The Steeple
December 2008
Happy Birthday / Happy Anniversary to those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this month!
An Awesome Gift
The soldiers in "our" unit in Iraq, HHC, 3-4 Aviation BN, have sent us an American flag that flew over Baghdad. The flag will be blessed and presented to the congregation during the December 7, 2008 worship service.
Christian Education & Worship Ministry Team
Sundays, November 30 – December 21, Adult Advent Study at 9:45 am, Advent is about waiting, and waiting is hard for us. We must be tutored in waiting. To get at this, we will explore various characters in the biblical story, and even a few others out of the annals of history, to think through how to "prepare him room" during Advent. We will structure their stories around four themes: repentance, faith, holiness, and love.
Sunday, December 7, "An Advent Celebration," noon until ?? Come for a casual gathering with hot cocoa, music, crafts, stories, games, and a light lunch of soup and bread. For those of you who go icky just thinking about glue and glitter, come for the food and fellowship.
Wednesday, December 17, The Saddest Night Service, 7:00 pm. For those who are facing yet another holiday without a loved one, who battle depression, or who are burdened by life’s tragedies, the holidays are especially difficult times. This is a worship service that honors those who cannot sing Joy to the World but still are waiting for the Prince of Peace to come into their own hearts. All are welcome, regardless of religious affiliation, church membership or background, to join together as we pray for Immanuel, God-with-us, to come to us this season.
Wednesday, December 24, Christmas Eve Worship, 7:00 pm. All are welcome to a candlelight service of lessons and carols.
It’s sign-up time for 2009. If you have never served as usher / liturgist, please let Inge McVey know if you would like to do so in 2009. WE NEED YOU!!!
Inge McVey, Elder, Ministry Team Chair
Church Life Ministry Team
We plan to add birth dates and anniversary dates to the information in the church roster and to publish birth dates / anniversary dates in the newsletter. If you want your birthday / anniversary to be included, send the information to Peg Jennings at festusly@yahoo.com.
Barbara Lehmkuhler, Elder, Ministry Team Chair
Property & Stewardship Ministry Team
The Christmas Joy Offering will be taken on December 21 and 28. This offering will be divided with 50% to Board of Pensions for assistance programs that provide support to retired and active church workers and their spouses and families and 50% to support Presbytery-related racial ethnic education through the General Assembly Council. In 2007 we collected $217 toward this offering. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.
We received $97 in the Peacemaking Offering with $48.50 of those funds being sent to support the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter.
If you have not submitted your pledge for the next year, plese do so this week if possible. Pledges can be placed I the offering plate. See Pat Compher if you need an envelope.
Pat Compher, Church Treasurer
Presbyterian Women and Hodge Podge
PW December meeting will be a Pot Luck lunch following a short meeting on 1 December. We will meet at 10 am with lunch at 11:30 am. At the meeting we will 1) Take up the Thank Offering; 2) Take donations for blankets for Su Casa de Esperanza ($10 per blanket) plus we will send money from our treasury for three blankets; 3) Collect unwrapped toys, books, games or money for the Blue Santa program. There is a box in the Fellowship Hall where all may place donations. These items will be taken on 10th to a location for distribution; 4) Will continue placing socks, mittens/gloves, scarves for the residents at Windcrest Nursing Home – mainly the children who are there. These will be taken to the Home during the week of 15 Dec; 5) Discuss plans for the 5 January meeting. Following this we will have a Christmas devotional program and then will eat. ALL WOMEN OF THE CHURCH AND THEIR GUESTS ARE WELCOME
The last Hodge Podge meeting of 2008 will be on Tuesday 9 December in the Fellowship Hall. We will address cards to our previous ministers, service members, etc. We will also make decorations to take to Windcrest Nursing Home along with the socks, mittens/gloves and scarves and maybe some candy. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Marion Palumbo, President, PW/Hodge Podge
Church Calendar
All meetings are at FPC,CC unless otherwise indicated
Put this date on your calendar: Saturday, January 24, 2009 – All-Day Retreat. Watch for details.
Worship Assistants
Sun 7th Liturgist: Peg Jennings / Ushers: Elders and Ellen Reiser
Sun 14th Liturgist: Ted Coe / Ushers: Martie Coe, Shoo Chen Dean, Pam Wolf, Inge MeVey
Sun 21st Liturgist: Sherman Jennings / Ushers: Lisa Raley, Marlin Raley, Marian Harrison, Erika Bohannon
Wed 24th Liturgist: Barbara Lehmkuhler / Ushers: Inge McVey, Marion Palumbo, Joe Palumbo, Sherman Jennings
Sun 28th Liturgist: Frank Reiser / Ushers: Ellen Reiser, David Lehmkuhler, Barbara Lehmkuhler, Shoo Chen Dean
Advent Readers
Sun Nov 30 Diane and Ski Wankowski
Sun Dec 7 Sherman and Peg Jennings
Sun Dec 14 Corey, Rachel, and Hayleigh Schramm
Sun Dec 21
Wed Dec 24 Pam and Richard Wolf
The Errors of our Ways
It’s our policy to include something for everyone in this newsletter. Since some people like to find errors, we try to include a few to meet this need. We promote this service with a contest. Each month, the first person to turn in errors to Peg Jennings (547-7662 or festusly@yahoo.com) wins a prize made by Dave Lehmkuhler. The only rule is that a person can’t win twice in a row. Inge McVey was the November Winner.