god’s big story: sermons, classes &...

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The mission of Mount Olympus Presbyterian Church is to invite people to experience Jesus Christ and become his passion- ate followers. Volume XLX, Issue 1 January 2015 God’s Big Story: Sermons, Classes & Encouragement Groups Begin January 4 Annual Meeting & Pot-Blessed Dinner: January 25 at 4:00 p.m. Youth Winter Retreat, Mentoring & Learning Labs (See page 14)

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Page 1: God’s Big Story: Sermons, Classes & …storage.cloversites.com/mountolympuspresbyterianchurch...Page 3 A Year Through the Bible On January 1 we begin reading together “God’s

The mission of Mount Olympus Presbyterian Church is to invite people to experience Jesus Christ and become his passion-ate followers.

Volume XLX, Issue 1 January 2015

God’s Big Story: Sermons, Classes & Encouragement Groups Begin January 4

Annual Meeting & Pot-Blessed Dinner:

January 25 at 4:00 p.m.

Youth Winter Retreat, Mentoring & Learning Labs (See page 14)

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January 2015

Dear MOPC,

We are off and running in “God’s Big Story: A Year Through the Bible.” Some people were so ready to do this that they started last month.

When we get exposed to Scrip-ture, we often get little snippets of Scripture here and there. A pas-sage or two is read on Sunday mornings. A verse or two comes with our devotional. We get an email verse in our inbox each day.

The problem is we don’t always know where it fits in to the whole. We don’t really know the bigger plan and how those words interconnect with other words.

That’s why we are going through the Bible in 2015 and calling it God’s Big Story. Those who take the time to read the Bible, listen to the preaching and teaching on Sunday mornings, and take advantage of the resources to help our understanding will, hopefully, see the giant picture of God and our relationship to him.

Most of the time when we read the Bible, we are traveling the highway. This year we want to get up in a helicop-ter and fly at several thousand feet to get the big picture.

We want to sweep over the terrain of God’s Word to see its highs and lows, the contours and the shapes.

We will learn why Leviticus is signifi-cant, what Esther is doing in the Bible, how to make some sense of Ezekiel, why there are four different gospels, and the differ-ence between Paul’s letters.

Do you know there are hundreds of allusions in the New Testa-

ment to things in the Old Testament? That’s why knowing the Old Testament is so vital, and enriches our reading of the New, and our understanding of Je-sus.

There is no Christian growth, no fer-vent faith, and no real knowledge of God without a grounding in the Bible. This is a unique opportunity to join your church in becoming familiar with the Bi-ble for the first time, or perhaps to re-new your appreciation of God’s Word.

People can read the Bible for infor-mation. They can read it as literature. But when we read the Bible as the Big Story of God, and we find our place in the story, the Bible comes alive.

In His Grace,

Phil Pastor Phil

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Pastor Phil’s blog is at utahgrace.tumblr.com

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A Year Through the Bible On January 1 we begin reading together “God’s Big Story.” God’s Story is called the Bible. Hopefully you have found a reading plan that works for you and are ready to go. Our hope is to see the big plan of God in the Bible, how it all fits together, and find our place in God’s story. It’s OK to start after January 1. This is to be done at your individual pace, and in a way that is accessible for you. The “God’s Big Story” brochure with reading plans and re-sources is available in the gathering area. Pastor Phil will preach an introductory sermon on January 4, and then the sermons will track through the entire Bible beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation in De-cember. Each Sunday our adult Sunday School class will be designed to help us un-derstand what we are reading. There will be overviews of various books of the Bible, as well as topical classes such as “How We Got the Old and New Testament,” “Is the Bible Reliable?” and “Bible Translations” among others. The Session and Staff will be doing devotional readings in their meetings to follow “God’s Big Story.” Solid Rock Children’s Ministry and Inverted Student Ministry are en-couraging children, youth, and families to find ways to go through the Bible. We will be providing other resources throughout the year to enhance our reading so that we can understand and discover wondrous things in God’s Word. Check the Sunday bulletin, newsletter and weekly One-Minute emails for how to find those. Some Tips:

Always include prayer in your reading. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and illuminate your reading. This is not just an informational exercise, but a spiritual exercise.

There will be things you don’t understand. That’s okay. Even general exposure to God’s Word is helpful.

A good study Bible (NIV Study Bible, ESV Study Bible) provides helpful explanations. There will be times it will be hard to keep to schedule, or when the readings are dry.

Stick to it. But don’t feel guilty. This isn’t meant to be burdensome. Enjoy learning and discovering.

Consider keeping a journal where you write favorite verses, questions, or reflections that come to you.

Something is better than nothing. If you have an abbreviated plan, that’s still good. It’s a journey!

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“God’s Big Story” Sermons

On Sunday, January 4, Pastor Phil launches our year through the Bible with the first sermon of the year. He will help us get into it with a message on the nature and character of the Bible, and how to read it. Sermon schedule for the rest of January: Date Scriptures Sermon Title

Jan. 11 Genesis 1:1-5; 3:1-13; 12:1-3; 32:24-28 “Beginnings”

Jan. 18 Exodus 3:1-12; 14:21-31; 19:4-6; 40:34-38 “God Forms A People”

Jan. 25 Leviticus 11:44-45; 16:1-5; 29-34; “The Most Boring Book I Peter 1:15-16 in the Bible” The topic of Adult Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. on January 4th will be “The Basic Struc-ture of the Bible.” Come to this class to get a broad overview of the Big Story!

“GOD’S BIG STORY” Adult Classes at 9:45 a.m. January 4: “ The Basic Structure of the Bible” Come and get the broad framework of The Big Story January 11: “ An Overview of Genesis” From Creation to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph January 18: “ A People on the Move” The deliverance of Israel from Egypt found in the book of Exodus January 25: “ Reading and Interpreting the Bible” And looking at the book of Leviticus (it might not be the most boring book after all)

Faculty We are pleased to have a stellar group of Mount Olympus people who will be teaching these classes throughout the year! They include Beth Cobb, Jim Cobb, Judy Davis, Cathy Dupont, Nancy Hughes, Phil Hughes, Karen & Mark Jackson, Maggie Loring, Mike Magill, Ralph Paisley, Debbie Penney, Kevin Peterson, Kathy & John Terrion, and Jamie White.

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GOD’S BIG STORY A Guide For Your Encouragement Group

What makes the Bible come alive? Sharing it in community. During a ‘community Bible experience,’ participants gather in small groups of two or more to share their insights and questions. Five simple questions can be used to guide conversation. The result? A lively, meaningful experience! With several people, it will feel more like a book group than a class or study time.

These five conversation starters are simple, open-ended questions to help us discuss what we’ve read each week:

What's something I noticed for the first time? What questions did I have? Was there anything that bothered me? What did I learn about loving God? What did I learn about loving others?

The only “homework” is to keep up with daily readings. We don’t have to have all the answers! The five conversation starters keep things going.

This experience in sharing Scripture in community isn’t built on traditional Bible study methods. There’s no need to control the conversation. When we read “big” — that is, reading regularly several pages a day, several days a week — we naturally come ready to share.

“We've been having really fresh discussions about what Scripture is saying. We'd all just jump in. It's the most refreshing thing to hear people comfortable and confident to give their perspective.” — Gabe Lyons, author of The Next Christians

[ideas courtesy of Biblica]

In January our Women’s Bible Study groups will do a DVD-driven study by Ray Vander Laan from his series, "That the World May Know." This particular five-part segment is called "God Heard Their Cry," and it illustrates how God answered the cry of the enslaved people of Israel after 400 years in Egypt and revealed himself as Lord to both them and their oppressors. Filmed on location in Egypt, this five-part story will offer insight into the scripture's relevance for modern believers.

Join us in the church library! Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. beginning January 8th.

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Session Adopts 2015 Budget At the December Session meeting, the elders adopted a budget of $771,000 for 2015. We had hoped to have a budget of $850,275, which was proposed to the con-gregation in October. The elders made approximately $80,000 in reductions.

Several thousand dollars were cut from the Facilities portion of the budget. New roofs are needed on the two houses the church owns on Olympic Way. It is anticipated the some of the 16 heating/cooling units in the church building and houses will need to be replaced sooner rather than later. Some units have been replaced recently. The shingles on the roof of the church building need maintenance. These are just some of the things that must be addressed in the next year or two as we care for our wonderful facility.

There were also cuts in the Office/Technology, Youth, Worship/Music, and Adult Education portions of our proposed budget.

The number and the total amount of commitments and pledges were less for 2015 than last year, necessitating the cuts. In 2014, 117 pledges totaled $582,840. This year, 107 pledges totaled only $546,264.

The annual budget is developed based on these commitments, anticipation of giving above and beyond commitments, and what we call a “Faith Budget,” which is money that comes from sources that are not anticipated. We believe God will provide, and it happens. This year the Session decided to adopt a greater “faith” portion of the budget.

Despite reduced 2015 pledges, the Session decided to give both cost-of-living increases and increases for mandatory healthcare costs to our staff. Approximately 20% of the overall budget will still be dedicated to the global and local missions that we support.

We do anticipate a surplus at the end of 2014, thanks to the generous and faith-ful giving of the people of MOPC. At the January meeting the Session will revisit some of the items that we were not able to fund using the budget to determine if there is mon-ey to fund some of the projects and ministries that we reluctantly dropped.

Commitments of Giving/Pledge Comparison

2014 – 117 Pledges $582,840 2015 – 107 Pledges $546,264

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Hello Ladies, Well, well, a brand New Year! Welcome to it.

Praying that 2015 will be another year that we are able to provide for others as we continue to meet together and fulfill the Presbyterian Pur-poses.

We were able to close out 2014 with a $100.00 donation to the Thank Offering and $50.00 for Christmas Dinners at Rescue Mission as well as a monetary donation to our so very kind Lauren and John Melhoff. Thank you, one and all!

At our January 6th meeting we will analyze the status of the PW Christmas Bazaar. This has always been a very productive way to glean mission monies. Join us—we would appreciate your input.

Our Together in Service Projects for the year totaled $2,804.21 including the Bazaar monies. All these monies went to either World or Local Missions.

We look forward to January through May here at PW as we have some exciting pro-grams planned. Think ahead and plan on joining us for our February brunch out.

Our Prayer Shawl Ministry continues to bring hope and comfort to the recipients. We have a wonderful supply of shawls (already blessed) and if you know of someone in need of one, please either see Pauline or Mardi or check with the Church Office and they can also help you locate one for delivery.

Please continue to deposit hygiene products and Campbell Soup label bar codes and box tops for education in the containers in the coat room on the main level.

See you January 6, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. for social time and a meeting at 10:00 a.m. Hostesses are Betty Miller and Mike Richerson. The Bible study, “Reconciling Paul – A Contemporary Study of 11 Corinthians” will be led by Shirley Knox. Come be a Doer.

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Senior Adult Fellowship: 12:00 noon on January 8th Our January meeting will find us travelling with Mike and Dave Richerson. Begin the New Year with this adventure as we meet in Fellowship Hall. Bring your favorite dish to share for fun, food, fellowship. Kick back in the Sanctuary and travel with Mike and Dave. Bon Voyage!

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Prayer Concerns Pray for MOPC members, friends and relatives who are battling painful and life-threatening diseases. Pray for reconciliation of estranged spouses, chil-dren and parents, siblings, and other broken relationships. Pray for people who are struggling with fi-nancial difficulties. Pray for the faith leaders in our nation that they may inspire, encourage, comfort, teach, and lead us to live more Christ-like lives. Pray for food for the hungry, warm clothing for those suffering in the cold, and shelter for the homeless. Pray for people stricken with Ebola and for the medical personnel and aid workers who are caring for the ill and seeking to stem the epidemic. Pray for all those affected by the Taliban massacre of Pakistani students and civilians executed by ISIL. Pray for all those affected by the disappear-ance of the AirAsia jet liner. Pray for peace in the new year.

Prayer Requests?

Call the church office at 801-277-2674 e-mail [email protected] with your requests for prayer. If you would like to join the prayer chain, call 801-277-2674.

Prayers of Praise Praise for our faithful volun-teers who work at the Utah Food Bank, Family Promise, Salvation Army, Rescue Mission and Rescue Haven. Praise for the leaders and coordinators of our local

mission volunteers, and for our local missions team. Praise for the our talented Presbyterian Women, who are “doers!” Praise for our Stephen Ministers and the comfort that they bring to those in need. Praise for our Children’s and Youth ministries, their staffs and adult volun-teers. Praise for the prevention of an ebola outbreak in the United States. Praise for the economic recovery in the United States, job growth, and lower gasoline prices. Praise for re-establishment of diplo-matic and economic ties with Cuba. Praise for the hope that we have in our risen Lord.

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BirthdEve

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

New Years Day Office Closed

2

7 pm Rescue Mission

3

4

8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 Sunday School 6 p.m. The Mount

5

12:30 p.m. Staff

6

6:30 Men’s Bible

9:30 am PW 7 pm Children’s

Ministry Team Prayer Ministry Office & Tech.

7

6 pm Youth Band 7 pm Youth

Stephen Ministry Choir

8

7 am Order of Thursday Men 9:30 Women’s

Bible Study 12 pm Senior

Adult Fellowship

9

9:00 Sandwich’s for 4:45 pm

Salvation Army

10 10:00 Utah Food

Bank

11

8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 Sunday School 12 pm GMT

12 pm Solid Rock 45 6 p.m. The Mount

12

12:30 p.m. Staff 6:30 pm Local

Missions Team

13

6:30 Men’s Bible 7 pm Finance

Deacons Prayer Ministry

14

6 pm Youth Band 7 pm Youth

Choir

15

7 am Order of Thursday Men 9:30 Women’s

Bible

16

17

18

8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 Sunday School 6 p.m. The Mount

19

12:30 p.m. Staff

20

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Session

21

6 pm Youth Band 7 pm Youth

Choir Stephen Ministry

22

7 am Order of Thursday Men 9:30 Women’s

Bible

23

24

25

8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 Sunday School 9:45 Youth Tracks

6 p.m. The Mount

26

12:30 p.m. Staff 7:30 Personnel

Team

27

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Facilities Team

28

6 pm Youth Band 7 pm Youth

Choir

29

7 am Order of Thursday Men 9:30 Women’s

Bible

30 31

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Prayer—Touching Heaven, Changing Earth The Christian singing group “Hillsong” has a popular song called “Touching Heaven, Changing Earth.” It is a revival song that inspired Ron Hutchcraft, a Christian minister and speaker at Billy Graham’s training center, to make the following observation:

“Prayer is God's access code to the unlimited resources of heaven— all the grace you need for what's going on, all the comfort you need, all the physical and emotional strength, and all the wisdom to know how to figure it out. God has thrown open his storehouse to his children. God has unlocked His infinite resources and promised that our prayer of faith will unleash his resources and AIM them at the need we have. When you are praying don’t ever forget---you are touching heaven and changing earth. Let prayer be your primary way of getting things done!”

The Lord’s Prayer says the same thing, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I now open my prayers with this faith-building picture of prayer. Do you have a faith building picture/scripture of prayer that holds you up and inspires you to talk with your Father in Heaven, so changes can happen here on earth? Try sharing that inspiration with another--- encourage each other to claim God’s promises TODAY and reach up to touch heaven with prayers that do make a difference on earth! We have two special opportunities for prayer in January. We will be praying with the local missions team on Jan 12th at 7:00 p.m. We will also be praying during the lunch hour for the staff at the Childcare Center on a date yet to be determined. Look for fur-ther announcements in the bulletin. Our Prayer Ministry is always available for prayer and would like to invite you to re-quest prayer at anytime, attend one of our Prayer meetings, or go with us to pray for our homebound members. Karen Jackson

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Meet Clark “Vandy” Vanderhoof… ...if you don’t already know him, that is! Vandy is a founding mem-ber of MOPC who has always participated in many MOPC wor-ship, mission and recreational activities including lay reader, men’s fellowship groups, Senior Adult Fellowship, golf group, and many local and global missions.

Vandy was born and raised in Greeley, Colorado. He met his wife, Alice, in high school and they both went to Colorado State Univer-sity in Fort Collins. Vandy was so busy in veterinary school and working two jobs that he didn’t have much leisure time to spend with Alice—so he asked her to marry him while they were still in school. They initially lived in a tiny Quonset Hut and ate dinner with Alice’s parents most nights. Together they cleaned busi-nesses every evening and Vandy cleaned the grounds around the vet hospital. They saved eve-ry dime, and didn’t even go to a picture show during those lean years. Vandy had a 4-year bas-ketball scholarship, which covered his tuition for the first 4 years of college, but he was in school for a total of 7 years. His two eldest sons were born during this time, so Vandy eventually worked as a veterinary assistant at Monfort Feed Lots and as a “lead out boy” for professional dog racing. He usually didn’t get home from work until midnight. While working at Monfort, Vandy became friends with a Pfizer salesman. This friendship helped him to land a cushy job as a representative for Pfizer; it paid a whopping $75 per month, enough to ease financial pressure and lighten his moon-lighting workload.

Vandy gave up his goal of becoming a large animal practitioner when he developed a severe allergy to hay dust—and he switched his emphasis to dogs and cats. He gained valuable expe-rience, including performing surgery, when he worked one summer at his cousin’s veterinary hospital in Seattle. After graduation, he was offered a position in a Salt Lake veterinary prac-tice. He and Alice borrowed a farm truck and $200 to move their young family to Utah. One of Vandy’s most significant professional achievements was helping to found an emergency vet clin-ic, open all night, and staffed on a rotating basis by participating veterinarians. No longer did Salt Lake vets need to be on call after 6:00 p.m. if they participated in the emergency clinic.

Meanwhile, the Vanderhoofs had three more children for a total of 4 sons and 1 daughter. They also fostered a total of 26 children, most of them infants that Alice would bring home from the hospital and care for until adoptive parents were found. Vandy promised Alice that he would retire at the age of 65 and in 1997, he was able to sell everything to a national company and retire without any strings attached or the need for continued oversight of his practice.

A three-time president of the Salvation Army and past president of the YMCA, Vandy has also served on many boards. He was asked to serve on the board of the Rescue Mission, but his gift for working with people turned out to be more valuable and fulfilling than sitting on the board.

Vandy emphasized that God’s hand has been evident throughout his life, but never more so than when he was blessed in finding Alice, whom he describes as the most wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother ever. Alice Vanderhoof went to be with the Lord six years ago. Since then Vandy has kept himself very busy at MOPC and with people-oriented volunteer activities.

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Operation Christmas Child: Thank you to every-one who participated in the Operation Christmas Child Project! MOPC sent 250 boxes to children around the world. You never know how a box is go-ing to change someone’s life…..read the article below if you doubt! When a young Filipino girl received a Christmas gift-filled shoebox in 2000, she didn’t imagine that one day she would meet the 7-year-old boy who packed the box 7,000 miles away in a small Idaho town. And, she never dreamed that she would marry the Ameri-can boy 14 years later. This month Joana and her new husband, Tyrel Wolfe, dropped off their own gift shoeboxes at Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in North Carolina, and told their remarkable story. Joana received the shoebox at a vacation bible school in Quezon City, a suburb of Ma-nila. The box included a photo of a little boy in a cowboy shirt, and Tyrel’s name and address. She wrote a letter to thank him, but Tyrel never received it. Eleven years later Joana searched for his name on Facebook. One name popped up from Idaho. The child in the photo was dressed in cowboy-type attire. She clicked on the link and sent a friend request. In the rural community of Midvale, Idaho (pop. 160), Tyrel was intrigued by a message from “a girl in the Philippines.” They began a Facebook friendship and exchanged letters and pictures. The more they corresponded, the more Tyrel and Jo-ana found they had in common. They were both passionate about music, loved to sing and play a musical instrument. And Joana had always dreamed of a quiet life in the country. Despite the 15-hour time difference, they set aside time in the morning and again at night for daily Facebook visits. But if their relationship was to progress, they needed to see each other in person. In June 2013, after saving up money for a plane ticket and receiving cautionary blessings from his parents, Tyrel flew to Manila. He had been on an overseas Christian mission before, but had never been to Asia, and had never trav-eled alone. “Once I saw his face, an amazing feeling came over me,” Joana said. “I was so happy I cried.”

Continued on page 15

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Utah Food Bank: We will gather at the Utah Food Bank, 3150 S 900W, on Saturday Jan-uary 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. In 2015, MOPC will meet at the Food Bank on the second Saturday of each month. We work and enjoy each other as we power sort, repackage, or work on whatever project we are given to help the less fortunate. As always, no open toe shoes and 12+ years. Need a ride, call Pauline Forster. See you Sat. Jan. 10th.

Crossroads Urban Center: The foods needed this month are canned beans, chili & pork, but all non-perishable food and beverages are appreciated, especially food in snack-size containers and single-serve bev-erages.

Plastic water bottles are always need-ed in addition to food and beverage items.

Please leave your donations in the Crossroads box in the gathering area.

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Ulster Project Utah The 1st quarter loose coin offering will go to the Ulster Pro-ject, which helps young Christians from N. Ireland and the U.S. become peacemakers by providing a safe environment to learn and practice the skills needed to unite people when differences divide them. (Sounds like an issue that Utah also has!)

The political and religious separation in Northern Ireland has an 800-year history. The two groups have different schools, stores, restaurants and other businesses; they rarely interact with each other.

N. Irish teens with host families in the U.S. who are of the same side of the Catholic/Protestant "faith line.” These teens are 14-16 years old, an age when the youth have not yet committed themselves to underground militant groups. During July, the N. Irish and American teens meet almost daily for activities such as encounter sessions, social activities, community service projects, and worship. Many people in N. Ireland were once skeptical of the Project, but being chosen to par-ticipate is now an honor. Communities hold fund-raisers to support the teens. An eval-uation of the Ulster Project from participating towns revealed success far surpassing original expectations. Northern Irish parents have crossed sectarian lines to work co-operatively on behalf of the Project. The youth have successfully maintained new friendships with the support of local churches and community organizations. For more info, go to ulsterproject.org (the national webpage) and utahulsterproject.org (local organization webpage).

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January 2015 at Inverted

All Wednesdays 7:00-8:30 p.m. JH & HS Youth Groups All Sundays 11:00 a.m.-noon Sunday Worship 16-19 Friday-Monday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. JH & HS Winter Retreat Sun Valley! 25 Sunday 9:45-10:45 a.m. Track 2 & 3 Learning Labs Kick Off

Mentor Me! Starting this month! This month we’ll kick off our Mentor Me Project. Our goal is to pair every interested student with an awesome adult mentor who will meet together twice a month to talk about life and faith in Je-sus. We will tailor the mentoring materials to each student based on their specific interests. For example, one student may want to spend mentoring time learning about how to incorporate their beliefs about Jesus into everyday life at school and with friends, while another student might want to focus on planning for the near future and how to prepare for college life and young adult-hood. The point is this; we’re all in different places in our spiritual lives and we want students to be able to address the issues that they are struggling with right now alongside a mentor who un-derstands and is willing to walk them through it. Students: If you’re interested in being paired with one of our fantastic adult mentors, please con-tact Jamie at [email protected]. Also, watch your mailbox for more information and a Student Questionnaire that will help you sign up. Mentor Me will run from January to June, 2015. Adults: If you’re interested in being a mentor please contact Jamie ASAP!

Youth Winter Retreat, Sun Valley! January 16-19th we’ll head to Sun Valley for our annual youth winter retreat, open to the first 45 JH and HS students who register. The cost is $215 per student and includes all expenses, ex-cept lunch money on both ski days. You must bring your own gear—we do not rent gear in Sun Valley. We will meet at the church and depart at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Jan 16th and return around 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan 19th. This is a long holiday weekend and end of term for most schools. We’ll have an awesome time in the snow and then learn about how to follow Jesus in the eve-nings! Pick up registration forms in the gathering area today!

Track Two & Three Learning Labs coming Sunday, Jan 25th! The SIX Sundays, Jan 25th-Mar 1st will be our next Learning Labs. 9:45am-10:45am. Take your pick between these two great offerings: Track Two: The Bible. Why is the Bible so important to my faith? Why is it hard to understand? This class will be a combo Video/Small Group format. Taught by Jared McClure Track Three: Servant Leadership. Want to take your faith deeper? Want to learn how to serve others like Jesus did? Want to grow your leadership capabilities? For students serious about their faith and ready to take the next step. Taught by Jamie White.

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Continued from page 12

Tyrel stayed for 10 days and got to know Joana in her home environment. Tyrel said. “I knew Joana was the one.” Tyrel returned to Idaho determined to return to the Philip-pines. He worked extra hours as a trail and bridge builder at area state parks, saving to visit Joana again. This time he stayed for a month. Speaking in the Tagalog lan-guage, Tyrel asked Joana’s dad for permission to marry her. They held an engage-ment party in the Philippines and on October 5 they got married in an outdoor ceremo-ny on Tyrel’s parents’ cattle ranch. Tyrel wore a barong, the traditional embroidered shirt worn by Filipino grooms.

“My mom suggested that we ask wedding guests to bring gift-filled shoeboxes for do-nation to Operation Christmas Child to make it part of our celebration,” Tyrel said. Jo-

ana loved the idea and put “Pack a Shoebox” brochure in each wedding invitation. Some guests brought boxes; others gave a donation. The Wolfes decided to personal-ly deliver the boxes to Samaritan’s Purse headquarters instead of taking them to a drop-off location in Idaho. Now Tyrel and Joana are looking forward to their first Christmas together in the United States. They have start-ed a tradition that they hope to continue every year for the rest of their lives—packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. And when we have children, we want to involve them in packing boxes too,” said a smiling Tyrel. “I remember as a little boy, I was so excited to know the toys and other items I put in the box would bring joy to another child somewhere else in the world. “I just didn’t know the joy it would bring back to me one day.”

Christmas Eve Thanks!

Thanks to all the kids, parents, and help-ers who made the Christmas Eve Family service wonderful! Christ was surely pleased with your servant hearts!

SR 45 Mission Project and Sledding

Join us January 11th during 11:00 a.m. service for our mission project and from 12:00-2:00 p.m. for sledding!

Page 16: God’s Big Story: Sermons, Classes & …storage.cloversites.com/mountolympuspresbyterianchurch...Page 3 A Year Through the Bible On January 1 we begin reading together “God’s

Church Staf f & Ministry Team Leaders

Pastor Phil Hughes Pastor Emeritus Jeff Silliman Executive Administrator Sheila Barnish Administrative Assistant Emily Piper Youth Ministry Directors Jamie White and Dave White Asst. of Youth Ministry Jared McClure Children’s Ministry Director Ruth Rudy Director of The Mount Melissa Dolloff Treasurer Jeanne Mehlhoff Child Development Director Julie Hessheimer Caretakers John Mehlhoff and Lauren Mehlhoff Adult Ministries Director Elaine Davis

Office Hours: Mon—Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ph: (801) 277-2674 Fax: (801) 277-2059 Pastoral Email: [email protected] Exec Administrator: [email protected] Newsletter Email: [email protected] Website: www.mountolympuschurch.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mountolympuspresbyterian Address: 3280 East 3900 South Salt Lake City, UT 84124

Elders Serving on Session

Class of 2015 Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Bill Gartner Matt Cain Maggie Loring Donaree Neville Mason Harvey Mark Jackson Steve Mascaro Shauna Huston Armand van Hien Debbie Penney Fred Larsen Lauri Winge

Adult Ministry Pauline Forster Children’s Ministry Katie Peterson Congregational Life Linda Duffy Facilities Management Gary Peterson Finance Bill Gartner Financial Secretary Mitch Spackman Global Missions Debbie Penney Local Missions Gwen Mitchell Office and Info Tech Jim Wight Outreach Directors Marina Collins/Julie Davidson Pastoral Care Assistant Kathy Terrion Prayer Ministry Karen Jackson Worship Kathy Wight Youth Cathy Dupont

Our Ministry of Care BOARD OF DEACONS

Class of 2015: Debbie Harvey, Janet Hutchinson, Deanne Jorgensen, Marilyn Marshall, Carol Smedley, Kathy Vincent Class of 2016: Mike Bicker, Pauline Forster, Betsy Hamilton, Shirley Knox, David Rainey, Melissa Reynolds Class of 2017: Barbara Lincoln, Chris Chytraus, Mindy deHoll, Karen Jackson, Mary Templeman, Karen Duzy

STEPHEN MINISTERS Kathy Terrion*, Candy Vila*, Bruce Bemis*, Barbara Alexander, Don Alexander, Paul Owen, and Sheridan Metcalf.

* Stephen Ministry Leadership Team