. We will also learn about letters T, U, & V and the numbers, 8, 9, & 10. We will have fun by bringing our favorite Dr. Seuss book to help celebrate his birthday! Registration for the school year has begun. If you know someone that might enjoy the program, please have them visit: highlandspreschoolandmmo.org and they can register online! Thanks! Highlands MMO & Preschool is reaching out to our community to provide quality Christian childcare and instruction for families with young children. Please pray for this outreach ministry of Highlands ARP Church. Highlands Highlights 5

6 NURSERY: CHILDREN S CHURCH: Mar. 3rd Mar. 3rd Megan Lyn Mar. 10th Liezl Mar. 10th Megan Mar. 17th Megan Mar. 17th Deborah Mar. 24th Carole Mar. 24th Megan Mar. 31st Megan Mar. 31st Deborah ELEMENTARY CHILDREN S CHURCH: March Corie Kuykendall Highlands Highlights 6

7 2019 VBS Volunteers Needed Highlands' 2019 Vacation Bible School will be "Rome: Paul and the Underground Church." First off, I have to say, I'm really excited about it!! We will spend five exciting and fun-filled days from June 17th-21st learning about Paul, the underground church in Rome, and Paul's Letter to the Romans. Day 1: God's love is a gift. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 Day 2: God's love changes us. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2 Day 3: God's love is always with us. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38 Day 4: God's love saves us. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 Day 5: God's love is worth sharing. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." - Romans 1:16 That said, we need the family of Highlands to come together to make this VBS happen! We need volunteers of all sorts: craft helpers, group leaders, snack makers and helpers, Bible teachers, and scripture memory helpers. Are you available to help the week of June 17th-21st? If so, contact Corie Kuykendall at corieandrob@gmail.com or at (678) and we will find a position for you. You can also talk with Bonnie Hornby at (678) Highlands Highlights 7

8 February was a great month for our youth! We have continued our study of both the Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Fruit of the Spirit. We covered Joy and Peace this month on Wednesday nights and have begun our study of the section of the catechism that teaches us about the moral law, specifically the 10 commandments. We enjoyed a great time of fellowship at the Super Bowl Party and board game night! We are looking forward to the High School Retreat in March and ask that you would pray for us as we travel to Bonclarken! Sunday School at 9am Youth: Wednesdays at 6:30 High School Retreat Mar 1-3 Dinner at the McCoy s Mar 7 Father/Son Camping Trip Mar 22 No Youth Group April 3 Highlands Highlights 8

9 Highlands Highlights 9

10 Please pray for spiritual, physical, & emotional protection. Praise God with us for the completion of the Esther John Memorial Chapel. Outreach North America Evangelism ONA can help you develop a strategy for spreading the message of salvation in Jesus Christ by implementing their evangelism strategy, E3. Church Planting Learn more about how ONA works with Presbyteries to cultivate incredible congregations in hundreds of neighborhoods across North America. Church Vitality Helping churches engage their communities with the Gospel is at the center of Church Vitality. Join us March 17 at Sunday School & Worship to learn more about Outreach North America! Please pray for the Lotzes as they assist churches to reach out to Muslims in America. Highlands Highlights 10

11 On Sunday, March 17, we have the honor of Rev. Mike Jones preaching during the Morning Worship. Mike is the Executive Director of Outreach North America. The Statement of Beliefs for ONA reads, At Outreach North America, we provide the essential support you need to vitalize the church you re leading or to plant the ministry your community needs. Our essential services help you transform your ministry through biblical strategies that look and think forward to the growth of the Gospel. Arts at Hope Presbyterian in Memphis, TN. His most recent calling, before becoming the Executive Director of Outreach North America, was planting Hope Church, ARP in Tampa, FL. Mike and his lovely wife, Gina, currently reside in Greenville, SC with their three children Roman, Christian, and Anna. Before full time Christian ministry, Mike was a touring musician, traveling the globe recording and playing guitar for many well known artists. He got his Bachelors in music and business from Eckerd College in FL, and received his M.Div. from Erskine Theological Seminary in He was ordained by Catawba Presbytery, and has served as a Campus Chaplain at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga as well as the Pastor of Worship and Last month, you read that we would have an online directory on the website. Well it s here! If you have not received a password, please contact the church office. Highlands Highlights 11

12 Highlands Highlights 12

13 Women s Ministry The Highlands Women s Ministry is organized to bring all women of the church closer to God and each other. We have a renewed vision for praise, fellowship, outreach and worship. We hold weekly and monthly Bible studies here at the Church. Our weekly Bible study is held every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The monthly Bible study is on the 3rd Thursday of every month, beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by a group lunch at noon. Both groups are currently studying Treasures of Encouragement and are wonderfully led by Bonnie Hornby. Even if you have not been attending regularly, please join us for the day/time that best fits your schedule as each lesson in this particular study can help you grow in faith and sisterhood. You won t be disappointed in this time for sharing and fellowship. If you are only available on the third Thursday at noon please join us for lunch and bring a friend! Sunshine Meals is one of our most important ministries to the Highlands congregation. God asks that we show hospitality to each other and that is not always done with food and fun Highlands Highlights May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 in your home. We also show hospitality by preparing meals for those who may be experiencing challenging times such as the birth of a child, loss of a loved one, sickness or surgery. This is usually accomplished for the member by others who are in the same Shepherding Group. Please contact Faith Wallace or Cindy Bennett if you know someone who would benefit from Sunshine Meals or if you would like more information. Special thanks to everyone who participated in the Grandma Shower held on February 10th. Aubrey Grace is beautiful and we are so thankful for this precious gift from God. SAVE THE DATE! LADIES GAME NIGHT MARCH 29th YOU ARE AN ESSENTIAL PIECE! 13

14 Highlands Highlights 14

15 Soup Night We started our February serving on the 11th with spaghetti and calzones with a good salad! Jane and I had fun all afternoon in the kitchen making pasta and sauce. Discovering that there was ground turkey in the freezer, we quickly defrosted it and put it in the sauce. It was a great addition to the sauce and a good way to make space in the freezer! Spaghetti has never been a big draw as I am assuming it's because it's easily made in the home. However, we received a huge donation of calzones from the CoOp and thought that they would pair well with Spaghetti. We added a salad and voila! A great meal! We ran out of calzones about 45 minutes before closing, but there was plenty of spaghetti! I didn't think we would have enough spaghetti for the seniors at Seasoned With Love delivery on the next day, so the Spiller ladies helped make a fish dinner for five in the last 20 minutes. Woohoo! We had just enough spaghetti left over so that the seniors got a meal from it as well. The weather probably held some people back from coming out, but we still had loads of guests. We missed Mr. Winfrey praying over us and we pray all is well with him and his family. help us serve as part of their community service project. They were all lovely and very helpful. We asked them to come back but, alas, maybe this summer when they have free time. We missed Dewey and prayed that he would return to us next month and hoping he recovers quickly. He was bathed in prayer at Highlands. Highlight of the night was Xavier telling us that he got a grant to take online college classes! He is so excited and we are excited for him. He prayed for us in Mr. Winfrey's place since he was not there. It was a special evening. Next month we are serving battered Pollock (fish) with a pasta and corn mix on March 11th. On March 25th, we Our final Soup Nite of the month was so very will serve chicken tortilla soup and chips. Thank you to exciting! We served chicken vegetable soup with orzo, all our volunteers who made crock pots this month and to peaches, biscuits and cookies. There was a lot of our crew in the kitchen with serving and cleaning. Your hesitation regarding the orzo, as not many from our team willingness to serve our community with the love of Christ have made it before. It's an oblong, rice-looking pasta is inspiring! To God be the Glory! and cooks like pasta, not rice. It rounded off the heartiness of the soup, which was delicious. We gave In Christ, away many "giveaway items." Jane and Bob made a run to the Food Bank in the morning, which always is a good grab and go for our guests. Jane also gathered a huge bowl of kale from the garden. Even in winter she gets The SE Gwinnett Co-operative Ministry is asking for help fresh greens! We had five extra volunteers on this to restock their shelves after so many had visited during evening. A group of teachers from the Teachers as the government shutdown. They particularly need Leaders Program with Gwinnett County Schools came to canned fruits and vegetables and pasta and sauces. If you'd like to contribute, the address is 55 Grayson Industrial Parkway, Grayson, GA 30017, just off Herring Road. Their website is Carrie Calling Post is a service that can be used to communicate with church members who do not have access to . Prayer requests or notices of upcoming church events can be sent via telephone so that all members can be kept in the loop. Calling Post is accessed via landline or smartphone and sends dozens of messages at one time. Messages are only transmitted between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Highlands can set up multiple groups, such as prayer chain, women s ministry, MMO, etc. Team Highlands Highlights leaders or church staff will record a greeting so you will know who is sending the message. Please make sure that the church office has your current contact information. When the system is set up, there will be an introductory call so that you can see the phone number (usually from Augusta GA where the company is located) that will display on your Caller ID. If you do not answer, the system leaves a voice mail for you to pick up later. Communication is an important element of a connected church and Calling Post is one way that we can stay in touch. 15

16 Did you know that there are several ways that you can generate cash for Highlands ministries when you shop? The most popular program, called Amazon Smile, gives 0.5% of the online purchase price to the charity of your choice Highlands! Simply visit type Highlands Presbyterian Church in the search bar, select the one in Grayson GA and your next online purchase will generate a donation to the church. If you shop at Kroger, you can register for their rewards program at Log into your account with the address you used to enroll for a Kroger Plus card (If you don t have one, you will need to acquire one first). Again, search for Highlands Presbyterian Church and make that selection. When you shop at Kroger, simply give them your Kroger Plus card and a percentage of your purchase will benefit Highlands ministries. Another program is called igive. This site is a pass-through site and generates its contributions passed on advertising by the hundreds of participating stores. Again, simply log in, search for Highlands Presbyterian Church in Georgia, select and shop! It s that easy. The Finance and Stewardship team has recommended that any donations generated through these programs benefit 2 ministries of Highlands Soup Nite and Missions. Soup Nite occasionally needs to purchase food items and supplies as they look to serve almost 100 people twice a month. Missions giving will allow HPC to increase support for our current missionaries or to support new ones. The team also wants Highlands s members to know that while we don t endorse these companies, they provide the rewards programs that we are aware of. You might be enrolled in a program that provides similar rewards if you do, contact the office and we can look into it. Please consider participating in one or all three of these programs. If you need help enrolling, contact the office at gifts.highlands@gmail.com or at (770) Donate Effectively Are you an online bill-payer? Do you like being able to transact all of your financial transactions at one time from your computer or smartphone? Many of us are transitioning to have our finances handled through various websites, either banks or credit unions, credit card sites or payment sites such as PayPal. One aspect of this convenience is that these transactions have a hidden cost. Using a credit card at a retail establishment causes a business owner to pay VISA or MasterCard a percentage of the transaction. In the same way, using PayPal for charitable contributions costs the recipient a percentage of the donation, typically %. A $100 donation usually nets as $ click and pay. Banks will cut a paper check, mail it to the recipient who receives it within 4-5 business days. What does this mean to Highlands Presbyterian Church? In the last 6 months of 2018, PayPal fees costs us over $400. That may not seem like a lot, but $400 represents almost the entire 2018 budget for the Community Outreach team. It s equal to 8 months support of one missionary families in If you would like assistance in setting up an online BIllPay account, please contact the church office. How can you avoid this processing fee? Every financial institution offers an online BillPay service. Setting up your records takes a few minutes initially to add recipients names and addresses. After that, it s simply a Highlands Highlights 16

17 March 2019 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 High School Retreat at Bonclarken 2 High School Retreat at Bonclarken 3 Happy Birthday Lynne Miles High School Retreat at Bonclarken 9am SS 10am Worship 11am Puppet Show 4 MMO 5 MMO 2:30 7pm Blood Drive 7pm Ladies Bible Study 6 MMO Happy Birthday Chris McCoy 6:00 Choir Practice 6:30 Youth 7:00 Dinner 7:30 Bible Study 7 MMO 8:30am Men s Prayer Breakfast 6:00 Shepherding Group 2 Dinner 8 6:00 Shepherding Group 1 Dinner 9 Happy Birthday Justin Jacques 9:00am Men s Bible Study Go Cart Racing & Lunch 10 9am SS 10am Worship 11am Christian Education Meeting 11:15am Deacons Meeting Daylight Savings Time begins 11 MMO Soup Night 12 MMO 7pm Ladies Bible Study 13 MMO 6:00 Choir Practice 6:30 Youth 7:00 Dinner 7:30 Bible Study 14 MMO 8:30am Men s Prayer Breakfast Happy Birthday John Mark Avitabile 17 Guest Speaker 9am SS 10am Worship St. Patrick s Day MMO Happy Birthday Ken Fordham 7pm Ladies Bible Study 20 MMO 6:00 Choir Practice 6:30 Youth 7:00 Dinner 7:30 Bible Study 21 MMO Happy Birthday Caridad Blandshaw 8:30am Men s Prayer Breakfast 10:30am Ladies Bible Study 7:30pm Session 22 Father Son Camping Trip 23 Father Son Camping Trip 24 9am SS 10am Worship 25 MMO Happy Birthday Bill Alimena Soup Night 26 MMO 7pm Ladies Bible Study 27 MMO 6:00 Choir Practice 6:30 Youth 7:00 Dinner & March Birthdays 7:30 Bible Study 28 MMO Happy Birthday Jon Jones 8:30am Men s Prayer Breakfast 29 Happy Birthday Chad Herring 6:30pm Ladies Game Night am SS 10am Worship Highlands Highlights 17

18 Highlands ARP Church Phone Fax Worship Times and Activities Sunday: Tuesday: 9:00 10:00 11:00 7:00 am Sunday School for all am Worship am Deacons Meeting - 2nd Sunday of the month pm Ladies Weekly Bible Study Pastor: Associate Pastor: Music Director: Secretary: Mark Hornby Chris McCoy Bonnie Hornby Betsy Whitson Wednesday: 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 pm Choir Practice pm Youth & Children Fun & Games pm Dinner pm Bible Study Thursday: 8:30 10:30 7:30 am Men s Prayer Breakfast am Ladies Bible Study - 3rd Thurs. of the month pm Session Meeting- 3rd Thurs. of the month Saturday: 9:00 am Fellowship Breakfast (periodically) Men & WOC meetings (periodically) Candle Lighters: March 3 Jacob Blandshaw March 10 John Mark Avitabile March 17 Nate Edmondson March 24 Thomas Kuykendall March 31 Ethan Spiller Warmly Welcoming our Members & Visitors each week: March 3 Jim Whitson, Stan Whitaker, Sal Macaluso, Jon Jones March 10 Phillip Wallace, John Avitabile, Earl Thomas, Rob Kuykendall March 17 Robert Whittle, Edward Spiller, George O'Farrell, Justin Jacques March 24 Paul McInnish, Glenn Martin, Charles Roberts, John West March 31 Bill Alimena, Zack Caughman, Don Reinhardt Highlands ARP Church March 2019 Newsletter 830 Grayson Parkway Grayson, GA CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Highlands Highlights 18