December. 5 7p Choir Rehearsal Noon Bible Study 6p-8:30 Sights & Sounds 6:30p NA 7p Women s AA p NA. 12 7p Choir Rehearsal

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1 December Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 - Advent Handel s Messiah 9 16 with Church Christmas Dinner following 23 10: Noon-1p Spark Lunch 6:30p Gideon s p Christmas Eve Service 25 Christmas No Choir 2 6 6p-8:30 Sights & Sounds 7p Women s AA 13 4p Candlewick Commons Christmas Dinner 7p Women s AA 20 7p Women s AA 27 7p Women s AA 3 7p Women s AA Lighthouse Harmony concert 3:00pm Cookie reception to follow

2 November Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday p OCC Shoebox Packing Party! 4 *Daylight Savings Ends Mission Breakfast Mahon s 11 Veteran s Sunday & Church Pot Luck After Christmas Decorating Noon-1p Spark Lunch Noon-1p Spark Lunch Noon-1p Spark Lunch 6:30p Gideon s a Y Backpack Delivery No Choir p Father Factor 6:30p Alpha 7p Women s AA 8 6:30p Alpha 7p Women s AA 15 6:30p Alpha Celebration 7p Women s AA All First Pres. Veterans Carson Elementary 8:45 library coffee 9:45 program p Women s AA 30 1 Holly Bazaar at Hanover Pres. 9:00-2:00

3 THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 65 North Third Street Newark, OH Pastor s Church Web Address: firstnewark@gmail.com firstpresofc@gmail.com Rev. Steven Brand, Pastor Ann Robinson, Organist Barb Jobes, Treasurer Gary Collins, Custodian Sheri Bogardus, Secretary Vacant, Choir Director November Newsletter Upcoming Dates: Nov 4 th Mission Breakfast with the Mahon s 9:15am. Nov 11 th Veteran s Sunday and Church Pot Luck. Nov 15 th Alpha Celebration Dinner at 6:30pm Nov 25 th Christmas Tree Decoration After. Dec 2 nd First Sunday in Advent. Dec 2 nd Trip to See Handel s Messiah at MVNU. Dec 6 th Sights & Sounds of Christmas- 6 pm. Dec 13 th Candlewick Commons Dinner 4 pm. Dec 15 th - Lighthouse Harmony concert 3 pm. Dec 16 th Angie Klinker Leading. Dec 16 th All Church Christmas Dinner After. Dec 24 th Christmas Eve Service 7pm.

4 Church Life November Sermons Nov 4 Faith Questions-Why is God Harder on Women? Nov 11 Veteran s Sunday Nov18 Faith Questions What Was Jesus Before Christmas? Nov 25 Guest Speaker December Sermons Dec 2 Signs in the Sky Luke 21:25-36 Dec 9 Historical Events - Luke 3:1-6 Dec 16 The Christmas Viper Luke 3:7-18 Dec 23 Mary & Elizabeth Luke 1 Dec 30 Jesus at Temple Luke 2:25-40 Session has moved to make, Sunday School & Peanut, and Tree Nut Free. This is because of several individuals who have intolerances and allergies to nuts. A nut allergy is very serious and can easily lead to extreme reactions that can kill. 1% of people have a nut allergy. The number of people with nut allergies doubled between We need to keep allergies from being a barrier. We can go two hours without nuts, so that other people can feel safe worshiping the Lord. Read labels carefully. Packaged items will say on them if they contain nuts or are made in a factory that processes nuts. Let s work to make sure that we aren t bringing anything with us to worship, to or to that contains or may contain nuts. Gluten Free Communion Available We now have gluten free communion wafers available for anyone who wants them. They will be in the communion cup trays. Sights and Sounds of Christmas A guided Musical Walking Tour of Newark s Downtown Churches Thursday, December 6 th, :30pm Tickets are $5 and are available at: Explore Licking County, The Licking County Chamber of Commerce, Doubletree by Hilton and all participating churches. *Second Presbyterian Church Trinity AME church Trinity Episcopal Church First Presbyterian Church Plymouth Church St. Paul s Lutheran Church *First United Methodist Church *St. Francis Catholic Church *Tour begins at 2 nd Presbyterian Church *Shuttle service and parking at First United Methodist *Tour ends with refreshments at St. Francis

5 Church Life - Make sure to join us each Sunday at 10:15 a.m. for some refreshments and fellowship prior to worship. There is a sign-up sheet in the Sanctuary, if you would like to bring the snacks. Please remember NO PEANUTS. There Does anyone have a manger scene or a nice Holy Family we could borrow for the Sanctuary? Please Sheri at the church office if we could borrow it this year through Christmas. Thank you! Karen Birtcher November 4 th Mission Breakfast with the Mahon s 9:15-10:15 am during the hour. Christian Education Inviting People to Alpha By Chris Rainey Inviting people to attend the Alpha Course can be very challenging. In 2016 I was asked to be a Table Host for the first Alpha Course. I invited several people to attend and my invitations were declined by all. Last fall I was asked to be a Table Host and again I invited several people who all declined. So, this summer when I was asked to be a Table Host I decided to pray, pray, pray about inviting guests. I asked for God s guidance and I also asked Him who I should invite. November 25 after worship Church Christmas Decorating Anyone that would like to donate for some new Christmas decorations please place in an envelope marked Christmas Decorations and put in the offering plate before Nov. 18 th. A week or so later, 10 names literally dropped into my lap one day and I knew then and there that I had my invitees. I decided to come up with an invitation plan. I would invite 10 ladies to A Girl s Night Out at Alpha! My goal was to let the ladies know how much I wanted them to come so I personally invited them to join me at my all girl table. I wrote invitation letters (included an Alpha postcard too) and mailed them on June 27 th. On July 30 th I mailed out hand written note cards to everyone with all the updated course details. On August 6 th I began calling each lady to answer any questions they might have and to find out if they were interested in attending. I m happy to say that on August 26 th I ed Peggy Lieb the names of my 7 guests who would be attending the Alpha Course!

6 The Alpha Celebration dinner for the 2018 Fall Course will be held on Thursday, Nov. 15th at 6:30 in Fellowship Hall. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to invite people to a delicious meal and get a taste of what Alpha is all about. I would like everyone to come and sample the true essence of Alpha! Dinner reservations are needed, so please contact Peggy Lieb ( ) or Kim Dershem ( ) by Nov. 11th. The next Alpha Course will be starting up this winter. I encourage and challenge everyone to start planning now. Be thinking of who you are going to invite. Be creative and begin developing your invitation plan. Start talking to your family and friends about Alpha. And most importantly, pray, pray, pray!! You Are Invited: Please come and celebrate with us as we wrap up our fourth offering of Alpha. Our Celebration Dinner will be held on Monday, November 15th and is open to the congregation, friends and family of our guests. This is an opportunity to see what Alpha is all about. Alpha is a place in which we can explore life, ask questions and search for answers. No judgement, no demands that you conform to certain beliefs and no one will hunt you down (Unless you want us to!) Previous guests and team members of Alpha are encouraged to attend and celebrate the journey of our current guests (even if you have come before!) Invitation cards are on the sign-up table in the back of the sanctuary. Please plan to come and feel free to bring someone with you. Beginning at 6:30 we will have a meal, followed by information about Alpha and one of the videos. We should finish no later than 8:30. Child care will be provided, if needed. Please RSVP no later than Sunday, November 11th to Peggy ( ) or Kim ( ) or Peggy at 1stprenewarkalpha@gmail.com so we can plan. The next session of Alpha will be held in late January or early February. Good Morning Bible The Good Morning Bible meets every Thursday in the morning from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the Golden Circle Room. The class is open to all people and is going to be doing a self-study of the Scriptures. They are beginning with a study of Exodus. See Linda Smith for details. Adult Elective The Adult class has just begun a study on the New Testament book of James. This has been referred to as the most practical book in the Bible. It instructs Christians in how to live out the Christian faith. While the book of James is only five chapters long, it s packed with practical guidance that we can all benefit from. The study guide is available for $6.00 [if able], please see Peggy if you would like a copy.

7 December is such a busy month that the Lunch Bunch decided not to meet. We will begin again the 3 rd Wed. of February. We want to wish each and every one a joyous Christmas season. Y Healthy Kids- Backpack The following people have served in the past or are currently serving: Carolyn Durr, Kim Dershem, Chris Rainey, Priscilla Hare, Ron Sillin, Carol Floyd,Gaye Gibson, Lois Spangler, Becky Mahon, Carol Denison. I Thessalonians 5:12-13 "Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves" Blessings and Love, Ann Marie Robinson The Y-Heathy Kids Network Back Pack Program Involvement Opportunities Food Delivery (We Really Could Use Some Help) The Presbyterian Partnership is also tasked with taking these prepacked boxes to the Newark and Heath Schools every other Wednesday. We hope to be able to deliver to all 15 schools eventually, but want to start with a more manageable number. There are eight schools that we will be delivering to. 1 st Pres is delivering to six schools, every other Thursday at 9:00am. You do not have to have a vehicle capable of delivery. To sign up for delivering or if you have any questions see Rev Steve. Congregational Care Appreciation For my last newsletter as I leave Session as an Elder and chairperson of CCT, I would like to focus on appreciation. When we show appreciation for the labor of others, we show AND tell them they are valued for the work and labor of love they provide. Prayer Chain Updates Please send all requests to Tracee Barr at hippieluv12@yahoo.com. Please state whether requests are for Prayer Chain Only or should also be distributed to the church for the bulletin. Evangelism & Outreach CANDLEWICK COMMONS Thank you to everyone who has made our outreach to Candlewick Commons successful this year. Our neighbors are a delightful group of wonderful people, who enjoy our visits and the food we prepare for them. Our next visit will be our Christmas visit on Thursday, December 13 at 4:00 P.M. These gifts we've been given, the skills and talents bestowed on us are for the building up and equipping of others. What we appreciate in someone else, we begin to value. What we value, we aspire to. The declaration of honor is the first step to discipleship. We do what we do not for potential glory, but for the sake of our church family. God receives all the Glory and Honor. There is nothing Biblically wrong with thanking someone in person or in writing. In that spirit, I would like to thank ALL my CCT leaders in writing and then I will do so in person when I see them. We began this new journey 3 years ago, and as your chairperson I thank you all for your diligence in caring for our folks at First Pres. We plan to serve ham loaf, potatoes, vegetables, gelatin salad and pie. As a part of that Christmas visit, we would again like to bring a gift to each resident. We gave them $10 gift cards to Subway last year, and they really appreciated it. We would like to give them that same gift this year. If you would like to help make that possible, would you please give your donation

8 to Sandy Noland, Debbie Blamer or Gaye Gibson. We will be ordering the gift cards from Script on December 2, Thank you for being generous last year, and we hope we can count on you again this year. We will also have a sign-up sheet around December 1 to donate pies for the dessert. You may also contact Gaye Gibson at or lgayegibson@gmail.com. Thanks for helping us bless our neighbor during the holy Christmas season. FYI Kroger Rewards: Did you know you can link your Kroger Rewards card to 1st Presbyterian Church? Kroger Community Rewards donates money to your favorite charity every time you use your Kroger card. All you must do is go online to Kroger.com. Go to the community section of the drop-down menu, and click on Kroger Community Rewards. Then you sign in with your Kroger Card ID and click on enroll. Search for First Presbyterian Church and enroll. Doing this does not affect your regular Kroger Rewards or Gas Points. The more folks we have registered the more money Kroger donates to our church. SCRIP As you think about buying gifts for Christmas, many times gift cards seem to be a great idea. First Presbyterian sells gifts cards from numerous retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. (even those not in our local area). We make a profit on each card sold and those profits help us purchase non-budgeted items around the church. A recent purchase was (much needed) new chairs for the library. Gift card orders are taken on the first Sunday of each month in the library before and after. For the month of December, orders will be taken on the first and second Sundays (December 2 and 9). Orders can be picked up the following Sunday. A list of retailers can be found at: se#?saved Click on either Alphabetical List or Category List. Printed lists are also available in the Library. Please see Peggy, Priscilla, Louise or Lois if you have questions. November Birthdays Dwight Gibson 11/2 Phyllis Fish 11/4 Joan Dobson 11/5 Lois Spangler 11/5 Louise Whitis 11/5 Greg Angeletti 11/7 Tina Angeletti 11/7 Sasha Fish 11/7 Cheryl Holman 11/7 Brian Lieb 11/8 Evan Bowles 11/10 Annette Mahon 11/10 Marilyn Johnston 11/11 Sydney Adams 11/13 Karen Birtcher 11/13 Robin Balderston 11/14 Lauren Detrick 11/14 Barbara Ryan 11/18 Betty Dershem 11/20 Michelle Gilbert 11/21 Deb Blamer 11/24 Brennan Darr 11/25 Luke Jones 11/25 Sean Rainey 11/25 Lillian Weakley 11/27 November anniversaries Scott & Kristie Holman 11/1 Sam & Peggy Lieb 11/20 Bruce & Dee Weekly 11/21 Jim & Nancy Johnson 11/23 Property Committee Property Committee will be working on reducing stored items in the annex. There are previously used Sunday School and VBS materials that we would like to offer to anyone that is interested. We will be disposing of old VHS tapes and other items. Please contact Rose Gibson or Jo Deweese to view what is available if you have an interest.

9 2018 Poinsettias In HONOR of In MEMORY of Given by Total number of $9 each Total $$ enclosed Order deadline: Sunday, December 2 nd, 2018 Please call the Church Office ( ) Personnel Choir Director Needed - The Church is in need of a new Choir Director. A full job description is available on the church s website. Please share this with anyone who might be interested. Church Organist Needed as of December 30, Please share this with anyone who might be interested. Finance Finance Update Jan 1- September 31 1/1-9/31 Total 2018 Budget Budget Actual 1/1-9/31 75% Advertising $ $ % Alpha $1, $ % Audit $ $ % Bank Fees $ $ % Christian Education $2, $1, % Church Life $ $ % Congregational Care $2, $1, % Evangelism & Outreach $22, $10, % Fundraising $ $ % Office Supplies $3, $ % Property $12, $6, % $3, $2, % Electricity $10, $8, % Heating $9, $5, % Insurance $9, $4, % Real Estate Tax $ $ % Refuse $ $ % Telephone $1, $1, % Water $1, $1, % Personnel $113, $67, % Total $197,411 $113, % Under/Over Budget -$28, % Income Budget 2018 Income Total $197,100 Total Income Actual $170,644 $138, * Total Projected Jan-Sept. $147,825 $147, Difference $22,819 -$9, * Contains $32,000 in stocks taken for boiler Special Handmade Gifts for OCC Once again a couple of ladies made the effort to love the Operation Christmas Children through 30 handmade dresses, 16 shorts and 87 burrito babies. These gifts were made with love and care and give the touch of Jesus to children in a far-off land. May you be blessed by your blessing to others.

10 Some of the Over 200 Boxes Packed for Operation Christmas Child. Thank you for everyone s help in making this possible! Passing out hundreds of Bags of Popcorn and 900 bags of candy with the Gospel enclosed to Hungry Trick or Treaters! Celebrating the Church s Past, Present & Future!