THE LAMB S KIN. First Presbyterian Church. Scripture for January ushers in the return of two services at FPC San Angelo

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1 First Presbyterian Church Scripture for January L ucy Maude Montgomery in her classic book, Anne of Green Gables said, Isn t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? It has become one of my most favorite quotes but also one I remember every New Year s Eve. The New Year begins with great fanfare and excitement; a New Year full of promise and expectation AND a New Year with no mistakes in it yet. Start the New Year off right by meditating on God s Word To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven Ecclesiastes 3:1 2. Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12 4. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 5. In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 Continued on Page 2 Continued from Page 1 THE LAMB S KIN January 2014 A message from our pastor Bill Proctor 2014 ushers in the return of two services at FPC San Angelo Y ou know the saying, The more things change the more they stay the same? Well, it seems we can add a slight twist to that saying by stating, The more things change the more they return to the same. At its regular stated meeting on Tuesday, December 17, Session voted to return to two worship services each Sunday morning. Our new schedule, effective this Sunday, January 5, 2014 is: 9:00 a.m. a Praise and Worship/Contemporary service in the Sanctuary. 10:00 a.m. Sunday School hour 11:00 a.m. a Traditional Worship service in the Sanctuary This new schedule will be easy to remember since everything starts on the hour at 9, 10, and 11. After experimenting with a blended-style of worship for the past three months, the Elders determined that a blended-style of worship was not ideal for us in a weekly basis. We now return to the pattern of worship we practiced prior to the closure of the Sanctuary in 2010 when we encountered a significant structural failure with one of the old attic trusses. What is different about the new schedule is that instead of beginning at 8:30 a.m. as it did previously, the early service has now been moved to 9:00 a.m. The Elders hope a 30-minute later start will make the first service more appealing to those who may not be early risers, and those who are bringing children to worship. The Elders did hear from the many who expressed their appreciation for the blended-style of worship. To that end, on the months when there is a 5 th Sunday, that Sunday will be a blended-worship Sunday. This format will give the Chancel Choir and Praise Team ample time to prepare special music together, as well as scheduling an allchurch event for those 5 th Sundays, such as a luncheon after worship on those dates. There are four 5 th Sundays in 2014, which means about once each quarter we will host a blended worship service. Continued on Page 2

2 P A G E 2 6. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:11 8. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 9. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 Lynn Dove Christian Author lynndove.com Continued from Page 1 I want to thank the members of the Music and Worship Committee, Chaired by Amy Hill, for their hard work as they processed the congregation s response to the trial-run of blended worship services. I also want to thank Dr. Pamela Lee, Director of the Chancel Choir, and Julie Pucci, our Music Ministry Coordinator, for their hard work of blending the weekly music as well as all of our musicians. I also want to thank the Elders for their care and concern over the worship life and worship style of this congregation. As the New Year begins I look forward to seeing you in worship, participating with you in ministry and mission, and growing together in our experience of God s love in Christ Jesus. Bill From the Church Staff! Bill, Joel, Julie, Pamela, Michael, Susan, Becky, Donna Z., Dawn, Shawn, Irene, Donald T H E L A M B S K I N

3 T H E L A M B S K I N 1/1 Jim Johnson, Robert Carsner 1/2 Logan Lindemann 1/4 Warner Phillips 1/5 Katherine Lauer, Christopher Kappelmann 1/7 Shirley Sherrill 1/8 Wendy Snider 1/9 Cassie Millican, Jackson Moore 1/10 Todd Henderson 1/11 Cindy Gray 1/13 Ellison Newlin 1/14 Christian Bodenhamer 1/15 Keith Swiderski, Megan Grigg, Driskell Akin, Ellen Helbring 1/16 Bub Williams, Tyler Walvoord 1/17 Chelsea Sturm, Sarah Grafa P A G E 3 1/18 Barbara Rogers, Robert Coffey, Phillip Schneemann 1/19 Billie Parks, Jim Cobb, Brianna Davis 1/20 Lauren Brooks, Brady Winn, Troy Bradley 1/21 Dorothea Jones 1/23 Brian Treadwell 1/24 Ashley King 1/25 Gordy Day, Cathy Cobb, Brendan Byars, Fran Early 1/26 Mason Millican, Jaime Salter, Sherri Jones 1/27 Randy Gardner, Katie Dahl 1/28 Macy Massey, Angela Day 1/29 Susie Gibson 1/30 Larrison Cornell, Bridget Scott 1/31 Betty Nichols, Janet Phillips, Amy Hill, Leanne Byrd, Oron Lee Schuch, Kimberly Wynne Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 NEW YEAR S DAY Office Closed Communion Sunday 9:00 Praise & Worship Service 10:00 Sunday School 5:00 Family Faith, Rm SCHOOL STARTS 7 12:00 WOW resumes 8 6:45 MBS :30 HS Lunch 5:15 Praise Team 5;30 Diaconate Dr. Mark Labberton 9:00 P&W Service 10:00 Sunday School Church-wide luncheon 5:00 Ground Up-YC & Family Faith, Rm :00 WOW 15 6:45 MBS :30 Youth Lunch 16 10:30 WID - CR :00 P&W 10:00 Sunday School 5:00 Ground Up-YC & Family Faith, Rm NO SCHOOL NO AA 21 12:00 WOW 5:15 Session :45 MBS :30 Youth Lunch 23 10:30 WID - CR :00 P&W 10:00 Sun. School 5:00 Ground Up-YC & Family Faith Rm :00 Soup Kitchen 28 12:00 WOW 29 6:45 MBS :30 Youth Lunch 30 10:30 WID - CR 31

4 P A G E 4 January 6 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service. Psalm 72:11 Baptism of the Lord January 12 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. Isaiah 42:1 Reconciliation and Discernment Update A t its meeting on December 17, the Session appointed four persons to serve on the Reconciliation and Discernment team as we begin the process of evaluating and assessing our relationship with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America PCUSA. According to the Reconciliation and Discernment guidelines for Tres Rios Presbytery, there is to be one staff member representative, one representative from Session, and two representatives from the congregation at large each one appointed by Session. As pastor and Head of Staff, Rev. Proctor will serve as the staff representative. Steve Stephens will serve as the representative from Session. Steve brings many years of experience in business, negotiating contracts and, as a member of the Stewardship Committee, will be able to convey any financial implications of a possible departure from the PCUSA to that committee and Session. Cybee Hamblen will serve as one of the at-large members from the congregation. Cybee brings to this new task her recent experience of working with Tres Rios Presbytery as Co-Chair of the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee, which brought us our new Associate Pastor, Joel Moore. Lee Puckitt will also serve as one of the at-large members from the congregation. Lee was Chair of the recent Denomination Relations Task Force, and he will be able to represent the concerns raised by the Task Force as it reviewed the changes in the new Book of Order, as well as the other statement and position papers of the PCUSA all of which led that task force to unanimously recommend to Session that First Presbyterian enter into the Reconciliation and Dismissal process with Tres Rios Presbytery. To date we have not received any communication from Tres Rios informing us when or where the first of five required meetings between First Presbyterian Church and representatives from Tres Rios Presbytery will take place. Once those initial meetings have occurred, town hall meetings will be scheduled so that you, the members of first Presbyterian Church, will be able to ask your questions and raise your concerns pro or con about departing the PCUSA for another Presbyterian denomination. Please keep these four individuals in your prayers in the months ahead as we seek to discern God s will for us as we look forward to the future. T H E L A M B S K I N

5 T H E L A M B S K I N P A G E 5 Dear FPC, Thank you for the wonderful memorial donation of $200 in memory of Cameron Massey. Your gift is much appreciated and will be used in the service of our Lord. Sincerely, Sandra Harris Office Manager St. Paul Presbyterian Church Thankful Hearts Dear FPC, I appreciated the Thanksgiving dinner and the fall flowers sent to me by the Board of Deacons. A special thank you to Ezra Walling for bringing them. Margaret Jorgensen Fuller Seminary president, Dr. Mark Labberton to be FPC s next guest speaker T he Speakers Committee is proud to announce that our next guest speaker will be Dr. Mark Labberton. Dr. Labberton will be speaking at First Presbyterian on January 12, 2014 during each of the Worship services, 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. There will be a Church-Wide Luncheon following the service, the luncheon will be sponsored by the Ben and Gil Horton Speaker Endowment. Dr. Labberton is the newly -installed president of Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, California. Fuller Seminary is one of the largest multidenominational seminaries in the world, with nearly 5,000 students attending annually from 70 countries. Dr. Labberton has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitman College, a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller, and a PhD in theology from the University of Cambridge, England. In 2009, Labberton joined Fuller s faculty as the Lloyd John Ogilvie Associate Professor of Preaching and Director of the Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute of Preaching. He accepted the call to serve as Fuller s fifth president, on July 1, Dr. Labberton came to Fuller after 16 years as senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California. He served as chair of John Stott Ministries from 2001 to 2004 and co-chair of the John Stott Ministries Global Initiative Fund from 2004 to Today he continues to contribute to the mission of the global church as a senior fellow of the International Justice Mission. He is the author of The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor and The Dangerous Act of Worship. Make plans to be in Worship on Sunday, January 12.

6 Patty & John Allison and family on the death of Patty s father, Dr. Robert Miller. Dr. Miller passed into eternal life on December 3, 2014 And to Nancy & John Cargile and family on the loss of John s aunt, Carolyn Cargile, who passed into eternal life on December 12, 2013 And to The family and friends of Donna & Freddie Spieler. Donna passed into eternal life on December 10, 2013 and Freddie on December 16, 2013 Food for the month of January Rice, Pinto Beans, Canned Soup & disposable eating utensils Please place your donations in the basket in the Commons. The Lamb s Kin is published monthly for the members and friends of First Presbyterian Church. Deadline is the 20th of each month. Please your news to Susan Gober gosusan@msn.com Church office: Church office choffice@gte.net T he usher and flower delivery schedules are under construction, if the Usher Ministry is a ministry you d like to join, please call Susan Gober, , to volunteer. Our Deacons deliver the flowers. W OW is a group of Christian women who attend various churches in and around San Angelo. They are of no certain age as any and all women are welcome! The group meets each Tuesday at noon to study the Bible or other current Christian literature. It is designed to be completed in an hour so that women working outside the home may attend during the noon hour. You may bring your lunch. On 1/7/14 at noon in Room 107 they will begin Beth Moore s book James: Mercy Triumphs. Childcare is available beginning at 11:45 a.m. T he Women s In-depth Bible Study group will resume meeting on 1/16/14 at 10:30 a.m. in the Conference Rm. They will begin a study entitled Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri Nouwen. All women are encouraged to attend. There is not childcare for this study.