Office Hours Monday Thursday 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Worship Services 8:00 am and 10:30 am

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1 First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs 300 Gum Street, Green Cove Springs, F (904) admin@firstpresgcs.org Office Hours Monday Thursday 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Worship Services 8:00 am and 10:30 am Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday at the 8:00 am service and on the first Sunday of each month at the 10:30 am service 9:00 am Sunday School Classes for all ages THE FAME - DECEMBER 2018 The Mission of our church is: To share the love of Jesus Christ with all people. We will accomplish this through: Joyful worship Education for all ages Community outreach with a particular emphasis on children and the poor Providing an authentic sense of family in times of fellowship and crisis Rivalry Saturday This past Saturday is one of my favorite days of the year. It s called Rivalry Saturday. It s the day when most of College Football s rivals play each other. Some of the games have nicknames that add to the fun and intensity. Alabama and Auburn play in the Iron Bowl. Ohio State and Michigan play in The Game. Sometimes the game between Florida and Florida State is referred to as the Sunshine Showdown. I can barely sit still the entire day as I prepare for, watch, and calm down after The Old Oaken Bucket Game between my alma mater, Purdue, and Indiana. If rivalries are done appropriately, they add a dimension of enjoyment to watching sports. But more and more, for the sake of our greater society, I m beginning to question if we need to take a step back. Now, I imagine some of you are starting to question me. Mark, aren t you the guy that said you would root for the Iran National Team before you rooted for Indiana University? Yes, that is me. So if I m starting to question how we are living out our rivalries, maybe anyone can. In almost every way, we are living in a culture that is angry. Our TVs and radios are full of commentators that predicting dire consequences if we don t do what they think we should do, immediately. We have to think about what we will do if we encounter a road rage incident or an active shooter situation. A greater number in our society can t differentiate between a safe tease and a situation where they need to defend themselves. It s not surprising that fights broke out this past Saturday during some of our football games. In other situations, while there weren t fights, athletes and fans behavior still went too far. Or society is mad and anger spreads like a disease. I m starting to believe the way I live out being a fan is likely adding to the problem. So, can anything be done? We need to think about ways we can diffuse the anger we find our society and live it out. For the greater good, we need to be calming agents, not people who stir things up. I m going to figure out some ways to bring some calm to some of these scenarios. Some of us may need to do like I m doing and rethink how we do sports. Others may need to think about how frustrations in life affect the way they drive a car. Still others may have areas that apply to few others besides themselves. But many of us need to make changes for the sake of all of us. The country and world that we all love and care about needs us to take this seriously. Thankfully,

2 Highlights from the November Session Meeting: The bulk of the meeting was spent reviewing and approving a budget for Elder Higel, on behalf of the Finance Committee presented a proposed budget based upon an analysis of giving and expenses for 2018 and projections for the coming year. Giving for 2018 through October has been consistent with projections but the congregation will be urged to meet their individual giving goals and pledges by year end to be sure we end the year with sufficient revenues. After extended discussion and a few amendments, a balanced budget was approved and will be presented to the congregation. The Session voted to call a meeting of the congregation on December 16, at the conclusion of the 10:30 worship service, to consider changes to the financial terms of the pastor's call. The Session enthusiastically endorsed our continued sponsorship of the Scouting program at our Church. Because of relatively new procedures implemented by the BSA, we need a dedicated volunteer to participate as a representative of the Church in the local district and an adult member of the congregation with an interest in helping with that will be sought. The Session approved a request from the Global Mission Committee to again authorize the collection of Christmas gifts to send to the McGills, one of our sponsored missionaries. Ed Kelly, Clerk PW will not have a meeting in December. Saturday December 15th at 8 am for breakfast, fellowship and a chance to share your gifts to aid us in our Christian Mission! All men invited to attend. PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN All women are invited to a Christmas Celebration Dinner at the Conch House in St. Augustine on Sunday, December 2nd at 4 pm. We will be ordering from the menu. There will be no gift exchange this year, instead we will collect money to donate to a mission. Following the dinner there will be a boat tour to view the city s Christmas lights from the water. Seating on the boat is limited, but there are no limitations for the dinner. Call the church office for further information and please let her know if you will be attending, so we can make reservations at the restaurant. We will carpool from the church at 3 pm.

3 2019 Flower Chart is now available on the podium by the office. Please remember to sign up!! Dear Friends, I have such a grateful heart for all the thoughts, cards and prayers these last eight months and for those who took me to doctor appointments, I thank you. This was a very difficult time, but with God's strength and your support the days are brighter. May God hold you all close. Blessings, Christine Brown Remember to use Amazon Smile at smile.amazon.com for your Christmas shopping! First Presbyterian Church (FPC) has a reason to SMIE! First Presbyterian Church is registered as a charitable organization with the AmazonSmile program. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the ministries of FPC every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com you ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to FPC. To shop at AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You can use the same account on AmazonSmile that you already have set up on Amazon.com. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations before you begin shopping. AmazonSmile will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation to the church. When selecting First Presbyterian Church, please be sure to select the one in Green Cove Springs, F as there are several other charities with the same name. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible Amazon Smile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes or service charges. Please note that while there are tens of millions of products that are eligible for this program, there are some items that are excluded. We hope that you will remember to participate in this program to help fund the ministries here at FPC.

4 Monday December 24th 4 pm & 6 pm Sunday, December 16 th after 10:30 service. The meeting is for the purpose of approving Rev. Mark Hults Terms of Call, election of Officers and election of the Nominating Committee.

5 G O B A M I S S I O N S Want a Cow for Christmas? Have you ever wished for a cow to be waiting for you under the Christmas tree when December 25 th arrived? I am guessing you have wished for lots of things for Christmas, but a cow is not one of them. But there are people all around the world who do wish for a cow. A dairy cow can provide a family with a reliable source of income and nourishment. states the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. A reliable source of income and nourishment can be a game-changer for struggling people. This Christmas, members of First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs have bought a cow for $450 that the Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church, USA, will give to a family that will make a remarkable difference in their lives. The cow is only part of the gift. It also includes a shallow well, which will provide safe drinking water for a village in Africa something of which we can t overstate the importance. The church will be receiving a picture of the well and where it is located. The final part of the gift is a cash donation to the Ministry of Hope for orphan care in Malawi. Would you consider making a gift this Christmas season using the Presbyterian Giving Catalog available on Sunday, December 2, by the office and on the front pew second section of the sanctuary. Perhaps you would give not a cow, but how about a family of chickens for $25 (catalog, page 5)? By giving a family of chickens, you can help improve the food security and livelihoods of farmers and families around the world. This Christmas, rather than buying Aunt Sadie a sweater, how about buying an animal to make a life-changing difference in Aunt Sadie s honor. Sid McCollum Global Missions F A M E A R T I C E

6 2017 Annual Attendance Averages 2017 Jan Feb Mar Apr* May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Avg. 1st nd Avg Annual Attendance Averages 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr* May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Avg. 1st nd Avg OUR STAFF: Rev. Mark Hults Pastor Jacquelyn Mizeur Administrative Assistant Ines Martinez Financial Secretary Sandra Royal Director of Music Donna Jones Pianist Patti Knoff Nursery Attendant OUR MINISTRY EADERS: Clerk of Session Ed Kelly Pastor/Moderator Rev. Mark Hults office cell Buildings & Grounds Richard Knoff, 2019 (904) Christian Ed/ Youth Sandra Royal, 2018 Fellowship Sarah Peterson, 2020 Finance Bob Higel, 2018 Global Mission Kathy ewis, 2018 ocal Mission Doug and, 2019 Outreach Roger Spann, 2019 Stewardship David Sprinkle, 2020 Worship Tracy Harris, 2020 FINANCIA REPORT YTD as of the end of November 2018 Donations: $248, Fund Balances: Disbursements: $270, Operating $ Net Profit (oss): ($22,075.15) Reserve $1, Designated/Memorial $6, The Designated/Memorial Account is a specific account from donations that are Designated Funds.