The Churchmouse. First Presbyterian Church. October 1, 2016

Transcription

1 The Churchmouse First Presbyterian Church Message to Us.. On Wednesday nights, Andrew Dickinson and I are leading a discussion on the book, Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard. Dallas Willard was a philosophy professor at University of Southern California (USC). He was a brilliant man and a deeply devoted follower of Jesus. He also had a grand passion for helping others experience the same kind of devotion in their own life. The underlying reason for his motivation was his belief that we were made for life in Jesus, and, therefore, life in Jesus is the only way we can experience what Jesus describes in John 10:10, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. If you don t feel up to reading the entire book, let me share one idea from it with you. Apprenticeship is the best way to think about the kind of life Dallas Willard is encouraging us to live. He wants followers of Jesus to look to him not only for our salvation and a ticket into heaven, but to also look to him to know how to live now. After all, we believe that the kingdom of heaven has already begun and we live in it now. So why would we not want to demonstrate those kingdom values now? There is no reason to wait. Willard is encouraging us to be apprentices of Jesus. That means modeling Jesus in everything we do. That doesn t mean we all become pastors or church officers. It means modeling Jesus in the way we do business, or teach kids, or lead people, or parent, or serve in a community, or socialize with friends. Willard describes apprenticeship this way: And as a disciple of Jesus I am with him, by choice and by grace, learning from him how to live in the kingdom of God. This is the crucial idea Another important way of putting this is...from Pastor James to say that I am learning from Jesus to live my life as he would live my life if he were I. I am not necessarily learning to do everything he did, but I am learning how to do everything I do in the manner that he did all that he did. (Divine Conspiracy, 283) You may want to read that quote again. Actually, maybe you should read it a few more times. It is a pretty explosive idea. How much time do you give to thinking about the way you do everyday, normal things? I think our tendency is to ensure that we punctuate our everyday lives with some activities that are explicitly Christian. Don t get me wrong. That is a good thing to do, particularly if the alternative is doing nothing that looks Christian. Willard is right, though. Living as a devoted follower of Jesus really does mean apprenticeship. It really does mean learning how to do everything I do in the manner that he did all that he did. I would encourage you to spend one week and consider that question every day in regards to everything that you do that day. It can seem like a monumental project. I get that. That s a lot of selfreflection about seemingly ordinary business. But, here is the thing: it is in the conforming of ordinary business to the way of Jesus that builds the character of Jesus in us. If the character of Jesus is formed within us in the ordinary things, it will be there in the extraordinary moments when we face the greatest tests. Blessings James WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26 October 1, 2016 Inside this issue: Mentoring Opportunities 2 Local Missions 2 Grow & Fellowship 3 Men s Tailgating Event 3 Flourish Women 3 First Kids 4 Seeds of Faith 5 Seek & Find, A Huggins 6 Boomers 6 World Communion 6 Church News 7 Birthdays 8 Youth Insert Special points of interest: Flourish Kickoff Flourish October Event World Communion Sunday Harvest Festival 6:30-8:00 P.M.

2 .SERVING OTHERS.... that God loves them and their life has purpose. If you have some spare time in your week and can give the gift of time and care to a young child in need, why not contact Mitzi Teal at the Douglas County School System and let her know you are interested in mentoring: Mitzi.Teal@douglas.k12.ga.us As we begin a new school year with our Partners In Education, Eastside and Burnett Elementary Schools, I was invited to attend the Mentor Kick-Off event for Douglas County Schools. The speaker for the occasion was Casey Bethel, who was Douglas County Teacher of the Year and the Georgia Teacher of the Year last year. Mr. Bethel was encouraging the two hundred or so people in attendance to take seriously the call to be mentors, giving an example of how he personally, through his role as a teacher, was able to inspire the life of a young man, who through his relationship with Mr. Bethel began to believe in himself and have hope for his future. His grades picked up and he ended up going to college at UGA, something he had never thought would be possible. Mentoring is a journey. It s a journey taken by two people. They are partners, but one person is younger and has less experience of life, the younger person is less familiar with the terrain. They don t always know the kind of pitfalls or opportunities that lie ahead. There are 26,000 kids in the Douglas County School System and only 400 mentors. The need for mentors is great, especially at our two local Elementary Schools, Eastside and Burnett. Ecclesiastes reminds us, Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11) As much as anything kids who lack positive role models in their lives need some to take interest in them, to spend as little as one hour a week (only in term time) with them, to build a relationship, to encourage them, let them know what lies ahead and in a very real and practical way demonstrate Grace & peace to you all! Page 2 The Churchmouse

3 ...GROW....Through Bible Study and Fellowship. The Vine Ministry Hour We have had a good start to our combined Vine Ministry hour at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday Mornings. Please come out and try a class if you haven t already! Some of our classes have changed rooms, so please see the updated chart below for more information on what classes are gathering, and where to find them! *Class Name Alpha Thirstquenchers Location Parlor Chapel Theophili CE Room 203 Shepherd s Flock Conference Room Dive Deep Into the Word CE Room 201 Women in the Word CE Room 202 Twenty-Somethings CE Room 207 Finding the Way CE Room 208 Christianity 101 CE Room 206 Sunday September 25 Flourish Women s Ministry Kickoff Fun Fellowshipping And Shopping Men s Tailgating Cook-out and Cornhole Tournament The men had a great time at the Tailgating Night! Congratulations to Scott McLain and Chad Benton, winners of the tournament! Thank you to Evan Gibbs and Mike Lauter for leading and coordinating the event, and to David Rigdon for making the sound and screen happen! Flourish BUNCO Night Saturday, October 22 nd, 7:00 p.m. Various Homes. It s time for another Ladies Night! We will be meeting in various homes in groups of 12 to have a game night! BUNCO is a fun and easy dice game that we will play together. There will be someone to teach you how to play at each house, so please sign up even if you have never played before! Sign up at Church by October 16 th, and we will send you an The Churchmouse Page 3

4 Welcome to the Table... Abby Dickinson Everest Huggins and Levi Schillinger These children and parents participated in a variety of activities to explore and experience understanding the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion with deeper understanding as a beloved child of God. Treat donations are requested. Treats needed: Bags of individually wrapped candy Small boxes of raisins Treat packages of pretzels or goldfish Cake Walk treats packaged in small quantities: 1/2 dozen cookies or cupcakes; mini cakes; muffins, rice crispy treats, brownies, etc. Please place your donations in Harvest Festival boxes located in Missions Hall, Lower CE and at the bottom of the stairwell to the Jeffords Center. Harvest Festival & Trunk-or-Treat All children 5th grade and younger are invited to participate in our annual Harvest Festival & Trunk-or-Treat on Wednesday, October 26. Enjoy an evening of fun and exciting activities which include: hot dogs, games, prizes, hayride, Moon Walk, trunk-or-treating and more. We need your help! Adult and youth volunteers are needed to supervise games from 6:30-8:00 PM. In addition, volunteers are needed to decorate trunks and hand out treats to our trunk-r-treaters on the back parking lot (treats provided for distribution). Please contact Mindy McDonald (mindymcdonald15@gmail.com or ) to sign up for assisting with games or to decorate a trunk. Please note that there will be no adult classes or nursery provided during the Harvest Festival. We invite our entire church family to come out and join the fun! Bring a friend and make this the best festival ever! Wednesday Nights 6:15-6:55 p.m. Page 4 The Churchmouse

5 Seeds of Faith First Day of School Seeds of Faith celebrated our first day of school on Tuesday, September 6th. Our staff was so excited to see our students come back and to meet new friends! The day began with student pictures taken by Kirsten Lee. Everyone seemed happy to be back and ready to start a new year. First Presbyterian Church Celebrating 10 Years 1st day of School Of Ministry! International Dot Day September 15, 2016 On Thursday, September 15th, the preschool enjoyed celebrating International Dot Day, a day to encourage creativity and selfexpression. Our students loved reading The Dot and creating projects with dots! We love the message that this book conveys about making your mark on the world! Kroger Community Rewards Kroger Community Rewards program requires customers and associates to re-enroll in the program annually. This is a great way to give to our SOF ministry, each time you swipe your Kroger Plus card. Participants are required to enroll or re-enroll in order for SOF to receive rewards each time you use your Kroger Plus card. Go to to identify SOF as your ministry to benefit from your shopping at Kroger. The Churchmouse Join us on Wednesday October 26. Children 5th Grade and younger. Planting seeds of faith... Growing in God's love. Page 5

6 Other Happenings... SEEKING AND FINDING I went looking for something the other day. It was not an item I use daily (like keys, phone, wallet, etc.) but one that at that moment I certainly needed. As soon as I checked the spot where I initially thought I put it and where it should be, I knew I had done it. Again. This happens to me rather often. I do boldly assert that I ascribe to the philosophy that it is better to take one minute to put something away now than an hour looking for it later. However, as often as we give ourselves good advice, it is only as profitable as it is followed through. So there I am, knowing full well the ensuing adventure that would commence on account of my organizational sloppiness. And upon the onset of this journey to find what I needed, I set out on a simultaneous process of rumination (Where could it be instead? When did I have it last? Could someone have moved it?) and bodily movement (This room or another? The shelf? The car? The basement? The junk drawer?) to acquire it once more. But in the opening segment of that new expedition, a peculiar thought ran through my mind that I did not particularly care for I m not going to find it. A sense of panic came over me a derivative of disappointment in my mistake of misplacing it, and also of hopelessness that wherever it is, is it unattainable now. Have you ever set out looking for something without truly expecting to find it? What s that all about?! We doubt. We give up. We go through the motions. We say we looked. But, did we really? In our faith, do we expect to find God when we seek Him? What is the quality of our search efforts? The Bible quotes God saying in the book of Jeremiah that when we seek God, we will find Him, when we seek Him with ALL of our hearts! And Jesus carried on this promise when He personally told us, Seek and you will find (Matt. 7; Luke 11). When you come to worship with us, would you come expecting to find God move in your heart? I m very sure those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matt. 5). (Continued on page 7) BOOMERS ON THE GO! Monday October 17 Mystery Trip, $6. =========== Christmas in Pigeon Forge November 7-9 Registration for this trip must be completed through Willis Tours. Mail final payment to Willis Tours by Monday, October 3. ============ Larry Gatlin in Concert Milltown Saturday, February 4 Cost $38 Sunday, October 16 Deadline We have invited Dr. Bruce Lowe, a professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (Atlanta) to come and teach a combined Vine Ministry hour from 9:30am - 10:30am, in the sanctuary, on World Communion Sunday (October 2nd, 2016). As well as teaching New Testament, Dr. Lowe has also taught on the interaction of Christianity with Islam. He will be coming to speak with us on the subject of, A Christian Encounter With Islam. For many Americans and American Christians, all we really know about Islam is what we see on our TV screens. This will be an informative class, which will also equip us with a Christian response toward Muslims. October 2, 2016 Page 6 The Churchmouse

7 Our Church Family... The Wright family wishes to thank you for all of your support and love during Nancy's illness and passing. We know you are grieving her loss with us, but joyful, too, knowing she is now with her Savior. Church News. The Gordon Family writes: Dear Church Family As a family we were overwhelmed when Nan, MOM, passed away. We appreciate all the wonderful people who attended her service and shared their memories with us. (Continued from page 6) Our church family extends our sympathies to: Jenny Sheffield and family in the passing of her Aunt, Opal Nixon Moore. I found what I was looking for, by the way. Did it take some effort on my part? It sure did. Did I have to go out of my way and think deeply, creatively, and at times even look in places I was already sure it wasn t? Absolutely. But guess what? All along, it wasn t where I thought I put it, but it was right where I left it. In the Light, Andrew Huggins~ (Continued from page 3) or give you a call to tell you your hostess home to go to play. We will be grouping ladies with some people you know, but also a couple you don t know as well. This is a great event to invite a friend to come along with you to introduce them to some of the women of our Church, and our Flourish ministry! There will be a $5 cost per person (collected the night of the event) and all of the proceeds will go to one of our local missions that benefits women. Winners of the games will designate the organization of their choice! Sign up at the Information tables! Stephen Ministry Stephen Ministry will be recruiting for a new class beginning in January. We will be joining the First Methodist Church in this training. This is a 50-hour class which will meet once a week for about 2 hours. The class will train you to walk alongside another person who is going through a life struggle. You will learn how to listen and to be a Christian presence for that person. If you would like more information about the class, please contact one of our Stephen STEPHEN LEADERS: Leaders listed Nancy Williams below Lessie Smith Linnea Osborne Committee/Division October 3, 7 p.m. Session October 17, 7 p.m. Volunteer Play Specialists DATE Infants (Rm 102) Toddlers (Rm 103) 2-Year Olds (Rm 97) 3-Year Olds (Rm 98) 10/2 Lynn Murray Stephanie & Delia Ford Russ & Allison Simmons Haley Welch 10/9 Tiffany Leeth Ava Leeth Kellie Showalter Jackson Leeth 10/16 Melissa Walker Annabelle Pike Pat Cable & Dawn Pike 10/23 Jodie Davis Holly Bradley Carrie Bailey Sarah Kate Pike Marilyn Weidenaar 10/30 Tricia McClain Tonia Kelly Sharon Schillinger Meredith Bryson Cornhole Participant. Daylight Savings Time will end Sunday November 6; 2 a.m. CHURCH OFFICE HOURS MON.-THUR., 7:30 AM 5:00 PM FRIDAY, 7:30 AM-1:00 PM Articles for the November Churchmouse are due Wednesday, Oct. 19, Noon The Churchmouse Page 7

8 Auto Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 14 Douglasville, GA First Presbyterian Church Address Service Requested 9190 Campbellton Road Douglasville, Georgia Phone: Fax: This is a Stephen Ministry Church Website: Place Mailing Label Here BIRTHDAYS Sarah Starks 1 Jeff Allred 2 Doug Bookout 2 Bette Boyd 2 Kathy Patman 2 Shireen Rice 2 Jean Rider 2 Richard Robinson 2 James Emery 3 Nathan Ploeg 3 David McDade 4 Connie Arnold 5 Betty Owen 5 Brig Simmons 5 Kathy Simmons 5 Tony Young 5 Howard Lynn 6 Gretchen Rakestraw 6 Gabriel Annis 7 Peggy Stewart 7 Linda Shadinger 9 Jerry Kibler 10 Jennifer Waits 10 Andy Finkle 11 Abi Griffin 11 Steve Haack 11 Susan Hallman 12 John Kelly 12 Jalen Parker 12 Bettye Little 13 Emily Poole 13 Tydus Bryson 14 Kelly Gunsaullus 14 Vicki Crews 15 Tiffany Leeth 15 Kim Ascar 16 Cynthia Li 16 Brandon Cole 17 R. A. Fraker 17 Bob Snelling 17 Kaitlyn Dickinson 18 Davis Lynn 18 Ben Annis 19 Sandi Haldane 19 Joshua Murray 19 Oliver Ritz 19 David Rigdon 20 Michelle Sparrow 20 Peter Woodard 21 Stephanie Ford 22 Vivienne Swanson 22 Jacob Sweat 22 Johnathan Wilson 22 Susan Clay 23 Sue Rhinehart 23 Jeff Downing 24 Savannah Kibler 24 Cameron McLain 24 Daniel Carmichael 25 Candy Carson 25 Jan Gay 25 Olivia Isbill 25 Frank Nelms 25 Pam Preston 25 Mark Spanka 25 Gavin Walker 25 Jake Wright 25 Katie Derringer 26 Bella Harper 26 Ann Lloyd 26 Dan Sparrow 26 Nyckolas Waits 26 Charlie Cornell 27 Andrew Dickinson 27 Neil Hook III 27 Janice Phillips 27 Brooke Robinson 28 Ryan Moxley 29 Laina Bailey 30 Doug Lequire 30 Chris Payne 30 Linda Blake 31 Suzy Carson 31 Alyssa Clay 31