August 2015

8531 Macon Hwy

Athens, GA 30606

706-543-6077 (office)

706-543-6199 (fax)

www.gotofriendship.org

Sunday School @ 9:40 a.m.

Sunday Worship @ 11:00a.m.

Wednesday Bible Study

@ 10:00a.m.

Pastor:

The Rev. Tara Bulger

tbulger@gotofriendship.org

706-621-3692 (cell)

Church Administrator:

Donna Rigsby

office@gotofriendship.org

Please check out our website @

www.gotofriendship.org for our

online calendar

A Word from the Pastor Dear Friends,

If you venture down the preschool hall, you will see the

incredibly creative bulletin boards the teachers have put up. Two of

them, in particular, have stood out to me.

One bulletin board shows little

churches. It is a picture of a church that the

kids have crafted and each church says,

“Friendship Preschool” at the top. Directly

across from that board is another that has a

picture of birds (made with each child’s

fingerprint) in a tree and each says, “Love Grows Here!” I have found

that these two bulletin boards are the very

definition of our mission as a church and

as a preschool. For the small children who

enter our doors, they are welcomed with

love and care and fun and excitement.

They are truly loved, just as they are

gaining an education that expands their

minds. That is our preschool’s mission.

We hope to be those same things for the community around us.

We want to be a place where all of God’s children are welcomed and

loved, cared for and given the Good News of God’s love for all. We

hope that in coming though our doors, each person finds their hearts

and minds expanded through the Gospel. We also hope that our church,

the very Body of Christ, will be present out in the world—living out

God’s will for us each.

This is an audacious task. It is a huge goal. We are a small

church friends, but we have a BIG MISSION. Never think that we

aren’t up to the task. God has called us for this purpose! God will give

us everything we need to carry this mission out into the world. It is a

joy to be in ministry with each of you.

Grace and Peace to You All,

Rev. Tara Bulger

September 2015

Page 2

Words of Friendship

September 8, 2015: Circle One

will meet on the second Tuesday,

the 8th of September, at 9:45am at

the church. All women are

cordially invited to attend.

Sunday School for children of all ages will begin

Sunday, Sept 13 at 9:45am in the preschool building.

Our Wednesday Bible Study will

resume on Wednesday, Sept 9th, in the

Friendship Room. Please note the new

time will be 10:00 a.m.

We will be studying the Gospel of John.

Everyone is invited.

Page 3

Words of Friendship

Liturgist Money Counters

6 Ryann Bulger Ted Walker

13 Rebecca Hill Pattie Ivy

20 Olivia Bennett Linda Kelly

27 Bev Davis Bev Davis

Communion Servers

September 6, 2015

Bev Davis

Linda Kelly

Kathy Roberts

Ted Walker

Session Actions August 13, 2015

submitted by Marks Towles, Clerk

A Restricted Fund has been established to be used for improvement projects related to

compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the request of the family, memorial

gifts in memory of Swanton Ivy will be directed to this fund.

The Preschool’s new year commenced in August. The departure of Kelly Jones has not been

a disruptive issue. All teachers have accepted their annual contracts. In the near term, the

Preschool Director’s duties will be handled by Tara and Donna Rigsby. Donna’s hours have

been increased accordingly. A move to hire a new director will be addressed after a full

review of the position’s duties and accountability expectations.

A review of our phone system is underway. More simplicity and lower cost should

result. Whether we need two phone lines will be addressed.

The subject of calling Tara full time is under consideration.

Page 4

Words of Friendship

Charles Tindley:

African-American pastor and gospel hymn writer

In September our choir will be singing two anthems by Charles Tindley, whose

remarkable biography is a story of overcoming hardship through faith and determination.

Charles Tindley was born in 1851 in Maryland – a slave state – to a slave father

and free mother. Thus he was born free but grew up among enslaved people. His mother

died when he was four and he was separated from his father a year later; he was then

raised by an aunt.

In that time, white slave owners believed it dangerous for blacks to receive an

education. But after the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), Tindley taught himself to

read and write and took Bible classes at night. After the Civil War he married and moved

to Philadelphia, where he worked as a janitor in a small Methodist Episcopal church. In

the meantime he attended night classes and earned his divinity degree through a

correspondence course from Boston Theological Seminary. Tindley would go on to earn

his doctorate and teach himself Hebrew and Greek.

In 1902 Tindley became pastor of the same church in Philadelphia where he had

once worked as janitor. It had 130 members. Under his pastorship the church grew

steadily until, at the time of his death, it had 12,500 members. Most unusual for the time,

the congregation was integrated, with both blacks and whites serving leadership roles.

Although the church was big, its congregation was poor. Tindley worked with politicians

and business leaders in Philadelphia to assist his church members in finding jobs, starting

up their own businesses and purchasing homes. The church formed its own Loan

Association to offer mortgages.

In addition to being a busy pastor, Tindley wrote a number of fine gospel songs,

and today is considered one of the founding fathers of gospel music. Five of his songs

appear in the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal. His song “I’ll Overcome Someday”

became the inspiration for the secular Civil Rights song “We Shall Overcome,”

popularized in the 1960s. Other of his songs that have remained popular are “We’ll

Understand It Better By and By,” “Stand by Me,” “Here I Am, Send Me” and “Leave It

There.”

Charles Tindley died in 1933. His church was then renamed the Tindley Temple

United Methodist Church, and in 2011 it was added to the National Register of Historic

Places.

by Kevin Kelly

Page 5

Words of Friendship

Live at the Library!

The Athens Recorder Ensemble presents

Music from Scotland

Sunday Sept. 13, 3:00pm Athens-Clarke County Library

Appleton Auditorium

2025 Baxter St.

Free admission

Page 6

Words of Friendship

With the start of the school

year, Scouting is busier than

ever at Friendship! And, one

big change is that Boy Scout

Troop 149 is now meeting on

Monday nights, instead of

Tuesdays, this fall—a change necessitated by too many scheduling

conflicts with marching band and sports practice. We’ll see how that

works out! The Cub Scout Pack is signing up new members from the

elementary schools. They are planning a family campout in October and a

winter trip to the Yorktown Aircraft Carrier in January. The Venturing

Crew has not started meeting yet for the new school year, but plans to

soon.

The troop’s August camping trip was a Tubing trip at the end of the month to

Ellijay, Georgia, to get one final round of “wet activities” in this summer.

(We got wet from the thunderstorms, as well as the tubing!) In September, we

will be at nearby Lake Oglethorpe for a trip focused on fishing and boating

and the Fish and Wildlife Management merit badge; and our participants who

are signed up for Philmont Scout Ranch for next summer are also doing an

Appalachian Trail backpacking trip in mid-September. This past month, our

Scouts have also been brainstorming possible trips for the upcoming year, and

our troop program calendar should be finalized by the start of September.

Highlights will include canoeing, railroading, snorkeling with manatees,

cycling, rafting, and climbing/rappelling.

At meetings, the Scouts prepared and undertook an emergency preparedness-

related “troop mobilization” to test their first-aid skills, with different

scenarios such as a car accident, falling, and cooking accidents. We have also

focused on other first aid knowledge, CPR, knots, and citizenship, as well as

finishing up a range of merit badges from summer camp. Our fall Court

of Honor is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28, where we will recognize

Scouts and adults for their accomplishments.

On the service project front, our Scouts have

helped prepare the Friendship preschool

playscape area; painted rooms and assembled

desks for the Athens Downtown Academy

school; and conducted landscaping at Oconee

Veterans Park. Several other projects are in

various stages of approval by the troop and/or

district, including building trails and bike trails.

We also have celebrated our two newest Eagle

Scouts—Andrew Morgan and Conner Taylor—

with Eagle courts of honor this past month.

Thanks for your continued support of the Boy

Scout Troop, Venturing Crew, and Cub Scout

Pack.

Scouting at Friendship

By

Scoutmaster Paul Matthews

Practicing first aid and

emergency preparedness

scenarios

Conner Taylor’s Eagle court of

honor, held at the Oconee Sr Ctr

Scouts cooking and fire

building on the Tubing

camping trip

Page 7

Words of Friendship

Scouts competing in a speed-pioneering game

Our preschool is a mission of the entire church and the

best thing we can do is support our teachers. Please keep

them in your prayers and if you get a chance, write them a

note thanking them for all they do for our school. You can

send the notes to the church office and we will get them to

the teachers. We love our preschool! First Friends Class -

Ms. Heidi, Ms. Christina, Ms. Julie

2/3 year old classes -

Ms. Amanda G., Ms. Sharon, Ms. Sherry, Ms. Carole

2/3 year old 5 day class -

Ms. Kim, Ms. Emily, Ms. Sherry

3 year old class -

Ms. Susanne, Ms. Salinda

3 year old 5 day class -

Ms. Tiffany, Ms. Jamie, Ms. Christy

4 year old class -

Ms. Chris, Ms. Amanda C.

5 day 4 year old class -

Ms. Gail, Ms. Heather

Page 8

Words of Friendship

Worship Attendance & Giving in August

Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 30

Attendance 36 37 35 35 40

General Giving $2316.00 $5665.00 $601.00 $205.00 $4712.00

Friendship Presbyterian Church

Year-To-Date July, 2015

Selected Assets and Liabilities

Inflows Year to Date

Outflows Year to Date

Cash in Bank -- General Fund 20,979

Cash in Bank --Restricted Fund 3,787 1,095 100

Total Cash in Bank 24,767

Kerry Hill Educational Fund -- Oconee State Bank 6,751 200 0

Savings -- New Covenant Securities 56,534

Mortgage Debt 43,698

Income Statement Summary

Year to Date (Actual)

Year to Date (Budget)

Actual vs. Budget

Receipts from Congregation 76,011 80,943 (4,933)

Dye House Rent 4,888 5,653 (765)

Support from Preschool 28,701 32,318 (3,617)

All Other Income 1,210 321 889

Total Receipts 110,809 119,234 (8,425)

Administration Expenses 42,965 44,515 1,550

Personnel Expenses 66,381 69,623 3,243

Discipleship Expenses 0 233 233

Membership Development & Care Expenses 30 1,108 1,078

Mission/Bldg & Grounds Expenses 7,715 10,617 2,901

Worship Expenses 912 1,758 847

Total Operating Expenses 118,002 127,855 9,853

Net Income / (Deficit) (7,193) (8,621) (18,278)

Page 9

Words of Friendship

September 2015

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

30 9:45 AM Adult Sunday School 11:00 AM Worship Service

31 7:00 PM Boy Scout Troop 149 7:00 PM Recorder Ensemble Rehearsal

1 7:30 PM Athens Chamber Singers Rehearsal

2 Pino Moron 7:00 PM Friendship Choir Rehearsal

3 12:15 PM Stated Session Meeting 7:00 PM Pack Committee Mtg

4 5 Chester Lee

6 Gail Wiley Ryann Bulger 9:45 AM Adult Sunday School 11:00 AM Worship Service

7

Church Office & Preschool Closed 7:00 PM Boy Scout Troop 149 7:00 PM Recorder Ensemble Rehearsal

8 9:45 AM Circle One 7:30 PM Athens Chamber Singers Rehearsal

9 Pino & Mery Moron 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Friendship Choir Rehearsal

10 11 12 Leon & Doris Allen

13 9:45 AM Children and Adult Sunday School 11:00 AM Worship Service

14 Don & Kathy Roberts 7:00 PM Boy Scout Troop 149 7:00 PM Recorder Ensemble Rehearsal

15 7:30 PM Athens Chamber Singers Rehearsal

16 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Friendship Choir Rehearsal

17 7:00 PM Cub Scout Meeting

18 19 Wynn Ivy

20 9:40 AM Children and Adult Sunday School 11:00 AM Worship Service

21 Maurice & Caren Snook 7:00 PM Boy Scout Troop 149 7:00 PM Recorder Ensemble Rehearsal

22 7:30 PM Athens Chamber Singers Rehearsal

23 Ron Bowie 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Friendship Choir Rehearsal

24 Blake Wiley Garrett Hibbs 7:00 PM Troop Committee Meeting

25 26

27 Hannon Bulger 9:40 AM Children and Adult Sunday School 11:00 AM Worship Service

28 7:00 PM Boy Scout Troop 149 7:00 PM Recorder Ensemble Rehearsal

29 Don Harris Ken Swindle 7:30 PM Athens Chamber Singers Rehearsal

30 Amy Ivy Linda Kelly 10:00 AM Bible Study 7:00 PM Friendship Choir Rehearsal

1 7:00 PM Pack Committee Mtg

2 David Coons

3

Friendship Presbyterian Church

8531 Macon Highway

Athens, GA 30606

Friendship Presbyterian Church 8531 Macon Highway Athens, Georgia 30606

Phone: (706) 543-6077 Website: www.gotofriendship.org Email: office@gotofriendship.org

FRIENDSHIP PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT

As followers of Jesus Christ, assured of God’s unconditional love for everyone, we strive to be an accepting and joyful

community that centers upon worship, encourages personal growth, celebrates diversity, nurtures individual gifts, and moves

beyond boundaries to share, through service, Jesus’ love, compassion, and justice in an uncertain world.

Please submit news for October’s Newsletter

to the church office no later than

Sunday, September 27, 2015. Due to office schedule submissions after this date may not appear in next month’s newsletter.

All submissions are subject to editing.