THE LAMB S KIN. Devotion for October W. First Presbyterian Church. Presbyterians gift of World Communion Sunday continues today. e must distinguish

Transcription

1 First Presbyterian Church Devotion for October W e must distinguish between the burdenbearing that is right and the burdenbearing that is wrong. We ought never to bear the burden of sin or of doubt, but there are burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off, He wants us to roll them back on Him. Cast what He hath given thee upon the Lord If we undertake work for God and get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility will be overwhelmingly crushing; but if we roll back on God that which He has put upon us, He takes away the sense of responsibility by bringing in the realization of Himself. Oswald Chamber My Utmost for His Highest THE LAMB S KIN October 2016 A message from our Pastor Presbyterians gift of World Communion Sunday continues today E ach October we begin the first Sunday of the month with the observance of World Communion Sunday. This is why every few years or so I think it helpful to recount the history of this significant date in the life of the Christian church the world over. The first celebration took place in 1933 at the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, where Dr. Hugh Thompson Kerr served as pastor. Dr. Kerr had conceived the notion of a World Communion Sunday during his year (1930) as moderator of the General Assembly of what was then the northern branch of the Presbyterian faith. Dr. Kerr s goal was to bring churches together in a witness of Christian unity. I think it significant the first observance of what was originally known as World Wide Communion took place in 1933, because that is also the year Hitler rose to power in Germany when he was appointed Chancellor on January 30. If there was ever a time when a witness to the Church s oneness in Christ was needed it would have been during that dark year. The observance of World Communion Sunday started off slowly at first, being officially adopted in 1936 as a denominational practice in the Presbyterian Church (US). The former PCUS which was the southern branch of the Presbyterian faith is the original denomination to which First Presbyterian, San Angelo, first belonged. The celebration of World Communion eventually caught hold during the Second World War, and spread across most denominational lines in the post war years when the ecumenical movement was at its height. This Sunday, October 2, the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper will be celebrated at both services. As in years past a variety of breads will be displayed on the Holy Table as a visible sign of the many other peoples and nationalities who will also be celebrating the Lord s Supper with us in churches the world over. I still remember how significant this special date became for me when I was serving the American Community Church in Tehran. In most Muslim countries our Sunday is a regular work day. Friday is when worship takes place, and that was the day each week the American Church held its weekly worship. When we first arrived in Tehran it was strange to find that Thursday and Friday were like our Saturday and Sunday but we soon adjusted. Even the American schools began the week on Saturday, taking Thursday and Friday off. What worshiping on Friday meant was the congregation of the American Community Church could not actually celebrate the Lord s Supper on the same day as most other churches around the globe but we liked to think we got the celebration started by being two days ahead of the rest of the world! Continued on Page 2

2 P A G E 2 Continued from Page 1 I hope you will make a point to be in worship this coming Sunday and each Sunday as we move through October. Joel and I are greatly enjoying leading our congregation in the Journey Through John, and we hope you are finding our sermon series as well as the Wednesday night series on I, II, and II John an encouragement to your life of faith. As always, I look forward to seeing you in worship! O peration Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan s Purse, has delivered shoebox gifts to more than 124 million children around the world since FPC is participating in Operation Christmas Child again this year. Beginning, Sunday, October 9 information about packing a shoebox and the pre-wrapped boxes will be available in the Commons. You need to return your filled box(es) to the Commons on or before, Sunday, November 13. If you want to fill more than one box, only take as many as you plan to fill. If you d rather make a donation toward items to fill boxes, that is okay too! Just note on the memo line of your check, Operation Christmas Child. Texas Hunger Initiative to sponsor 2nd Empty Bowls fundraiser for Wesley Trinity Daily Bread Soup Kitchen T he Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) is sponsoring a Soup & Bread Lunch benefitting the Wesley Trinity Daily Bread Soup Kitchen on November 17, 2015 from 1:30 p.m. at the Cactus Hotel. Everyone attending the fundraiser will leave with a handcrafted pottery bowl as a reminder that many empty bowls remain in our community and the world. If you would like to donate a bowl, please call To purchase advance tickets come to the THI office, Suite 201 of the Cactus Hotel Mezzanine or call the number above. Soup will be provided by local restaurants. FPC supports the Soup Kitchen both financially and through volunteers who prepare and serve a meal the fourth Monday of every month. Approximately million people in the world do not get the food they need to live a healthy life. That is nearly one out of every nine people on earth. That figure is down 167 million over the past decade and is 216 million less than in Source: 2016 FAO Stats Hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Source: FAO, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 The vast majority of hungry people, 780 out of 795 million people, live in developing countries. Source: FAO, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 Our ministry to Lamar Elementary continues F PC s ministry to Lamar Elementary continues for the school year. Tutors are needed to assist children with various learning activities, primarily reading and learning sight words. All volunteers must complete an on-line application by visiting District/VIPS.asp to volunteer or FMI, call Mary Boster at T H E L A M B S K I N

3 T H E L A M B S K I N 10/1 David Quam, Loren Klein 10/4 Lane Allison 10/5 Lester Smith, Ricky Napoles 10/6 Caden Sturm 10/7 Derek Darby 10/8 Keith Perrine, Scott Montgomerie 10/10 Anna Studt, Jamie Treadwell 10/11 Tailor Hunt 10/12 Mack Duerksen, Becky Cornell 10/13 Rachel Ann Moore, Bill Keel 10/14 Roena McCoulskey, Leah Duerksen P A G E 3 10/16 Vic Meyer, Anne Stoker 10/17 Griffin Castillo 10/18 Linda Davidson, Sutton Cole, Alejandra Hesse Smith, Morgan Massey, Keith Walvoord 10/19 Mary Frances Cargile, Caylee Gibson 10/20 Jake Halfmann 10/21 Laurie Lasater 10/23 Julia Lane, Cameron Curry 10/24 Trinity Pfluger, Lynne Brooks Frank 10/25 Yvonne Allred 10/27 Libby Grafa 10/29 Jane Shurley 10/31 Drew Whisenant, Steve Palmer Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 World Communion Sunday 9:00 Praise Srv 11:00 Traditional Srv 3 9:00 Angl Acdmy 4 5 6:45 MBS-210 5:30 Pray/eat/learn :00 Praise Srv 11:00 Traditional Srv 10 Columbus Day No Angel Acdmy 11 5:30 Deacons mtg, 12 6:45 MBS :00 STAFF 5:30 Pray/eat/learn :00 Service 11:00 Traditional 17 9:00 Angel Acdmy 5:15 Stewardship 18 5:15 Session :45 MBS-210 5:30 Pray/eat/learn 20 11:45 METS 3rd Thursday Lunch, Commons :00 Praise Srv 11:00 Traditional Srv 30 Same as Above 5:00 Fall Festival, WFH 24 9:00 Angl Acdmy, Soup Kitchen 31 Halloween :45 MBS :00 STAFF

4 P A G E 4 Join us for Third Thursday lunch on 11:45 a.m. in the Commons. $8 for a delicious lunch! RSVP by noon on Wednesday, 10/19 Pray Around the Block Meet at the corner of Chadbourne & Twohig on the morning of 10/15/16 to pray for America. Everyone in attendance will join hands, be led in prayer and pray for our country. You might recall this was done more than two years ago to pray for rain! And, rain it did! Meet at 10:30 a.m. T-shirts will be sold for $15 to help raise funds for a Ropes course for disabled veterans. Dear Board of Deacons, Thank you for my card. I leave it out and read it quite a bit Childcare because it does make me smile. Knowing that you pray for me does, as the card says, give me a lighter heart, a brighter day, and a smile to chase my cares away. You may wonder if this is a worthy ministry. Well, it is to me. Love, Shirley Sherrill To the Deacons, Thank you for making arrangements for Gabriela to deliver the beautiful flowers that were given to the church by Shirley & Roger Albert. Gabriela and I had a good visit also. It is a beautiful gesture for the gift of flowers to the church and then to pass that gift on. Thankful Hearts Dear Church family, Troy and I miss you all. He is doing much better. Thank you for continuing to pray Youth for Troy s healing. I picked up meals for us Wednesday, which was a real treat. Gabriela and Colette prepared a great Mexican dinner. We wish to thank those of you who have called sent cards, and brought meals or treats. It is so touching and we truly feel God s love through each of your loving actions. Also, we are grateful to Shawn for recording the Sunday services for us Listening to the music, and yes, I sing along, and hearing familiar voices makes us feel almost like we are there with you. As usual Bill and Joel bring us inspired messages So thank your brothers and sister. Love of Christ to each and all, Carolyn & Troy Bradley Shirley Sherrill A t the end of every fall semester the Board of Deacons sends our college students a care package from FPC filled with love and goodies to help them gear up for their finals. We need to have enough candy, cookies, and individually wrapped treats to fill 40 boxes. Additionally, inspirational messages on scripture cards, pencils, etc., would be appreciated too! We need your contributions by noon on Monday, November 7. The boxes will not be sent until early December, so please don t provide anything that cannot withstand that time frame. T H E L A M B S K I N

5 Jesus loves you! T H E L A M B S K I N P A G E 5 Annual Fall Festival is just around the corner! W ith pumpkins everywhere you look these days, our annual Fall Festival isn t too far away! Make plans now to join us on Oct. 30 for a time of fellowship and fun for the entire family! The festivities will get underway from 5:00 p.m. 7:00p.m. This year, all activities will be inside, so make your way to the Wood Fellowship Hall after you ve gotten your car all situated for the Trunk-or-Treat later that same evening! Cakes, cup cakes, sweet breads or whatever delicious treat you d care to share will be needed for the ever popular cake-walk! All the usual games will be available, plus a new one or two! Youth volunteers are needed to help make the evening fun for everyone! Children are encouraged to come dressed in their Halloween costumes as long as they aren t too scary and, as always, there will be a costume parade. Supper, provided by the Church, will be served in the WFH following the games. Following supper, we will have our annual Trunk-or-Treat in the parking lot behind the gym. Bring lots of candy to share with all the trunk-or-treat participants! Please make sure your car is not decorated in a frightening or menacing fashion. Call Colette at church if you would like to volunteer, Brighten the life of a Guatemalan child through an educational sponsorship W e have long supported the efforts in Guatemala of Promised Land Ministries. Perhaps you have been on one of the many mission trips our church has taken to Guatemala, or perhaps you ve provided funds to build a house, buy a stove or provide clean water to families in Guatemala. Another way to get involved is by participating in PLM s education sponsorship program. Your financial sponsorship of a Guatemalan child would provide the child with an opportunity for academic excellence, bilingual education (Spanish and Kaqchikel), registration and tuition, school supplies, tutoring, Christmas presents, additionally the child would receive the message of God s love and salvation through Jesus, and family counseling to name a few benefits. The fee to sponsor a child for one year is $300. If you would like to learn more about sponsoring a child through Promised Land Ministries, please contact Sandy Puckitt at or via at puckitt@wcc.net. Sandy would be delighted to give you additional information and get you started on your journey of sponsoring a Guatemalan child.

6 To the family & friends of Matthew Trei, who passed into eternal life on September 13, Matthew was the son of former FPC Associate Pastor Sue Trei-Conrad Congratulations to parents Amanda & Brent Santellano and grandparents Colette Tschumi and Randy Mull on the birth of Brody Lee born on September 8, 2016 And to parents Amelia & Alex McCammon and grandparents Cindy & Mike McCammon on the birth of Max Everett born on September 25, 2016 Food for the month of October Canned green beans, peas, tuna fish, Vienna sausages, peanut butter, boxed cereal, instant oatmeal, and macaroni & cheese Please place your donations in the basket in the Commons. best day of the week feast Week 1- Breakfast: Pancakes Week 2-8 pans Lasagna Week 3- Chopped BBQ Week 4- Fajitas Contact Amy Hill , if you can volunteer by making/ bringing food or donating monetarily. Each week offers much more than the main course shared here! The Lamb s Kin is published monthly for the members and friends of First Presbyterian Church. Church office: Website: fpcsanangelo.org Send any news items or thank you letters by the 25th of each month to: programs.director@fpcsanangelo.org Or to: FPC* 32 N. Irving St., San Angelo, TX /2 Evalie & Neal Grigg Joe Kilman, Gabriela Spraggins Ellen & Stephen Brown, Bob Hamblen, Susan Little 10/9 Julie Quam, Sandy Whittley Volunteers needed Mike McCammon, David Hirschfeld, Clint Symes, Ezra Walling 10/16 Noma Perrine, Hayley Perrine, Joy & Bill Morehead Polly Brooks, Doran Reynolds, Carolyn & Bill Quillen, Rene & Rodd Winn 10/23 Devin Albert, Gabriela Spraggins, Suzanne & Richard Dorris Susan & Bub Williams, Sheila Patteson, Mary Louise Strain 10/30 Carolyn & Troy Bradley, Linda Knightstep, Susan Woods, Steve Stephens Dwain Gober, Gabriela Spraggins, Vic Choate, Bette & Don Allison