Messenger. The Falling Waters. Living in Transitional Times

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1 The Falling Waters Messenger Issue One January 2014 Volume XXX Living in Transitional Times Greetings, Brothers and Sisters at Falling Waters, I look forward to beginning this journey with you as we start a New Year and new chapter together. Over the years the collective wisdom of church elders and people who pay attention to these sorts of things tells us that churches do better when they take time to transition between one called pastor and the next. In exercising their duty to provide leadership for the congregation during this interim time, the Session has contracted with me to be your Interim Pastor to ensure the smooth continuation of worship and pastoral leadership. The Pastor Nominating Committee will continue to work with the Presbytery Liaison, Rev. Elizabeth Lewis, as they work through the process to call your next full-time pastor. Some say we are always in transition. Some may be small, like transitioning back to work from vacation; some even think of going to work each morning and home again as transitions. Other transitions may be big like children leaving for college, transitioning into retirement, moving into your first home, getting married or the loss of a spouse. Think about how you move through those transitions in your life. Often as I drive to work, I find myself reviewing what I have on the agenda for the day, the people I will be talking to and mentally preparing and on the way home reviewing how it went. One of the ways we often do it is with storytelling.remember those essays in grade school about how I spent my summer vacation! We tell stories about our vacations when we get back to work to hold onto the memory and feelings a while longer. When we lose a major relationship in our lives we tell stories about the person we have lost and we look back even as we prepare to look ahead to the next stages. Transition Times are times of looking back to what we are letting go and looking ahead to where we want to go. In churches, as one pastor leaves it is important to be thankful for all they have brought but it is a good time also to review whether those things continue to be needs in the congregation and the community and if you want to continue them. Are there new ministries or programs you would like to see? Are there ways the community around the church has changed that call for some change in the congregation and the way we do church? This is a good time to be asking yourselves those questions. So over this next year, I would like to hear your stories and invite you to find ways to share them with each other. Tell your stories of what Falling Waters Presbyterian Church is to you, what you like about the church, what you might like to see change and where you might like to see Falling Waters in the next years. As you share your stories, this will also be helpful to the Pastor Nominating Committee as they proceed with the search process for your next called pastor. Rev. Rose Wayland

2 Pray Without Ceasing Bill Berg Waneda Bowers Joan Chambers Jimmy Cloud John Cushwa Jimmy Dunham Mary Hodges Irvin Horst Ted Largent Shelly McFillan Mary Catherine Payne Patty Runkles Virginia Snyder Communion Schedule for 2014 January 5 February 9 March 2 - Transfiguration of the Lord April 17 - Maundy Thursday April 20 - Easter May 11 June 8 - Pentecost July 13 August 11 September 14 October 5 - World Communion Sunday November 23 -Christ the King/Reign of Christ December 21 December 24 - Christmas Eve You Are Invited January 5 January 12 January 19 January 26 Nursery Attendants Pamela Fleagle, John Fleagle Heather and Archie Locke Ruth Berg, Kelsey Shipper Anna and Adam Collis Birthdays January 1 Sue Pinto 3 Kate Lewis Brown 5 Kameri Smoot 7 John Fleagle 7 Katie Peach 17 Maxine Taylor 20 Beth Fleagle 21 Audrey MacDonald 24 Jacob Hylton 26 Ruth Berg 27 Nancy Spangler 29 Buddy Brown Movie Night Please join the fun as the Fellowship and Recreation Committee presents Dinner & A Movie Night on January 18. The evening begins at 5:00 p.m. with dinner at Country Roads in Hedgesville followed by the movie, The Magic of Belle Isle at 7:00 in Fellowship Hall. There will be door prizes and refreshments. All women of the church are invited to a New Year s Tea hosted by Patty Runkles and Kathy Goodell at Kathy s home on January 11, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. You won t want to miss Kathy s gingerbread village and a performance by Trinity.

3 Maintenance Committee Needs Your Help To avoid a fire hazard everyone needs to help make sure that all materials are kept clear of the electric heaters in the Sunday School rooms, Fellowship Hall and church offices. Volunteers are needed for snow shoveling this winter. The parking lots and driveways are professionally plowed by Tink Manor but the sidewalks will need to be cleared for the church office hours and Sunday worship. If you can help, please sign the sheet posted in Fellowship Hall. Snow cancellation policy: if school is canceled due to snow, the church office will be closed and all church activities will be canceled. Worship cancellations will be announced via by 8:00 a.m. Thank you from The Amazing Grace Fund The Amazing Grace Fund thanks everyone who played a part in its initiative to provide Christmas for local families. With your support and the help of Tuscarora Presbyterian Church 20 food boxes, 18 bags of necessity items, 15 turkeys and 23 children gifts (toys and/or clothing) were delivered during the second week of December. These families living in the Falling Waters area experienced the true meaning of Christmas as their appreciation showed in their faces and in their expressions of THANKS. We Remember The poinsettias adorning our sanctuary are in honor and memory of: Mabel and Guy Albert Jack G. Baumbaugh Arthur Blizzard Jordy Carper Gary Carper The Parents of Marge and Richard Chamblin Donald and Katherine Cushwa Mr. and Mrs. John S. Cushwa Wayne Cushwa Ellis and Virginia Donaldson Sally Tobin Fellows Rog and Lucille Fleagle Harold Garber Edmund Goodell Karen Grove James Nick Hawthorne Louis and Reva Hilliard John and Valeria Horner Madalyn Horst Janet Hydorn The Parents of Janet and Chuck Hydorn Geraldine Aikens Keesecker Jack and Glenna Laing Roberta Lantz Doc Linton LeRoy and Ruth McWayne Mr. and Mrs. Merhl Pickett Thelma Pittsnogle Herbert and Ethel Runkles Jackson and Thelma Stamets Lee and Florence Weidman New Member Class to Begin Please join us on January 12 as we explore what it means to be a member of the Presbyterian church. This informal class will meet downstairs in the parlor at 9:00 a.m. before our worship service and will last approximately six weeks. A study guide will be provided. Anyone interested in joining our church is WELCOME....and many more not specifically named.

4 Annual Reports to be Received Please join us for a Congregational Meeting immediately following worship on January 26th to receive the Annual Sessional Reports for Thank You! The Fellowship and Recreation Committee would like to thank all who contributed for the coffee hour in 2013 and to those who helped with receptions. There are many serving dishes in the church kitchen. Please stop in and pick up yours. The Worship Committee thanks Susie Cushwa, Crystal Mason for decorating our sanctuary so beautifully for the Christmas holidays. There was no prettier sanctuary in all of Berkeley County this Christmas for sure. Fawn thanks the congregation for the Christmas gift certificate to Keepsake Quilting. It is her pleasure and privilege to serve as secretary. rd th January 3 marks her 29 year. From our Choir Director Dear Falling Waters Presbyterian Church, Thank you so much for your gift certificate to Colonial Farm Nursery. It will come in handy next spring when we replace the deer rubbing trees. I feel it is an honor and privilege to direct the choir in this Family of God. All praise goes to Him! Musically yours, Jeanie Flock Notes At the Community Thanksgiving Service on November 26, the Hedgesville Community of Churches 2013 expressed its gratitude, to John Brown for Celebrating the Spirit by accepting the work of the Holy Spirit in his life and using it to quietly serve others within the community. The write-up in the bulletin said: John Brown, as a Vietnam veteran, has made his true life s work that of comforting and supporting other veterans at the end of their lives. In addition to his regular visits to the VA Hospital three times a week to see ill veterans, John responds as an 11th Hour Program volunteer. When a physician believes that death is imminent and there is no one else, John provides the gift of presence as a veteran passes into eternal life. The 11th hour program was created so that no veteran dies alone. We are blessed to have John living and working among us. Maxine Taylor s granddaughter, Caroline Miskovsky, graduated from West Virginia University th on December 20. She will be working for her professor in Morgantown this summer and will be continuing her studies in the fall to complete her Master s Degree. Former member, Jim Jochum, spent two weeks in December in the Philippines doing relief work. Pastor John had successful colon cancer surgery on December 19. He is recuperating at home and thanks the congregation for its many kind expressions of love and concern. January Greeters Sam Tobin - Head Greeter 5 Sam and Paula Tobin, Richard Stukey 12 Sam Tobin, Becky and Larry Brown 19 Sam Tobin, Amanda and Carl Lamb 26 Sam Tobin, Denny and Linda Martin

5 FWPC Church History Looking Back with Ron Hansen 2014 will bring in the 269th year since our humble beginnings on a hilltop overlooking the Potomac River. Just imagine over 269 years all the challenges our Church has overcome to be here to see the year 2014 come in. Falling Waters Presbyterian Church is and has been a Church looking forward. That is what our history is all about; Families, Members, looking forward, moving forward. We are among the oldest Churches in our Country. Thank God for the families before us. Look at the families around you this Sunday and always. We are the families, the members of the past, the present, and the future, of Falling Waters Presbyterian Church. As you walk to the Church door, look around you for a moment. Those markers up the hillsides...they are the families that came before us making sure our Church is still here to see Church Finances as of November 30, 2013 Income to date $143, Expenses to date $145, (2,097.96) Warm the Children $ The Session thanks the congregation for its substantial year-end monetary contributions which allowed FWPC to meet its 2013 budget. The year-end financial figures will be part of the 2013 Annual Reports which will be presented at the Congregational Meeting on January 26th. Holiday Greeting from Pastor Brad Dear members and friends of FWPC, I have greatly enjoyed serving as your supply minister these past three and a half months. My wife, Mary ruth, and I have greatly enjoyed and treasure the fellowship, friendship and support which have been extended to us. In Particular, ruth Berg, Fawn fleagle, and fellow elders on the Session have been instrumental in helping me be effective in leadership in worship and pastoral ministry and moderating Session. I has been a great experience of being a shepherd among shepherds. The dynamic spiritual strength of FWPC, however, lies in the hearts of all its members and friends, which I have come to see and appreciate even further. On January 1, the Rev. Rose Wayland will begin her service as your interim minister to continue to guide you on the path of your interim period of congregational life between the retirement of the Rev. John Cushwa this past fall, and your calling of your next installed pastor. Rose will be providing leadership and pastoral care to you on a three-quartertime basis. I will continue my service as supply pastor to the Mountain Presbyterian chapel and, as customary, participate as able in the meetings of the FWPC Session. The Chapel, on January 5, will return its worship service time to 9:30 a.m. each Sunday from the temporary time of 8:30 a.m., it had adopted in September to allow me to serve at FWPC. Thank you for your cards of support and encouragement you have sent us and presented to us for Pastor Appreciation Day this fall, as well as during the wonderful Advent and Christmas seasons. We greatly appreciate the gift certificates that will allow us to have a special get-away trip in the near future! May God continue to bless you and your families as your grown in service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In peace and joy, Brad and Mary Ruth Langdon

6 Library Corner with Kate Lewis Brown All of the books that were described in last month s newsletter (Why? Making Sense of God s Will by Adam Hamilton, Too Busy NOT to Pray by Bill Hybels, Matthew s Gospel from Scratch by Donald L. Griggs and Earl S. Johnson, Jr.), as well as the one below, are now in the library. Please take a look! Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers by Donald K. McKim Presbyterians often have questions about Presbyterian theology and beliefs that are basic to Christian faith itself. Featuring a unique question-and-answer format, Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers is an accessible and concise treatment that provides a sampling of these questions on important topics that frequently arise from discussions and brief but complete answers from a distinguished Presbyterian theologian. Among the questions included are: What is the purpose of the Bible? Why are Presbyterians associated with "predestination"? How do Presbyterians interpret the Bible? What is the meaning of the cross? What is the purpose of life? Arranged according to doctrinal topics, the book is ideal for individual and group study, church officer training, new member and confirmation classes, and all those who are interested in Presbyterian theology. Presbyterians often have questions about Presbyterian theology and beliefs that are basic to Christian faith itself. Featuring a unique question-and-answer format, Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers is an accessible and concise treatment that provides a sampling of these questions on important topics that frequently arise from discussions and brief but complete answers from a distinguished Presbyterian theologian. Among the questions included are: What is the purpose of the Bible? Why are Presbyterians associated with "predestination"? How do Presbyterians interpret the Bible? What is the meaning of the cross? What is the purpose of life? Arranged according to doctrinal topics, the book is ideal for individual and group study, church officer training, new member and confirmation classes, and all those who are interested in Presbyterian theology. The book sale made $ which will be used to buy new books for the library over time.