December 13, 2018 Join us for worship this Sunday at 11AM as our talented Chancel Choir and instrumentalists lead us in a Noel Celebration: Sounds and Stories of Christmas. In addition to being a worship service you will not soon forget, it is a great Sunday to invite a neighbor, a friend, a co worker, even a complete stranger to come hear the sounds and meet the people of St. Simons Presbyterian. We thank our Director of Music, Rhonda Hambright, and all our many gifted musicians for sharing their gifts with us in worship leadership. Now is also a good time to pause and thank God for the Presbyterian Women of SSPC. The social hall was full this past Monday as the women of the church gathered for their annual Christmas Luncheon. Good food, good fellowship, and great table service (provided by a very capable crew of Presbyterian men) was enjoyed by all. Congratulations to Molly Macaulay and Anna Henry SSPC s two newest Honorary Life Members! Pictures below. Lastly, even as we near Christmas Day, remember that there is still plenty of Advent ahead of us. How are we preparing the way for Christ to come anew into our hearts, into our lives, and into our world? Let us all be praying together the words of that near universally known Advent hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Blessings on the journey. See you Sunday. Come as you are. Casual is fine. Peace, Alan Upcoming Events
Caroling and Soup Delivery All are invited to join us as we trolley around St. Simons to spread Christmas cheer and deliver a warm treat to members & friends of our congregation! We will meet on the front steps at 4:30 and will return by 6:30 PM. We hope you can join us to help spread some Christmas Cheer! Date: December 20th Time: 4:30-6:30 Where: Meet on front steps, in front of sanctuary
Third Day of Christmas Party Adults of SSPC! Do you ever experience the post-christmas blahs? This year you don't have to! On the third day of Christmas, come to the Britt Room for a fun evening of warm fellowship, great food and a festive atmosphere. This event, put on by the "Try Something New" team, is sure to put a smile on your face! Invite family, friends, neighbors, or guests! All are welcome! Thursday, December 27th 6:00-9:00 pm Britt Room $15.00 per person paid to church office RSVP by December 23rd Click Here to Sign Up! Advent Worship Advent Communion: Draw Near in Watching and Waiting The three Advent Communion
services share a similar format and familiar elements of worship. These include the lighting of the Advent candles; the singing of a hymn; reading of scripture and of a short piece on the day s theme, followed by a time of silence; an opportunity for creative expression; the celebration of communion in a circle around the table; and the passing the peace. Seating is in a circle. Participants will have the opportunity to share in readings and other parts of the service. Each service will last between 30 and 45 minutes. Another Tree! When: December 2nd, 16th, & 23rd Time: 5 pm Where: Chapel Advent Vespers Please join us on Wednesdays at 5PM in the sanctuary for a brief midweek Vespers Service consisting of scripture, song, and reflection. Season of Giving Christmas Poinsettias Every Advent Season many of our folks order poinsettias in memory or in honor of loved ones and then see how beautiful they make the sanctuary look at Christmas time. This year the cost will be $12 each. If you would like to order a poinsettia, please click the link below to order online. You can also bring payment to the church office or place it on the offering plate during service. Click Here to Order!
Did you know that there's a second angel tree in the church that supports the Coastal Coalition of Children? It's located in the Social Hall and there are still several angels hanging on the branches. Please, grab an angel today and help us spread some holiday cheer! Gifts for the Pre-K tree are due by December 13th. Joy Offering During this Advent Season, we celebrate leadership; past, present and future through support of the Christmas Joy Offering. We do so because church leaders greatly impact our lives of faith, walking with us down the path to be more like Jesus. We want future leaders for the church and world, like those educated at our Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color to reflect the wideness of God s intended diversity, and we want those church leaders and their families who find themselves grappling with a critical financial need to have the resources they need. For those supported through the Christmas Joy Offering, this help is truly a gift from above. May our gifts, and the leaders who receive them, point us always to the truth of the one whose birth we celebrate, Jesus Christ the truly perfect gift. Click Here to Make Your Offering Today! Hope Hallway Hope Hallway, located in the back hallway behind the Sanctuary, will be open every Sunday throughout Advent. Help us help others this Holiday Season!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ABOUT OUR EVENTS The Week Ahead Sunday, December 16 8:30 am - Chapel Service - Sanctuary 9:00 am - Coffee Hour & Breakfast - Social Hall 9:30 am - Sunday School - Various Locations 11:00 am - Traditional Service - Sanctuary 3:30 pm - Magnolia Manor Worship - Magnolia Manor 4:00 pm - Young Adult Christmas Party - Village Creek Landing 5:00 pm - Advent Communion - Sanctuary Monday, December 17 Monday, December 17 6:30 pm - Ladies of the Night Xmas Party 8:00 pm - AA Meeting - Britt Room 8:00 pm - Al-Anon Meeting - John Law Room
Tuesday, December 18 7:00 am - Youth Breakfast Devotion - Chick-fil-A SSI 9:30 am - Staff Meeting - Upper Room 2:00 pm - Marsh's Edge Coffee - Marsh's Edge Wednesday, December 19 12:00 pm - Men's Noonday Bible Study - John Law 5:00 pm - Advent Vespers - Sanctuary 5:30 pm - Chancel Choir - Sanctuary 6:30 pm - Choir Party - Ann Nermoe's House Thursday, December 20 7:00 am - Men's Bible Study - Britt Room 4:00 pm - Yoga Class - Youth Suite 4:30 pm - Caroling on the Trolley - Meet on front steps 6:30 pm - Stephen Ministry - Parlor 8:00 pm - AA Meeting - Britt Room 8:00 pm - Al-Anon Meeting - John Law Room Friday, December 21 10:00 am - Book Study and Prayer - Jann's Office 6:00 pm - Live Nativity - Front Lawn 7:00 pm - Live Nativity - Front Lawn 8:00 pm - College Christmas Party - Contact Frieda Saturday, December 22 6:00 pm - Live Nativity - Front Lawn 7:00 pm - Live Nativity - Front Lawn Upcoming Dates: Pictorial Directory Reminder: The deadline to turn in your submitted photos is December 31st. These can be either digital or print. Please turn in to Ada at the front office or email ada@sspres.org. The cost for submitting photos is $10. Please turn in your money to Jeannine at the front office. If a professional photographer took the photo, LifeTouch requires a release form. Please contact Ada to receive this form. If you are interested in providing the Chancel flowers on a Sunday for worship during 2019, please sign up for a specific week on the Flower Board in the Memorial Garden Hallway. Please be sure to email Ada Owens what you would like to have printed in the bulletin a week prior to the Sunday you sign up for! (ada@sspres.org)
BRIDGE Program Joys & Concerns Ladies Luncheon: Thank you to the PW circles for putting together such a lovely event for the Presbyterian women at SSPC and friends! And a special thank to the brave men that put in double duty as servers and the cleaning crew! There was no shortage of holiday spirit in the air.
Baptism: Together, we celebrate the baptism of Asa Graham Owens. Son of Graham and Ada Owens and younger brother to Arthur & Ansel. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 Honorary Life Members: Congratulations to our New PW Honorary Life Members! We are proud to announce that the 2018 PW Honorary Life Members are Anna Henry and Molly Macaulay. Together and separately they have served our Lord and served this congregation making a lasting impact on all of us! KidZ Christmas Program and Breakfast
Giving Opportunities
Click Here to Give Online Giving online is easy! Just follow the link above to tithe and donate online. If you have any questions, please contact the church office at (912) 638-2220. Worship This Sunday Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7 8:30 am Service Hymn: Surely it is God who Saves Me - 71 Preacher: Rev. Annie Franklin Arvin MUSICAL NOTES The giving of time and talents is the organic makeup of a church. Being and doing our best in the Lord s name and presence is a holy privilege. Many sacrifices are made in this kind of act, but the joy is in serving others and with others. Last week our Chancel Ringers brought the bells of Christmas to our sanctuary. Thanks to Kate Buckley who played the flute for one of the pieces. She was a student of Ann Law, who was in attendance to hear her last week. Our Youth Ensemble sang beautifully at the Longest Night service. These girls have a great time together singing and fellowshipping. We meet on Sundays at 5:00 during the school year before Youth Supper. All Youth, 6 th 12 th grade, are invited to come and join us. Thanks to all that attended and participated in The Longest Night. I hope that your journey of grief was eased. I am honored to be working with our many instrumentalists that are church members that give (unpaid) hours of rehearsal to enhance our worship services. Beverly Fetter, Kate Buckley, Anne Marie Stirewalt, Beth Evans,
Maddie Shafer, Ann Marie Morrison, John Morrison, Judy Foster, David Stewart, Harlan Hambright, Brooke Zell, Tripp Goeldner, Bud Longley, and Ann Nermoe are some of the more recent players that make it possible for us to have bluegrass Sunday, solo accompaniment, and a live orchestra to accompany the choir on special occasions. To support music for adults, I am also honored to be working with a great music team. Amy Bishop and Suzanne Morrison are dedicated and hard working making it possible for us to offer much in our worship services and special events. On Sunday, the Chancel Choir and Chamber Orchestra (23 players) will offer A Noel Celebration by Lloyd Larson at the 11:00 am service. Familiar Christmas Carols are interspersed with Monologues from Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, a Shepherd, Simeon, and a Wise Man. The monologues are remembrances from each of these important people in the story of the birth of Jesus. Those portraying these costumed characters are: Dennie McCrary, Fred Griffith, Joe Wills, Nat Scott, and Tyler and Meg Mimbs. Try guessing who will play each role! You will be asked to sing along near the end of the service, so watch for the conductor s cue. O Come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! Your gifts of talent and time and of money to the Music Fund and to the budget make it possible to offer quality music to touch hearts and inspire. It is a pleasure to serve St. Simons Presbyterian Church. Thank you. Hope, Peace, Joy, & Gratitude, Rhonda P. S. When naming names, it s possible that I inadvertently left someone out. Apologies in advance! [912-638-2220] [ada@sspres.org] [sspres.org] Follow Us