The View CLEVELAND CHRISTMAS PARADE JANUARY Grinch Tree Raises Funds for "The Growing Place" INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Pastor s Corner 2.

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1 The View JANUARY 2018 Volume XV Issue I First Presbyterian Church 147 N. Main St. Cleveland, GA CLEVELAND CHRISTMAS PARADE It was a beautiful night for a parade; cool but not cold, a super moon, and lots of joyful spectators. FPC took advantage of the choice parade viewing spot and the Presbyterian Men dispensed 6 gallons of yummy hot chocolate to the crowd. The Membership committee gave out over 300 candy canes tied with invitations to our Christmas Eve service. By Lindalee Walters Pastor: Rev. Dr. Gary Bagley glbagley@mindspring.com Office: info@fpccleveland.org Prayer Request info@fpccleveland.org Website: INSIDE THIS ISSUE Pastor s Corner 2 PW Page 3 Calendar 4 Men of the Church 5 Mission Team News 6 Birthdays 7 Session & Diaconate 8 Grinch Tree Raises Funds for "The Growing Place" By Bruce Morgan A beautiful "real" tree donated by Jim Crawford became a Christmas tree in the home of Bill and Joyce Naivar. After accepting the tree on behalf of "The Growing Place", Clair Arvold thought an auction of the decorated tree could raise some money for our preschool. The "Grinch" theme was conceived by Clair and with the help of Lindsey McGrath it became a reality. As the high bidder in the auction, the Naivar's were surprised to have the tree delivered and set up in their home. Thanks to all who bid and for all who support this ministry.

2 JANUARY Pastor s Corner A Chinese proverb goes: If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. In a similar vein, my hopes as your interim pastor are not just to be your supply preacher/pastor or a specialized church consultant. My hope for us as First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland is to plan for a lifetime. The month of January holds two important worship-related events for us. On January 7, newly elected elders and deacons will be installed. Those who have never been ordained will be ordained during that service. On January 28, FPC will hold its Annual Congregational Meeting, as required by the Book of Order. The purpose of such is to keep the congregation informed as to the work and ministry of the church and to hold ourselves accountable to our responsibilities. In January, the 13 th annual January Adventure in Emerging Christianity will convene at St. Simons Epworth by the Sea conference center, with guest speakers Barbara Brown Taylor and Rabbi Rami Shapiro. Having been a participant for ten of the twelve existing conferences, this is usually a don t miss continuing educational opportunity for me. Our own (Rev. Dr.) Bill Hines is scheduled to preach in my absence that Sunday. Sometime in February, as part of the interim/transitional process, I hope to begin a 10-week study on Core Values of Vital Mainline Protestant Congregations using Diana Butler Bass s Christianity for the Rest of Us. We will select a time during the week that is most preferable to those in the congregation who desire to participate. The formation of a Transition Team to help guide the congregation and me (your intentional interim pastor) during this time is also projected. Recommendations from Session and the congregation for this moderator-appointment will be encouraged at the appropriate time and with more details of this process. My office and work pattern were shared with the Session several weeks ago. Normally, I will be in the pastor s study/office Tuesday through Thursday in addition to Sundays the times the church office is open and good times for committee work and personal conversations. Monday, will be used for worship and sermon planning/study from my home office. Friday is usually set aside for unfinished administrative matters and sermon preparation. Pastoral care (hospital and home visits, counseling, new member visits ) will occur as appropriate throughout the week. As with life, pastoral patterns are always subject to change! My special thanks to our choir and music staff for the wonderful service of Christmas Music on December 17. It was excellent! As we move into the new year, let s sow more than rice and plant more than trees. Let s plan for a lifetime! See you Sunday. Gary Our Annual Christmas Cantata By Bruce Morgan Our choir, with the addition of instrumentalists, made our worship service very special, moving and meaningful. James got the most out of our keyboard with some new sounds and use of a drum to accompany one piece. David directed the choir, accompaniment and speakers and all the practice that went into the service really paid off. Many favorable comments were shared during the reception hosted by the Presbyterian Women following the service. Lots of new faces helped make up the congregation and our spirits were lifted as we celebrated the advent season.

3 JANUARY CHRISTMAS CAROLING 2017 About 20 of our FPC folks braved the cold and went Christmas Caroling Wednesday night 12/13/18. We visited and sang at the homes of Barbara and Jim Hiers, Joy and Robby Robbins and Joyce and Bill Naivar. An assortment of traditional Christmas Carols were sung, with the kids favorite being Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer with their embellishments! We came back to church to Hot Chocolate and Cookies. A good time was had by all! By Melody Thomason PW CALENDAR January 3 - Coordinating Team Meeting - 3:30 p.m. January 11 - Women's Bible Study - 10:00 a.m. - We will study Lesson 4, In Community with God Messengers. Sally Kaltenbach will be the study leader and Bonnie Frost will serve as hostess. We are doing things a little different. Instead of having a dessert at the end of Bible study, we are going to have a light "something" at the beginning. No Knit and Stitch this month Our Thanks: Once again we have been blessed with good sales of our necklaces and other items. Thanks to all who have made things, sold things, bought things and worked at the craft shows. With everyone s help we have been able to donate close to $5,600 this year for various needs. This includes our Birthday Offering and Thank Offering. Our thanks to all who contributed in any way. PW CHRISTMAS LUNCH - About 15 Presbyterian Women attended our annual Potluck Lunch. A good time was had by all. The ThingsI Learned in Sunday School What is a Chrismon Tree? Chrismons are Christmas decorations with Christian symbols on them. They help Christians to remember that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus's birthday. First introduced by North American Lutherans in 1957, the practice has rapidly spread to other Christian denominations. "Chrismon" (plural "Chrismons") was adopted for the type of Christmas decoration and explained as a portmanteau of "CHRIST-MONOGRAMS." White is the liturgical (Church) color for Christmas and symbolizes that Jesus was pure and perfect. Gold symbolizes His Majesty and Glory. Here at First Presbyterian of Cleveland, we celebrate the decorating of our Chrismon Tree as part of the worship service on the first Sunday of Advent. By Jean Kelly

4 First Presbyterian Church Cleveland January 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 7 10 AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship Install New Deacons and Elders AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship Session Meeting AM Sunday School 11 AM Worship Annual Congregational Meeting :30 PM Lions Club :30 PM Lions Club 9 6 PM PM Meeting 12 PM Lunch Bunch :30 PM CT Meeting 10 3:30 PM Kids First 5 PM Prayer Service 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7 30 PM Choir Practice 17 3:30 PM Kids First 4:30 PM Membership Comm. Meeting 5 PM Prayer Service 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir Practice 24 3:30 PM Kids First 5 PM Prayer Service 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir Practice 31 3:30 PM Kids First 5 PM Prayer Service 5:30 PM Dinner all ages 6:20 PM Bible Study 7:30 PM Choir Practice 4 8 PM NA AM PW Bible Study 8 PM NA 18 8 PM NA 25 8 PM NA 5 7 PM NA 12 7 PM NA 19 7 PM NA 26 6:30 PM Game Night 7 PM NA 6 13 Presbytery Meeting St. Simons Island, GA

5 JANUARY PRESBYTERIAN MEN By Bruce Morgan by Bruce Morgan The Presbyterian Men will hold their monthly dinner fellowship on Tuesday, January 9th at 6:00pm. As we begin a new year, we would love to have any of our adult men join in the Presbyterian Men as we enjoy our meals, Bible study and fellowship. We like to take outings that give us a chance to have new experiences and as always, eat. Won't you plan to join us? Friday, January 26th, 6:30 pm. Soup and sandwiches are planned for supper. Please sign up in Narthex and indicate what you want to bring for the meal. Lunch Bunch will enjoy Taco Tuesday on January 16th at Big Daddy's restaurant in Cornelia. Please sign up in Narthex and meet at the church at 11:30 to carpool or at restaurant at noon. At the December meeting your session: - elected three commissioners to a special meeting of the Presbytery, - discussed assignments for the annual report to the Presbytery, - selected a task force to update our corporate by laws, - agreed to create new policies and procedures for the session, - received reports from standing ministry teams, - reviewed the membership roles and took action to contact some members, - studied the first draft of the 2018 budget and discussed changes, - heard a report from the pastor and affirmed our appreciation of his service, - prayed for members needing God's grace, - set the next meeting for January 21st. Membership committee is seeking people who enjoy planning church activities and who want to make a difference for our members and visitors. Our next meeting is January 17th at 4:30 pm. Please join us. Contact Lindalee Walters at for more information. By Bruce Morgan

6 JANUARY Mission Team And Education News The Growing Place Update We had our first soup Sunday after church December 3, and made $ (WOW) to benefit The Growing Place (TGP) preschool. We had good food, good fellowship and many generous FPC folks. Our second fundraiser for the month of December was auctioning off of the Grinch Christmas Tree. The beautiful live tree was donated to the church and the TGP ladies decorated it with handprints, names of TGP kids and Grinch items. The lucky winner of the tree was our own Joyce Naivar. Thank you to all the people who have supported TGP with their financial contributions. FPC s Presbyterian Women have graciously committed to donating part of their profits from their sales to TGP for this school year. Memorials have been made with TGP the beneficiary and some folks give monthly to our Preschool. We have a few parents paying tuition monthly with others attending for free. It takes about $1, monthly to keep the school going, which is basically to pay salaries for 2 workers. FPC has been supporting the school by providing the room, insurance, and utilities. Teacher salaries and taxes do not come out of the regular budget, but from donations and fund raisers. If you are curious as to what is happening at TGP, stop by one Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday 8:00-12:00. Great things are going on and there is never a dull moment. We have a variety of interesting children now, 5 boys and 5 girls and two awesome teachers, Ms. Clair and Ms. Christy. We even have a super talented TGP Mom doing Music with the children regularly. Be looking for more exciting fund raisers to come. If you have any questions about our preschool just ask. Thanks again for your support of this Important mission of FPC. Melody Thomason

7 OCTOBER JANUARY BIRTHDAYS January 4 - Sandra Nellis January 7 - Betty Cochran January 9 - Joy Robbins January 13 - Dewayne Nix January 21 - Luanne Wedd January 22 - Hugh Walters January 23 - David DeMeritt January 23 - Thomas (TC) Ciriello 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 January 25 - Linda Hoppock January 29 - Zachary Ciriello January 31 - Hans Mannaert FINANCIAL CORNER 2017 Financial synopsis November Year to Date Income for Operating Expenses: $15, $203, Operating Expenses: $16, $192, Net Operating Income for the month: $ $ 10, Over 40 giving units have committed to their 2018 giving plan. We are getting close to our budget! If you plan to commit to giving in 2018, please turn your commitment cards into the office or put into an envelope in the collection plate as soon as possible. The Session is working on the budget and plans to finalize it at the January meeting. Judy Winski A complete listing of the church s November 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.

8 First Presbyterian Church 147 N. Main Street Cleveland, GA Phone: Fax: Website: Please submit any Prayer Request to 8 FEBUARY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE JANUARY 17TH Chairperson & Editor Bruce Morgan Publisher Cookie Mathis Committee Members Judy Winski Kim Ciriello Bonnie Frost Dick Frost Jean Kelly SESSION AND DIACONATE SESSION Clerk of the Session Jim Hiers DIACONATE Moderator Don Mathis Class of 2018 Class of 2018 Bruce Morgan/Administration Gail Rollin Jim Crawford/Building & Grounds Rachel Romfo Jean Kelley/Communication Carolyn Brooks Don Mathis Class of 2019 Judy Winski/Stewardship & Finance Class of 2019 Melody Thomason/Education Hugh Walters LIndalee Walters/Membership Betty Royds Betty Smith Class of 2020 DeWayne Nix/Congregational Care Class of 2020 Becky Clark/Worship Kim Ciriello Nanette Baughman/Mission Tony Clark