News January 2019 firstpresathens.org

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Bruce’s BlogMy Friends,

The Pastor Nominating Committee will be making a recommendation for the Senior Pastor for First Presbyterian Church at the Called Congregational Meeting on January 6.

They will present the candidate’s name, terms of call, and share their thoughts on why this person is the one whom they believe God has called to serve with you.

As I said in my very first sermon here, “Success is not measured by how quickly a minister is called; success is measured by how the time is well spent in calling the minister God has chosen.”

Pending the approval of their recommendation, my last day in the office will be Friday, January 25, and my last Sunday with you will be January 27.

Cathi and I want to thank you for your friendship during our time with First Presbyterian Church.

We appreciate your kind words and generous spirit that made us feel at home, especially as Athens will be home when I do retire. We will be forever grateful.

It has been a privilege and honor to be part of this gifted and dedicated staff at FPC. I valued their leadership and support as we worked together during this time of transition.

I am grateful for the work of the Pastor Nominating Committee, and I am excited for you as you begin this new path on your journey of faith with a new minister.

We will keep you all in our prayers, and you will always have a special place in our hearts.

With love and blessings,Bruce Lancaster, Interim Senior Pastor

Save the DateJanuary 1

Church Office Closed for New Year’s Holiday

New Year’s Day Meals on Wheels Delivery

January 6Food Sunday

January 9Fellowship@First:

Pizza NightBookless Book Group

January 16Wed@First Classes Resume

January 20Ecumenical Martin Luther

King, Jr. ServiceMount Pleasant Baptist

Church, 5:00 p.m.

January 21Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day of Service

Project Safe Volunteer Work Day

January 23Bookless Book Group

January 27Ruling Elder Ordination

& Installation

Annual Congregational Meeting & Lunch

Called Congregational MeetingJanuary 6, 11:00 a.m.

The Session has called a Congregational meeting for January 6 to act on a recommendation from the Pastor Nominating Committee. There will be one worship service at 10:00 a.m. with the meeting immediately following the service. A brochure with information about the Senior Pastor/Head of Staff candidate to be presented by the PNC will be available on January 6.

January 6One Service, 10:00 a.m.

No Sunday SchoolCalled Congregational Meeting, 11:00 a.m.

Music NotesJust as each year I urge people to resist the temptation to rush through the season of Advent to get to Christmas, I also encourage people not to be so quick to toss aside the season of Christmas. The true season of Christmas lasts for twelve days, beginning with December 25. So, Christmas really lasts though January 5. Then on January 6 we begin the season of Epiphany, a continuation of the celebration of God being with us. But regardless of when you celebrate, this poem by Howard Thurman reminds us that the true meaning of Christmas should last all year.

Christmas Joy, by Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky has withdrawn, When the kings see their prophesy rightly fulfilled, When the princes and shepherds have gone;

Then the true work of Christmas begins.

To find the lost, To heal the broken hearts, To feed the hungry, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among all brothers, To make music in the heart.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone be the Glory),John Coble, Director of Music and Organist

CallI’ve been thinking a lot about “call” lately. Our congrega-tion is excited over extending a call to a new pastor. Soon we will be ordaining and installing new Session members who have answered the call to serve this congregation. But calls aren’t just for ministers and Ruling Elders. At my mother’s inurnment service in December, the organ-ist played her favorite hymn, “Jesus Calls Us.” While it

refers to Jesus calling his first disciples by the Galilean lake, its real emphasis is on Jesus calling each of us. “Day by day his sweet voice soundeth saying, ‘Christian, follow me!’”

To answer a call, first you have to hear it. You have to be paying attention. Mindfulness is a buzz word these days. In our days filled with a zillion distractions, it’s not easy to be mindful, to notice and listen with curiosity, openness, and purpose. God speaks to us in all sorts of ways. Are we paying attention to needs around us? To the activities that give us energy? To signs of grace in earthly places?

And after hearing the call, you have to give God an answer. A new member who was asked to host a table at the Christmas Tea later confessed, “When I was invited, I said ‘yes’ but have no idea what made that word come out of my mouth.” In my experience, the “yes” is usually accompanied by a flock of butterflies that feel more like F-7s taking flight in my stomach. And it always stretches me in ways I didn’t anticipate, but obviously needed.

As 2019 begins, to what ministry is God calling you?

Carol Strickland, Associate Pastor

IHNA Host WeekFebruary 10-17

We are looking forward to another year of service to families in need through the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens. The sign-up sheet for our next host week in February is in

the Atrium; please sign up to be an evening or overnight host, cook a meal, or help with the laundry that accumulates throughout the week. In the past, we have had many wonderful volunteers. We also hope to gain many new volunteers in 2019!

You may sign up in the Atrium or e-mail ihnafirstpresathens@gmail.com with your requested slot. Please also let us know if you would like to be added to the IHNA contact list. We will contact you prior to host weeks and update you on training and volunteer opportunities (you will need to participate in a brief training prior to volunteering for the first time).

Thank you for your service to this wonderful program.

Susan Boatwright and Frank Sherrill, IHNA Co-Coordinators

Food Sunday On Sunday, January 6, we will collect non-perishable food items for the Athens-Area Emergency Food Bank.

This month they request:w cold breakfast cereal

w saltine crackers

Thank you for donating 542 items in December!

January 21, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

As a celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and commitment to service, Athens-Clarke County is committed to making Monday, January 21, “A Day On, Not A Day Off.” The Kick-Off Celebration will be 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. at Cedar Shoals High School gymnasium, and volunteers will work from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at one of more than twenty sites in our community.

This is a terrific opportunity to help out at a variety of social service agencies. To see the complete list of participating organizations and details, visit uga.givepulse.com/group/118913-Athens-MLK-Day-of-Service. You may register there to help organizers plan. You can also sign up with the individual agencies or the day of the event at Clarke Central High School.

For many years, FPC members have helped at the Project Safe Thrift Store, so please join fellow members there if you would like. However you sign up, please list your First Presbyterian Church affiliation. We know our members are active throughout Athens. Let others know it, too!

Denise Horton, Mission & Outreach Commission

Bringing Christmas CheerEvery year, our FPC family gives to others in our community. This year our members bought gifts for 105 children through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. Eighteen members packed 106 boxes with corn flour, dried chili peppers, jalapeno peppers, rice, beans, and other items that were distributed to Latino families through a partnership with Casa de Amistad and Catedral de Fe.

Our Christmas Joy Offering was collected after press time, so will be reported in February. Half of the money will be given locally to Casa de Amistad, which addresses the needs of the underserved Hispanic/Latinx community through direct service, education, advocacy, and community involvement in order to create a just and harmonious, multicultural community. The other fifty percent will go to the Athens Nurses Clinic, which provides health care at no cost to uninsured indigent patients in Athens and northeast Georgia.

Approximately $5,000 has been given so far to local nonprofit agencies through the Holiday Benevolence Market.

We provided hospitality and warmth for participants in this year’s Christmas parade. And our members once again volunteered to pay for and deliver Meals on Wheels on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day to those who would otherwise not receive a hot meal.

Thank you for all you do to demonstrate our mission to create a community where we seek the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, rejoice in worship, and go forth sharing the love of Christ with Athens and the world.

Denise Horton, Mission & Outreach Commission

2019 Host Weeks:February 10-17

April 14-21 August 18-25

October 28-November 3

Project Safe Work DayJanuary 21

Please join our team from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. sorting clothes and other items for sale to benefit victims of domestic violence. To volunteer or for questions please contact Kitty Donnan at kittydavedonnan@gmail.com. The Project Safe Thrift Store is located in the Bell’s Shopping Center, 955 Hawthorne Ave.

Children’s Ministry UpdateChildren’s Christmas Pageant, December 9, 2018

The children enjoyed a wonderful Advent Season. We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Happy 2019! Natalie Bishop, Director of Children’s Ministries

Youth Ministry News

Three Degrees of Separation?There is a well established belief that any two people can be connected by a chain of six or fewer people, but for Presbyterians, I believe we are more like three degrees of separation! Being a “connectional church” is one of our foundations - it truly is a small (Presbyterian) world! From Montreat to mission trips, we seek to provide our youth with opportunities to expand their circles. Recently, we have focused on strengthening connections at the Presbytery level. Each month, youth directors from Covenant, First, Madison, and Oconee Presbyterian churches meet to plan combined activities for our youth groups.

Last semester, we went bowling and worshiped together at the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. This semester, we have planned a rollerskating night and a Lenten worship service at Madison. And in the summer, our youth share the Georgia Lodge with youth from Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church in Augusta. While we may come from different backgrounds and worship experiences, what a joy to be connected to so many through our shared faith. Happy New Year to all our friends near and far!

Kim Ness, Director of Youth Ministries

Youth Group This Month January 6 January 20 Youth Sunday Planning Begins No Youth Group MS (4:30-5:30) and HS (6:15-8:00) Take time to volunteer for MLK Day on Monday!

January 13 January 27 Youth Sunday Planning Youth Sunday Rehearsal MS (4:30-5:30) and HS (6:15-8:00) Combined MS and HS (6:00-8:00, including dinner)

Snapshots from the Holidays

Youth from Covenant, Oconee and FPC worshiped together at the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service then met for ice cream at Dunkin Donuts

James Williams performed at the Live Nativity

Elf movie night and elf-inspired dinner!

High School Christmas Dinner at Kim and Erik’s house

Youth tree-trimming in The PIT

Middle School Christmas Party in The PIT

February 3, 2019 Y o u t h S u n d a y

Welcome

Flower Dedications The following dates are available to dedicate flowers for Sunday worship: February 3, 17, and 24. The cost for two arrangements is $100. Please contact Lucy Bell Johnson, lbell@firstpresathens.org or (706) 543-4338 to schedule a date.

February 3Youth Sunday

Souper Bowl of Caring

February 6Fellowship@First:

Pizza Night

February 8-10Youth Ski Trip

February 10Children’s Ministry Breakfast

February 10-17IHNA Host Week

February 17American Red Cross Blood Drive

March 3Mardi Gras Mission Gala

Frozen Chosen Cup

March 6Ash Wednesday Dinner & Service

March 13Lenten Suppers begin

March 24Confirmation Sunday

November FinancialInformation

Total Nov. Revenue $78,699Budgeted Nov. Revenue $104,760Total Revenue YTD $1,057,341

Total Nov. Expenses $114,431Budgeted Nov. Expenses $102,812Total Expenses YTD $1,208,738

New Waddel FellowWe are pleased to welcome Leighton Parker this month as our new Waddel Fellow for Mission & Outreach. Leighton was born and raised in LaGrange where she has attended First Presbyterian Church of LaGrange all her life.She is a junior at UGA after transferring from the Univeristy of North Georgia last year. Her major is Advertising with a minor in Religion and certificate in Public Affairs. Music and nature have always been passions of hers, and she’s also a big fan of coffee!

Bookless Book GroupJanuary 9 & 23, 11:30 a.m.

A group of women meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month to enjoy lunch and conversation. We meet at a variety of restaurants and invite anyone interested to join us. Our next meetings will be:

January 9 - White Tiger, 217 Hiawassee Ave. January 23 - Bone Island Grill House, 2055 Oconee Connector

Leighton at Montreat Conference Center

Looking Ahead

2019-20 Weekday School Registration Begins January 15

Please call our director, Elaine Johnson, at 706-206-8180 to schedule a tour. Our Weekday School is celebrating 52 years of serving Athens children, ages infant through five years.

Stories of the Faithful: Joseph

Our Church FamilyCongratulations to:

Karen Burg, who was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Christian Sympathy to:DeeAnn Cox and family on the loss of her brother, Michael Byron Todd.

Joan Duffett and family on the loss of her husband, John Robert Duffett.

Sydney Jackson and family on the loss of her father, William Joseph Buzzell.

Fred Wallace and family on the loss of his sister, Jane H. Wallace.

In MemoriamJohn Robert Duffett

1930-2018

Jan 1 Hebrews 11:1-3, 22Jan 2 Genesis 37:1-11Jan 3 Genesis 37:12-24Jan 4 Genesis 37:25-36Jan 5 Genesis 39:1-6aJan 6 Genesis 39:6b-18Jan 7 Genesis 39:19-23Jan 8 Genesis 40:1-8Jan 9 Genesis 40:9-15Jan 10 Genesis 40:16-23Jan 11 Genesis 41:1-13Jan 12 Genesis 41:14-24Jan 13 Genesis 41:25-36Jan 14 Genesis 41:37-45Jan 15 Genesis 41:46-57Jan 16 Genesis 42:1-5Jan 17 Genesis 42:6-17Jan 18 Genesis 42:18-28Jan 19 Genesis 42:29-34Jan 20 Genesis 42:35-38Jan 21 Genesis 43:1-10Jan 22 Genesis 43:11-15Jan 23 Genesis 43:16-25Jan 24 Genesis 43:26-34Jan 25 Genesis 44:1-13Jan 26 Genesis 44:14-34Jan 27 Genesis 45:1-3Jan 28 Genesis 45:4-15Jan 29 Genesis 45:16-20Jan 30 Genesis 45:21-24Jan 31 Genesis 45:25-28

Jan 1 Lynn Thomas Jan 2 Xan PalmerJan 3 Donna Gerhardt, Chris

Middendorf, Howard Sugiuchi, Julianne Welch

Jan 4 Carol Bachman, Steven Havick, Dominik Lee

Jan 5 Ivan Silook, Keith Guest, Sr.Jan 6 Jinx Baldwin, Judy ScanlonJan 7 Vasu Nair, Jim Smith, Kevin

WelchJan 8 David Cole, Ann Dunn,

Joseph Harrison, Carmen Meadows, Tom Reigle

Jan 9 Knox Cobb, Pat Fuller, Beverly Simpson

Jan 11 Will Corry, Randy Heath, Jr., Emory Lewis, David Magrino, Joan Pinson

Jan 12 Brooking DuPriest, Madie Fischetti

Jan 13 Karen Burg, Lachlan Morris, Isabelle Seward, Dan Trier

Jan 14 Msano Mandalasi, Jennings Middendorf, Stephanie Wilson

Jan 15 Logan Bono, Jennifer TrapnellJan 16 John Bennewitz, Michael

Coenen, Stella Crim, Jim McDonald, John Stone III

Jan 17 Whitney Goodstone, Tripp Jones III

Jan 18 Debbie Gaskill, Madison SmithJan 19 Randy Dudley, Tenny Ness,

Caryl WoosleyJan 20 Ruby Hodgson, Cash Morris,

Dianne WilsonJan 21 Kathy Compton, Sue Ellen

Patterson, Harper Price, Beth Shackleford

Jan 22 Andrea Doornbos, Beau Hodgson IV

Jan 23 Jean Bock, Ashley Dunn, Mary Frances Fitch, Jerry Rogers

Jan 24 Mary McCormack, Paige Oelke

Jan 25 Jimmy Wilfong, Jr., Katie Sue Martin-Williams

Jan 27 John Boatwright, David Bradford III, John Chromiak, Jim Prestegard

Jan 28 Beau Calvo, Shirley Chambliss, Trina Respress, Cullen Brown

Jan 30 Ellen Corry, Nancy Denson, Kemp Gaskill, Christy Jordan, Beverly Phares

Jan 31 Roy Bell

In MemoriamEthel Tison Chaffin

1921-2018

Fellowship@First: Pizza NightsJanuary 9 & February 6, 5:45 p.m.

Join us for pizza in Fellowship Hall! Chip in and enjoy the fellowship with your church family. Please make reservations online or with the church office by January 7.

185 E. Hancock Avenue • Athens, GA 30601(706) 543-4338

Non Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDAthens, GAPermit 262

Return Service Requested

Sundays at First Presbyterian Church

Sunday, January 6, 10:00 a.m.A Church of All Doors

Dr. Bruce Lancaster PreachingCommunion Sunday, Food Sunday

Called Congregational Meeting, 11:00 a.m.

Sunday, January 13Taking a Personal Spiritual Checkup

Dr. Bruce Lancaster Preaching

Sunday, January 20The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Dr. Bruce Lancaster Preaching

Sunday, January 27Enjoy the Journey

Dr. Bruce Lancaster PreachingAnnual Congregational Meeting & Lunch

Worship Schedule8:45 & 11:00 a.m.

Except January 6

Sunday School for All Ages9:45 a.m.

No Sunday School on January 6

Children’s ChurchChildren Pre-K through Grade 2 may leave with Natalie Bishop, Director of Children’s Ministries,

during the 11:00 a.m. service for Children’s Church held in the Children’s Ministry Suite.