Words from Our Pastor Bob Mitchell

Transcription

1 January 2019 Important to Note: Men s Breakfast Congregational Meeting PNC Commissioning 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting Financial Peace University Words from Our Pastor Bob Mitchell What a difference a year can make! In some aspects, this last year closely resembled previous years ac vi es and ministries. I was a part of the leadership team that led Staff, elder and deacons retreats. It was sheer joy to assist the AWANA team on Wednesday nights in ministering to our children. It was fabulous to see over 30 children on the pla orm singing Christmas carols for the first service on December 9 th. There s also a special sense of fulfillment when I get to be a part of the LPC musical team leading worship at the Rescue Mission s graduaons. I was also privileged to help denomina onally in the area of helping candidates become ordained (including working with our Pastor Jon). It s a pastor s con nual joy to officiate at weddings, funerals and bap sms. But on November 25 th ten people were bap zed. The air was electric with joy and celebraon that day. It went a long way toward the vision that those who founded our denomina on had: that we d have more bap sms than funerals. But many things occurred in 2018 that were definitely not a part of our yearly rou ne of ministry. Decades pass before the sanctuary gets repainted. We ve made major strides in doing that ourselves this past year. We began a tradi on of 21 Days of Fas ng and Prayer at the first of the year. I m looking forward in the New Year to con nue this newly established tradi on. Also, the manuscript of the book that s taken me almost five years to write was completed in It will be printed early in It will be my joy to give every family a copy, since you all influenced what went into it. (Don t worry. No pastoral confidenali es were compromised in its wri ng.) It s not every year that we break ground on a mul - million dollar addi on to our campus. This expansion will significantly enhance our future ministry when it s completed. Looking back, I believe that the hiring of Jon Hathorn as our Associate Pastor will be seen as one of the highpoints of The energy and ideas that he has injected into our church have taken us to a whole new level. His experience has greatly helped Kristen in the area of Volume 7, Issue 1 our children s ministry. It should be noted that if we combine the en re a endance of Easter and Christmas, it s ll wouldn t equal the number of people that were on campus for our children s event of Trunk or Treat last October. Way to go Kristen! I believe that we will look back to 2018 as the year that our Student Ministries hired one of our most capable leaders. Heidi Verheyden has not only stabilized our Junior and Senior High ministries, we have seen growth and great promise for our future. But 2018 is a year of transion: I am cycling off of the Stockton Fire Department s chaplaincy. I do this because God has worked in unmistakable ways to call me to hand the senior leadership baton of Lincoln to someone else. It s a decision that was not made lightly or made alone. I brought many trusted leaders of our church into the behind-the-scenes conversaons that have led me to conclude a 27 year ministry in March of next year. I do this with confidence that God has established a rich strength of pastoral and elder leadership that will wonderfully guide this church that I love into its next sea- Con nued on page 2

2 EACH ONE REACH ONE Pastor Bob (continued from page 1) son of ministry to Stockton. In the coming few months before Trish and I leave, we look forward to conversa ons with so many of you as we reflect on what God has done so far Jon Hathorn - Pastor of Church Ministries His name is Lewis, and when he and I were in 8th grade we became friends. You know ea ng lunch together, having class together, riding bikes, cracking jokes and teasing each other. Well, Lewis cared enough to invite me to church, and I went. I had fun and enjoyed being there. We played basketball, went to birthday par es, did a 9th grade project together, and ate our mom s cooking. He among us. And we shall stand on p-toe in an cipa on of what He s going to do in the coming year(s), although it will be in different loca ons. Know assuredly that you will con nue asked me about going to camp at Hume Lake, and for a couple of years I didn t go. Then in 1977 I went. We played frisbee, sang songs, swam in the pool, went boa ng, had milk shakes and that was the first day. That night, on June 25, 1977 I heard about Jesus Christ dying for my sin and on that night I repented of my sin, I gave my life to Christ, and asked Him to help me live the kind of life I to be in my prayers as I count it as one my life s greatest joys to be, Your Pastor, Bob ought to live. As we begin a new year, I am asking you to consider praying for and intenonally building a rela onship with one or two people this coming year -in hopes that each of them might join us at LPC and make that same decision to follow Christ. Thanks for loving the Lord. Pastor Jon Building News Keep on praying! Pastor Fred Jantz As we close the end of the year, we con nue slowly the building project. The site work has been completed and we await the encroachment permit that allows us to work on the underground u li es and the upgrade on the Ge ysburg frontage (sidewalk, curbs, gu er, street widened, etc.). We have the metal building design completed (The steel girders were delivered at end of November), but s ll have not received the full building permit. We are in for our second review. The welcomed rain will also affect us. We hope to get the above done and our cement slab poured in February. The electric power has been restored to our submersible pump and we have situated it in such a way as to make the "Lake Lincoln" in our parking lot a fond memory. Thank you for your pa ence. Keep on praying. Gal. 6:9 tells us not to grow weary. This long held dream will become a reality. Praise be to the Lord is here. I was refreshed today by an old song wri en by The Monthly Newsle er of Lincoln Presbyterian Church Isaac Wa s in It is based on Psalms 90, Listen to these profound words - may they bless you as well. Oh God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Under the shadow of the throne S ll may we dwell secure; Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure. 900 Douglas Road, Stockton CA Website: office@lincolnpres.org FAX: Dr. Bob Mitchell, Pastor Kristen Lambdin, Director of Children s Ministries Jon Hathorn, Pastor of Church Ministries Tom BetGeorge, Director of Music/Worship Leader Fred Jantz, Senior Execu ve Pastor John French, Special Projects Administrator Dr. Al Van Selow, Administra ve Pastor Rachel Kudla, Youth Administra ve Assistant Heidi Verheyden, Director of Student Ministries Cheryl Pannabecker, Office Manager Page 2

3 Student Ministries - Heidi Verheyden Bringing in the year is so exci ng, there are so many emo ons surrounding this me. For some it is a moment of rejoicing and celebra ons, others have moments of regrets and are filled with I wish or I should have statements. No ma er your age or stage of life, we all use this me to reflect and ponder what has or could have happened. The past year provided many opportuni es of change for the youth department, how- ever throughout the many seasons the Lord was faithful, thanks to the prayers of the church, the Youth Elders and the faithful support of the volunteer leaders. God is providing peace and stabiliza on to the youth department and we are so grateful to begin the year with a clean slate as we press on forward. As the youth shi their mindset from reflec on on 2018 into an cipa on of all that 2019 has to offer, we decided that the first series for the youth in 2019 would be centered around their spiritual habits. The high schoolers are going to be digging into the fruit of the spirit, Gala ans 5:22-25, each week looking at a different a ribute that as believers we should be embodying. The junior high students are going to be reflec ng on their spiritual habits, using Philippians 1:27 as a theme verse throughout the series. As a youth department we are filled with an cipa on and excitement for all the Lord will do in and through the lives of the students this year! Children s Ministries - Kristen Lambdin I have always loved beginning a new year. The freshness it brings of new possibili es, new perspec ves, and new excitements. Being able to look back at the past year and learn from mistakes in order to press forward into a be er future! Looking forward to all the new things God has for our Church and Children s ministry in 2019! I found out this week that the shoeboxes we packed with Opera on Christmas Child went to needy children in Indonesia and the Philippines! What a joy to know that our church is blessing children on the other side of the world through our ministries. We had our annual Parents Night Out the end of November. We had a fun me with the kids making ornaments, playing games, watching a fun story, and ea ng Christmas cookies, all while parents were able to enjoy a night off to go to dinner, shop, or just relax! We were blessed to have 32 of our AWANA kids sing Christmas carols in first service a couple weeks ago. It was such a joy to be able to show you all some of the kids that our church impacts through our Wednesday night AWANA program. I was so proud of the kids for ge ng up there and doing such a great job! As the year comes to an end, I can t help but feel so thankful and blessed to have such an awesome team of people that give of their me throughout the year to love and serve the kids of LPC! So THANK YOU to all my AWANA leaders, nursery volunteers, Pre-K Teachers, and Sunday school teachers! You all are the real rock stars! If you have a heart to see kids learn and grow in their faith consider joining our volunteer team, we would love to have you! Happy New Year! Page 3

4 Financial Peace University Never Worry About Money AGAIN! Financial Peace University will help you take control of your money, plan for your future, and transform your life. It's important to have a plan for your money. What's yours? If you're looking for ways to get a handle on your finances, consider joining the Financial Peace University class on Monday evenings for 9 weeks star ng on January 14th at 6:30pm in the Fireside Room. You can sign up online at: h p:// PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE (PNC) SELECTED On Sunday, November 18, 2018, Pastor Bob announced during both services that Sunday, March 17, 2019 will be his last Sunday in the pulpit at Lincoln. Pastor Bob has accepted a call at a church in Southern California. Now the search for a new Senior Pastor/Head of Staff at Lincoln will officially begin. Session has met with a representa ve from our local ECO Presbytery to discuss the pastoral search process, meline and other procedural decisions that will need to be made. Under ECO, the authority for selec ng a Pastor Nomina ng Commi ee (PNC) belongs to Session. The PNC will work parallel with Session to recommend the hiring of the new Senior Pastor/ Head of Staff to the Congrega on. Once the Congrega on approves, then the nomina on will go to ECO for final approval. Each member of Session and the PNC understands that Lincoln is the Bride of Christ and they are praying for His Pastor for His Church. The first decision that Session made was selec ng the Pastor Nomina ng Commi ee (PNC). The PNC is made up of seven (7) members all of whom are Elders of Lincoln. The PNC has four si ng session members, four men and three women. The members voted on by Session are: Merrilee Chapman, Mark Gan, Dave Hungerford, Shawn Loy, Sandy Parker, Susan Thomas, and Keith Evans, Chair. The PNC will be commissioned on January 6, 2019 at both services. In January and February, the PNC plans on conduc ng three (3) open informa on gathering forums where the congrega on can share their future hopes and dreams for Lincoln. The PNC will work with Session to develop a church profile and job descrip on for the new Senior Pastor. Then the PNC will post/adver se the posi on, interview poten al candidates and recommend to Session a person for considera on to be hired. Since most of us have not par cipated in this type of process before, a slow and measured approach will be prudent. Session and the PNC commit to keep you updated of the benchmarks within the process as the average search me for a new pastor is approximately 18 months. As we all go through the me of transi on, we ask that you be in con nual prayer. Please pray for the person God has as Lincoln s next pastor, that they prepare their heart for the call to lead Lincoln. Pray for the PNC to have discernment, wisdom, pa ence and unity during the search process. Pray for Pastor Bob and his transi on. Pray for our congrega on that this will be a me of unity and support. We know God loves Lincoln and this knowledge allows us to posi vely an cipate what He has next for our church. January Birthdays 1 Barbara Head 5 Will Benne Barbara George 7 Craig Barker Robbie Richardson 8 Kirk Reynolds Rebecca Robbins 9 Mary Kaye Moore 10 John Doisy 11 Jonathen Bacaylan Marie Co man Amy Johnston 13 Bill Smith 15 Margaret Chau 18 Ken Stoub 20 Michael Gotschall John Sharpe 24 Julie Colyer 24 Bill Costanza 27 Rachel Kudla Carrie Sass 29 Fred Jantz 30 John French Bill Hill 31 Jody Graham Page 4

5 Adult Ministries Sunday Mornings 7:25am: First Peter Join us in the Fireside Room at 7:25 am, and gain a fresh perspecve on how to live a triumphant life. Bring your Bible. Light breakfast served, led by Carol Bedell and Patrice Deacon Message This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:12 January is a me of transions and that is also true of Verhines. 10:20am: 1 Corinthians with Pastor Al Van Selow and Lavon, in the Fireside Room. 10:30am: The Book of John with Tony Evans. Led by Lise Karnes in Pastor Jon s office. the Deacons. Some of you will con nue with the Deacon you have while others will have a new Deacon assigned to them. Your deacon can provide many services including meals, transporta on, visits, prayer and encouragement. Wednesday Evenings 6:00 pm: A con nuing book by book journey through the Bible. Led by Ed and Denise Miller, Fireside Room. Please let your Deacon know how you prefer to be contacted and what they can best do to help you. All the best in 2019 from all of us on the Deacon Board. Treasurer s Report - Carol Bedell Opera ng Fund: November YTD % of Annual Budget Income $57,825 $659,248 82% Expense $73,209 $648,240 81% Net ($15,384) $ 11,008 At the end of November, we are $11,008 in the posi ve. We ve received approximately the amount of income needed to cover our expenses. We pay our full-year property taxes in December, but they have been reduced as all nine parcels are now designated as exempt from property tax. The Capital Campaign fund ended November with $549,391 in the bank. Star ng in December, we ve paid more bills as the building process begins. Thank you for being part of the financial support and success of LPC. Reminder: It would really help the counters and Treasurer if you would put your name and designa on (Tithes, Capital Campaign, Flowers, etc.) on your envelope. When there are ques ons, we can go back & ensure your contribu ons are properly accounted for. Thank you. November Financial Report 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting Join us as we commit to prayer for 21 days January 7-27 Seeking Almighty God - by giving something up so that we might put more thought and focus upon God. OUR THEME VERSE -..I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God. EZRA 8:21 Directory Updates Jon & Lauren Knapp 346 Wilson Lane Windsor CA Miranda Abrescy 2985 Woodbury Ct Carlsbad CA Page 5

6 WORSHIP ASSISTANTS - 9:00 am Service January 6 Ushers: Maria Montalvo, Be y Crecelius, Charito Lopez, Jane Carson, Lori DeMercurio Video Tech: Ron Korock Security: Mark Gan WORSHIP ASSISTANTS - 10:45 am Service January 6 Greeters: Bill & Merrilee Chapman Ushers: Dave & Sharon Olney, Drew & Holly Meyers, Jim & Ingrid Best Security: Stan Kaneko January 13 Greeters: Ro & Tambi Loyd Ushers: Barbara George, Ron & Joyce Korock, Craig Po er Security: Jim Duncan January 20 Greeters: Sandy Harmon, Jennifer Gu errez Ushers: Dave Hungerford, Leroy Alford, Frank Beasley, David Baldwin Security: Bruce Parker January 27 Greeters: Carole Meehan Ushers: John & Carol Sharpe, Do Lavon Van Selow Security: Billy Heinrich e Edaburn, Congregational Meetings & Annual Report Deadline A Congrega onal Mee ng has been called for Sunday, January 6th a er the 1st service for the purpose of January 13 Greeters: Patrick & Heidi Fedor, Keith Evans Ushers: Tom & Janet Beck, Bill & Carroll Johnston Video Tech: Billy Heinrich Security: Bill Bambas January 20 Ushers: Dave & Sharon Olney, Jim & Ingrid Best Security: Bob Yamaguchi January 27 Greeters: Brant & Sandra Fe ers Ushers: George & Vicky Alavazo, Dave & Sara Blicharz Security: Jim Wilcox nomina ng Barbara Head as Deacon for the Class of The Annual Congrega onal Mee ng will be on Sunday, February 24, The deadline for ar cles for the 2018 Annual Report is January 22 nd. Flowers & Flower Chart Now available for sign ups. If you would like to provide flowers for one of the services next year, please call or stop by the office and give your name and if the flowers will be in memory or honor of a special day. The arrangements run approximately $40. Also, note that if you purchase the flowers for a Sunday morning and would like to keep them, please no fy the office or pick them up by noon on Sunday. Otherwise, they are taken to a nursing home or other care facility. Thank you. If you have signed up for flowers, you will need to call the florist on Monday to place your order using a debit or credit card, or you may go to the florist to pay by cash or check. Charter Way Florist 5620 N. Pershing Ave January Flowers 13 Irene Jackson February Flowers 3 Cynthia & Leroy Alford 17 Jennifer Gu errez Pew Supply January 2 9 Lisa Richers 16 Ila King 23 Barbara George 30 Ila King Thanks to the Assembly Crew of the January Life@Lincoln! Page 6

7 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Office Closed 8am Men s Breakfast 6 PNC Commissioning Communion 7:30 am Adult Ed 9:00 am Worship Congrega onal Mtg 10:30 am Adult Ed 10:45 am Worship 6pm Sr. High 7 4:30-JH Guys Study Group 8 9:45am LIFE Group 12:00 pm Staff Lunch 12:00 pm Quil ng 1:30 pm Staff Mtg. 5:30pm Music Rehearsal 6:00 pm P/B/S 6:30 pm Men s Group 9 9:30 am Re red Guys 5:45 pm Jr. High 6 pm: Bible Study Days of Prayer & Fasting Elder/Deacon Ordina on/installa on 7:30 am Adult Ed 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Adult Ed 10:45 am Worship 14 4:30-JH Guys Study Group 5:30 pm Hula for Health 6:30 pm FPU 15 9:45am LIFE Group 12:00 pm Quil ng 1:30 pm Staff Mtg. 5:30pm Music Rehearsal 6:30 pm Men s Group 7:00 pm Session 16 9:30 am Re red Guys 5:45 pm Jr. High 6 pm: Awana Club Bible Study Deacon Retreat 6pm Sr. High L@L Deadline 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 20 7:30 am Adult Ed 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Adult Ed 10:45 am Worship 6pm Sr. High 21 5:30 pm Hula for Health 6:30 pm FPU Office Closed Mar n Luther King Day 22 9:45am LIFE Group 12:00 pm Quil ng 1:30 pm Staff Mtg. 5:30pm Music 6:30 pm Men s Group 7:00 pm Deacons ANNUAL REPORT Deadline 23 9:30 am Re red Guys 5:45 pm Jr. High 6 pm: Awana Club Bible Study Session Retreat 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 27 7:30 am Adult Ed 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Adult Ed 10:45 am Worship 6pm Sr. High 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting ENDS 28 4:30-JH Guys Study Group 5:30 pm Hula for Health 6:30 pm FPU 29 9:45am LIFE Group 12:00 pm Quil ng 1:30 pm Staff Mtg. 5:30pm Music Rehearsal 6:30 pm Men s Group 30 9:30 am Re red Guys 5:45 pm Jr. High 6 pm: Awana Club Bible Study 31 Page 7

8 Lincoln Presbyterian Church 900 Douglas Road Stockton, California Address Service Requested We re on the Web at: January 2019 Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30-12 noon & 1:00-4:30 p.m. LINCOLN DEADLINE January 15 Weekly Schedule Sunday 7:25am - Adult Sunday School 9:00am - Worship & Children s Sunday School 10:20am - Adult Sunday School 10:45am - Worship & Children s Sunday School 6:00pm - Sr. High Group Wednesday 5:45pm - Jr. High Group 6:00pm - Adult Bible Study Awana Thursday 7:30pm - Mainspring Young Adult Group Sermon Titles January 6 - "Focus For a Fresh Tomorrow Joshua 3:1-6 Pastor Bob Mitchell January 13 - Wonder Management Joshua 4:1-9 Pastor Bob Mitchell January 20 - "In Step" Joshua 4:10-19 Pastor Jon Hathorn January 27 - Prompt Ac on Joshua 4:19-24 & Judges 2:10 Pastor Bob Mitchell Lincoln s Mission: To know and love God, to know and love people, and bring the two together through Jesus Christ.