UCPC Community Care Line We invite all to faith in Jesus Christ and growth in discipleship through Word, Prayer, and Service. Pastor s Note Special Points of Interest Pastor s Note Birthdays Anniversaries Monthly Calendar Announcements & Events Session Highlights Brian Dixon - 1st Lily Miller - 3rd Irene Jacobson - 6th Ruth Benson - 17th Donita Lawhead - 18th Dick Fowler-Morris - 23rd Georgianna Frank - 27th Lucile Hackett - 27th Norma Wivoda - 27th Carl & Ruth Benson - 8th Friends and Family, Worship comes in many different forms; Prayer, Bible study, organized worship, and of course hymn singing. It is widely known in pastoral circles that a preacher can survive years on poor and mediocre sermons if the hymn singing is prayerful, positive, and uplifting because the congregation will leave the church every Sunday with a strong sense of worship just from the joy of singing praise to God. Currently we have 4 hymn books we sing from each Sunday. Not each one every Sunday, but we have 4 books in the pews that a hymn might be pulled from during worship. The Worship committee brought before the session in September the recommendation to replace our current four hymn books with the new Presbyterian "Glory To God" hymn book. The Session unanimously supported the idea. The current direction of our hymn book is to replace the current four hymn books with the "Glory to God" while leaving the customized UCPC white hymn book which has more contemporary music in the pews alongside the new one. The Hymn books are $20 a piece and we are asking our church members to buy a hymn book or two, or five to fill our Church with the Glory to God. The hymn book has 853 of the best hymns from the entirety of the Presbyterian music library and will greatly reduce the confusion of what hymn book we are signing from Sunday. The first Sunday of October, we will roll out pledge sheets asking for your support. There will also be an opportunity to offer a copy of "Glory to God" in honor or in memory of someone. As we move forward into a brave new future, we are not forgetting our past, rather we are maintaining the heritage of Reform and always Reforming. It is my personal feeling (and I might be a little biased) but I feel our music program is second to none in Fairbanks. Lucile leads a talented choir and each Sunday seems to raise the bar of music that truly praises God. I feel our new Song Book will help us move forward in Worship, with old favorites and new songs that will keep us focused solely on the "Glory of God". Speaking for the Worship Committee, the Session and from my own heart, we ask for your support as we move forward here at University Community Presbyterian Church. If you would like to see a copy of the new hymn book, stop by the church office. Rev Neill McKay
=[Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Room Abbr. Key : CE= Old Basement FH = Fellowship Hall C = Conference Room OL=Office Lounge M= Music Room N=Narthex S = Sanctuary HS=High School Room L = Lounge 7. 9:00AM Breakfast (FH) Adult Study Sunday School (HS & FH Rooms) 10:30AM Worship Service (S) 2:00PM Russian Church (S) 14. 9:00AM Breakfast (FH) Adult Study Sunday School (HS & FH Rooms) 10:30AM Worship Service (S) After Service Indoor Rock climbing (UAF) 2:00PM Russian Church (S) 1. 5:00PM Sound Meeting 8. 7:30AM Women s Breakfast (Denny s) 15. 2. 9. Mission & Outreach (C Room) 16. 3. Bulletin Deadline Gospel Group(S) 10. Bulletin Deadline Worship Committee (C) Gospel Group(S) 17. Bulletin Deadline Gospel Group(S) 4. Prayer Group Al Anon (HS) Deacons (C Room) Sweet Adelines (CE) 11. Prayer Group (C) Al Anon (HS) Sweet Adelines (CE) Faith Development 18. 5. 8:00AM Classical Conversations (M, HS, L, CE, & N, FH) Russian Church (M) 8:30PM NA 12. 8:00AM Classical Conversations (M, HS, L, CE, & N, FH) Russian Church (M) 8:30PM NA 19. 8:00AM Prayer Group (C) Classical Conversations Al Anon (HS (M, HS, L, CE, & N, Classoom) FH) Sweet Adelines (CE) Russian Church (M) 8:30PM Session NA 6. 13. 10:00AM Sweet Adelines (CE) 20. NA Potluck (FH) Garage Guys (1606 Ivans Alley) 21. 9:00AM Breakfast (FH) Adult Study Sunday School (HS & FH Rooms) 10:30AM Worship Service (S) 2:00PM Russian Church (S) 22. 7:30AM Women s Breakfast (Denny s) 23. 12:30PM VOAD (C Room) 24. Bulletin Deadline Gospel Group(S) 25. Newsletter Due 26. Prayer Group (C) Al Anon (HS Classroom) Sweet Adelines (FH) 8:00AM Classical Conversations (M, HS, L, CE, & N, FH) Russian Church (M) 8:30PM NA 27. 10:00AM Sweet Adelines (CE) 28. 9:00AM Breakfast (FH) Adult Study Sunday School (HS & FH Rooms) 10:30AM Worship Service (S) 2:00PM Russian Church( S) 29. 30 31. 31st (continued) Bulletin Deadline Gospel Group(S) Halloween Party (Pastors House,1232 Bainbridge Blvd.) 2
We invite all to faith in Jesus Christ and growth in discipleship through Word, Prayer, and Service. Announcements & Events Children and Youth Sunday School will start September 9th at 9:30 AM Preschool meets in the Nursery. K-4th grade meets in the Fellowship Hall Elementary classroom. 5th-8th grade meets in the Fellowship Hall Middle School classroom. Confirmed students through High School meet upstairs in the High School classroom. Sunday Adult Study in the Lounge at 9:30 am 9:00am-9:30am Coffee and Fellowship 9:30am-10:15am Teaching and Discussion Brian Dixon is October Elder of the Month Meets at 6:30 am in the Narthex every Tuesday. Meets every other Monday 7:30 am @ Denny's on Airport Way We will meet : 8th & 22nd If you would like any announcements displayed during church time please email them to Amanda, admin@ucpcfairbanks.org or Celia, akfroggy@gmail.com Send an email to admin@ucpcfairbanks.org to sign up for our prayer chain emails! If you are interested in joining Prayer Group it s welcome to all. They meet Thursdays at noon at the Church in the Conference Room. You can view the Upcoming Sunday Bulletin on our web page each week www.ucpcfairbanks.org 3
Sue has been attending church at UCPC for many years & recently was asked if she'd like to join. She comes to us by transfer of membership from 1st Presbyterian Church. We've asked her to share a little about herself so we can get to know her better. Where are you from? I grew up Presbyterian in a family of 6 kids in Foley & St. Cloud, Minnesota. My father was a Doctor and he said he prayed to God before every surgery. My mother was a homemaker. I have two children; a son & a daughter. My second husband, a gift from God, was instrumental in raising these two children as his own. About me... I have lived in Fairbanks for 48 years. I am a retired State Farm Adjuster after 30 years, worked as a legal assistant for 7 years and now work part time as an auditor for a medical billing company. How has UCPC impacted your life? I love going to UCPC because it's all about love, acceptance, forgiveness and reaching out to all those in need. As a breast cancer survivor, it brought comfort to me knowing that even my unspoken prayers were being lifted up. Pastor Neill is good at that! For fun, I sing in the choir, house guests for Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. I enjoy photography especially flowers and I make them into notecards. I also have two rescue dogs. Sue, we are thrilled that you are a part of UCPC and we look forward to getting to know you! 4
Peace is Active, not Passive Peace is Doing, not Waiting Peace and Global Witness Offering World Communion Sunday, October 7 Every year in October, we receive the Peace and Global Witness Offering. One of the programs that the national level offering supports include Red Hands programs that help sex trafficking victims and child soldier victims. Another one supports poorer people in Madagascar as the land is being used for extractive development and helps support human dignity and democracy for those left in poverty. A national level program includes a Peace Camp that used a curriculum, Building a Neighborhood Together, based on Mr. Roger s Neighborhood after violence in Charlotte, North Carolina. These are just some examples of the many programs supported by this offering. 50% of the offering goes to programs supported by the national level of PCUSA, 25% to synod and presbytery, and we keep 25%. Our 25% is going to the Loving Families program at Love in the Name of Christ. Please prayerfully consider your gift to this important offering of peace. Garage Guys The next Garage Guys event will discuss The Mission of a Man. When: Saturday October 20, 2018 Where: 1606 Ivans Alley What to Bring: Bring something to sear on the grill, a drink and something to sit on like your favorite lawn chair. Or just come, I've got a extra chairs, burgers and drinks in the fridge. Contact: darohwer@solarmoose.com or call David at 378-2554 5
...Is Returning! Our turn for Loving Families will return in November, after Thanksgiving. However, the church scheduled for the week of October 7 14 is unable to fulfill this commitment. Shannon Park Baptist has offered to host their building with several churches taking turns for dinner and overnight. Our night is Tuesday, October 9. We could use one more person for dinner and one more for overnight. We are covered if need be, but it would be nice to spread the work. If you can help, please call Muffie (479-8191) or Norma (750-2428). Thank you for your service in this mission. UCPC Women's Retreat "Spiritual Boot Camp" was fantastic! We shared our time together exercising our faith as we discovered the need for change, asking God to reveal a new direction as we drink deep and often from the well of God's grace & wait for God to recreate something new in our lives for His glory. The fellowship was amazing, the food good & the Rev. Carson Overstreet was inspirational & powerful as she shared with us God's desire to open our eyes a little wider to see His way and to walk in it with confidence, strength & faithfulness. Thank you UCPC Planning Committee for your hard work in preparing for this wonderful retreat! UCPC Youth Group The UCPC Youth Group will be climbing to NEW HEIGHTS as we tackle the UAF Rockwall on October 14th. We will start with lunch following Worship where we will be joined by the Christian Scientist youth group. Together the youth will venture to the SRC where will be instructed on wall safety, the climbing harness and how to belay each other. Pick up will be at the SRC at 3:30. See Shelli or Neill to sign up and for a parental consent form. Kids 3rd grade and under will need a parent to join us. *Mark your Calendar for the Third annual Trick or Treat Party at Pastor Neill s House.* 6
UCPC Session News September Session Highlights The September Session meeting was held on the 20 th at. Elders Melissa Bierer, Randy Frank, Doreen McNeill, David Rohwer, Roger Smith and Jane Steeves were present, as was Pastor Neill McKay, who moderated the meeting. Elders Brian Dixon, Lanien Livingston and Norma Wivoda were absent. There was no Deacon s report. We discussed what needs to be done in preparation for UCPC s approaching Annual Meeting, to be held on November 4 after church. David gave an in depth update on the new security camera system. After a break from 7:25 to 7:35, we moved on to committee reports. Worship: The committee is preparing for World Communion Sunday (Oct. 7) and Advent. They are also working on obtaining new Presbyterian Hymnbooks, which will replace three of the songbooks we currently use. There will be an opportunity for church members to sponsor the purchase of individual hymnals for $20 each. Finance report for Session Meeting September 20, 2018 Here is the Finance report prepared September 17, 2018. Account balances for September 17 th 2018 at 3.30pm were: Designated: $78,378.38; Last month $78,078.38 Operating: $35,292.14; Last month $33,437.98 Fuel: $5,601.20; Last month $2396.28 (Topped up with $5000 from Operating) Savings: $504; Last month $504 Business card: $88.15; Last month $41.45 All bills have been paid on or before their due dates. The financial situation of UCPC is satisfactory. Income as of September 17, 2018 June: $18,372 July: $17,657 Aug: $15,535 Sept: $18,467 (after 3 Sundays and including $2500 rental from Classical Conversations) Stewardship campaign: We have an updated version last year s stewardship brochure. We recommend starting the campaign as soon as possible in order to have responses by the time of the Annual meeting. Hospitality & Membership: The Directory will be distributed in early October. Thank you to all those that helped pull this together! It's been 8 years since we've had a directory! "New Member Spotlight" in the September newsletter ~ check it out! A big thank you to our Deacons as they continue to bless & care for our congregation. What a delight they are to each and every one of us! 7
UCPC Session News Mission committee report for September 2018 We heard a report from Henry Woodall, president of Bingle Board. Upward, Inward, and Outward, a youth group from Presbytery, opened up camp and did projects for people around the lake. UCPC youth would be encouraged to join this group next year. Camp was held with 5 weeks of camp. One week had been canceled. The goal is to increase campers and be more active in recruiting for summer of 2019. Several groups are also renting the camp for various programs. These include RAHI, Lutheran Camps, and Soil and Water Conservation holding a camp for as part of the Delta School program. The Knox Retreat Center continues to be rented throughout the year. Improvements to the retreat center include a handicap ramp and one bathroom is being renovated into an accessible one. Peace and Global Witness Offering is to be received on World Communion Sunday, October 7. We recommend that our 25% goes to Love in the Name of Christ. Loving Families did not happen in September because there were no families at that time. Our next time is scheduled for November. Volunteers and session were notified by e-mail as the week progressed as to the situation. We will do 2 smaller families for Adopt-A-Family this year. Neill ordered 50 Ways to Help Save the Earth, How Y ou and Y our Church Can Make a Difference fo a grant through Thrivent Financial. He will distribute copies at the Tanana Valley Christian Conference and at Presbytery. The author, Rebecca Barnes, will be at the February Presbytery. We are hoping to make breakfast burritos for the Door again soon. Youth will be contacted to see if they want to help and asked when a good time for them will be. Faith Development: Our Sunday School Year has begun! Milt continues with his adult Bible Study, this year focusing on the book of Romans. Pastor Neill began a book study using the God of Justice curriculum. The Elementary class caters to our youngest believers, Paula is leading out middle schoolers using Bible Stories in the form of graphic novels and the Doreen McNeill leads our High School Class that focuses on building their relationship with Christ. The High School teacher reports the discussion and Foosball have been good for the students as well as her. Nursery, staffed by dedicated volunteers & organized by Deacons. Volunteers have met with the Faith Development committee briefly after church to assure a safe and welcoming environment. The committee is exploring barriers to Sunday School attendance to formulate a plan to break them down and increase participation. Sunday s 9:00AM breakfast got off to a good start and a sign-up sheet is available. We are looking for volunteers to commit to making breakfast no more often than once every 2 months. UCPC is again scheduled to be a collection center for Operation Christmas Child (shoeboxes) the week of November 12 18. Lucile will be at All-State that final weekend, so will not be available to staff the collection. Last year UCPC s hours were 4:30 7:30 (we need a 2-hr daily block). Lucile will look for volunteers to staff the collection center. UCPC s own Sunday School classes will likely assemble shoeboxes on Nov. 12. Building Stewardship: Neill suggested we find a source for gravel and dirt to fill the potholes in the driveway. Randy will talk to a friend with a gravel company. The meeting closed in prayer at 8:31PM. 8
University Community Presbyterian Church 3510 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Phone: 907-479-6728 Fax: 907-479-8879 Website: www.ucpcfairbanks.org Elders Lanien Livingston 987-4059 ~ Clerk of Session Melissa Bierer 474-0106 ~ Clerk of Session Brian Dixon 452-2651 ~ Class of 2018 Doreen McNeill 388-0544 ~ Class of 2018 Roger Smith 479-8341 ~ Class of 2018 Randy Frank 479-4394 ~ Class of 2019 David Rohwer 378-2554 ~ Class of 2019 Jane Steeves 328-8047 ~ Class of 2020 Norma Wivoda 750-2428 ~ Class of 2020 Deacons Susan Carothers 479-8156 Judy Fowler-Morris 479-6547 Lynne Krizek 479-1279 Donita Lawhead 455-6849 Darlene Peterson 456-6392 Paula Long 687-7444 Theresa Reed 456-7573 Pastor Rev. Neill McKay Email: RevNeill@ucpcfairbanks.org Office: 479-6728 Cell: 799-5534 Choir Director ~ Lucile Hackett 987-9947 Admin Assistant Amanda Murray Office: 479-6728 Email: admin@ucpcfairbanks.org Office Hours: Mon Fri : 9AM 1PM Organist ~ Pianist ~ Kathy Dohner Kathy Dohner Sound Manager ~ David Rohwer 378-2554 9