Jesus proclaimed, If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:37-38 Swift Creek Presbyterian Church Volume 27 Issue 1 February March 2018 From the Pastor: Passion for Christ, Compassion for People Lenten Sermon Series Lent is a season in the Liturgical Year that extends from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. This year Ash Wednesday falls on February 14, and Easter Sunday will be April 1. Lent is a season for reflection and spiritual growth. Lent is a time of preparation for the good news of Easter, the center and foundational belief of our faith - the resurrection of Jesus. During Lent I will be preaching a sermon series reflecting upon the Ministry Philosophy of Swift Creek Presbyterian Church. If you go to our website (scpcva.org), click Our Church and beliefs, you will find the full version of our Ministry Philosophy which is titled Passion for Christ, Compassion for People. Part of my work as an Interim Pastor is helping this church remember and reclaim who you are and who God is calling you to be. In my work with the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), we have remembered and reclaimed the Ministry Philosophy of our church, and so has our Session. Now it is time for you, the congregation, to remember and reclaim as well. Much of the Mission Study written by the PNC reflects our Ministry Philosophy, and the five conclusions (what we are asking our next pastor to do) is based upon this philosophy. The purpose of this year s Lenten Sermon Series is to prepare this church to join with your next pastor with Passion for Christ, and Compassion for People. Your Ministry Philosophy begins I see a church growing disciples through Exalting Christ, Nurturing Community, Serving the World. There are six Sundays in Lent, one of which is Palm Sunday. On March 4, our youth s Rockfish key note speaker will preach in worship. On March 18, our children will proclaim the Word of the Lord with the musical production Life of the Party: Mary and Martha. On the other three Sundays I will preach a series of sermons lifting up the ministry philosophy of Exalting Christ, Nurturing Community, and Serving the World. I hope and pray you will all make every effort to come and reflect upon this church s wonderful ministry philosophy. In the closing words of your philosophy, let us grow into a church that is a place of expectation and hope. In Christ s Service, David
Page 2 Lenten Preaching Schedule February 18 Titus 2:11-14 Exalting Christ February 25 Acts 2:41-47 Nurturing Community March 4 Rockfish Speaker The Shift Kevin Kyle, high school pastor at Hope Church March 11 Matthew 20:28 Serving the World March 18 Luke 10:38-42 The Life of the Children s Musical Production Party: Mary and Martha Thinking about joining the church? Our next Inquirer s Class will be held Saturday, February 10, from 2-6 pm. Child care is available upon request. To register or for more information, contact Liza Seibert in the church office (739-1183 or lseibert@scpcva.org). March 25 Mark 11:1-11 Palm Sunday: The Triumphal Entry Maundy Thursday A New Commandment and a New Covenant It is also important to remember and embrace Lent as a season of preparation for Easter. It is equally important to remember and embrace Holy Week as a time of preparation for Easter Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Prayer Vigil. This year our church will hold a Maundy Thursday Service of Worship. Maundy means commandment. On the Thursday before his death and resurrection, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, and he also gave them a new covenant. Our Maundy Thursday communion service will be on March 29 at 7 pm. Let us come and receive our new commandment which we are empowered to fulfill through our New Covenant. What is our new commandment and what is our new covenant? Well, come to the Maundy Thursday service of worship and find out. Let us come and prepare for the good news of the resurrection.
Page 3 SWIFT CREEK YOUTH YOUTH FELLOWSHIP Join us on Sunday evenings for a time filled with fun, food and fellowship! Middle School: 5:00-6:00 p.m. Combined Dinner: 6:00-6:30 p.m. High School: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Upcoming Dates: Feb. 11, 18, 25, Mar. 11, 18 & 25. No meeting on Feb. 4 (Super Bowl Party) or Mar. 4 (RockFISH) ROCKFISH 2018 Swift Creek Youth s annual RockFISH event is coming up on March 2 & 3! This is our annual event where we pull out all the stops in order for new students to come into our church doors and experience God. We will have delicious food, great music, awesome games and a ton of fun. The theme this year is RockFISH: The Shift. Mark your calendars and invite your friends! Sign up online! SPRING RETREAT Our Spring Retreat will be Apr. 20-22 at Watermarks Camp. It is for 6-12 graders and cost $125. You can sign up online! MISSION TRIP DATES High School: June 24-29 Middle School: July 22-27 CONNECT Website: SwiftCreekPresbyterian.org Twitter: @scpcyouthva Instagram: scpcyouthva Facebook: Search scpcyouthva
March Page 4 01 Joy Moody Thomas Stratton 02 Dave Hunter 04 Ethan Frost February 01 Janie Compton 02 Jeff Power 03 Alexandra Houck 06 Scott Spencer 09 Ann Dennis Janet Taylor 11 Tim Ritchie 15 Dave Mills 16 Hasun Hamilton 18 Finn Sowers Jeff Taylor 19 Barb Amis Lacy Hall Cameron Maus Jordin Maus 20 Joe D'Orazio Robbie D'Orazio Josie Dennis 21 Greg Rama Gigi Siggia 22 Raul Conde Elliott Hennigan 23 Alex Aloma 24 Brandon Wright 27 Lily Hollberg 28 Randy Hinson Additional birthdays: February 23 March 14 Anne Walker Meghan Ivey Piper Lemmon Beth Lewis 06 Jeff Crow Matthew Hicks James Morton Caroline Sweet 07 Lucy Hennigan Esther Mills 09 Savannah Carawan Adam Csontos Penelope Harrison 10 Andy Smith Andrew Sydow 12 Tracy Acevedo Ashley Davis Tamara Gregg Matthew Ivey Veronica Lawler 13 Arica Smith 16 Brian McCutcheon 17 Chris Hilton 18 Molly Owens 19 Stephanie Lescault 21 Trisha Bullington 22 Gabbie Hollberg Terry Pendleton 24 Benjamin Hamilton Jim McMahon 25 Elizabeth Taylor 26 Marvin Taylor Aimee Wright 27 Ryan Chin 28 Lori Forman Keegan Geon Craig Willard 29 Kyle Herceg Claire Moody Mike Traveline 30 Cindy Knupp 31 Dale Couch Matthew Herceg Who is leading your grandkids? At our 11 am service we are in the need of grandparents who could serve one Sunday a quarter to watch our nursery and preschoolers. We know you would want great leaders to care for your grandchildren at their church and we want the same here at SCPC. If you are able to serve one Sunday a month at 11 am, please see Wendy Hicks. Thank you for being willing to serve Him by ministering to our kids..
Page 5 Operating Budget YTD December 2017 2017 Budget 2017 Actual December 2017 Revenue: $ 559,452 $ 519,801 $68,101 Expenses: $ 559,452 $ 526,684 $40,096 YTD Net: $ $ ( 6,883) $28,005 Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC) Update The PNC team of Craig Amis, Hilary Burgess, Herb Foster, Greg Herceg, Joy Moody, Traci Wakefield, and Anne Walker has now met 14 times working its way through the various steps required in finding our next Installed Pastor. The committee completed one of the most arduous steps in the process, the Mission Study (comprehensive report that details our church s history, our views, our character, our future priorities, and our desired traits in our next Pastor) and the Session approved it on December 19. The approval of the Mission Study paved the way for the completion of the Ministry Information Form, which is the national job posting. The Ministry Information Form is required to be approved by both the Session and the Presbytery of the James prior to posting. The committee gained those approvals at the end of January and will be posting the Ministry Information Form on the PCUSA platform by the first week of February. Please pray for the committee as it embarks on the next step of the journey, which is to receive and to review candidates applications/ resumes. The committee has been advised that due to SCPC s vibrancy and location, this position is quite attractive and is likely to receive a large response from potential candidates. The Presbytery of the James is advising on best practices with respect to reviewing and to narrowing applications as well as for conducting site visits and interviews. The committee will continue to update on its progress.
Page 6 Kids Sunday Club (10 am) February & March Walking on Water, Zacchaeus, Water to Wine, Jesus Feeds 5000, Road to Emmaus, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Palm Sunday Preschool (10 am) February & March Four Friends, Ten Men Healed, The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep & The Lost Coin, The Prodigal Son, Mary & Martha, The Last Supper, and Holy Week In Children s Worship for February & March 9 & 11 am Join us and bring a friend! Ashlyn & Riley Kearney brought in some of their toys to donate to Mercy Mall this December. They also donated 2 Fingerlings for kids for Christmas. Way to go girls! Charlene McCutcheon...have been serving in children s ministry for over 13 years. Currently she is a lead teacher in our 3rd - 5th grade class during the 10 am Kids Sunday Club hour. Her family includes her husband Brian and her daughter Caitlin, who is working on her masters in New York City. Thank you for serving Him by ministering to our kids! February 4th 9 & 11 am Wear your favorite team shirt or jersey. Wednesday Feb. 14th 6-7 pm A hands on, self guided experience for all ages to see, hear, feel and prepare ourselves for Lent.
On a Mission Page 7 Our next big missions activity is our Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) event on February 24, 2018. We need your support as we gather in our sanctuary on this date to prepare over 25,000 meals for the poor and hungry. Please see the separate article in the newsletter for details on how you can physically and financially contribute to this great event. Our Haiti mission team is beginning preparations for SCPC s third trip to the home of Jenny Jenkins in Grand Goave, the same destination for our prior trips. The team will again conduct a vacation bible school for children; the remaing tasks will be determined as the date approaches and the greatest needs are identified by Jenny. Past teams have helped to rebuild homes, conduct health screenings, build school benches, and deliver care packages to widows. The 11-person team will be in Haiti from March 17 March 24 and includes Craig Amis, Blair Amis, Sheryl Bellew, Natasha Broadwater, Taylor Broadwater, Carrie Edwards, Janet Gise, Sharon Harding (third trip), Greg Herceg (second trip), Amy Jordan (second trip), and Scott Maus (second trip). Please consider donating to help support this team s trip we need money for trip expenses, supplies for the Haitian villagers, and trip scholarship funds. You can donate by writing a check to SCPC and putting Haiti mission trip in the memo line. Also, and most importantly, please pray for smooth preparations and an impactful trip. Please plan to join us at our next missions meeting on February 11, 2018. All are welcome at these meetings as we discuss planning for various mission events and often times hear from the missionaries we support. Lunch is served and the meetings are held in the large room behind the kitchen (12:15 pm). 2018 Confirmation Class Over the weekend of Jan 20 & 21 the 2018 Confirmation class met and had a great weekend together learning more about our faith and our church. The class was taught by Kevin Connors and Kathy Herceg. The class was made up of middle school students that are very active in our church. Please join us on Sunday, February 18 as we introduce the students to the church as our newest members! Finally, a grateful thanks to the many people who volunteer weekly and monthly for our Friends Feeding Friends and Meals on Wheels programs. For information or interest in participating in any of our missions programs, please contact Greg Herceg at 739-5092.
Page 8 Congregational Meeting There will be a congregational meeting on Sunday March 11 following the 11:00 AM service of worship. Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) Missions Event, Saturday, February 24 Help us to provide over 25,000 meals for children in hunger-stricken regions of the world as we turn our very own sanctuary into a food factory on February 24! We will work with Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) an international, faith-based relief organization to package these protein -packed meals over two shifts: from 1:30 3:30 pm and from 4:00 6:00 pm. So how can you help? 1) We ll need 70-80 volunteers per shift to help us to package and box the meals 2) We need donations! Each meal costs $0.29 for the ingredients, so we need to raise $7,300 to buy enough food to package our 25,000 meals. To donate and to register for the event, please visit our dedicated web page at http://events.stophungernow.org/scpc18. We ll also have donation/registration tables in the commons on February 4, February 11, and February 18 but we strongly encourage online donations/registrations. This is a great opportunity to get your kids involved in God s calling to do missions work and a nice option for teens who need volunteer service hours for their schools. The purpose of the meeting is to elect three At-Large Members from the congregation to serve on the 2018 Nominating Committee. These three Active Members will serve with two elders, one deacon, and one trustee to nominate new officers who will be ordained and/or installed in 2019. All Active Members of our church are asked to be there so you can fulfill your duty of participating in the governing responsibilities of the church (G- 1.0304) by exercising your right to vote at congregational meetings (G-1.0501) and the right of the congregation to elect officers (F-3.0106). And by inviting your friends and neighbors to join us, you ll be showing them how Swift Creek Presbyterian Church is transforming lives around the globe!
Page 9 February 2018 Calendar
Page 10 March 2018 Calendar
Souper Bowl Sunday, February 4th Two ways to participate! Bring canned food and nonperishables to church and put in the bin of your favorite team. Food donations will be delivered to the food pantry run by CCHASM. Or, you can always make a donation to Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) by placing a check written to SCPC and placed in the envelope of your favorite team on the display located on Welcome Center. Show your team spirit while supporting a great cause! Next Newsletter Deadline Wednesday, March 21 Page 11 Please submit articles to Crissie Nicklow, scpcnewsletter@ gmail.com Articles for the newsletter may be placed in the newsletter box located in the church office or e-mailed to the above address. Address Correction Requested 5900 Woolridge Road Moseley, Virginia 23120 Phone: 804-739-1183 Fax: 804-739-9987 We re on the Web! www.scpcva.org Worship 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. Church School 10 a.m. Open to All Ages