in this issue - first presbyterian church of tequesta · in this issue: “intentionality ... sent...

2014 Issue No. 2 Winter - Spring Issue February - March 2014

Our 54th Year First Presbyterian Church

482 Tequesta Dr. Tequesta, FL 33469

561-746-5161

In this issue:In this issue:

“Intentionality” Dr. Shaffer ex‐plains the approved pastor search process

Lighthouse Keeper ‐ Dr. Shaffer

2-3

‘Time Never Stops Moving” ‐ and Family Ministry activities

Pictures of our bell choir

Crystal Davis ‐ Family Ministries.

5-8

George Sullivan ‐ “keeping mu‐sic programs fresh”

Our new “Narrative Budget” brochure

Presbyterian Women Report on several activities

Wonderful experience but it was cold!

Jane Speak on schedules, Pres‐byterian Women, lunch bunch and “Celebration Giving.” 17

8

Jocelyn O’Neill and Shan‐non Trevino on Saturday Fellowship and Bible Black Belts

Preparations underway for March 1 Strawberry Festival

Jim Snyder speaks of his new book.

Strawberry Festival Activities

Saturday Fellowship

9

19 11

Presbyterian Women report

10

20

Marlyce Pedersen report ‐ Bell Choir Appreciation

Music report ‐ by Music Director

10-11

Hymn Singing ‐ by Choral Director

Trip to Cedarkirk

Hands‐on missions and Thank you letters

On January 5, volunteers unhung the greens

15-16

Evangelism and Missions

Finance and Stewardship

13

Unhanging the Greens

12

First Fellowship Dinner of 2014

Session Report Jim Snyder reports on Session Activities.

Deacon Doings Dave Chandler talks about deacon activities.

18 14

Preschool Director Penny Rogers gives preschool report

Preschool report

13

• February 22 - Annual officer’s planning retreat • March 1 - The 34th Annual Strawberry Festival • March 17 - Deadline for submitting articles for the

April - May 2014 Beacon

Our Bell Choir

• Birthdays • Beacon Highlights • Men’s Breakfast • Glimpses of Spirit

23 21-22 22 14

From the Lighthouse Keeper

I call it ‘Intentionality’

Continued on next page

Almost one year ago I sent a memo to our Personnel Committee and entitled it, “Where do we want to go and how do we get there?” I started that memo stating “I am a big believer in intention-ality. I have found it always more advanta-geous to be proactive rather than reactive. Thus, I am proposing the formation of a special task force, working under the oversight of the Per-

sonnel and Planning Committee.” From that beginning, seven members representative of our congregation were chosen by the Personnel and Planning Committee and approved by the Session to serve on this special task force. They were Michael Barry, Rob Jacoby, Scott Rippe, Susie Zern, Bill Butdorf and Jocelyn O’Neill, with me serving as staff liaison. The purpose of what follows is to communicate to our members what has transpired these past several months, coupled with what might be expected to tran-spire the next 12 months. We established at that meeting that my retirement date would be targeted for December 31, 2014, and that during this two year period we would with “intentionality” set goals and make plans that would best facilitate the smooth transition from my pastorate to that of the new pastor who would follow. Our church has had little experience in this area, for, when I retire after 24 years, I will have been only the third senior pastor in its 54 year history. This special task force committee would establish the ground work, so to speak. It would plan and implement how we would proceed and communicate to both our congregation as well as to Presbytery. It was understood that the composition of this committee must be represen-tative of who we currently are as a church, and include those who would be open to where we hope to be in the future. The guidelines were that this committee would lead us through the beginning stages, but would cease to exist upon the election of a PNC (Pastor Nominating Commit-

tee), which subsequently occurred on December 29, 2013. Michael Barry, Fred Cone, Laura Cunningham, Matt Melendy, Jocelyn O’Neill, Krissy Overfield, Matt Rippe, Jim Scalf, and Rosemarie von Zabern were elected by the congregation to serve on that committee. What the initial special task force accomplished the first several months was to organize our 2013 annual officer/staff retreat to focus upon this transition to a new pastor. This retreat was held in March and at this meet-ing Amalie Ash, our Presbytery Exec was in attendance to explain the process of choosing a new pastor as well as to share Presbytery’s recent demographic study of the Jupiter/Tequesta area. Also, that which was of prime importance was to give to each committee of the church a directive of investigat-ing during the next 12 months exactly what they under-stood their area of responsibility required to facilitate a positive future. They were given the following three concerns to address and to report back during our 2014 annual officer/staff retreat.

1. How can we best recognize Pat’s contributions to First Presbyterian, celebrate his work with us during the past 24 years, and show our apprecia-tion to him as he enters the next phase of his life?

2. What do you think will be the spiritual needs of our changing community in the next five years and what programs will best provide support for those needs?

3. Is First Presbyterian a thriving and vibrant part of our Christian community or have we reached ma-turity with limited or no opportunities for growth? Is the church currently organized to meet the growing needs?

Furthermore, during this past 12 month period repre-sentatives of this special task force consisting of Michael Barry, Susie Zern and Clerk of Session, Jim Snyder, held meetings with Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry (COM). These meetings resulted in receiving approval from the COM to allow our church to proceed differently than has historically and traditionally been done when select-ing a new pastor. For traditionally it is not until the pas-tor has physically left the church that a PNC is elected. The process for electing a PNC, establishing a Church Information Form (CIF) and then receiving and evaluat-ing potential Pastor Information Forms (PIF), and fi-nally, for the PNC to choose and to interview prospec-tive new pastors. All this takes approximately 12

The First Presbyterian Church, Tequesta, Florida

Dr. C. Patrick Shaffer Senior Pastor

months, for a church of our size, prior to the arrival of a new pastor. During this time an interim pastor is hired to keep the congregation functioning. Tradition has held that an in-terim pastor is a positive addition for it fulfills the need for a buffer if the church is in conflict or perhaps allows for a time of grieving when a long term pastor leaves. Our committee, along with Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, considered all this, and after some reserva-tions, our plan was approved. This approval was made possible following our petition of COM to accept as viable our interpretation of the Book of Order implying that a PNC could be elected after the pastor submitted an “irrevocable retirement date.” I have done so, and thus we now have a 12 month head start on calling a new pastor for First Presbyterian Tequesta. By specific directive of the Presbyterian Book of Order and emphasized by the COM, I as the outgoing pastor can have no influence in the selection of my successor. Thus I did not attend the 2013 retreat, nor will I attend the 2014 officer/staff retreat. I was not involved when the new PNC was nominated nor was I in attendance the Sunday this PNC was elected.

To close, I personally feel very optimistic and enthusiastic about where we are today in the life of our church. We have multiple intergenerational programs, a meaningful Sunday worship experience, an inspirational music program, a growing youth fellowship, a mission program of “hands on ministry” that we may be proud of, and an encouraging increase in children and young families attending our church. In many ways the most positive asset we offer to new pastoral leadership is a truly great and competent staff. Our church offers whoever may become our new pastor, not only a solid well maintained physical plant, great programs and a super staff; but, who would not want to live and work in the paradise which comprises the Jupiter/Tequesta community? My retirement is still a full year away and, I must confess, it is not a day I am looking forward to. I will miss being your pastor and after 23 years many of you are not just members of the congregation, but friends whom I will cherish forever. With much love,

the Lighthouse Keeper

‘ Intentionality’...Continued

Beacon, February - March 2014

“It takes a village to raise a child” - This ancient African proverb teaches eternal truth. No man, woman, or family is an island. But in these lean times, community isn't always what it is supposed to be. We'd all like to think we live in a place where people care about others - where people pitch in to help when things get rough. It does take a village to work with the family, to raise a child, and weather the storms of life. In my experiences over the past 22 years in this church, I have certainly felt as if our church is the village that helped raise my children and the other children and youth in our church. Each year we have the opportunity to invest in the future of our youth. Your investment, if you choose to do so, can be an investment in the spiritual growth of our middle and high school students, or you can invest in the academic growth of our college students. Our scholarship fund relies entirely on the generosity of individuals like you and we are asking you to consider a donation in support of our youth. In these tough economic times, your support of our scholarship program is more important than ever.

March has historically been the month when we discuss the various types of scholarships offered and further explain our mission. During the month of March, you will find yellow pew envelopes specifically for making scholarship donations. Also, during March, you will hear how our support has impacted our youth. If you have any questions about the scholarships offered, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Jill Rippe.

March is scholarship emphasis month

2013 Scholarship Award Recipients

There you are sitting in worship or Bible study. Your child, or toddler, is restless. Per-haps they’re even a little boisterous. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventu-ally, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the audi-torium. All the while, you’re a little embar-rassed. Maybe you’re a little frustrated too.

You might even think to yourself, “There’s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my kid.” I want you - you mothers and/or fathers - to know just how encouraging you are to so many. The little elderly woman who often fells alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She’s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back pre-cious memories. To see young parents and their small children brighten her day, and she may have just received bad news this week about her health, but seeing the vitality of young ones removes - if but for a moment - her fears. The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He’s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of good. But, he sees you - a young family - in church, and you don’t miss any gathering. Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young

parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to worship. Then there’s everybody else. Some people will honestly become frustrated by noisy chil-dren in church. They have this warped idea that reverence includes absolute silence. It doesn’t. When parents brought their children to Jesus, the disciples rebuked them (Matt. 19.13-15), but Jesus rebuked His disciples. He said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” The term translated “children” in Matthew and Mark is paidon. The root of the word “pedagogue” is from this word. It defined children of either an infant state, or more par-ticularly, it was with reference to those who were half-grown and could be either males or females. When Luke wrote his account of this narra-tive, he used the word brephos; which means “infants.” Luke wasn’t contradicting Matthew and Mark’s account, because Luke wrote that they brought the infants “also” (Luke 18.15-17). They would have squirmed, maybe even cried. This was likely why the disciples re-buked the parents; as well as that they might have thought that the children were too young to understand the blessing Christ pronounced over them. Bring your children to church. If you don’t hear crying, the church is dying. As hard as it might be for you as a parent who’s half-asleep, keep on doing what you’re doing. You are an encouragement, and you’re starting off your children’s lives as you should. Editors note - I have heard Dr. Shaffer say many times that it doesn’t bother him to hear children crying in church. AND, he’s the one that sent me this article.

To You Who Bring Small Children to Church The First Presbyterian Church, Tequesta, Florida

Focus on Family Ministries

Time just never stops mov-ing forward. Here we are in a brand new year, 2014, and it seems to have happened with lightning speed. The passage of time reminds me of God’s love - ever constant and un-changing. Although the events and circumstances of our lives may change, His love for us is always the same. It just keeps on coming. As I reflect on the events of the Christmas season I am filled with wonderful memo-ries that are still fresh on my

mind and very dear to my heart. Each year we kick off the Christmas season with a gathering of volunteers for the Hanging of the Greens. Something we have recently started is taking the children into the Sunday School room to make ornaments for our Sunday School tree and share some goodies. It is always a blessing to see what the kids will come up with given a little glitter and a good dose of creativity. Here are some of my favorites

Leading up to Christmas we celebrate the season of Advent. This year I decided to bring back the Prayer Gar-den that we had during Lent, but with a different focus. The focus was time, waiting, and preparation.The Prayer Garden is a self-guided worship experience that was ini-tially created for children. It began as a sacred space for young people to worship in an interactive environment. The Garden is a hands-on, “stay as long as you like” space. Fortunately, many adults entered the Prayer Gar-den and enjoyed the experience as well.

Our Children’s Ministry kids enjoyed a Christmas gathering the evening of Dec. 15. We met in the Fellow-ship Hall for cookies and cocoa and then went out into the neighborhoods surrounding the church for some good old-fashioned caroling. It was so heartwarming to see the surprise and joy on those who came to the door. Families

Time never stops moving forward

Crystal Davis, Director of

Family Ministries

Two Ornaments made by the children

One wall in Prayer Garden

Children going caroling in the neighborhood



who greeted us were so happy and their faces lit up like a Christmas tree! You could just see they felt God’s love in a new and different way….completely unex-pected, without even asking. The children had a fun time going from door to door and were even greeted with some treats along the way! This year, instead of having a gift exchange we col-lected donations and gave a gift to an underprivileged family in another part of the world through World Vi-sion. We also combined those donations with the left-over food money we had collected from the Saturday Fellowship/Bible Black Belts group. The kids took a vote and we purchased several chickens and some fruit trees to provide self-sustaining support for a family in need.

The week prior to Christmas our Sunday School rooms and Youth Room housed three families for Fam-ily Promise. I feel this is one of the best ways for our children to experience mission work first-hand. When the children and youth experience the sacrifice of giv-ing up their space to help others in need they have a physical and emotional understanding of what it means to help others in times of need. All of our kids are happy to do this and enjoy helping the families that are here. Now that we’ve been hosting for over a year, the

children are quite accustomed to it, and it is wonderful to hear young people share the message of what Family Promise is to their friends and visitors. Children’s and Youth Ministries will continue to support this incredi-ble mission effort in our community.

The tableau, our outdoor live nativity, was a huge success. Many people gathered from the community to witness the telling of the real Christmas story. Once again, we were fortunate to have live animals as a part of the program. This year we had three sheep, two donkeys, and a miniature cow. The children really en-joyed petting the animals after the program. Our youth group provided most of the music. Mary Grace Leyden played the clarinet, Jessica Dennis played the

Treats for the ‘carolers’

Getting the rooms set up for Family Promise

World Vision children and families

Dr. Shaffer reads the real Christmas story to kids

Focus on Family Ministries continued...



French horn, Bronwyn Eyeington played her flute, and Laura Engel played the trumpet. The Sunday School children dressed up as shepherds and angels and sang Away in a Manger. Jolaina Dissette sang O Holy Night and did a wonderful job playing the part of Mary along-side Kaleb Castleberry who played Joseph for the sec-ond year in a row.

Hearing chil-dren sing is al-ways music to my ears. The Children’s Choir partici-pated in the Christmas Con-cert on Dec. 15 and the Sunday School children sang at the 7:00 p.m. Christmas

Eve candlelight service. As we head into the New Year full speed ahead the next thing we are looking forward to is Sub Sunday Feb. 2 on Super Bowl Sunday. The youth group will be selling delicious sub sandwiches to benefit the youth fund. This allows family ministries to provide reduced costs on retreats and mission trips. Sub Sunday is a fun activ-ity for the young people and is enjoyed by the entire congregation. In addition to all that we have planned on Feb. 2 we will also celebrate Scout Sunday. The Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts will be greeting the congrega-tion that morning in their uniforms and will be formally recognized in the worship service. This year we are having a food drive for “Souper Bowl of Caring” to benefit C.R.O.S. Min-istry’s food banks. We will be collecting cans of soup and other non-perishable food items through Feb. 2 from our church & pre-school families as well as scouts. The middle school youth had a “soup kitchen dinner” on Jan. 15 as a way to connect with the food drive. They all brought in cans of soup and then enjoyed a canned soup dinner in place of the usual pizza.

January 18- 20, Family Ministries made the annual trip to Cedarkirk Retreat Camp for a weekend full of campfires, hiking, canoe riding, zip lining, hayrides, and more. The theme of our retreat this year was “Joy and Laughter”, reflecting Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine” and Philippines 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” We will center our thoughts on courageously handling the cir-cumstances of life with a happy heart and guarding against the destroyers of joy. It is my prayer that this is a lesson our children and families will be able to carry with them and act upon throughout the year. Many blessings to all of you as we carry through God’s work here in our church, families, and community. More Cedarkirk pictures on the following page.

Children’s choir sings at Christmas Concert

Middle school youth enjoy soup kitchen dinner

Group ready to head for Cedarkirk with their warm coats and clothing





Family Ministries trip to Cedarkirk

Crystal Davis - leader, bus driver, and chief mechanic Who can forget the fun bus rides

Rock climbing and archery

You can fix anything with bungee cords

and duct tape - even malfunctioning

bus doors

This side up !! All that fun and a wonderful worship experience !



So many of us hunger – for food, relationships, pur-pose, or whatever is “missing” in our lives. Saturday Fellowship helps so many of us to “feed” that inner hunger (and our actual bellies!!). The third Saturday of every month, we gather for a potluck dinner sharing good food, great conversation and friendships, and feeding our “spiritual hunger” to know Jesus and His will for us. Through a casual Bible study led by our “lay” members, adults can delve deeper into scripture and voice those questions we sometimes are hesitant to ask in a formal group. Far from a lecture, this bible study format is more about relating scripture to our per-sonal lives. Mary Helen Cone says “This is a great way to get to know your church family better and also grow your faith in God.”

We have some-thing for the kids too! Children can participate in a “Bible Black Belt” program that focuses key Bible verse memorization and learning how to use a Bible. Knowing how to find a verse in the Bible is as im-portant as knowing what it says. Kids learn how to look up a testament, book, chapter, and verse, and then do a fun

activity to help them remember it. Our fun activities have included a balloon relay race, puppetry role play-ing, singing, and arts and crafts. Meeting in the “dojo” (sanctuary) gives the kids an opportunity to en-joy worship in a fun, relaxed, and kid-friendly way. The program lets them earn karate-style belts as they progress in learning their Bible verses. Our fellowship is a casual, relaxed time to be fed through good food and wine, friendship, and learning more about the Bible. To learn more, please email Shannon Trevino at [email protected] or call her at 561-707-8045. She can add you to the email list now so that you can receive reminders for the next meeting in February. Everyone is welcome. We look forward to seeing you there! by Jocelyn O’Neill and Shannon Trevino


Saturday Fellowship – Feeding the “spirit”

Bible Black Belt kids study their Bibles

And have fun !


Christmas memories and joyous hopes for a fabulous new year: your music department sends prayers that you have been and will be blessed with the lingering aura of celebrating Jesus' birth. “Love came down at Christmas!” Our Chancel Choir presented the Christmas concert during worship on December 15. Texts penned by Lyn Snyder and narrated by Tim O'Neill traced the story of Christmas from “in the beginning was the WORD,” the annunciation, birth and through to Epiphany and “Go Tell It....!” Lynne Spotts was the featured soloist and a wonderful string quartet of young folks from Dreyfus added their talents to those of the choir and congregational singing. We are so blessed to have the talented and knowledgeable leadership of George Sullivan as our choral director. This issue of the the Beacon features the Bell Choir which performed in October and again on December 22. Members of the group practice each Sunday morning right after church and there are currently two openings if any-one would like to join. (Members featured in the photos are: Liani Trevino, Jolaina Dissette, Kathy Sullivan, Jes-sica Dennis, Karen Dennis, Emily Dennis, Shannon Trevino, Robin Sykes-Rowe, Ann Nelson, John Rich and Tom Rowe.) Thanks to this amazing group for dedication and enthusiasm! On January 21, the chancel choir participated in the Christian unity community service at First United Methodist Church on Indiantown Road. Our Easter Concert will be on Palm Sunday, April 13. Remember to keep a song in your heart. Love,

Music Corner Bell choir appreciation.

Marlyce Pedersen Music Director

During Easter and Christmas, choirs prepare and sing a lot of music. Rehearsals begin weeks, if not months, before performances. Preparation for rehearsing begins even earlier. We are all familiar with the music and themes of these seasons. Composers use vast amounts of ink writing for these occasions. Whole catalogs exist just for Easter or Christmas music. The challenge is to keep this music and the programs fresh. Directors use various approaches to meet this challenge. One is to choose a cantata composed for the season that contains music and narration. It comes as a tidy package. It is appealing in that all music is in a single book making it easy for the choir to handle. The text works with the music and the music with the text. There is often a musical theme and a textual theme unifying the work. Publishers provide additional resources to help choirs learn the music: They provide visual unity with bulletins for the program and offer additional enhancements like recorded orchestras or orchestration to use with a live group. Another approach is to compile a “cantata” from various pieces and write a script to provide structure. This is the process we used this year for our Christmas program. Some advantages are the ability to choose music from many different composers, styles and mu-sical periods and the ability to choose a theme to emphasize what is fitting for your situation. The script can be tailored to the particular congregation and the time and place. Marlyce and I chose music for our De-cember 15 program and asked Lyn Snyder to write a narration around the music. Tim O’Neill gave voice to Lyn’s words. I think the result was stirring!

Keeping music programs fresh

George Sullivan Choral Director

Bell Choir Appreciation on next page



Music Corner Continued...

We appreciate our bell choir members

Our Bell Choir - left to right - front row Liani Trevino and Jolaina Dissette - Second row is Jessica Dennis,

Karen Dennis, Emily Dennis, and Ann Nelson - Back row is Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Trevino, Tom Rowe, Robin Sykes Rowe and John Rich

YES, as seen from the back side - Liani is wearing high heel shoes and standing on a stool

to reach the bell ringers table

This is the view from the ringers perspective


On Sunday, January 5, a group of people stayed after church to undecorate the church or as it has become known “to un-hang the greens.” We had a good turnout and the job went quickly with all decora-tions removed, re-packed and stored away until next

Unhanging the ‘greens’ The First Presbyterian Church, Tequesta, Florida

Different methods of contributing - Were you aware?

Hi Everyone! December and January were busy months around the church and the preschool. The preschool was very busy in the month of Decem-ber! Our four year-old preschool classes had our annual Gin-gerbread House making project with our parents! Lots of fun was had by all and there were many creative houses made! This is a fun project that we look forward to every year. The children performed in our Christmas Programs once again that were held on December 10 and 11. Once again the children performed to "standing room only" crowds! Afterwards Christmas cookies and eggnog were enjoyed by all! After the Christmas parties and a visit from Santa on December 16 and 17, the preschool took a break until January 7. We have come back to a few new students and the an-ticipation of new school registrations for the 2014-2015 school year. We are anticipating once again that we will have full classrooms and a continued "Christ centered" learning experience for all children. We are also looking

forward to our P.J. and Pancake days to celebrate the letter "P" week and also some fun "snow games" and snow cones to celebrate winter in Tequesta, Florida! The parents will receive progress reports for their chil-dren at months' end to inform them of the skills that their child has conquered and will continue to learn as we enter the second half of the school year. We are excited to see what the New Year brings at the preschool and are looking forward to continued growth and many blessings ahead! God Bless and Happy New Year!

Preschool looks forward to the second half of the school year

We first learned about narrative budgets through our Presbytery. Since most people don't get much out of budgets that are just columns of numbers, our committee thought it was a good idea. Dr. Shaffer really encouraged us to create one. We did it with a lot of help. One of the most important things our narrative budget does is show how our money is being spent. But even more, it shows the vast number and diversity of programs and projects that we offer as a church. Unless we, or family members or friends, are directly involved in a program, many of us proba-bly have no idea some of these programs exist. The narrative budget in part is an attempt to rectify this. And we hope this does that for you. While many contributed to the creation of this budget, I especially want to thank Jim Scalf, Pat Shaffer, Jane Speak, and Vivienne Bellardo. We could not have done it without them. If for whatever reason you did not receive a copy of our narrative budget and pledge information, please call the church office (746-5161 ext. 10), and we will send you one. And, if any of you wish to offer any comments, suggestions, etc., you may contact us at: [email protected] We hope you find our narrative budget as interesting and informative as we do.

Penny Rogers Preschool Director


New narrative budget mailed

Janet Waterman - Chair of Finance and Stewardship

Committee

Inquiries have been received in our financial office re-garding different ways one may make a contribution to our church. Online banking is certainly available and is safe, costs nothing, and there are several members who use this method. Some people donate stock that they currently hold. The advantage to this is that their contribution is valued at the current value of the stock but they don’t have to sell it and pay taxes on large capital gains if the value has increased since they bought it. Several people have done this. Credit card use comes with an approximate two percent charge, but if there is sufficient interest, this may be investi-gated. Please let us know your thoughts.

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience Author unknown Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, yet the youngest you’ll ever be, so enjoy this day while it lasts. Author unknown

Author unknown You know - time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is - the “back nine” of my life and it catches me by surprise - How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that “I was only on the first hole” and the “back nine” was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey - they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me - but, I see the great change - Not like the ones that I remem-ber who were young and vibrant - but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be-come. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore - it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will - I just fall asleep where I sit! And so - now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the “back nine”, and I'm not sure how long it will last - this I know, that when it's over on this earth - it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done - things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a

lifetime. So, if you're not on the “back nine” yet - let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can to-day, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the “back nine” or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember - and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!! "Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fan-tastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY ! HAVE A GREAT DAY Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.


Glimpses of Spirit

Deacon ‘doings’ The deacons last met on December 16. With only nine days left until Christmas, they talked about get-ting Christmas cards mailed out to their flocks. Pat provided a list of people that he wanted to have poin-settias delivered to after Christmas. We divided up the list and the poinsettias were delivered in order to pro-vide joy and enjoyment to those that received them. I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas and I hope that 2014 is good to all of us. See you in church,

Dave Chandler Deacon Moderator

And then it is winter

A Happy New Year to All ! In this issue, I want to tell you a little about our hands on missions. Dr. Shaffer refers to these of-ten, but some of you may be new to the church and are not really sure what he is talking about. Let me try to explain. Previously I have talked about the money that the missions committee gives to various organi-zations throughout the world. Now I want to let you know some of the many things the members of this church do physically and from their own pocket. For Thanksgiving we adopt a family. These families are from the Jupiter area and have little money for Thanksgiving dinner. We each sign up for a family of two or more. We then give gift cards from Publix to the Re-source Center in Jupiter and they, in turn, give the cards to the families.

At Christmas, shoe boxes are available for the congregation to take home and fill with toys, candy, etc. for a child in need of gifts. We have the Angel Tree, again from the Jupiter Resource Center. This year we had about 80 angels with the name, age, and an idea for a gift. Our members generously took the angels and shopped for their

child. This is often the only gift these children receive for Christmas. We have had the staff and children from the Real Life Children’s Ranch come to church and attend our picnic. A couple of our church members went out to the ranch and installed two doors which were paid for out of our missions commit-tee budget. This was an all day project for these men. Members of the church also spend one Friday a month delivering Home Delivered Meals to the needy. The experience is very rewarding. Last, but not least, we participated in the Family Promise Program. For four weeks of the year we host homeless families. We have members who stay overnight, make dinners each night, set up the rooms before they arrive and take down everything when they leave. Sometimes we are asked to pick them up from work, take them to work, take them to school, and day care. People of the church give very gen-erously of their time. I'd like to say that most all of the families we have hosted have graduated from the program and are working and paying their own way. This is because of the help this church and the other churches have given to these motivated people who were down on their luck and needed friends. We could use more volunteers to help with all of the above. The next time we host the group will be March 30 for two weeks. We need vol-unteers for all of the above activities. Please get in touch with any member of the committee to offer your help. I hope this gives further information on what the Missions Committee tries to, and has, accom-plished each year. The committee is always look-ing for new members. In the near future we hope to plan a mission trip going to central Florida to help out with restoration from Hurricane Debbie. More on that later. On the next page, I am including a couple of thank you letters. Everyone is so grateful for the help that we provided and the money that we sent and they let us know.

Beverly Scanlan Chair of Evangelism and Missions Committee

Blessings to all,

Evangelism and Missions

Hands-on missions


Christmas Shoe Boxes

Thank You letters Evangelism and Missions continued...


Presbyterian Women in the Congregation

By Jane Speak, PWC Moderator

WOMEN’S ACTIVITIES Visitors and guests are welcome.

For information about any PW activity, contact Moderator Jane Speak at 561-746-0386 or

e-mail [email protected].

Monday, February 10 & March 10 Bible Study and PWC meet in the Harrington Parlor.

10:00 a.m. – HORIZONS BIBLE STUDY– An Abiding Hope: The Presence of God in Exodus and Deuteronomy, Lesson5 (God Provides) and 6 (Becoming a Holy People). Workbooks ($8) may be purchased at the study. 11:10 a.m. – PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN IN THE CONGREGATION (PWC) meeting. All women of the church are Presbyterian women and have a vote and voice in what we do. Join us as we plan to Celebrate the Gifts of Women on March 23.

THELADIES’ LUNCH BUNCH

We order from the menu, Dutch treat.

12:30 p.m. on Monday, February 10 at the Shipwreck Bar & Grille, 1511 N. Old Dixie Hwy, Jupiter. Call Loretta Glevis at 561-745-3820 to reserve a seat.

12:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10 at the Gallery Grille, 383 Tequesta Drive in the Gallery Square North shopping center. To reserve a seat, call Judy Campbell at 746-3297.

The Presbyterian Women are selling:

CUSTOM-MADE INDIVIDUAL GREETING CARDS

Stop by our table in the courtyard and check them out.

Celebration Giving Blessed is the woman who serves the Lord.

In the spring of each year, the Tequesta Presbyterian Women in the Congregation (PWC) participate in the Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Offering. Begun in 1922, it celebrates Presbyterian women’s history of mission giving. Grants range from $200,000 to $750,000.Requests come from PC (USA) governing bodies, health agencies, overseas churches, ecumenical councils, community groups, educational institutions and church related groups. To learn more about the Birthday Offering, visit: www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/pw/birthday The 2013 Birthday Offering was awarded to Westminster Neighborhood Ministries in Indianapolis, IN, whose programs focus on serving families. With this grant, they will include a growing preschool population in their ministry efforts and enlarge parent training and support programs so the children of this inner-city community will thrive. We invite you to celebrate your birthday or remem-ber the birthday of a loved one with a gift to the 2014 Birthday Offering. Make your check payable to First Presbyterian Church of Tequesta with PW-BD designated on the memo line. You may place your check in the offering plate or mail it to the church office. If you wish to directly support your local Tequesta PWC as we prepare to Celebrate the Gifts of Women in March, write PWC in the memo. Donations may be made throughout the year and are fully tax-deductible. The Tequesta PWC thanks you for joining us as we celebrate the joy of giving. Questions about our activities may be directed to Moderator Jane Speak at 561-746-0386 or [email protected].


Session Highlights The Senior Pastor Search Gets Underway If you peer into the Har-rington Parlor after Sunday worship or on Tuesday night, you may see nine members meeting around the conference table. Most likely it will be our new Pastoral Nominating Committee comparing notes on their week's progress in searching for a new senior pastor. Dr. Shaffer made it offi-cial at the January 13 Ses-sion meeting by announcing that he has sent the Presby-tery of Tropical Florida a letter stating his

"irrevocable" intent to retire on December 31, 2014. But thanks to his foresight and flexibility, we're already well underway in the successor selection process. It began in late sum-mer when our senior pastor gave Session members a "heads up" as to his plans. Why this was important has to do with the Presbytery's well-entrenched "rulebook." It requires that a retiring pastor actu-ally sever all connection with the church and a committee then be formed to select an interim pastor. Only after the interim minister arrives does a second committee get underway to nominate the per-manent pastor. We were told that the typical church in our Presbytery takes two-plus years to complete the process. We also learned that the aver-age church can expect to lose 15 to 20 percent of its members dur-ing this uncertain interregnum. Our Session members simply weren't about to risk incurring such a severe blow to our membership and budget. Hence, during the fall, Dr. Shaffer and some Session members met several times with the Presbytery's Committee on Ministry (COM). Out of those many discussions came a willingness by the COM to let us try a new "fast track" selection process. Our goal: to bypass the "interim" search period and start work-ing immediately to find a suitable senior pastor sometime during the year 2014. If we succeed, we will have a nominee to present to the congregation by year-end. If December 31 rolls around with no selection made, we will then ask the presbytery to supply a short-term interim pastor until it happens. In either case, the odds are that we will have lopped off at least half the time consumed by the tra-ditional selection process. The key ingredient, mentioned above, has been Dr. Shaffer's flexibility in working with the COM and the Session. It enabled the Session's Nominating Committee, headed by Steve Parker, to start working in November to select members of a Pastoral Nominating Committee and present them to the Congregation before year-end. It wasn't a simple process because Presbytery rules require that the membership be demographically diverse as to gender and age. That's the short version of what happened before you voted to create that committee at the Special Congregational Meeting of December 29. The new Pastoral Nominating Committee is chaired by Elder Michael Barry. Other members are: Fred Cone, Laura Cunningham, Matt Melendy, Jocelyn O'Neill, Krissy Overfield,

Matt Rippe, Jim Scalf, and Rosemarie von Zabern. Currently, the Committee is focused on furnishing information on our "church profile" so that data can be circulated to the prospective candidates. Meanwhile, there's no peeking inside the meeting room, nor asking members for tips on who's the front-runner. They're all pledged to confidentiality. However, we'll try to pry loose some progress notes to report here as the year unfolds. Other highlights from recent Session meetings: Despite a bumpy year in which pledge-plate income fell $39,000 below budget expectations, the church finished the year with a $21,000 surplus. How come? Mostly due to benevolences and a robust net return from the Preschool. Also due to prudent manage-ment of expenses. They came in at $17,000 under budget. The annual church Officer's Retreat will be Saturday, Feb-ruary 22. Michael Barry, who chairs the Personnel and Planning Committee, has asked all church committee heads to come prepared with ideas and insights on the changing demographics of our church, recent trends in attendance and what our future might be in light of national trends affecting the Christian church. George can't do it all! We need dependable volunteers to run the church sound system during Sunday worship services. George Sharp has been a one-man show for too long and we need a few volunteers who can share the load. (Can you imagine a silent ser-vice?) Balance Sheet: Cash and investments grew by $60,733 in De-cember. The General Fund increased by $37,314. Special Funds decreased by $1,020. Prepaid expenses were up $7,952 and liabili-ties increased by $32,779 due to prepaid pledges and a special gift not yet allocated. At year-end, cash and investments were $44,445 above the previous year. Income: In December general income fell $4,389 below budget. Pledge/plate income and other income were under by $5,189 and $2,488 respectively. For all of 2013, general income was $16,648 below budget and pledge/plate income $39,059 under budget. How-ever, these were largely offset by the fact that other income and preschool net income were above budget by $21,730 and $20,268 respectively. Church expenses were $11,786 under budget for December $17,282 for the entire year. Of this, year-end savings was achieved by the fact that the Building and Grounds Committee spent $11,207 less than budgeted. For the entire year 2013, the church had a surplus of $21,262. Personnel and Planning. Chairman Michael Barry reported that the Pastoral Nominating Committee, which he also chairs, had held two productive meetings and is actively engaged in meeting various informational requests of the Presbytery. He also urged all Session committee chairs, in preparation for the Feb. 22 Officer Retreat, to address three key long-range planning questions that have been sent to them in previous emails. Unfinished Business. Elder Sharp lamented the continuing short-age of trained volunteers to operate the sanctuary sound system during worship services. A discussion as to whether a paid position should be created. Elder Butdorf volunteered that the Worship Committee would meet to address the subject. VBS will be the third week of June. Sunday school teachers needed.

Report from the elders

Jim Snyder Clerk of Session


Saturday March 1 will be here before you know it. Look around your homes for gently used items includ-ing books that you would like to donate to this year’s festival. You can bring them to the church office at your convenience. Please keep in mind that we cannot

use furniture, television sets, or clothing items. Pricing and sorting takes place every Tuesday for those inter-ested in helping with this important job. There are many activities connected to the festival that require the help of our church family. We hope you will stop by when you have free time to price items, sort books, clean and repair jewelry, make jam or talk to vendors about contributions. Jam making begins on February 4.

See the schedule of days in the activities list below. We will also let you know where we will need volun-teers on the day of the festival. Tis the season to join with your old friends as you give your time and talents to an important church and community event.

Fellowship and Special Events Continued...

Strawberry Festival Activities

Your help is needed before the festival, during the festival, and after the festival. Please check the schedule below to see how you can help. TUESDAYS at 9:30 a.m.: Price and sort festival dona-

tions. This is done in Fellowship Hall, so weather is not a problem.

FEBRUARY 4, 6, 18 and 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Help make our famous Strawberry Jam. Lunch is provided. Be sure to sign up in the courtyard, so they’ll know how many to expect for lunch. Bring an apron and a sharp knife.

FEBRUARY 16 after worship service – Set up Fellow-ship Hall for Trifles and Treasures

FEBRUARY 26 – Wednesday afternoon set up Bakery and Books

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 at 8:30 a.m.: Slice strawber-ries for shortcake. Bring your knife and apron. No lunch.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1 at 8:30 a.m. – Volunteers can arrive early to do their preview shopping. This is your reward for all your hard work.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1- shops open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Sign up in the courtyard for specific assignments on the day of the festival. Morning volunteers should arrive in plenty of time to have everything ready when we open our gates at 9 a.m. Help is also needed for clean-up after the festival closes at 1 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 2 After the worship service: unsold items are available for a good-will donation. Volun-teers needed to help people pack and carry items.

MONDAY, MARCH 3 at 9:30 a.m.: Pack up unsold items for pick-up by Our Sister’s Place Thrift Shop.

Strawberry Festival Chair Beverly Scanlan on left shown with Susie Zern

At a recent strawberry festival work day displaying donated items. From left to right are Bette Walker, Zula Soaves, Susan Glenn, Beverly Mayer, Carol

Taylor and Mona Ludwick


Fellowship and Special Events

First fellowship dinner of 2014 was a huge success.


Author Jim Snyder was the speaker at our first Fel-lowship dinner of 2014. Approximately 100 people attended this dinner and judging from their body lan-guage and questions, they thoroughly enjoyed Jim’s discussion of his new book The Cross and The Mask. If you had not already done so, you were motivated to buy and read his new historical novel.

Jim Snyder gives background of his book and explains why he wrote it.

Approximately 100 people enjoyed the wonderful food and Jim’s presentation

Susie Zern, Judi Finn and Pam Quigley in the kitchen

Pat Shaffer prays Susie Zern introduces Jim Snyder

Linda Kelly and Mary Scalf visiting

Jim displays five of the seven

books he has written

These four people joined us as members on December 15, 2013.

Jane and Rudy Petersen - Rudy and Jane live in Jupiter but also have a Corinth, NY address. Rudy is a retired Mechanical Engineer and Jane is a retired regis-tered nurse. Rudy’s religious background was as a Lu-theran and a Methodist while Jane was a Catholic and a Methodist. Jane has volunteered to do gardening and being a greeter so watch for her and give them a big First Presbyterian welcome!

Susan Cooper - Susan is married to Bill Cooper and they also live in Jupiter. Susan is also a registered nurse. The Coopers have two grown children, Bill III and Ka-tie. Susan has been a willing and able volunteer at sev-eral special events over the past year. She has worked at the Strawberry Festival, Hanging of Greens, Fellowship dinners and more. Welcome Susan!!

Joyce Conklin - Joyce lives in Jupiter and is married to Bill Conklin. They had five children - Joseph, James, Donna, Debra and Jeffrey. The children are all grown but sadly, their oldest, Joseph died in October of 2013. Joyce has a Presbyterian background and was a Deacon at a previous church. Joyce is interested in a lot of vol-unteer activities. Welcome Joyce!!

Meet our new members Beacon Highlights

From left to right - Jane and Rudy Petersen, Susan Cooper, and Joyce Conklin

Bloodmobile Schedule The bloodmobile no longer comes to our church, but anyone willing to donate blood can go to St. Judes Catholic Church in Tequesta between 7:30 and 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, February twenty-third. Giving blood is good for you and it can help you lose weight, and there is a severe shortage of blood in Palm Beach County. See you soon, Dave Wallace


Parker Cone’s school, Everglades Elementary School, held their second Annual Toy Drive to benefit the Kids Cancer Foundation. Besides the over 300 toys collected they also presented the charity with a check for $505 which will also be used to assist families throughout the upcoming year.

Beacon Highlights continued

Parker Cone’s school helps The Kids Cancer Foundation

Everglades Elementary School kids present check (That’s Parker second from left)

Casey Davis, daughter of Crystal Davis, won two trophies in a karate tournament recently at The Pan Ameri-can International Competition held in Miami, FL. She takes karate at the Purple Dragon Dojo in Tequesta, FL.

Casey Davis wins trophies at karate Tournament

Casey with her trophies

Poem by Deacon Dave Wallace Spring's Onset From provinces with rifts of snow Surge swift streams to distant lakes That at the close of each chill night Reflect more eastern light A sparrow scans the pillard dark For the blue black birth of another dawn To the west fades a waxing moon Like a waning warning of a summer song

Men’s Wednesday Fellowship Breakfast

The Men’s Fellowship Breakfast meets at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morn-ings. No reservations required. Come and bring a friend. The men have been meeting at local restaurants and not cooking in Fellow-ship Hall. In January they met at the Gallery Grill. In March they will meet at a different place. Watch your Sunday bulletin for the current location.


Happy Birthday !!!

February March


Dennis Plante Jolie Woodard Francesca Choy Patti Kennedy Drolet Zula Soaves Shirece Franks Bill Francis Barry III Kevin John Campbell Richard W Carlson Polly Jacoby Aliza McTernan Ann Petersen Mary S Carlson Zachary Parker Judy Kay Campbell Jill Esposito Mary Scalf Carol McGregor Pat G Corley Alex Trevino Melissa Plante Betty Davidson Tom W. Hudson Jr. John McGregor Lyn Snyder Betty Pickens

Feb 4 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 6

Feb 10 Feb 12 Feb 13 Feb 14 Feb 14 Feb 14 Feb 14 Feb 15 Feb 15 Feb 18 Feb 18 Feb 18 Feb 19 Feb 20 Feb 20 Feb 21 Feb 22 Feb 25 Feb 25 Feb 25 Feb 26

Janice Smith Barry Muriel Weidenfeller Jim Snyder Ernie Cantelmo Judy Dickinson Bill Splittgerber Shirley Barker Evelyn Benson Ralph Shaw, Jr George Douma Carol Taylor Janel Mote Ann Putnam Janet Branigan Jaime Legal Laura Deck Cunningham Chas Lofquist Billy Toupin Lee Defaut Braden McClain Austin Young Michelle Hering Jolaina Dissette Daniel Swanson George Edward Estey Elaine Hicks Isabel Lierman J.P. Patrick Rippe Beverly Haas Linda Pelong Susie Zern Tom Monroe John Richard Pelong Joan Sharp Robby Vargas Marcia Brown Mary Helen Cone Ted Robinson Stephanie Young

Mar 1 Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 4 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 5 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 8

Mar 10 Mar 10 Mar 10 Mar 12 Mar 12 Mar 12 Mar 13 Mar 19 Mar 19 Mar 20 Mar 20 Mar 20 Mar 20 Mar 23 Mar 23 Mar 24 Mar 25 Mar 26 Mar 26 Mar 26 Mar 30 Mar 30 Mar 30 Mar 31

The Beacon The First Presbyterian Church

482 Tequesta Drive Tequesta, Florida 33469

http://www.Tequestapres.org

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid WEST Palm Beach, FL Permit No. 1894

The Rev. Dr. C. Patrick Shaffer, Pastor William Dennis, Pastor’s Assistant Crystal Davis, Director of Family Ministries Penny Rogers, Preschool Director Marlyce Pedersen, Music Director and Organist George Sullivan, Choral Director Jim Scalf, Beacon Editor Church office 561-746-5161 FAX 561-746-7709 Dial-a-Ride 746-5161 ext. 10 Email : [email protected]

Address Service Requested

February - March 2014

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