From Pastor John Hartman: October "The Book of Relevance"

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1 From Pastor John Hartman: October 2016 "The Book of Relevance" Last month, I traveled to San Antonio, Texas to spend the week with my Princeton Seminary Covenant group. It was a wonderful time of prayer, study, fellowship, and recreation., as we stayed at a place called Mo Ranch, a Presbyterian Church (USA) sponsored camp in Hunt, Texas, about an hour and half from San Antonio. As you know, we have been meeting together since One of the things we do is to make sure to always talk about the state of the Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Church in the culture of today. I always appreciate the wise perspectives that I gain by listening to my friends, and it is always a spirited discussion. One of the conclusions we came to is that the Church always runs the risk of becoming "irrelevant." People are lost, feel helpless and hopeless, and wonder what does the church have to say in the midst of sorrow, crises and despair? What we do believe is that Church spends way too much time and way too much energy answering questions that nobody else is asking! That is a sure fire way to become irrelevant fast. This month, I am beginning a two month sermon series on the book of James, which I am titling, "Practical Tips for Christian Living." Throughout October and November we will be working our way through this New Testament book by looking at certain passages. The book of James is not so much a prescription about how to become a Christian, as much as it is a description of what it means to live as a Christian. It is my hope that as we study and worship together we will be able to apply these wonderful teachings to our everyday life as we grow in knowledge, love and service to Jesus Christ. Called to follow Christ, Equipped to share Christ s teaching, Committed to serve Christ in the world! MINISTER: John P. Hartman OFFICE MANAGER: Martha Shannon MUSIC DIRECTOR: Blake Tickle ACCOMPANIST: Cynthia Hartis HANDBELL DIRECTOR: Claire Clark NURSERY CARE COORDINATOR: Joyce Gardner DIRECTOR FELLOWSHIP SCHOOLS: Melissa Mitchell 2005 New Garden Road Greensboro, NC Fellowship Press online: wordpress/files/newsletter/newsletter.pdf Calendar online: /im-new/calendar/ Grace and Peace, John

2 Dear Fellowship Family, Fall is officially upon us and our Advent and Christmas season will be here again before we know it! The Chancel Choir has already begun work on our annual Lessons & Carols Service, which will be held this year on Sunday December 18th. I can t wait to share with you what we ve been working on! Please go ahead and mark your calendars for the first of our monthly Community Concerts on Sunday January 8, 2017 at three o clock PM in the sanctuary. Friends, sponsoring a concert is the perfect opportunity to honor a family member or loved one while also supporting our vibrant music department here at Fellowship. All concerts will be free with an offering taken to support our music department, as well as funding for future concerts. If you are interested or you have any questions, please see me. If you like to sing and have been thinking about joining the choir, now is the perfect time to do so! It is never too late! The choir is not an exclusive group. If you love to sing and are willing to commit to weekly practices, we would love to have you. See you in worship! Blake Tickle A New Electronic Messaging Sign for 50 th ANNIVERSARY Gift Since our 50 th Anniversary celebration in April 2015, a committee has been diligently researching and selecting the design, requirements, specifications, and vendor for this project. We believe the sign is an essential tool to communicate the message of activities and events that are going on within our church as an encouragement for community members to join us. The purchase should not come from the general budget, so we are currently seeking pledges and donations as a vote of acceptance for the digital sign. Last month, in a letter to congregation members, we kicked off a fundraising campaign to raise the $ 38,000 needed for the purchase and installation of a new digital sign, all of the brick and mortar, electronics and training. Pledge cards are available with envelopes in the church pews and the Dogwood Lobby or from the office. Pledge cards and donations may be deposited in the church offering plate or sent to the church office. Please note church sign on the memo of your check. Committee members include Gary Anderson, Steve Brandt, Greg French, Nancy Gibble, Melissa Mitchell and Linda Ueland. Please contact any committee member for more information. Help Wanted! Volunteers to help serve refreshments in a Dogwood Lobby on October 9, 16, 23. Contact Lesa Layno (lesa@w4cl.net, ).

3 New Emergency Response Plan The Congregational Care Committee is introducing a new emergency preparedness with installation of an Automatic Defibrillator Device (AED) this month. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses a life-threatening heart emergency and is able to treat a patient through defibrillation. This enables us to provide response in the event of a medical emergency situation in our church. Much appreciation to the Hayden-Harman Foundation, of which Patrick and Susan Harman are a part, for their generous donation to Fellowship. An FPC Emergency Response team is now being identified to coordinate a response plan. Anyone interested in being trained or identified as emergency response team members should contact Linda Ueland, lindaueland@gmail.com or Wednesday Night Live Everyone is invited from 5:45 pm 7:15 pm. We will have dinner and then a DVD study titled, The Reason for God. Tim Keller explores the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is a sound a rational one. We are also planning on a music program for children and youth that Blake will be leading We begin meeting on October 12 and go to November 16. Contact John Hartman at the church, ext. 301 or johnhartman@fellowship-presbyterian.com. Get your dinner reservation in by Monday, either by calling the church office or ing info@fellowship-presbyterian.com Jim Spain Receives Award Friends, Fellowship proudly acknowledges Jim Spain for his recognition in the Order of the Arrow of Boy Scouts of America National Honor Society. This award follows many years of dedication and contributions in the BSA. Jim's son, Josh Spain, was recognized as Eagle Scout a few years ago and for his project for building a shed in the back yard of Fellowship Presbyterian Church. We give thanks to God for His work in Jim's life and for his contributions and service as an Elder in our church. Congratulations to Jim on this prestigious award.

4 Notes of appreciation to Creative Hearts and Hands: My son, Jeff, has been treated for pancreatic cancer since last October. We have spend MANY an hour at Cone Cancer Center for labs, doctor appointments; whipple surgery at WL, stent for blockage, etc. God has walked with us and we will have, prayerfully, our last chemo treatment September 15.--followed by another c- scan or pet scan the first of November to see how he's doing. It's thoughtful blessings by the Creative Hearts and Hands that show us we are not alone. The pillow for comfort while taking chemo is a blessing. Some time it's several hours he is engaged in taking chemo. You have shown us God's love, as well as your love, by thinking of us. Thank you so much! Appreciated patient and his mother, Elsie Prevette And another note of appreciation: My mom is hospitalized at Wesley Long. She was given a very nice pillow, made by the volunteers of Creative Hearts and Hands. She loves it! She tells everyone who comes in about it. It seems to brighten a tough situation. I, along with my whole family, really appreciate it. Continued success with you great work and generosity. Yvonne Coyle Sages To Enjoy GLASS ART EXHIBIT Sages will gather at the church on Tuesday, October 11, at 9:30 AM to travel to Graham, NC (near Burlington) to tour a Chihuly Venetian-style glass art exhibit sponsored by Alamance Arts. The exhibit is free and includes a variety of dazzling work from the most celebrated glass artist of our time. Chihuly s work is exhibited world-wide. After the tour, we will lunch in Burlington at the Harbor House. (Note: this is the second Tuesday instead of our usual third Tuesday of the month.) Please RSVP to Nancy Baughman, by Sunday, October 9. Presbyterian Counseling Center Events You are cordially invited to the Center Series, a benefit for the Presbyterian Counseling Center. Please come for an afternoon of music and fellowship with featured musical guests, Megan Argabrite, Jack Gorham, The St. James Praise Team with a solo by Mondre Moffett and soloist Meredith Herron. Handcrafted desserts will be provided by local bakeries and coffees roasted especially for the event will be served. The concert will be Sunday afternoon October 23 from three to five o clock at First Presbyterian Church of High Point s Family Life Center, 918 North Main St., High Point, NC. The cost is $20 per ticket. For more information please call the Presbyterian Counseling Center at ext 107. Tom Harrison Needs Shoes: Tom Harrison continues to collect "gently used" athletic shoes for adults to be distributed to our homeless friends in downtown Greensboro as part of a twice monthly effort at Center City Park to provide everyday necessities to these folks. We can use any size/make/model of shoe. The pinkcollection tub is located outside the main office. Any Questions? Contact Tom at tharrison@triad.rr.com or

5 SAVE THE DATES Saturday, October 1, Y'ALL Group meets Friday, October 7, 11am, Men's Golf Outing at Pine Knolls Friday & Saturday, October 7 & 8, Day School Consignment Sale Saturday, October 8, I-MASH Group Meets (TBA) Wednesday, October 12, 5:45pm Wednesday Night Live returns Saturday, October 15, Empty Nesters Group meets (TBA) Sunday, October 16, 2:30pm CROP Walk Saturday, October 29, 3 to 5pm, Trunk or Treat Friday & Saturday, November 4 & 5, Woodridge Craft Show October Birthdays Debbie Mundy 10/01 Nora Burleson 10/03 Lesa Layno 10/09 Dan Dobbins 10/11 Dick Lee 10/11 Charles Layno 10/18 Donna Steele 10/21 Sarah Haack 10/23 Linda Kershner 10/24 Dale Blaser 10/24 Allyson Meyler 10/26 From our Poet Laureate, Eileen Morman: Change of Seasons Do you feel the cooler air now that autumn is here? It is amazing how the seasons change. The earth is never dull, with everything arranged. The leaves start gently falling and plants will hear Winter s call so they will have their quiet sleep. We humans start to wear our warmer clothes As summer leaves, and so it goes. We are thankful to you, Lord, for everything you do. We plant seeds and watch them grow But as we know and see, Only God can make a tree. Remember ~ Rejoice ~ Renew Fellowship's 50th Anniversary