FROM THE PASTOR
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
FELLOWSHIP
MISSION
CARE MINISTRY
What a wonderful day September 28th was in my life! Thank you for recognizing my 20th anniversary as your Pastor! My family and I had such a great time. Many of you have told me that it was a great time for the congregation to be together.
Thank you for all the cards you gave me- 150 plus- so touching, humorous, thoughtful. Cindy and I are most grateful for your very generous gift that will allow us to take a lengthy vacation. At this point we are planning a vacation to New England in the fall of 2009. This is a place that we have wanted to go for a long time.
I am grateful and appreciate:
To all of you, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and encouragement!
Yours in Christ, Mike
8:30 a.m. Sanctuary/ 11:00 a.m. Worship Center-Fellowship Hall
| November 2 | Stewardship Dedication Sunday/ Lord's Supper Daylight Savings Time ends/Fall back Dr. Michael Roberts, Preaching "Getting Along in the Church" Romans 14:1-23 |
| November 9 | David Lee Hulsey, Preaching "Ready" Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, Matthew 25:1-13 Cherubs and Choristers singing at 11:00 |
| November 16 | Dr. Michael Roberts, Preaching "The God of Hope" Romans 15:4-13, 16:25-27 |
| November 23 | Christ the King Sunday Dr. Michael Roberts, Preaching "Head of the Church" Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Ephesians 1:15-23 |
| November 30 | First Sunday of Advent/ Communion Dr. Michael Roberts, Preaching "Keep Awake!" Mark 13:24-37 |
The Evangelism Committee invites you to become an active evangelist and invite a friend, neighbor, or co-worker to church on Sunday, November 16th. Please take the time to think of a neighbor or co-worker who may not have a church home, a young child who may not have the opportunity to attend Sunday School, or a member of this church that you miss seeing regularly in church. We invite you to prayerfully consider those who you could invite and encourage you to extend a personal invitation to them to join with us in worship.
Ephesians 3:7-9 says "By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News". Be a part of the good news – invite a friend to worship.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS - Joy Bedford, Education Director
Grace and Peace be yours in abundance through the Thanksgiving holidays.
We have so much to be thankful for.
I am grateful for you.
Sunday School for Children and Youth, 9:40-10:40 A.M.
Sunday School is offered for all ages every Sunday. Join us for a time of learning about who we are as God's people through the stories in the Bible.
PARENTS: If your child wants to participate in the Christmas pageant, which will be during our traditional Christmas Night Together, December 7th, 5:30 PM, please commit to bringing them to Sunday School for the next 5 weeks. We are doing something a little different this year for grades 3rd-6th. There will be some time spent in each class rehearsing.
ADULT EDUCATION on SUNDAY mornings, 9:40-10:40 A.M
Adult Elective, Sanctuary
Bill Stanley will facilitate this class.
Many of us who have responded to Christ's call to follow him feel that we are not making much progress in the religious life. Our search for strength and encouragement amid the pressures of life is only partially successful, and our desire for a more personal knowledge of God often goes unsatisfied.
In this biblically based video series, Presbyterian minister and Princeton Seminary Professor Diogenes Allen suggests that temptations, faced rather than feared, can be the starting point for spiritual growth and changed lives. He explores the temptations which constantly challenge us, and provides concrete suggestions to help us sustain our spiritual journeys as we struggle with life's profound, seductive temptations. This series is thought-provoking, yet practical, and captures the warm, expressive style that has made Dr Allen a nationally known speaker and preacher.
Mike Carson will facilitate this class.
'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' This poetic, cosmic and philosophical prologue to the gospel of John sets the stage for Jesus Christ's divinity and establishes his oneness with God. It also determines the centrality of the message (the Word) with the author (God) and gives import to the purpose of divine revelation to humankind. During this class of three weeks in December we are going to study the development of these inspired revelations, looking at who God chose to commit his message to text and how humankind has struggled to understand, interpret, codify and translate the message that has, for the church, become the rule of faith and truth. Inspiration for the lesson has come from a sermon that Mike Roberts preached in September of 1995 titled How We Got Our Bible. If you would like to read (or read again) this sermon on the Bible, it can be found in Beginnings, Sermons for Growing Christians.
Why do we have two accounts of the creation? Why are there two accounts of God's covenant with Abraham? Why does the Hebrew Bible have twenty-four books while the Christian Old Testament contains thirty-nine books? In the context of textual criticism, what is the difference between higher criticism and lower criticism? Is the King James version of the Bible the closest and most correct translation of the original Bible text into English? Why does the Bible have all those footnotes at the bottom of the page? We will attempt to answer these and many other questions in three weeks of study, lecture and discussion beginning December 7th. We shall study the background of the most popular English translations of the Bible, an examination that may help you choose the better Bible for your personal use.
We would be greatly pleased if you can join us for this class.
Cornerstone, Room 205
"Inspired leaders make a difference in the unfolding Biblical drama. Understanding how God worked through the lives of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles will light the path for new leaders who will continue the journey." Come join us as Gary Cox facilitates this class using the Kerygma curriculum, "God Calls Leaders".
Surveyors, Room 207
This class will continue their study of the Protestant Reformation led by Mike FitzGerald through November.
Homebuilders, Room 111
Homebuilders is a class for adults in the family-building stage of life. They continue their study of John Timmer's book, The Four Dimensional Jesus, led by Karen McClure. Questions: Email Karen McClure at mcclure.karen@gmail.com
Homework Haven & Playscape Free Play – 4:00-4:40 each Wednesday. This is a part of our LOGOS program. We will provide a space and adults for those children who find it easier to come to LOGOS right after school.
LOGOS for Children in Kinder through the 6th Grade - Kathleen Wenzel, Director
Logos wants to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supported our fundraiser on October 26th! Our boxed lunch fundraiser was a great success with food and fellowship! Thanks again for supporting Logos!
The Logos choir led in worship for the first time this year on October 5th and did an outstanding job! They will lead in worship again on November 9th at the 11am worship service; mark your calendar you won't want to miss it!
Logos will host veterans for dinner on November 12th; our menu will feature hamburgers and French fries. We would love for all members of our congregation that served in the military to join us for dinner. Please call Kathleen or the church office to let us know if you can make it.
Our month started out with a kick – Football Fever was our first 5th Wednesday of the year and held a football training camp. The teams honed their skills in passing, field goal kicking, obstacle course, pennant design and of course the mini flag football game was the highlight of the night. We continued the month with "Under Construction Night". Our menu was of coarse "boxed lunches" and our after dinner activity was toothpick creations. The following week our theme was Crop Walk. Each year, Logos has a Crop Walk Night that coincides with the week of Crop Walk, in order to make our children aware of the millions who go hungry each day. This night the children are served a meal of rice, beans & water with no dessert. This menu is not the most popular; but it does allow the children to better understand the plight of hunger and appreciate what many of us take for granted daily. In conjunction with Crop Walk, we collected approximately 75 cans of food for the Caring Place of Georgetown. Our tailgate party was a great evening, where we got to enjoy some fall weather and pizza! Our annual shoe kick competition was the after dinner activity. Congratulations to Elijah Folsom our shoe kick champion! We finished out the month with Pirate Night and enjoyed carving pumpkins after dinner.
LOGOS Themes, attire, and after dinner games for the month:
| Date | Time | Dinner Theme | Menu | Game | Attire |
| 11/5 | 4:45-7:15 | Connect the Dots | Chicken Nuggets | Twister | Polka dots |
| 11/12 | 4:45-7:15 | Boot Camp (5th Wed) | Hamburger | Sing for the veterans | Red,white,blue |
| 11/19 | 4:45-7:15 | Beach Party | Subs | Sand sculpting | Beach Attire |
| 11/26 | No Logos | Have a safe | And Blessed | Thanksgiving! | We love you! |
Upcoming events for Logos:
YOUTH (7TH – 12TH GRADE)
Every Wednesday:
Other Youth Activities:
Dinner and Devo, 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at Host Homes
Contact Sarah Hulsey at sarah.a.hulsey@gmail.com for more information.
**OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES**
MEN'S BREAKFAST GROUP
Men's Breakfast Group will meet on Friday, November 21st at 7:30am. We meet for prayer and to study and reflect on the scripture readings for the next Sunday. We will again meet at the Southwestern University cafeteria in the Red McCombs building. Please RSVP to David Lee Hulsey (863-3381) dhulsey63@gmail.com or Cliff Snyder (468-2877) c_rsnyder@yahoo.com. Can't wait to see you there!
MEN'S SPRITUAL GROWTH GROUP
Bring your sack lunch and join this group of men as Rod Burke leads them in a Study of Revelation at 12:00 PM every Wednesday in Room 101.
WOMEN'S WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
We meet Thursdays at 10:30 in Room 205. We are studying the Book of Acts. Come and join us.
PARENTING TEENAGERS FOR POSTIVE RESULTS
November 2nd and November 16th at 5:30 PM in Room 101. The material for the class is written by Jim Burns, Ph.D. The class will be facilitated by Joy Bedford and Cliff Snyder. Come as we try to help each other steer our kids through the unique world of adolescence. It might be easier if we do it together.
Please mark your calendars now for next year...
8th Annual All Church Retreat
September 25-27, 2009
We want you to come.
NOAH'S ARK KID'S DAY OUT PROGRAM - Chrissy Creech, Director
Is it November already? How can that be? I know they say time flies when you are having fun and I guess "they" are right! We are having a great year thus far on our little cruise ship. I walked into a classroom this morning and had snack with the 2 year olds. Goldfish crackers just taste a little better when you are sitting across from sweet little faces smiling at you. I am not sure if there was extra flavoring in the Goldfish crackers or if it was the fact I ate from the hands of a 2 year old. Maybe its better I do not find the true answer to that one.
I want to thank all of you that have donated Campbell Soup Labels for our school. So far we have 1500. Our goal is to collect 3000 before the year is over. We just need the UPC from the label. Winter is coming so I am thinking that we can meet that goal. Now, Shann Best, our label coordinator, has informed me that if we collect 1.6 BILLION labels, we can buy a VAN for the preschool! Wouldn't that be cool! Maybe if it's a realllllllly cold winter we can reach that goal.....you never know.....
I am thankful for all of you. I am thankful God has sent our school cute little kids, a great staff and kind parents. I am thankful our Lord continues to bless our school by filling our hallways with smiles, hugs and love.
YOUTH MINISTRY HEADLINES - David Lee Hulsey
October was a wonderful time in Youth Ministry. The Kennedy's graciously opened up their lake house to the youth, and it was a weekend filled with fun, relaxing, and bonding. Wednesday Bible Studies carries on as normal with the Junior High covering "Faithful Questions" and the High School studying the life of Christ. Sunday Night Youth (SNL) has continued on the topic of "What's really Important in our Lives," as we discuss subjects that take precedence in the lives of our youth. The youth also took part in the Crop Walk with the largest number of youth participants from our church. October was an exciting and busy time, and we expect the rest of the year to finish in kind.
One of the "faithful questions" asked in the Junior High Bible Study was, "what does it mean to be created in the image of God?" It is a blessing to be reminded that we are indeed created in God's image, something that is unique only to humans. I would like to ask parents and fellow church members to continue to do what we, as the Church, does best, and keep loving our children and reminding them that they are wonderfully and lovingly made in the image of God. We must keep in mind that such an image bears a certain responsibility. "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it must be a duck." Christians have the example of Jesus who showed us how to live in such a way that is reflective of our Creator. So our portrayal to the world should be, "If it walks like Christ and talks like Christ (and serves like Christ and loves like Christ), then it must be a Christian." We can best teach our children and the world how they are made in God's image by living out the image of God in our lives.
Coming up in November:
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN - Lenice Smithwick
The PW Board has decided to have our Winter Gathering on January 10, 2009. One of our mission projects in the past has been to present residents at the Georgetown Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with Christmas Gifts of needed items. We will again participate in this free-will mission project, but instead of bringing gifts to the Winter Gathering we will bring them to the church sometime during the early part of December and place items under the Christmas tree in the Fellowship Hall. A list of needed items and sizes requested will be available from the circle leaders at your November circle meetings. On this sheet will be instructions for packaging the gifts. Thank you in advance for participating in this worthwhile project. Last year we were able to give the Center 99 wrapped gifts along with the lap robes and crocheted pillows the Mission Sewing group sent.
November Circle Hostesses
| CIRCLE | DATE | TIME | HOSTESS | PHONE | ADDRESS |
| Elizabeth | Call | 7:00pm | Theresa McKenna | 930-3751 | |
| Esther | 11/5 | 1:30pm | Margaret Sunkel | 863-3034 | 101 Ridgemont Ct. |
| Hannah | 11/19 | 11:00am | Lenice Smithwick | (254) 793-8039 | FPC, Rm.111 |
| Lydia | 11/12 | 1:00pm | Nadine Tanner | 863-6640 | 200 River Oaks Cv. #1615 |
| Martha | 11/19 | 9:30am | Joyce Hinds | 863-9243 | 205 Whipporwill Cove |
| Miriam | 11/19 | 9:30am | Tricia Osborne | 864-3900 | FPC, Rm. 205 |
| Naomi | 11/12 | 9:30am | Molly Graf | 864-0140 | 113 Whispering Wind |
| Rachel | 11/19 | 9:30am | Betty Smith | 869-6925 | 603 Friendswood Dr |
| Rebekah | 11/19 | 9:30am | Paula Roberts | 868-8991 | 305 Rio Grande Loop |
| Ruth | 11/10 | 10:00am | Patricia Wojcik & Ann Patterson |
868-8158 | 29004 Turnberry Court |
| Sarah | 11/17 | 10:00am | Eleanor Bond | 863-7819 | 222 South Ridge Circle |
MEN'S CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP - Jim Wilhite
The November Men's Christian Fellowship dinner meeting will be held Monday, November 17, at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Our program for this meeting will be presented by Lt. Todd Terbush, the City of Georgetown Police Department. Since we believe this program will be of interest to the women of the Church, this meeting will be a "Ladies Night Out" and the men's wives and the women of the Church are invited to attend the meeting. In order to plan for this meeting, dinner reservations must be made. For those of you that regularly attend and agreed to use the email reservation system, we will email the meeting notice to you and request that you reply with either a "yes" or "no" about attending. For the other men and women that wish to attend the meeting, please call either Frank Hubbard (863-6144), Bob Thorp (869-7236) or Jim Wilhite (868-8086). The cost of the dinner is $8.00 per person and we are charged for all reservations submitted. So, don't forget the meeting and please honor your commitment.
NOON BOOK REVIEW - Marion Shell
We can all look forward to one of our favorite reviewers, Howard Bond, as he reviews the book, "Texas Rivers", by John Graves, beautifully illustrated by Wyman Meinzer. The location of these six rivers may surprise you. Mark your calendar for the regular NOON BOOK REVIEW, meeting, November 20th, 11:50 AM. Everyone is invited to join this informal fellowship in Room 101. So pack a brown bag, call a friend and plan to be there. Coffee and tea are furnished. There are no charges.
SHOW 'N SHARE - Cathy Hubbard
This month "SHOW 'N SHARE" will be featuring Herb Wilkins as he SHARES another of his many talents. You may know him as a thoughtful Elder. Perhaps, you hear his rich baritone voice on Sunday mornings in our Chancel Choir. He's generally seen around church with a cup of coffee in his hand and a smile on his face. What you may not know is that Herb is an artist! On Sunday, November 9th you are invited to see a SHOW of some of his selected works. These are his favorites gathered from years of dabbling in art. During Fellowship time, Herb will be in our gallery [aka the conference room] from 10:30 - 10:55. You are encouraged to be there also. Freshly brewed coffee, juice and sweet treats await us. See you then!
ACTS (Adult Christian Treasures)
ACT will meet on Tuesday, November 11th at 10:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Donuts and coffee will be served. J. C. Johnson and Marion Jones will give us the history of the Church Farm and the Church Cemetery. Lunch will be catered by Mona Andersen. After lunch those desiring may go on a tour of the Church Farm or the Church Cemetery. Cost is $9.00. Must have check in the ACTs mailbox by November 6th.
MISSION SEWING - Kathy Jones
Our next meeting will be Friday, November 14th, at 10:00 AM in room 111. We will be wrapping numerous pillows, lap robes, and gift items for the residents at Georgetown Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. These will be delivered in time for their Christmas party. Wrapping paper, ribbon, and bows will be provided. You may want to bring an extra pair of scissors.
Mission Sewing wants to thank Dorothy Barrett for crocheting the lovely afghans for Su Casa. And we also want to thank Nelson Barrett and Karen Rayburn for their assistance in delivering the afghans.
Last year, Operation Christmas Child delivered over 7 million shoe boxes filled with gifts and a gospel message to children in over 100 foreign countries. Almost one hundred fifty of those shoe boxes were from our church. This year, shoe box collections will be held through Wednesday, Nov. 19.
A collection table will be set up in the lobby of the Fellowship Hall. Informational brochures describing what to pack in the shoe boxes, etc., will be distributed to worship attendees on November 2. If you fail to receive the informational brochure, additional brochures will be available on the collection table in the Worship Center. Bring Christmas joy into the life of children battling aids in Africa, living in city underground tunnels in the Ukraine, or living in slums in Manila. You may not be able to solve the world's problems, but you can help one child to have a joyful Christmas and learn of God's gift to the world, Jesus Christ. Contact Paul Groneman, 512-863-0061, if you have any questions.
FAIR TRADE COFFEE PROJECT TO END
Mission committee is grateful that so many in our church community have chosen to participate in Fair Trade. After a year of coffee and tea sales, the committee has regretfully decided to terminate the project. The goal of the project was to provide a market for small farmers in developing countries that provided a fair return for their labor and increased their economic security. Unfortunately, the sales volume has not been high enough to make a meaningful difference.
For our members who wish to continue their participation in Fair Trade, there are alternatives. Fair Trade coffee is available in many local groceries as well as some of the volume discount stores. It can also be purchased at a local coffee house on the square in Georgetown. Fair Trade tea is also available at local groceries. Fair Trade chocolate is much harder to find. The Equal Exchange brand that mission committee has sold at our church is available in Austin at Ten Thousand Villages on South Congress Avenue.
THE CARING PLACE - Jenny Carswell
The first thing I want to say this month is a big thank-you to the Logos kids for the vast number of cans of food they collected on the CROP WALK evening. Thanks also to their mothers without whom none of this food would have been collected. This is a big help in a time when there are more families in need than ever before. Thank you to all of you who donated food.
That being said, today I attended a meeting at The Caring Place and was brought face to face with reality. Many statistics were given, but here is just a sampling which should give the picture. The Caring Place served 39% more clients in September 2008 (1,478) than in September 2007(1,066). Financial assistance increased by 42% and non-financial assistance increased by 200%. The Caring Place projects that 1,800 families will need direct assistance over the next three months.
So what can we do about this? There are many opportunities available and each of the programs desperately needs volunteers.
POINTS FROM PARISH NURSE PENNY LEONE
Flu Season
The new recommendation for flu vaccination in 2008 is that children 6 months to 18 years be inoculated. See your pediatrician about this as the younger kiddos will need two doses separated by 4 weeks.
Recommendations for adults have not changed – an annual flu shot is recommended.
Blood Pressure Screening
Blood Pressure Screening November 9th (same day as Show & Share) in the church library between worship services (10:30am-10:50am)!
Health Tip for this Month
At the family retreat this year, Paul Groneman talked about an "attitude of gratitude" changing his life. Let's try this for thirty days:
In November, each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements:
I am thankful for _________________. Today I accomplished________________.