Special points of interest: Church Budgeting Advent, The Spiritual Season Operation Christmas Child Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to All! Volume XXX1X No.12 12 December 2009 Newsletter articles for January, are due on December 23rd. Church Office: (208) 722-5427 FAX: (208) 722-6435 Email: KirkpatrickCh@cableone.net Website: Kirkpatrickmemorial.com Ministers: The Congregation Pastor: Rev. John A Murphy, Jr K I R K P A T R I C K M E M O R I A L C O M M U N I T Y C H U R C H The Church Mouse Our church is a church that likes to celebrate, we like to be together. Don t believe it? Just look around some Sunday morning before the service and see the many conversations going on throughout the sanctuary, or look around during the Sharing of the Peace during the service. Our Pastor on Sunday morning often reminds us as we are preparing for the receiving of the tithes and offerings that we not only offer our monetary gifts, but we offer ourselves to G o d i n w o r s h i p. December 6th we will gather in Anderson Hall t o C e l e b r a t e Stewardship. Stewardship Celebration! Think of the many ways you give of yourself in the sharing of your gifts. You give of your time; you give of your talents; and you give of your treasure (monetarily supporting the ministries of this church). T h e S t e w a r d s h i p Committee has made a great effort this year to not make our annual gathering at this time of year about the receiving of pledges and of bringing in more money. Instead they are seeking to make it a time of celebration for all of us to be able to come together and celebrate what God has been doing among us and through us. Please remember to get your RSVP into the office Christmas Joy Offering Sunday, December 20th. For more than seventy years, Presbyterians have expressed their faith, hope, and gratitude through the Christmas Joy Offering. Through this offering, churches like ours support the unmet needs of families who have responded to God s call by giving their lives to the mission of the Presbyterian Church (USA). At a time of economic hardships, we know giving of any kind is difficult, but please know that any amount would be greatly appreciated. The giving envelopes are in the pews for your convenience. Thank You as you are receiving this newsletter. They need to have an accurate count for dinner. Thank you for the many ways you give of yourself throughout the year in this church and in our community. [Please see related article from our Financial Secretary on page 3]. Inside this issue: Pastor s Page 2 Church Family 3 Community & Beyond 4 Thoughts & Smiles 5 Information Page 6
Page 2 THE CHURCH M OUSE Conflict, Conspiracy, Consumerism, Christmas time Pastor s Page The average person in the US will spend around $400 in Christmas gifts this year. Welcome to the season of conflicts. How s that for an inviting opening? People talk all year about enjoying Christmas time so much, but I wonder sometimes. As a pastor, perhaps I hear more than some about the many conflicts around us. Over 2000 years ago, there was a great conspiracy going on as well. In a small town far from anywhere we re familiar with a man and his young, very pregnant, bride arrived searching for a place for her to give birth. And she would give birth not to any child, but to the King of all creation. She would give birth to Him in a dark, dank, cave and lay this King in a feeding trough wrapped in plentiful cloths to protect him from the dampness and cold of the night. What a mystery! What a blessing! What a strange way to for God to enter the world! Today, we celebrate this humble entrance into our world with blatant indulgence into all this world has to offer. I realize that church attendance goes up during this time of the year, and yet at the same time I would submit that none of us are immune to the pressures this season brings upon us. There s the pressure to buy gifts for every person we know. There s the pressure to buy a gift for that person who bought you a gift that you weren t expecting. Which causes one to wonder, does that make it a gift or a contractual agreement? There are all kinds of parties and events to attend. Most with an excess of rich foods for us to indulge in. Not that we need it of course, but it somehow makes us happy. As the special day draws closer we ask those close to us, What would you like for Christmas? Which at times seems like the contractual statement, I am getting you something for Christmas. And if it s something other than what the person requested may be met with more disappointment than joy. How many of us have received gifts we could neither use, nor really wanted? My dad was by far the most difficult person I ever met to buy a gift for in the sense that he always said, There s really nothing you can buy for me that I couldn t go out and buy for myself. Which was true, especially when he didn t tell us what he wanted or needed! We have become caught up in the consumerism of our culture. I was surprised to see that the average person in the United States will spend around $400 in Christmas gifts this year roughly the same as last year. The question comes to mind does the amount spent make our Christmas any better or worse? Does the monetary value of the gifts you receive really make or break the celebration? Last year one of the gifts I received was so simple, and yet brought me more hours of joy than possibly any other gift I received. It was simply a Sudoku puzzle book. For months in my spare moments I would work a puzzle or two and remember the person who d blessed me with this gift. It was thoughtful, it was chosen special for me, and it was not costly at all. We live in one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Perhaps a byproduct of this is our ravenous appetite for things. In this season of giving my hope is that you will take some time to simply stop. Stop and consider the love you have for the people in your life and tell them. Stop and consider the things you have accumulated and their real value. Stop and contemplate the gift given to us that Christmas morn so long ago. Stop, Be still and know that He is God. [Jesus] who though he was God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is lord, to the glory of God the Father. Merry Christmas! In His Grip, Pastor Murph
VOLUME XXX1X N O.12 Page 3 December Greeters Women s Association Our Church Family Please know that your gift to our church, monetary or otherwise, is deeply appreciated, no matter what the amount. 12/06 Tom & Jane Johnston 12/13 Ken & Jean Doughty 12/20 Melba Edgar & Lorie Weilmunster 12/27 Betty Johnston & Reuben Kautz Thanks you, Glenda, for getting the list in the newsletter on time. YES, the amount of your financial support of our church is known only to the financial secretary. NO ONE ELSE knows if you pledge, if you give, or if you pay the amount you pledge. We have a few members who only give non-monetary service to the church because the money just isn't there. You are asked to contribute what you can, and whatever you do to promote God's work is deeply appreciated. However, anyone who has to budget understands our KMCC system is leaving the finance committee figuratively "building a house of straw"! In the year 2009 we had 78 giving units. Of those 42 eventually made a pledge. Pledges ranged from $1 to $160 a week, with an average of around $24. Many of you 12/04 Annabelle Edmonds 12/05 Jim Barbour 12/07 Diane Warren 12/12 Mike Harris 12/16 Jessie Thomas 12/17 Brandon Brown 12/24 Danny Renfro 12/28 Megan Johnson 12/31 Dillon Profit Church Budgeting is a Crapshoot Please get your pledge cards in By Jody Iaderosa (Financial Secretary) faithfully put your pledged amount in the plate every week. Others donate monthly, quarterly or annually. Some pay by check draft. We have some faithful tithers. They put in ten percent of whatever they receive. Several people never come, yet donate on a regular basis. But, this left 36 giving units who let us guess. They are possibly thinking it would be better not to pledge than have the church counting on money they might not be able to produce. Sorry! We can't work that way. Instead, we look at what you gave last year and expect at least the same amount this year. It's a guess and a gamble, but with nearly half of our giving units leaving us guessing - - Well, what would you do? Less than half of our budget has been pledged. We have to make a hopeful guesstimate. The Women s Association will be meeting on Saturday, December 5th at the home of Betty Johnston. We will be having a potluck lunch at 12 noon, followed by our meeting. Thanks to Yoko for updating the info! At this writing we have twenty-five (25) 2010 pledges turned in. We understand that few of us can afford an increase, yet we do have a few, and some decreases, so it is balancing out so far. We understand economic troubles, but it would be such a huge help if you would make a pledge. If it becomes a burden you can send Jody a note, or give her a call. She can tell the finance committee of adjustments we have to make without revealing who it is, and if you have some extra funds next year you can always increase your pledged amount. We have several who have done that this year. And please know that your gift to our church, monetary or otherwise, is deeply appreciated, no matter what the amount.
Page 4 THE CHURCH M OUSE Operation Christmas Child: Loving Families Share the Blessings Last year, Cate Iaderosa, and her Sunday Morning Alive crew put together two fully stuffed shoe boxes to be given to children less fortunate in a 2/3 world country. (2/3 world country is the term that is commonly used now instead of Third World country because it is 2/3 of the world falls into this category). From her inspiration, this past month we once again stuffed shoeboxes this year. Only our results did not simply yield two gifts, but a whopping 19 shoeboxes were dropped off at the collection center. These shoeboxes will help make the Christmas for a child somewhere around the world that much better. Inside the boxes were small gifts such as: school supplies: Pencils, paper, crayons, markers, etc.; age appropriate toys; books; hygiene items: s o a p, t o o t h b r u s h e s, toothpaste, wash cloths; and even socks. Thank you to all the families who participated. Lion s Club Schedule 12/1 Jody Iaderosa 12/8 Vearl & Carol 12/15 Bonnie Nichols Happy Holidays! January 2010 1/5 Joan Hilliard 1/12 Ruby Finley 1/19 Jody Iaderosa 1/26 Vearl & Carol Our Community & Beyond
VOLUME XXX1X N O.12 Page 5 Advent, The Spiritual Season Submitted by Bill Fletcher Advent is a spiritual season of preparation before Christmas celebrated by many Christians. In Western Christianity, the season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day, or the Sunday which falls closest to November 30, and lasts through Christmas Eve, or December 24. Advent (from Latin, adventus, meaning coming towards ) is a four-week season of preparation for Christmas. The First Sunday of Advent (November 29) marks the beginning of the church s year. The first violet candle is known as the Prophets candle and symbolizes the hope that Old Testament Jews had that a Messiah would one day come. The second violet candle is the Bethlehem candle and represents the peace that the new God/Man savior would bring, ending the long spiritual rift between God and mankind. The rose candle is the angel s candle (or in some traditions, the Mary candle) it symbolizes the joy of Heaven that a Savior was finally to be born. The last violet candle is the Shepherds candle and represents the love or adoration of those ready to accept the gift of the Christ child. The large white candle in the center, often lit on Christmas or Christmas Eve is the Christ Candle and represents Jesus as the Light of the world, or the Epiphany, God on Earth. Some of the first wreaths were established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th century, and others that the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. This last theory credits Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor, as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at a mission school founded by Wichern would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and four large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America. In Catholic churches (of both the Roman and Anglican traditions), the most popular colors for the Advent candles are purple and rose. In the Western church, purple is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: once the color associated with royalty, it symbolizes Christ as the "Prince of Peace." Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word "rejoice." Gaudete Sunday anticipates the joy of the Christmas celebration, so its color is a mixture of Advent purple and Christmas white. It may also symbolize the color of early dawn. In some traditions the first candle is called the prophet's candle and is meant to signify the hope of Jesus' coming. The second is called the Bethlehem candle in honor of the city of Christ's birth. The third candle is the shepherds' candle. The final candle is the angels' candle, s y m b o l i z i n g t h e a n g e l i c proclamation of joy at Christ's birth. A l t e r na t i v e l y, t h e c a n d l e s consecutively symbolize hope, peace, joy and love. Giving A Smile A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. Mama. Look what I found, the boy called out. What have you got there, dear? With astonishment in the young boy s voice, he answered, I think it s Adam s underwear! Copied from Pet Friendly Magazine November 2009
Kirkpatrick Memorial Community Church Presbyterian Church (USA) 305 E. Bates Avenue P O Box 789 Parma, ID 83660 Phone: 208-722-5427 Fax: 208-722-6435 E-mail: KirkpatrickCh@cableone.net In the heart of the community, with the community at heart We re on the web! Kirkpatrickmemorial.com Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Parma, Idaho Permit #3 DEACON S REPORT FOR NOVEMBER Visits 15 Calls 15 Cards 22 Funerals 0 Communion Served: 53 Deacons for December: Glenda Leigh Lorie Weilmunster Happy Holidays! From Barb, Alan & Cassie Williams WEEKLY EVENTS: Sundays: SMA @ 9:45am Worship @ 11am Mondays: Tuesdays: Wednesdays: Yoga @ Noon Lions @Noon Yoga @ Noon Cantata Rehearsal@7pm Thursdays: Bulletin items due 9am Fridays: Office closed Office Hours: Tues thru Thurs 9-1pm Sunshine Cupboard Please remember us in these days of need. Thanks to all that give so much, and all that volunteered this year. Our next food distribution: December 21st, 3-6pm THIS MONTH S EVENTS Men s Breakfast Saturday,, December 5th, 8:30am. Women s Assoc Saturday, December 5th, 12 noon potluck lunch at the home of Betty Johnston.. Stewardship Appreciation Dinner Sunday, December 6th, 5pm. Session Meeting Monday,, December 7th, 7pm. PEO Concert Tuesday, December 8th, 7:30pm. Children s Pageant Sunday, December 13th. Deacon s Meeting Sunday, December 13th, after worship. Cantata- Sunday, December 20th, 6:30pm. Sunshine Cupboard Monday, December 21st, 3-6pm. Christmas Eve Service- Thursday, December 24th, 7pm.