The View. Growing in Song Concert APRIL 2018 INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Pastor Page 2. Concert Continued 3. PW Page 4. Calendar 5. Men of the Church 6

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1 The View APRIL 2018 Volume XV Issue IV Growing in Song Concert First Presbyterian Church 147 N. Main St. Cleveland, GA Pastor: Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley Office: Prayer Request Website: INSIDE THIS ISSUE Pastor Page 2 Concert Continued 3 By Melody Thomason Good food, good fellowship and REAL GOOD MUSIC happened at our First Annual Growing In Song Concert, Saturday night, March 17 th. Lara and Joel Potter entertained with original and traditional songs using piano, guitar, drum and voice. After an intermission consisting of some awesome desserts and coffee came our Bluegrass group, Sweet Tea and the Bluegrass Boys. This family quartet consists of Jackson, Callie, Savannah and Parker Cantrell (relatives of Linda Watkins and Dewayne Nix and special friend of Adele Page). These 4 siblings ranging in age from 17 to 23 entertained us with their banjo, guitar, bass fiddle and fiddle. They played and sang traditional Bluegrass, toe tapping music for our enjoyment. It was a fun evening for all and on top of that we raised over $ to benefit The Growing Place Preschool. A huge thank you to our two groups who donated their time and talents to this worthy cause. Also thanks to those who fixed desserts, showed up to support the event or helped in any way to make the evening a success. PW Page 4 Calendar 5 Men of the Church 6 PW Spring Retreat 7 Announcements 8 Birthdays 9 Session & Diaconate 10 Continued on PG 3

2 2 Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley A t the end of Luke s fifth chapter, Jesus speaks of change and transitions. He uses two short parables or metaphors. One is about patching a garment and the importance of matching cloths being joined. The second metaphor is that of wine and wineskins pouring new wine into new wineskins and old wine into old wineskins or else trouble will ensue. The time in-between installed pastors is a time of transition. Dr. Leslie Robinson of the Center for Congregational Health in Wake Forest, North Carolina says: The most anxious congregations in the world are interim congregations. This time of transition is one for questions and self-reflection. Who are we? What has our journey been like in the past? Where are we now? What is the mission, ministry, and challenge before us? Who are we being called to be in the early 21 st century (as distinct from what other churches are being called to be in their own unique places on earth)? Below is FPC s Transitional Timeline thus far and in the projected future: August 20, 2017: Resignation of the Rev. Andy Chambers as pastor with last Sunday being October 1 Early October: Presbyter Exec, Rev. Hilary Shuford met with FPC Session November 15, 2017: Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley begins interim pastor position at the invitation of Session and the Session Interim Pastor Search Committee January 28, 2018: Annual Congregational Meeting elected four members-at-large to serve on the 2018 Congregational Nominating Committee along with two Session representatives and one Diaconate representative February 21, 2018 April 25: Transitional Study for congregation-at-large, Core Values of Vital, Growing Mainline Churches Mid-April: Session could vote to request permission from presbytery to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) End of April: Transition Team to support interim pastor, session, and congregation appointed May: Congregational Meeting to elect a PNC PNC begins their meeting process with the presbytery COM liaison; Presbyter Exec will provide training and instruction for the PNC PNC to complete the Mission Information Form (MIF) as needed/required for the search process Session, in concurrence with the PNC, will approve a salary range, MIF, and position description for the PNC to use in recruitment Search Process of the PNC is underway Pray regularly for the church, your leaders, and even the person whom God has already chosen as your next called pastor. Gary Hospitality Corner will resume on April 8th after Sunday morning worship. Those wishing to contribute light finger food would be appreciated. Contact DeWayne Nix

3 3 Growing in Song Concert CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN AT NE GEORGIA PRESBYTERY We had approximately 90 women gathered from throughout the NE GA Presbytery on March 17th at Commerce Presbyterian Church for worship and planning, along with fellowship and learning new ways to serve our Lord. By Lindalee Walters First Presbyterian Church was well represented at the Presbytery meeting. 4 officers who were installed. Lindalee Walters Treasurer, Bernice Rogers is Justice, Peace, and Ethnic Concerns, Rachel Romfo is moderator of search, and Betty Royds is mountain mission community leader.

4 4 At the March meeting your session: Received thank you notes from Backpack Buddies and Linda Watkins, Heard reports from standing ministry teams, Approved reinstitution of after worship fellowship, Approved use of the church for a harp concert and wedding rehearsal, Established the Congregational Care Elder as liaison to the Diaconate, Reviewed upcoming church events, Brainstormed on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of FPC, Prayed for the special needs of members. The next meeting is set for April 15th. By Bruce Morgan PW CALENDAR CT Meeting - April 4-3:30 p.m. Women's Bible Study - April 12-10:00 a.m. - We will study Lesson 7, "In Community with the Hope of the Future". Judy Winski will be the Study Leader, and Eris Floyd will be the Hostess. Knit and Stitch - Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., except on April 4 Ladies Outing - Gibbs Gardens - April 17 (Signup sheet in Narthex) Gifts of Women Worship Service - April 29-11:00 a.m. and Brunch to follow in the Fellowship Hall Save the date of May 5 - Spring Retreat - Additional info in this Newsletter. GIFTS OF WOMEN WORSHIP SERVICE APRIL 29 AT 11 AM Desserts are needed for the Wednesday Night Meal BRUNCH TO FOLLOW IN FELLOWSHIP HALL SPECIAL OFFERING FOR PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN S PROJECT

5 First Presbyterian Church Cleveland April 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Easter Service 10 AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship 8 9:30 AM Greeter & Usher training 10 AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship Session Meeting AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship Deacon Meeting 29 Gifts of Women Service Brunch 10 AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship :30 PM Lions Club 12 PM Rotary 7 PM Nar Anon PM Rotary 6 PM PM Dinner & Meeting 7 PM Nar Anon Ladies Outing - Gibbs Garden 12 PM Rotary 7 PM Nar Anon 23 6:30 PM Lions Club PM Rotary 7 PM Nar Anon 4 3:30 PM CT Meeting 11 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 3:30 PM Kids First 4:30 PM Membership Meeting 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:30 PM Study Group 7:30 PM Choir 18 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 3:30 PM Kids First 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:30 PM Study Group 7:30 PM Choir 25 3:30 PM Knit & Stitch 3:30 PM Kids First 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:30 PM Study Group 7:30 PM Choir 5 8 PM NA AM PW Bible Study 8 PM NA 19 8 PM NA 26 8 PM NA 6 7 PM NA 13 7 PM NA 20 7 PM NA 27 7 PM NA Presbyterian Men Spring Fling 6 PM Dinner and Silent Auction 5

6 6 PRESBYTERIAN MEN By Bruce Morgan by Bruce Morgan The Presbyterian Men will hold their monthly dinner and fellowship on Tuesday, April 10th at 6:00pm. We are looking forward to hosting the "Spring Fling", dinner and auction, on April 14th. We will also be planning outings for the coming months. We welcome any of our men to join in the fellowship. EVERYBODY S WELCOME PRESBYTERIAN MEN S SPRING FLING APRIL 14TH AT 6 PM DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION Auction proceeds will be used for projects around the church property. If you have a donation for the Silent Auction, please contact Bruce Morgan. Sign up sheet in Narthex. PENTECOST May 20, 2018 From Becky Clark Centuries ago in the 4 th century, it was determined by a council of Christian bishops that Easter Day would always be on a Sunday to commemorate the joyous occasion of Jesus resurrection. The date varies each year, but it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the March equinox which usually occurs around March 20. (Aren t you glad someone else figures this out for you?) It cannot come before March 22 or after April 25. According to scripture, before Jesus was crucified, he promised his disciples that he would send a comforter to be with them always. (John 14:16). Forty days after Jesus was resurrected and 10 days after he ascended into heaven, that promise was fulfilled when Peter and the followers of Jesus were in Jerusalem for the Jewish holiday, Pentecost. Originally Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after Passover as a Thanksgiving feast for the harvest. To Christians it represents the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian Church. This year, Pentecost will be celebrated on May 20 th. There are 4 colors for the liturgical calendar for the Christian year. On Pentecost, the paraments are changed from white to red for one day. Afterwards the color changes to green until Advent season begins.

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8 8 TRAINING SESSION There will be a Training Session for Greeters and Ushers on Sunday, April 8 th, at 9:30 a.m. All persons who would like to serve as Usher or Greeter are asked to attend. This will be a short refresher course for experienced people, and a chance to help new volunteers feel more comfortable serving. By Lindalee Walters The Lunch Bunch at Unicoi lodge. Mary Smith honors her father and family members with a beautiful flower arrangement. We had a buffet lunch and inspected the zip line course. By Lindalee Walters By Jean Kelly The ThingsI Learned insunday School The Legend of the Easter Egg As children joyfully participate in Easter Egg hunts and open baskets of sweets and toys left by the Easter Bunny on Easter morning, they may not be aware of the history and tradition associated with colored Easter Eggs. Although eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth in Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, the hard shell of the Easter egg symbolized the sealed Tomb of Christ the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead. In addition, one ancient tradition was the staining of Easter eggs with the color red "in memory of the blood of Christ shed at the time of his crucifixion. This custom of the Easter egg can be traced to early Christians of Mesopotamia, and from there it spread into Russia and Siberia through the Orthodox Churches, and later into Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches. (According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called Osterhase or Oschter Haws ). Note: Wikipedia was the source of much of this background information. By Jean Kelly

9 9 APRIL BIRTHDAYS April 2 - Robbie Robbins April 5 - Karen Abbott April 7 - Molly Free April 10 - David Arvold April 10 - Klayton Sumner April 18 - Thomas (Tom) Wedd April 18 - Clair Arvold HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOD BLESS YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Please accept our apologies if we missed your birthday this month. Please notify the church office so we will remember next year. Thank You April 18 - Tucker Sumner April 21 - Carl Free April 21 - Walter Bogart April 29 - Andrew Wall FINANCIAL CORNER February Finances 2018 Financial synopsis February Year to Date Income for Operating Expenses: $18, $ 55, Operating Expenses: $17, $ 41, Net Operating Income for the month: $ 1, $ 13, Judy Winski A complete listing of the church s February financial documents is posted on the church office glass wall (by the office door). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

10 First Presbyterian Church 147 N. Main Street Cleveland, GA Phone: Fax: Website: Please submit any Prayer Request to 10 MAY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE APRIL 18TH Chairperson & Editor Jean Kelly Publisher Cookie Mathis Committee Members Judy Winski Bruce Morgan Kim Ciriello Bonnie Frost Dick Frost Jean Kelly NEW OFFICE HOURS TUESDAY FRIDAY 9 AM TO 1 PM The Session Jim Hiers, Clerk of the Session Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley, Moderator Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Jim Crawford Melody Thomason Becky Clark Building & Grounds Education Worship Jean Kelly Lindalee Walters Nanette Baughman Communications Membership Missions Bruce Morgan Judy Winski DeWayne Nix Administration Stewardship & Finance Congregational Care The Diaconate Betty Smith, Moderator Kim Ciriello, Secretary Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Rachel Romfo Betty Royds Kim Cirello Carolyn Brooks Betty Smith Tony Clark Gail Rollins Hugh Walters