Versailles Presbyterian Church

Transcription

1 December 7, 2012 V P C N e wdecember s 14, 2012 VERSAILLES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Versailles Presbyterian Church 130 N Main Street Versailles, KY office@vpc1.org Versailles Presbyterian Church is a Reducing the Risk congregation. We follow practices and procedures that maximize the safety and well-being of children and youth while they are in our care. Special Christmas Events at Versailles Presbyterian Church REMINDER: We have ONE SERVICE at 10:00 for the month of December. Sunday School will be AFTER the service. Join us this Sunday, December 16, at 10 a.m., as the children and youth present their Christ- mas Program, Just a Little Christmas. VPC will host its annual Community Christmas Dinner on Sunday, December 25 from 12 noon 2:00 p.m. A buffet meal will be served. All are invited to dinner! This year we are emphasizing Community and Fellowship and are hoping to see a full Fellowship Hall! As always, this is a wonderful opportunity to serve and there are many ways to do so! We need folks to provide side dishes and desserts, box and deliver to Meals on Wheels clients and other shutins, set up and clean up the Fellowship Hall and serve as hosts to our walk-in guests. Sign-up sheets are on the donation station in the Welcome Center. Or, you can call the church office at to volunteer. You ll discover that helping out will be a high point of your Christmas Day! The Witness & Mission Committee Thanks You. We regret that personal containers cannot be filled, nor will take out boxes be available. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family! To remove your name from our mailing list, please contact the church office. Questions or comments? us at office@vpc1.org or call

2 Reminder Angel Tree gifts are due back Tuesday, December 18, by 4 p.m.. Please wrap your gift(s) and affix a regular gift tag (NOT THE ANGEL) to the package with the child's name on it and his/her family number. Please don't tape the angel on the gift and don't put your name on the "From" line on the tag. Julia Dake is coordinating this, so if you have any questions, you can reach her at or or at Thank you for participating! Save the Date! December 31 5:30-7:30 p.m. New Year's Eve/ Bicentennial kick off VPC Youth Events Youth Friday Night Bash-Holiday Edition! will be Friday, December 14 from 6 to 10p. Bring friends and a bag of Christmas candy to share. We'll have food, games & prizes. See you there! Here is a list of practice times for youth and children s Christmas play: SATURDAY, December 15. DRESS RE- HEARSAL IN THE SANCTUARY AT 10:30. We ll serve a pizza lunch and be finished at 1:30. Sunday, December 16, 9:15 in the sanctuary. The play will be performed at the 10:00 service. YOU ARE INVITED to a Post- Holiday House January 5 6:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. Jerry & Melissa Sevier s 2001 Carter Court Versailles, KY The VPC Supper Club invites the entire VPC church family to a post-holiday open house on Saturday, January 5, 2013, from 6:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. at Jerry & Melissa Sevier s home. Call Melissa at if you need directions. Bring a finger food/dessert to share. Hot cider and soft drinks will be provided, and you may bring your favorite beverage. Interested in being in supper club? Come and learn! Hope you can make it! Questions? Contact Mary Nehring, supper club coordinator at or Mary at im2dye4@juno.com.

3 This Wednesday night we will continue our tradition of making church gifts for our shut ins and other folks Melissa will visit in the next few weeks. This is a great way to show that even though these friends are not with us as often as they would like to be, they are still a part of our family. Stay after the great meal as we make cards and C.D. holders, bake cookies, and fill VPC stemless glassware with candy. This is a great intergenerational activity. The following memorials have been received this week: Gift received in memory of Martha Morgan Gift in memory of Lois Gaines for the music program A Thoughtful Christmas Gift Here's a wonderful gift idea. Have someone in the family who has everything? Want a thoughtful gift for a teacher, friend or business associate? Make a donation to the weekend backpack program, and we will provide you with a card that acknowledges a gift has been given in their honor. Here's a sample: You may pick up gift acknowledgment cards with envelopes in the church office when you make a donation. Or, you may call the office at and a card and envelope will be mailed to you. THANK YOU! December 19: chicken with cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, veggie, salad, fruit, dessert VPC Members Kids Eat Free Wednesday Nights! (Kids 16 & under EAT FREE when they eat the youth meal: includes salad, vegetable, bread, dessert & beverage) December 19: chicken nuggets We have 34 Pledges for $129,539, plus 6 intents of $14,020. We would love to receive 6 more pledges!! Cards are available in the Welcome Center! Bicentennial Items Bicentennial items continue to be available. Please call Darlene Easter ( ) or Linder Jaeckels ( ) or connect at church Only 18 days to go! to purchase any of the items. Cookbooks also are available in the church office during office hours. Item Price Glassware $5 each or $18 Ornaments $5 each Cookbooks $15 each or $12 each Special Offer: While supplies last, buy or sell 5 or more cookbooks and you are entered into a drawing to get one free! If you are aware of a retail outlet for the VPC cookbooks, please contact Linder Jaeckels ( ) for special pricing. Thank you for your support. The Bicentennial Welcoming Task Team

4 In light of possible changes to 2013 tax laws and caps on charitable contributions, you may be interested in donating a portion of your 2013 pledge by December 31, Check with your tax advisor before making any financial decisions. If you gift shares of stock to charity, you must act by year-end. By gifting long-term appreciated stock, you can qualify for a potential income tax deduction--or by selling stock that has lost value and donating the proceeds, you can realize a loss to offset other gains. All contributions for 2012 must be received by the church or postmarked by 12/31/12! Please contact Linda Bosse, Finance Committee Chair, with any questions. You are invited to celebrate Ray & Sharon Bloom s 50th Wedding Anniversary. Join us at the Bloom s house (126 Locust Grove), on Sunday, December 30. Please stop by sometime between noon and 4 p.m. to help celebrate 50 years together that you have helped in making memorable! Week Ushers Greeters Acolytes Office Nursery 12/16 One Service at 10 AM Carol Sidebottom Close Thom, Connie & Victoria Kupets Laura Dake Taylor Holbrook Hilary Johnson Clara Perry Karen Morris 9:45 a.m.- 11:00 am Jerri Jo Tackett Rena Elswick 12/23 One Service at 10 AM Carol Sidebottom Close Shawn, Scarlett & Emma Wesley Pam & Barry Settles Kasey Abel Cayce Jones 9:45 a.m.- 11:00 am Susan Hammonds Lee Ann Christensen

5 Exciting New Worship for 2013 Dear VPC family: The VPC session met Tuesday night and has heard your voices about worship. We are excited to present a new plan for worship in As you know, the congregation has had much conversation over the last couple of months about our worship service times and styles. Many of you recorded your thoughts on flip charts throughout November, and there was good attendance at the congregational discussion on December 2, when this topic was fleshed out more. In addition, many people have taken the time to talk to me or session members about their opinions. It became clear early on that the subject wasn t really about worship service times, but about trying to meet the variety of spiritual needs in our congregation. I ve been struck by the positive emotions I ve heard as people want worship to reflect their own spiritual styles. Our members and guests love VPC, and want to make it better. Worship is the central place where that can happen. Of course, every person has unique spiritual needs, but, after our conversations, two particular sets of needs have risen to the top. For many (probably most) at VPC, a service with a larger attendance makes them feel energized and gives them a strong sense of community. They like the greater mass of people, more voices on the hymns, listening to the choir, a children s sermon, and more activity. Their spiritual needs are met, in part, by growth and excitement. Others find energy and growth in different ways: the type of community that provides intimacy, the quiet stillness of listening to music, the simplicity of a less complicated service, silent reflection, and less activity. Their spiritual needs are met, in part, by being contemplative. It s been a joy to me to hear from so many of you about the spiritual practices that bring meaning to you. When the session met on Tuesday, we attempted to pull all your desires together and provide worship experiences that impart warmth and vitality in different styles. Here s what we decided: 1. Beginning in January we will have a new worship pattern, with a plan to revisit and evaluate at the end of the summer. 2. In order to fulfill the hopes of those current attendees of both the 8:30 and 11:00 services whose spiritual needs are best met through larger attendance and the growth and excitement that provides, we will hold a 10:00 service each Sunday, a compromise time between the current times. This will begin January In order to fulfill the hopes of those whose spiritual needs are best met through quieter space and contemplation, we will start a radically different contemplative style service at 8:30 each Sunday. This service will last about 30 minutes and will involve more silence, instrumental music, sermon, and prayer. 4. Sunday school will take place between the services, from 9:10 until 9:50, allowing time for the all-important and universally loved doughnuts! The session believes this is an approach worth trying. There seems to be a lot of energy around testing out something new, which was expressed in the session meeting as our discussion progressed. Since 2013 is our bicentennial year, we have many special worship services planned which should fit well into the experimental year model. I am always open to suggestions on how to improve worship, or you may contact members of the Worship Committee. Finally, I want to thank you personally for the experience of working through these important issues. Every pastor dreams of a congregation that is energized about worship. But not every pastor has the good fortune of working at VPC, where the energy is contagious and the people care about each other so much. I look forward to the possibilities inherent in these changes, and to growing with you in our spiritual journey. Melissa