OUR MISSION IS TO SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST, TO EMPOWER PEOPLE TO SERVE, AND TO GLORIFY GOD. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH October 2017 Just a few inspired words about what I see God doing at FPC Rev. Susan And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 SPICING UP FAMILY NIGHT SUPPER Our main entrée of study through the Fall will be the book of Romans. We ll be spicing up our programming, though, every two or three weeks with special programs from people within our community. Here s what you can look forward to October 18 Cody Howard, Director of the Friendship Center and Church Under the Bridge. Cody is assisting us in our Thanksgiving Basket mission this year. He's extremely in touch with the needs of people in the immediate vicinity of our church. November 15 A Taste of Sunday Evening. If you haven t been to FPC on a Sunday evening to refresh your spirit, this will be a special treat. Our Sunday evening music team will lead us in song for the evening. November 29 Shawn Vaughn, Communications Officer for the Texarkana Texas Police Department. Officer Vaughn will share with us some of the needs and community programs that address those needs. He'll talk about how churches might walk alongside our police departments to make a positive impact in the community. Officer Vaughn brings a unique community perspective in that he retired from the police force on the Arkansas side and now serves on the Texas side. December 13 - Beverly Coleman, chemotherapy nurse for Dr. Eickler. Beverly is the face-to-face contact for many of the cancer patients who receive Angel Quilts. She s an amazing and Godly woman who shared an inspiring message recently at the Angel Quilt Luncheon. Come ready to be fired up for ministry by hearing her first-hand experience of how the ministry of Angel Quilts has truly impacted our community. This is just some of the great programming available on Wednesday evenings. If you haven t been in a while, or maybe never at all, do yourself a favor and come join the joy of Wednesday Family Night Suppers. Dinner at 6 pm. Program, 6:30 to 7 pm.
First Presbyterian Church Thank you to our volunteers for Liturgist and Children s Sermon for the month of October! Liturgist: Children s Sermon: October 1 Maggie Morgan Beth McHenry-Pope October 8 Danny Gray Chris Walraven October 15 Michael Gilliland Beth McHenry-Pope October 22 Ruth Penney Bell Chris Walraven October 29 Chuck Morgan Rev. Susan Arnold We are asking for more volunteers for the following dates; March 4, 2018 and July 1, 2018. Please contact the church office or Pat Davitt at 870.773.7883. Randy Sams Mission The 1st Sunday night of each month a dinner is served for the shelter. Below is the schedule of volunteers in charge of these dinners. Thank you Nancy & Charles Jackson, Sue Ellen Hall & Gail & Gene Cogbill for serving Randy Sams supper on September 3! October 1st *Carla & Randy Lacy Lucy Sarrett, Aimee & Michael Gilliland November 5 *Marth Nell & Mark Richards Peggy & Larry Davis, Bonnie Judd & Sherry Wilburn (*Denotes Group Coordinator) Additional volunteers would be helpful for these months. Please contact the team coordinator to offer assistance. In Loving Memory Kathi Hickerson Bullen September 19, 1956 - September 19, 2017 Stephen Frederick Garrison July 29, 1954 - August 28, 2017 5 Amy & Michael Gilliland 11 Molly Beth & Bruce Malcolm 19 Savannah & Cameron Calhoun 19 Shannon & Josh Davitt 31 Merilynn & Don Johnson HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! CONGRATULATIONS! Dallas Brian Flowers born on September 24, 2017 to Dana & Aaron Flowers. Joely Isabelle Davis born on September 18, 2017 to Jessica Davis. THE BEGINNINGS OF A LONG- RANGE PROCESS If you were in Worship Sunday, September 17th, you met Rev. Michael Vinson. Our longrange planning and discernment process began that afternoon with a meeting of the Sponsorship Team and Rev. Vinson. The afternoon's session was insightful, helpful, and at times painful. Rev. Vinson has compiled a summary of the outcome of the process and a proposal for moving forward based on the outcome. These two documents have come to the Sponsorship Team for review. When a consensus is reached, these documents will be presented to the Session by the Sponsorship Team. This may take another couple of weeks considering all Team members are weighing in on the documents and offering affirmations, corrections, suggestions, etc. When the Session receives the Team s report, it will then determine whether or not to move forward with the rest of the process.
Presbyterian Women October 2017 PW Coordinating Team: Monday October 9, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. - Library Josephine Beck Circle: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. - Annex Zelle Moore Circle: Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. - Annex Greisser Circle: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. - Library PW Fall Gathering!!! 17 October 2017 First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport Please join us for a time of worship and fellowship! Speaker: Janet Theus, USA Mission Experience Participant 2016 Out of the Darkness, Into the Light - Human Trafficking, Violence and Immigration (Janet is from Oklahoma City and a former PW Moderator for Synod of the Sun.) 9:30 Registration 10-noon Program and lunch Cost: $12.00 Early Registration: sueellenhall@gmail.com First Presbyterian Church GIVE THANKS! The Thank Offering is part of PW s Creative Ministries and is received in the fall each year. This offering gives women a tangible way to express their gratitude for God s special blessings in their lives. Gifts from Presbyterian Women have made possible hundreds of projects addressing issues such as agricultural development, child care, community organization, criminal justice, drug counseling, economic justice, elderly care, employment training, homelessness, literacy, violence and women s concerns. At least 40 percent of this offering supports health ministries throughout the world. The remaining 60 percent funds new creative ideas for mission. To Donate to or learn more about the Thank Offering of Presbyterian Women, visit www.presbyterianwomen.org or calling (844) 797-2872, extension 5402.
First Presbyterian Church WEEKLY EVENTS MONDAY 6:00 p.m. Boy Scout Meeting - Annex SUNDAY 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. Sunday Evening Worship 6:30 p.m. Youth Group 6:30 p.m. Adult Bible Study 6:30 p.m. Children s Time TUESDAY 10:00 a.m. Staff Meeting 6:00 p.m. Yoga of Twelve Step Recovery - WEDNESDAY 10:00 a.m. Card Ministry 5:30 p.m. CLICK Choir 6:00 p.m. Family Night Supper 6:30 p.m. Bible Study 6:30 p.m. Godly Play - Evergreen Residents 6:30 p.m. Youth Group & CLICK 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal THURSDAY 9:00 a.m. Angel Quilts 10:00 a.m. Sharing Place 12:05 p.m. Brown Bag Bible Study SPECIAL EVENTS SUNDAY, October 1 10:30 a.m. Around the Coffee Pot OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS 1 - Charlie Morehead 1 - Erin McCasland 1 - Robert Veon 2 - Blanche Barber 3 - Sally Sue Rodgers 4 - Sherry Wilburn 4 - Chad Triptow 6 - Andrew Gloster 8 - Danny Gray 13 - Carlyn Brown 13 - Cordell Klein 15 - Maxwell Blain 19 - Laura Lacy 24 - Jacob Boyles OCTOBER CALENDAR 21 - Thomas Boyles 22 - Frank West 23 - Nina Madden 23 - Margo Strickland 24 - Jacob Boyles 26 - Brycen Jackson 26 - Dorothy Siebel 27 - Merilynn Johnson 27 - Valerie Buster 27 - Kaleigh Anthony 29 - Amy Triptow 30 - DeeDee McHenry-Pope 30 - Joshua Davitt 12:15 p.m. Christian Education Meeting 6:00 p.m. Dinner for Randy Sams MONDAY, October 2 5:30 p.m. Sponsorship Team Meeting - Library TUESDAY, October 3 7:00 a.m. Men s Breakfast THURSDAY, October 5 5:00 p.m. Stewardship Meeting - Library 6:00 p.m. S.C.A.T. (Stray Cat Alliance of Texarkana) Meeting - Annex SUNDAY, October 8 3:00 p.m. Worship Committee Meeting - Library MONDAY, October 9 12:00 p.m. Federal Retirees Meeting - 4:00 p.m. PW Coordinating Meeting - Library TUESDAY, October 10 10:00 a.m. Josephine Beck Circle - Annex WEDNESDAY, October 11 5:00 p.m. Diaconate Meeting - Library THURSDAY, October 12 6:00 p.m. PW Zelle Moore Circle - Annex SATURDAY, October 14 4:00 p.m. Youth Movie Night/Ghost Tour SUNDAY, October 15 11:55 p.m. Called Congregational Meeting - Elect Officers TUESDAY, October 17 7:00 a.m. Men s Breakfast 10:00 a.m. PW Greisser Circle - Library WEDNESDAY, October 18 5:00 p.m. Evangelism Meeting - Library 6:30 p.m. FNS Speaker - Cody Howard THURSDAY, October 19 5:00 p.m. Session Meeting - Library FRIDAY, October 20 11:00 p.m. Garden Club Meeting - MONDAY, October 23 8:00 a.m. Master Gardener s Meeting - TUESDAY, October 24 8:00 a.m. Master Gardener s Meeting - THURSDAY, October 26 8:00 a.m. Master Gardener s Meeting - FRIDAY, October 27 8:00 a.m. Master Gardener s Meeting - SUNDAY, October 29 All Saints Day 3:00 p.m. Fall Picnic/Trunk or Treat TUESDAY, October 31 7:00 a.m. Men s Breakfast
DIACONATE NEWS Happy Autumn to all! We are moving into the season of great activities, which means multiple opportunities for y all church folks to get involved! THANKSGIVING BASKETS October 1st will kick off the collection of food items and monetary donations for the Thanksgiving Baskets. If you wish to donate monetary funds for this mission, the youth will be shopping for those items needed. The estimated cost of a laundry basket filled with canned, boxed and fresh food is $70. We are coordinating with the Friendship Center to obtain names of those who are in need. As announced at FNS last month, there will be a guest speaker at FNS on October 18th, Cody Howard, the director from the Friendship Center. Cody will be sharing information about potential recipients of these Baskets. A GREAT BIG THANK YOU for your continued support of this mission! FALL PICNIC We will also be having a light-early picnic supper followed by Trunk or Treat on Sunday, October 29th from 3pm until 5:30pm. Come decorate your trunk or the bed of your vehicle. ALL are invited to dress in costumes. Please help us fill the trunks by bringing wrapped candy (there will be a box outside the fellowship hall for the candy) or by giving donations through the office. There is a list for what to bring for the light supper picnic on the table outside the fellowship hall. Thanksgiving Baskets It's time to start gathering food and preparing lists. Our Thanksgiving Food Basket ministry allows us to share food with those less fortunate than us, or in great financial need. We are blessed to share baskets with our community neighbors and with Angel Fund Foundation clients. Here are some important dates to note: November 12: The youth will be hosting a Thanks for Giving Spaghetti Luncheon after worship. FPC Youth Group Annual Save-A-Lot/Big Lots grocery shopping trip will take place after the luncheon. Each team of youth challenges the other teams to the most cost-efficient purchases of nutrient-dense foods. Sunday, November 19: FPC Youth Groups & Diaconate deliver Thanksgiving Baskets. The Youth look forward to serving YOU at the luncheon. This is our annual Thanksgiving Family meal. Youth members bring the noodles, sauces, and desserts, and make the salads. No monetary donations will be accepted. Come celebrate all of our blessings with our church family. Please pray for our Youth and Diaconate during this project, particularly on the November 12th trip and the November 19th deliveries. We hope to learn to appreciate how rising food costs and increased needs can affect ANYONE. It is also never too early to learn how to be a discerning shopper! We pray that each basket recipient feel the love of Christ and that each youth feel the blessing of service on November 19. The following lists are merely weekly shopping suggestions: Oct. 1 canned vegetables, soups, fruits Oct. 8 peanut butter, jellies Oct. 15 canned meats (tuna, Spam, Vienna sausages) Oct. 22 dried stuffing/dressing, potatoes mixes Oct. 29 mac & cheese, spaghetti noodles/sauce Nov. 5 cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars Nov. 12 rice, dried beans (Please be sure to check the expiration date on all items you donate.) Thank you for your continued love and support! We are happy to do your shopping for you if needed. This year's coordinators for the Thanksgiving Basket Project are Susan Morehead and Stephanie Jackson. Please call one of them if you have a question. Love, The Diaconate and Youth of FPC
ANGEL QUILT LUNCHEON Angel Quilters from four churches, First Presbyterian Church, AR, First Baptist, Moores Lane, Trinity Baptist, and Williams Memorial Methodist, came together Thursday, September 21, 2017, in the First Presbyterian Church, AR, to celebrate their sisterhood in Christ and affirm their passion for Cancer patients going through treatments. A delicious soup and salad luncheon enabled each of over 40 quilters to renew friendships and greet new faces. Each church shared examples of their quilts and their techniques for making the quilts and distributing them to the Cancer patients. The highlight of the luncheon was Beverly Coleman, Registered Nurse Oncology Specialist, who told the group about what an impact the Angel quilts that are distributed at Dr. Eichler s Oncology Office have on Cancer patients who are going through their treatments. The message of Jesus Christ and his love, healing, comfort and hope go with each quilt as Beverly distributes the quilts to the Cancer patients and reminds them that many prayers from many dedicated Angel Quilters go with each quilt. Angel Quilts will always welcome anyone who wants to join in this mission, whether they quilt or not." Movie Night & Haunted Ghost Tour Saturday, October 14 from 4:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall Join us for Trunk or Treat on Sunday, October 29 starting at 3:00 p.m. with an early picnic supper. Kids, invite your friends. Grandparents, bring your grandkids. Hope to see all of you ghosts and goblins at this fun event!
First Presbyterian Church Monthly Financial Highlights - September 2017 August August YTD YTD Actual Budget Actual Budget Income $ 23,157 $ 26,010 $ 178,241 $ 182,070 Expense $ 27,130 $ 29,545 $ 223,223 $ 206,799 Net Gain (Loss) $ (3,973) $ (3,535) $ (44,982) $ (24,729) Texas Presbyterian Foundation Funds Initial Amount Invested $ 115,853.23 Income Earned Since Inception $ 29,216.06 Subtotal $ 145,069.29 Unrealized Gains Since Inception $ 35,777.19 Total Value of TPF Funds $ 180,846.48 as of August 31, 2017 Jackson to serve as Ashdown Homecoming Parade Grand Marshall Jeanne Jackson will be the Grand Marshall of the 2017 Ashdown Homecoming Parade next week. Jackson retired this past June after teaching her entire career at Ashdown High School. During those 26 years, she taught several subjects including advanced placement psychology, speech, drama, ACT Prep and television production as well as many more. In 2014, she was selected as the High School and District Teacher of the Year. Her husband, Reg, is a 1969 graduate of AHS as well as both sons, Mark, who is celebrating his 20 th year reunion with the class of 1997 and Brett, who graduated 15 years ago with the class of 2002. The best part of retirement has been more opportunities to see Mark and his wife, Stephanie, Brett and his wife, Erica, but especially her two biggest Panther fans, granddaughter Marlee and grandson Brycen. I am honored and delighted to be chosen to participate in this year s homecoming festivities, Jackson said. WAY TO GO JEANNE! We love to see folks out and about being awesome.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 516 Pecan Street Texarkana, AR 71854 (870) 774-6453 www.firstprestexarkana.org pastor@firstprestexarkana.org music@firstprestexarkana.org office@firstprestexarkana.org dce@firstprestexarkana.org Church Staff Reverend Dr. Susan M. Arnold, Pastor Cell: (903) 908-5487 Leah Doughty, Christian Ed. Consultant Cell: (260) 224-8776 Rebecca Johnson, Administrative Assistant Ron Cantu, Custodian John Arnold, Technology Support Sheila Moore, Clerk of Session Val Buster, Moderator of Diaconate Maggie Morgan, Church Treasurer Our Mission is to Share the Love of Christ, Empower People to Serve, and Glorify God. OCTOBER WORSHIP/STUDY SCHEDULE Sunday-11:00 a.m. Worship Restore the Worship 1 Exodus 17:1-7 & Philippians 2:1-13 Communion Sunday Renew the Way 8 Psalm 19 & Philippians 3:4b-14 Rejoice in the Lord 15 Exodus 32:1-14 & Philippians 4:1-9 TBA 22 Exodus 33:12-23 & Matthew 22:15-22 The Promised Land Deferred 29 Deut. 34:1-12 & 1 Thess. 2:1-8 Sunday-6:30 p.m. Study Strategic Discipleship 1 Strategic Discipleship 8 Strategic Discipleship 15 Strategic Discipleship 22 Strategic Discipleship 29 Wednesday-6:00 p.m. Family Night Supper Bible Study 4 Romans Bible Study 11 Romans Bible Study 18 Cody Howard The Friendship Ctr. Bible Study 25 Romans Thursday-12:05 p.m. Brown Bag Bible Study The Screwtape Letters 5 Author: C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters 12 Author: C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters 19 Author: C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters 26 Author: C.S. Lewis