September, 2014 Gather, Grow and Go, In the Name of Jesus Christ Pastor Chas WHAT A NICE SURPRISE! At least it was for Elaine and myself once we got over the shock! We were the only people who were surprised because all of you were in on the plan! How an entire Congregation managed to keep the element of surprise is amazing, especially since you had been planning this for many weeks; but we can assure you the surprise was total! I m sure some of the photographs will show how shocked we were! We are so grateful to all who worked so hard to pull this event together; to the Session for the very spiritual laying on of hands; and to all of you for the celebrations, gifts, citations, cards, etc., as we marked ten years of service and ministry at DCC and almost forty years since ordination. It is a wonderful milestone for every one of us and each of you made it a memorable occasion for which we thank you most sincerely. Most of all, though, we were touched by the wonderful feelings of Christian love that surrounded not only Elaine and myself but every person in attendance. When we first came to DCC, we were hugged and kissed as you took us into your hearts. Ten years later, and with many new people part of the Congregation, we still get hugged and kissed Sunday by Sunday when people come into the Church. This has been the biggest blessing of all, to know we are lifted up by such love. Over the years it is love that binds us together: God s love for each one and each one s love for God and each one s love for the others! I TRUST WE ALL KNOW HOW BLESSED WE ARE! Love to you all, now and always, Pastor Chas and Elaine.
Clerk s Notes By Hank Holcomb The Session held its stated session meeting on Tuesday, August 19, 2014. Susan Holcomb updated the Session on the results to date of the 50/50 for $50 raffle in support of the Medical Benevolence Assistance Fund. The minutes of the stated session meeting of June 17, 2014, and the called session meeting of June 22, 2014, were approved as presented. As part of reviewing the calendar it was noted that David Sykes, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast, will be our guest speaker at the September 15, 2014, Providence Dinner. The plans for the next new member class, which begins Sunday, October 5, 2014, at 4 p.m., were discussed. It was also noted that five new members of the congregation were installed since the previous session meeting. On Sunday, June 28, 2014, Karen Farley and son John, Jim Mills and Mary Ann Nelson were installed as members with John baptized in conjunction with his installation. Dr. Wesley McFarland was installed on Sunday, August 10, 2014. Kim Case reviewed the June and July financial statements and the session approved the statements. One key difference between the June and July statements was the absence of a mortgage on our expansion on the July statement. If you were not aware, Fred Lowe donated the $34,000 needed to pay off the note. We are extremely pleased with Fred s gracious donation. The session noted their hope that the congregation will still contribute to the Building Fund as there will always be needs for expansion, repair or upgrade of our facilities. There were many committee reports and general information shared, but one of the most critical deals with our lack of participation by our children and youth in Sunday School. While all of our other children and youth activities are going great, getting children, and their parents to Sunday School, or Adult Christian Education has not been satisfactory. A bus ministry to transport children and adults to and from Sunday, and Wednesday church activities is being investigated. We don t want to jump into something as expensive as procuring a bus without a clear sign that the bus will be used. Doug Stovall, Children and Youth Ministries Chair, said the Wednesday night youth program will start again on September 10. Greg Cullom, Family Ministries Chair, announced a church hall meeting of young and middle age adults on Sunday, September 7, 2014, immediately following second service coffee fellowship. This will be a lunch meeting with child care provided. The purpose will be to receive and explore the needs of our middle demographic within the church. Rev. Jones announced that he was initiating a healing service immediately after the 10 a.m. service on the second Sunday of each month. More details to follow. Hugh Burney was out of town celebrating his birthday so he asked me to present to the session the proposal from the Expansion Committee concerning expansion of the Fellowship Hall area to include the space between the east end of Fellowship Hall and the Little School. This will be a 900 sq/ft expansion and the proposal includes other things we need to accomplish. The total amount of the expansion and upgrades would be limited to $150,000 and would include replacing the two church signs with a single high tech sign. Other priorities are upgrading sanctuary lighting, redoing the cupola to finally eliminate the leaks, installing a door between the expansion and the current Fellowship Hall and carpet replacement. The expansion is expected to cost $100,000 and the other items are prioritized so if the cost goes over $150,000 for everything, we just don t do the lower priorities at this time. The session approved sending the proposal to the congregation and a congregational meeting was set for August 31, which is after this note is written. On Sunday, August 24, 2014, we had a surprise anniversary celebration for Chas and Elaine. The anniversary was two-fold. First, it is the tenth anniversary of their coming to DCC and next month will be Chas fortieth anniversary in the ministry. Greg Cullom chaired the committee and did a great job with the eventually help of about 10 percent of the church members, way too many to name. Rev John Dudley, the retired Stated Clerk of the Presbytery, came down from Hattiesburg to join in the celebration. Everybody did a great job in preparing and executing the cookout and Chas and Elaine were very pleased. We are blessed to have such a great ministry couple, great lay leadership and a wonderful congregation. Praise the Lord!
P T A!!! It is time for a new PrimeTimers season. Our first trip of the Fall is scheduled, and we will be going to the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, on September 29, 2014. The tour will begin at 9:30 AM with an introduction to tropical birds and then we will learn why the Gulf waters are unique in the Discovery Room. You will get a chance to touch sting rays and sharks (Small ones!), and get up close and personal with horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and other marine animals. You will have an opportunity to explore 2,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and examine artifacts and local marine inspired art. Following all of this we will watch Bottlenose Dolphins, Bo, Buster and three others work out with their trainers and then watch a sea lion show. If you want to interact with the dolphins up close, you should register for our Dolphin Encounter by calling 228-896-9182 or at www.imms.org. Following the fun morning we will stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch. The cost for all this excitement and fun will be $10 for admission and lunch should be about $7. We will car pool from church and plan to leave at 8:45 AM, so please sign up in Fellowship Hall so we know how many to plan for in advance. If you have any questions for this wonderful day of fun and excitement, call Jere Hess at 228-365-0863. Youth Night is finally back! Youth K - 12th grade are invited to Opening Night for the Wednesday Night program on September 10, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Dinner will be provided from 5:15-6 p.m. Then from 6-7 p.m. there will be fun games and activities to get to know your group leaders and friends. We will end with a time of worship and prayer for the beginning of the new school year. There is no cost for the night of fun, just come and bring a friend as we kick off another great year of service, study, and fun events!
September Birthdays Sam McElveen Sept. 1 Sam Sapio Sept. 2 Dylan Sturman Sept. 8 Karen Rice Sept. 10 Hunter Farthing Sept. 11 Tyler Fontenette Sept. 11 Phyllis Dowell Sept. 12 Roben Wild Sept. 14 Brian Buchanan Sept. 16 Joyce Gross Sept. 16 Joanna Killinger Sept. 16 Don Perkins Sept. 20 Keith Buttone Sept. 23 Barbara Wittliff Sept. 23 Sandra Carraway Sept. 26 Dot Morrison Sept. 26 Bud Dickens Sept. 27 JJ Skinner Sept. 27 Chas Jones Sept. 28 Cheryl Bradley Sept. 29 Elaine McElveen Sept. 29 Lyle M Rice Sept. 29 June Murphy Sept. 30 Joe Wells Jr. Sept. 30 September Anniversaries Donna & Stan White 9/5/1981 Susan & Woody Burwell 9/6/1969 Sylvia & Al Corban 9/7/1968 Carolyn & John Yarbrough 9/7/1957 Linda & Lamar Naron 9/9/1962 Jeanne & Ken Bluett 9/11/1965 Betty Lou & Reid Walker 9/14/1985 Amy & Jude Swint 9/18/1954 Gail & Dan Seliga 9/27/1992 The Men of the Church will resume the Saturday Morning Breakfast on Sept. 20, 2014, at 8 AM. We need volunteers to be officers, cooks, and speakers for our upcoming year. Please pray and consider helping. If you have questions, call Don Kraemer at 255-4105. Canasta Wednesdays A group of congenial ladies are going to be having fun every Wednesday by playing Canasta. If you don t know the game, that is okay because they will teach you the game. The ladies will meet at 1 PM on Wednesdays, at the Diamondhead Country Club to chat, play cards and have some wonderful fellowship. If you think that you might be interested call Connie Parker at 255-4314 or Nancy Winters at 255-4856.
Congratulations to the July Visitors Challenge Winners The Women! The Individual Leader so far this year is still Pat McLeod. NEED A RIDE? The Deacons coordinate transportation to medical appointments and DCC church events with an advance notice for members, their spouses and Active church friends. At the present time, the Deacons are available to drive only to local medical appointments in Diamondhead, Gulfport and Biloxi. Call one of the Transportation Coordinators if you are in need of a ride. Deacon driver coordinators for the month of September are Neal Hall, 255-3578, and Stephen Parnell, 255-1683. FINANCIAL REPORT FROM THE TREASURER Where Do We Stand? July 2014 Year-to-Date Actual Projected Actual Projected Income $21,735 $27,417 $ 191,962 $198,667 Expenses $27,458 $26,437 $ 191,694 $211,312 Budget Bal. $-5,723 $ 979 $ 268 $-12,646 The mortgage balance above was $34,000 at the end of June but during the month of July, Fred Lowe, a cherished member of our congregation was so moved by the great gifts that God has given him over the years, that he paid it in full. Praise be to God. It is always nice when one or two individuals step up and make a large donation, but we should not and cannot expect this to be the norm. If you look closely at the figures above you will see that we should be $12,646 in the red for the year, however because of reduced spending we are barely in the black for the year. Everyone must give their fair share to shoulder the expense of doing God s work.
Young Adults and Young Parents The Family Ministries invites all young adults, young married couples and young parents to a luncheon to be held on Sunday, Sept. 7 th after the second service. In addition to a nice lunch, we would like to pick your brains on some good ministry ideas for this age group. We want you to tell us how we can better serve you. For further information, contact Greg Cullom at 228-669-8465. There is a signup sheet for this event in Fellowship Hall. Healing Services Rev. Chas has decided to schedule regular healing services for those who would like to take advantage of this blessing. The Healing Service will be conducted by Rev. Chas with the assistance of the Elders of the Church. These will begin with a service on September 14 th, immediately after the second service and will be available in the future on the second Sunday of each month. The service will consist of prayers for healing and anointing with oil. f you would like more information or would like to arrange to take advantage of this special blessing, contact the church office. Presbyterian Women A board meeting has been called for Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, at 9:30 AM. We will meet in the Conference Room. Several projects need to be discussed so please attend. Prayer Shawl Ministry On Sept. 4,2014, at 9:30 AM, the Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet in the conference room. Sally Lindsley, Mary Ann Manchester, and JJ Skinner will be leading and teaching the group. If you have yarn and needles, bring them along; but even if you need to learn how to knit, that s okay because we will teach you how. Please come join us.
NEW MEMBERS/INQUIRERS Class Led by Pastor Chas Informative, Informal and Fun Gatherings! Here s what you will learn: A whole lot of things about Jesus! The Crucifixion and Resurrection! A walk through the Bible! A look at the PC(USA)! Learn about our own Congregation! Belonging to the Church! All materials in one handout package. WHEN: Sunday afternoons beginning October 5 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. WHERE: Conference Room in Office Building Installation of New Members on Sunday, November 2. Babysitting provided if needed by calling the church office 255-5556 in advance. Sign up in Fellowship Hall so we know you are coming. (DO YOU KNOW ANYONE YOU CAN TELL ABOUT THIS? IF SO, CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE, 255-5556.) DCC Medical Benevolence Fund Raffle Tickets for the 50/50 raffle are on sale after all services and cost $50. The tickets will only be available to DCC members until Sept. 1 st and then will go on sale to the community. The funds not returned to the winner (50%) will go to fund the Medical Benevolence Assistance Committee which will assist those member with financially crippling medical expenses. Half of the proceeds from the raffle will go to the winner when the drawing takes place at the Fall Festival on October 25, 2014. Good Luck!
228-255-5556, www.dhcommunitychurch.org Diamondhead Community Church 5301 Diamondhead Circle, Diamondhead MS 39525 Like us on Facebook. THE DEADLINE FOR THE Oct. CRIER is Sept.23,2014 Send your articles to Dcc@cableone.net Just give us the Who, What, When, Where & How for anything you want published, and we will do the article for you!