Escalon Pres January 2014! SEEK: to bring others to Faith in Jesus Christ! v SERVE: in Mission locally and globally! SUPPORT: personal Growth through God s Word! v SUSTAIN: a Christ-Centered Fellowship King s Cross - The Gospel of Mark Winter Sermon Series This winter we will be taking a overview look at the Gospel of Mark, following the outline of Tim Keller s wonderful book entitled King s Cross. The title is taken from an actual underground (subway) station in London, and it appropriately fits Mark for a number of reasons. 1) The first 8 chapters discuss Jesus role as the coming King and the second 8 discuss Jesus walk to the cross as the defining purpose of his Kingship. 2) The Gospel of Mark is a Gospel of movement and continuous action - though subversive, not apparent to the eyes, like the subway. I look forward to beginning our discussion January 12 - begin now by reading through the Gospel of Mark at least a few times in preparation for it. January 12 KING: The Call (MARK 1:14-20) 19 KING: The Healing (MARK 2:1-12) 26 KING: The Rest (MARK 2:23-3:6) February 2 KING: The Power (MARK 4:35-41) 9 KING: The Waiting (MARK 5:21-43) 16 KING: The Stain (MARK 7:1-23) 23 KING: The Approach (MARK 7:24-37) March 2 KING: The Turn (MARK 8:27-9:1) 1st Sunday in Lent 9 CROSS: The Mountain (MARK 9:2-29) 16 CROSS: The Trap (MARK 10:17-27) 23 CROSS: The Ransom (MARK 8:32-32; 9:30-31; 10:32-34) 30 CROSS: The Temple (MARK 11:1-18) April 6 CROSS: The Feast (MARK 14:12-25) 13 CROSS: The Cup (MARK 14:32-36) 18 CROSS: The End (MARK 14:53-15:39) - Good Friday 20 EASTER: The Beginning (MARK 16:1-7) January 2014 Newsletter 1
S E Q U O I A C L U B Epiphany By Joel Adams The second hymn, equally known, is paired with "Ode to Joy". This is taken from Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Presbyterian, Henry Van dyke, penned these lyrics while at Williams College in Massachusetts. As with the first hymn, Joyful, Joyful begins with creation as the base and builds the hymn upon that foundation. Interestingly so, many hymns do this, as they are following the timeline and history of the Bible and God's ongoing relationship with His people. Here is the lavish text: Epiphany launches us into January with songs of being led by God. Although not being literally led to the Christ Child by a star in the sky, we are still led in life. The Epiphany hymn, "We Three Kings", puts to song what the wise ones searching for Christ may have been thinking and praying along the journey. The most common final verse takes us beyond the manger and creates a great segue into what we might sing now that Christ is reigning as king. "Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice. Alleluia, alleluia, earth to heaven replies. Star of Wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Onward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light." As we leave the manger, but are still looking for guidance from above, I am drawn to 2 hymns in January. This first hymn is well known and almost exclusively sung to the familiar English Hymn Tune "Terra Beata". The text was crafted by a Presbyterian minister named Maltbie Babcock. Babcock loved creation and would often escape the stress and pressure of his New York pastorship into the woods, where he prayed and marveled at God's creation. Here is the final verse: This is my Father s world. O let me ne er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father s world: the battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav n be one. Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day! All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed, Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine; Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began; Father love is reigning o er us, brother love binds man to man. Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife, Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life. The message that pierces thru my heart this January is clear! From "This is My Father's World, "And though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet" and from "Joyful, Joyful", "Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!" As we head into this new year, may sacred music fill your mind and heart, bringing joy and comfort in the midst of the daily journey. 2 January 2014 Newsletter
Annual Meeting Sunday January 26 Our Annual (fun) Congregational Meeting will be held on January 26 following worship. Our Church Life team will provide a fellowship lunch and we will hear comments from our Ministry Team related to the printed Annual Report. Items of official congregational business to be address are: pastoral terms of call, electing a nominating committee, and electing a financial review team. All are welcome to attend! Youth Sunday Sunday January 12 Youth Sunday is starting back up again January 12 at 9:15 am for children s worship followed by classroom teaching. We look forward to seeing the EPC youth in class once again! January Youth Nights January - Mike Fahey Middle Youth Night meets on Wednesdays at 6:30pm. For further information contact our Youth Director Mike Fahey. Come join us and have some great fellowship, teaching and fun! Nursery Volunteers Sherry Branscombe We would like to thank all of our nursery volunteers who cared for our littlest members in 2013. As we move into 2014, we are in need of a few more volunteers. If you are interested in serving our church in the nursery, please contact Sherry Branscombe. Sunday January/February Forgotten God, author Francis Chan reminds us of the true source of the church s power the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we ve ignored the Spirit for far too long, and that without Him, we operate in our own strength, only accomplishing humansized results. Join us at 9:00am on Sunday in the Fireside Room for this Study. Women s Studies January 13 @ 1:30 pm - Women s Circle Women s Circle meets on Monday January 13, 1:30 in the Fireside Room. January 20 @ 7 pm - S.I.S. S.I.S. Bible Study meets on Monday January 20, at 7:00 pm in the Fireside Room. Come and join us! January 2014 Newsletter 3
Session Notes Deacon Notes By Jeff Hood By Cheryl Hall Business Finance December reports that we were received more contributions for the month. Year to date our expenses are over budget. This was anticipated in regards to Property Appraisal expense, Gracious Dismissal from Stock Presbytery, PCUSA, and our Centennial Celebration costs. The amount we ve exceeded budget is actually less than the amount of these one-time and unusual costs our financial position is sound. Troy provided an update on Andy returning home. Philippine officials have delayed his return likely due to storm impact to their infrastructure and processes. Looking forward to seeing him soon. Personnel Committee presented proposals which were discussed and approved. Troy recapped 2013, as he experienced it and asked each Session member to provide their thoughts. Many of the comments were praise to the leadership of our Session members, the Presbytery Teams, Julia Leeth and Pastor Troy s guidance, patience and understanding related to the Dismissal process. The support, closeness, and growth of our Congregation during this change. The unique opportunity to celebrate our Centennial and reminders of where we ve come from to being who we are today, and now the future. An embraced directive has been identified Onward. On the Calendar: First ECO Presbytery Meeting @ 10:00 a.m., At Trinity United in Modesto, 01/21 Session Meeting @ 7:00 p.m., Fireside Room Communion for January Communion Team will be; Laura Alcantor, Sherry Branscombe, Bob McCune, and Margy Sawyer. 2014 Communion plan will be addressed in the near future. Assistant Counter in 2014; It was discussed that an Elder should be available at counting following services. A request will be made for additional volunteers to assist with counting process and coverage for 2014. Meeting adjourned with prayer at 8:15p.m. 4 THANK YOU just does not seem adequate when we look at the way this church cares for each other and our community. But please know, from the bottom of our hearts, the Deacons appreciate your generosity and caring that is shown each time we present a new request to you. Requests like Salvation Army, the Christmas Giving Tree, Deacon Sunday and our monthly request for food donations to CARE. We have cared for those ministries and cared for those in need within our congregation and also in our community. We can do these things because of you and your donations and care. Thank you. Four of the current Deacons will be leaving the Board of Deacons this year. Janet Barton, Ruth & Victor Paz and Cheryl Hall will no longer be on the Board of Deacons the end of January or in early February. We welcome the new Deacons and say a big THANK YOU to the four Deacons leaving. Thank you for your work and love for this congregation. This also means that for some of you your Deacon will change. A new Deacon will be assigned and will contact you once the changes are finalized. The Christmas Giving Tree was a wonderful success thanks to you! We delivered 76 gifts to 12 families. We are thankful to the school secretaries that help us gather information about these children and families. We are grateful to you for opening your heart to purchase gifts for them and very grateful to Pastor Troy for delivering these gifts to the children and parents at their homes. Community Help: The C.A.R.E. focus food for January will be announced later in the month. The list for food donations is being checked for possible changes. And don t forget you can always bring other non-perishable foods, too, when you bring the donation food requested. Thank you for providing food for others. Salvation Army: The dates have been chosen for our participation in serving meals at the Modesto Salvation Army. February 22, March 29 and April 26 are all Saturdays. We will need someone for each of those dates to be the meal supervisor. Which means you will choose the meal, help your cooking crew prep and prepare the meal and then transport the meal to Modesto and serve the meal. The Deacons pay for the meal supplies and are excited to be involved in this ministry again this year. A sign up sheet is in the Faith Center for each of these dates. If you have questions, please see a Deacon or the church office. January 2014 Newsletter
BIRTHDAYS JANUARY 3 Taylor Bruns 7 Jeanne Meil 8 Sandi Price 21 Spencer Alcantor 23 Joshua Giddens 24 Sherry Branscombe 26 Lisa McCune 27 Sharie Roark 29 Richard Hogue 30 Nathan Thompson ANNIVERSARIES JANUARY 14 Mike & Sharie Roark 28 Felix & Melody Wilkerson ASSIGNMENTS JANUARY Welcome Margy Sawyer Deacon Tisha DeHaven Prayer Team Margy Sawyer, Jeff Hood Communion Laura, Sherry, Bob, Margy FINANCIALS MONTH - NOVEMBER Income Actual Income $ 25.714 Budget Income $ 20,007 Over Budget $ (5,707) Expense Actual Expense $ 16,651 Budget Expense $ 20,007 Under Budget $ 3,356 JANUARY 5 THOSE WHO SERVE Trustees Dave Hall Greeters Linda Gentry, Jennifer Schmidt Lay Leader Marsha Love Sound Dave Hall Nursery Leslie, Amanda, Angie, Clayton, Zach Fellowship Sherry Branscombe, Dawn Machado Linda Gentry JANUARY 12 THOSE WHO SERVE Trustees Rick Dodge Greeters Scott & Amanda Ferreira Lay Leader Dave Hall Sound Bob McCune Nursery John, Teresa, Sheri, Mary, Wyatt Fellowship Baby Welcome Perttula Dee Mostowski JANUARY 19 THOSE WHO SERVE Trustees Dick Nelson Greeters Joyce Noble Lay Leader TBD Sound Rodney Alcantor Nursery Corinne, Julie, Margy, Sarah, Hailey Fellowship Steve Reader Joel & April Adams JANUARY 26 THOSE WHO SERVE FINANCIALS YEAR-TO-DATE Income Actual Income Budget Income Under Budget Actual Expense Budget Expense Over Budget $219,402 $220,077 $ (675) Expense $234,586 $220,077 $ (14,509) Trustees Greeters Lay Leader Sound Nursery Fellowship Richard Hogue Rich & Sherry Branscombe, Dawn Machado Steve Reader Rick Guevara Dee, Charlie, Jayne, Sarah, Gavin, Ethan TBD Don & Janet Nickerson January 2014 Newsletter 5
January 2014 December 2013 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 January 2014 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 February 2014 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 Escalon Presbyterian Church US Holidays Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday C.A.R.E. Sun ancakes, etc) 29 30 31 1 New Year s Day 2 3 4 5 6 7:00 PM Trustees Meet 7 8 9 10 11 10:00 AM First ECO Presbytery Meeting 9:00 AM Adult Sunday 9:15 AM Youth Sunday 12 13 14 15 2:00 PM Girl Scouts Meet 6:30 PM Deacons Meet 16 9:30 AM Mom's Time Out 17 18 9:00 AM Adult Sunday 9:15 AM Youth Sunday 19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Newsletter Deadline 7:00 PM S.I.S. Bible Study 20 7:00 PM Session Meeting 21 22 23 24 25 9:00 AM Adult Sunday 9:15 AM Youth Sunday 12:00 PM Annual Meeting 26 27 28 29 2:00 PM Girl Scouts Meet 30 31 1 Page 1/1 6 January 2014 Newsletter