c resbyterian p irst f stroll first and song.” … · n o v e m b e r w o r s h i p 8:30 a.m.,...
TRANSCRIPT
Inside2 November Celebrations
Church Officers ElectedFPC Response to
Hurricanes3 Financial Report
Flowers in WorshipHead Deacon
5 Evangelism: ChristmasStroll
12 Spotlight: Patrick &Amanda Tolbert
14 Welcome, New Members16 November Calendar
Christian Education4 Christmas Night
TogetherLOGOS
5 Adult Sunday SchoolOther Educational
Opportunities
Youth Ministry6 DL’s Column
College Care Packages
Mission7 The Caring Place
Operation ChristmasChild
8 Mission SewingSu Casa de EsperanzaFriends in Deed
Fellowship9 Christmas Night
TogetherMen’s FellowshpPresbyterian Women
Compassionate Care3 Among Our People
10 Points from ParishNurse Penny
Stephen MinistrySenior Seminar
Music Ministry2 CDs for Sale
11 Christmas Cantata
RRRRR O OO OO OO OO O T E D .T E D .T E D .T E D .T E D . R E FR E FR E FR E FR E F O R M E D .O R M E D .O R M E D .O R M E D .O R M E D . R E L E VR E L E VR E L E VR E L E VR E L E VA N TA N TA N TA N TA N T.....
G E O R G E T O W N , T E X A S
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 2017
FIRSTWORD
N O V E M B E R W O R S H I P
8:30 a.m., Sanctuary11 a.m., Worship Center-Fellowship Hall
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgivingand extol Himand extol Himand extol Himand extol Himand extol Himwith musicwith musicwith musicwith musicwith musicand songand songand songand songand song.”.”.”.”.”
—Psalm 95:2
Sunday, December 3Dinner: 5:30 p.m.
Program: 6:30
Fellowship Hall
Annual ChristmasNight Together
Meal provided. RSVP to churchoffice if you will attend.
See page 9 for more details.
November 5: “One Hair at a Time”Youth SundayDavid Lee Hulsey PreachingScripture: Joshua 3:7-17; Matthew 23:1-12;
2 Timothy 2:1-10
November 12: “Indian Summer”Dr. Kenneth Peters PreachingScripture: Jeremiah 8:4-7, 18-20;
2 Timothy 4:9-22
November 19: “Almost to the PromisedLand”Dr. Michael Roberts PreachingScripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
November 26: “Head of the Church”Dr. Michael Roberts PreachingScripture: Ephesians 1:15-23
16 F I R S T W O R D16
N O
V E
M B
E R
2
0 1
7M
OND
AY
30 Dr.
Mic
hael
Rob
erts
on
stud
y le
ave
thru
11/
13
6 11:0
0am
PW B
oard
7:00
pmS
teph
en M
inis
tryC
ontin
uing
Ed
8:00
pmS
teph
en M
inis
tryS
uper
visi
on
13 20 Chr
istin
a Bo
ndes
en o
nva
catio
n th
ru 1
1/26
6:00
pmM
en’s
Fel
low
ship
Din
ner
27
TUES
DAY
31 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:30a
mPa
stor
al C
are
11:0
0am
Staf
f Mee
ting
7 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l11
:00a
mSt
aff M
eetin
g12
:00p
mLO
GO
S Bo
ard
2:00
pmPa
stor
al C
are
6:30
pmEl
izab
eth
Circ
le
14 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:30a
mPa
stor
al C
are
11:0
0am
Staf
f Mee
ting
4:30
pmN
ewsl
ette
rD
eadl
ine
6:45
pmE
xecu
tive
Com
mitt
ee7:
30pm
Com
mitt
ee M
tgs
21 10:3
0am
Past
oral
Car
e11
:00a
mSt
aff M
eetin
g6:
15pm
San
ctua
ry C
hoir
7:00
pmD
iaco
nate
Mee
ting
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
28 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:30a
mPa
stor
al C
are
11:0
0am
Staf
f Mee
ting
7:00
pmS
essi
on M
eetin
g
WED
NES
DAY
1 12:0
0pm
Ladi
es’ L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
12:0
0pm
Men
’s L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
2:00
pmEs
ther
Circ
le4:
45pm
LOG
OS
5:30
pmYo
uth
Sund
ay P
ract
ice
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
8 12:0
0pm
Ladi
es’ L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
12:0
0pm
Men
’s L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
1:00
pmLy
dia
Circ
le1:
00pm
Grie
f G
roup
4:45
pmLO
GO
S5:
30pm
Vete
ran’
s N
ight
6:15
pmS
anct
uary
Cho
ir6:
30pm
Yout
h Bi
ble
Stud
y7:
15pm
Can
tata
Cho
rus
15 9:30
amM
arth
a C
ircle
9:30
amR
ache
l C
ircle
10:0
0am
Rut
h C
ircle
11:0
0am
Han
nah
Circ
le12
:00p
mLa
dies
’ Lun
ch B
ible
Stu
dy12
:00p
mM
en’s
Lun
ch B
ible
Stu
dy1:
00pm
Grie
f G
roup
4:45
pmLO
GO
S6:
15pm
San
ctua
ry C
hoir
6:30
pmYo
uth
Bibl
e St
udy
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
22 Kath
i Dav
enpo
rt on
vac
atio
n th
ru11
/24
29 12:0
0pm
Ladi
es’ L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
12:0
0pm
Men
’s L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
4:45
pmLO
GO
S5:
30pm
Yout
h C
hris
tmas
Ang
elS
hopp
ing
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
THU
RSD
AY
2 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l6:
00pm
Sec
tiona
ls7:
15pm
Jubi
latio
n R
inge
rs
9 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l11
:45a
mSt
ephe
n Le
ader
Mtg
6:00
pmS
ectio
nals
7:15
pmJu
bila
tion
Rin
gers
16 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:00a
mSe
nior
Sem
inar
6:00
pmS
ectio
nals
7:15
pmJu
bila
tion
Rin
gers
23 Off
ice
clos
ed f
orTh
anks
givi
ng
30 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l6:
00pm
Sec
tiona
ls7:
15pm
Jubi
latio
n R
inge
rs
FRID
AY
3 10 10:0
0M
issi
on S
ewin
g
17 Hul
seys
on
vaca
tion
thru
11/2
5
24 Off
ice
clos
ed f
orTh
anks
givi
ng
1 11:0
0am
PW B
ible
Stu
dy5:
00pm
Chr
istm
as S
troll
SATU
RDAY
4 11 18 Jaim
e C
owan
on
vaca
tion
thru
11/
25Am
y Pr
att
on v
acat
ion
thru
11/
25
25 2 9:00
amC
hris
tmas
Stro
ll
SUN
DAY
29 Ref
orm
atio
n S
unda
yC
omm
unio
nD
r. M
icha
el R
ober
ts P
reac
hing
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l11
:00a
mW
orsh
ip-W
CFH
3:00
pmR
efor
mat
ion
Wal
k
5 Yout
h Su
nday
Day
light
Sav
ings
Tim
e E
nds
Dav
id L
ee H
ulse
y P
reac
hing
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l9:
40am
Yout
h Br
unch
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH
12 Dr.
Kenn
eth
Pete
rs P
reac
hing
Ope
ratio
n C
hris
tmas
Chi
ldC
olle
ctio
n8:
30am
Wor
ship
-San
ctua
ry9:
40am
Sun
day
Sch
ool
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH4:
30pm
Yout
h G
2G
19 Dr.
Mic
hael
Rob
erts
Pre
achi
ngO
pera
tion
Chr
istm
as C
hild
Col
lect
ion
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l9:
40am
New
Offi
cer
Trai
ning
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH
26 Dr.
Mic
hael
Rob
erts
Pre
achi
ng8:
30am
Wor
ship
-San
ctua
ry9:
40am
Sun
day
Sch
ool
9:40
amN
ew O
ffice
r Tr
aini
ng11
:00a
mW
orsh
ip-W
CFH
12:0
0pm
Gre
enin
g of
the
chu
rch
6:30
pmSe
rvic
e of
Who
lene
ss
3 Firs
t Su
nday
of
Adve
ntC
omm
unio
nD
r. M
icha
el R
ober
ts P
reac
hing
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l9:
40am
Page
ant
Reh
ears
al9:
40am
New
Offi
cer
Trai
ning
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH5:
30pm
Chr
istm
as N
ight
Toge
ther
2 F I R S T W O R D
5 Larry & Yvonne Crabb 6 Daryll & Rachel Gremillion
Chuck Witt & AmberKurkowski
8 Mike & Cindy Roberts 9 Bruce & Jennifer Gunn
Kevin & Jana McCown10 Chris & Cari Spruiell11 Rod & Carole Burke12 Robert Cravens & Linda
Thomas16 Phil & Dawn Bookert24 Don & Dottie Willhouse27 Sturdy & Tammy
Wanamaker28 Lou & Marty Brown30 Cliff & Rita Snyder
Carl & Nancy Spivey
1 Jerry Pearson 2 Wyatt Mihacsi
Jeff Willett 3 Fred Hilgeman
Walter JunckerBrandon Walters
4 Bob Carswell 5 Darlene Miller
David Ramsey 6 Sharon French 7 Drake McIntosh 8 Jerry Fine
Susan PoteeteAnna RobertsDottie Willhouse
9 Jean BiggsLeila Ramsey
10 Doug ArnoldHelen DouglassCatherine GlennJennie Mann
11 Doug BondKendall GuinnPat HilgemanKeith Renard
12 Chuck Witt13 Kathi Davenport
Becky Hesson-SmithAshley HuntTori Schmalstieg
14 Elizabeth Bailey15 Georgia Bagley
Bryan Bell16 David Gipson
Becky Kennedy
ANNIVERSARIES
(continued on next page)
BIRTHDAYS
New church officers areelected by congregation
M U S I C M I N I S T R Y
At a congregational meeting on Sunday,October 22, called by the Session, the fol-lowing church officers were elected: Elder
Class of 2020—Bryan Bell, WorshipRod Burke, PropertyBabs Cape, AdministrativeGary Cox, Stewardship & FinanceCeleste Frost, MissionPhyllis Perkins, Education & NurtureClass of 2019 —Peggy Currie, MissionClass of 2018 —Karen Rayburn, Administrative Deacon, Class of 2020
Gail Butler, Ushers & GreetersCheryl Dorothy, FellowshipKathy Jones, Compassionate Care Trustee, Class of 2020
Tim HarrisServing on the Church Officer Nomi-
nating Committee for 2017-18 wereDemeree Jackson (Chair), Susan Isenhour(Vice chair), Lynn Azuma, Jerry Fine, SidFrost, Joan Shrader, Carol Siekmeier, JeanieWiesner and Jim Wilhite.
The 2017 hurricane season has exacted aheavy toll along our Gulf Coast and in theCaribbean Islands, including the territoryof Puerto Rico. Our church has taken thefollowing actions thus far to aid in the re-covery efforts: Donated $1,000 to Presbyterian DisasterAssistance (PDA) - Hurricane Harvey re-lief in early September. Individuals from thecongregation donated an additional $1,260to Hurricane Harvey relief. Collected three filled buckets and $2,300in special donations for the Clean-upBucket project coordinated by MissionPresbytery. Funds were used to fill 20 ad-ditional buckets and deliver 23 buckets tothe Austin collection point in mid-September. Remaining special donationfunds were sent to the PDA Clean-upBucket and Hygiene Kit project to buildadditional buckets/kits to be deployedwhere needed most. Donated $1,000 to PDA Hurricane Irmaand Hurricane Maria relief in mid-October
FPC responds to recent hurricane damageto support recovery in Puerto Rico andother areas hit by these severe storms.Thesedonations were made possible by your gen-erous giving in our weekly offerings andthe special donations to our Clean-upBucket project. See the Presbyterian Disas-ter Assistance website, http://pda.pcusa.org/, to find out how to make individualcontributions to these recovery efforts.
—Bill McKenna
CDs can be purchased in the
church office or by contacting
Music Director Philip Smith.
CDs will be available for sale
as long as they are in stock.
F I R S T W O R D 15
Sherralyn St. Clairjoined by Reaffirma-tion of Faith. She is aretired elementaryteacher who enjoyspublishing her owndoll clothes patternswith the help of herhusband, and takingpiano and voicelessons. (2603 ValleyView Cove, RoundRock 78681; 512-244-2981)
Blair Mihacsi joined by Reaffirmation ofFaith. Blair grew up at FPC and is nowreturning with her two children, Wyatt,4, and Ainsley, 2. She enjoys Crossfit andbeing a Mom. (4001 Dove Valley Drive78626; 254-466-3728)
Jennifer Whitehead joined by Reaffirma-tion of Faith. An English teacher atEastview High School, she is marriedwith two children, Bo, 5, and Wes, 1.(30803 Sybert Lane 78628; 737-444-6241)
Joel & Elizabeth Miller joined by Reaf-firmation of Faith. Joel is an emergencyphysician in the U.S. Army and Eliza-beth is a dermatologist at Austin Diag-nostic Clinic. They have two children,Luke, 5, and Cora, 2, with baby #3 duein October. (30505 St. Andrews Drive78628; 512-966-3106)
Roger & Barbara Nelson joined by Letterof Transfer from First Presbyterian, SanAntonio. He is a retired chemical engi-neer who enjoys baseball, reading,astronomy and history. She is a retiredcounselor who enjoys art, photographyand volunteering with her therapy dog.(29006 Turnberry Court 78628; 512-763-1823)
Stephen & Linda Schellenberg joinedby Letter of Transfer from PlymouthPark UMC, Irving. He is retired fromfacility management and enjoys travel-ing and movies. She is a retired hospitalretail manager who enjoys traveling andgardening. (110 Gentry Creek Lane78633; 512-688-2487)
Inok Downing joinedby Letter of Transferfrom The WorshipPlace. She is retiredfrom the U.S. Armyand has sung in thechoir since she was 13.(The Oaks, 3720 Wil-liams Drive #209, 78628;512-240-5951)
Website:www.fpcgeorgetown.org
First Presbyterian ChurchDr. Michael Roberts, Pastor
703 S. Church StreetGeorgetown, TX 78626
FIRSTWORDpublished monthly by
Phone: 512-863-3381Fax: 512-868-1226
E-mail:[email protected]
Dear Abby Prayer
by Abigail van Buren
O, heavenly Father:We thank thee for foodand remember thehungry.
We thank thee for healthand remember the sick.
We thank thee for friendsand remember thefriendless.
We thank thee for free-dom and remember theenslaved.
May these remembrancesstir us to service, that thygifts to us may be usedfor others.
Amen.
F I R S T W O R D 3
In the hospital last month: Judy Hinde-lang (surgery), Jim Root Sr. (surgery) andMarlene Watts (surgery).
Congratulations to Harvey & Ruth Hen-ning on the birth of their 6th great-grand-child, Grayson Lynn Ashbier, born Septem-ber 22 to Jessica and Mitch Ashbier.
Our sympathy to: George & Linette Harwell on the deathof Linette’s sister, Bettye Warren, Septem-ber 24 in Elgin. Suzanne Gumpl on the death of her fa-ther, David Mitchell, October 8 in Austin. David & Carol Siekmeier on the deathof David’s brother, Dr. Allan Siekmeier, Oc-tober 9 in Minnesota.
In memoriam: Bill Roberts joined theChurch Triumphant October 8 in SouthDakota. Bill had been a member of our con-gregation since September 2004 and movedto Colorado in 2014.
BIRTHDAYS(continued from previous page)
Boldface indicatesa member of First
Presbyterian Church
Among Our People
Actual AnnualBudget
YTD %AnnualBudget
Income and Expense Report
General Operating FundYear to Date - September 2017
17 Ralph LongNancy MarksJoAnn Yantis
19 Denise FergusonRanda Toungate
20 Myrna McKee22 Anne Gowdy
Mary Pope23 Nova Dowden
Bernie LovejoyJulia ThompsonJeanie Wiesner
25 Shelley Sorenson26 George Biggs
Delmar BurkettJerry BurkettLloyd DavisTess McKennaMary McKennaLucy Yantis
27 Anna Maspero28 Annabel McClure
Teresa Miller30 Emily Tolbert
Head Deacon/November
8:30 Sid FrostAnn Hindman
11:00 Sue BellShirley Galloway
5 Kevin & Jana McCown12 Karen Jones19 Chuck Graham26 Lou & Marty Brown
Flowers in Worship/November
Serving in the military: Josh Benge,Sturdy & Tammy Wanamaker’s nephew;Maj. Brian Berlakovich, Ouida Hender-son’s grandson-in-law; Lt. Col. Brian Burk,Larry Burk’s son; Maj. Joeff Bartholomay,Helen Douglass’ grandson; LeeAnneCosper; Maj. Josh Daleiden, Betty Brad-ford’s grandson-in-law; John Decker;Jared A. Gross, Robert Bedford’s nephew;Brian Hall; Capt. Daniel Hammond, Keith& Sue Renard’s grandson-in-law; GarrettHerbst; Lt. Ian Hines, son of Dr. JakeHines; Brandon Keith, Phil & JeanneSmith’s son-in-law; Debra Knight;Nicholaas Leloux; Tech. Sgt. RobertMcClanahan, grandson of Minta McIntoshand nephew of Lee McIntosh; Sgt. 1st ClassPaul Rayburn; Nicholas Stamos, Larry &Helen Burk’s grandson; and ChristianWinckel, grandson of Sandy Hayes.
Income Pledges $661,236 $862,463 77% Other 64,135 112,264 57% TOTAL $725,371 $974,727 74% Expenses Validated Mission 46,678 59,100 79% Local/Other Mission 19,586 30,600 64% Ministry of the Word 119,249 159,581 75% Program/Support Staff 314,483 421,444 75% Christian Education 23,830 34,900 68% Music and Worship 7,564 20,914 36% Evangelism/Care 1,170 10,360 11% Property 60,597 90,245 67% Stewardship/Finance 12,659 21,600 59% Other Oper Expenses 23,281 43,300 54% Debt Retirement 67,778 90,370 75% TOTAL $696,875 $982,414 71%
Thanksgiving Proclamation
During the Civil War, President AbrahamLincoln (right) on October 3, 1963, estab-
lished the annual celebration of Thanksgivingon the last Thursday in November. Before
this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiv-ing holiday at different times. President
Lincoln’s proclamation read, in part:“Wehave been the recipients of the choicest bountiesof heaven; we have been preserved these manyyears in peace and prosperity; we have grown
in numbers, wealth and power as no othernation has ever grown. But we have forgotten
God. We have forgotten the gracious handwhich preserved us in peace and multipliedand enriched and strengthened us, and we
have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness ofour hearts, that all these blessings were
produced by some superior wisdom and virtueof our own. Intoxicated with unbroken
success, we have become too self-sufficient tofeel the necessity of redeeming and preservinggrace, too proud to pray to the God that made
us. It has seemed to me fit and proper that[the gifts of God] should be solemnly, rever-ently, and gratefully acknowledged with oneheart and one voice by the whole American
people. I do, therefore, invite my fellowcitizens...to set apart and observe the lastThursday of November next as a day ofthanksgiving and praise to our beneficent
Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
14 F I R S T W O R D
for this class. I gave them several resourcesto look over. They said yes to teaching andchose ‘The Wired Word’ curriculum. Theyare good and faithful teachers, and we areglad they are on the teaching team.”
Patrick said the class has covered a widerange of topics over the past year. Somehave focused on big stories, such as the2016 presidential election, NFL quarter-back Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling in pro-test during the National Anthem, and therising cost of EpiPen auto injectors fortreatment of allergic reactions.
The class also covered some lesserknown stories, including: when the re-mains of Jacob Wetterling, kidnapped andkilled 27 years ago, were found; winnersof the Nobel Prize in Economics; Chipand Joanna Gaines’ response to claimsthat they discriminate against the LGBTcommunity; and the pair of distance run-ners, one an American and the other fromNew Zealand, who collided then helpedeach other across the finish line at the 2016summer Olympics.
“While we’ve loved our small discus-sions, we’d love for our class to grow abit more to include additional diversity inthoughts and experiences, since that’s part
A recent Crossroadsdiscussion was about howcivilians pitched in to helpthose at risk as HurricaneHarvey overwhelmed theTexas coast. Nearly sevenmillion people were affectedas rainfall reached historiclevels over 50 inches andleft massive flooding.
The magnitude of thedisaster overwhelmed theprofessionals, the firstresponders and militaryand government personnelon the front lines, Patricksaid. This promptedofficials to urge neighborsto help neighbors. Thou-sands of stranded peoplewere rescued, many byrescuers known as theCajun Army. Rescuerswere motivated by thecommon goal of savinglives; no one seemed to carewhat race, religion, politi-cal party or other descrip-tor marked a rescuer or aperson in need of rescue.What mattered was humanbeings helping other humanbeings.
Questions posed by thelesson were: How does thisapply to us? Could thechurch take a lesson fromthe way that paid, profes-sional staff workedtogether with unpaidcivilians in the aftermathof Harvey?
of what makes our conversations so in-teresting,” Amanda said. “There are dis-agreements around some lessons or topics,but we feel like everyone is really engagedand thoughtful about their comments.Everyone’s thoughts are respected and it’sa safe space, which has made the classenjoyable.”
She added, “Patrick and I have beenreally impressed with how well ‘The WiredWord’ team is able to incorporate scriptureinto the lessons. It does a good job of help-ing the class think about the topic at handin a different light. We do sometimes bringin additional scripture or questions, butoften the lesson is our main guide. In ad-dition to the information that comes in thelesson itself, Patrick is usually able to ex-pand on things since he works in a news-room and has seen or heard a lot of thedetails about the bigger stories.”
Overall, the Tolberts believe their classhas been successful “in opening our eyesto God’s grace and power around us.”Amanda added, “I love that we’re able totake scripture and relate it to modern lifein a fresh way. And since the discussiontopic is completely different every week, it’salways exciting to learn and talk aboutsuch diverse subjects.”
The class meets in Room 107.—Marty Curtis
Crossroads class(continued from previous page)
Welcome, NEW MEMBERS
Steven & Emily Kirkpatrick joined byReaffirmation of Faith. He is a realtorwho enjoys golf and choral music.Emily is an insurance agent. They havethree children, Preston, 4, Julia, 3, andZachary, 1. (503 Dusty Trail, Belton76513; 254-258-6844)
James & Nancy Marks joined by Reaffir-mation of Faith. He is retired fromcomputer sales and enjoys traveling,walking, biking and genealogy. She is aretired teacher who enjoys traveling,walking and genealogy. (107 HamptonCircle 78633; 512-688-3163)
4 F I R S T W O R D
C H R I S T I A N E D U C A T I O NJoy BedfordEducation Director
Office Hours:Tuesday - Friday
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Created by God!Built for apurpose!
November LOGOS Themes
Sunday School forChildren & Youth9:40 - 10:40 a.m.
Sunday Schoolis offered for all ages
every Sunday.Join us for a time
of learning about whowe are as God’s people
through the storiesin the Bible.
Come join us as we seekto discover God’s
purpose for our lives thisyear through a variety
of educational opportu-nities. If you are havingtrouble finding a placewhere you fit, contactJoy at 512-863-3381 or
[email protected] together we
will find a place for you.
It’s almost time for our annual Christmas Night Together!It will be Sunday, December 3. Before dinner at 5:30 p.m.,LOGOS children will participate in the live nativity whilewe sing Christmas carols with Mrs. Amy and her helpers,together as one big family. Then we will go inside and havedinner provided by our fabulous Fellowship Committee.After dinner, the children and youth will tell the story ofour Savior’s birth. We hope you will all be here as we celebratethe coming of Jesus into the world and into our lives.
PARENTS: If your child wants to participate in the Christ-mas program at Christmas Night Together, please committo bringing him or her to Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. thatmorning (December 3) for our one and only group rehearsal.
Come to Sunday SchoolDecember 3
to rehearse forChristmas program!
LOGOS will host our annual VeteransNight Program on Wednesday, November8. We would like to invite any members ofour church, and their spouses, who haveserved in the military to join us for dinnerand a short program from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.in the Fellowship Hall. RSVP to me [email protected] or call the churchoffice at 512-863-3381 if you would like tojoin us. See below for our themes in No-vember.
—Jaime Cowan
LOGOS Choir ScheduleNov. 8 LOGOS Choirs (kinder - 6th grade) Veterans Night performance: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.Nov. 11 LOGOS Choirs (3rd - 6th grade) 11 a.m. service only
If you have questions about the program, please contact Jaime Cowan at [email protected].
LOGOS will honor veterans Nov. 8
Date Theme Menu Attire Game
Nov. 01 5th Wed-Carnival Corn Dogs LOGOS T-shirt Carnival gamesNov. 08 Veterans Night Hamburgers Red, white & blue Perform for veteransNov. 15 Soccer Night Wraps Favorite soccer team SoccerNov. 22 Thanksgiving Break – No LOGOSNov. 29 Slumber Party Pancakes Pajamas Twister
F I R S T W O R D 13
view on a laptop or tablet, appears to betailor-made for the Tolberts. They spendtheir days on digital platforms because oftheir careers.
Amanda works from home for Nielsen,the company best known for TV ratings,“but on another side of the business,”which does research on consumer purchas-ing. “I focus on new consumer innovation:launches of new products and new mar-keting campaigns for existing products.”One of her clients is Coca-Cola, “so I’vebeen working closely with them on theirnew products—such as Coke + Coffee, GoldPeak Tea Lattes, Minute Maid Lemonadewith Mint, Minute Maid Spicy WatermelonLemonade—to understand consumer in-terest and product performance beforelaunching the new product.”
Patrick is part of a “new breed of jour-nalists” as Digital Director for KXAN-TVin Austin. He is just as comfortable gath-ering news and writing news articles as heis writing code. “Digital journalism is morethan just posting news online,” he said.“It’s the process of transforming the tradi-tional news-gathering process into one ofgathering, analyzing and story-telling.”
Newsroom innovation is his specialty.“I enjoy showing traditional televisionjournalists how digital can bring greaterimpact to their storytelling.” He has beenat KXAN since 2014, coming from his Digi-tal Director position at WDTN-TV in Day-ton, Ohio. He has also worked at TVstations in Indianapolis and Waco, wherehe was first to break the news of the FortHood mass shooting on the station’s digi-tal platforms. He also broadcast high
school football games on the radio whilein high school and college.
How did the Crossroads class come tobe reality?
Amanda said Christian Education Di-rector Joy Bedford reached out to her andPatrick not long after they joined thechurch in late 2014 “and asked if we’d beinterested in leading an adult SundaySchool class targeting younger adultssuch as ourselves. We discussed the goalsof the class, and then she gave us licenseto be creative! We knew we wanted to dosomething different, something to engageyoung adults.”
After looking at a variety of programsand curricula, the Tolberts settled on “TheWired Word,” which she said “e-mails ustwo current news topics each week for usto discuss. With Patrick’s background injournalism and our goal of finding some-thing that would draw in younger adults,we thought that this would be a greatstarting point.”
Joy Bedford said, “We felt there was aneed for another class, one that offeredsomething different from the three classesthat meet each Sunday. The Tolberts joinedthe church and immediately becameinvolved. After talking with the Education/Nurture Committee and Pastor Mike, Iasked Amanda and Patrick to lunch. Wetalked about all the different possibilities
(continued on next page)
Our discussions helpdiscover and unpack theways in which God isworking around us. I'vebeen grateful for thediverse experiencesamong those in ourclass because the addi-tional perspective helpsidentify new ways wecan live and workfaithfully in our com-munities.
The weekly topics arewonderful because theyrequire zero homework,and the lessons arealways something we'veheard in the headlinesduring the week. Evenwhen the stories arebased on negative news,we manage to find hopeand solutions throughour study of scripture.
I've been amazed howthe discussion leads usto find 21st centuryrelevance in the scrip-tures.
We've tackled somedivisive issues in class,particularly duringelection season, but wealways found commonground through scrip-ture and reaffirmed thatwe all have more simi-larities than differences.
‘‘‘‘
—Patrick Tolbert
One Crossroads class discussion was about a topic domi-nating recent headlines: North Korea’s leader Kim JongUn’s threatening nuclear action and President Trump’swarning that the United States would “have no choicebut to totally destroy North Korea.”
One of the big questions sparked by this headline grab-bing story was: How do we influence our government tofind peaceful solutions to conflicts, when possible, and towage war justly when not? Other questions included: Ifwe believe that God loves the North Koreans, what re-sponsibilities do we have to make sure they don’t perishbecause of their dictatorial and unhinged leadership orbecause of actions our own government might take? Howdo we pray about the conflict with North Korea if we iden-tify as an American first? If we identify as a follower ofJesus first?
F I R S T W O R D 5
Adult Sunday School: 9:40 - 10:40 a.m.
Other EducationalOpportunities
Men’s BreakfastBible StudyMeets every third Friday tostudy and reflect on thescripture readings for thecoming Sunday sermon.RSVP to David Lee Hulsey(512-863-3381, [email protected]) or CliffSnyder (512-468-2877,[email protected]).Time and place will be e-mailed to you.
Men’s Lunch BibleStudyMeets at 12 noon each Wed-nesday in Room 101 tostudy scripture and eatlunch together. The men arestudying 2nd Corinthians,led by Rod Burke.
Ladies Lunch BibleStudyMeets each Wednesday atnoon in Room 207 for a“brown bag” lunch andBible study. On November8, the women will start astudy of Under Wraps:The Gift We NeverExpected. Let JoyBedford (512-863-3381)know you are coming so wecan order you a book.
Adult Elective“Reformation”Through November 26, Room 101Dr. Ken PetersJourney through the Reformation withLuther, Calvin, Knox and others.
Surveyors“If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Gotto Get Out of the Boat”Through December 3, Room 207Bill StanleyDeep within you lies the same faith andlonging that sent Peter walking across thewind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus.In what ways is the Lord telling you, ashe did Peter, “Come”? John Ortberg in-vites you to consider the incredible poten-tial that awaits you outside your comfortzone. Out on the risky waters of faith,Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways thatwill change you forever, deepening yourcharacter and your trust in God. The ex-perience is terrifying. It’s thrilling beyondbelief. It’s everything you’d expect of some-one worthy to be called Lord. The choiceis yours to know him as only a water-
For the first time in the church's history, FPC’s historic Sanctu-ary will be open during Georgetown's Christmas Stroll Decem-ber 1 and 2. The Evangelism Committee is leading the effort toraise awareness about the church during the Advent Season.We will have a table at the corner of 7th and Church streetswhere hot chocolate, hot coffee and bottled water will be sold.A crafts table also will be set up so children can color nativityscenes. People will be invited to enter the Sanctuary, where theywill be greeted and given a warm welcome, background on thechurch and an invitation to attend regular services as well asChristmas Eve services. Live music will be offered periodicallyduring the event.
Thanks to several people who signed up during the Cel-ebration of Mninistry to help by baking cookies and offering tostaff the outdoor tables and indoor activities. We still need vol-unteers to help us throughout the stroll, which runs from 5 to9 p.m. that Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FPC to openSanctuaryduring StrollDecember 1-2
walker can, aligning yourself with God’spurpose for your life in the process.
Homebuilders “Reformation Roots”Through November 12, Room 112Karen JonesTimed to coincide with ReformationSunday, the Homebuilders will concludetheir 12-week study November 12.
“Names for the Messiah”November 26 - December 17, Room 112Karen Jones
Crossroads“Wired Word,” Room 107Amanda & Patrick TolbertFrom Nobel Prize winners and govern-ment surveillance to rock and roll, no weekis ever the same! The Crossroads class usesstories making headlines to make God’swork in our lives more apparent. Eachweek brings a different discussion topicdesigned to confront the news with scrip-ture and hope so that we may identify theintersection of faith in our daily lives.
If you want to volun-teer, please leave a note
in Kathy Kerr Kubat-zky's mailbox outside
the church office orcontact her at
[email protected]. Deacons
Guy Guidici and AnnHindman also cananswer questions.
If you go to the stroll,please bring your
friends and stop by!
Evangelism Focus:
12 F I R S T W O R D
Patrick &Amanda
Tolbert,co-leaders
of the newestFPC SundaySchool class,
Crossroads
WHEN IT JOINED THE LINE-UP OF FIRSTPresbyterian Church Sunday Schoolclasses in 2016, Crosswords, led by mar-ried couple Amanda and Patrick Tolbert,was publicized like this:
“This new adult class is for thoseseeking to find God in daily living.Class participants will seek to findmeaning in Jesus’ teachings withinthe context of daily life. Designedfor those at the crossroads of em-barking on a new career or grow-ing a family, or those who want tothink about their beliefs in the con-text of their fast-paced lives, it is ano-homework discussion that willfeature a new topic each week. Thisfall the class will discuss lessonsripped from the headlines and focuson issues at hand at the crossroadsof scripture and current events.Coffee and thought-provokingsnacks will be provided.”
“Wired Word” is the continuous name ofthe class’s study topic each week. And thosetopics continue to be diverse, reflecting
themes from news in the week’s headlines,“to make God’s work in our lives moreapparent,” Patrick explained. “Discussionshave focused on Nobel Prize winners, gov-ernment surveillance, and rock and roll,to mention a few.”
Amanda said each week’s digital lessonsand discussions from “The Wired Word”—delivered to the Tolberts’ e-mail inboxeseach Thursday—are relevant to modernChristian living and make it easy to weavecurrent events into Bible studies. Lessonslink the latest headlines to appropriatescripture and include biblical commentaryand discussion questions related to a sub-ject in the news that week.
The Tolberts met while students atBaylor, where his parents were on the fac-ulty. She was from Houston and heattended high school in Waco. He studiedFrench and journalism at college and shestudied psychology. They married in De-cember 2010 and have a daughter, Emily,who turns 5 on November 30.
The Crossroads class, with its digitalcontent and lessons that the class leaders
While the Crossroads
class set out initially
to attract young
adults, Patrick said
he and Amanda
believe God has
brought to the class
members from differ-
ent stages of life's
journey. They invite
anyone looking to
unpack the chaos of
the headlines to stop
in. Sarah Hulsey
publishes the topic
for the class in the
church e-mail up-
date each week.
Couple with “digital careers” lead SundaySchool class with lessons from digital source
6 F I R S T W O R D
Y O U T H M I N I S T R Y
Ater a busy two months: November’s here
We will collect notes anditems for College CarePackages November 5and 12. We have morethan 30 students to carefor. Notes are veryimportant. If you wouldlike to write a note,paper and pens and alist of students will beon the counter in theFellowship Hall lobby.
We also need treats.The Sunday Schoolclasses have specificassignments but feel freeto help even if you donot attend SundaySchool. Thank you! 1st - 2nd Grade Class
Starbursts 3rd - 6th Grade Class
Miniature candy bars 7th - 8th Grade Class
Miniature candy bars 9th - 12th Grade Class
Jolly Ranchers Adult Elective, Home-builders, Surveyors andCrossroads classes
Donations towardsStarbucks gift cards
Care Packagesto be collectedin November Well, we are over halfway through this ex-
citing fall semester...and it’s finally...startingto...calm...down. (Sigh of relief.)
This fall has been busier than most fallsemesters from the past. There was the All-Church Retreat in September, and Octoberwas full with the ultimate frisbee event,youth beach trip, Celebration of Ministryand the Reformation Walk. So now, the restof the semester seems like a leisurelystroll. And I love leisurely strolls!
But that doesn’t mean nothing else isgoing on. This month we are looking for-ward to Youth Sunday on November 5,our G2G event - Canned Food ScavengerHunt and Christmas Angel Shopping. Butas we say in our line of work: “That’s ‘busi-ness’ as usual in Youth Ministry!”
—God bless, David Lee Hulsey
Reformation WalkI would like to thank all the wonderfulvolunteers who put so much time, effortand creativity into celebrating the 500th
Anniversary of the Reformation with ourReformation Walk. Thank you for makingit such a unique experience!
Youth November Calendar
1 Youth Sunday PracticeMidWinter Early Registration
5 Youth Sunday 8 Veterans’ Night @ LOGOS12 G2G15 Bible Study22 No Bible Studies29 Christmas Angel Shopping
Enjoying a weekend at the beach, with hosts Kathleen and Michael Wenzel, are thesemembers of the FPC youth group: front from left, David Lee Hulsey and Nicholas Bondesen;second row, Olivia Cowan, Aidan Guidici, Kyle Chapman, Luke Hulsey, Lily Hulsey andNolan Pratt; third row, Preston Perkins, Abby Staller, Connor McClure and Miles Azuma-Hall; and top, Leanna Perkins, Brandon Walters and Sarah Hulsey
F I R S T W O R D 11
M U S I C M I N I S T R Y
The FPC Cantata Chorus & OrchestraPhilip Smith, conductor
presents
Gloria
with selections from Handel’sMessiah
Vivaldi’s
8:30 11 a.m. December 10
Both services in Worship Center-Fellowship HallFirst Presbyterian
Church
web page:
www.fpcgeorgetown.org
You change yourphysical or mailingaddress
You change your e-mail address or adde-mail
You change your homeor cell phone number
You add a new phonenumber
To notify the
church office if:
&
F I R S T W O R D 7
It’s time to fill your Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoebox(es)!Bring them to the church on Sunday, November 12 or 19. You canuse a cardboard or plastic box if no pre-printed OCC boxes are stillavailable. If you wrap your box, remember to cover the box and lidseparately. Each year, FPC collects shoeboxes for this ministry thatdelivers the gift boxes to children around the world who might notreceive any other presents at Christmas. Elizabeth Bailey is missionadvocate for OCC.
This year no toothpaste or candy should be put in the boxes. Go online, www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/, and donate $9 (up from $7last year) to receive a tracking label to “Follow Your Box” and discover the destinationof your shoebox. The $9 covers cost of shipping and other costs of the program. You areasked to fill your shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, toiletries or other items for a boyor girl ages 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. Again, go online to print girl/boy labels and to see age-appropriate gift suggestions.
A busy season coming up at The Caring Place
M I S S I O N
OCC shoeboxes to be collected in November
November 96 - 9 p.m.The Caring
Place
Enjoy holidayshopping, cookies/
homemadetreats, music &
door prizes!
ADMISSION:You can help
The Caring Placefeed the hungryby bringing non-perishable fooditems or a finan-cial donation forthe Food Pantry!
“Sweets,Treats &Trees”
A busy season is coming up for The Car-ing Place. First, if you missed the eveningcalled “Deep in the Heart of Caring,” youmissed a great evening of entertainment,food, cattle drive and all theother fun things that takeplace at Schwertner Ranch insupport of The Caring Place.Oh well, hopefully next yearyou will have another chance.
The next exciting thingthat will happen in support ofThe Caring Place is the annual“Sweets, Treats and Trees,” which is allabout tree decorations, holiday home ac-cessories, collectibles and more. It takesplace Thursday, November 9, at 2000 Rail-road Ave. from 6-9 p.m. It’s a fun eveningand it’s come and go as you please. Bring afriend and enjoy the fun.
Next up is “Coats for Kids.” Many chil-dren in the Georgetown area do not havea warm coat for the winter. This is an
opportunity to donate a coat or give $20to buy a coat for a needy kid.
The next thing is that we are strivingto collect 200,000 lbs. of food for the food
pantry. Won’t you help bydonating almost any kind ofnonperishable food suppliesto The Caring Place? Here area few suggestions: cannedfruit and vegetables, cereals,ketchup, mustard and mayo,Hamburger Helper, cannedpastas and almost anything
you would serve to your own family.Thank you for helping your less well-
fed neighbors. Almost 14% of the peoplewho live in this county have limited avail-ability to food or don’t know where theirnext meal is coming from. As this countygrows, the problem becomes worse.
—Jenny Carswell
COATS FOR KIDS
Help The Caring Place keep children warm this
winter. A $20 donation buys one new coat; $100
buys five! You can donate online at www.caring
placetx.org.
10 F I R S T W O R D
Penny Leone, RNParish Nurse
Other hoursby appointment
All day TuesdayOffice Hours:
Points from Parish Nurse Penny
C O M P A S S I O N A T E C A R E M I N I S T R Y
As I write this newsletter article I am pre-paring to take time away for retaining myvitality. One way that I regain my vitalityon a daily basis is to keep a gratitude jour-nal. For those of you with long memo-ries, you might be saying, “Hey that’swhat Penny wrote about last November.”You would be right, but I’ve got somemore pointers, based on research aboutkeeping a gratitude journal.
It is true that the simple act of writingdown the things for which we’re gratefulprovides not just spiritual benefits butalso includes better sleep, fewer symptomsof illness and more happiness amongadults and kids alike.
Here are the tips: It’s important to be thankful for peopleand not just things. Try stimulating gratitude by reflectingon what your life would be like withoutcertain blessings.
The congregation is invited to join theStephen Ministers on Monday, November6, to hear three separate nonprofit orga-nizations give information on resourcesthey offer for people who are grieving. Theprogram begins at 7 p.m. in Room 101.
While Stephen Ministers do not workwith anyone under the age of 18 years,they do work with people who have chil-dren. Here is a run-down of the evening’spresentations: Footprints Children’s Grief MinistryThis program is for children who aregrieving. This not only includes death ofa close family member but also divorce. Christi CenterThis group has grief support for all agesfor all deaths. They have a variety of typesof support and groups.
Senior SeminarThursday, November 16
10 - 11:30 a.m.Sanctuary
The topic:“Making Decisions
When a CrisisOccurs”
Please call512-818-0988
to reserve your seatfor this fun and
informativeseminar.
Record events that were surprising orunexpected.
Daily gratitude reminds us that, con-trary to what the daily news reports, thereare more good things happening in theworld than bad things. If you aren’t “into”journaling, how about expressing yourgratitude to several people each day?Words do have meaning, and you can liftyourself and others up with some well-placed and sincere gratitude.
By the way: I am so grateful for you. Iam so grateful to be your parish nurse. Iam so grateful to the other staff membersat FPC. I am so grateful for the officersand leaders of the church. I am so gratefulthat each of you in the congregation isunique and kind and loving to me. I’m sograteful that you allow me to be in “holymoments” with you. Thank you!
Stephen Ministry sponsors program onresources for all ages who are grieving
The Compassionate FriendsThe local chapter of this national groupoffers support for families after the deathof a child, grandchild or sibling of any age,by any cause, at any time.
8 F I R S T W O R D
Mission Sewing
Friendsin
DeedAn FPC mission project
helping members with rou-tine home maintenance and
minor repairs. Call theChurch Office to schedule
a visit from one of FPC’s
“Friends in Deed.”
MissionSpotlight
Su Casa de Esperanza, “Your House ofHope,” is one of FPC’s supported mis-sions. The nonprofit agency provides edu-cation to impoverished families living inin the Rio Grande Valley, near Pharr andProgreso, Texas. Its mission is to improvethe spiritual, emotional, physical, eco-nomic, intellectual and social well-beingof these families, enhancing opportunitiesfor them to live fulfilled, abundant lives.
Su Casa serves as an intermediate sup-port system for these indigent familieswith the expressed purpose that the fami-lies eventually will become self-sufficient,productive members of the community. Afaith-based family education programteaches discipline, nutrition, health care,parental skills, economic independenceand intrafamily communication skills inorder to accomplish this goal.
One area of instruction is ParentingSkills. Parents receive instruction on ef-
fective ways of rearing their children. Top-ics taught include hygiene, caring for child-hood illnesses, proper nutrition, discipline,values, manners and respect. Su Casa in-troduces parents to resources available tothem in their community.
The objective of a Summer Youth Pro-gram is to provide a variety of experiencesto benefit youth as they return to theireducational programs in the fall. Childrenget a chance to explore areas that increasetheir self-awareness and enrich their ex-periences.
As a 501(c)3 organization, Su Casafunding comes from churches, individu-als, corporations and foundations. Volun-teers are always welcome. To learn moreabout Su Casa, visit the web page, www.sucasadeesperanza.org.
FPC Advocate: Kathy [email protected]
Mother andchild receive
services during ahome visit froma Su Casa staff
member.
Su Casa de Esperanza: FPC mission
Thank you, Linda Gam-bell, for the stuffedanimal and quilt.
Thank you, PollyNelon, for the colorfulskeins of yarn.
Thank you to theindividual who donatedcotton fabric.
Our next meeting is at10 a.m. Friday, Novem-ber 10, in Room 111.We will collect ourknitted and crochetedhats and scarves anddeliver them to TheCaring Place.
—Kathy Jones
F I R S T W O R D 9
Fall is the time we take the PresbyterianWomen’s Thank Offering! Since 1888, PWhave joyfully expressed gratitude for God’sblessings here at home and around theworld through the Thank Offering pro-gram. These funds provide education, safehousing, clean water, health care, help forprisoners, justice for women and more.This year 40% of offering donations willbe used for health care.
If you would like to participate andneed a Thank Offering envelope, ask yourcircle leader for one. Donations should bereturned to circle leaders or PW TreasurerCheryl Dorothy by December 1.
Those attending the fall gatheringOctober 1 enjoyed an array of salads anddesserts as well as the fellowship withother women of the church. At our Octo-ber PW Board meeting we decided to takea survey of circle members to determinethe future direction of PW gatherings.Survey forms will be distributed at theNovember circle meetings. Knowing theneeds and wishes of our members will helpthe board plan future PW gatherings.
Please note that Esther Circle hasmoved the time of its meetings to 2 p.m.to avoid a parking problem as otherchurch groups meet at noon and after onWednesday. Also, the church room num-ber for Esther is now 107 instead of 112.
—Judy Bond
Thank Offering beingtaken in November
F E L L O W S H I P
November Circle Meetings
Williamson County’sDomestic & Sexual
Violence Program
PW circles at FPC willsponsor Hope Alliancein Round Rock for our2017 Christmas project.Hope Alliance providesservices to survivors ofdomestic and sexualviolence. It gives victimsa safe haven where theycan heal and accessresources and support asthey start a new, vio-lence-free life.
Our circles will havethe opportunity to“adopt” a family orfamilies for the Christ-mas season throughHope Alliance, much aswe did last year for theRonald MacDonaldHouse in Temple. Wecan also provide holidayfood baskets and Christ-mas gifts for childrenand adults.
Many victims of abusemust leave their homeswith little more than theclothes they are wear-ing, so toys and booksfor the children—as wellas food, toiletries andclothing—are muchappreciated.
More details of howwe can help peopleserved by Hope Alliancewill be shared withcircle members at theNovember meetings.
—Judy Bond
PW’s ChristmasProject in 2017
Circle Date Time Hostess Phone Address
Elizabeth 11/7 6:30pm Theresa McKenna 512-930-3751 3601 Brangus RoadEsther 11/1 2:00pm Shirley Nash 512-863-8098 Church, Room 107
Pam Hines 512-688-1022Hannah 11/15 11:00am Marty Curtis 501-517-3503 Church, Room 112Lydia 11/8 1:00pm Joan Shrader 512-819-9290 308 Rim Rock DriveMartha 11/15 9:30am Marilyn Peters 830-708-1237 100 Fox HollowRachel 11/15 9:30am Sandie Kienitz 512-868-2519 107 Morning Glory CircleRuth 11/15 10:00am Sugie Maxfield 512-868-1808 139 Estrella Crossing #318Sarah 11/20 10:00am Mary Martha Denham 512-869-0771 609 Spring Valley Road
The Fellowship Committee cordially in-vites all of our FPC family to share dinnertogether on December 3 at 5:30 p.m. in theFellowship Hall. The children and youthwill present their Christmas program thatevening, and Christmas Night Togetheris always an enjoyable event.
We hope you can join us for pulledpork sandwiches, side dishes and a yummydessert! Watch for reservation forms in theNovember 12 and 19 church bulletin.Please place completed forms in the offer-ing plate or call the church office by No-vember 27 to let us know you will attendso our committee can plan the number ofmeals to prepare. —Shirley Galloway
Christmas NightTogether is Dec. 3
Pastor Mike to speakat men’s dinner“Giving Thanks for John Calvin” will bethe topic of Dr. Michael Roberts at theMonday, November 20, Men’s FellowshipDinner. The program is at 6 p.m. in theFellowship Hall. Dinner reservations arerequired by contacting me at [email protected] or 512-818-2094. Cost is $10per person, and all men of the church areinvited to attend. —Marv Hulshizer
Three-year-old children who completed theToddler Program (Early Childhood Develop-ment) at Su Casa De Esperanza in 2016.
8 F I R S T W O R D
Mission Sewing
Friendsin
DeedAn FPC mission project
helping members with rou-tine home maintenance and
minor repairs. Call theChurch Office to schedule
a visit from one of FPC’s
“Friends in Deed.”
MissionSpotlight
Su Casa de Esperanza, “Your House ofHope,” is one of FPC’s supported mis-sions. The nonprofit agency provides edu-cation to impoverished families living inin the Rio Grande Valley, near Pharr andProgreso, Texas. Its mission is to improvethe spiritual, emotional, physical, eco-nomic, intellectual and social well-beingof these families, enhancing opportunitiesfor them to live fulfilled, abundant lives.
Su Casa serves as an intermediate sup-port system for these indigent familieswith the expressed purpose that the fami-lies eventually will become self-sufficient,productive members of the community. Afaith-based family education programteaches discipline, nutrition, health care,parental skills, economic independenceand intrafamily communication skills inorder to accomplish this goal.
One area of instruction is ParentingSkills. Parents receive instruction on ef-
fective ways of rearing their children. Top-ics taught include hygiene, caring for child-hood illnesses, proper nutrition, discipline,values, manners and respect. Su Casa in-troduces parents to resources available tothem in their community.
The objective of a Summer Youth Pro-gram is to provide a variety of experiencesto benefit youth as they return to theireducational programs in the fall. Childrenget a chance to explore areas that increasetheir self-awareness and enrich their ex-periences.
As a 501(c)3 organization, Su Casafunding comes from churches, individu-als, corporations and foundations. Volun-teers are always welcome. To learn moreabout Su Casa, visit the web page, www.sucasadeesperanza.org.
FPC Advocate: Kathy [email protected]
Mother andchild receive
services during ahome visit froma Su Casa staff
member.
Su Casa de Esperanza: FPC mission
Thank you, Linda Gam-bell, for the stuffedanimal and quilt.
Thank you, PollyNelon, for the colorfulskeins of yarn.
Thank you to theindividual who donatedcotton fabric.
Our next meeting is at10 a.m. Friday, Novem-ber 10, in Room 111.We will collect ourknitted and crochetedhats and scarves anddeliver them to TheCaring Place.
—Kathy Jones
F I R S T W O R D 9
Fall is the time we take the PresbyterianWomen’s Thank Offering! Since 1888, PWhave joyfully expressed gratitude for God’sblessings here at home and around theworld through the Thank Offering pro-gram. These funds provide education, safehousing, clean water, health care, help forprisoners, justice for women and more.This year 40% of offering donations willbe used for health care.
If you would like to participate andneed a Thank Offering envelope, ask yourcircle leader for one. Donations should bereturned to circle leaders or PW TreasurerCheryl Dorothy by December 1.
Those attending the fall gatheringOctober 1 enjoyed an array of salads anddesserts as well as the fellowship withother women of the church. At our Octo-ber PW Board meeting we decided to takea survey of circle members to determinethe future direction of PW gatherings.Survey forms will be distributed at theNovember circle meetings. Knowing theneeds and wishes of our members will helpthe board plan future PW gatherings.
Please note that Esther Circle hasmoved the time of its meetings to 2 p.m.to avoid a parking problem as otherchurch groups meet at noon and after onWednesday. Also, the church room num-ber for Esther is now 107 instead of 112.
—Judy Bond
Thank Offering beingtaken in November
F E L L O W S H I P
November Circle Meetings
Williamson County’sDomestic & Sexual
Violence Program
PW circles at FPC willsponsor Hope Alliancein Round Rock for our2017 Christmas project.Hope Alliance providesservices to survivors ofdomestic and sexualviolence. It gives victimsa safe haven where theycan heal and accessresources and support asthey start a new, vio-lence-free life.
Our circles will havethe opportunity to“adopt” a family orfamilies for the Christ-mas season throughHope Alliance, much aswe did last year for theRonald MacDonaldHouse in Temple. Wecan also provide holidayfood baskets and Christ-mas gifts for childrenand adults.
Many victims of abusemust leave their homeswith little more than theclothes they are wear-ing, so toys and booksfor the children—as wellas food, toiletries andclothing—are muchappreciated.
More details of howwe can help peopleserved by Hope Alliancewill be shared withcircle members at theNovember meetings.
—Judy Bond
PW’s ChristmasProject in 2017
Circle Date Time Hostess Phone Address
Elizabeth 11/7 6:30pm Theresa McKenna 512-930-3751 3601 Brangus RoadEsther 11/1 2:00pm Shirley Nash 512-863-8098 Church, Room 107
Pam Hines 512-688-1022Hannah 11/15 11:00am Marty Curtis 501-517-3503 Church, Room 112Lydia 11/8 1:00pm Joan Shrader 512-819-9290 308 Rim Rock DriveMartha 11/15 9:30am Marilyn Peters 830-708-1237 100 Fox HollowRachel 11/15 9:30am Sandie Kienitz 512-868-2519 107 Morning Glory CircleRuth 11/15 10:00am Sugie Maxfield 512-868-1808 139 Estrella Crossing #318Sarah 11/20 10:00am Mary Martha Denham 512-869-0771 609 Spring Valley Road
The Fellowship Committee cordially in-vites all of our FPC family to share dinnertogether on December 3 at 5:30 p.m. in theFellowship Hall. The children and youthwill present their Christmas program thatevening, and Christmas Night Togetheris always an enjoyable event.
We hope you can join us for pulledpork sandwiches, side dishes and a yummydessert! Watch for reservation forms in theNovember 12 and 19 church bulletin.Please place completed forms in the offer-ing plate or call the church office by No-vember 27 to let us know you will attendso our committee can plan the number ofmeals to prepare. —Shirley Galloway
Christmas NightTogether is Dec. 3
Pastor Mike to speakat men’s dinner“Giving Thanks for John Calvin” will bethe topic of Dr. Michael Roberts at theMonday, November 20, Men’s FellowshipDinner. The program is at 6 p.m. in theFellowship Hall. Dinner reservations arerequired by contacting me at [email protected] or 512-818-2094. Cost is $10per person, and all men of the church areinvited to attend. —Marv Hulshizer
Three-year-old children who completed theToddler Program (Early Childhood Develop-ment) at Su Casa De Esperanza in 2016.
F I R S T W O R D 7
It’s time to fill your Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoebox(es)!Bring them to the church on Sunday, November 12 or 19. You canuse a cardboard or plastic box if no pre-printed OCC boxes are stillavailable. If you wrap your box, remember to cover the box and lidseparately. Each year, FPC collects shoeboxes for this ministry thatdelivers the gift boxes to children around the world who might notreceive any other presents at Christmas. Elizabeth Bailey is missionadvocate for OCC.
This year no toothpaste or candy should be put in the boxes. Go online, www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/, and donate $9 (up from $7last year) to receive a tracking label to “Follow Your Box” and discover the destinationof your shoebox. The $9 covers cost of shipping and other costs of the program. You areasked to fill your shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, toiletries or other items for a boyor girl ages 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. Again, go online to print girl/boy labels and to see age-appropriate gift suggestions.
A busy season coming up at The Caring Place
M I S S I O N
OCC shoeboxes to be collected in November
November 96 - 9 p.m.The Caring
Place
Enjoy holidayshopping, cookies/
homemadetreats, music &
door prizes!
ADMISSION:You can help
The Caring Placefeed the hungryby bringing non-perishable fooditems or a finan-cial donation forthe Food Pantry!
“Sweets,Treats &Trees”
A busy season is coming up for The Car-ing Place. First, if you missed the eveningcalled “Deep in the Heart of Caring,” youmissed a great evening of entertainment,food, cattle drive and all theother fun things that takeplace at Schwertner Ranch insupport of The Caring Place.Oh well, hopefully next yearyou will have another chance.
The next exciting thingthat will happen in support ofThe Caring Place is the annual“Sweets, Treats and Trees,” which is allabout tree decorations, holiday home ac-cessories, collectibles and more. It takesplace Thursday, November 9, at 2000 Rail-road Ave. from 6-9 p.m. It’s a fun eveningand it’s come and go as you please. Bring afriend and enjoy the fun.
Next up is “Coats for Kids.” Many chil-dren in the Georgetown area do not havea warm coat for the winter. This is an
opportunity to donate a coat or give $20to buy a coat for a needy kid.
The next thing is that we are strivingto collect 200,000 lbs. of food for the food
pantry. Won’t you help bydonating almost any kind ofnonperishable food suppliesto The Caring Place? Here area few suggestions: cannedfruit and vegetables, cereals,ketchup, mustard and mayo,Hamburger Helper, cannedpastas and almost anything
you would serve to your own family.Thank you for helping your less well-
fed neighbors. Almost 14% of the peoplewho live in this county have limited avail-ability to food or don’t know where theirnext meal is coming from. As this countygrows, the problem becomes worse.
—Jenny Carswell
COATS FOR KIDS
Help The Caring Place keep children warm this
winter. A $20 donation buys one new coat; $100
buys five! You can donate online at www.caring
placetx.org.
10 F I R S T W O R D
Penny Leone, RNParish Nurse
Other hoursby appointment
All day TuesdayOffice Hours:
Points from Parish Nurse Penny
C O M P A S S I O N A T E C A R E M I N I S T R Y
As I write this newsletter article I am pre-paring to take time away for retaining myvitality. One way that I regain my vitalityon a daily basis is to keep a gratitude jour-nal. For those of you with long memo-ries, you might be saying, “Hey that’swhat Penny wrote about last November.”You would be right, but I’ve got somemore pointers, based on research aboutkeeping a gratitude journal.
It is true that the simple act of writingdown the things for which we’re gratefulprovides not just spiritual benefits butalso includes better sleep, fewer symptomsof illness and more happiness amongadults and kids alike.
Here are the tips: It’s important to be thankful for peopleand not just things. Try stimulating gratitude by reflectingon what your life would be like withoutcertain blessings.
The congregation is invited to join theStephen Ministers on Monday, November6, to hear three separate nonprofit orga-nizations give information on resourcesthey offer for people who are grieving. Theprogram begins at 7 p.m. in Room 101.
While Stephen Ministers do not workwith anyone under the age of 18 years,they do work with people who have chil-dren. Here is a run-down of the evening’spresentations: Footprints Children’s Grief MinistryThis program is for children who aregrieving. This not only includes death ofa close family member but also divorce. Christi CenterThis group has grief support for all agesfor all deaths. They have a variety of typesof support and groups.
Senior SeminarThursday, November 16
10 - 11:30 a.m.Sanctuary
The topic:“Making Decisions
When a CrisisOccurs”
Please call512-818-0988
to reserve your seatfor this fun and
informativeseminar.
Record events that were surprising orunexpected.
Daily gratitude reminds us that, con-trary to what the daily news reports, thereare more good things happening in theworld than bad things. If you aren’t “into”journaling, how about expressing yourgratitude to several people each day?Words do have meaning, and you can liftyourself and others up with some well-placed and sincere gratitude.
By the way: I am so grateful for you. Iam so grateful to be your parish nurse. Iam so grateful to the other staff membersat FPC. I am so grateful for the officersand leaders of the church. I am so gratefulthat each of you in the congregation isunique and kind and loving to me. I’m sograteful that you allow me to be in “holymoments” with you. Thank you!
Stephen Ministry sponsors program onresources for all ages who are grieving
The Compassionate FriendsThe local chapter of this national groupoffers support for families after the deathof a child, grandchild or sibling of any age,by any cause, at any time.
6 F I R S T W O R D
Y O U T H M I N I S T R Y
Ater a busy two months: November’s here
We will collect notes anditems for College CarePackages November 5and 12. We have morethan 30 students to carefor. Notes are veryimportant. If you wouldlike to write a note,paper and pens and alist of students will beon the counter in theFellowship Hall lobby.
We also need treats.The Sunday Schoolclasses have specificassignments but feel freeto help even if you donot attend SundaySchool. Thank you! 1st - 2nd Grade Class
Starbursts 3rd - 6th Grade Class
Miniature candy bars 7th - 8th Grade Class
Miniature candy bars 9th - 12th Grade Class
Jolly Ranchers Adult Elective, Home-builders, Surveyors andCrossroads classes
Donations towardsStarbucks gift cards
Care Packagesto be collectedin November Well, we are over halfway through this ex-
citing fall semester...and it’s finally...startingto...calm...down. (Sigh of relief.)
This fall has been busier than most fallsemesters from the past. There was the All-Church Retreat in September, and Octoberwas full with the ultimate frisbee event,youth beach trip, Celebration of Ministryand the Reformation Walk. So now, the restof the semester seems like a leisurelystroll. And I love leisurely strolls!
But that doesn’t mean nothing else isgoing on. This month we are looking for-ward to Youth Sunday on November 5,our G2G event - Canned Food ScavengerHunt and Christmas Angel Shopping. Butas we say in our line of work: “That’s ‘busi-ness’ as usual in Youth Ministry!”
—God bless, David Lee Hulsey
Reformation WalkI would like to thank all the wonderfulvolunteers who put so much time, effortand creativity into celebrating the 500th
Anniversary of the Reformation with ourReformation Walk. Thank you for makingit such a unique experience!
Youth November Calendar
1 Youth Sunday PracticeMidWinter Early Registration
5 Youth Sunday 8 Veterans’ Night @ LOGOS12 G2G15 Bible Study22 No Bible Studies29 Christmas Angel Shopping
Enjoying a weekend at the beach, with hosts Kathleen and Michael Wenzel, are thesemembers of the FPC youth group: front from left, David Lee Hulsey and Nicholas Bondesen;second row, Olivia Cowan, Aidan Guidici, Kyle Chapman, Luke Hulsey, Lily Hulsey andNolan Pratt; third row, Preston Perkins, Abby Staller, Connor McClure and Miles Azuma-Hall; and top, Leanna Perkins, Brandon Walters and Sarah Hulsey
F I R S T W O R D 11
M U S I C M I N I S T R Y
The FPC Cantata Chorus & OrchestraPhilip Smith, conductor
presents
Gloria
with selections from Handel’sMessiah
Vivaldi’s
8:30 11 a.m. December 10
Both services in Worship Center-Fellowship HallFirst Presbyterian
Church
web page:
www.fpcgeorgetown.org
You change yourphysical or mailingaddress
You change your e-mail address or adde-mail
You change your homeor cell phone number
You add a new phonenumber
To notify the
church office if:
&
F I R S T W O R D 5
Adult Sunday School: 9:40 - 10:40 a.m.
Other EducationalOpportunities
Men’s BreakfastBible StudyMeets every third Friday tostudy and reflect on thescripture readings for thecoming Sunday sermon.RSVP to David Lee Hulsey(512-863-3381, [email protected]) or CliffSnyder (512-468-2877,[email protected]).Time and place will be e-mailed to you.
Men’s Lunch BibleStudyMeets at 12 noon each Wed-nesday in Room 101 tostudy scripture and eatlunch together. The men arestudying 2nd Corinthians,led by Rod Burke.
Ladies Lunch BibleStudyMeets each Wednesday atnoon in Room 207 for a“brown bag” lunch andBible study. On November8, the women will start astudy of Under Wraps:The Gift We NeverExpected. Let JoyBedford (512-863-3381)know you are coming so wecan order you a book.
Adult Elective“Reformation”Through November 26, Room 101Dr. Ken PetersJourney through the Reformation withLuther, Calvin, Knox and others.
Surveyors“If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Gotto Get Out of the Boat”Through December 3, Room 207Bill StanleyDeep within you lies the same faith andlonging that sent Peter walking across thewind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus.In what ways is the Lord telling you, ashe did Peter, “Come”? John Ortberg in-vites you to consider the incredible poten-tial that awaits you outside your comfortzone. Out on the risky waters of faith,Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways thatwill change you forever, deepening yourcharacter and your trust in God. The ex-perience is terrifying. It’s thrilling beyondbelief. It’s everything you’d expect of some-one worthy to be called Lord. The choiceis yours to know him as only a water-
For the first time in the church's history, FPC’s historic Sanctu-ary will be open during Georgetown's Christmas Stroll Decem-ber 1 and 2. The Evangelism Committee is leading the effort toraise awareness about the church during the Advent Season.We will have a table at the corner of 7th and Church streetswhere hot chocolate, hot coffee and bottled water will be sold.A crafts table also will be set up so children can color nativityscenes. People will be invited to enter the Sanctuary, where theywill be greeted and given a warm welcome, background on thechurch and an invitation to attend regular services as well asChristmas Eve services. Live music will be offered periodicallyduring the event.
Thanks to several people who signed up during the Cel-ebration of Mninistry to help by baking cookies and offering tostaff the outdoor tables and indoor activities. We still need vol-unteers to help us throughout the stroll, which runs from 5 to9 p.m. that Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FPC to openSanctuaryduring StrollDecember 1-2
walker can, aligning yourself with God’spurpose for your life in the process.
Homebuilders “Reformation Roots”Through November 12, Room 112Karen JonesTimed to coincide with ReformationSunday, the Homebuilders will concludetheir 12-week study November 12.
“Names for the Messiah”November 26 - December 17, Room 112Karen Jones
Crossroads“Wired Word,” Room 107Amanda & Patrick TolbertFrom Nobel Prize winners and govern-ment surveillance to rock and roll, no weekis ever the same! The Crossroads class usesstories making headlines to make God’swork in our lives more apparent. Eachweek brings a different discussion topicdesigned to confront the news with scrip-ture and hope so that we may identify theintersection of faith in our daily lives.
If you want to volun-teer, please leave a note
in Kathy Kerr Kubat-zky's mailbox outside
the church office orcontact her at
[email protected]. Deacons
Guy Guidici and AnnHindman also cananswer questions.
If you go to the stroll,please bring your
friends and stop by!
Evangelism Focus:
12 F I R S T W O R D
Patrick &Amanda
Tolbert,co-leaders
of the newestFPC SundaySchool class,
Crossroads
WHEN IT JOINED THE LINE-UP OF FIRSTPresbyterian Church Sunday Schoolclasses in 2016, Crosswords, led by mar-ried couple Amanda and Patrick Tolbert,was publicized like this:
“This new adult class is for thoseseeking to find God in daily living.Class participants will seek to findmeaning in Jesus’ teachings withinthe context of daily life. Designedfor those at the crossroads of em-barking on a new career or grow-ing a family, or those who want tothink about their beliefs in the con-text of their fast-paced lives, it is ano-homework discussion that willfeature a new topic each week. Thisfall the class will discuss lessonsripped from the headlines and focuson issues at hand at the crossroadsof scripture and current events.Coffee and thought-provokingsnacks will be provided.”
“Wired Word” is the continuous name ofthe class’s study topic each week. And thosetopics continue to be diverse, reflecting
themes from news in the week’s headlines,“to make God’s work in our lives moreapparent,” Patrick explained. “Discussionshave focused on Nobel Prize winners, gov-ernment surveillance, and rock and roll,to mention a few.”
Amanda said each week’s digital lessonsand discussions from “The Wired Word”—delivered to the Tolberts’ e-mail inboxeseach Thursday—are relevant to modernChristian living and make it easy to weavecurrent events into Bible studies. Lessonslink the latest headlines to appropriatescripture and include biblical commentaryand discussion questions related to a sub-ject in the news that week.
The Tolberts met while students atBaylor, where his parents were on the fac-ulty. She was from Houston and heattended high school in Waco. He studiedFrench and journalism at college and shestudied psychology. They married in De-cember 2010 and have a daughter, Emily,who turns 5 on November 30.
The Crossroads class, with its digitalcontent and lessons that the class leaders
While the Crossroads
class set out initially
to attract young
adults, Patrick said
he and Amanda
believe God has
brought to the class
members from differ-
ent stages of life's
journey. They invite
anyone looking to
unpack the chaos of
the headlines to stop
in. Sarah Hulsey
publishes the topic
for the class in the
church e-mail up-
date each week.
Couple with “digital careers” lead SundaySchool class with lessons from digital source
4 F I R S T W O R D
C H R I S T I A N E D U C A T I O NJoy BedfordEducation Director
Office Hours:Tuesday - Friday
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Created by God!Built for apurpose!
November LOGOS Themes
Sunday School forChildren & Youth9:40 - 10:40 a.m.
Sunday Schoolis offered for all ages
every Sunday.Join us for a time
of learning about whowe are as God’s people
through the storiesin the Bible.
Come join us as we seekto discover God’s
purpose for our lives thisyear through a variety
of educational opportu-nities. If you are havingtrouble finding a placewhere you fit, contactJoy at 512-863-3381 or
[email protected] together we
will find a place for you.
It’s almost time for our annual Christmas Night Together!It will be Sunday, December 3. Before dinner at 5:30 p.m.,LOGOS children will participate in the live nativity whilewe sing Christmas carols with Mrs. Amy and her helpers,together as one big family. Then we will go inside and havedinner provided by our fabulous Fellowship Committee.After dinner, the children and youth will tell the story ofour Savior’s birth. We hope you will all be here as we celebratethe coming of Jesus into the world and into our lives.
PARENTS: If your child wants to participate in the Christ-mas program at Christmas Night Together, please committo bringing him or her to Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. thatmorning (December 3) for our one and only group rehearsal.
Come to Sunday SchoolDecember 3
to rehearse forChristmas program!
LOGOS will host our annual VeteransNight Program on Wednesday, November8. We would like to invite any members ofour church, and their spouses, who haveserved in the military to join us for dinnerand a short program from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.in the Fellowship Hall. RSVP to me [email protected] or call the churchoffice at 512-863-3381 if you would like tojoin us. See below for our themes in No-vember.
—Jaime Cowan
LOGOS Choir ScheduleNov. 8 LOGOS Choirs (kinder - 6th grade) Veterans Night performance: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.Nov. 11 LOGOS Choirs (3rd - 6th grade) 11 a.m. service only
If you have questions about the program, please contact Jaime Cowan at [email protected].
LOGOS will honor veterans Nov. 8
Date Theme Menu Attire Game
Nov. 01 5th Wed-Carnival Corn Dogs LOGOS T-shirt Carnival gamesNov. 08 Veterans Night Hamburgers Red, white & blue Perform for veteransNov. 15 Soccer Night Wraps Favorite soccer team SoccerNov. 22 Thanksgiving Break – No LOGOSNov. 29 Slumber Party Pancakes Pajamas Twister
F I R S T W O R D 13
view on a laptop or tablet, appears to betailor-made for the Tolberts. They spendtheir days on digital platforms because oftheir careers.
Amanda works from home for Nielsen,the company best known for TV ratings,“but on another side of the business,”which does research on consumer purchas-ing. “I focus on new consumer innovation:launches of new products and new mar-keting campaigns for existing products.”One of her clients is Coca-Cola, “so I’vebeen working closely with them on theirnew products—such as Coke + Coffee, GoldPeak Tea Lattes, Minute Maid Lemonadewith Mint, Minute Maid Spicy WatermelonLemonade—to understand consumer in-terest and product performance beforelaunching the new product.”
Patrick is part of a “new breed of jour-nalists” as Digital Director for KXAN-TVin Austin. He is just as comfortable gath-ering news and writing news articles as heis writing code. “Digital journalism is morethan just posting news online,” he said.“It’s the process of transforming the tradi-tional news-gathering process into one ofgathering, analyzing and story-telling.”
Newsroom innovation is his specialty.“I enjoy showing traditional televisionjournalists how digital can bring greaterimpact to their storytelling.” He has beenat KXAN since 2014, coming from his Digi-tal Director position at WDTN-TV in Day-ton, Ohio. He has also worked at TVstations in Indianapolis and Waco, wherehe was first to break the news of the FortHood mass shooting on the station’s digi-tal platforms. He also broadcast high
school football games on the radio whilein high school and college.
How did the Crossroads class come tobe reality?
Amanda said Christian Education Di-rector Joy Bedford reached out to her andPatrick not long after they joined thechurch in late 2014 “and asked if we’d beinterested in leading an adult SundaySchool class targeting younger adultssuch as ourselves. We discussed the goalsof the class, and then she gave us licenseto be creative! We knew we wanted to dosomething different, something to engageyoung adults.”
After looking at a variety of programsand curricula, the Tolberts settled on “TheWired Word,” which she said “e-mails ustwo current news topics each week for usto discuss. With Patrick’s background injournalism and our goal of finding some-thing that would draw in younger adults,we thought that this would be a greatstarting point.”
Joy Bedford said, “We felt there was aneed for another class, one that offeredsomething different from the three classesthat meet each Sunday. The Tolberts joinedthe church and immediately becameinvolved. After talking with the Education/Nurture Committee and Pastor Mike, Iasked Amanda and Patrick to lunch. Wetalked about all the different possibilities
(continued on next page)
Our discussions helpdiscover and unpack theways in which God isworking around us. I'vebeen grateful for thediverse experiencesamong those in ourclass because the addi-tional perspective helpsidentify new ways wecan live and workfaithfully in our com-munities.
The weekly topics arewonderful because theyrequire zero homework,and the lessons arealways something we'veheard in the headlinesduring the week. Evenwhen the stories arebased on negative news,we manage to find hopeand solutions throughour study of scripture.
I've been amazed howthe discussion leads usto find 21st centuryrelevance in the scrip-tures.
We've tackled somedivisive issues in class,particularly duringelection season, but wealways found commonground through scrip-ture and reaffirmed thatwe all have more simi-larities than differences.
‘‘‘‘
—Patrick Tolbert
One Crossroads class discussion was about a topic domi-nating recent headlines: North Korea’s leader Kim JongUn’s threatening nuclear action and President Trump’swarning that the United States would “have no choicebut to totally destroy North Korea.”
One of the big questions sparked by this headline grab-bing story was: How do we influence our government tofind peaceful solutions to conflicts, when possible, and towage war justly when not? Other questions included: Ifwe believe that God loves the North Koreans, what re-sponsibilities do we have to make sure they don’t perishbecause of their dictatorial and unhinged leadership orbecause of actions our own government might take? Howdo we pray about the conflict with North Korea if we iden-tify as an American first? If we identify as a follower ofJesus first?
F I R S T W O R D 3
In the hospital last month: Judy Hinde-lang (surgery), Jim Root Sr. (surgery) andMarlene Watts (surgery).
Congratulations to Harvey & Ruth Hen-ning on the birth of their 6th great-grand-child, Grayson Lynn Ashbier, born Septem-ber 22 to Jessica and Mitch Ashbier.
Our sympathy to: George & Linette Harwell on the deathof Linette’s sister, Bettye Warren, Septem-ber 24 in Elgin. Suzanne Gumpl on the death of her fa-ther, David Mitchell, October 8 in Austin. David & Carol Siekmeier on the deathof David’s brother, Dr. Allan Siekmeier, Oc-tober 9 in Minnesota.
In memoriam: Bill Roberts joined theChurch Triumphant October 8 in SouthDakota. Bill had been a member of our con-gregation since September 2004 and movedto Colorado in 2014.
BIRTHDAYS(continued from previous page)
Boldface indicatesa member of First
Presbyterian Church
Among Our People
Actual AnnualBudget
YTD %AnnualBudget
Income and Expense Report
General Operating FundYear to Date - September 2017
17 Ralph LongNancy MarksJoAnn Yantis
19 Denise FergusonRanda Toungate
20 Myrna McKee22 Anne Gowdy
Mary Pope23 Nova Dowden
Bernie LovejoyJulia ThompsonJeanie Wiesner
25 Shelley Sorenson26 George Biggs
Delmar BurkettJerry BurkettLloyd DavisTess McKennaMary McKennaLucy Yantis
27 Anna Maspero28 Annabel McClure
Teresa Miller30 Emily Tolbert
Head Deacon/November
8:30 Sid FrostAnn Hindman
11:00 Sue BellShirley Galloway
5 Kevin & Jana McCown12 Karen Jones19 Chuck Graham26 Lou & Marty Brown
Flowers in Worship/November
Serving in the military: Josh Benge,Sturdy & Tammy Wanamaker’s nephew;Maj. Brian Berlakovich, Ouida Hender-son’s grandson-in-law; Lt. Col. Brian Burk,Larry Burk’s son; Maj. Joeff Bartholomay,Helen Douglass’ grandson; LeeAnneCosper; Maj. Josh Daleiden, Betty Brad-ford’s grandson-in-law; John Decker;Jared A. Gross, Robert Bedford’s nephew;Brian Hall; Capt. Daniel Hammond, Keith& Sue Renard’s grandson-in-law; GarrettHerbst; Lt. Ian Hines, son of Dr. JakeHines; Brandon Keith, Phil & JeanneSmith’s son-in-law; Debra Knight;Nicholaas Leloux; Tech. Sgt. RobertMcClanahan, grandson of Minta McIntoshand nephew of Lee McIntosh; Sgt. 1st ClassPaul Rayburn; Nicholas Stamos, Larry &Helen Burk’s grandson; and ChristianWinckel, grandson of Sandy Hayes.
Income Pledges $661,236 $862,463 77% Other 64,135 112,264 57% TOTAL $725,371 $974,727 74% Expenses Validated Mission 46,678 59,100 79% Local/Other Mission 19,586 30,600 64% Ministry of the Word 119,249 159,581 75% Program/Support Staff 314,483 421,444 75% Christian Education 23,830 34,900 68% Music and Worship 7,564 20,914 36% Evangelism/Care 1,170 10,360 11% Property 60,597 90,245 67% Stewardship/Finance 12,659 21,600 59% Other Oper Expenses 23,281 43,300 54% Debt Retirement 67,778 90,370 75% TOTAL $696,875 $982,414 71%
Thanksgiving Proclamation
During the Civil War, President AbrahamLincoln (right) on October 3, 1963, estab-
lished the annual celebration of Thanksgivingon the last Thursday in November. Before
this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiv-ing holiday at different times. President
Lincoln’s proclamation read, in part:“Wehave been the recipients of the choicest bountiesof heaven; we have been preserved these manyyears in peace and prosperity; we have grown
in numbers, wealth and power as no othernation has ever grown. But we have forgotten
God. We have forgotten the gracious handwhich preserved us in peace and multipliedand enriched and strengthened us, and we
have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness ofour hearts, that all these blessings were
produced by some superior wisdom and virtueof our own. Intoxicated with unbroken
success, we have become too self-sufficient tofeel the necessity of redeeming and preservinggrace, too proud to pray to the God that made
us. It has seemed to me fit and proper that[the gifts of God] should be solemnly, rever-ently, and gratefully acknowledged with oneheart and one voice by the whole American
people. I do, therefore, invite my fellowcitizens...to set apart and observe the lastThursday of November next as a day ofthanksgiving and praise to our beneficent
Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
14 F I R S T W O R D
for this class. I gave them several resourcesto look over. They said yes to teaching andchose ‘The Wired Word’ curriculum. Theyare good and faithful teachers, and we areglad they are on the teaching team.”
Patrick said the class has covered a widerange of topics over the past year. Somehave focused on big stories, such as the2016 presidential election, NFL quarter-back Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling in pro-test during the National Anthem, and therising cost of EpiPen auto injectors fortreatment of allergic reactions.
The class also covered some lesserknown stories, including: when the re-mains of Jacob Wetterling, kidnapped andkilled 27 years ago, were found; winnersof the Nobel Prize in Economics; Chipand Joanna Gaines’ response to claimsthat they discriminate against the LGBTcommunity; and the pair of distance run-ners, one an American and the other fromNew Zealand, who collided then helpedeach other across the finish line at the 2016summer Olympics.
“While we’ve loved our small discus-sions, we’d love for our class to grow abit more to include additional diversity inthoughts and experiences, since that’s part
A recent Crossroadsdiscussion was about howcivilians pitched in to helpthose at risk as HurricaneHarvey overwhelmed theTexas coast. Nearly sevenmillion people were affectedas rainfall reached historiclevels over 50 inches andleft massive flooding.
The magnitude of thedisaster overwhelmed theprofessionals, the firstresponders and militaryand government personnelon the front lines, Patricksaid. This promptedofficials to urge neighborsto help neighbors. Thou-sands of stranded peoplewere rescued, many byrescuers known as theCajun Army. Rescuerswere motivated by thecommon goal of savinglives; no one seemed to carewhat race, religion, politi-cal party or other descrip-tor marked a rescuer or aperson in need of rescue.What mattered was humanbeings helping other humanbeings.
Questions posed by thelesson were: How does thisapply to us? Could thechurch take a lesson fromthe way that paid, profes-sional staff workedtogether with unpaidcivilians in the aftermathof Harvey?
of what makes our conversations so in-teresting,” Amanda said. “There are dis-agreements around some lessons or topics,but we feel like everyone is really engagedand thoughtful about their comments.Everyone’s thoughts are respected and it’sa safe space, which has made the classenjoyable.”
She added, “Patrick and I have beenreally impressed with how well ‘The WiredWord’ team is able to incorporate scriptureinto the lessons. It does a good job of help-ing the class think about the topic at handin a different light. We do sometimes bringin additional scripture or questions, butoften the lesson is our main guide. In ad-dition to the information that comes in thelesson itself, Patrick is usually able to ex-pand on things since he works in a news-room and has seen or heard a lot of thedetails about the bigger stories.”
Overall, the Tolberts believe their classhas been successful “in opening our eyesto God’s grace and power around us.”Amanda added, “I love that we’re able totake scripture and relate it to modern lifein a fresh way. And since the discussiontopic is completely different every week, it’salways exciting to learn and talk aboutsuch diverse subjects.”
The class meets in Room 107.—Marty Curtis
Crossroads class(continued from previous page)
Welcome, NEW MEMBERS
Steven & Emily Kirkpatrick joined byReaffirmation of Faith. He is a realtorwho enjoys golf and choral music.Emily is an insurance agent. They havethree children, Preston, 4, Julia, 3, andZachary, 1. (503 Dusty Trail, Belton76513; 254-258-6844)
James & Nancy Marks joined by Reaffir-mation of Faith. He is retired fromcomputer sales and enjoys traveling,walking, biking and genealogy. She is aretired teacher who enjoys traveling,walking and genealogy. (107 HamptonCircle 78633; 512-688-3163)
2 F I R S T W O R D
5 Larry & Yvonne Crabb 6 Daryll & Rachel Gremillion
Chuck Witt & AmberKurkowski
8 Mike & Cindy Roberts 9 Bruce & Jennifer Gunn
Kevin & Jana McCown10 Chris & Cari Spruiell11 Rod & Carole Burke12 Robert Cravens & Linda
Thomas16 Phil & Dawn Bookert24 Don & Dottie Willhouse27 Sturdy & Tammy
Wanamaker28 Lou & Marty Brown30 Cliff & Rita Snyder
Carl & Nancy Spivey
1 Jerry Pearson 2 Wyatt Mihacsi
Jeff Willett 3 Fred Hilgeman
Walter JunckerBrandon Walters
4 Bob Carswell 5 Darlene Miller
David Ramsey 6 Sharon French 7 Drake McIntosh 8 Jerry Fine
Susan PoteeteAnna RobertsDottie Willhouse
9 Jean BiggsLeila Ramsey
10 Doug ArnoldHelen DouglassCatherine GlennJennie Mann
11 Doug BondKendall GuinnPat HilgemanKeith Renard
12 Chuck Witt13 Kathi Davenport
Becky Hesson-SmithAshley HuntTori Schmalstieg
14 Elizabeth Bailey15 Georgia Bagley
Bryan Bell16 David Gipson
Becky Kennedy
ANNIVERSARIES
(continued on next page)
BIRTHDAYS
New church officers areelected by congregation
M U S I C M I N I S T R Y
At a congregational meeting on Sunday,October 22, called by the Session, the fol-lowing church officers were elected: Elder
Class of 2020—Bryan Bell, WorshipRod Burke, PropertyBabs Cape, AdministrativeGary Cox, Stewardship & FinanceCeleste Frost, MissionPhyllis Perkins, Education & NurtureClass of 2019 —Peggy Currie, MissionClass of 2018 —Karen Rayburn, Administrative Deacon, Class of 2020
Gail Butler, Ushers & GreetersCheryl Dorothy, FellowshipKathy Jones, Compassionate Care Trustee, Class of 2020
Tim HarrisServing on the Church Officer Nomi-
nating Committee for 2017-18 wereDemeree Jackson (Chair), Susan Isenhour(Vice chair), Lynn Azuma, Jerry Fine, SidFrost, Joan Shrader, Carol Siekmeier, JeanieWiesner and Jim Wilhite.
The 2017 hurricane season has exacted aheavy toll along our Gulf Coast and in theCaribbean Islands, including the territoryof Puerto Rico. Our church has taken thefollowing actions thus far to aid in the re-covery efforts: Donated $1,000 to Presbyterian DisasterAssistance (PDA) - Hurricane Harvey re-lief in early September. Individuals from thecongregation donated an additional $1,260to Hurricane Harvey relief. Collected three filled buckets and $2,300in special donations for the Clean-upBucket project coordinated by MissionPresbytery. Funds were used to fill 20 ad-ditional buckets and deliver 23 buckets tothe Austin collection point in mid-September. Remaining special donationfunds were sent to the PDA Clean-upBucket and Hygiene Kit project to buildadditional buckets/kits to be deployedwhere needed most. Donated $1,000 to PDA Hurricane Irmaand Hurricane Maria relief in mid-October
FPC responds to recent hurricane damageto support recovery in Puerto Rico andother areas hit by these severe storms.Thesedonations were made possible by your gen-erous giving in our weekly offerings andthe special donations to our Clean-upBucket project. See the Presbyterian Disas-ter Assistance website, http://pda.pcusa.org/, to find out how to make individualcontributions to these recovery efforts.
—Bill McKenna
CDs can be purchased in the
church office or by contacting
Music Director Philip Smith.
CDs will be available for sale
as long as they are in stock.
F I R S T W O R D 15
Sherralyn St. Clairjoined by Reaffirma-tion of Faith. She is aretired elementaryteacher who enjoyspublishing her owndoll clothes patternswith the help of herhusband, and takingpiano and voicelessons. (2603 ValleyView Cove, RoundRock 78681; 512-244-2981)
Blair Mihacsi joined by Reaffirmation ofFaith. Blair grew up at FPC and is nowreturning with her two children, Wyatt,4, and Ainsley, 2. She enjoys Crossfit andbeing a Mom. (4001 Dove Valley Drive78626; 254-466-3728)
Jennifer Whitehead joined by Reaffirma-tion of Faith. An English teacher atEastview High School, she is marriedwith two children, Bo, 5, and Wes, 1.(30803 Sybert Lane 78628; 737-444-6241)
Joel & Elizabeth Miller joined by Reaf-firmation of Faith. Joel is an emergencyphysician in the U.S. Army and Eliza-beth is a dermatologist at Austin Diag-nostic Clinic. They have two children,Luke, 5, and Cora, 2, with baby #3 duein October. (30505 St. Andrews Drive78628; 512-966-3106)
Roger & Barbara Nelson joined by Letterof Transfer from First Presbyterian, SanAntonio. He is a retired chemical engi-neer who enjoys baseball, reading,astronomy and history. She is a retiredcounselor who enjoys art, photographyand volunteering with her therapy dog.(29006 Turnberry Court 78628; 512-763-1823)
Stephen & Linda Schellenberg joinedby Letter of Transfer from PlymouthPark UMC, Irving. He is retired fromfacility management and enjoys travel-ing and movies. She is a retired hospitalretail manager who enjoys traveling andgardening. (110 Gentry Creek Lane78633; 512-688-2487)
Inok Downing joinedby Letter of Transferfrom The WorshipPlace. She is retiredfrom the U.S. Armyand has sung in thechoir since she was 13.(The Oaks, 3720 Wil-liams Drive #209, 78628;512-240-5951)
Website:www.fpcgeorgetown.org
First Presbyterian ChurchDr. Michael Roberts, Pastor
703 S. Church StreetGeorgetown, TX 78626
FIRSTWORDpublished monthly by
Phone: 512-863-3381Fax: 512-868-1226
E-mail:[email protected]
Dear Abby Prayer
by Abigail van Buren
O, heavenly Father:We thank thee for foodand remember thehungry.
We thank thee for healthand remember the sick.
We thank thee for friendsand remember thefriendless.
We thank thee for free-dom and remember theenslaved.
May these remembrancesstir us to service, that thygifts to us may be usedfor others.
Amen.
Inside2 November Celebrations
Church Officers ElectedFPC Response to
Hurricanes3 Financial Report
Flowers in WorshipHead Deacon
5 Evangelism: ChristmasStroll
12 Spotlight: Patrick &Amanda Tolbert
14 Welcome, New Members16 November Calendar
Christian Education4 Christmas Night
TogetherLOGOS
5 Adult Sunday SchoolOther Educational
Opportunities
Youth Ministry6 DL’s Column
College Care Packages
Mission7 The Caring Place
Operation ChristmasChild
8 Mission SewingSu Casa de EsperanzaFriends in Deed
Fellowship9 Christmas Night
TogetherMen’s FellowshpPresbyterian Women
Compassionate Care3 Among Our People
10 Points from ParishNurse Penny
Stephen MinistrySenior Seminar
Music Ministry2 CDs for Sale
11 Christmas Cantata
RRRRR O OO OO OO OO O T E D .T E D .T E D .T E D .T E D . R E FR E FR E FR E FR E F O R M E D .O R M E D .O R M E D .O R M E D .O R M E D . R E L E VR E L E VR E L E VR E L E VR E L E VA N TA N TA N TA N TA N T.....
G E O R G E T O W N , T E X A S
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 2017
FIRSTWORD
N O V E M B E R W O R S H I P
8:30 a.m., Sanctuary11 a.m., Worship Center-Fellowship Hall
“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgiving“Let us come before him with thanksgivingand extol Himand extol Himand extol Himand extol Himand extol Himwith musicwith musicwith musicwith musicwith musicand songand songand songand songand song.”.”.”.”.”
—Psalm 95:2
Sunday, December 3Dinner: 5:30 p.m.
Program: 6:30
Fellowship Hall
Annual ChristmasNight Together
Meal provided. RSVP to churchoffice if you will attend.
See page 9 for more details.
November 5: “One Hair at a Time”Youth SundayDavid Lee Hulsey PreachingScripture: Joshua 3:7-17; Matthew 23:1-12;
2 Timothy 2:1-10
November 12: “Indian Summer”Dr. Kenneth Peters PreachingScripture: Jeremiah 8:4-7, 18-20;
2 Timothy 4:9-22
November 19: “Almost to the PromisedLand”Dr. Michael Roberts PreachingScripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
November 26: “Head of the Church”Dr. Michael Roberts PreachingScripture: Ephesians 1:15-23
16 F I R S T W O R D16N
O V
E M
B E
R
2 0
1 7
MO
NDAY
30 Dr.
Mic
hael
Rob
erts
on
stud
y le
ave
thru
11/
13
6 11:0
0am
PW B
oard
7:00
pmS
teph
en M
inis
tryC
ontin
uing
Ed
8:00
pmS
teph
en M
inis
tryS
uper
visi
on
13 20 Chr
istin
a Bo
ndes
en o
nva
catio
n th
ru 1
1/26
6:00
pmM
en’s
Fel
low
ship
Din
ner
27
TUES
DAY
31 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:30a
mPa
stor
al C
are
11:0
0am
Staf
f Mee
ting
7 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l11
:00a
mSt
aff M
eetin
g12
:00p
mLO
GO
S Bo
ard
2:00
pmPa
stor
al C
are
6:30
pmEl
izab
eth
Circ
le
14 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:30a
mPa
stor
al C
are
11:0
0am
Staf
f Mee
ting
4:30
pmN
ewsl
ette
rD
eadl
ine
6:45
pmE
xecu
tive
Com
mitt
ee7:
30pm
Com
mitt
ee M
tgs
21 10:3
0am
Past
oral
Car
e11
:00a
mSt
aff M
eetin
g6:
15pm
San
ctua
ry C
hoir
7:00
pmD
iaco
nate
Mee
ting
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
28 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:30a
mPa
stor
al C
are
11:0
0am
Staf
f Mee
ting
7:00
pmS
essi
on M
eetin
g
WED
NES
DAY
1 12:0
0pm
Ladi
es’ L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
12:0
0pm
Men
’s L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
2:00
pmEs
ther
Circ
le4:
45pm
LOG
OS
5:30
pmYo
uth
Sund
ay P
ract
ice
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
8 12:0
0pm
Ladi
es’ L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
12:0
0pm
Men
’s L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
1:00
pmLy
dia
Circ
le1:
00pm
Grie
f G
roup
4:45
pmLO
GO
S5:
30pm
Vete
ran’
s N
ight
6:15
pmS
anct
uary
Cho
ir6:
30pm
Yout
h Bi
ble
Stud
y7:
15pm
Can
tata
Cho
rus
15 9:30
amM
arth
a C
ircle
9:30
amR
ache
l C
ircle
10:0
0am
Rut
h C
ircle
11:0
0am
Han
nah
Circ
le12
:00p
mLa
dies
’ Lun
ch B
ible
Stu
dy12
:00p
mM
en’s
Lun
ch B
ible
Stu
dy1:
00pm
Grie
f G
roup
4:45
pmLO
GO
S6:
15pm
San
ctua
ry C
hoir
6:30
pmYo
uth
Bibl
e St
udy
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
22 Kath
i Dav
enpo
rt on
vac
atio
n th
ru11
/24
29 12:0
0pm
Ladi
es’ L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
12:0
0pm
Men
’s L
unch
Bib
le S
tudy
4:45
pmLO
GO
S5:
30pm
Yout
h C
hris
tmas
Ang
elS
hopp
ing
7:15
pmC
anta
ta C
horu
s
THU
RSD
AY
2 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l6:
00pm
Sec
tiona
ls7:
15pm
Jubi
latio
n R
inge
rs
9 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l11
:45a
mSt
ephe
n Le
ader
Mtg
6:00
pmS
ectio
nals
7:15
pmJu
bila
tion
Rin
gers
16 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l10
:00a
mSe
nior
Sem
inar
6:00
pmS
ectio
nals
7:15
pmJu
bila
tion
Rin
gers
23 Off
ice
clos
ed f
orTh
anks
givi
ng
30 9:00
amH
omes
choo
l6:
00pm
Sec
tiona
ls7:
15pm
Jubi
latio
n R
inge
rs
FRID
AY
3 10 10:0
0M
issi
on S
ewin
g
17 Hul
seys
on
vaca
tion
thru
11/2
5
24 Off
ice
clos
ed f
orTh
anks
givi
ng
1 11:0
0am
PW B
ible
Stu
dy5:
00pm
Chr
istm
as S
troll
SATU
RDAY
4 11 18 Jaim
e C
owan
on
vaca
tion
thru
11/
25Am
y Pr
att
on v
acat
ion
thru
11/
25
25 2 9:00
amC
hris
tmas
Stro
ll
SUN
DAY
29 Ref
orm
atio
n S
unda
yC
omm
unio
nD
r. M
icha
el R
ober
ts P
reac
hing
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l11
:00a
mW
orsh
ip-W
CFH
3:00
pmR
efor
mat
ion
Wal
k
5 Yout
h Su
nday
Day
light
Sav
ings
Tim
e E
nds
Dav
id L
ee H
ulse
y P
reac
hing
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l9:
40am
Yout
h Br
unch
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH
12 Dr.
Kenn
eth
Pete
rs P
reac
hing
Ope
ratio
n C
hris
tmas
Chi
ldC
olle
ctio
n8:
30am
Wor
ship
-San
ctua
ry9:
40am
Sun
day
Sch
ool
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH4:
30pm
Yout
h G
2G
19 Dr.
Mic
hael
Rob
erts
Pre
achi
ngO
pera
tion
Chr
istm
as C
hild
Col
lect
ion
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l9:
40am
New
Offi
cer
Trai
ning
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH
26 Dr.
Mic
hael
Rob
erts
Pre
achi
ng8:
30am
Wor
ship
-San
ctua
ry9:
40am
Sun
day
Sch
ool
9:40
amN
ew O
ffice
r Tr
aini
ng11
:00a
mW
orsh
ip-W
CFH
12:0
0pm
Gre
enin
g of
the
chu
rch
6:30
pmSe
rvic
e of
Who
lene
ss
3 Firs
t Su
nday
of
Adve
ntC
omm
unio
nD
r. M
icha
el R
ober
ts P
reac
hing
8:30
amW
orsh
ip-S
anct
uary
9:40
amS
unda
y S
choo
l9:
40am
Page
ant
Reh
ears
al9:
40am
New
Offi
cer
Trai
ning
11:0
0am
Wor
ship
-WC
FH5:
30pm
Chr
istm
as N
ight
Toge
ther