December Meeting House News. First Presbyterian Church On the Square, 2A North Hanover Street Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013

Transcription

1 December 2018 Meeting House News First Presbyterian Church On the Square, 2A North Hanover Street Carlisle, Pennsylvania The Reverend Anthony D. Lorenz, Pastor Debby Madden, Director of Educational Ministry The Reverend Jon A. Black, Pastor Emeritus Arthur Thompson, Organist Susan Shuey, Choir Director Avis Allen, Administrative Secretary Michael Stamey, Sexton Chuck Adler, Janitor Administrative Office Hours M, W, F: 9AM 2PM Phone (717) Pastor s Phone Number (C) (717) Office fpcarl@pa.net Pastor s alorenz.fpcarl@pa.net Educator s dmadden.fpcarl@pa.net Website

2 D e c e m b e r P a g e 2 Table of Contents Pastor s Corner 2 Advent Devotional Offered 2 Fellowship Night 3 Caroling 3 B-Day Party for Jesus 3 Deacons Doings 3 Christmas Eve Services 3 Giving Envelopes Available 3 St. Paul s Brass Concert 3 Advent Walking Tour 3 Bell Sunday 3 Hanging of the Greens 4 Thank-you Note 4 Christmas Eve Offerings 4 Financial Update 4 End-of-Year Giving 4 Per Capita 4 Book Club 4 Advent Sunday school Theme 4 Exchange of Prayer Partners 4 Poinsettia Order Form 5 12 Questions of Advent Quiz 5 Birthdays & Worship Helpers 6 A Gift of Song 6 Thank-you Note 6 December Calendar 7 ADVENT DEVOTIONALS You are invited to read & and listen to daily Advent devotionals provided by the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary community. Go to the site directly at: or link to it from our church website (under Resources ) Begin this journey Dec. 2nd. Can t be in church? Listen to sermons and full services, plus keep abreast of all church events via the monthly newsle er at: Pastor s Corner Dear Members & Friends of First Presbyterian Church, While some of you might be dreaming of a white Christmas, winter (and snow) seems to have come early to south-central Pennsylvania this year. Snow in mid-november was a bit of a surprise and gave many of us some unexpected time off. Perhaps you re dreaming of more days like that! Dreaming has always been a part of Christmas. As children we dream of Christmas morning and tearing into the brightly wrapped gifts underneath the tree and an extended vacation from school. Adults dream of finding that perfect present for a child or spouse. Travelers and those far from home dream of spending the holidays with family. And all too often we find ourselves dreaming of spending just one more Christmas with a loved one who has died. But dreaming of Christmas didn t start with us. In ages past the prophets, men like Isaiah and Jeremiah, dreamed of the day when Israel s Messiah would come and make things right. For centuries the Israelites were led by corrupt kings and dominated by foreign powers and carried off into exile. And all the while the prophets dreamed of the day when God s people would be free to live in peace. The promise of a Messiah also meant that women dreamed of being part of God s work and bearing God s Son. There s a hymn that we sometimes sing that says, For ages women hoped and prayed to bear the Anointed One, both Israel s Savior and the world s, the new day s shining Sun. I love the sentiment of those words, especially when I think of the angel appearing to Mary. Had she ever dreamed that God would choose her to be the mother of His Son? Did she ever pray for the Messiah to be born in her family? What were her hopes and dreams while she was pregnant with Jesus? She knew that this was no ordinary baby. At Bethlehem in the stable, she knew, in the words of the old hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem, that the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. So let us dream of Christmas, let us dream of family and friends and gifts and snow, but let us also dream of Jesus, the child in the manger, the man from Galilee, the Savior of the world who has come to make all things right and who makes all things, even us, new creations. Yours very truly in Christ, Pastor Tony

3 D e c e m b e r P a g e 3 Christmas Fellowship Night When: Friday, Dec. 7, 5:30 PM Where: Fellowship Hall What: Pizza, a Movie & Crafts (Movie: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ) ALL AGES ARE INVITED! SEE YOU THERE! WE WILL GO A-CAROLING (WE THINK...) At press me, the date and me are not yet set, but it s our intent to enjoy a fun me of caroling at Cumberland Crossings. Watch for details in upcoming bulle ns and on the church website. A Birthday Party for Jesus Sunday, Dec.23 Our children & youth will enjoy a special time of celebration (and CAKE!) at Children s Church during the worship hour. Toddlers thru highschoolers are invited to attend. MANY THANKS to Barb Crum, Lynne Hofferica & Bob Davis for hosting this event! Celebrate Christmas Eve at First Church 5 PM: Children & Families Service Come see the dream come true! Each child will create a memory ornament. 8 PM: Candlelight Service Special Christmas music begins at 7:30 PM, followed by a beautiful service of music, carols, scripture, prayers and proclamations. It will close with traditional candle-lighting. lighting. 11 PM: Candlelight Service with Communion In addition to the Lord s Supper, there is a time of traditional candle-lighting. lighting. DEACONS DECEMBER DOINGS Salvation Army Bell-Ringing (Dec. 1) Deacons/Friends will ring the red kettle bells inside the Point Plaza mall (outside JoAnn Fabrics) on Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 AM 9 PM. If interested in ringing for a one-hour shift, contact Alice Zimmerman at Truck Stop Ministry Cookies (Dec. 8-9) We will once again support the local Truck Stop Ministry by providing truck drivers with a taste of home during this Christmas season. If you wish to help, please bake a few extra cookies and place them on the church s kitchen counter Friday (9 AM -2 PM) or Sunday, Dec. 8 or 9. The Deacons will festively package them and deliver them Monday, Dec. 10. POC is Alice Zimmerman. Need Stocking Stuffers? Suggestions: soup mix (on the kitchen counter) church note cards & cell phone cleaners (in the church office) Thanks so much for supporting these important local missions! Advent Walking Tour of Carlisle Churches Saturday, Dec. 8th 11 AM 1 PM Carlisle CARES is newly renamed Community CARES to better reflect their mission. A free holiday concert will be held to support their work in our community. St. Paul s Brass will perform Thursday, December 6th, at 7:30 PM, at St. Paul s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 W. Louther Street. A free-will offering will be received. Begin at First United Church of Christ, N. Pitt St.; parking in rear. Doors open at 10 AM. Seasonal music will be provided by Arthur Thompson. BELL SUNDAY Unpack your favorite bell and bring it to worship on Sunday, Dec. 23. We will ring bells vigorously during the final hymn!!

4 D e c e m b e r P a g e 4 HANGING OF THE GREENS On Sunday, Dec. 2, we will decorate our church for the Advent/Christmas season. This year, the Parish Life Committee will host an Advent Luncheon a meal of homemade soups (sign-up posted), with breads & beverages provided by Parish Life. Please bring a favorite dessert! Please sign up to help us plan. Set-up & tear-down helpers are needed too. Our children will enjoy a craft time, and we will conclude our time with prayers and carols. Make it a tradition! Dear Friends at First Church I have been so blessed by your cards, s, calls, food, visits, and especially by all your prayers. Your continued prayers lift me up and give me the strength, courage and comfort I need to navigate through life without my husband. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your Christian love I can feel it, and I know David did too! Love to you all, Susan Shuey OUR CHRISTMAS EVE OFFERINGS This year, offerings received at the Christmas Eve services will be divided equally as follows: Carlisle Presbytery s Housing Ministry in Honduras Cumberland Valley Habitat for Humanity These organizations are fitting recipients of our gifts in light of the homelessness endured by Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem those many years ago. PER CAPITA Every church is apportioned a share of expenses of the presbytery, the synod, and the General Assembly for ecclesiastical purposes. Based on church membership, it is a regular expense per member payable by each church. If you have not already paid your $25.81 per capita for 2018, please consider paying it by Dec. 1st. Thank you, Finance Committee ADVENT SUNDAY SCHOOL THEME DREAMING Leaders of the adult class are: Carlton Walker, Steve Walker, Bill Beck, Megan Crum & Joe Shane. Youth classes are led by Pastor Tony & Debby Madden. Children s teachers are Barb Crum & Lynne Hofferica White Envelopes are ready for pick-up in Fellowship Hall. Included is a blue envelope for your use in paying the 2019 per member per capita of $ On Sunday, Dec. 2nd, we will exchange Prayer Partners during worship. (NOTE: If you can t be in church but wish to have a prayer partner, let the office know!) To participate is as easy as 1-2-3: 1 Write your name on a slip of paper (provided) during the preludes. 2 Place it in the offering plate. 3 Select a slip of paper as your depart. Now pray for your partner throughout the coming year! It works! Financial Update OCT YTD Giving $17,954 $199,255 Investments $13,483 $ 24,815 Other $ 22 $ 4,436 TOTAL $31,459 $ Expenses ($22,145) ($249,986) (Stewardship/Finance Committee) End-of-Year Giving All gifts for 2018 much be received by Dec. 31st in order to be credited for Gifts received after that date will count for Perhaps this year has brought unexpected gains and an opportunity to consider an additional year-end contribution which will benefit this year s mission and ministry. Your generosity through 2018 is appreciated as we continue to serve our Lord through this congregation. Thank You, Finance Committee Book Club Since Book Club couldn t meet in November, the book Hillbilly Elegy will be discussed at their Dec. 6th planning meeting. Please be thinking about selections for 2019 you d like to suggest at the Dec. 6th meeting. Join in the fun! A RESOLUTION FOR 2019? Why not resolve that 2019 will be the year you attend Sunday School? A new education year begins Jan. 6th at 9:30 AM.

5 D e c e m b e r P a g e POINSETTIA ORDER FORM Poinsettias will once again be offered for your purchase this Christmas season. If you wish to buy a poinsettia to adorn the sanctuary, please provide the information below, and return this form to either Mrs. Joan Line, 2070 Ritner Highway, Carlisle, PA 17015; or to the church office. The price is STILL $9.00. Make checks payable to Flower Fund, First Presbyterian Church. Both orders & payments must be received by Sunday, Dec. 9th. Flowers will be available Sunday, Dec. 16th. IN MEMORY OF: IN HONOR OF: BY: Place a checkmark beside which of the following is/are applicable: I will pick up my poinsettia(s) after the Christmas Eve service. I will leave my poinsettia(s) to be given to a shut-in. The Twelve Questions of Advent Quiz (Source: Pittsburgh Theological Seminar website) 1. What does the word advent mean? 2. What is the difference between Advent (capital A ) and Nativity (capital N )? 3. True of False: Advent, which leads up to Christmas on December 25th, constitutes the first season of the Christian church year. 4. The account of Jesus birth is recorded in which of the Gospels? 5. What is the name of the angel who spoke to John the Baptist s father, Zacharias, and to Jesus mother, Mary, to announce the coming births of john and Jesus? 6. True or False: We know that John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins. 7. Which ruling Roman Caesar ordered the census that required joseph to take Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem so as to register for it? 8. What Hebrew king is associated with Jesus birthplace, Bethlehem, and what is that city also called? 9. One Gospel account of the nativity mentions angels announcing Jesus birth to shepherds, who then go to visit the baby. The other account mentions something else instead. What is that something else? 10. Herod is mentioned as being king of Judea when Jesus was born. Of the six Herods named in the New Testament, which Herod figures in the nativity story: Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Herod the Great, Herod Philip, Herod Agrippa I, Herod Agrippa II? 11. True of False: George Frederic Handel s famous oratorio Messiah premiered in Dublin, Ireland, as the composer s offering for the Advent season. 12. In A Charlie Brown Christmas, which Peanuts cartoon character recites the account of the nativity, and from which Gospel does that character quote? (see answers below.) ANSWERS: 1. The arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. 2. Advent refers to a season of the Christian church; Nativity refers specifically to the birth of Jesus. 3. True. 4. Matthew and Luke. 5. Gabriel. 6. False. They are often presumed to be cousins because of the biological relationship we are told their mothers (Elizabeth and Mary) had, but we do not know for certain what their exact relationship was. 7. Augustus. 8. David Bethlehem is also referred to as the City of David. 9. The visit of magi, or Wise Men, from the East. 10. Herod the Great. 11. False. Messiah was originally intended as an offering for Easter, though it did premiere in Dublin, in 1742.

6 D e c e m b e r P a g e 6 DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 2 Avis Allen Steve Walker 4 Janet Clark Dave Landis 8 James Dukes 11 Jon Black 15 Kathryn Yeager 16 Allison Whitman Molly Shane 17 Barb Crum Tommy Dennison Richard Tritt 19 Lois Lloyd 20 Bill Beck Danielle Weiser 27 Sam Whitman 28 Jake Hofferica 29 Bill Gottlieb 31 Madison Ellis GIVE A GIFT OF SONG! If you would like to give a gift of song in honor or memory of someone, new choir anthems can be sponsored. They will be on display in Fellowship Hall during December. Simply select your anthem, then fill in the label with the words you wish to have included in the bulletin dedication. Thank you for your support of music in worship! WORSHIP HELPERS DECEMBER Dec. 2: Peggy McKeehen Dec. 9: Ron Richcreek Dec. 16: Rebert Thompson Dec. 23: Dennis Rydberg Dec. 24: TBD Dec. 30: Susan Meehan READERS USHERS Dec. 2: Jerry & Jenneane Light; Dennis & Linda Rydberg Dec. 9: Barb Allen; Ellen Darr; David Killian & Jamie Hoffman Dec. 16: Dennis & Connie Husler; Mike & Lou Anne Stamey Dec. 23: Barb Allen; Rick Line; Terry Shull; Jenneane Light Dec. 24: 8 PM: TBD...11 PM: TBD Dec. 30: Earl & Alice Zimmerman; Carlton Walker; Ann Gottlieb COUNTERS Dec. 2: Bob & Judie Read; Earlene Heckendorn Dec. 9: Joe & Molly Shane; Lynda Mann Dec. 16: Jim & Barb Crum; Tom Sheperd Dec. 23: Earl & Alice Zimmerman; Charlie Thompson Dec. 24: None needed Dec. 30: Dick & Tracy Sommers; Anita Ashbaugh COMMUNION Dec. 2 (intinction) Preparers: Peggy McKeehen; Rita Beck Servers: Trudy Bailey; Charlie Thompson; Lynda Mann FELLOWSHIP HOSTS Dec. 2: None needed (Advent Luncheon) Dec. 9: Peggy McKeehen & Lynne Hofferica Dec. 16: XX Dec. 23: XX SERVICE RECORDER Ray Thomas FLOWERS Kathy Mulvey (Chair) & Sue Shuey CHILDREN S CHURCH LEADERS Dec. 9: Bob Davis Dec. 16: Lynne Hofferica CHILDREN S SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS Barb Crum; Lynne Hofferica; Pastor Tony; Debby Madden ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERS Carlton Walker; Steve Walker; Bill Beck; Megan Crum; Joe Shane; Debby Madden If you cannot serve as scheduled, please find a replacement and provide the substitute s name to the office as soon as known. Christina and I would like to personally thank all that were involved in making our baby shower a dream come true. Never in our lives have we experienced such an abundance of generosity. The compassion you all showed, combined with your willingness to give, truly made our shower an afternoon to remember. We are extremely humbled by this wonderful experience and are grateful for each and everyone of you. Blessings, Chuck Adler, Christina McDaniel & the future Lillianna Lee

7 December 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 10AM-9PM: Bell-Ringing (Point Plaza) 2 (Advent I) (Communion) ; Prayer Partners After: Hanging of the Greens & Advent Soup Luncheon 3 7: Deacons 4 9:30: Presbytery meeting (Faith) 5 6: Worship Committee 7: Choir 6 7: Book Club (2019 Planning Meeting) 7 5:30 PM: Family Movie & Craft Night (may drop off cookies, 9-2) : Advent Walking Tour (begin at UCC, N. Pitt) 9 (Advent II) After: Fellowship & Deacons package cookies After: Prayer Community 10 7: Space for God 11 6:30: Bible Study : FOTS endof-season dinner (Fell. Hall) 7: Choir 13 1: Property Committee (Advent III) After: Fellowship 17 2: Faith Circle (note date change) 18 7: Session 19 Noon: Staff Luncheon 7: Choir 20 7:30 AM: Men s Breakfast 21 Deadline for Jan. newsletter items (Advent IV) After: Fellowship 24 Christmas Eve 5: Children & Families Service 8: Candlelight Service 11: Candlelight Service with Communion 25 Christmas Day He Is Born! 26 NO CHOIR (1st Sunday after Christmas) NO Sunday School NO Fellowship hour 31 First Night hospitality suite (Fell. Hall) Jan 6: Epiphany Sunday; Star Gifts distributed