First off, THANK YOU, to everyone who made our Thanksgiving Dinner a huge success. Each and every person involved really helped make it an enjoyable

Transcription

1 First off, THANK YOU, to everyone who made our Thanksgiving Dinner a huge success. Each and every person involved really helped make it an enjoyable day for all, 120 people, who came and enjoyed. That is the most people we have fed at one time in my entire ministry here at Community Presbyterian Church and only the second time we ve had to open up the Old Fellowship Hall to seating. The other occasion was one of our Consecration meals several years ago. Special thanks to elder Pat Seals for heading this up. Secondly, thanks to everyone who came out and helped decorate the church the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was great to watch the sanctuary and gathering room transform into the beauty of Christmas. Arliss did a great job supervising the hanging of the garland around the sanctuary. Next year he hopes to be able to be back up on a ladder doing some of the work. If you haven t seen it, you ll have to come and see the beauty of the season. We ll post some pictures on the church s website for those who can t drop by. Thanks to elder Mary Parr and her committee for helping with this. Lastly, thanks to all who helped make the gift baskets a huge success once again this year. I know they were really appreciated by all. Special thanks to Cindy Werner and Vera Hardin for heading this project. Here is my hope and wish for the next few weeks. May each of us enjoy the season of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus birth. Advent and then Christmastide lead off the church year. Both are important to our getting this year off to a great start. Each helps us reconsider what it means that God promised to send THE messiah and that HE did HIS Son, Jesus Christ, and promises that HE will come again at the end of time. How, in the next few weeks, will we make room for Jesus? How will we open our hearts, our homes to HIM? During the sermon for the first Sunday of Advent (11/29/15) I shared that the following would guide me this season, this year. (Psalm 25:4-5b NRSV) Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; May our gift unto God, the true giver of everlasting gifts, be our hearts and our very lives as we strive to honor God and Jesus through all our thoughts, words and deeds. Prayer: Thank YOU for the signs of your reign on earth, and for the power of YOUR saving love. Bless all those we meet during this season of Advent and Christmas, and through our meeting may they and we be strengthened in YOUR power, grace and love. During this season may we turn all our anxieties and fears over to YOU, Sovereign God, trusting in YOUR wisdom and mercy. Amen. A blessed Advent and merry Christmas to you and yours, Pastor Dennis

2 Session Digest Thursday, November 19, 2015 The elders met on the evening of November 19 for their regular stated meeting. Eleven of the elders were present for the meeting. Pastor Dennis opened with prayer and selected Philippians 4:4; Psalm 9:1; and Psalm 28:7 for reflection and reasons to give thanks. The agenda for the meeting and the minutes of the October meeting were approved as presented. Main business for the meeting was hearing of progress and plans on the refurbishing of the Old Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary. To date the all the electrical and plumbing work in the Old Fellowship Hall has been accomplished. Bids are being gathered for repairs to the ceiling and getting the room painted. New LED lights have been installed in the sanctuary and bids are being received for digital (and possibly) recording of the services and possibly video projection in the sanctuary. Things being looked at because of some members are willing to help pay for it is; expanding the chancel area by moving out walls or changing size of railing & communion table. Also a family is interested in getting ceiling fans installed in the sanctuary and paying for them. No bids have been received on these parts of the project. MATCHING GIFT FOR THE REFURBISHING PROJECT The pastor then shared with the elders that a family in the church has graciously offered to match donations to the refurbishing project up to $25,000. These funds will help us complete this project and prepare us to minister to the next generation, as well as our present one. With these gifts we ll be able to install new carpet in the sanctuary, repaint the sanctuary, install the needed audio & visual equipment, do some lighting repairs outside, install a church sign that would be visible by those driving down main street even when cars are parked all along the street. It might also help get LED lights installed in our main fellowship hall and office area. (This would help greatly with electric bills. Hopefully we ll be able to pay for some of this with a rebate from our electric company). There is lots to be accomplished, but with your generous gifts and this matching gift it can all be done. Donations given in December will go on this year s giving statement and gifts given after the new year will go on your 2016 giving record. So if you want a charitable gift for 2015 and 2016 simply break up your generous gift between the two years. Another way gifts can be received for this project is making a pledge (above your regular giving) for the refurbishing project and giving your gift over the next couple of years. You could split it up in thirds (1/3 in Dec. 15, 1/3 in 16 and last third in 17). The elders gave thanks for this generous matching gift given to help us move forward in ministry and mission. Under committee reports the elders heard of the estimated pledges for 2016, the two studies for Advent and plans for the evaluation of staff. The elders also called for the congregation to meet following worship on December 6 for the purpose of electing elders to the class of The meeting adjourned at 8:15 with the elders laying hands upon Ken Bavuso, praying for Gayle s healing and wholeness. Next regular meeting will be December 17 at 6:30 pm. 2

3 Benevolence Fund Report: During November we helped 15 families: 3 with utilities, 6 with rent, 4 with food or a meal, and 2 with family/household needs. We also received 2 donations to the fund this month from members and friends of the church. In addition, a free will offering was collected at the Thanksgiving dinner for a total of $508.20! Thanks so much for your help! If you would like to make a donation to the Benevolent Fund, please do so by marking your check special gift - benevolent fund. Those who receive our assistance greatly appreciate your gifts! Diabetic Focus Group The next meeting of the Diabetes Focus Group will be on Monday, December 7, at 10:00 a.m., in Fellowship Hall. The group is for anyone with chronic diseases or who cares for a loved one with chronic disease. The speaker this month will be Nathan Bower, Forsyth Fire Chief. He will be discussing modern CPR training, not including mouth to mouth resuscitation. Please join us and bring a friend or neighbor! 3

4 Sunday lectionary Readings for December: Dec. 6 Second Sunday of Advent, communion Sunday Malachi 3:1-4 ; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11 and Luke 3:1-6 Dec. 13 Third Sunday of Advent Christmas Contata Merry Christmas Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7 and Luke 3:7-18 Dec. 20 Fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:47-55 or Psalm 80:1-7;Hebrews 10:5-10 and Luke 1:39-55 Dec. 24 Christmas Eve (Service at 7 pm) Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20 Dec. 25 Nativity of the Lord Day Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-12 and John 1:1-14 Dec. 27 First Sunday after Christmas 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12-17 and Luke 2:41-52 A Taste Of Heaven Cookbook! The book contains over 600 recipes submitted by members and friends of the church. Cost of the book is a very reasonable $12.50 each. It would make a great Christmas gift! FYI-We found a small omission in the cookbook on page 108, in the recipe for Green Chicken (Turkey) Enchiladas. In the paragraph that begins Use 24 tortillas, after the sentence that reads Pour 1/2 of spinach mixture over each casserole. Please add Bake 20 minutes at 350 F. December 6, following worship The purpose of the meeting is to present and vote on the proposed slate of candidates to serve as elders for the term Nominees are Mary Parr, Ken Bavuso, Steve Wood, and Delpha Riley. We will also accept nominations from the floor but please ask the person you wish to nominate is they would be willing to serve, if elected. The Bookies The regular monthly meeting of The Bookies Book Club will be on Thursday, December 3, at 10:30 a.m. in the Hospitality Room. We will be discussing Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly, and Jeffrey Zaslow. Arizona congresswoman Giffords and her husband, astronaut Kelly, describe their lives before and after the near-fatal shooting of Giffords in January They discuss their anguish over the other victims, Kelly's support during Giffords's recovery, and Giffords's determination to return to work. Please join us and bring a friend! 4

5 Christmas Crèche Coming to Life SAVE THOSE LABELS! Best Choice TM has a program that helps not for profits raise money. Be sure to save the UPC portion (proof of purchase) from any Best Choice products. The Presbyterian Women collect these labels and there is a box in the hallway to place them. PW earns $30 in cash for each bundle of 1,000 UPC's mailed in. In addition, PW can earn a $30 BONUS if they mail by December 31, 2015, but they need more labels! Right now they need 153 to earn this additional money. Please save those UPC s and drop them by the church! Thanks to Anna Koelling and Reed Click for helping our youth create a crèche for the nativity scene in the sanctuary! 5

6 Christmas Candlelight Dinner Tuesday, December 15, :30 p.m., Fellowship Hall Catered by Renee Newman Entrée Choice of: Grilled Chicken Breast with Cremini Mushroom and Apple OR Pecan & Brown Sugar Crusted Pork Tenderloin Champagne Romaine Salad Mashed Potatoes Green Bean Bundles Hot Rolls and Butter German Chocolate Cake Holiday Pie Bread Pudding (Sugar Free) Non Alcoholic Wine, Water, Coffee Cost $15 Per Person, includes gratuity RSVP by noon on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 **Must specify chicken or pork when you RSVP** Call the office at or 6

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8 December is finally here. Advent has begun and churches look absolutely beautiful. One advantage of serving 52 churches is that you get to see so many sanctuaries as they transmit the beauty of the season. In John Calvin Presbytery, we have one church that leaves their tree up all year. While this is for practical reasons, I have to say that every time I see it, it reminds me of the joy of our Savior. To say that I love this season is an understatement. I love it more since I have changed my attitude a bit about how the focus in our society has changed. It used to irritate me that the commercialism hijacked a Christian celebration, but then I realized that our society does that to all holidays and even invents holidays so we will spend money. So, what would happen if we just ignored the commercialization and concentrated on the good that comes out of our commitment to Jesus? Instead of grinching about how early the stores promote buying, what if we took time to refocus that energy into living out our faith? How would it change our attitudes? It might help us be more focused on what is important. Another thing that may happen is that people might notice that we are different when it comes to the Advent season and that difference may touch their lives and bring them closer to God. As we celebrate this time of preparation and anticipation, may we transmit God s love through everything we do. Pastor Susan 8

9 GETTING TO KNOW ELDER: Georgia Roe Georgia Roe, one of five children, was born in Los Angeles, CA. Both parents were from Chicago: her father from the north side and her mother from the south side. Her father was a Marine stationed in Hawaii and serving in the South Pacific at Guadalcanal at the time. Her mother was in California working in an aircraft factory while they waited for his discharge papers to come through. It was during that time that Georgia was born. She was only 6 months old when the family moved back to IL. Her father worked for International Harvester while her mother was in banking. She graduated from high school in IL where she was a member of the swim team. She joined the work force at the ripe old age of 15 working evenings and weekends. She apparently inherited her mother's love of numbers as her working career was primarily financially related as well. She prepared herself by taking classes in accounting and business from various Community Colleges in Colorado. She kept on top of her field by earning continuing education credit hours from American Institute of CPA's approved accounting, audit and tax courses for 30 years. Georgia met her husband, Glen, while employed at a ski area in Colorado where she worked as a cashier, bookkeeper, and parttime ski instructor. When new owners purchased the ski area, Glen was their CPA. He and the new area manager interviewed her to determine whether she should be retained. Not only did they retain her, but Glen married her and has retained her for 29 years! Georgia has 2 children (Geri and Joe, 4 grandchildren, and 1 great-grand-child.). cal sites, and reading. Her bucket list includes spending as much time as possible with those children and grandchildren and attending their events. She also has a goal of seeing as much of our country as possible. Georgia and Glen camped at Table Rock Lake each summer while they were still working and loved it. They continued this practice even after they moved to St. Charles, MO. They felt this area was so special that they decided to check out property where they could retire and to expand their search beyond the Table Rock Lake area. It was only then that they discovered Forsyth. They retired and moved here in She said they love this area and all the friends they have made. Georgia and Glen have an 8-year old, 19-lb., male Tibetan Terrier/Shih Tzu mix named Patches. Georgia says that he heads up the family and, even though it's been a lot of work, he finally has them trained just the way he wants them! Georgia has been a member of CPC for 4 years where she has served as an elder for 2 years and has been an active member of Esther Circle. In addition, she is currently utilizing her love of numbers by serving as church treasurer and is giving of her time by serving as a mentor with the Panthers Pardoners mentor program. The next time you see Georgia, thank her for her service as an elder. You're also encouraged to share your ideas, suggestions and concerns with not only Georgia, but any of our other elders. Her hobbies and interests include walking, hiking, camping, traveling, visiting histori- 9

10 Food Pantry Sundays BIRTHDAYS 1 Susan Wood 5 Jeff Merrell 11 Anna Koelling, Laura Cleveringa 12 Scott Winzenried 13 Juanita Elders 17 Clayton Cooper 18 Gretchen Keith 26 Jim Lakey ANNIVERSARIES 9 Ed & Bonnie Hawkins Quote of the Month May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility. Mary Anne Radmacher The first Sunday of each month we will have a special offering for Christian Action Ministries Food Pantry. Although food can be donated for this effort, CAM can turn each $1 into $4 to purchase food for the pantry. November s total food pantry collection was $127! Thanks to each and every one who sent prayers, cards, food, flowers and tools (a diner milkshake maker) to me after surgery. Each act of kindness rests in my heart as a blessing from God and loved ones. Thank you. May God's grace and peace live in your hearts always. Phyllis I would like to thank all the people that have helped me in my move, the decorators, the cleaners, the packers, the food providers, a big hug to all. Madelon 10

11 Ushers/Greeters John & Gretchen Keith Mary Parr Lera Warren Liturgist Rose Franceschini Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Every Sunday: Sunday School 9:00 am Worship 10: Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Hannah Circle 1:00 pm 3 The Bookies 10:30 am Bar Assoc 11:30 am 4 RSVP Due for Christmas Candlelight Dinner 5 6 CAM Food Pantry Sunday Second Sunday of Advent Advent Study 3:00 pm 13 Third Sunday of Advent Merry Christmas Choir Cantata Advent Study 3:00 pm 20 CHIMES Deadline Fourth Sunday of Advent 7 PW fill gift bags 9:00 am Diabetes Focus Group 14 Esther Circle 11:00 am 8 Chamber Lunch 11:30 am 15 Exercise Candlelight Dinner 6:30 pm Choir 7:00 pm 9 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Calico Cutups RSVP Due for Candlelight Dinner Choir 7:00 pm 16 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Choir 7:00 pm 23 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Session Mtg Advent Study 3:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm 30 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast 31 7:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm 11

12 COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH P.O. Box 486 Forsyth, MO C O M M U N I T Y P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H PO Box Main Street Forsyth, Missouri (417) Dennis Winzenried, Pastor Website: compresby@centurytel.net Community Presbyterian Church Staff Members Pastor...Dennis D. Winzenried Secretary...Denise Carr Choir Director.Arliss Stillings Organist.Linda Stillings Custodian....Paul Weeks Sunday School Sunday Worship Service 9:00 am 10:30 am 12