Your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. Psalm 119:105

Transcription

1 The Loveletter August Sharing the Love and Joy of Christ Dear friends, Your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. Psalm 119:105 The Bible in Ninety Days. Our kick-off is Sunday, August 12th, as we begin our Read the Bible in Ninety-Days Challenge. Our thanks to Jean Gilliland and the Faith Development Committee for the wonderful job of leading our church in this challenge to read the Bible from cover to cover between now and November 11th. A big thanks to them for their hard work in leading the Ninety-Day Challenge. I am excited about our commitment to read the Bible for two reasons. First, I have urged people in the churches I have served through my entire ministry to read the Bible, and it is exciting to witness the enthusiasm for reading the Scriptures. Reading the Bible together in our Sunday School classes and small group studies will make this challenge a joy. Secondly, I am excited to preach a series of sermons in concert with such an effort as this. Throughout our Ninety-Day Challenge, I will be preaching from texts that we have read together the previous week. While I have preached verse-by-verse through various books of the Bible, preaching through the whole Bible in such a manner is a real challenge. I pray it will be a blessing for all of us as we read and pray the Scriptures together. So, I invite you to join me and others in the Read the Bible in Ninety-Days Challenge. It is not too late for you to sign up! Now is the time to get on board and let s see what God will do in our lives together. Grace, Mike As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:10-12

2 The Loveletter August 2018 Fall 2018 Wednesday Night Dinner 5:30pm Programs 6:15pm Join us for dinner at 5:30pm in the Fellowship Hall followed by programs at 6:15pm for all ages. Meals are $7 for adults and children over 12, $3 for children 4-12 with a maximum of $20 for a family. The meal includes an entrée, vegetable side dish, salad, bread, dessert and drink. Program Calendar August 15 - Celebrating Summer, led by Renee Shields & FPC Youth August 22 - Ministry Architects, led by Stephen Ingram August 29 - New Hymns in the Glory to God Hymnal, led by Pam Radford Sanctuary choir rehearsals resume on Wednesday, August 8th at 7:15 in the choir room. (Nursery is provided.) Come join the choir! Ladies Night Out (formerly Moms Night Out) Thursday, August 16 El Charro on Old Mill Rd. 6:30pm-8:30pm All women of the congregation are welcome! Please feel free to invite friends from the community as well. Our table is open to all. Please contact Renee at renee@cartersvillepres.org by August 13 if you will need nursery care. Welcome back to Sunday School! Sunday School classes for children and youth will resume on August 12! Youth classes will be discussing readings taken from the B:90 Read the Bible in 90 Days Whole Church Challenge, and elementary children will be learning how to use the Bible! All children are welcome and encouraged to join us! Bridge to Worship for children in grades 2-5 will resume on August 12, continuing on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, immediately following the children's sermon. Weekly Discussion Groups offered are: The Bible in 90 Days Kicks off on Sunday August 12th! This new, innovative read the Bible in 90 Days Whole-Church Challenge takes you from Genesis to Revelations in just 12 pages a day. Join us as we experience the Bible together and turn your aspiration into inspiration. Sunday School Groups 10:00am: Cornerstone Class Cornerstone Room, led by Nannette Enloe and Deb Miller Ambassadors Class Room 264, led by Phil Bridges Youth Class Room 268 led by Frank Weathersby, Denise Manning (Senior High) Room 267 Louise Panter, Nancy Kelly (Middle High) Seekers Class Room 266, led by Wes and Sharon Sullins Wednesday Night Group 6:00pm: Cornerstone Room, led by Rev. Mike Anderson Thursday Morning Group 10:00am: Cornerstone Room, led by Rev. Mike Anderson Questions? Contact Jean Gilliland (jean.t.gilliland@gmail.com).

3 The Loveletter August 2018 From the Session At the June 12 stated meeting moderated by Dr. Mike Anderson the session heard the following reports: The session heard a report from the June 2 Presbytery Commissioners, Jean Gilliland and Molly Collins. Sharon Sullins served as a commissioner. The Faith Development Committee reported a successful VBS with 171 enrolled. 28 youth and volunteers will attend a mission trip in Montreat. Blessing of the Backpacks will be August 5 for the church, and September 9 for Hands of Christ. 64 enrolled in B90 as of this meeting. The Preschool Board will be meeting June 19 and anticipates ending the year in the black. Traffic and interest in the program continues. Hope to have 100 students enrolled by August. The Properties Committee has a work day scheduled for August 4. Budget and Finance reports that with 41.66% of the year complete, 44.75% of pledges received and other income is at 42%. All expenses are as planned with Properties being under at 39%. We are $75k better off than last year at this time. The Personnel Committee will soon look at the 2019 budget. Due to recent changes in the church office s financial process, the Budget and Finance Committee can no longer get month-end reports in time for session meetings. Session meetings were moved to the 3 rd Tuesday beginning August 21. BEING A PRAYING CHURCH Start the fall with the Wednesday after noon PRAYER GROUP starting August 15 at 4:30 before Wednesday Night Supper. The group will meet weekly in the Session Room giving time to share prayers for the church, family, friends, personal and community concerns before we eat. On Thursdays the church sanctuary is open from 12-1 PM for prayers and meditation. The beauty of the sanctuary lends peace to a busy, hectic day. Mark your calendars to be part of a virtual prayer gathering each Wednesday morning about 7 AM. Take time to use the scripture and suggestions given on the church sent out Tuesday afternoon. A brief update from the Stewardship & Finance Committee: Thru June 2018 (half of the year): Contributions & Other Income are $341,213 or 48.2% of our 2018 Budget. (That s $18,273 less than at this point last year: $359,486.) Total Expenses are $345,692 or 48.8% of our 2018 Budget. (That s $85,941 less than last year: $431,633.) Halfway through 2018, our expenses have exceeded our total income by $4,479. That s not a bad position given our history of slow contributions during the summer months. Thank you all for your faithful stewardship. A New Church Pictorial Directory is coming! If you haven t had your picture made yet, there s still time! We will be taking pictures on Sunday mornings thru August 12th.

4 The Loveletter August 2018 First Presbyterian Church Pre-School Important Dates First Day ~~ August 13, 2018 Sunday, August 12 Mon-Tues students and Mon Fri students First Day ~~ August 15, 2018 Teacher Commissioning 11:00 Service Wed Fri students Open House 1:00-3:00 Our mission is to give opportunities for a child s social, emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual growth throughout the year. The approach we strive to accomplish each day centers around 3 tenets: A Christ-Centered Centered Environment A Focus on the Whole Child Developmentally Appropriate Tasks

5 The Loveletter August 2018 August Youth Schedule Saturday, August 4 th 8:30am -11:30am Playground Mulching followed by our Back to School Bash with an inflatable 32-foot dual slip & slide/pool! Lunch will be provided. Sunday, August 5 th 10:00am Blessing of the Backpacks, please bring food items to donate to Backpack Buddies! Sunday, August 5 th 4:00pm - 6:30pm Youth Group & Club 345 Resumes! Wednesday, August 8th 6pm - 8pm Nursery provided for Prayer Team Open Meeting Sunday, August 12 th 10:00am Sunday School Resumes with B90 and new Sunday School Curriculum! Sunday, August 12 th 4pm - 6:30pm Youth & Club 345 Wednesday, August 15 th 5:30pm Wednesday Night Activities Resume The Youth will present the Wednesday Night program on our amazing summer experiences! Please wear one of your conference/vbs t-shirts. Thursday, August 16 th 6pm - 8:30pm Nursery is available for Moms Night Out Please RSVP by August 13 th Sunday, August 19 th 4pm - 6:30pm Club 345 & Youth Tuesday, August 21st Multiple listening groups with Ministry Architects to assist us in building a sustainable Children & Youth Ministry Details and times to follow Wednesday, August 22 nd 5:30 pm dinner 6:15pm Presentation from Ministry Architects regarding our Children & Youth Ministries Sunday, August 26th 4pm - 6:30pm Club 345 & Youth Group Wednesday, August 29th 5:30pm Dinner & Activities Sunday School is 10am each week! Parents, Please let me know which date you want to cook dinner! We need you to cook once per season. August 5: Renee August 19: August 12: August 26:

6 The Loveletter August 2018 August Birthdays 1 Debra Tatum 1 Luke Hoskins 2 Jo Clark 2 Matthew Farnon 2 Daisy Haley 3 Lois Hill 3 Betty Dundee 7 Denice Rouse 9 Zim Choate 10 Charles Gilreath 10 George Crim 10 John Waters 10 Karon Mauney 10 Will Broome 12 Sofia Motuba 13 Rich Gaffoglio 14 Ellie Johnson 14 Gracie Meckley 15 Earl Williamson 16 Ed Atwell 16 Matt Bailey 16 Carrie Barnes 17 Randy Wrinkle 17 Jerry Brownlow 18 Veletta Gebert 18 Katie Hoskins 18 Hannah Salter 22 Nancy Kelly 23 Rhonda Wachsmuth 25 Peggy White 25 Emily Hammer 25 Sydney James 26 Rowan Mukete 27 Blake Dudley 27 Sommer Allen 27 Tripp Forbes 30 Doris Dockery 31 Woody James 31 Hunter James In August We Pray for Our Church: Staff: Brady Payne, Maria Davis (ASP), Jean Dudley (ASP), April Paulk (Preschool), Sarai Pettit (Preschool) Officers: Bill Devine (Session), Megan Johnson (Diaconate) Ministries: Hospitality Ministry Families: August 1-7: Frank and Faye Johnson, Megan Johnson (Ellie, Liza), Nancy Kaufman, Kathe Keck, Andy and Rachel Keith August 8-14: Debbie King, Ashley Knight (Isla, River), Adam Kordecki, Terry and Valarie Lavender (Alec, Olivia), Laura Layne (Molly) August 15-21: Don and Sandy Longhurst (Tzelda, Vaughan), Brod and Jean Lumpkin, Denise Manning, Janet Martin and Larry Eggersman, Melinda Mauney August 22-31: Bob and Karon Mauney, Laurie McAfee, Zach and Dorothy McAlexander (Carson), Lori McAllister (Heather, Sid), Carla McFarland

7 The Loveletter August 2018 MONTREAT MISSION TEAM REFLECTION 2018 On Sunday, June 10th we met up with AYM- Asheville Youth Missions and began working at a day shelter called A Hope in downtown Asheville. This is a location open Monday-Friday from 8-4, that provides showers, toiletries, washers and dryers and plastic bins to homeless people. They can store their stuff in the bins, so they don t have to carry everything with them. They also provide an address that people can use for job applications and driver s licenses and where people can receive mail. We worked all morning there cleaning the bins that people store their stuff in and sweeping and mopping the floors. In the afternoon we went to the Black Mountain Children s Home which serves children 18 months to 25 years of age. These children are served through the foster program but for various reasons have not found a foster family. Many of them have physical or emotional disabilities or are part of a large sibling group that doesn t want to be split up. They are in family style homes, grouped by age, and are run by married couples. We spent the day unloading and organizing a tractor trailer filled with metal racks, light fixtures, shelving units and display cases that will be used in a thrift store that they are getting ready to open. The items had all been donated by Baby s R Us that is going out of business- we also had another trailer filled with the same items that we had to unload, organize and fit into the first tractor trailer. On Monday we volunteered at the John Wilson Community Garden. Here people work on their own plots but are required to donate at least 10% of what they grow to the community in need. There is also a large plot that is totally grown and donated to Bounty and Hope which provides nutritious vegetables to those in need. We weeded and mulched 9 trees- everything from pecan, persimmon, ginkgo, and apple trees. In the afternoon we went to a place called Kairos West which houses 12 Baskets an organization that provides a free meal every day to the homeless population of West Asheville. It also offers an air- conditioned area where people can sit around and socialize, read, play games and get cold drinks. On Tuesday we went to Bounty and Soul at St. James Episcopal Church. Here we set up for the free market- going through pounds and pounds of produce and fruit, sorting through and organizing everything onto long tables- people would get numbers and be allowed to go through and choose whatever items they wanted for the week. This was coupled by health and wellness seminars which showed people how to cook and use the produce in recipes and learn how to eat healthy. We went back to Bounty and Soul headquarters in the afternoon and helped bag smaller quantities of ground turmeric and nutritional yeast that will be used in later free markets. We also cleaned up the warehouse- sweeping and cleaning out the freezers and wiping down tables. On Wednesday we spent the day doing outside work at St. Matthias Episcopal Church- this is the oldest African America church in the Asheville area established in We planted, weeded, took down ivy off old trees and did general landscaping. David a member there for 65 years had us sit in the sanctuary as he gave us a rundown on the history of the church. It was fascinating to hear where they had begun, what they had gone through and where they are today. On Thursday we stayed at the Georgia Lodge and painted doors, decks, stairs and garbage enclosures for Angela and Wayne the caretakers there. The Georgia Lodge is owned by the 5 presbyteries of Georgia and it was nice to be able to give back to them. Friday was our day off and I would like to say we went someplace spectacular, however most people left that day to return home, and we were just glad for a day to sit around and relax. Wes was a trooper driving the bus around all week, and we are especially grateful to Beth, Renee and Denise for planning another wonderful mission opportunity for our church to take part in. These trips always make us mindful of just how truly blessed we are and how wonderful it is to give back to those in need.

8 First Presbyterian Church 183 West Main Street Cartersville, GA Contact Mike Anderson, pastor Pam Radford, director of music Robert Reed, director of contemporary music Brady Payne, children s choir director brady@cartersvillepres.org Becky Ferguson, secretary becky@cartersvillepres.org Angie Hood, receptionist angie@cartersvillepres.org Beth Weathersby, preschool co-director beth@cartersvillepres.org Lindsay Scoggins, preschool co-director lindsay@cartersvillepres.org Jean Dudley, after school program director jean@cartersvillepres.org Araceli Munoz, after school program araceli@cartersvillepres.org Renee Shields, director of children & youth renee@cartersvillepres.org August Calendar August 4 8:30am - Church Workday/Playground mulch & Back to School Bash August 5 10:00am - Blessing of the Backpacks during worship August 6 10:30am - Presbyterian Women Morning Circle 7:00pm - Presbyterian Women Evening Circle August 7 6:30pm - Properties Committee Meeting August 8 6:00pm - Fellowship Time w/church officers 6:30pm - Prayer Time w/church officers August 9 6:15pm - Hospitality Committee Meeting August 10 5:30pm - Church Officer Training August 11 8:00am - Church Officer Training August 12 10:00am - Sunday School Kick-Off 11:00am - Teacher Commissioning during Worship 1:00pm - Preschool Open House August 13 First Day of Preschool 6:00pm - Stewardship & Finance Meeting August 15 Wednesday Night Activities Resume 7:00pm - Session Meeting August 24 ASP Open House 6:30pm - Ladies Night Out@El Charro August 18 11:00am - Painting Party August 20 Hands of Christ ASP First Day 5:30pm - Stewardship/Finance Meeting August 21 6:15pm - Worship Committee Meeting 6:30pm - Mission Committee Meeting 7:00pm - Session Meeting/Officer Examination August 27 7:00pm - Diaconate Meeting