Way to go, Westminster!!

Transcription

1 My dear friends, A minister friend of mine in Atlanta told me of a situation in his church that needed attention. There were some issues with finances and programs, and my advice to him, as it has always been, Trust your congregation. You might be surprised that this did not come to him first, but I am not. Many churches and their leadership do not rely on the good sense and devotion of the people sitting in the pews each week. But not here, not at Westminster. There have been times when we have come to you with an issue (a roof that leaks, a budget shortfall, or areas of concern) and you have always responded. You offer your advice AND you open your pocketbook, put on work gloves, dream up solutions and get the job done! So I say to you, Way To Go, Westminster! Last month the Session heard a gloomy report about the shortfall from the summer months. What do we do about this? was the question. A discussion about cutting expenses naturally came up, but we have already shaved our expenses to the bone and it seemed we would have to cut essential services. But Let s take this to the congregation! was decided, and you responded. The Session committees and staff watched expenses like a hawk watches a bunny, and you dug deep to get us out of the hole. We UNDERSPENT our income in September by $25,000. (Yes, that is thousands.) And thereby Way to go, Westminster!! cut the deficit from the summer more than half. Since the next months are generally good months for donations, I think we will end the year just fine, all because of the dedication, generosity and devotion of the congregation. Because of YOU! So, Way to go, Westminster, Way To Go! Now, another encouraging sign I have observed is the tremendous involvement in church planning and program that started with the formulation of the survey last Summer. Everyone involved took part in an experience that continues to have a positive impact on the church. The Town Hall meeting last week drew a tremendous crowd of interested people. It was unfortunate that we ran out of time for questions and answers, but individuals are working hard to interpret the data and draw up an action plan based on comments and the data. But, Trust The Congregation applies here too. A committee has been formed by the Session to draw up strategies to implement the ideas and suggestions that came out of the survey. An encouraging thing is to remember the survey is only a reflection of the perceptions of people in the pews, not always the reality of what is actually happening. What this means is we are already doing many of the things people have suggested. Some of them have been done well for years but people have the incorrect perception that they are not. Once we communicate those good things, we can then turn to the things that can be done better and to new and exciting things. In a very short time more meetings will be held as these strategies are presented and commented on by you and other members of the church. The worst thing that can happen when doing all of this is to delay or skip this critical step in the process of renewal. We have all these good ideas floating around, but no concrete way to make them happen. Not this time. The members of the committee are Michelle Tackett, Will Green, Elisa Edwards, Michelle Jordan, Lauren Owens and myself. Watch for some really great things to come about because of this process. And on another front, good news. Eric Jordan and the Missions Committee have gotten their plans together to promote missions in a wonderful way. They are keeping all of the terrific mission projects going that we all love so much, but focusing on highlighting one project each month, usually tied to a theme or seasonal need. This month we have been hearing... (Next page) OCTOBER 2014

2 about Harvest Hope Food Bank. Next month it will be the Samaritan s Purse Christmas Boxes. We, as a church, are doing great work with so many mission projects, but too often you don t hear about what we are accomplishing. Eric s committee is looking to change that. In a couple of weeks we will hold our annual Fall Festival. It brings in hundreds of children from our community. Kids from HB Rhame, the WCDC and neighbors all show up and enjoy Westminster s hospitality. I particularly love the Trunk-R-Treat in the parking lot and the fire truck! This is just one way we reach into our community for good and for God, and I thank you for your support. We do need more candy though, and you can plan to drive your car, decorate it if you like and hand out bags of candy to the children. Last year, Debra and I put together goodie bags labeled with church information on Sunday School and worship. Some might call it shameless promotion, but it generated several visitors last year. Trust the Congregation! It s a great thought and my official policy! May God continue to bless this church in the days ahead. And may God bless you! I am Your pastor and friend, Rev. George T. Head Please join us in wishing these people a Happy Birthday in October! 10/1 Erin Mina 10/2 Virgil Linder 10/3 Michael Hendricks 10/3 Howard Parnell 10/5 Ellen Geriner 10/5 Martha Long 10/6 Austin Cross 10/6 Ayden Cross 10/6 Katie Hightower 10/7 David Ruple 10/8 Liam Watson 10/10 Barbara Bugner 10/11 Henry Strohecker 10/13 Elizabeth Baughman 10/13 Lisa Borden 10/15 Suzy Owens 10/15 Bonnie Pruitt 10/16 Justin Welch 10/19 Sarah Ann Easley 10/20 Barbara Bush 10/22 Al Chisholm 10/22 Phillip Chisholm 10/22 Sara Green 10/23 Jean Westmoreland 10/24 Blanche Chisholm 10/24 Nancy Wilson 10/25 Scott Hartley 10/25 Christine Moran 10/25 Sara Ann Pope 10/25 Tim Whipple 10/26 Donald Ayers 10/26 Tommy Pinckney 10/28 Elisa Edwards 10/28 Percy McNeill 10/29 Jim Bush 10/29 Evan Green 10/29 John Grimes Please keep in prayer: Margaret Todd and Family, Rhonda Holloman, Louise Knotts Family, Lucy Owens & Family, Rick Wilson s Family, Ted Stutts family, Leoda Quick s family, Julian Johnson Jr., Shirley Milam, Catherine Jewel (friend of Michele Tackett), Nancy Anderson, Lucy Owens, Jean & Larry Barrickman, Blanche Glover, Julian Johnson, George Geriner, Jerilynn Williams, Patsy Feagin, Owen Wingate, Percy McNeill, Marion Atkins, Pat Dempsey, Howard Parnell, Lila Gray Concerns - If you know of someone who could use a meal, a visit, or simply a word of encouragement, please let us know by calling the church office at or sending an to Lauren: la.owens85@gmail.com or Rev. Head at gthead.head@gmail.com Our popular Christmas Wreaths from Washington State are back again this year! Please see a youth member on Sundays to place an order for your Christmas Wreath or decorative Garland. Sales will end on November 9th! If you or someone you know would like to place an order to have it directly shipped to a specific location (makes great Christmas gifts for family far away!), you can participate in our online ordering!!! Go to: and at the end when placing your order put in our code: WESC to give us credit for the sale. YOUTH MISSION The Youth Group decided over the summer to do more for our church family and community! We will have a box in the Narthex, starting Sunday for you to put suggestions & requests for tasks you need help with. Some examples are but not limited to: help with lawn care, cleaning out gutters, washing your car, and the list goes on and on. Once we have a few selections we will contact you with a date and time that the group will come to you to complete the work.

3 Announcing!! A Called Session meeting this Sunday with the Deacons, that s right, a joint meeting at 4:30 in room 107. We will be approving members for this year s nominating committee and other necessary business, as well as a discussion of the initiatives from the survey committee. Also, we are calling a meeting of the congregation for the following Sunday at 10:00 in the Sanctuary. These Nominating committee members will be presented and approved at that meeting in the Sanctuary. FAMILY CHURCH WIDE RETREAT : MARCH 6-8, 2015 We have 4 cabins reserved at the Myrtle Beach State Park for next year s retreat! There are 28 slots available and will fill up fast. So if you d like to go please let Joyce Green, our Care of Members Elder, know! ( ) Prices will be posted soon. If you d like to look at the cabin pictures (Cabins 1-3,6), please go to the following website: Mr. Bee s Kids Café Supplies Needed The following items are needed for the coming school year: Ranch Dressing, Can veggies (carrots, corn, green beans, black eye peas, sweet potatoes, baked beans, etc), Can meats (stews, chicken, etc), Peanut butter, Jelly, Fruit cups, Jello packs, Soups (chicken noodle, tomato, etc), Saltines, Instant potatoes, Cereal, Rice, Can gravy, Pasta sauce, Spaghetti noodles, Mayo, Mustard, and Ketchup Please join us in wishing these staff members a Happy Birthday! November 1 - Chiquita Harris November 7 - Jessie Dreher 2014 We still have a few dates available to have flowers dedicated to your wife, husband, family birthday, or other special occasion!! Hurry up and grab a date before the poinsettias come in for Advent!! October 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, December 7 are open, call the office today to reserve your date.

4 Sunday Night In-Verse (5:30 dinner, 6:00 study) is such a powerful bible study. However, we realize that many members of the congregation cannot attend these evening sessions. For this reason, we are including bullet points from each session here in the newsletter for your benefit. Enjoy. Session 1: God s Vision for Your Life - 10/5/2014 Life is a journey toward a specific destination. VISION provides an idea of what the destination looks like. The joy of the journey is determined by the strength/clarity of your VISION. VISION: 1. adds passion to life and gives a clear picture of your destination 2. provides a great sense of motivation so that the little things in life have more meaning 3. gives direction in decision making toward the vision=yes/away from the vision=no. 4. increases confidence and provides a purpose in life 5. provides a sense of accomplishment God has a personal specific VISION for your life. Formula for discerning God s VISION for your life 1. You must know what God is up to in the world/in history---he wants people to know Him as their Heavenly Father through His son Jesus Christ. (Finding the lost sheep) 2. You must be concerned with the things that concern God---Ask yourself, How concerned am I with the things that concern God? If the answer is No, realign your priorities to match God s concern that people come to Him. 3. You must wrestle with the tension between how things are and how they could be in order to discover God s vision---it is through this process that God births His vision in you. 4. You must remember that you are not your own. You were bought and paid for at a very high price. This means that you can no longer set your own goals or dream your own dreams outside of the will of God s vision. You belong to God and your purpose is to serve His purpose. 5. You must gather all the goodness that comes with accepting Christ, THEN you must invest it back into God s Kingdom to serve His purpose. 6. You must love people NOT things and prioritize your life/resources/time/energy around the values and principals of God s Word----LOVE FOR PEOPLE. 7. You must have a picture of what God wants to do in and through your life---that IS VI- SION. Session 2: Defining God s Purpose/Calling for Your Life 10/12/2014 God has a purposeful plan or calling for your life. (Ps. 33:11, Jer. 29:11) You need to know your purpose/calling If you don t know your purpose, you can be distracted and drawn away from your calling. Discovering your calling is critical because: 1. Knowing your calling answers the question of FULFILLMENT. Lack of fulfillment is tied to lack of purpose and lack of purpose is tied to lack of calling. We have an inner emptiness that God seeks to fill with abundance. He does this through providing us with a God-ordained purpose. Remember Success is not what you have done compared to what others have done. Success is what you have done compared to what you were supposed to do. 2. Knowing your calling answers the question of DIRECTION in your life. Knowing your calling directs you toward your vision (destination) with clarity. If you know where you are going, you can plan how to get there. It eliminates ambiguity in decision making. 3. Knowing your calling answers the question of STABILITY. With a defined calling,

5 Poinsettia Order Form Use this form to order a poinsettia for the holiday season. Cost this year for a beautiful red poinsettia is $ Poinsettias are normally picked up after the Christmas Eve service. Listing in bulletin: Your name: Qty: In honor of: In memory of: PLEASE PLACE THIS SLIP IN THE OFFERING PLATE OR TURN INTO CHURCH OFFICE WITH THE CORRECT AMOUNT DUE. Deadline for ordering is November 9th. **FLOWERS WILL NOT BE ORDERED IF NOT PAID FOR BEFORE THE DEADLINE** circumstances will no longer control your decisions. If you know your calling, God prepares you for things that occur unexpectedly. You become content wherever you are because you are in God s will for your life. 4. Knowing your calling answers the question of SIGNIFICANCE. You matter because only you can be called to your calling. God created you purposefully to fulfill a unique and specific purpose. God allows experiences in your life (good and bad) so that you are prepared for your calling. 5. Knowing your calling answers the question of PROVISION. God always provides for what He calls. If you are outside of your calling then, God is not obligated to provide for your purposes. He is obligate to provide only for His calling on your life. God calls you and He stands behind you when you are answering His call for your life. The Holy Spirit s power resides in concert with God s purpose. 6. Knowing your calling answers the question of TIME. You have a finite amount of time that is given so that you might accomplish your purpose. Time is related to purpose/calling. Calling gives you God s perspective on your use of the time you have left. You don t know how much time you have left so you must be about God s calling for your life. How does all of this sound to you? Join everybody who seeks a better understanding of God s Word by coming out on Sunday evenings for a great time of fellowship at 5:30 and the study at 6:00. You will be blessed! GO GETTERS will be meeting at the church, October 20 at 11:00 a.m. to carpool to Shealy s BBQ. If you have any questions, please contact Ron Jacobs at

6 CHILDREN'S SUNDAY OCTOBER 19, 2014 Mark your calendars! This Sunday the children of WPC will be leading us in worship! UPCOMING EVENT OCTOBER 26TH 5:30-7:30 P.M. As always, we need Your help with making this event a success! Here s what we need this year! Volunteers to help set up the event after church on October 26 Volunteers for Trunk-or-treat with a decorated car (looking for at least 6-8 cars) Donations of CANDY CANDY CANDY! Donate money to buy supplies Volunteers to help run games Volunteers to help in the parking lot If you are interested in helping or donating, please contact Andie or Lauren at the church for more info. Children s Ministry If your children or grandchildren are interested in being a part of the Nativity this year, please contact Andie Grumbles ASAP! We want to make sure that anyone that wants to participate has a costume. Friends In Service to Him

7 This walk is for Margaret Todd s nephew. If you can support Leo and his family it will be greatly appreciated!

8 The Westminster Missions committee met on September 28 and developed a missions calendar for the remainder of Each month, we will focus on a Westminstersponsored mission to provide members with the opportunity to get more involved with that organization through volunteer work or donations of time or money. Our mission focus for October will be Harvest Hope Food Bank. Westminster has had an enduring relationship with Harvest Hope Food Bank. This year the organization has seen an increase of 2807 families served this year over The daily average of families served this summer was 463, an increase of 148 compared to last summer. They need our help as we move closer to the holiday season. Members can find more information of Harvest Hope at their websitehttp:// The website has information on opportunities for church members to volunteer their time. In addition to that, food donations will be collected throughout October in dropboxes in the church hallway. Monetary donations can also be made by annotating on checks collected during the weekly offering. Most Needed Items canned meat and fish peanut butter (in plastic jars) canned vegetables and fruits breakfast cereal personal care items (soap, shampoo, etc.) any nutritionally dense foods Flattened plastic grocery bags NOVEMBER 8, 2014 START SAVING YOUR STUFF FOR OUR ANNUAL TAG SALE REMEMBER WHAT YOU DONATE CAN BE USED AS A TAX WRITE OFF! THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE GO DIRECTLY TO OUR SCHOLARSHIPS AND PRISON MINISTRY. Please bring your donations to the Amazing Place on Friday, Nov 7. All items should be clean and in working order. Clothes should be on hangers.

9 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Youth meet after church to go to State Fair Children s Sunday! :00 p.m. Handbell Choir 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 3:00 p.m. Mr. Bee's Kids Cafe 8:00 a.m. Circle 7 meets at Carricato s House 9:45 a.m. Family Day Trip - Country Adventures :15 a.m. Contemp. 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Traditional 5:30 p.m. InVerse Dinner 6:00 p.m. Bible Study 5:45 p.m. Young Sandlappers 7:00 p.m. Scouts 7:00 p.m. PW Council meets in RM :15 a.m. Contemp. 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Traditional 5:30 p.m. InVerse Dinner 6:00 p.m. Bible Study 5:45 p.m. Young Sandlappers 7:00 p.m. Scouts 6:30 p.m. Circle 4 6:45 p.m. Circle 6 10:00 a.m. Circle 3 7:00 p.m. Circle 2 6:00 p.m. Handbell Choir 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 3:00 p.m. Mr. Bee's Kids Cafe 3:00 p.m. Mr. Bee's Kids Cafe :15 a.m. Contemp. 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Traditional 5:30 p.m. In- Verse Dinner 6:00 p.m. Bible Study 12:00 p.m. Go Getters go to Shealy s BBQ 5:45 p.m. Young Sandlappers 7:00 p.m. Scouts 7:00 p.m. Circle :15 a.m. Contemp. 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Trad. 5:30 P.M. Fall Festival 5:45 p.m. Young Sandlappers 7:00 p.m. Scouts 6:00 p.m. Handbell Choir 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 6:00 p.m. Handbell Choir 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 3:00 p.m. Mr. Bee's Kids Cafe YOUTH FALL RETREAT! TO CLEMSON, SC WITH SUNRISE PRESBYTERIAN (FROM SULLIVAN S ISLAND, SC)